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MARC's New Website |  | |
to see the updated look, as well as the expanded content about what we do and why we serve God in Alaska.
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MARC Video |  |
Have you seen our MARC ministry video?
If not, please take a moment to watch and to learn more about our vision for remote Alaska.
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Please Give Us Feedback
This is our first attempt at using this format for our electronic newsletter. Please let us know if you have any problems viewing it by sending a note to:
David Reese | |
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Greetings!
I am writing this note from the school library in Nulato, which is a typical village in western Alaska. Four MARC pilots flew two planes full of teenagers and their adult leaders from Grace Christian School for a long ministry weekend; this is their 13th annual trip, building a relationship that grows stronger each year. The teenagers were greeted excitedly by the youth of Nulato, who are soaking up the attention the teens lavish on them.
I am reminded of Pastor John Maxwell's insightful talk, "Five Things I Know about People." His first point is, "Everybody Wants to be Somebody." Everybody wants to be accepted, loved, and acknowledged. With such high suicide rates among Alaskan youth, it's not hard to imagine that many of them find it impossible to believe that they are precious or that anyone cares that they exist.
This month's featured articles in our newsletter share our recent story of supporting the ministry efforts of Carry the Cure and Broken Walls. Through his testimony that he shared with the youth at each village stop we made, Bill Pagaran of Carry the Cure told how he was able to resist the urge to take his own life despite the terrible abuse he experienced as a child growing up in a small Alaskan village. As Bill looks back now over the difficult years, he realizes it was the little things that mattered, like someone stopping him on the street and asking how his day was going--simple acknowledgements of his existence that showed him someone cared that he was alive.
This is what God does with His children every day and what ministry is all about. Ministries like this weekend in Nulato and like the many Bible camps around Alaska show the children here that God loves them and wants to adopt them into His family. He wants them to understand that they have always been a "Somebody" to Him!
Please help us make this possible for every child who desires to attend a Bible camp this summer. Your prayers and financial support are critical to reaching the children of Alaska with the good news of Jesus Christ. Please contact us now to let us know that you are praying with us for the children, the Bible camps, and MARC.
Thank you!
Drew Baker
Field Director |
| Featured Article | |
Breaking Down Walls
In 1925, twenty mushers ran dog sleds for 674 ice-and-snow-covered miles in less than five days to deliver vital diphtheria medicine to Nome residents. The heroes who carried the cure for that terrible disease are remembered by the Iditarod sled dog race. Today, Alaska is facing a different life-threating epidemic of hopelessness, depression, abuse and suicide.
Carry the Cure is a Christian, non-profit organization working with youth to wipe out this epidemic. In March 2011, Carry the Cure, along with an internationally known First Nations band called Broken Walls, tracked the Iditarod trail through Alaska using MARC airplanes instead of sleds. The combined efforts of their music, native culture, and Biblical counseling delivered the message of the healing, hope, restoration and redemption that cures all-the gospel of Jesus Christ!
In public schools and church gatherings in each village, lead vocalist Jonathan Maracle and drummer Bill Pagaran shared their own testimonies, which resonated with many people in the audience. At our first village stop, a 22-year-old man had just committed suicide, and a broken-hearted father shared how his daughter had recently ended her life. At the end of the meeting, many of the fathers in the village came forward for prayer, and the village elders committed themselves together, as a village, to finding a solution to suicide.
The band was able to minister to youth at another village where there had been three recent suicide attempts, and at two other villages nearly three dozen young people began their own personal relationships with Christ!
You can read more about Bill Pagaran's testimony further below. To view all the pictures from our trip with Carry the Cure and Broken Walls, please check out the expansive photo album from the trip on our new Facebook page.
Thank you for your prayers and financial support. Your selfless contributions enable our ministry efforts to support these life-changing events, and we're very thankful for your involvement!
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| Testimonies of Hope | | Bill Pagaran's Life-Changing Experience
After traveling with Broken Walls and Carry the Cure on their Iditarod tour, one of our MARC pilots, Bob Widman, wrote, "I was richly blessed by the testimony of these men, the grace that was evident in their lives, and the blessing they were to everyone we came into contact with."
At each village stop on their Iditarod tour, several members of the Carry the Cure/Broken Walls team gave powerful testimonies of God's unconditional love and the hope of Jesus Christ. Resonating strongly with the Native youth, Bill Pagaran's testimony was particularly relevant to their daily struggles and search for hope:
Bill was raised in an extremely dysfunctional home. When Bill was just four years old, his uncle would make Bill take shots of whiskey and smoke marijuana to see how much he could absorb before losing control. At age seven, Bill's parents divorced, and he thought the divorce was his fault because he was such a bad kid. By the time Bill was eight, he was addicted to marijuana . . . and his mother was his drug supplier. When Bill was twelve, his mother gave a family friend custody of Bill. This man abused Bill in every way possible, causing Bill to believe that he wasn't worth anything and that the world would be a better place if he was not around. He contemplated suicide, but the positive things that teachers and friends said to him kept him going, such as "Hey Bill, what's up?" or "Hey Bill, you can really play those drums. Someday you will be a great drummer!"
Eventually Bill was given a full music scholarship as a drummer, and since college, he has been a music teacher, a clinician, an outreach specialist and a counselor. Some of Bill's friends invited him to church, and this is where Bill heard about God's grace and that Jesus loved him unconditionally. Bill gave his life to Christ, and his life was changed. After marrying his wife Amanda, they decided to minister to and care for Bill's former abusive guardian. This man was so amazed by their forgiveness that he also became a Christian. Bill says in his testimony, "I am living proof that it is possible to successfully overcome a difficult childhood."
