Samaritan's Purse https://www.samaritanspurse.org News Sat, 06 Jun 2026 16:58:44 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://users.feedblitz.com/ec17766dabfb882064cc1903e3224114/SP-logo.jpg Samaritan's Purse https://www.samaritanspurse.org https://www.samaritanspurse.org/article/preparing-for-ebola-patients-in-congo/ Preparing for Ebola Patients in Congo https://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/957818051/0/samaritanspurse~Preparing-for-Ebola-Patients-in-Congo/ Sat, 06 Jun 2026 16:34:20 +0000 https://samaritanspurse.org/?post_type=sp-articles&p=271118 A nurse named Ngabu is in a training room in Ituri Province, learning how to put on a hazmat suit. His younger brother is lying in an isolation ward somewhere he cannot visit. Ngabu hasn't seen him since his brother was transported to the facility. He doesn't know when he will. He saw two of his pastors die from the disease. Six of his neighbors have died. Colleagues have died. And even as he trains with our team and prepares to serve in our Ebola Treatment Center in the coming days, he's grieving the losses in his community and region. "Here in this room, we're learning how to use chlorine and how to protect ourselves by correctly using the technique of putting on personal protective equipment (PPE) and taking off PPE so as not to be contaminated," he said. "We want to cut the chain of transmission. It's love. Love of neighbor." "It's a great scourge for Ituri," he said. "If no one comes to the aid of the population, we have no hope of living. It's hard for me to watch someone die when I can do something, and I wanted to work with Samaritan's Purse because I do have a bit of experience from the Ebola outbreak of 2019. I know that Samaritan's Purse has the competence in the matter of this virus." For the medical workers training here, that labor is driven by love for friends, family, and neighbors. Many of them have already experienced heartbreaking loss. Since late May, Samaritan's Purse has been rushing supplies into the Democratic Republic of the Congo and to the Bunia community of Ituri Province. We have a large, well-established field office in the area and a longtime partner hospital already treating Ebola patients for several days before we arrived. This most recent Ebola outbreak in the country is affecting nearly two dozen health zones in Ituri Province and beyond. Samaritan's Purse has been responding since May 24, when our 767 cargo plane departed North Carolina carrying many tons of medical supplies and protective equipment. We have a long history of fighting this disease — including operating an Ebola Treatment Center in Liberia in 2014 and caring for more than 600 patients in the DRC during the 2018-19 outbreak. Soon we will open two Ebola Treatment Centers, one in Bunia and one at Nyankunde Hospital, because hospital and clinics are at near-full capacity with little means of separating Ebola patients from the general patient population. "In Nyankunde, we're setting up an Ebola isolation center right across the street from an existing hospital," said Abigail McElheney, a Samaritan's Purse program manager on the response. "This will allow that hospital to start maintaining proper isolation and prevent community spread between people with other medical conditions coming in." The center in Bunia is being constructed in an open field and will provide proper isolation with individual patient rooms. The center at Nyankunde is being built in an existing structure just across the street from the hospital. Kim Wiebe, a critical care nurse from Canada and a member of our Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART), said workers are also being trained in using the isolation areas. Many of the protocols are familiar to medical staff, a number of whom served in the previous Ebola response in DRC. "This is a refresher training for many of the staff," she said. "This ensures we're all able to have safe practices and ensure that we can deliver really safe care to our patients." Please pray as we prepare to receive patients in the coming days. Pray for protection for our staff and other workers, for healing among patients, and that the disease spread would be halted. ]]> A nurse named Ngabu is in a training room in Ituri Province, learning how to put on a hazmat suit. His younger brother is lying in an isolation ward somewhere he cannot visit. Ngabu hasn't seen him since his brother was transported to the facility. He doesn't know when he will. He saw two of his pastors die from the disease. Six of his neighbors have died. Colleagues have died. And even as he trains with our team and prepares to serve in our Ebola Treatment Center in the coming days, he's grieving the losses in his community and region. "Here in this room, we're learning how to use chlorine and how to protect ourselves by correctly using the technique of putting on personal protective equipment (PPE) and taking off PPE so as not to be contaminated," he said. "We want to cut the chain of transmission. It's love. Love of neighbor." "It's a great scourge for Ituri," he said. "If no one comes to the aid of the population, we have no hope of living. It's hard for me to watch someone die when I can do something, and I wanted to work with Samaritan's Purse because I do have a bit of experience from the Ebola outbreak of 2019. I know that Samaritan's Purse has the competence in the matter of this virus." For the medical workers training here, that labor is driven by love for friends, family, and neighbors. Many of them have already experienced heartbreaking loss. Since late May, Samaritan's Purse has been rushing supplies into the Democratic Republic of the Congo and to the Bunia community of Ituri Province. We have a large, well-established field office in the area and a longtime partner hospital already treating Ebola patients for several days before we arrived. This most recent Ebola outbreak in the country is affecting nearly two dozen health zones in Ituri Province and beyond. Samaritan's Purse has been responding since May 24, when our 767 cargo plane departed North Carolina carrying many tons of medical supplies and protective equipment. We have a long history of fighting this disease — including operating an Ebola Treatment Center in Liberia in 2014 and caring for more than 600 patients in the DRC during the 2018-19 outbreak. Soon we will open two Ebola Treatment Centers, one in Bunia and one at Nyankunde Hospital, because hospital and clinics are at near-full capacity with little means of separating Ebola patients from the general patient population. "In Nyankunde, we're setting up an Ebola isolation center right across the street from an existing hospital," said Abigail McElheney, a Samaritan's Purse program manager on the response. "This will allow that hospital to start maintaining proper isolation and prevent community spread between people with other medical conditions coming in." The center in Bunia is being constructed in an open field and will provide proper isolation with individual patient rooms. The center at Nyankunde is being built in an existing structure just across the street from the hospital. Kim Wiebe, a critical care nurse from Canada and a member of our Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART), said workers are also being trained in using the isolation areas. Many of the protocols are familiar to medical staff, a number of whom served in the previous Ebola response in DRC. "This is a refresher training for many of the staff," she said. "This ensures we're all able to have safe practices and ensure that we can deliver really safe care to our patients." Please pray as we prepare to receive patients in the coming days. Pray for protection for our staff and other workers, for healing among patients, and that the disease spread would be halted. ]]> https://www.samaritanspurse.org/article/new-life-for-baby-jay/ New Life for Baby Jay https://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/957772040/0/samaritanspurse~New-Life-for-Baby-Jay/ Fri, 05 Jun 2026 13:13:56 +0000 https://www.samaritanspurse.org/?post_type=sp-articles&p=270690 Baby Jay was a newborn when doctors discovered a severe heart defect. He received life-saving surgery through World Medical Mission surgeons.Baby Jay needed a miracle. And soon. Like any first-time parents, Elijah and Hannah Mwaura were overjoyed when they welcomed their son into the world March 30. But when Hannah cradled him in her arms, she noticed that something was wrong. Although he seemed to be breathing without any difficulty, the newborn’s lips, fingernails, and toenails were purplish-blue instead of the healthy pink that she expected. The staff at Kijabe Mission Hospital in Kenya did an echocardiogram and diagnosed the infant with a rare heart defect known as transposition of the great arteries, or TGA. For babies with this condition, the