OUR BURDEN
Our burden is to see the Yup'ik people made alive unto God. Our heart's prayer is to bring them the message that there is hope in Jesus Christ.
There are a number of things which burden our hearts and make it more urgent that we reach these precious souls as soon as God will allow us to go:
Rural Alaska is a dangerous place. The accidental death rate amongst children are 2-3 times higher than children living in urban areas. Accidents with all-terrain vehicles and snow-machines are the leading cause of injury in the villages.
In 2002 Alaska had the highest age-adjusted suicide rate of all 50 states. Currently it stands second only to Nevada. A suicide occurs once every 10 days in an Alaskan Native community. When you consider that most of these communities are under 1000 people, you can better understand the impact this has on the villages as well as individual families. Especially prevalent are suicides in the 15-24 year olds, particularly males. It is vital to reach them with the Good News before Satan deceives them into throwing away God's most precious gift. They need to know that there is hope in Christ, and that their Creator has a purpose for their life.
Rural Alaska can be very lawless, with some villages having no permanent police presence.
