The two Army medics were ready to quit their marriage and had a hard time remembering why they’d bothered applying to go to Alaska with Samaritan’s Purse. Just a couple weeks before Army Sergeant First Class Jason Smith and Army Specialist Amy Smith were scheduled to leave for Operation Heal Our Patriots, they delivered the…
Discipleship, Education & Training
Veteran Couples Find Healing, Help in Christ During Alaska Marriage Training
The summer season of Operation Heal Our Patriots is off to a great start! We’ve already welcomed about 30 couples to Samaritan Lodge Alaska, and we expect to host nearly 160 couples before the season ends. We praise God that we’re already seeing life transformation among these wounded veterans and their spouses. Individuals are coming…
Discipleship, Education & Training
Celebrating True Freedom in Christ
We are grateful this Fourth of July for the many freedoms we enjoy in the United States of America. We praise God for the even greater freedom—true, lasting, eternal—that many military couples have experienced at Samaritan Lodge Alaska this summer through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. Dozens of wounded military veterans and their spouses…
Discipleship, Education & Training
Love Restored, Hearts Made New
Nearly every day for several months of his deployment, Army Sergeant Jake Southern’s unit came under enemy fire or were blasted by a roadside bomb. “It was nonstop, every day. The violence was increasing,” Jake said of the wartime situation in Afghanistan during 2009. Back at home, his wife Susan was raising their baby boy…
Alaska Pilots Are a Lifeline in the Wilderness
A deafening buzz nearly every summer morning fills the air, echoing through the trees and mountains surrounding Port Alsworth, Alaska. There’s a good chance that one or two Samaritan’s Purse planes and pilots are responsible for breaking the wilderness silence. “As a young kid I grew up next to an Air Force base, and I…
Hope Begins Here
Not long before Army Sergeant Ian Hunt arrived with his wife Maria at Samaritan Lodge Alaska, Ian had gone through treatment after attempting to take his own life. He had believed the nightmare of his battlefield experiences and injuries had become more than he could bear. In 2012, on his third deployment, he was severely…
Preprinted Shoeboxes – Plastic (Pack of 12)
These sturdy, decorative Operation Christmas Child plastic shoeboxes are ready to be filled with gifts for children around the world and serve as a useful and valuable part of their gift—a treasured keepsake for years to come. Order in packs of 12. Specifically designed to fit well in our shipping cartons, these shoeboxes are 13…
Discipleship, Education & Training
Veteran Couples Find Spiritual Renewal in Alaska
The last thing Natalie heard was a mortar round exploding and her husband shouting, “We’re taking incoming.” Then, the phone line went dead. Natalie wondered if that was the last time she’d hear his voice. Natalie endured many restless days and nights while her husband, Army Sergeant Eddie Shanks, was deployed to Afghanistan in 2010.…
Walking Together in New Life
Army Staff Sergeant Chad Hindal doesn’t talk to many folks about his two deployments to Iraq where he helped protect convoys along roads lined with IEDs and sniper fire. His job was to clear these threats from the desert thoroughfares and provide safe passage for supplies and soldiers. And Chad was eager for the opportunity.…
Health & Medical Ministries
We want to Finish Well
'We Want to Finish Well' World Medical Mission – A Ministry of Samaritan's Purse Spring 2024 A retired surgeon and his wife are looking forward to their 39th mission trip with Samaritan's Purse. World Medical Mission Serve with Us Apply Now Don't ask Dr. Sam and Liz Williams about their golf handicaps or clever shuffleboard strategies.…