aorta and the pulmonary artery are reversed from their normal positions. The result is dangerously low blood oxygen levels. If not repaired surgically—usually within the first few weeks of life—the condition is ultimately fatal. God’s Perfect Timing Three hours away at Tenwek Mission Hospital, Dr. Elijah Bolin, a pediatric cardiologist, received an urgent phone call from Kijabe. They wanted to transfer their little patient to Tenwek’s cardiothoracic center, a new and advanced surgical facility equipped to handle specialized heart cases like Jay’s. “Jay was two days old when I got the call about him,” said Bolin, who serves at Tenwek through our World Medical Mission Post-Residency Program. “We knew it would be a series of high-risk procedures he would need, but, without anything, Jay would likely die in several days. The window for intervention was quickly closing.” "All of the timing clearly was just God’s hand upon this baby." On the same day that Jay was admitted to the hospital, a volunteer team of heart doctors from World Medical Mission was scheduled to arrive. The center had opened a new catheterization lab in January, and the team had come to assist staff and conduct training in catheterization procedures. The team included pediatric cardiologists, Dr. Allison Cabalka and Dr. Carrie Herbert, and an anesthesiologist specializing in pediatric cardiology, Dr. Paul Stensrud. When they were made aware of the new born infant’s situation, they determined the child needed immediate intervention. The best course of action was to do a balloon atrial septostomy. The catheterization would basically stabilize Jay and improve his oxygen levels until the arrival the following week of a doctor specializing in a long-term solution. By God’s providence, World Medical Mission pediatric heart specialist, Dr. David Lehenbauer had already made arrangements to serve at Tenwek the following week. He was the exact type of specialist Baby Jay needed, one with experience in performing arterial switch surgeries. There was just one problem. “A very specific catheter was designed to perform that procedure, which was not on the shelf at Tenwek,” said Cabalka. “The cardiothoracic center wouldn’t have a reason to stock that type of catheter tube because they don’t have a full-time neonatal surgeon, and it wouldn’t be a procedure they would anticipate commonly doing.” But God provided the exact equipment for the particular procedure needed to save the child’s life. Cabalka and the team contemplated using the existing equipment, but they considered another possibility. At Bolin’s invitation, pediatric cardiologist Dr. Emily Chesire, from Moi Teaching Hospital in El Doret, Kenya, had come to observe the United States team’s work in the cardiac catheterization lab. As they discussed the baby’s case with the visiting doctor, Cabalka said they asked the woman if she “by chance” had access to a balloon septostomy catheter. To everyone’s amazement, the physician replied, “Yes, I do. As a matter of fact, I received one just a month ago and I remarked to myself, ‘What am I going to do with this catheter?’” El Doret is a four-hour journey away from Tenwek by car. That evening a cardiac intensivist was planning to come to Tenwek to assist staff with postoperative care for heart patients having surgery that week. He was contacted and hand-delivered the catheter to Cabalka. “All of the timing clearly was just God’s hand upon this baby,” Cabalka said. After the catheterization, Jay was able to breathe on his own and was able to breastfeed while awaiting the permanent repair surgery. Changing One Life and History Dr. David Lehenbauer was acquainted with the arterial switch procedure through his work at the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, but the operation had never been attempted at the Tenwek cardiothoracic center. “Newborn heart surgery is not the same as older kid and adult surgery. It's much more challenging. They are more susceptible to complications,” said Lehenbauer. “I was concerned that it was going to be a struggle. Doing the operation is one thing, but then managing a newborn baby after the operation is another.” A week later, at 17 days old, Jay was released to go home. During the delicate and complex five-hour procedure, Tenwek staff surgeon Dr. Yonas Teferi and Lehenbauer disconnected the major blood vessels and reattached them to the correct heart chambers. All went well, and postoperative care was provided by the entire Tenwek cardiothoracic center team and the visiting intensivist from El Doret. Baby Jay will probably need no additional surgeries and can enjoy a normal, active life. A week later, at 17 days old, Jay was released to go home. More than a dozen Tenwek staff gathered to congratulate the Mwauras, taking turns holding their beautiful child, capturing keepsake photos, and giving praise to God. Dr. Cabalka missed the celebration, as she had already returned to Minnesota, but she kept in touch with Tenwek staff to follow the progress of her new favorite little patient. "There is no other explanation for how things came together. A historical event for Tenwek and a life changing event for this precious baby!" “I think on every mission trip, there’s always a child that makes the whole trip worth it. Ultimately, each person that you treat is worth the trip,” she said. “I hope Jay’s parents will glorify the Lord and testify of all the events that God brought about to save his life. There is no other explanation for how things came together. A historical event for Tenwek and a life changing event for this precious baby!” Billed as a world-class facility, the seven-story cardiothoracic center houses several operating rooms, patient wards, a catheterization lab, endoscopy procedure rooms, exam rooms, a large education wing, and a chapel. Samaritan’s Purse is a long-time partner of Tenwek, located in Bomet, Kenya, and was among the major ministry partners who helped to fund construction of the cardiothoracic center. Edward Graham and other representatives of Samaritan’s Purse attended the dedication ceremony in October 2024. Our World Medical Mission program continues to support Tenwek’s work by sending more than 200 volunteer healthcare professionals on short-term assignments each year. ]]> Baby Jay was a newborn when doctors discovered a severe heart defect. He received life-saving surgery through World Medical Mission surgeons.Baby Jay needed a miracle. And soon. Like any first-time parents, Elijah and Hannah Mwaura were overjoyed when they welcomed their son into the world March 30. But when Hannah cradled him in her arms, she noticed that something was wrong. Although he seemed to be breathing without any difficulty, the newborn’s lips, fingernails, and toenails were purplish-blue instead of the healthy pink that she expected. The staff at Kijabe Mission Hospital in Kenya did an echocardiogram and diagnosed the infant with a rare heart defect known as transposition of the great arteries, or TGA. For babies with this condition, the aorta and the pulmonary artery are reversed from their normal positions. The result is dangerously low blood oxygen levels. If not repaired surgically—usually within the first few weeks of life—the condition is ultimately fatal. God’s Perfect Timing Three hours away at Tenwek Mission Hospital, Dr. Elijah Bolin, a pediatric cardiologist, received an urgent phone call from Kijabe. They wanted to transfer their little patient to Tenwek’s cardiothoracic center, a new and advanced surgical facility equipped to handle specialized heart cases like Jay’s. “Jay was two days old when I got the call about him,” said Bolin, who serves at Tenwek through our World Medical Mission Post-Residency Program. “We knew it would be a series of high-risk procedures he would need, but, without anything, Jay would likely die in several days. The window for intervention was quickly closing.” "All of the timing clearly was just God’s hand upon this baby." On the same day that Jay was admitted to the hospital, a volunteer team of heart doctors from World Medical Mission was scheduled to arrive. The center had opened a new catheterization lab in January, and the team had come to assist staff and conduct training in catheterization procedures. The team included pediatric cardiologists, Dr. Allison Cabalka and Dr. Carrie Herbert, and an anesthesiologist specializing in pediatric cardiology, Dr. Paul Stensrud. When they were made aware of the new born infant’s situation, they determined the child needed immediate intervention. The best course of action was to do a balloon atrial septostomy. The catheterization would basically stabilize Jay and improve his oxygen levels until the arrival the following week of a doctor specializing in a long-term solution. By God’s providence, World Medical Mission pediatric heart specialist, Dr. David Lehenbauer had already made arrangements