Why Alaska? Why Chistochina?

Introducing George Drinkwater.

In the terminal in Columbus, Ohio, a lady saw my shirt and started asking questions about why we were going to Alaska. My answer was all about what we were going to do in Alaska. Somewhere over South Dakota I started to think about why we were going to Alaska. The answer was….I didn't know. 

It seemed like a good idea at the time. Yes I know what we would be doing there, but why? What eternal, kingdom, purpose will it have.

And the answer…I still didn't know.

God has given me a ministry of Healing and Restoration. I spend time writing and podcasting to point people to Jesus for their healing. I uncover lies that religion has taught them that have hurt them, and hindered their healing. I tell them how the truth can aid in their healing. I try to point them to Christ as the source of their healing.

But what does that have to do with Alaska?

I still didn't know. 

Vicky and I had been praying that God would give us connections with "the folks there". But at this point, over the Dakota's, I don't know what people our part of the team will even interact with.

My prayer, at 8:52 eastern time (because I had no idea what time it is in South Dakota) was this:

"Lord, keep us in the moment. Keep us present every moment of every day we are here. Open our eyes to the opportunities we have to connect with each person we meet. In whatever way we can, help us point them towards Jesus".

So, why are we coming to Alaska. Well…it seemed like a good idea. 

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In everything we'd done to prepare to come to Alaska God's had been there. I believe that it seemed like a good idea to God. And that means we were being faithful on following through on a "Good idea". 

So, why did we go to Alaska? Because God said "Go" and we went. It's as simple as that. In terms of physical work we knew what we would be doing….in terms of what we would be doing that has an eternal impact we would be present, in the moment, so that we did not miss what He was doing.

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Thursday Evening.

While we were eating supper George Drinkwater came to visit. He's stopped bye a couple of times during the week, but it's always been a hurried visit.

I finally got why we came here. I finally got Why Alaska. I finally got why Chistochina.

George Drinkwater is an elder in the Church. He first told us about the Church. It's a Church of 12 people, in a town of 82 people. The members are spread out over a large area, and many are older. They don't have funds for repairing the building…and they don't have the manpower to fix it either.

Then George told us about his son, Ronan. He is 12 years old and has a degenerative disease that came on incredibly quickly. Ronan is deaf, and immobile. He cannot communicate. Ronan is currently in hospital in Anchorage….which is 4 and a half hours drive away. George and his wife each spend time with their son, and time at home. They are apart a lot of the time. Their other children are being looked after by friends and family.

And in all of this George is still leading the Church. George is incredibly passionate about God, his faith, his son Ronans faith, and his Church.

I know first had what it's like for a family to be torn apart because a child has a terminal illness. But by the grace of God this is not happening to George's family.

Thursday night, listening to George's story, I finally got "why" we went to Alaska. 

We could have gone on a mission trip to anywhere in the World. Or we could have used our money to go on vacation to the beach. But for some reason coming to Alaska seemed like a "Good idea". 

It turns out the a man named George, and others on his Church, were in need of insulation being installed in their Church building. George, and other members of the Church, are struggling with life right now and don't have the time or energy to do the repairs, and they don't have the funds to pay someone else to do the work.

God thought it was a good idea to send a group of unskilled laborers from Ohio, and a highly skilled worker from Alaska, to the remote village of Chistichina to help George and alleviate just a small part of stress that was beating him down.

After George had shared with us we asked to pray for him, and he opened the prayer time by praying for us.

Even in the midst of the deep valley that George is in he still oozes Jesus love. And God has reciprocated that love to George by sending us to help do something that seemed for days to be pointless and meaningless.