Alaska Mission Team Testimonies

2008

The natural beauty of Alaska, the experience of seeing a native village up close, and the great fellowship at camp all are highlights from the trip. My mental picture of Alaska was broadened. I’ve never heard of missionaries in the Alaskan bush, let alone their great need for help in ministry. The need for more missionaries in Alaska is as great as, or greater than, the lower 48 and the world. People are lost and dying here, and going to a Christless eternity.
— Robbie May

A week of doing VBS in Ft. Yukon really taught me how Alaskan missions works in interior villages and also allowed me to experience some missionary aviation firsthand. I also worked at camp, which I had never done before. I worked on operational staff and saw other team members in action counseling which taught me a lot on how to relate to the campers in a Christlike way. The second week, I counseled 6th through 8th graders. Mr. Craven really encouraged me with the thought that we are the servants of God and we are doing His work. It is His job to change the heart of my campers and my job to teach them in example and word throughout the week.
— Austin Steele

One of the greatest experiences I had on the team was working in one of the Inupiaq (Eskimo) villages in Alaska. I learned so much by getting to know some of people and especially the teenagers in the village. It was heartbreaking to see how much sorrow sin can cause but a great privilege to tell them of the hope Christ has to offer. I saw firsthand how the gospel reaches out across cultural differences and can build a bridge to a new life.
— Emily Payne

For three weeks I worked as a counselor at Higher Ground Baptist Bible Camp. It was my first time counseling, and I learned a lot. I became more thankful for Christian parents. Every time that a camper needed help, the Lord would give me wisdom. The main way of getting around in Alaska is by plane. Our group was able to fly to the northern section of Alaska to Fort Yukon with Mr. Zukowski who was serving with Mission Air Care as a missionary pilot while also leading the team. The trip up to Fort Yukon really showed me the need for more laborers in Alaska. Some of the children we were working with knew little about the Bible and some not even about Moses or Noah. I would encourage you to go see for yourself the need in Alaska. I would go back in a heartbeat!
— Matthew Wiggs

It’s definitely been an eye opener in that the needs are so great. The obstacles vary from expensive living to drunken neighbors and abused children. I knew it was out there, but I’ve never been thrown into an environment where it is so rampant and real. Missionaries here have a lot of obstacles to go through, but I learned that God will not call me to a job that He has not prepared me to do. God is way big, and there is nothing too big or small for Him.
— Janine Salazar

This summer the Lord allowed me to see firsthand what missions is about. Mission work in Alaska is basically living with the native people, loving them in a tangible way, and sharing Christ with them as you go. Camp was an intense experience, but the rewards of seeing young people come to know Christ as their Savior far exceeded the fatigue of camp life. God really used the Alaska Mission Team to open my eyes toward missions and expose me to missionary aviation. I realized that God has indeed called EVERYONE into missions. The call is just to a different location. No matter where we are or where we go, we are to be ambassadors for our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!
— Nicholas Risk

I learned in Alaska this summer that God has to be my strength because I am so weak. I received a love for the people in Alaska and a better view of what life really is like for Alaskans — missionaries, pastors, natives and Caucasians. It is a mission field needier than what you would think. If the Lord provided a way for me to go back, I would go in a heartbeat because God taught me a lot up there that I will not soon forget.
— April Schaefer

What stood out the most to me during my six weeks in Alaska was the week in Selawik, an Inupiaq village of about 800 Inupiaq natives on the west coast of Alaska and above the Arctic Circle. The Lord showed how He is sovereign during trials. The missionary plane we were to travel in was having mechanical problems up until a couple days before we flew, and many of the team members were ill. As well, a death had just occurred in the village the day before we left, making it unlikely we could go because the village was grieving. I was reminded many times of Philippians 4:19: “But my God shall supply all your needs according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” God did provide our needs, and we were able to go to Selawik and minister to the teens in the village. I was shocked at the living conditions of the people in the village — the poverty and sin. The Lord used it to remind me of how thankful I need to be. The Lord provided many ways to minister: assisting the village pastor and his wife, running games and being able to share my testimony with village teens, counseling a young girl, and being able to minister in music. This summer has changed my life and opened my eyes to the mission field.
— Jessica Ingersoll