to serve at Tenwek the following week. He was the exact type of specialist Baby Jay needed, one with experience in performing arterial switch surgeries. There was just one problem. “A very specific catheter was designed to perform that procedure, which was not on the shelf at Tenwek,” said Cabalka. “The cardiothoracic center wouldn’t have a reason to stock that type of catheter tube because they don’t have a full-time neonatal surgeon, and it wouldn’t be a procedure they would anticipate commonly doing.” But God provided the exact equipment for the particular procedure needed to save the child’s life. Cabalka and the team contemplated using the existing equipment, but they considered another possibility. At Bolin’s invitation, pediatric cardiologist Dr. Emily Chesire, from Moi Teaching Hospital in El Doret, Kenya, had come to observe the United States team’s work in the cardiac catheterization lab. As they discussed the baby’s case with the visiting doctor, Cabalka said they asked the woman if she “by chance” had access to a balloon septostomy catheter. To everyone’s amazement, the physician replied, “Yes, I do. As a matter of fact, I received one just a month ago and I remarked to myself, ‘What am I going to do with this catheter?’” El Doret is a four-hour journey away from Tenwek by car. That evening a cardiac intensivist was planning to come to Tenwek to assist staff with postoperative care for heart patients having surgery that week. He was contacted and hand-delivered the catheter to Cabalka. “All of the timing clearly was just God’s hand upon this baby,” Cabalka said. After the catheterization, Jay was able to breathe on his own and was able to breastfeed while awaiting the permanent repair surgery. Changing One Life and History Dr. David Lehenbauer was acquainted with the arterial switch procedure through his work at the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, but the operation had never been attempted at the Tenwek cardiothoracic center. “Newborn heart surgery is not the same as older kid and adult surgery. It's much more challenging. They are more susceptible to complications,” said Lehenbauer. “I was concerned that it was going to be a struggle. Doing the operation is one thing, but then managing a newborn baby after the operation is another.” A week later, at 17 days old, Jay was released to go home. During the delicate and complex five-hour procedure, Tenwek staff surgeon Dr. Yonas Teferi and Lehenbauer disconnected the major blood vessels and reattached them to the correct heart chambers. All went well, and postoperative care was provided by the entire Tenwek cardiothoracic center team and the visiting intensivist from El Doret. Baby Jay will probably need no additional surgeries and can enjoy a normal, active life. A week later, at 17 days old, Jay was released to go home. More than a dozen Tenwek staff gathered to congratulate the Mwauras, taking turns holding their beautiful child, capturing keepsake photos, and giving praise to God. Dr. Cabalka missed the celebration, as she had already returned to Minnesota, but she kept in touch with Tenwek staff to follow the progress of her new favorite little patient. "There is no other explanation for how things came together. A historical event for Tenwek and a life changing event for this precious baby!" “I think on every mission trip, there’s always a child that makes the whole trip worth it. Ultimately, each person that you treat is worth the trip,” she said. “I hope Jay’s parents will glorify the Lord and testify of all the events that God brought about to save his life. There is no other explanation for how things came together. A historical event for Tenwek and a life changing event for this precious baby!” Billed as a world-class facility, the seven-story cardiothoracic center houses several operating rooms, patient wards, a catheterization lab, endoscopy procedure rooms, exam rooms, a large education wing, and a chapel. Samaritan’s Purse is a long-time partner of Tenwek, located in Bomet, Kenya, and was among the major ministry partners who helped to fund construction of the cardiothoracic center. Edward Graham and other representatives of Samaritan’s Purse attended the dedication ceremony in October 2024. Our World Medical Mission program continues to support Tenwek’s work by sending more than 200 volunteer healthcare professionals on short-term assignments each year. ]]> https://www.samaritanspurse.org/franklin-graham/june26 Franklin Graham’s June 2026 Update https://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/957732455/0/samaritanspurse~Franklin-Grahams-June-Update Thu, 04 Jun 2026 13:14:19 +0000 https://www.samaritanspurse.org/?post_type=sp-articles&p=270938 ]]> ]]> https://www.samaritanspurse.org/article/in-awe-of-gods-goodness/ In Awe of God’s Goodness https://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/957686216/0/samaritanspurse~In-Awe-of-Gods-Goodness/ Wed, 03 Jun 2026 13:01:48 +0000 https://www.samaritanspurse.org/?post_type=sp-articles&p=270881 When Hurricane Helene washed away Margaret’s mobile home in the mountains of western North Carolina nearly two years ago, she remembers, God was faithful to deliver her from the torrent of wind and rain. Though she lost everything, she continued to trust that He would provide. VOLUNTEER IN NORTH CAROLINA Margaret again experienced God’s love and kindness in an unexpected way when she heard from our U.S. Rebuild team. And when she walked into her new, fully furnished mobile home given to her free of charge by Samaritan’s Purse, she praised the Lord. “If it hadn’t been for Samaritan’s Purse coming through for me, I don’t know where I’d be,” she said. “God sent Samaritan’s Purse in … they were determined to do the Lord’s work.” Hear more from Margaret and her undaunted faith in the video above. Inscribed on the exterior siding of Margaret’s new home are the words Given in Jesus’ Name, a simple yet powerful reminder that God is her provider. Since the historic September 2024 storm, Samaritan’s Purse has been coming alongside devastated communities and homeowners in Jesus’ Name, helping meet needs with new campers, vehicles, mobile homes, and stick-built homes for families left without a place to live. Our teams have been hard at work for nearly two years in the mountains of western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee, and our work there will continue for years to come. Our staff and volunteers work alongside local churches, serving as the hands and feet of Jesus Christ across the region. You, too, can help bring hope and meet needs for families impacted by Hurricane Helene! Sign up to volunteer at any of our three rebuild sites in Buncombe, Yancey, and Watauga counties. Please pray for our work and that many people would come to know Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior. ]]> When Hurricane Helene washed away Margaret’s mobile home in the mountains of western North Carolina nearly two years ago, she remembers, God was faithful to deliver her from the torrent of wind and rain. Though she lost everything, she continued to trust that He would provide. VOLUNTEER IN NORTH CAROLINA Margaret again experienced God’s love and kindness in an unexpected way when she heard from our U.S. Rebuild team. And when she walked into her new, fully furnished mobile home given to her free of charge by Samaritan’s Purse, she praised the Lord. “If it hadn’t been for Samaritan’s Purse coming through for me, I don’t know where I’d be,” she said. “God sent Samaritan’s Purse in … they were determined to do the Lord’s work.” Hear more from Margaret and her undaunted faith in the video above. Inscribed on the exterior siding of Margaret’s new home are the words Given in Jesus’ Name, a simple yet powerful reminder that God is her provider. Since the historic September 2024 storm, Samaritan’s Purse has been coming alongside devastated communities and homeowners in Jesus’ Name, helping meet needs with new campers, vehicles, mobile homes, and stick-built homes for families left without a place to live. Our teams have been hard at work for nearly two years in the mountains of western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee, and our work there will continue for years to come. Our staff and volunteers work alongside local churches, serving as the hands and feet of Jesus Christ across the region. You, too, can help bring hope and meet needs for families impacted by Hurricane Helene! Sign up to volunteer at any of our three rebuild sites in Buncombe, Yancey, and Watauga counties. Please pray for our work and that many people would come to know Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior. ]]> https://www.samaritanspurse.org/article/military-couples-celebrate-new-beginnings-during-week-one-in-alaska/ Military Couples Celebrate New Beginnings During Week One in Alaska