Retired Army Staff Sergeant Ray Davis and his wife Rebecca applied to attend Operation Heal Our Patriots because they wanted to see Alaska: the Last Frontier. It wasn’t until the end of their week at Samaritan Lodge though that they realized just how desperately they had needed the time together. Yes, they expected to reconnect,…
Discipleship, Education & Training
New Friendships, Stronger Marriages Built Among Military Couples
Army Sergeant Larry Kaibetoney and his wife Chani touched down on the runway at Samaritan Lodge Alaska to a hero’s welcome—with a crowd, young and old, cheering and waving American flags. They might have expected such a welcome after Larry’s injury in Iraq more than a decade ago, but those hopes had never before materialized.…
Military Couples Find New Life in the Lord Jesus Christ
Over July 4 week we saw God at work in the lives and marriages of many military couples at Samaritan Lodge Alaska as they experienced the hope found only in the Gospel. We praise God that seven couples renewed their vows, seven individuals received Christ as Lord and Savior, and 12 men and women were…
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.…
A Veteran Couple Finds Hope for Their Marriage in Alaska
Evan Benton joined the Army in 2010 with lofty expectations and planned to make the military a career. When he reported to boot camp as a teenager, he couldn’t have been more excited. “There aren’t too many places that let an 18-year-old kid shoot automatic weapons and play with explosives,” he said. Evan was deployed…
Discipleship, Education & Training
Remembering 9/11, Strengthening Military Marriages
As the world marks the 21st anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Samaritan’s Purse continues to strengthen the marriages of wounded military veterans and spouses who’ve sacrificed so much to defend the freedoms our nation enjoys. The September 11 attacks are what led many to armed service, which included combat deployments to Afghanistan, Iraq, and…
Discipleship, Education & Training
“My Life Has Been Changed”
Army Sergeant Marco Solt expected to find improvised explosive devices (IED) during their route clearance mission in Iraq. That was his job as a combat engineer. They’d find the bombs and neutralize them. But this bomb found their vehicle first. In the confusing seconds after the explosion, he thought he’d lost his teeth. However, it…
Discipleship, Education & Training
We Remember 9/11 and How God Is Healing Our Heroes
Each year in September we’re reminded why the United States is at war—why so many of our military men and women have been deployed into combat zones over the past 18 years. The world-shifting events of September 11, 2001, launched our nation into a global war on terror that continues to this day. Since 2012,…
Discipleship, Education & Training
Army Veteran and His Wife Now Follow Christ on Same Path
Note: The 2019 summer season of Operation Heal Our Patriots ended on Sept. 13, and we thank the Lord for all He did in the lives of so many couples, including the Paynes. For more on this spring/summer, see the update at the conclusion of this article. Army Specialist Tony Payne returned to his Evansville,…
Discipleship, Education & Training
Remember Me
Retired Army Sergeant First Class Ronnie Busbin and his wife Beth of Cunningham, Tennessee, participated in the first week of the Operation Heal Patriots summer season in Alaska this year. Ronnie deployed to Iraq in 2004 and Afghanistan in 2006 and 2011-12. He suffers from multiple traumatic brain injuries received while performing his duties as…
