Tell Your Story Alaska

The word "Aarigaa" means "it is good" in Inupiaq, and the Aarigaa House fills a massive need for Alaskan youth to transfer well from village life to university life while being discipled in a life giving community home. Karl and Simone Thistle facilitate the home and invest themselves in the residents of the Aarigaa House. Each resident has a unique story with wounds and challe...

Steve and Jill Horsman are the Field Directors of InterAct Ministries of Alaska and I had a great time speaking with them about the history of InterAct as well as a wide range of topics wherever the wind took us. The wind took us to the richness of risking a missionary life, the gospel, volcanoes, native languages, native oral histories, and more! InterAct has been working in Alaska, Canada, and R...

Central, like many other villages, started as an outpost for gold miners at the turn of the century. It is the location of the midway point for the Yukon Quest Race which happens every year in February at the Steese Roadhouse. You can also check out the Circle District Museum which holds artifacts from the gold rush days and the first printing press north of Juneau on which the first Alaska newspa...

Jeffrey and his wife Moriah are the founders of Genesis Coffee Lab based in Wasilla, AK. Jeffrey shares how he went from growing up in an alcoholic home to a gang member in Los Angeles to a dedicated follower of Jesus and tentmaker for the gospel in Alaska and Ethiopia. His passion for the transformational power of the gospel is evident in his testimony. Be sure to check out genesiscoffeelab.com a...

Butte was originally named Bodenburg Butte name after John Bodenburg, the first modern settler of the site in 1917. It's most known for the geological formation called a butte which is a popular hike with spectacular views. If you have seen YouTube videos of Alaska adventures it's very likely it was filmed near Butte because it's located next to the Knik Arm, a very popular outdoor adv...

Elishaba is the eldest daughter of the infamous "Papa Pilgrim," a man who raped Elishaba and abused her other 14 siblings in the wilderness of New Mexico and Alaska for a decade. Elishaba goes in depth of how she was able to forgive her father of what most would consider unforgivable, and how she continues to be a follower of Jesus when Christianity was used by her father as a tool to ke...

It's not the bears or the moose, it's the mosquitoes.! The airplane ride to the camp is not so scary, but full of beautiful views. You go to serve and help others and you end up being the one who changes. Learning that the "bad kids" may be testing your sincerity of whether you really love them or if you are there for some other reason (social media attention?) . Does sleep even...

DeeDee Jonrowe is most known for her Iditarod racing career having started 36 races, finished 33, placed 2nd place twice, and placed in the top ten 16 times. She also set the record for the fastest time set by a woman until it was broken recently. However, there's so much more to DeeDee than her races. Her formative years living among many cultures around the world, her many injuries and setba...

A quick summary of what we know about this tragic flight that has left Alaskans grieving. On February 6, 2025 Bering Air Flight 445 departed Unalakleet, soon went missing and was later found with all 10 souls deceased just 34 miles south of Nome on the Norton Sound. I summarize the flight data that we know about, and share some thoughts of what might have happened, and discuss how encouraging it i...

Beluga hosts the Chugach Electric Power Plant which provides half of the power for Anchorage. The 32 resident get to enjoy 100 square miles to called their town which is an impressive back yard to play in. Fishing and particularly popular including some record Northern Pike caught in this area. Buckland is a village on the move as it has relocated up to five times in it's history including Ele...

Pete Doner is currently planting a church called Restoration Community Church in Big Lake, AK and we take a deep dive into everything involving church planting. Why plant a church in a town where there's already churches? What is the relationship between church and politics? What is the difference between unchurched and dechurched? How should a pastor navigate new church members who come from othe...

Birch Creek sits in the middle of the Yukon Flats in Central Eastern Alaska. I am surprised at how random it's location seems to be. A man called "The Chief of Chiefs" called Birch Creek Jimmy was the first to build a cabin on this spot in 1898. Jimmy's extended family soon followed suit, and the Dendu Gwich'in Athabascan people had made one of their first permanent settlemen...

"Supporters probably think I'm not doing enough." "I must be more like that other missionary to succeed." "God is unhappy with my performance for him."I must gain the approval of others to be happy." Lies like these have a way of handicapping missionaries into inactivity and going to some dark places. Last Fall, Jake Fries shared his heart in front of a group...

