Destination...Anchorage, Alaska!

We just confirmed today that if God allows, Em will be serving in and near Anchorage, Alaska this summer.  

I am internet searching for information so that I can wrap my heart and head around where it is that she will be.  I found a ministry that sponsors missions trips to Alaska entitled Waaay Out Missions and I "stole" this picture from thier website.  They also have this to say about ministry in the Alaskan Bush... "Alaska is the greatest and most beautiful place in the world. Most mission teams come to the Anchorage area because it is cheapest and easiest to get to. However, we have more than 100 Native Bush villages with no church whatsoever, and many, many more villages with very few spiritual opportunities. Right now we are having an epidemic of teen suicide in our Bush villages. Unfortunately, the places with the greatest need here in Alaska are also the most expensive to get to...   As a Christian pilot friend here once told me, "Souls up here in the Bush are expensive." But what is the value of a soul???

While I don't know all of the details as to where Em and her team will be serving, I know that God has it all under control and that He will use this group of young people to plant seeds of hope. 

1 Corinthians 3:6-7(NLT)  "I planted the seed in your hearts, and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow.  It’s not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What’s important is that God makes the seed grow."

Anchorage is located in Southcentral Alaska. The Chugach Mountains are east of the city, and waters of Cook Inlet border the city on the northwest and southwest. That means one is never too far away from a mountain adventure or a coastal stroll.  Anchoarge is the northernmost city in the US with more than 100,000 residents and one of the largest communities in North America.  It is Alaska's most populous city and constitutes more than 40 percent of the state's total population. 

This is a panoramic shot of Anchorage at night taken from the Cook Inlet.  What a beautiful city! 

Thanks again for all of your prayers and support!  We appreciate each one of you.

~Melissa for the Bunch