Back in early June I wrote about Our Trip to the ER on Sunday. Thankfully David was fine, but it was not a cheap outing. It also presented us with our first opportunity to submit a need to Samaritan Ministries since we had joined in April 2019.

I wanted to do a follow-up since I know many people wonder about joining a health sharing ministry. I can only speak to our experience with Samaritan Ministries. I’ve heard a lot of mixed reviews about different organizations so I want to make it clear I’m only speaking about Samaritan.

It was very easy to submit our need when all of the various bills that start flowing into our mailbox. The Samaritan website has an excellent interface and helpful people whenever you need them. They also can assist you in negotiating the bills down if needed (which we did). Everyone we have dealt with has been very kind and warm.

Once our need was fully submitted and approved, we received financial shares (checks) from Samaritan members all over the United States. Samaritan assigns shares each month so you know exactly who you are sending the money to and what need the money is meeting. Many people who sent their share to us included personal notes and indications that they prayed for us. When you receive the share, you indicate on the website when it arrived and then use the money to pay the various bills.

There is something very different about sending out your share to another Christian family each month as opposed to paying for a health insurance premium from a mega corporation. Yes, it is a step of faith. But it is simply a step of faith in a different way. Someone can have health insurance through their job and lose it. God is ultimately our Provider. Samaritan simply makes you a bit more aware of it and gives you the opportunity to work with other believers to meet needs in the body of Christ. That’s something we never got all of the years we paid for our health insurance. This makes working within the body of Christ much more real and tangible.

Our need was relatively small compared to others. But we personally know someone in real life who went through breast cancer and all of her bills were covered via the family’s Samaritan membership. It is truly there to meet the needs of members as they arise.

If you ever decide to join Samaritan Ministries, please consider using our membership number as a referral.

• Membership #149571

We receive a $100 credit for any referral that we make. Thank you!