The creatively named Big Lake, AK (sarcasm intended) was formed as a town in 1958 starting with a population of 74. Today it has grown to just under 4000 and has a small community feel to it with community events, churches, small coffee shops, a library, a post office, small businesses, an airport where a handful of locals begin their Alaskan adventures, and (believe it or not) a really big lake....

Bettles is a small, remote community started by a man setting up a trading post for gold prospectors during the Alaska Gold Rush. Since then, Bettles has moved locations and is only accessible by plane or a winter-only road to the Dalton Highway. Bettles is not for the faint of heart. If you are an outdoorsman you might consider canoeing 100 miles from Anaktuvuk Pass to Bettles for the ultimate Al...

Belkofski’s story has already ended as it is an abandoned village today. Founded as a Russian Fur Trade settlement, it faded away as the fur trade faded. However, a 2013 effort to save the 850lb bell in the Russian Orthodox Church is keeping the memory alive. Bethel’s story begins with the Yup’ik people who called the place “Mumtrekhogamute” which means “Smokehouse People.” They showed kindness to...

Barrow is the northernmost community in North America. It's also an economic giant for the state of Alaska with the oil that comes out of the area. Ancient Native American remains, early explorers, whaling disasters, survivial stories, missionaries, the controversial name change to Utqiagvik, and aviation tragedies are all a part of the story of Barrow. There is so much information and stories abo...

Atmautluak is situated in a sea of lakes on slivers of land among the vast tundra of Alaska. The entire community is built on stilts and wooden walkways are the way to get around town. It's a relatively young village being founded in the 1960s, but still has a rich cultural flavor with the Atmautluak dancers and two churches. I enjoyed the story of Saint Herman, a Russian Orthodox monk and mission...

Arctic Village was a semi-permanent spot used by the nomadic Gwich'in people until firearms were introduced and they began to permanently settle in Arctic Village in 1909. Robert McDonald, an Anglican Missionary brought literacy to the Tukudh language by translating the Bible, other religious material into the Gwich'in Tukudh language. Through the conversion of Albert E Tritt, a local Gwich'in man...

Terry and Krystie DePue have been pastoring Eagle Bible Chapel in the small village of Eagle, AK for 27 years. Terry was a missionary kid in Bolivia and ended up in Alaska of all places. They raised their six kids in Eagle. Three of their kids were adopted. Terry shares the adoption stories and how his family is his #1 ministry. I took away from this interview that steady faithfulness will bear mu...

Aniak's ancient history is wrapped up mystery. When the first Russian explorers first got a peek of the area, the original inhabitants had already abandoned it. The Russians found some gold which ended up bringing in prospectors hoping for quick riches as Alaska became more and more American. Today, Aniak is home for over 500 people and still remains a mostly native community. The airport is surpr...

On October 26, 1882, The US Navy Steamer Ship Thomas Corwin positioned itself just offshore of Angoon, Alaska. It loaded it's weapons, and fired shells upon the village occupied by innocent men, women, and children. This event started a 142 year journey of the Tlingit people of Angoon to find reconciliation with the US Navy. Finally, on October 26, 2024, (just a month after this recording) the US...

The largest city in the state of Alaska, Anchorage started with a couple of families camping out by Ship Creek and grew to contain 40% of the states population with just under 300,000 people. How did that happen? I discuss the history of the church in Anchorage, the homelessness issue, my favorite places in Anchorage, and four very unique airports within the city. Anderson is home to the workers o...

Anaktuvuk means "the place of caribou droppings" so you can imagine this place has a history of caribou hunting, and it does! The Nunamiut people of Anaktuvuk Pass have proven themselves to be historical survivors and masterful artists with their famous Anaktuvuk masks. The first missionaries were Presbyterians who came in with float planes and starting the Chapel in the Mountains which is still t...

Ambler is one of the few villages I have been to north of the Arctic Circle. It's the site where the famous Eskimo Prophet Maniilaq made some predictions, and the famous archeological site called "Onion Portage" is nearby which is one of the sites our modern understanding of ancient Alaska native history comes from. Amchitka Island's ancient history is wrapped up in mystery with only a single huma...