Grace Works in Alaska

My wife and I recently had the opportunity and the honor of working with a mission in Anchorage, Alaska called Grace Works. It was our second year to serve in Alaska, and I am absolutely in love with the place. We traveled with several friends from our church in metro-Atlanta, many of whom were returning as well. Grace Works focuses its mission on children living in federal housing projects in Anchorage, and we primarily work with the children of African refugees from Somalia and Sudan. Additionally, we work with a large number of Samoan children. Last year it was quite odd to fly to Alaska to work with Africans and Pacific Islanders, but apparently that's a large number of the people who move there each year.

Alaska is a place of tremendous natural beauty, with all of creation on full display. Despite the beauty, many of the residents live with very limited opportunity and limited income. They also appear to live with very little hope, which is perhaps a greater problem for the future. Alaska is apparently the "least churched" state in the nation (to use a term I did not develop, but use for lack of a better term.) In the outer villages, there is tremendous problems with alcoholism, domestic abuse and incest, and we will probably be moving into those areas in future years. I certainly want to push further into the interior of the state and spend some time in the villages. It gives me great joy to serve God by serving these children in Alaska, and I intend to continue doing so into the future.

As an aside, I work as an attorney in the Atlanta area, and while the work I do directly helps individuals, it is unsatisfying in a way. While I am helping people, I am doing so for profit, and money corrupts the relationship between attorney and client. There are simply too many expectations and too much ill will that develops when money is the center of the relationship. Serving the children in Anchorage has taught me that service for its own sake, with no expectation of reward, if a far more gratifying experience than working for clients as an attorney. Further, serving God and helping to build-up the spiritual lives of the chidren we serve is one of the most rewarding experiences of my life.