Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; His love endures forever. Psalm 107:1 NIV
Grateful. Thankful. Encouraged. These words, and others like them, will stand out as you read this edition of The Arctic Encourager. The season has shifted here in Alaska, and we are already enjoying the short autumn that we get here, and we wanted to take a moment to give thanks to the Lord for all He has done.
From blessing a village with a Thanksgiving meal last year and protecting lives and ministries from wildfire to teammates and relationships that span over 25 years, we are thankful for what the Lord has done. As a team we strive to remember that everything we have comes from the Lord and to take the time and give Him thanks. As you read this edition, we pray you join us in giving thanks and that you too are grateful, thankful, and encouraged.
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Thanksgiving in Seldovia
By Jason Maust
One of the things we especially enjoy about serving with ABM is the opportunity to serve together as a family. Last Thanksgiving, that meant flying to the remote village of Seldovia with a Thanksgiving feast for the entire community.
A church in Anchorage had reached out to a church plant in Seldovia, asking how they could help provide a Thanksgiving meal for the village as a way of showing the love of Christ. Arctic Barnabas was able to help by transporting the food and table settings, while our family joined the local church in preparing, serving, and cleaning- up. The day before the flight, we prepared six turkeys to take with us.
We had a wonderful Thanksgiving in Seldovia! Approximately three-quarters of the village either joined us in person for the meal or received a boxed Thanksgiving dinner, if they were unable to attend. It was a special opportunity to see people from different backgrounds and with different perspectives come together around a shared meal. For a few hours, differences were set aside as neighbors gathered together and simply enjoyed fellowship and reflected on the things they were thankful for.
We are grateful for the opportunity to be part of what God is doing through the local church in Seldovia, and for the partnership of churches that are willing to reach beyond their own communities to bless others. What began as one church asking how they could help became a village-wide expression of love and generosity. We pray that the meal was not only a blessing to those who received it, but also that it opened doors for the church to continue building relationships and sharing the love of Christ with the people of Seldovia.
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Pulpit Fill with the Posenjaks
By Margo Posenjak
We met Jeff and Shelly Sulfridge by “God appointment” in the Fall of 2015, at Fast Eddy’s in Tok, Alaska. We’ve had the privilege of working with them, and Northern Lights Missions, on nine Arctic Barnabas Ministry trips since then. It’s been an honor to minister in the Tanacross Village Church, and help out where we can with work projects over the years. We have just completed five weeks in Tok and Tanacross, which was different than we had expected!
The Mukluk Fire swept through Tok, destroying over 50 homes in less than two hours on August 17th. Jeff and Shelly were visiting their new grandbaby in Alabama when the fire broke out and we were busy with a work team helping to cut firewood. Friends and neighbors, as well as Tanacross church members, were devastated by the loss of homes and possessions. Besides Gary filling the pulpit and helping with projects in Tanacross, we were able to pitch in with some disaster relief work in Tok.
The weeks following the fire, work teams from the Sulfridge's supporting churches came to clean up properties and construct and enclose structures. Gary was able to help out with the construction projects and Margo helped Shelly with preparing meals for the work teams. The sewing project Margo had planned for the Tanacross ladies did not happen this year because there were more important things on everyone’s minds.
By the time we left Tok on Sept 16th, properties had begun to be cleaned up, displaced families had shelter, volunteers were in the process of building arctic shelters for temporary housing, and the accompanying outhouses were built and delivered. We were grateful to God that no lives were lost in the Mukluk Fire.
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Team Spotlight: the Spadys
By Evangela Brumfield
Vince and Marylil Spady have served with ABM for over 25 years. Born and raised in California, God orchestrated their move to Alaska in 1972, even before they came to know Christ as their Lord and Savior.
After traveling by floatplane to the remote village of Sleetmute on the Kuskokwim River, they spent four years teaching and nurturing thirty-five Native children together in a two-teacher schoolhouse. During that time, missionaries from neighboring villages began sharing the Gospel with them, and in 1976, they came to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.
When asked what they find most rewarding about serving in Alaska, they responded, “We love to see the village pastors and their families being encouraged in the same way ministers encouraged us in the Lord fifty years ago!”
From helping with construction projects and hosting village tea parties, to baptizing friends in the Bering Sea near Akutan, Vince and Marylil’s hearts for serving are evident in every interaction. Having experienced firsthand the challenges and isolation of bush living during their years in Sleetmute, they now use those experiences to encourage and support ABM’s ministry families and pastors. Their connection to Sleetmute has also come full circle, as they continue to return to the village to substitute teach the grandchildren of their former students, while encouraging the missionary families and pastors serving there.
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ABM Testimony - The McGees
By Mark McGee
Andrea and I have been blessed by Arctic Barnabas Ministries since its beginning, in 2000. Through personal relationships, encouraging phone calls, shared laughter and tears, and Ministry Family Retreats, they have become an indispensable source of encouragement in our lives.
The friendships developed over these years have helped sustain us, our family, and our staff at Tanalian Bible Camp through the unique challenges of ministry in rural Alaska. Whether offering practical advice, helping solve technical problems, or simply providing a listening ear from someone who understands, Arctic Barnabas has consistently walked alongside us.
Their genuine love for people and unwavering commitment to advancing the Gospel have strengthened countless ministry families and pastors for the long haul. We are deeply grateful for their friendship, encouragement, and faithful service to God's Kingdom.
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- Pray for the Lord's direction and provision on our end-of -year fundraising campaign.
- Praise the Lord our Homer Missionary Retreat is 93% funded and dried in ahead of winter!
- Pray the Lord sends us an additional family to serve on our Ministry Team.
- Praise the Lord for an amazing Ministry Family Retreat with sweet fellowship and God-ordained interactions and blessings!
- Pray for safety for the work teams who will be working inside the Homer Missionary Retreat this winter.
- Praise the Lord for wonderful families and churches who partner with us to make our ministry possible!
- Pray for safety for our staff as they travel throughout the state this winter.
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