https://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/957618662/0/samaritanspurse~Military-Couples-Celebrate-New-Beginnings-During-Week-One-in-Alaska/ Mon, 01 Jun 2026 16:06:32 +0000 https://www.samaritanspurse.org/?post_type=sp-articles&p=270849 Chaplains baptize a military couple in Lake Clark with Tanalian Mountain in the background. Truly beautiful pristine landscape.A hero’s welcome is not what military couples expected when they arrived at Samaritan Lodge Alaska. Yet they stepped off the plane to a crowd of staff, volunteers, chaplains, and local residents waving American flags and waiting to greet them. Army Staff Sergeant Chad Kleist and his wife, Tamara, had known for a while that something was missing in their lives. When they landed at our wilderness lodge, they hoped that maybe they'd arrived at the place where they would finally find it. Trusting in Jesus as Savior Chad and Tamara applied for Operation Heal Our Patriots because they desperately wanted to strengthen their marriage and grow closer to each other. Although six years of marriage have brought them many joyful moments, it has also been replete with trials. “I was getting to my breaking point,” Chad said. He has post-traumatic stress and disassociation, the lingering effects of an 18-year military career that included deployments to Iraq, Kuwait, and Afghanistan. Tamara had a miscarriage and deals with anxiety. They’ve also had to navigate life as a blended family. Tamara has at times considered religion and faith, but struggled to understand why a loving God would create her son autistic and nonverbal. “I wanted to be a soccer mom and to hear my child say, ‘Mommy, I love you.’” Both Tamara and Chad were open to belief in a higher power and knew they needed help to continue persevering through life’s challenges. “We kept looking for something, but we just weren’t sure what it was,” Tamara said. On the first evening of their week in Alaska, the couple asked to meet with our chaplains. “I felt like I could be honest about my questions and doubts,” Tamara said. Sometimes it feels too late to start something new—but it’s never too late. I know that now. When we go home, God will now be our focus. The chaplains explained the Gospel of Jesus Christ. They shared the eternal hope that comes with trusting Him as Lord and Savior. They used Scripture to assure them that their son is created in God’s image and has a purpose in His Kingdom. “We gave our hearts to Jesus that night,” Chad said. “It’s a whole new beginning for us. This time, we’re going to do it with Jesus.” Tamara knows that even if their problems don’t go away, they will trust the Lord to walk with them and provide strength to endure. “Sometimes it feels too late to start something new—but it’s never too late. I know that now,” she said. Tamara and Chad were baptized in Lake Clark at the end of the week. They also rededicated their marriage to God and to each other during a special ceremony. “When we go home, God will now be our focus,” Tamara said. Renewed Commitment We praise God that the Kleists were among four couples who renewed their wedding vows during the week of May 24-29. Joining them were Marine Corporal Freightlin Cox and his wife, Caitlin. They were immediately interested in Operation Heal Our Patriots after learning about it from friends who had come to Samaritan Lodge Alaska a previous year. They applied several times before, so, when they were accepted this year, Caitlin was overcome by emotion. “I definitely sobbed when I got the call,” Caitlin said. “This was the right time.” Caitlin had been hospitalized for a severe illness and had not long recovered when she found out they were going to Alaska. In recent years, she's experienced the grief of three miscarriages and mourned the death of several close family members. The couple and their daughter also grieved the loss of longtime family pets. “The past few years have been rough,” she said. Caitlin and Freightlin knew they wanted to do something special to honor their 10th wedding anniversary. When they found out they could participate in a marriage renewal ceremony during their week in Alaska, “we were the first ones to sign up,” Freightlin said. The couple shared that they came to Alaska to take intentional steps toward growing in their relationship. “We needed more tools for our toolbox,” Caitlin said. This is a reset before we start this new chapter. We’re grateful for the opportunity. Their desire to maintain a healthy marriage is fueled in part by a determination to raise their family in a different environment from the one they experienced growing up. Freightlin was in and out of different foster homes and lacked positive role models and mentors. Caitlin’s parents argued so often that sometimes she didn’t even want to be in the house. Caitlin was a single mother when she met Freightlin. From the outset, the couple was committed to raising the child in a loving and stable home, which meant working together to understand the challenges Freightlin faced after being injured in Iraq. He struggles with a traumatic brain injury incurred during an IED blast and also suffers with knee and shoulder pain. He slammed his face into the steering wheel during the blast and needed reconstructive surgery. Freightlin also has post-traumatic stress and anxiety. In Alaska, Caitlin was also encouraged as she spent time with other military spouses who shared similar experiences. “Being a military spouse is very unique. People don’t often understand that,” she said. “Here, it doesn’t feel like we’re around a bunch of strangers. I have people I can talk to who get it.” Caitlin and Freightlin were thrilled to share with the other military couples that, after a decade of heartbreak and disappointment, they are expecting a baby boy later this year. Spending time in Alaska to strengthen their marriage and renew their vows came at just the right time. “This is a reset before we start this new chapter,” Freightlin said. “We’re grateful for the opportunity.” ]]> Chaplains baptize a military couple in Lake Clark with Tanalian Mountain in the background. Truly beautiful pristine landscape.A hero’s welcome is not what military couples expected when they arrived at Samaritan Lodge Alaska. Yet they stepped off the plane to a crowd of staff, volunteers, chaplains, and local residents waving American flags and waiting to greet them. Army Staff Sergeant Chad Kleist and his wife, Tamara, had known for a while that something was missing in their lives. When they landed at our wilderness lodge, they hoped that maybe they'd arrived at the place where they would finally find it. Trusting in Jesus as Savior Chad and Tamara applied for Operation Heal Our Patriots because they desperately wanted to strengthen their marriage and grow closer to each other. Although six years of marriage have brought them many joyful moments, it has also been replete with trials. “I was getting to my breaking point,” Chad said. He has post-traumatic stress and disassociation, the lingering effects of an 18-year military career that included deployments to Iraq, Kuwait, and Afghanistan. Tamara had a miscarriage and deals with anxiety. They’ve also had to navigate life as a blended family. Tamara has at times considered religion and faith, but struggled to understand why a loving God would create her son autistic and nonverbal. “I wanted to be a soccer mom and to hear my child say, ‘Mommy, I love you.’” Both Tamara and Chad were open to belief in a higher power and knew they needed help to continue persevering through life’s challenges. “We kept looking for something, but we just weren’t sure what it was,” Tamara said. On the first evening of their week in Alaska, the couple asked to meet with our chaplains. “I felt like I could be honest about my questions and doubts,” Tamara said. Sometimes it feels too late to start something new—but it’s never too late. I know that now. When we go home, God will now be our focus. The chaplains explained the Gospel of Jesus Christ. They shared the eternal hope that comes with trusting Him as Lord and Savior. They used Scripture to assure them that their son is created in God’s image and has a purpose in His Kingdom. “We gave our hearts to Jesus that night,” Chad said. “It’s a whole new beginning for us. This time, we’re going to do it with Jesus.” Tamara knows that even if their problems don’t go away, they will trust the Lord to walk with them and provide strength to endure. “Sometimes it feels too late to start something new—but it’s never too late. I know that now,” she said. Tamara and Chad were baptized in Lake Clark at the end of the week. They also rededicated their marriage to God and to each other during a special ceremony. “When we go home, God will now be our focus,” Tamara said. Renewed Commitment We praise God that the Kleists were among four couples who renewed their wedding vows during the week of May 