December 2009

2009 has been a year of growth for Arctic Barnabas Ministries! We are seeing God provide in many ways that constantly surprise us and encourage us to keep pressing on.

The month of November was very busy for all of our staff. We were able to host a mini-retreat for pastor's wives living in Naknek, Port Alsworth, and Illiamna. They enjoyed a refreshing three days together at Silver Salmon Lodge across the Cook Inlet from Homer. You would be amazed to hear the comments these ladies made about how special this retreat was for them. Each weekend of November we participated in fundraising events hosted by ChangePoint Church in Anchorage. Our staff were on-site to serve coffee and sell Alaska Wildberry Chocolates and greeting cards with beautiful images of Alaska. It was especially fun to meet new faces and share how special the ministry of Arctic Barnabas is for pastors and missionary families in remote Alaska.

December is upon us with preparations to send gift packages to 45 ministry families serving in the villages. Our staff shopped, assembled, wrapped, and boxed the gifts to make ready for mailing. Wish we could be there to watch each family open them. Other preparations are in full swing to send work teams to Nome and Kodiak Island in January. We are helping the pastor in Nome remodel the basement of his church where meals are served each week to the homeless. The trip to Kodiak will consist of gathering and cutting firewood for a missionary family in Old Harbor. We also plan to help the pastor in Port Lions remodel his home. Winter brings unique challenges to flying, so we appreciate your prayers for our pilots who will transport the teams to these remote communities.

We couldn't be more excited about the completion of the new Arctic Barnabas hangar in the next few weeks. The constructions crews are now attaching the wall panels to dry in the building. Once that phase is complete and the main bi-fold door is attached, we can turn on the heat and begin working inside with drywall and electrical. We hope to have our airplanes warmed up inside by the end of January!