I told you yesterday that I would give an update on our Alaska Trip. Here it goes...
This year's Alaska Mission Trip was very different than last years.
#1 - It's April - not June - which explains why I'm on a snow machine.
#2 - Our ministry was primarily to adults rather than kids and teens.
#3 - We had never done anything like this before!
Our emphasis throughout the week was "Fishing with a Mission." We were to go out on the ice and assist in any way locals who were out trying to catch fish. Our assistance would be to cut holes in the ice, cut fish, carry things, or fish. Our greatest obstacle was that this wasn't a good week for fishing (at least not for Shee Fish). We caught plenty of "bait" fish while out on the ice but that was it. Since it wasn't a good week for fishing we didn't get to do a lot of the things we planned, so we decided to keep trying to catch fish to give away. This provided a great opportunity for us to encounter the arctic in a whole new way. I'll explain more later.
The women spent there time during the day putting on a lunch time Bible Study. There were able to minister to several women through teaching, prayer, and sharing the Gospel. They also were able to do this is the comfort of the church fellowship area.
The evening provided various opportunities: We hosted a couple of fish dinners for the community, went out in the community and was able to share the Good News on the street with several young people, and the women gave out salvation bracelets at a school carnival.
We had plenty of opportunities to share but did not "record" any decisions for Christ while in Kotzebue. At first I was a little discouraged by this. I tell every mission team that we go with an expectation of leading people to Christ. This is our mission above all else - Share the Gospel. However, as I prayed and meditated upon God's Word I came across the devotional I shared with you yesterday. God was at work...there was no doubt about it - we are just uncertain as to all that He accomplished through us.
But this week wasn't a loss. We were able to minister refreshment to Pastor John and his wife Terry. We were also able to bring some encouragement to Dan, one of the locals who works with the church. On a personal note we were able to see much of the countryside on snow machine - watch a herd of caribou - and ice fish on the arctic ocean. I got to preach for the first time in Alaska and Jenn, Brian and Missy were able to sing God's praises during the worship service.
God was at work. He worked greatly in individual lives. I won't go into all that he was doing cause most of our team will be able to share this Sunday. And in the end God placed a hunger inside of me to do this type of trip again. There is so much potential for ministry if it's done at the right time. Lord willing, next year's trip will be earlier and more fruitful all the way around.
One thing we have found out in Kotzebue is that the more we return - the more we come back and work with these people - we develop trust, which is crucial in reaching the natives for Christ. Alaska is a beautiful state and the Eskimo people are a fascinating group. However, spiritually speaking, there are a lot of barriers. I ask that you pray for the people of Alaska. They are starting to "thaw out" which means more teams are on the way. But I want you to pray that they "thaw out" spiritually so that the Good News of Jesus' death on the cross for their sins will penetrate their hearts.
I thank God for a great week. I thank Him that we were able to see many of the kids that were there last year. I thank Him that we were able to hear the story of one of the young girls who accepted Christ last year sharing with the youth pastor's daughter the story of her salvation. I thank Him that we were able to go and sow the seed of the Gospel. God's Word promises that we will REAP if we faint not.
Oh, and I thank Him that we returned to the village safely every time we went out. Yes...I now know what a "white-out" looks like from a snow machine.
Thanks for your prayers. May God be glorified in all we do.
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