A Tennessee husband and wife rededicated their lives and marriage to Christ during Week 11 of the Operation Heal Our Patriots summer season.
Neither Mike Hodge nor his wife Allison Masters had served in the military when they were married in May 2001. They never could have imagined that within 11 years their journey would find them both to be declared 100 percent disabled through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
Help Bring Healing to Wounded PatriotsAllison went to Navy basic training about 5 months after marrying Mike. She seriously injured her back during a training exercise in 2002 and was medical boarded out of the military in 2004.Mike joined the Army in 2003 and served combat tours in Afghanistan in 2004 and Iraq in 2007. During his first tour he broke both ankles during a mission and was medevacted home to the United States. He spent the next 18 months going through surgeries, casts, and crutches. Later, in Iraq, he injured his knees and neck. In 2012, he was medically retired.
Though they could not have envisioned some of these low points years ago, neither could they have foreseen certain high points, such as rededicating their lives to Christ and getting baptized last week through Operation Heal Our Patriots.
Operation Heal Our Patriots is the Samaritan’s Purse ministry that serves wounded military personnel and their spouses by offering marriage enrichment, physical refreshment, and the encouragement that comes only through the Gospel of Jesus Christ. During a weeklong experience at Samaritan Lodge in Port Alsworth, Alaska, couples enjoy a variety of activities designed to strengthen their relationship with God and each other.When Mike and Allison arrived in Port Alsworth from Tennessee, they were not in a strong place spiritually, but the grandeur of God’s creation and time spent studying the Bible with Chaplain Dan Stephens drew them back to Christ.
“Both of us had a lot of doubts, and God spoke to us while we were there,” Allison said. “It just opened our eyes.”
“We can’t thank Samaritan’s Purse enough for the time and energy they put into us while we were up there.”