In 2011, Army Specialist Shelby Nelms was in a convoy that was rocked by an improvised explosive device in Afghanistan. Her vehicle took a direct hit from the blast. Army Specialist Nick Nelms was also in the convoy and rushed to aid his fellow soldiers. “I said ‘What’s up, girl? I’m here to rescue you,’”…
Celebrating God’s Work in Our Military Couples
Army Specialist Shawna Watkins and Army Sergeant Jesse Watkins started dating after serving on combat deployments in Afghanistan. They’d been on the same mission together in 2011 when their convoy was struck by an improvised explosive device, and Shawna was sent flying from atop her vehicle’s gun turret. Next thing she knew she was in…
Crisis & Disaster Response
Faith in Jesus Carries a Mother Through Hurricane Florence
SIGN UP TO VOLUNTEER FOR OUR HURRICANE RESPONSES Katie Martin didn’t fear as she drove back to Jacksonville with her four children after evacuating ahead of Hurricane Florence. “There were two thoughts in my mind: ‘God is doing this for a good purpose, even though we can’t see it right now,’ and ‘Lord, please be…
God Is Transforming Lives and Healing Marriages through Operation Heal Our Patriots
Retired Army Staff Sergeant John Hosea and his wife Sara know that every day and every breath are gifts from God. On June 9, 2012, John’s armored vehicle ran over a roadside bomb in Afghanistan. The resulting blast blew the truck 27 feet in the air, killing the driver instantly. John was severely wounded. That…
Media
Biography: Ken Isaacs
Ken Isaacs Vice President, Programs & Government Relations, Samaritan's Purse As vice president of programs and government relations, Ken Isaacs oversees all international relief projects for Samaritan's Purse. Isaacs has more than 35 years of experience working in the relief and development communities, and his work has taken him to nearly 150 countries in response to…
Through the Wilderness
Navy Corpsman Ben Hebert and his wife, Heidi, nearly called it quits. They trace the source of their troubles back to 2009 when Ben watched helplessly as a fellow Marine was killed in an ambush while on patrol in Afghanistan. That traumatic event changed him. Ben was plagued by sleeplessness at night and a short…
Discipleship, Education & Training
The 2019 Operation Heal Our Patriots Summer Season Started Memorial Day Weekend
Sunday afternoon nine U.S. military couples arrived at Samaritan Lodge Alaska to be greeted on the local gravel runway by a long line of excited townspeople and staff waving American flags. One participant, Army Specialist Sean Goetz of Cedar City, Utah, said of the experience, “It’s just overwhelming—the patriotism. I’m speechless. I’m just privileged to…
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,…
Our Ministry
Team Patriot
Samaritan's Purse Team Patriot Sign Up Join this Samaritan's Purse initiative to deploy alongside other Operation Heal Our Patriots couples to the front lines of disasters! In the aftermath of natural disasters, communities often look and feel like war zones. Survivors have been in a battle for their lives as hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, fires, and other catastrophic…
