Military Couples Draw Closer to Christ

Staff Report : Oct 23, 2012
Samaritans Purse

People came to faith in Jesus and marriages were strengthened at the first season of a new Samaritan's Purse outreach to wounded and injured service members and their spouses.

Alarm bells were going off in the minds of Samaritan Lodge Alaska staff almost immediately.

Brandie Collins had just arrived with her husband, Austin, in Port Alsworth. She was 8 months pregnant and looked like she could have the baby at any minute.

The small town has a nursing station, but no hospital. The only way in and out is by small plane. What was going to happen if the baby decided to come a wee bit early?

Brandi and Austin had been invited to Samaritan Lodge to take the spot of another couple that had to cancel. Was it a mistake to ask them?

Absolutely not.

"They were the exact couple that needed to be here at the time," said Mark Lang program manager and also an excursion guide and pilot at the facility.

The couple was there because of God's perfect timing. Brandi was already a believer, but Austin, though a churchgoer, did not have a relationship with Jesus Christ. That changed by week's end.

"Being up here, he realized something was missing in his life," said camp chaplain Jim Fisher. "He committed his life to Christ and was baptized that day here in Lake Clark."

Samaritan Lodge Alaska has truly become a center of renewal, healing, and rebirth. It is a place where veterans accepted Jesus as their Savior, were baptized in the waters of Lake Clark, and made decisions to serve in full-time ministry. Many marriages were strengthened. Two couples even rededicated their union in brief ceremonies at Tanalian Falls and by the lake.

The facility is the foundation of Operation Heal Our Patriots, the Samaritan's Purse ministry that provides spiritual refreshment, physical renewal, and marriage enrichment to wounded and injured U.S. military service members and their spouses.

From its opening in early June until the close of the season in mid-September, close to 80 injured military veterans and their spouses enjoyed amazing periods of rest, adventure, marriage enrichment, and spiritual encouragement.

During their week at the lodge on Lake Clark's Hardenburg Bay, the couples soaked in the unforgettable grandeur of Alaska's wilderness through fishing and bear watching excursions, floatplane trips, kayaking, hiking, and other activities. Gourmet food, comfortable cabins, saunas, and incredible views of the lake and surrounding mountains added to the experience.

For many it's either the honeymoon they never got to take or a much-needed and extremely rare vacation, since finances, deployment, or other circumstances prevented them from getting away earlier. For every couple it's a refreshing time to focus on each other and get away from dishes, laundry, children, and other day-to-day responsibilities.

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