Today, Samaritan’s Purse President Franklin Graham welcomed hundreds of guests to our Midwest Ministry Center in Aurora, Illinois, to dedicate the new property to the Lord’s service. The 116,000 square-foot facility will serve as a staging area for our disaster relief operations in the region while also housing a permanent Operation Christmas Child processing center.…
50 Years of Ministry
100 Million Shoebox Gifts Collected
Evilyn Pinnow, a then 12-year-old from Wisconsin, traveled more than 5,000 miles across the United States collecting items to place inside Operation Christmas Child’s symbolic 100 millionth shoebox before she headed to the Dominican Republic to place it into the hands of a precious child in need. In California, friends of the ministry added socks…
Shoebox Recipient Gives the Gift of Service to Louisiana Homeowners
Karina knows what it’s like to receive an unexpected gift from strangers. One year around Christmastime, a pre-teen Karina and her seven siblings were surprised to see stacks of colorful shoeboxes ready to be distributed to children at their church. Her large family was used to sharing what possessions they had and celebrating Christmas without…
Our Ministry
Operation Heal Our Patriots
Give Their Marriage a Fighting Chance God is transforming the lives and marriages of military service members through Operation Heal Our Patriots. Tripp and Katie Butusov came to Alaska burdened by the weight of war and bitterness. He’d seen a dozen combat deployments with the Army. She was a “foul-mouthed” Marine who thought God had…
Franklin Graham
Newsletter July 2023
Franklin Graham Update | July Franklin Graham Update | July ‘Why Am I Here?’ Patriots Discover God's Answer Mike and Michelle Black Dear Friend, When Marine Lance Corporal P.J. Kehs came home from his tour of duty in Iraq, not only was he battle-toughened, but he also had what he described as "a heart of rock." Mike and Michelle Black A veteran of Operation Phantom…
Our Ministry
Newsletter June 2025
Franklin Graham Update | June Franklin Graham Update | June Gospel Hope for the World Dear Friend, Just a few weeks ago, I had the privilege of convening the European Congress on Evangelism with the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association in Berlin, Germany. We brought over 1,000 church and ministry leaders from 55 countries and territories across Europe to focus on proclamation evangelism. Our…
Discipleship, Education & Training
Military Couples Celebrate New Beginnings During Week One in Alaska
A hero’s welcome is not what military couples expected when they arrived at Samaritan Lodge Alaska. Yet they stepped off the plane to a crowd of staff, volunteers, chaplains, and local residents waving American flags and waiting to greet them. Army Staff Sergeant Chad Kleist and his wife, Tamara, had known for a while that…
Discipleship, Education & Training
A Marine and His Wife Celebrate a Decade of God’s Grace
Well over a decade ago, Johnny and Shannon Montoya landed in Alaska hoping to save their marriage. In the years after Johnny’s deployments with the Marines, the couple was drifting apart. They felt like strangers living in the same house. But in 2014, they hit rock bottom. Johnny attempted to end his life. “I just…
Discipleship, Education & Training
Operation Heal Our Patriots Starts 12th Summer Season in Alaska
Memorial Day weekend marked the start of the Operation Heal Our Patriots 2023 summer season. Eleven military couples, from eight states and Puerto Rico, arrived on Sunday, May 28, at Samaritan Lodge Alaska where they were greeted by a flag-waving, enthusiastic crowd that included staff, volunteers, and local town residents. The patriots and their spouses…
Crisis & Disaster Response
Team Patriot Gets Wounded Veterans Serving Again
U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Brandon Price was performing a routine training session with the Afghan Army when his students suddenly turned on him and ambushed him and his squadron with gunfire. Brandon took two bullets to the chest plate and one to his leg, and as he was being treated by a medic, a remote-powered…
