Until just recently, sickness was simply a way of life in the many remote villages of Mayendit County, South Sudan. Waterborne illness, poor nutrition, and infections ran rampant among mothers and their children. This was true until women like Nydech, a mother of seven, was invited to join the Maternal, Infant, and Young Children Nutrition…
Celebrating Freedom in Jesus Christ in Alaska
Wednesday, June 19, 2024. It’s a day that Ruth Szymansky will never forget. A few days prior, Ruth and her husband, Matt, a retired Marine Master Gunnery Sergeant, arrived at Samaritan Lodge Alaska for Week 4 of the Operation Heal Our Patriots summer season. Ruth applied to the program after stumbling across a mention of…
Forgiveness and Forgiving
Army Sergeant James Sizemore and his wife, Krystle, were already best friends when they were married 10 years ago. James had already left the Army, but he struggled with post-traumatic stress after deploying during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Krystle encouraged him to seek help, and this allowed James to work on his mental health so the…
Car Auction to Help Military Couples
North Carolina businessman and car collector George Shinn is auctioning off a 700-plus-horsepower Stryker Ford Mustang muscle car, custom painted with the stars and stripes. Shinn, a friend and supporter of Samaritan’s Purse, first announced the July 25-27 car auction during the 2024 Operation Heal Our Patriots reunion in Orlando earlier this year. “This weekend,…
Discipleship, Education & Training
Military Couples Start Fresh During Alaska Adventure
Mike Woodard’s muscular frame stands six-foot-four. During his time as a soldier in the U.S. Army, there’s no doubt the enemy should and would have feared him in close quarters. He served bravely in a 2011-12 combat tour to Afghanistan, though it came at great cost. He got blown up three times—once each by a…
Discipleship, Education & Training
Thanking God for Lives Transformed in Alaska
All he knew was darkness. The horrors of war had followed him home, and Marine Staff Sergeant Tre Tremillo was suffocating beneath layers of despair and anger. Images of death haunted him. His heart ached for fellow Marines still hospitalized with battle-related injuries. He mourned friends who had committed suicide. “I found myself sitting at…
Discipleship, Education & Training
Military Spouses Open Up About Trials, Triumphs, and God’s Redeeming Love
Sometimes the call came in the middle of the night, and her husband would be gone by morning. She often had no idea where, for how long, or when she would hear from him again. Courtney Keith began to fear an officer’s knock on her door—the signal that her husband had been killed on military…
Discipleship, Education & Training
Marriage Ministry Helps Marine Couple at Perfect Time
Samaritan’s Purse launched Operation Heal Our Patriots to minister to military service members wounded after 9/11. Our commitment to these couples starts with a week of Biblically based marriage classes and wilderness excursions in the pristine wilderness surrounding Lake Clark National Park. After they come home from what for many is a life-changing experience, Samaritan’s…
Media
Ukraine Response Press Kit
Media Resources Media Requests Press Releases Fact Sheets B-roll Audio PSA Photos Ukraine Response Press Kit In response to the conflict in Ukraine, Samaritan's Purse is working in three countries where needs are dire—Ukraine, Poland, and Moldova. Disaster response specialists are providing medical care in four facilities across Ukraine and Moldova—including an Emergency Field Hospital…
A New Battle: From Fighting Wars to Fighting for Their Families
When the nine wounded military service members and their spouses arrived at Samaritan Lodge Alaska on May 26, they were strangers, but six days later, they left as friends—renewed, refocused, and with new tools to sustain their marriages. After starting their week with a special Memorial Day observance, the couples participated in a kayak lesson…
