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).

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!

“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.

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….