Summer of Missions

Northern Exposure
By Pastor Deron Henry

On Thursday, June 19, 15 high school students, college students, and adults began our trek to Wasilla, Alaska. Wasilla is nestled in the Matanuska Valley, just north of Anchorage. The Mat-Su Valley, as it is commonly known, has become the third largest “city” in all of Alaska with approximately 60,000 people residing there. The North American Mission Board (NAMB) and the Hatcher Pass Baptist Association have partnered together and targeted this area with a goal to plant five churches. The first church was planted last year and is seeing great success. Our task was to work with the second church to be planted.

Our theme verse for the mission was taken from Isaiah 52:7 which states, “How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news.” Our responsibilities led us to knock on approximately 500 doors. We handed out more than 350 flyers with information about the church such as service times, location, and contact information. Velton Johnston, pastor of the church plant, has been in Wasilla for a little more than a year. He was very eager to have us with him and kept us busy with new areas to hit. In addition to passing out church information, we also conducted two backyard Bible clubs in the area.

It may take a long time to see the overall impact of our mission in that area, however, the impact on the lives of our students and adults was both immediate and lasting. We will never forget the time we spent in Wasilla. The beautiful snow capped mountains, the wildlife and the people we encountered. How exciting it will be to one day stand and worship with the people that will be a part of the church that God used us to help start!

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