Ludys found relief through Samaritan Ministries

A child having to undergo emergency surgery is stressful enough. You don’t need worries about money to go along with it.

That’s one reason why Eric and Leslie Ludy were happy to be part of Samaritan Ministries when their 6-year-old daughter Harper had surgery after swallowing a coin earlier this year.

“It was a blessing to receive those gifts and notes of encouragement when we were facing a completely unexpected medical expense of thousands of dollars,” Leslie says. “The surgery was stressful, but at least the financial burden was not.”

Eric agrees.

“Being part of Samaritan helped us to stay focused on our family and ministry after the surgery instead of dealing with the distraction of figuring out how to pay the medical bills,” he says.

Eric, who trains Christians in discipleship through Ellerslie Leadership Training, also sees value in health care sharing for one’s Christian walk.

“As we give toward the needs of the saints, we are truly ‘washing their feet’ and serving them in ways they most need to be served—through practical help, prayer support, and Godly encouragement,” he says. “Health care sharing can help one develop the spiritual disciplines of giving, serving, Godly edification, and Biblical accountability.”

The Ludys joined Samaritan because sharing the burden of medical needs with other Christians sounded like a better, more Biblical idea than health insurance.

“Approaching medical needs with the Biblical principle of ‘bearing one another’s burdens’ is both spiritually and practically beneficial for Christians,” Leslie says. “With traditional medical insurance, you often feel like you are being controlled by ‘the system,’ but with the cost-sharing approach you have the ability to follow God’s leading in which doctors you choose to work with and where to get treatment.”

Eric calls it “simple, straightforward, and Biblical.”

“As ungodly practices and ethics continue to creep into the health insurance world, Samaritan Ministries is a great alternative,” Eric says. “It allows a believer to become part of a like-minded community in which health care costs do not need to become a stressful distraction or financial burden, and the focus can remain on Christ, even during health difficulties.”