Students train for nearly four months using materials from Child Evangelism Fellowship (CEF) and Youth with a Mission (YWAM). Due to the plague of suicide touching Alaskan villages, Grace students are also trained in suicide prevention techniques. Many relationships have been established with the village youth, and the students continue these relationships using social media like Facebook and e-mail. They "listen" during these conversations for the tell-tale signs of crisis in the lives of friends, and then students reach out to their village friends and seek help if they believe their friends' lives may be in danger.

Sue Heritage is one of the adult leaders responsible for these trips. As Sue explained the detailed preparation that goes into these trips, she assured me they "could not do this without MARC." The safe, reliable, and affordable transportation provided by MARC is critical to the success of each trip.

Grace's long-term commitment to ministering in the villages is bringing eternal results! The first night we were in Nulato this year, many villagers in their early twenties came to the gym for the program. We later found out these young adults had first encountered the Grace teams back when they were Kindergarten age. Even though the activities no longer involve these young adults, they came out to see the students interacting with their younger relatives, and in some cases, their own children. They watched the interaction with a demeanor that told me they had fond memories of their times with the Grace teams. I was very impressed by the deep relationships these teams have established!

- Drew Baker, Executive Director, MARC