BLOG
Alaska Missions
Subscribe
Sign up to be notified when the next blog post is posted
The heavens declare Your glory…
The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork (Ps. 19:1). The beauty of Mt. Denali which was our glorious view this morning was only overshadowed by the praises of the team to Him as we reflected on His work in us and in the park this week. This morning we enjoyed a worship service together in the small town of Talkeetna which is near Mt. Denali. We were so grateful to the Lord for the opportunity to stop and reflect on God’s goodness in this team of people that He brought together to proclaim His name in the parks and encourage believers over the past week.
Celebrating God’s saving grace
What a great week at Russian Jack park! Today our lesson was on prayer. On our last day and last week of Graceworks ministry, we wanted to leave the kids with the truth that Jesus is always with them, always listening and caring, wanting to hear from them. He wants to hear whatever is important to us. He wants to be our best friend. Please pray that these kids grow closer to Jesus. They were hungry to hear truth. Living Hope kids and families donated to purchase Bibles. We brought about $300 of Bibles and children's books like Stormie Omartians book What happens when I talk to God. We gave all of them out to kids! It was the greatest joy for each of us to have gospel conversations while making bracelets, coloring, in line for foursquare, kickball etc.
Talking about Jesus
Hey everyone! Today was a busy day for us, but it was full of opportunities to talk about Jesus and build deeper relationships with those we have gotten to know. Today's lesson focused on sharing the gospel with others while making it clear and concise for those not following Jesus. We incorporated beach balls with images depicting God creating the world, the fall, and Jesus' redemption for those who repent and accept him. These were used for both the lesson and the craft for the kids afterward. As usual, we played games and hung out with the kids until we returned for dinner.
Jesus is God & He Loves You
Today’s lesson featured an interview with a “special guest” - the Apostle Paul - speaking from house arrest in Rome. After reminiscing about witnessing -Stephen’s fearless proclamation of the Gospel, Paul recounted how Jesus changed his life, and shared scrolls with this message to the kids:
The Word will not return void
Today was a full day. The sun came out, and with the sun came the kids. At one point, we had over 40 kids at the park. Surely, God is moving among us and through us. The energy and enthusiasm from everyone on the team has been amazing, and I’m thrilled to share how things are going.
Sowing Seeds
Today was a great day at the park! We're trusting that the Lord is working even through the rain. Because of the rain and cold today, we only had about ten kids at the park today, but the Lord was still working.
Alaska Bound
This morning 14 people were commissioned to go to Alaska with the good news of the gospel.
Pray for the 2024 Alaska Team
PRAY FOR THE TEAM
Pray that the team will see the glory of God while serving others
Pray that people will come to faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior
Pray that the team will build up the body of Christ in Anchorage
Pray that we would connect as a team as well as with other GraceWorks volunteers & staff
Good and Gracious King
I'm most in awe of how good and gracious God has been to work in and through us to share the love and joy of Jesus with the kids and parents at the parks. The Lord used all of our diverse giftings for his glory. Each of us shared the Gospel differently, using different verses and approaches, many times to the same kids. Kids were listening, engaged in our Gospel conversations, object lessons, Bible verse songs, and Biblical crafts. They accepted highlighted Bibles and they hunger for more of him…
Hope for the Hopeless
“I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus…” 1 Cor 1:4. Like Paul, we thank God for you, those who have partnered in prayer with us, for the grace given you in Christ which you have chosen to share with the children in Alaska through your prayers and support. Today we are driving to Talkeetna, which is a small town outside of Denali National Park. As we are driving, I have been reflecting on this past week of ministry in the Anchorage parks and have been filled up by God’s work there.
