MINISTRY IN THE LAST FRONTIER: AN OVERVIEW OF SUMMER 2017 MISSIONS

Ministry in the Last Frontier: An Overview of Summer 2017 Missions

By Adam Swenson, Director of Alaska Operations

A trim, bald Swiss gentleman in his mid-50s is bringing me breakfast. He’s wearing pajama pants emblazoned with neon salmon. Classic country emanates from the kitchen along with smells of bacon, hashbrowns, and coffee. I’m in Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, in a rustic log cabin coffeeshop sans Wi-Fi. My wife, daughter, and I are currently driving the Alaska Highway in a small RV on our 4,000 mile trek back home to Minnesota. There’s about a 1,000 mile stretch with no cell service and a gas station every 100 miles or so. In the Yukon, a territory about the size of Texas, the population is under 40,000. There is NOTHING here other than grizzly bears, moose, elk, deer, eagles, and salmon. We’re driving on two lanes of modernity bordered by land has laid untouched for thousands of years. Sometimes serving the Lord is weird.

This has been an amazing season of ministry in Alaska with Thirst Missions and, while we’re completely wiped out from going nonstop for 4 months, we are already excited about the next season. We have 10 days of windshield time to rest, spend time with the Lord, play games, reminisce, and (probably around Montana or so) start talking about next year.

We hosted 15 mission teams in Alaska this summer and each team’s ministry has looked different. Our teams did many Vacation Bible Schools on behalf of churches that didn’t have enough volunteer help to do one on their own, led Bible-based archery camps, day camps for children of single parents, conferences for women who were abuse victims, built horse trails on 50 acres of wilderness for a cowboy church, sided a wood shop on an off-grid ministry site deep in the mountains, and taught spiritual gifts to addicts in recovery. God has led us to ministry in the most diverse neighborhoods in America (Mountainview and Fairview in Anchorage) and we’ve worked with Pacific Islanders, Samoans, Japanese, Chinese, Mexicans, Sudanese, Ethiopians, Nigerians, Yupik, Athabascans, and Eskimos, and some white folks.

We’ve had around 2,000 people come to different outreaches throughout the summer; 300-400 come to VBS; 50 in small, specialized conferences; and 30-40 salvations.  Across all the varied cultures, we’ve emphasized the notion of family, an enduring image. The body of Christ, especially in the form of the local church, is a beautiful family full of all tongues and tribes and nations. We are united in belief, in love for each other, and in our desire to grow up into maturity in Christ. The stark contrast between the stunning abuse many of these people have come out of and the amazing community of a healthy local church was readily apparent throughout the summer.

Many Alaskans have an acute understanding of what they are trying to get out of. Alcoholism, depression, suicide, and abuse are rampant. One friend of mine (who grew up on St. Lawrence Island in the middle of the Bering Sea harpooning whales from a handmade seal-skin kayak) had nine people he was close to commit suicide just during his high school years—including his girlfriend. Another friend from bush Alaska tried to kill himself twice; both times the otherwise reliable pistol misfired against his temple. Both are dedicated, on-fire believers now and amazing men of God.

2017 provided a great start to Thirst Missions ministry in Alaska and we are excited to go deeper into what God has for us in 2018. God is working there, and it’s our privilege to play a small part in that work along those teams who come to serve in the Great Land.

We invite you to join us not only in Alaska but Belize, England, and the Texas Gulf Coast as well.  It is our mission to partner with the Lord and His Church to bless His Name and further His Kingdom.  Will you join us in these amazing opportunities?  You’ll be forever glad you did, I know we are.

Adam Swenson is the Director of Alaska Operations. When not at work, he’s typically disc golfing or watching Madam Secretary with his wife and daughter.  Adam has recently returned from Alaska where he was working and living for the summer.  He is excited to see how God will work there during this next season of ministry.