Today was an amazing last day in Alaska. Our team had some time to do some recreation activities such as a beautiful hike and also learn all about the Alaskan Iditarod. A long standing history of dog sled racing. Kids even got to go on a fun and short dog sled!
One group finished up some ministry at Safe Harbor doing a last few hours of kids ministry and making the most of all of our time in Alaska. We closed out the evening with a delicious dinner and our final devo.

Amy shared and lead our team in one of our favorite trip traditions. Each person pulls the name of someone else on the trip and writes them a letter or encouragement. We then read them to each other and get to keep those letters. It is always a beautiful way to wrap up the trip and continue building community within our team. With us leaving tomorrow we are so grateful for our time in Alaska, for all the people we have met, and all the places we got to serve. 

The best thing a leader can ever hear on a mission trip is that your group has been the best group this year and last. Our kids and leaders are doing a fantastic job. 

All the teams had a very eventful day.:

Team 1 did a senior cookout and  set up their event. They had opportunity to speak with the senior community which is often time isolated here in Alaska. 

Teams 3 and 4 served at Beans Cafe. Which provides food for the homeless and low income. They spent the day prepping and  chopping veggies , packed “school lunches”, and loaded pallets of boxed food to be distributed.  

Team 2 served at Grow North Community farms, finishing up some projects. This was my team and we got to eat an edible flower called a nasturtium, it was a bit peppery/spicy. 
After lunch, we went back to Safe Harbor to finish up the painting we started on Monday and clean up while half our team did kids ministry. 
We ended and celebrated a good work day with ice cream courtesy of Praying Pelican from a local shop that had flavors specific to Alaska. 
We had a team go back to Safe Harbor for a kids outreach/hotdog ministry. 

It’s hard to believe that we are wrapping up our time here. It has been impactful, exhausting, and wonderful! We had sunshine for the first time today. And wow what a beautiful creation we have had the opportunity to serve in. God is so good. 

We are wrapping up our kids ministry tomorrow knowing that our time is about to end here. We will definitely be leaving a piece of our heart in Alaska. 

Thank you for your continued prayers, we feel them! 
 See you soon!

This was the third day of our mission trip to Anchorage and our second full day of ministry! Our whole group was up bright and early to get to breakfast by 7am and we enjoyed an awesome meal provided by our PPM hosts. Afterwords, we had our daily devotional where we continued in Ephesians.

Once we’d cleaned up, our teams split up to head to our respective ministries! My team- team Moose!- got to serve at the Catholic Social Services Grow North Farm in the morning and then at G2’s school building in the afternoon.

At CSS’s garden, I, along with the others, focused on pulling up invasive plants. We even found wild strawberries! After a lunch back at G2, we stuck around their school building and painted some rooms that needed some TLC. Once the work was done we had dinner and joined G2’s night of prayer. It was super powerful and was followed by our own worship and devotional.

The entire day was super impactful and enlightening, and I’m really excited to see what else God has in store for us tomorrow!

Today was a day of service, joy and gratitude as the students got to experience different ways we get to show the love of Christ. Among those was gardening, painting, composting and ministering to the residents of different missions around the city. Students were tasked with ways to not only give back to the community in service but also to love as Jesus has called us to love others. 

The city we flew into is not only starving for fellowship and connections but also for the hope that only Christ can bring. As the students walked into these communities, they were able to not only touch the lives and hearts of those they interacted with, but left feeling change within themselves. Small children experienced one on one attention from your students and there was so much joy! 

We saw the Lord move in powerful ways! From migraines being healed by the laying on of hands to the powerful prayers made over the city from the top of a mountain,  this is only the beginning! We expect to continue being the hands and feet of Jesus as we gointo our day tomorrow! Thank you for continuing to lift our students, leaders, communities and partners we have on this trip up to the Lord! Your prayers matter and we can feel them! Look and see what the Lord has done! 

Our team was up bright and early for the first day here in Anchorage. The weather could not be any more contrast to the warm Fresno heat - overcast with constant showers. However, the rain did not stop our team from having a full day of adventure.

Our day started by attending ‘God’s Grace Church.’ We had the privilege of listening to guest speaker, Pastor Dale, whose father was the original founder of the church back in 1979. After having lunch as a team, we hit the road for an afternoon of exploring. Our first stop was at ‘Beluga Point,’ a popular site to take in the Alaskan mountains. Our second stop was at the ‘Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center.’ We got to explore a park that hosted many animals native to Alaska such as moose, bears, wolves and elk.

For our final stop of the day, which was the highlight to most, our team hiked Byron Glacier Trail. After a mile hike through narrow paths and deep puddles, our team came into the open of beautiful Alaskan mountains as well as a stunning glacier and roaringriver. The scene was something that most students and leaders, myself included, have never seen. The day ended with a team dinner of pulled pork sandwiches, followed by worship and a devotional. As we head into the week, we are prepared and expectant for all that God is going to do. We ask for continued prayer for our team and for the people of Alaska and we can’t wait to step into the remaining of the trip.