Sufficient Grace
“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” This verse from 2 Corinthians 12:9 is the perfect reminder we need heading into our final day of our time at GraceWorks. The long days spent playing hard and loving on these sweet kids and their parents takes energy, and were it only our strength to rely on we’d be insufficient. Praise God and please be praying for us that we would lean into our weakness on this special last day of the week knowing that God’s power will be on full display as we say goodbye and send these children off for the remainder of the summer. We want our words to be laden with the reminder that there is hope. Hope, not just that the hard things in life might dissipate or that the unfathomably difficult situations many of these kids go home to would vanish, but hope that Jesus is making all things new - and that includes the hearts and minds of these individuals we’ve come to love and care about so much this past week. We give thanks to him for the opportunities to share the gospel this week, to show these kids what treasures can be found in God’s word and the joy that comes in seeing and knowing the beauty of Jesus having died and risen again to save us from our sins. We ALL have much to rejoice in. – Matt Johnson
Serving Jesus
Hello friends from all of us in Anchorage, Alaska. It was a great day to be outside and serve Jesus by being with the kids who came to our assigned park. Some of the kids so desperately cling to what we tell them about who Jesus is and how he loves them. Today we put on a skit about when Paul met Jesus on the road to Damascus. Most of them paid attention and then they had a chance to make an edible craft (see picture). We went to Melody and Hailey’s park party this evening and helped them with just about everything from serving food to playing basketball with the kids there. It’s amazing to me how God is using our gifts and talents to bring glory to himself. Each of us on the team will have a lot of stories to share about how Jesus worked in our lives while we have been up here. We are looking forward to seeing you again and yet it will be hard to leave as well. There is so much spiritual work to be done in Alaska (and at home).
Grace Upon Grace
Today was amazing!!! We climbed blueberry hill this morning then headed down to the park. God was working in these kids today. Today was a hard day at the park. The devil was trying to gain a foothold with these kids through name calling and rudeness. But God used that for good! There was a little boy today who came to Christ after a conversation with Mia that started with a resentment towards God because God created mean people. His name is Ben. He had started the conversation with a resentment towards God and left it a follower of God. Praise the Lord! It was so encouraging to see today the number of kids that left with their very own bible to read when they got home!
Today was also our park party!!! We had a record number of people at our party with a head count of over 250! We had games, face paint, hairspray, food, and Rob Benjamin gave a gospel presentation. We ended the night with a bang in the form of a dance party once all the supplies had been packed up! We are so grateful for the many opportunities we have had to plant, water, and harvest this week, and we look forward to our last two days to connect with these kids!
He Who Began A Good Work
Our theme verse this week is Philippians 1:6. Would you pray with us that God would continue his good work that he has begun.
Tomorrow, Wednesday is a full day for the team. Would you pray for the following items.
Chapel: Marshall will be speaking chapel. Pray for gospel clarity and conviction as he shares. Pray that through his teaching that many will be drawn to God and equipped to share the gospel as they go out.
Park Ministry: There is a growing list of adults and kids who have heard the gospel over the first two days of park ministry. Would you pray that God would be drawing people to himself and provide wisdom and faith as the team continues to share Jesus with many at the park?
Park Party: The team is hosting a party party from 6:30-8:30 pm on Wednesday night. Pray that many in the community would attend and God would give them listening ears and tender hearts as the gospel message is shared.
Grace
“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8). This is a verse that many of us have heard and recited over and over. Yet, today it was relevant in one of the conversations I had with a young girl named Jasmine. She has consistently come to Russian Jack Park every day this summer, so I asked her what she thought about Jesus. She shared that she thinks that “he is the best and that we should obey all of his teachings.” So I asked her to share more, and I dug deeper. I asked her if I could share with her what the Bible says about Jesus, and she listened. It became clear that she believed in work-based salvation. I had the opportunity to share the gospel with her and how we are saved by grace alone. It was exciting to share this essential part of the gospel and talk about our need for God’s grace.
Commissioned
In Acts 13, the Spirit of God calls the church to set apart Barnabus and Paul for the work to which they have been called. On Sunday, July 23rd Living Hope Church set apart the Alaska 2023 Team and commissioned them for ministry in Anchorage, Alaska. Sixteen team members will join three who are already serving in Alaska.
Pray With Us
As we prepare to go to Alaska, I have been reflecting on John 15. Where Jesus says, “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you” (John 15:16 ESV)…
Why Alaska?
Imagine being 12 years old, the oldest sibling of 6, and having to care for all your siblings over the summer because school is out. There is no where for you to go because you have a single mom at work and not enough money for day care or a nanny. Living below the poverty line wondering what to do all summer while you are not in school. Wondering, if life being this hard is even worth it….