24-29. Joining them were Marine Corporal Freightlin Cox and his wife, Caitlin. They were immediately interested in Operation Heal Our Patriots after learning about it from friends who had come to Samaritan Lodge Alaska a previous year. They applied several times before, so, when they were accepted this year, Caitlin was overcome by emotion. “I definitely sobbed when I got the call,” Caitlin said. “This was the right time.” Caitlin had been hospitalized for a severe illness and had not long recovered when she found out they were going to Alaska. In recent years, she's experienced the grief of three miscarriages and mourned the death of several close family members. The couple and their daughter also grieved the loss of longtime family pets. “The past few years have been rough,” she said. Caitlin and Freightlin knew they wanted to do something special to honor their 10th wedding anniversary. When they found out they could participate in a marriage renewal ceremony during their week in Alaska, “we were the first ones to sign up,” Freightlin said. The couple shared that they came to Alaska to take intentional steps toward growing in their relationship. “We needed more tools for our toolbox,” Caitlin said. This is a reset before we start this new chapter. We’re grateful for the opportunity. Their desire to maintain a healthy marriage is fueled in part by a determination to raise their family in a different environment from the one they experienced growing up. Freightlin was in and out of different foster homes and lacked positive role models and mentors. Caitlin’s parents argued so often that sometimes she didn’t even want to be in the house. Caitlin was a single mother when she met Freightlin. From the outset, the couple was committed to raising the child in a loving and stable home, which meant working together to understand the challenges Freightlin faced after being injured in Iraq. He struggles with a traumatic brain injury incurred during an IED blast and also suffers with knee and shoulder pain. He slammed his face into the steering wheel during the blast and needed reconstructive surgery. Freightlin also has post-traumatic stress and anxiety. In Alaska, Caitlin was also encouraged as she spent time with other military spouses who shared similar experiences. “Being a military spouse is very unique. People don’t often understand that,” she said. “Here, it doesn’t feel like we’re around a bunch of strangers. I have people I can talk to who get it.” Caitlin and Freightlin were thrilled to share with the other military couples that, after a decade of heartbreak and disappointment, they are expecting a baby boy later this year. Spending time in Alaska to strengthen their marriage and renew their vows came at just the right time. “This is a reset before we start this new chapter,” Freightlin said. “We’re grateful for the opportunity.” ]]> https://www.samaritanspurse.org/article/seeds-spring-life/ Seeds Spring Life https://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/957422021/0/samaritanspurse~Seeds-Spring-Life/ Thu, 28 May 2026 12:29:46 +0000 https://samaritanspurse.org/?post_type=sp-articles&p=270444 Samaritan's Purse staff visit with Vira and provide her with agricultural suppliesVira’s* life consists of a quiet but constant struggle to make ends meet. At 56, she’s too young to pull any pension and employment opportunities are scarce. She has no family near, so she scrapes by tending her near-acre of land, some chickens, and a cow in a small village in eastern Ukraine. “I rely only on what I can grow with my own hands,” Vira said. She recently had to hire out the plowing and cultivation of her land because it was too large to handle on her own. Sadly, the necessary expense cost more than her month’s income from the sale of her cow’s milk. “I didn’t know how I would manage,” Vira said. That’s when Samaritan’s Purse showed up with potato and tomato seeds, giving her hope that her sole income from the milk would now stretch further than it did before. Included in the seed supply were other vegetables, including onions, cucumbers, cabbage, carrots, beets, zucchini, corn, peas, greens, and radishes. Now rows of leaves are popping up from the soil as signs of hope and sustenance for the months ahead. The colorful crop will even include the treat of watermelon! Knowing the growing season can be short in parts of Ukraine, Samaritan’s Purse also provided an 18-foot hotbed and a seedling set complete with a tray and pots. Vira can get her plants started early to insure they grow to maturity before frost comes in the fall. Vira was overjoyed that Samaritan’s Purse also provided a drip irrigation system and shading net to help the plants endure the severe sun of July and August. Add to all this complex fertilizer, five sets of garden gloves, and an agricultural manual we provided, and she is poised to be well-fed even as conflict continues. God will make things grow. “This is such a great help for me,” Vira said. “It will truly make my life easier. I am sincerely grateful for Samaritan’s Purse’s support.” Living on More than Vegetables In addition to helping Vira fill her pantry, Samaritan’s Purse ensures that Vira gets spiritual food as well. The pastor of a partner church travels roughly five hours from another area near the frontlines to organize weekly meetings in a small tent for Vira and her neighbors. “We come together, we pray, we read the Bible, and we feel that we are not alone,” Vira said. Since 2025, Samaritan’s Purse has supplied more than 1,800 seed packages and over 1,000 gardening tool sets to people who were uncertain how they would feed their families in the midst of conflict. Supply chains, infrastructure, and farming are disrupted so groceries don’t always make it to stores in smaller neighborhoods. “This program provides vulnerable families in frontline regions with the means they need to tend their vegetable gardens and grow their own food after losing homes, loved ones, jobs, and a sense of security,” said Yevheniia Hrushyna, a Samaritan’s Purse staff member. “For many Ukrainians living in remote villages, this is far more than physical assistance, it is a reminder that they are not forgotten. This support has a deep spiritual impact, expressing God’s love in a tangible way and bringing comfort and hope in difficult times.” Please pray for Ukrainian families who are struggling to survive as the war continues. Please pray that they would not only have bumper harvests but also develop a personal relationship with the Creator. Please also join in their prayers that peace would come soon. *Name changed for security. ]]> Samaritan's Purse staff visit with Vira and provide her with agricultural suppliesVira’s* life consists of a quiet but constant struggle to make ends meet. At 56, she’s too young to pull any pension and employment opportunities are scarce. She has no family near, so she scrapes by tending her near-acre of land, some chickens, and a cow in a small village in eastern Ukraine. “I rely only on what I can grow with my own hands,” Vira said. She recently had to hire out the plowing and cultivation of her land because it was too large to handle on her own. Sadly, the necessary expense cost more than her month’s income from the sale of her cow’s milk. “I didn’t know how I would manage,” Vira said. That’s when Samaritan’s Purse showed up with potato and tomato seeds, giving her hope that her sole income from the milk would now stretch further than it did before. Included in the seed supply were other vegetables, including onions, cucumbers, cabbage, carrots, beets, zucchini, corn, peas, greens, and radishes. Now rows of leaves are popping up from the soil as signs of hope and sustenance for the months ahead. The colorful crop will even include the treat of watermelon! Knowing the growing season can be short in parts of Ukraine, Samaritan’s Purse also provided an 18-foot hotbed and a seedling set complete with a tray and pots. Vira can get her plants started early to insure they grow to maturity before frost comes in the fall. Vira was overjoyed that Samaritan’s Purse also provided a drip irrigation system and shading net to help the plants endure the severe sun of July and August. Add to all this complex fertilizer, five sets of garden gloves, and an agricultural manual we provided, and she is poised to be well-fed even as conflict continues. God will make things grow. “This is such a great help for me,” Vira said. “It will truly make my life easier. I am sincerely grateful for Samaritan’s Purse’s support.” Living on More than Vegetables In addition to helping Vira fill her pantry, Samaritan’s Purse ensures that Vira gets spiritual food as well. The pastor of a partner church travels roughly five hours from another area near the frontlines to organize weekly meetings in a small tent for Vira and her neighbors. “We come together, we pray, we read the