While I was in Alaska, the Lord brought experiences across my path that I had never faced before — experiences which caused me to lean on Him and be stretched. I was able to spend one week with part of the team in Selawik, a small interior village. There I learned of some of the great spiritual needs of Alaska and saw the faithfulness of the missionary family that the Lord has called to serve Him there. I was greatly challenged by the fact that it was not about the number of teens that came to “Camp on Wings,” but it was about ministering to individual teens and people of the village. I was abundantly blessed by the fellowship that I had with other believers in Alaska and by the preaching of God’s Word that I heard. I believe that the Lord has used the Alaska mission team to perhaps guide me to a place of ministry in the future.
— Hannah Joyal

Ministering in Alaska was by far the best way I have ever spent one of my summers. The team had the opportunity to minister at Higher Ground Baptist Camp as counselors and operational staff. Although working there was physically and spiritually demanding, the influence we got to have on so many kids was amazing. But I’m not sure whom God taught more — the kids or the team. God kept showing me that everything we were doing was about ministry and serving God. We weren’t in Alaska for ourselves or to get praise of men — we were there to serve others. God truly is a great and amazing God, and what better way to spend a summer than serving Him.
— Missy Kay

I really enjoyed working at the camp, but I think I probably benefited the most from visiting the village. It was so interesting to me to see how different the culture can be, even in America! I learned a lot from all of the ministries, but one of the biggest lessons I came home with was to wait on God’s timing for my life. So many times I have a tendency to do things my way when I want to do them instead of relying on God to work everything out when He wants it to happen. I would definitely encourage students to take a trip away from their comfort zone at some point in their lives!
— Megan Wolf

2007

When I went to Alaska, I had set expectations as to how God would work, but I had no idea how radically I would be challenged in my own walk with God. As a camp counselor, I was forced to acknowledge my own limitations. Only when I turned to God for strength was I able to leave the results in His hands, trusting that His Word would not return void.

I have never in my life been surrounded by a group of people that had such an intensity and sincerity in their spiritual lives. Our team bonded as one, each personality and talent fitting into the team God had arranged. We challenged each other, encouraged one another, prayed for each other, and learned from each other. I thank God for every member that He placed on my team.

Ministering in the Alaskan villages was a new and different experience for me. The greatest part of the ministry was serving with the missionaries. They viewed their work not as a sacrifice, but as a privilege. Whatever they had given up to serve in the interior, they viewed as gain for the sake of Christ.
— Maria Buller

In Fort Yukon, Alaska, the Lord opened the door for a unique opportunity. Through a set of divinely arranged circumstances, we were able to present the gospel many different ways through our testimonies and songs over National Public Radio. We do not know how many people heard the gospel that day, but the Lord is responsible to open and change hearts. We are privileged to be the vessels to do His work in unexpected ways!

I cannot begin to express the blessing and joy it has been to get to know my team members. With all of us having the same goal to grow in Christ and serve Him, we have been able to edify, encourage, and simply enjoy each other. When Christ is placed in the center of any relationship, the relationship will flourish. I had the opportunity to experience that firsthand this summer while serving the Lord together with nine other team members in Alaska.

The Lord used the six weeks I spent in Alaska to teach me more than I thought I could learn. Most importantly, He showed me Himself. There were times when I had to either lean completely on Him or fall flat on my face. Those times were the hardest, but they were also the best, because I could do nothing else but look at Him, and what a beautiful picture He showed me! He is truly all I could ever need or want.
— Emily Sutton

Our team was pretty close before going on the field, and got even closer once we were there. Two things that really brought us together were the meal times and prayer times we had before going out onto the field. We met once in a while just to pray for the team as a whole, the people we were going to minister to, and the missionaries we’d work with. I truly believe that God placed every one of us on that team and therefore we were able to balance each other out and be there for one another.

