It was a parent’s worst nightmare. Tatiana and Beymar had three boys with congenital heart defects and spent years on edge, worried that their sons’ lives could be cut short at any moment. The hole in Edriel’s heart was discovered during a medical screening when he was just 2 years old. They were alarmed, of…
Crisis & Disaster Response
Southeast Church Among First to Welcome an Afghan Family
The children run to greet them with a slew of hugs and smiles before they even get the door open all the way. They’re so excited to welcome the team and to see what surprises the day will bring. They might share a meal together, go to the grocery store, visit the park, or shop…
Crisis & Disaster Response
Franklin Graham Travels to Colombia to Support Work with Venezuelan Migrants
NOTE: This article reflects the situation in Colombia/Venezuela as of Franklin Graham’s trip in Oct. 2018. For more recent information, go to our Colombia relief landing page and see other updated articles listed there. As Samaritan’s Purse President Franklin Graham walked the Simón Bolívar International Bridge in Cúcuta, Colombia on Monday, he was moved by…
Media
Ukraine Response Press Kit
Media Resources Media Requests Press Releases Fact Sheets B-roll Audio PSA Photos Ukraine Response Press Kit In response to the conflict in Ukraine, Samaritan's Purse is working in three countries where needs are dire—Ukraine, Poland, and Moldova. Disaster response specialists are providing medical care in four facilities across Ukraine and Moldova—including an Emergency Field Hospital…
Discipleship, Education & Training
Military Couples Start Fresh During Alaska Adventure
Mike Woodard’s muscular frame stands six-foot-four. During his time as a soldier in the U.S. Army, there’s no doubt the enemy should and would have feared him in close quarters. He served bravely in a 2011-12 combat tour to Afghanistan, though it came at great cost. He got blown up three times—once each by a…
Discipleship, Education & Training
Thanking God for Lives Transformed in Alaska
All he knew was darkness. The horrors of war had followed him home, and Marine Staff Sergeant Tre Tremillo was suffocating beneath layers of despair and anger. Images of death haunted him. His heart ached for fellow Marines still hospitalized with battle-related injuries. He mourned friends who had committed suicide. “I found myself sitting at…
Discipleship, Education & Training
Military Spouses Open Up About Trials, Triumphs, and God’s Redeeming Love
Sometimes the call came in the middle of the night, and her husband would be gone by morning. She often had no idea where, for how long, or when she would hear from him again. Courtney Keith began to fear an officer’s knock on her door—the signal that her husband had been killed on military…
Stepping Out in Faith in Alaska
Olga Patterson had already waded out with our chaplains into Lake Clark, shivering and smiling in the waist-deep, glacier-fed waters during a particularly cold season at Samaritan Lodge Alaska. It had only been a few weeks or so since the snow had stopped falling on the surrounding peaks. She probably couldn’t have picked colder water.…
Celebrating Freedom in Jesus Christ in Alaska
Wednesday, June 19, 2024. It’s a day that Ruth Szymansky will never forget. A few days prior, Ruth and her husband, Matt, a retired Marine Master Gunnery Sergeant, arrived at Samaritan Lodge Alaska for Week 4 of the Operation Heal Our Patriots summer season. Ruth applied to the program after stumbling across a mention of…
Forgiveness and Forgiving
Army Sergeant James Sizemore and his wife, Krystle, were already best friends when they were married 10 years ago. James had already left the Army, but he struggled with post-traumatic stress after deploying during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Krystle encouraged him to seek help, and this allowed James to work on his mental health so the…
