Sandpoint Missionary Blog

The Ford Flyers, April 2020      expanding the reach of the Gospel in Alaska Ministry Highlight The ministry of Missionary Aviation Repair Center partners with many organizations, missionaries, churches, and summer camps in order to continue to expand the reach of the gospel in Alaska. Last month was the Annual Iditarod dog-sled race that traverses the Alaskan wilderness from Anchorage all the way up to Nome, some ~930 miles over the course of several days.  This is no doubt an impressive feat for the “mushers” (drivers) as well as for the dogs.  This event was inspired by events in 1925 surrounding a diphtheria epidemic that threatened to take over the western half of Alaska, including Nome, but the villagers were saved by a relay of dog sled teams.  This story has been commemorated by movies such as Balto, recently released Great Alaskan Race, and Togo.  The ministry of Carry the Cure was inspired by these events, now bringing not the hope of a box of medicine as Balto an

 our hope in uncertain times... “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” Romans 15:13 It was the 5th of February when we received another call to search for another local fisherman... We hoped that our newest pilot, who was on his way from Germany with his family, would not be held up at a transiting airport as they journeyed to Palau. Our last sea search occurred at the beginning of December. It was the 5th of February when we received another call to search for another local fisherman. Oddly, he had gone missing in nearly the same location as the last lost fisherman. This time I flew with only one passenger. His name was Ishmael and he was the Marine Law officer who was sent to assist in the search. Again, the man had been missing for nearly 24 hrs before we were notified. He had been using a raft, which had been found, and was wearing a black shirt. I departed

In The News They call us haters. They say we are selfish. The world hurls insults at believers, but nothing could be further from the truth. It is simply ignorance and misunderstanding. Disagreeing with a person’s lifestyle is not hateful and taking the hope of Christ to lost people groups is not selfish. Maybe you have seen our organization in the news at some point. The media down here has attacked us for many untrue and easily refutable things. But truth is apparently unimportant, as long as they can spin the story to hurt missionaries. Recently, someone filled out a contact form on our site that illustrates the widespread movement against us. They made up the email address missionariessuck@gmail.com and wrote, “Leave these people alone you selfish [#@%&]s... What if I came to your house and constantly bothered you to follow a different god[?]” Our mission has pointed out in their response to some news articles that we only work in places where the people want us there. A

Dear Family and Friends,                                 April 5, 2020 Here I am in my upyard, writing an update to you. Spellcheck says upyard isn’t a word; well, it is now. I made it up. My apartment building doesn’t have a back or front yard, but it does have a large flat roof which I have claimed as my “upyard” and I’m so thankful for it. It seems that no one else who lives in the 30 apartments in this building comes up here during this quarantine time, so I get to go for long interrupted walks up here, breathe fresh air and see the beautiful sky. When I was a teenager, I loved to sleep outside in my backyard, in Peeler park with my girlfriends (remember?), on trampolines, at camp… I just loved looking at the sky, and I still do. It could have something to do with growing up in Saskatchewan where there’s lots of sky to see, but I’m sure that many of you feel the same way too, wherever you live. It’s taken me awhile to put my thoughts together to explain what life is like here i