One thing that was cool about going to Ft. Yukon was getting to see the life of a missionary. With the Craigs it was all or nothing. It’s really hard to minister to people who don’t always want you there. The Craigs don’t see a lot the fruit from their ministry; they only trust that God knows what He’s doing. It has to be even harder when it’s fifty below and dark for twenty-three hours of the day in the winter. I could really tell that the Craigs wanted to serve the Lord and they gave it their all.

I can remember junior week was the toughest week for me. I had eight 4th-6th graders that I spent 23 hours a day with. I was struggling for patience that whole week. But even though it was the hardest week, it was also the most profitable. Those kids really looked up to me, so I had to keep on my toes. That was also the week one of my kids came to know Christ. I had to give those guys all I had, but I feel like it was the most profitable week.
— Matthew Surerus

Being on the Alaska Mission Team this summer taught me so many things about God. For a large portion of the trip we all worked at Higher Ground Baptist Bible Camp in Sterling, Alaska, where we counseled and filled in wherever the camp director needed us. The team really pulled together during these times by encouraging and directing one another concerning their campers and the Lord and His word.

While in Alaska this summer, a few of the team members and I had the opportunity to go into a small isolated village called Iliamna. We took the opportunities to help out the missionaries there and minister to the people there. We held a two-day Vacation Bible School for the children and ministered on Sunday to those attending the services. Toward the end of our visit in Iliamna, we had the opportunity to fly out to another isolated village, Levelock, where we cleared overgrowth from around the abandoned church and pastor’s house so that the missionaries could start a ministry there in addition to Iliamna.

Alaska this summer was much different than any of the other states in America. Aside from its beauty, Alaska is a different culture all together. It is still free like America to spread the gospel, but the people there are more event-oriented whereas South Carolina, for example, is time-oriented. And it was a new experience to learn the different way of ministering that went with that lifestyle.

When I first arrived in Alaska on the team, I had no idea why God had called me there this summer. I thought perhaps the reason I came was to minister to the small Spanish child on the plane ride there because the opportunity to minister in Spanish-speaking countries is what I wanted to do. And I continued to ask myself and God why I was there. I did not see God’s desire for me in Alaska that first week. But He shortly refocused my attention from “Why am I here, in Alaska?” to “What can I learn in Alaska?” And with that focus, I fell in love with Alaska and the people, and now I wonder “When do I get to go back?”!

Being on the Alaska Mission Team, I was stretched in so many ways. God taught me to trust Him with everything in my life by giving Him myself and acknowledging He is in control of all things. He taught me how to love through counseling my campers at Higher Ground Baptist Bible Camp. And one of the biggest lessons I learned was, as Mr. Craven (the director of the camp) said, “Limit your liberty in order to serve,” retranslated by a team member as “Life is not about me,” or “My comfort zone is not my own.” So many times I made myself the priority or the center of my concern and really I should not even be in the picture ever. There are so many needs, and if I help myself first, I am merely fulfilling a want, not a need.
— Jamie Hatfield

Most of my time in Alaska was spent with missionaries in small native villages. As I helped them in different ministries and saw their daily struggles, one word kept dominating my mind: faithfulness. God has called and that’s all that matters. They are faithful to Him who called them.

My experience is, Alaska changed the way I view each day. Living with the Comptons in Selawik, Alaska, showed me what a need there is for the life-changing effect of the gospel in Alaska villages. As in many villages in Alaska, alcoholism is a big problem and children are often left to tend to themselves. God used my mission trip to open my eyes and my heart to the many who need a life-changing gospel.

The friendships I made on my mission trip have given me inspiration, accountability, and fun. I think one of the best things about going on a mission trip is the friends you make. When you live this close to people of a common goal, there is a unity like none other.
— Tim Teat

I enjoyed working with other college-age Christians on the Alaska Mission Team. We decided to set aside our personality or interest differences in order to serve others together the best we could. I was encouraged and challenged when I noticed other team members giving of themselves continuously and without complaint. It was also encouraging to hear team members share what God was teaching them in their devotions or through counseling opportunities every day.

