As Americans celebrate our nation’s independence, Samaritan’s Purse welcomed 10 more military couples to Samaritan Lodge Alaska for a week of marriage enrichment with Operation Heal Our Patriots. “We bring wounded veterans and their spouses here to Alaska and the most important thing we work on is their marriages,” said Franklin Graham, president of Samaritan’s…
Discipleship, Education & Training
Military Couples Receive Colorful Alaska Welcome on the Fourth of July
Discipleship, Education & Training
Alaska Fridays Are a Celebration!
Each week at Samaritan Lodge Alaska, Fridays are a day of celebration. Operation Heal Our Patriots staff and volunteers thank God as they watch baptisms, hear military couples renew their vows, and listen to testimonies of saving grace during a fireside farewell. Of course, the rest of the week is pretty special too. There’s a…
Discipleship, Education & Training
Military Couples Begin New Chapter in Alaska
Terror, violence, and death weren’t supposed to follow him home. Army Staff Sergeant Josh Abbatoye thought he’d left war on the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan. Throughout multiple deployments in a 17-year military career he’d survived eight traumatic brain injuries, five improvised explosive devices (IEDs), and a rocket-propelled grenade that left shrapnel stuck in his…
Discipleship, Education & Training
Military Couples Mark New Beginnings in Alaska
Mike Parsons served as a Marine from 2002-2006 and was first injured in 2003 during an IED blast in Iraq that left shrapnel in his leg, arm, and back. He continues to require surgeries for these physical wounds. But like many Marines and soldiers, airmen and sailors, Mike has struggled hardest with post-traumatic stress disorder…
Discipleship, Education & Training
Operation Heal Our Patriots Starts Summer Season in Alaska
The 10th season of Operation Heal Our Patriots began Memorial Day weekend as we welcomed the first planeloads of wounded veterans and their spouses to Samaritan Lodge Alaska. The couples will participate in a week of relationship building through chaplain-led marriage classes as well as excursions such as fishing, hiking, kayaking, and wildlife viewing. On…
Discipleship, Education & Training
Vice President Mike Pence Encourages Military Couples in Alaska
Vice President Mike Pence and his wife, Karen, joined staff and volunteers at Samaritan Lodge Alaska in ministering to wounded military veterans and their spouses from July 20-23. Invited to Alaska by Samaritan’s Purse President Franklin Graham and his wife, Jane, the Pences were a great encouragement to military couples during Week Seven of the…
Discipleship, Education & Training
Former Vice President Mike Pence Encourages Military Couples in Alaska
Former Vice President Mike Pence and his wife, Karen, joined Franklin and Jane Graham to support wounded veterans and their spouses at Samaritan Lodge Alaska this past week. “To be some small part of simply saying thank you, thanking them for their service, but also encouraging them to grow in their faith, to strengthen their…
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…
Guiding Couples to Christ in Alaska
Military couples have been coming to Samaritan Lodge Alaska now for more than a decade with Operation Heal Our Patriots, and each of the 17 weeks of the program provides once-in-a-lifetime wilderness experiences. Our Samaritan’s Purse guides play a vital role in giving these couples memorable excursions together. Longtime outdoorsman and guide Ralph Meloon says…
Discipleship, Education & Training
Couples Celebrate the Fourth of July at Samaritan Lodge Alaska
Franklin and Jane Graham welcomed ten military couples to Samaritan Lodge Alaska over the Fourth of July weekend, marking the sixth week of this year’s Operation Heal Our Patriots summer season. “July Fourth is when we celebrate freedom, and freedom is something that you have to defend, because there’s always people who want to take…