Bible, and we feel that we are not alone,” Vira said. Since 2025, Samaritan’s Purse has supplied more than 1,800 seed packages and over 1,000 gardening tool sets to people who were uncertain how they would feed their families in the midst of conflict. Supply chains, infrastructure, and farming are disrupted so groceries don’t always make it to stores in smaller neighborhoods. “This program provides vulnerable families in frontline regions with the means they need to tend their vegetable gardens and grow their own food after losing homes, loved ones, jobs, and a sense of security,” said Yevheniia Hrushyna, a Samaritan’s Purse staff member. “For many Ukrainians living in remote villages, this is far more than physical assistance, it is a reminder that they are not forgotten. This support has a deep spiritual impact, expressing God’s love in a tangible way and bringing comfort and hope in difficult times.” Please pray for Ukrainian families who are struggling to survive as the war continues. Please pray that they would not only have bumper harvests but also develop a personal relationship with the Creator. Please also join in their prayers that peace would come soon. *Name changed for security. ]]> https://www.samaritanspurse.org/article/the-accidental-anesthesiologist/ The Accidental Anesthesiologist https://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/957363656/0/samaritanspurse~The-Accidental-Anesthesiologist/ Wed, 27 May 2026 12:51:47 +0000 https://www.samaritanspurse.org/?post_type=sp-articles&p=270402 Dr. Will Buchanan, a new addition to Togo’s Hopital Baptiste Biblique through World Medical Mission’s Post-Residency Program, came into missions by accident but now he would have it no other way.Already an “A” student, Will Buchanan didn’t need extra credit. But when his college professor presented the opportunity to his psychology class, Buchanan couldn’t refuse. It was a seemingly insignificant decision that helped to shape the course of his life. The extra credit assignment was a review of a book about an ordinary guy from a small Southern town who founded an organization that provides clean water to people in some of the poorest corners of the globe. “It’s the story of a man who became an accidental missionary. After learning about the water crisis in Sudan, he wanted to do something, so he went into missions and serves people for God in hard places that are not in the United States,” Buchanan said. The message of the book awakened strong feelings inside of Buchanan that he had not expected. He was in his senior year at a college in Mississippi with his sights set on applying to a medical school. “Missions was not the plan at that point. That was for super-Christians, which I was not,” said Buchanan. “I supported other people doing it, but I had no desire.” Months later, a college missions conference gave him a totally new perspective, and he clearly sensed God speaking to his heart, but Buchanan’s response was to wait. He maintained his focus on medical school and contemplated specializing in surgery but opted for anesthesiology. Buchanan loves the immediacy of the operating room setting and knows that God has placed him in the right profession. “I don’t have the patience of a general practitioner or internist who may say, ‘OK, take this pill, come back in a few months, and we will see if your blood pressure is lower,’” he said. “No, as an anesthesiologist, I am going to give an IV of medicine to you right now, and then your blood pressure is going to go down.” He began to envision long-term missionary service as his primary calling, integrating spiritual and medical care. At a teaching hospital in Nigeria, he worked for a month with a career missionary OB-GYN and local chaplains and learned how to effectively share his faith. During a medical school trip to Peru, he discovered how much he loved one-on-one interaction with the people who came to riverside mobile clinics. “It quickly became apparent to me that the other medical school students on the trip enjoyed hanging out in the boat and swimming in the Amazon River,” he said. “I liked the clinics a lot more. I wanted to stay and keep doing medicine with the people.” In August 2025, after spending eight months in French language school, Dr. Buchanan found an established place to serve through World Medical Mission’s Post-Residency Program. His destination—Hopital Baptiste Biblique in southern Togo. Patients, Prayer, and Pickleball Buchanan said he is still learning the job and becoming acquainted with the culture. He is the first full-time anesthesiologist at the hospital. Previously, the hospital relied on short-term volunteers and three local anesthetists who were licensed nurses or physician assistants who received additional training in the capital city. “We have two operating rooms, and when all of the other anesthetists are working, I bounce between the two rooms to supervise and help out, making sure the surgeries start well,” he said. “If any concerns come up during the surgery, I serve as a consultant.” Because he also has experience in critical care, Buchanan has assisted surgeons and other medical staff in the treatment of patients with life-threatening situations. His responsibilities occasionally involve something he never had to do in medical school—like holding up the flashlight of his cellphone so surgeons could complete an operation during a power outage. Most of the surgical cases he sees are similar to what he experienced during residency in Boston, with one notable exception. “It’s very rare back home, because we have dental care. But here people get really bad tooth infections that cause airway problems,” he said. “I’ve probably seen at least ten cases here already.” Untreated dental infections can be fatal. The infection spreads from inside the mouth and jaw and down into the neck. Surgery is required to drain the pus, which makes Buchanan’s job of inserting a breathing tube very difficult. In a recent case, the patient’s airway was completely closed due to infection, so the surgeon had to cut into the man’s neck to insert a breathing tube. “Everything was too swollen, and we couldn’t do it from up top. Learning those cases has been terrifying,” he said. Praise God, all of these cases have had positive outcomes thus far. The man who needed the emergency airway opening was breathing on his own a week later. Pediatric patients involve the greatest challenge. Imagine trying to insert a breathing tube the size of a coffee stirrer. That’s what Buchanan was tasked to accomplish with a 9-day-old infant. The little girl had a muscular blockage between her stomach and intestines that caused her to throw up milk. She was basically starving to death. The procedure to repair the problem is not complex, but for Buchanan, there isn’t much room for error in administering the appropriate amount of anesthesia for someone so little. “We did the girl’s case first thing in the morning, and she was starting to take a bit of breast milk that afternoon or evening,” Buchanan said. “The next day she went home. That was another instance of me saying, ‘God, please help us,’ and by His grace, she lived.” Now that he can alleviate some of the workload of the anesthetists, Buchanan would like to see all of them invest more time in pre-operative conversations with patients. The staff does pray with patients just before their procedures, but he would like the anesthetists to have more time for Gospel-sharing opportunities. “It can be hard for us to get any kind of face time with patients because we see them when they come to the operating room, and then we put them to sleep,” he said. “From my standpoint, it’s good if the anesthetists who speak the local language could have 20 minutes to get to talk with patients about the Gospel and pray with them.” Buchanan counts it a wonderful blessing to be a part of a Christian community, and he enjoys working with other World Medical Mission post-residents. He said he only played pickleball once in the United States. Now he plays about four times a week. He’s also trying new foods, like the local favorite “fufu,” a soft dough made from pounded yams. Whether they are treating patients, gathering for Bible study and prayer, or engrossed in a nail-biting round of pickleball, the missionaries are united in their purpose to bring glory to God. “We are all here for the same reason,” Buchanan said, noting how refreshing it is to be able to “talk about Jesus over a card game. … Everyone here wants to deepen their relationship with God, and I have been challenged in the best way to take my faith more seriously. I’m very happy to be here. It has exceeded my expectations.” ]]> Dr. Will Buchanan, a new addition to Togo’s Hopital Baptiste Biblique through World Medical Mission’s Post-Residency Program, came into missions by accident but now he would have it no other way.Already an “A” student, Will Buchanan didn’t need extra credit. But when his college professor presented the opportunity to his psychology class, Buchanan couldn’t refuse. It was a seemingly insignificant decision that helped to shape the course of his life. The extra credit assignment was a review of a book about an ordinary guy from a small Southern town who founded an organization that provides clean water to people in some of the poorest corners of the globe. “It’s the story of a man who became an accidental missionary. After learning about the water crisis in Sudan, he wanted to do something, so he went into missions and serves people for God in hard places that are not in the United States,” Buchanan said. The message of the book awakened strong feelings inside of Buchanan that he had not expected. He was in his senior year at a college in Mississippi with his sights set on applying to a medical school. “Missions was not the plan at that point. That was for super-Christians, which I was not,” said Buchanan. “I supported other people doing it, but I had no desire.” Months later, a college missions conference gave him a totally new perspective, and he clearly sensed God speaking to his heart, but Buchanan’s response was to wait. He maintained his focus on medical school and contemplated specializing in surgery but opted for anesthesiology. Buchanan loves the immediacy of the operating room setting and knows that God has placed him in the right profession. “I don’t have the patience of a general practitioner or internist who may say, ‘OK, take this pill, come back in a few months, and we will see if your blood pressure is lower,’” he said. “No, as an anesthesiologist, I am going to give an IV of medicine to you right now, and then your blood pressure is going to go down.” He began to envision long-term missionary service as his primary calling, integrating spiritual and medical care. At a teaching hospital in Nigeria, he worked for a month with a career missionary OB-GYN and local chaplains and learned how to effectively share his faith. During a medical school trip to Peru, he discovered how much he loved one-on-one interaction with the people who came to riverside mobile clinics. “It quickly became apparent to me that the other medical school students on the trip enjoyed hanging out in the boat and swimming in the Amazon River,” he said. “I liked the clinics a lot more. I wanted to stay and keep doing medicine with the people.” In August 2025, after spending eight months in French language school, Dr. Buchanan found an established place to serve through World Medical Mission’s Post-Residency Program. His destination—Hopital Baptiste Biblique in southern Togo. Patients, Prayer, and Pickleball Buchanan said he is still learning the job and becoming acquainted with the culture. He is the first full-time anesthesiologist at the hospital. Previously, the hospital relied on short-term volunteers and three local anesthetists who were licensed nurses or physician assistants who received additional training in the capital city. “We have two operating rooms, and when all of the other anesthetists are working, I bounce between the two rooms to supervise and help out, making sure the surgeries start well,” he said. “If any concerns come up during the surgery, I serve as a consultant.” Because he also has experience in critical care, Buchanan has assisted surgeons and other medical staff in the treatment of patients with life-threatening situations. His responsibilities occasionally involve something he never had to do in medical school—like holding up the flashlight of his cellphone so surgeons could complete an operation during a power outage. Most of the surgical cases he sees are similar to what he experienced during residency in Boston, with one notable exception. “It’s very rare back home, because we have dental care. But here people get really bad tooth infections that cause airway problems,” he said. “I’ve probably seen at least ten cases here already.” Untreated dental infections can be fatal. The infection spreads from inside the mouth and jaw and down into the neck. Surgery is required to drain the pus, which makes Buchanan’s job of inserting a breathing tube very difficult. In a recent case, the patient’s airway was completely closed due to infection, so the surgeon had to cut into the man’s neck to insert a breathing tube. “Everything was too swollen, and we couldn’t do it from up top. Learning those cases has been terrifying,” he said. Praise God, all of these cases have had positive outcomes thus far. The man who needed the emergency airway opening was breathing on his own a week later. Pediatric patients involve the greatest challenge. Imagine trying to insert a breathing tube the size of a coffee stirrer. That’s what Buchanan was tasked to accomplish with a 9-day-old infant. The little girl had a muscular blockage between her stomach and intestines that caused her to throw up milk. She was basically starving to death. The procedure to repair the problem is not complex, but for Buchanan, there isn’t much room for error in administering the appropriate amount of anesthesia for someone so little. “We did the girl’s case first thing in the morning, and she was starting to take a bit of breast milk that afternoon or evening,” Buchanan said. “The next day she went home. That was another instance of me saying, ‘God, please help us,’ and by His grace, she lived.” Now that he can alleviate some of the workload of the anesthetists, Buchanan would like to see all of them invest more time in pre-operative conversations with patients. The staff does pray with patients just before their procedures, but he would like the anesthetists to have more time for Gospel-sharing opportunities. “It can be hard for us to get any kind of face time with patients because we see them when they come to the operating room, and then we put them to sleep,” he said. “From my standpoint, it’s good if the anesthetists who speak the local language could have 20 minutes to get to talk with patients about the Gospel and pray with them.” Buchanan counts it a wonderful blessing to be a part of a Christian community, and he enjoys working with other World Medical Mission post-residents. He said he only played pickleball once in the United States. Now he plays about four times a week. He’s also trying new foods, like the local favorite “fufu,” a soft dough made from pounded yams. Whether they are treating patients, gathering for Bible study and prayer, or engrossed in a nail-biting round of pickleball, the missionaries are united in their purpose to bring glory to God. “We are all here for the same reason,” Buchanan said, noting how refreshing it is to be able to “talk about Jesus over a card game. … Everyone here wants to deepen their relationship with God, and I have been challenged in the best way to take my faith more seriously. I’m very happy to be here. It has exceeded my expectations.” ]]> https://www.samaritanspurse.org/article/supporting-gospel-ministry-through-chicken-farming-in-asia/ Supporting Gospel Ministry Through Chicken Farming in Asia https://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/957299126/0/samaritanspurse~Supporting-Gospel-Ministry-Through-Chicken-Farming-in-Asia/ Tue, 26 May 2026 12:32:26 +0000 https://samaritanspurse.org/?post_type=sp-articles&p=269688 Cambodian couple in front of their chicken coopBao travels around the countryside of Cambodia proclaiming the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. A devoted Christian for many years, he is often seen as an outsider by many of his fellow countrymen in this predominantly Buddhist nation. But this only fuels his desire to keep preaching! His traveling ministry seemed to be in jeopardy, however, when his finances started running low. Wanting to continue his on-the-go evangelism, he prayed fervently that God would provide for himself and his wife, Houn, in any possible way. In faith, he remained hopeful, though the circumstances around him seemed bleak. Bao had to walk for hours each day to reach the casava fields where he worked in rough conditions. He labored hard, but his limited earnings were not enough to provide for his family and his outreach. Bao managed to secure a loan to buy a motorbike to ease his commute to the fields, but his income remained scarce. Still, he thanked God and kept praying for provision, knowing that He is faithful. God Answered Through Chickens Samaritan’s Purse staff visited Bao’s village and, seeing his need, offered him a chicken coop complete with 60 fowl, so he and Houn could begin raising them. With hens selling at about $6 a piece, they could earn greater income and secure a much more sustainable way of life. The couple couldn’t turn down the offer! “We provide chickens to families not only for income, but also to bring hope and [help] build sustainable livelihoods at home rather