The missionaries in the interior village set a godly example for me to follow. They were very gracious in opening up their home to us and answering any questions we had about their ministry. They didn’t just tell us what work needed to be done and sit on the side to watch us. They pitched in and helped out during Vacation Bible School, whether it involved teaching or scolding or putting stickers on charts. Because of their faithfulness, I knew that they had a genuine love for Christ and the natives in the village.

On the mission team this summer, God pointed out my tendency to be selfish. Sometimes I was tired and did not feel like being enthusiastic or spending quality time with certain campers. Then, God told me that I was being selfish and that I needed to reach out to all my campers, not just those who were easy to talk to. I had to show love to all my campers by giving of myself. I was reminded that because I am saved, God has called me to be a selfless servant at all times.
— Katie Pobuk

This summer the Lord led me to the Alaska mission team. Honestly, going into the trip, I was not 100% sure that the Lord wanted me to go this summer. Then I remembered that Mr. Zukowski said that you will not know for sure that the Lord wants you to be in Alaska until you get off the plane and you are there. So I decided to continue going on the mission team until the Lord would direct me otherwise. It was truly amazing for me to see the Lord work right away, just in the way He supplied all of the funds that I needed to go on the trip. Well, needless to say, I ended up in Alaska and I can say now that it was a great experience, and that I know the Lord wanted me in Alaska this summer. The Lord taught me so many things while I was there.

The first week of camp was particularly a challenge for me, not only because it was my first time being a camp counselor, but also because it was senior high week. The Lord really showed me that week, that I need to completely depend on Him to give me the words to say to my campers. The second week of camp I was co-counselor of the “stretcher” cabin. Pastor Craven has this program where high school-aged kids can come to the camp as volunteers and help clean, do dishes, and other things while the younger campers come. The Lord also revealed to me the week that I served as a stretcher-leader that I needed to trust God—that He can use me whether I am behind the scenes doing dishes or whether I am a counselor. Ultimately He knows what He is doing, and He makes no mistakes. While I was working with the stretchers, the Lord gave me many opportunities to share the gospel and get to know many of the high school girls a lot better, especially when I had the privilege of weeding Mrs. Craven’s garden with them for about four hours. The next week was also a challenge; it was junior high week. The Lord decided to make me a counselor this week, and it was definitely a learning experience. The Lord really burdened my heart for these young ladies, just because many of them had hard hearts and were heading down a dangerous path. The Lord did give me the opportunity to talk for a while with one girl, and I was able to give her the gospel, and she did receive Christ as her savior.

In Fort Yukon, our team stayed with the Craigs, a missionary family. Being able to stay with a real missionary family gave me a new appreciation and understanding of what missions and being a missionary is all about. The Lord showed me that ultimately my “comfort zone” does not belong to me, but it belongs to God. Also, in being able to observe the missionaries, I noticed their selflessness, through their hospitality not only to us but to the whole community.

Finally, the Lord taught me the importance of Christian fellowship. It was a blessing being able to serve the Lord along side peers that have the same beliefs and values. Ultimately the Lord reconfirmed that He makes no mistakes and that He is in complete control over every situation. Also, I need to fully put my trust in Him and let Him guide my life because my life does not belong to me. Proverbs 3:5-6 states, “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” I am grateful that the Lord allowed me to be a part of this ministry in Alaska, and it is definitely an experience that I will not forget.
— Jena Braymiller

2006

Just by seeing the way the Alaskan people live and how God is not the focus of their life really impacted me that we are blessed here in Greenville at BJU and not to take that for granted. The people in Alaska need to be reached for Christ.
— Andrew Mabe, Sophomore, Missionary Aviation

