Before I begin to share my heart regarding Alaska, there are two things that should be kept in mind while you read this. First off, I’m writing this post at 4:15 in the morning as I’ve been up since 2:30 this morning due to a minor illness. This post may end up taking me longer than one sitting for me, so bear with me as I’ll do my best to be as alert and seamless as possible. The other thing I wanted to let you know of is that I had a decent start to this post a few days prior…but I lost all my work due to a forgotten step that I failed to take to save all my work. So, what I’ll do for you is give you this link: It is a blog post from a while back that explains how I got involved in aviation in the first place.
A few years ago, as I sought the Lord as to what He would ultimately have for me to do for His glory and His kingdom, I prayed that God would allow me to work in the aviation field as an avenue for ministry in my life. After all, I don’t think it was an accident that I received a college degree in Christian Ministries in the first place. It was at that time that I started looking into the idea of bush piloting. It looked quite exciting to me and the idea of assisting those in need in remote areas of the world was also quite appealing. As I did further research on bush piloting, I was drawn to the state of Alaska and its challenges. Yes, the state has a couple of decent urban areas within its borders (Anchorage and Fairbanks), but there are many areas of the state where poverty is prevalent, roads are few, and winters are bitter cold. What made this state especially stand out for me, though, is the fact that it is the least churched state in the U.S.–with most of its residents being either Catholic, Mormon or Eastern Orthodox.
It was at that time that I prayed that God would give me a desire and a love for the people of Alaska. Shortly afterwards, Shawna and I sat down and began a ten-year plan of moving to Alaska. It did seem like a daunting task at first. After all, the idea of moving out of the state of Georgia would be a huge step out of my comfort zone. Plus, I didn’t know if it was really God’s plan for me to move there in the first place.
A few months ago, I started to reconnect with an old friend of mine from high school. He and his family attend a large church in the metro Atlanta area called Cross Pointe Church. What caught my eye regarding this church, as I visited their YouTube page, is that the church takes yearly summer mission trips to Alaska. It was at that point that God really started to get my attention and I believe that He is starting to open some doors for me to go. I’m not sure how soon I’m supposed to go to Alaska on a permanent basis…but my journey to Alaska continues this summer as I’ve signed up to join a missions group from Cross Pointe to assist a missionary aviation ministry in Soldotna in August. The people that I’ve met regarding the trip have been warm to our family and enthusiastic about my passions for Alaska.
In closing, I’m not exactly sure how things will work out overall. I’m not expecting to know anyways. However, I know that God is in control and that He will guide us…yes, my whole family and not just me…as we continue to connect with His heart and His Holy Spirit. Please pray for us during this time. My first meeting with the Alaska missions group is in two weeks. Hopefully, I’ll have more information to share after the meeting. In the meantime, pray for God to send laborers into the harvest field of Alaska. I do believe that He has a love for that state and that He has a plan for those who will work in that state.
Yes, Alaska is a cold state…and I know I may seem crazy in starting this expedition. But, I believe in a God who works in mysterious ways…to show His love to all people and to bring glory to His kingdom.
Thanks for your time and your prayers for me and my family. God bless you.