than migrating to neighboring countries for work,” said Rim Soth, a Samaritan’s Purse staff member in Cambodia. Of course, chickens are available to non-Christians and Christians alike. “They serve as a tool for us to openly share about God with the families.” Bao is profoundly grateful for the aid. “We are proud of the chicken coop. It has helped us so much.” He still works in the casava fields, and Houn cares for the coop when he is away. Knowing that God is also providing through the chickens, the couple is encouraged that things are looking up for their family. Bao will continue his preaching. Bao and Houn are hopeful the chickens will continue to provide for them as they work to grow their flock. Last year alone, Samaritan’s Purse distributed more than 13,000 chickens to families in need in Cambodia and so far in 2026, another 2,000 have already been given out. Bao and Houn see Samaritan’s Purse provision as a gift from God. As Christians surrounded by people of other religions, they continue to shine as beacons of light. Please pray that the Lord will bless the couple’s poultry production in a way that frees up their energy to continue to share their Savior with their fellow Cambodians. ]]> Cambodian couple in front of their chicken coopBao travels around the countryside of Cambodia proclaiming the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. A devoted Christian for many years, he is often seen as an outsider by many of his fellow countrymen in this predominantly Buddhist nation. But this only fuels his desire to keep preaching! His traveling ministry seemed to be in jeopardy, however, when his finances started running low. Wanting to continue his on-the-go evangelism, he prayed fervently that God would provide for himself and his wife, Houn, in any possible way. In faith, he remained hopeful, though the circumstances around him seemed bleak. Bao had to walk for hours each day to reach the casava fields where he worked in rough conditions. He labored hard, but his limited earnings were not enough to provide for his family and his outreach. Bao managed to secure a loan to buy a motorbike to ease his commute to the fields, but his income remained scarce. Still, he thanked God and kept praying for provision, knowing that He is faithful. God Answered Through Chickens Samaritan’s Purse staff visited Bao’s village and, seeing his need, offered him a chicken coop complete with 60 fowl, so he and Houn could begin raising them. With hens selling at about $6 a piece, they could earn greater income and secure a much more sustainable way of life. The couple couldn’t turn down the offer! “We provide chickens to families not only for income, but also to bring hope and [help] build sustainable livelihoods at home rather than migrating to neighboring countries for work,” said Rim Soth, a Samaritan’s Purse staff member in Cambodia. Of course, chickens are available to non-Christians and Christians alike. “They serve as a tool for us to openly share about God with the families.” Bao is profoundly grateful for the aid. “We are proud of the chicken coop. It has helped us so much.” He still works in the casava fields, and Houn cares for the coop when he is away. Knowing that God is also providing through the chickens, the couple is encouraged that things are looking up for their family. Bao will continue his preaching. Bao and Houn are hopeful the chickens will continue to provide for them as they work to grow their flock. Last year alone, Samaritan’s Purse distributed more than 13,000 chickens to families in need in Cambodia and so far in 2026, another 2,000 have already been given out. Bao and Houn see Samaritan’s Purse provision as a gift from God. As Christians surrounded by people of other religions, they continue to shine as beacons of light. Please pray that the Lord will bless the couple’s poultry production in a way that frees up their energy to continue to share their Savior with their fellow Cambodians. ]]> https://ontheground.samaritanspurse.org/podcast/obedient-to-the-call Podcast | Obedient to the Call https://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/957736355/0/samaritanspurse~Podcast-Obedient-to-the-Call Fri, 22 May 2026 13:00:02 +0000 https://samaritanspurse.org/?post_type=sp-articles&p=270655 ]]> ]]> https://www.samaritanspurse.org/article/operation-heal-our-patriots-begins-15th-summer-season-in-alaska/ The Operation Heal Our Patriots 15th Summer Season is Underway in Alaska https://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/956976377/0/samaritanspurse~The-Operation-Heal-Our-Patriots-th-Summer-Season-is-Underway-in-Alaska/ Fri, 22 May 2026 12:38:52 +0000 https://www.samaritanspurse.org/?post_type=sp-articles&p=270601 Join us in praying that God heals the lives and marriages of wounded military personnel and their spouses this summer in Alaska.As we remembered fallen United States service members during Memorial Day weekend, we also welcomed the first group of military couples to Alaska for the Operation Heal Our Patriots 2026 summer season. Military service members and their spouses touched down at Samaritan Lodge Alaska on Sunday, May 24, greeted with a flag-waving welcome from chaplains, staff, volunteers, and residents gathered near the gravel airstrip. Each week for 17 weeks (May 24 through September 18), as many as 10 couples will join us for a time of chaplain-led marriage training. Husbands and wives will participate in Biblically based classes and have opportunities to enjoy God's creation on wilderness excursions in both Lake Clark and Katmai National Parks—all while building new friendships with fellow military couples. Please join us in praying for these couples that they will experience the healing found only in a life, marriage, and family transformed by the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. Since 2012, more than 2,000 military couples have become a part of the Operation Heal Our Patriots family. We praise God for the 943 individuals who accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior through the program and for more than 1,100 individuals who've been baptized by our chaplains in the waters of Lake Clark. Since the start of the program, we have seen more than 1,000 couples dedicate or rededicate their marriages under God’s authority. This Samaritan’s Purse project extends well after Alaska through our Family Care ministry, which provides ongoing spiritual care, local church connections, and alumni reunions and activities. Family Care is a lifelong commitment of community, support, and Biblical discipleship grounded in the Word of God. Please pray for the 170 couples expected to head to Samaritan Lodge Alaska over the course of this summer—that the Lord would restore marriages and bring new life in Jesus Christ to hurting souls. ]]> Join us in praying that God heals the lives and marriages of wounded military personnel and their spouses this summer in Alaska.As we remembered fallen United States service members during Memorial Day weekend, we also welcomed the first group of military couples to Alaska for the Operation Heal Our Patriots 2026 summer season. Military service members and their spouses touched down at Samaritan Lodge Alaska on Sunday, May 24, greeted with a flag-waving welcome from chaplains, staff, volunteers, and residents gathered near the gravel airstrip. Each week for 17 weeks (May 24 through September 18), as many as 10 couples will join us for a time of chaplain-led marriage training. Husbands and wives will participate in Biblically based classes and have opportunities to enjoy God's creation on wilderness excursions in both Lake Clark and Katmai National Parks—all while building new friendships with fellow military couples. Please join us in praying for these couples that they will experience the healing found only in a life, marriage, and family transformed by the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. Since 2012, more than 2,000 military couples have become a part of the Operation Heal Our Patriots family. We praise God for the 943 individuals who accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior through the program and for more than 1,100 individuals who've been baptized by our chaplains in the waters of Lake Clark. Since the start of the program, we have seen more than 1,000 couples dedicate or rededicate their marriages under God’s authority. This Samaritan’s Purse project extends well after Alaska through our Family Care ministry, which provides ongoing spiritual care, local church connections, and alumni reunions and activities. Family Care is a lifelong commitment of community, support, and Biblical discipleship grounded in the Word of God. Please pray for the 170 couples expected to head to Samaritan Lodge Alaska over the course of this summer—that the Lord would restore marriages and bring new life in Jesus Christ to hurting souls. ]]>