I could choose from dozens of lessons but at the heart of them all would be that life is not about me, it's about others. Seeing the missionaries give their entire lives wholly to the Lord and His work, I was confronted by and ashamed of my own selfishness. God has shown me that He is all I need and that in Him I will find lasting joy. I didn't think this team would change my life but it truly has.
— Jodi Waterhouse, Sophomore, Administrative Management

I am so thankful that I had the opportunity to spend part of my summer ministering throughout different parts of Alaska. I was not sure what kind of people we would meet or what kind of situations we would encounter. Working up at camp in Alaska taught me a lot about myself — about my true character and nature. While I was at camp, I had the opportunity to serve the Lord by working in the kitchen and by counseling. When I worked in the kitchen, I learned that even tasks such as sweeping the floor, which can be mundane, are necessary. Also, [I learned] to have a servant's heart no matter what job I am doing. When I counseled, I just learned that I really am not as patient as I think I am. Probably the most amazing part of the trip for me was being able to lead a little girl to the Lord. I am so thankful that the Lord worked through me to bring this girl to Him. I will never forget my trip to Alaska, or the many life lessons that the Lord taught me!
— Whitney Spence, Junior, Practical Christian Training

One of the things that I learned this summer is that missionaries are real people. I never had a lot of experience with missionaries, and I always had this really messed up view of what they were like. But after this summer I saw that they are normal people who live like the rest of us. Even though they are sometimes in really hard circumstances, God gives a lot of joy and blessings that none of us will ever experience. I was really convicted by the patience and perseverance that is required to truly reach the people you are working with. I learned that if you trust God and are in the center of His will for your life, you will have true joy, even though your circumstances may be difficult.
— Anna Blaj, Sophomore, Accounting

The Lord taught me that I am nothing without His empowerment. When you spend everyday ministering non-stop, it can become very exhausting, but it was through this summer of ministering in Alaska that the Lord broke me and brought me to my knees. The only place I could turn to for strength was Him.
— Hilary Goemble, Junior, Women's Ministries

2005

When I look at missionaries that give their lives in Alaska for only a few people in a little town, I think of how much more opportunity I have back home in Greenville. If winning souls in a large community of great need isn't a burden to me, then what will change if I go to a place like Alaska? I pray that the Lord will help me to be what I ought to be now, so wherever He puts me, I will be faithful.
— Franz Geliske

The Alaska mission team gave me firsthand experience as to what missionaries are really like. Seeing their hard work, their sacrificial attitude, and their devoted hearts gave me a new perspective as to what missionaries are really like. The team caused me to reevaluate my own goals in life and to really consider what the Lord has for my life.
— Heather Holovar

Ronnie and Becky Starr are missionaries in Fort Yukon, Alaska, 8 miles above the Arctic Circle. They showed me what it means to invest everything in the ministry. Their home was open to everyone, and their hearts were always ready to show love to all of the people there.
— Bethany Petersen

God showed me that I am just a vessel to be used for His glory. I needed to be empty of self and filled with His spirit.
— Kari Wilson (graduate)

One of the most interesting things that caught my attention this summer was the response of one missionary family to the place of ministry that the Lord had put them in. This family's response was Bible-based: God first, then family, then ministry, and finally self.
— Rebekah Fruin

My life has been forever changed because of this trip to Alaska. God has reiterated the crucial importance of my quiet time alone with Him every morning. I knew it before, but the intensity of ministry this summer reinforced this lesson so deeply. There is no way I can share Christ with others unless my cup is overflowing with His fullness. I am merely a conduit.
— Melissa Rote

"The best way to measure your servanthood is to see how you respond when someone treats you like a servant." I heard this statement several times in the summer, and the Lord seemed to make it my personal theme. I saw dedicated servants in real life situations and was convicted about my own servanthood at camp, church, and with missionaries. Selflessness is a necessary part of the minister's life.
— Zach Ender

God has shown me His patience and my need to surrender my whole life to His will. He has also taught me that He does have my best interests in mind. It was very helpful to get involved with a local missionary and mission work. If anybody is going to even think about being a missionary, that person needs to see a missionary at work.
— David Eldridge