Following his ministry experience with Carry the Cure and Broken Walls, Bob Widman said, "After the week-long trip, it was hard to say goodbye to people that were such a blessing to me and everyone else they met. I will always have fond memories of my trip with Broken Walls."
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| Kids to Camp Fund | |
You can help make a difference!
One of the greatest blessings we have each year is being able to provide transportation for children in remote villages to attend Bible camp. The chances of a child beginning a relationship with Jesus is five times that of an adult, and for many kids here in Alaska, Bible camp is the one time each year when they can escape from the heartbreaking norms of alcohol, addiction, and abuse that constantly inundate their lives in the villages.
Halting the downward spiral of spiritual decline and sin is essential for the future of the Alaskan people. Your financial support toward our Kids to Camp Fund allows us to increase the number of kids we're able to fly to Bible camps throughout the summer. More importantly, your donations help us to share the unconditional hope of Jesus Christ with the future generation of Alaska early in their lives.
Will you join us in our mission to share Jesus with this generation of young Alaskans? Your help can make a life-changing difference in a child's life. You can give by sending a check or by donating online.
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| New Pre-Field Staff Members | |
James and Jennifer Bodolosky
We're excited to welcome James and Jennifer Bodolosky to our MARC family! The Bodolosky's journey began when James and Jennifer met while James was attending U.S. Air Force Undergraduate Pilot Training at Columbus Air Force Base in Mississippi. The next year they were married and began to raise a family in South Carolina. During the 16 years they have been married, God has blessed them with eight amazing children whose ages range from 14-years-old to 2-months-old. Also during these 16 years, James has continued to serve as a C-130 Hercules pilot for the North Carolina Air National Guard.
James and Jennifer were adults when they became Christians. Jennifer's family did not attend church; however, by the grace of God, a friend invited her to church and through her involvement in the youth group Jennifer came to know Jesus. James did not grow up as a Christian, but nine years ago when James and Jennifer's oldest son was very ill, God called, and James began to turn to the Lord. Shortly after this James accepted Jesus Christ as his Savior, was baptized, and began to grow in his faith. Most importantly, James and Jennifer began to teach their children what it means to be a Christian family.
James and Jennifer knew that God was calling them to serve as missionaries nine years ago when they responded to an invitation at an "old-fashioned" tent revival at North Greenville University in Greenville, South Carolina. They did not know where or how God would use them; they just knew they were in love with Jesus for what He had done in their lives and wanted to share that with others. For nine years they have continued to ask God to use them as a family to further the kingdom.
James and Jennifer planned to serve in international missions. However, God revealed to James in May 2010 that He did not want them to pursue international missions but instead He was calling them to serve in Alaska. This was a shock to James and Jennifer as they had never considered living or serving in Alaska, and it seemed to be an unappealing assignment due to the cold temperatures and long, dark winters.
During the next four months God began to open doors, one at a time. James and Jennifer got to know the MARC staff family, learned about the impact MARC is having on the Alaskan villages, and learned that Alaska is quite beautiful in spite of the cold and dark winters.
James and Jennifer went to MARC as staff candidates with their eight children in March 2011. During their three-week candidacy, they got to know many of the staff families very well. James had the opportunity to fly in the King Air and the Cessna, while Jennifer and the kids plugged into a local church and found local schools.
What began with the stirring of the Holy Spirit at an old-fashioned tent revival has developed into an exciting calling of God on this family to serve Him in Alaska!
You can follow their deputation journey at their blog.
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| Ministry Partner Highlight | |
Child Evangelism Fellowship
The first weekend in April, MARC had the opportunity to fly a Child Evangelism Fellowship (CEF) team to Dillingham led by Scott Lazaros, the Alaska Rural Coordinator for CEF. CEF led the children's and teen programs during a weekend-long Bible conference for the adults. It was exciting to see one of the local teens from Dillingham step up to assist the CEF team; he had gotten a little leadership training the last time CEF had a club in Dillingham!
The children learned about Esther, sang songs, and played games as they got to know the CEF team and heard more about God's love for them. At the end of the weekend, they watched a movie about Esther, and the kids made comparisons between the movie and what the Bible taught. The teens learned how to inductively study the Bible and really understand it. After one of the teen sessions, a couple of the team musicians grabbed instruments and had a jam session, after which some of the teens were able to get quick impromptu drum lessons.
MARC is privileged to partner with CEF in reaching Alaskan children and teens for Christ. Pray for the children and teens who heard about Jesus and were challenged to surrender their lives and their ways to the one true and living God!
About: Child Evangelism Fellowship is the world's largest evangelistic ministry to children. Last year, CEF reached over 10 million children in 170 countries! The two most well-known CEF ministries are 5-Day Clubs and Good News Clubs, which are fast-paced, one-hour meetings in familiar settings like homes, schools, and community centers all over the world. CEF also has an intensive eight-day training session every June called Christian Youth in Action. This program teaches and empowers teenagers to lead these clubs, and then gives them the opportunity to lead clubs and use what they have learned through the rest of the summer. |
 | | CEF Club at Dillingham |
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We're very thankful for your continued prayers and support. There are many ways you can become actively involved with our ministry efforts here in Alaska, and we encourage you to explore how you can take action to help us impact remote Alaska with the hope of Jesus Christ through missionary aviation.
Your involvement can make a difference!
Sincerely,
Missionary Aviation Repair Center
P.O. Box 511
Soldotna, Alaska 99669
(907) 262-5388
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