Anchorage is a long way from Houston. After eight hours of air travel and a brief layover in Seattle, our team of men arrived in Alaska. We are here to serve GraceWorks Alaska, one of our newer ministry partners.
GraceWorks hosts hundreds of volunteers from the Lower 48 throughout the summer months. Volunteers come here to serve in a variety of capacities — from reaching out to kids and people in need in Anchorage to working among the Athabaskan people of the Yukon.
Managing and moving so many volunteers from Point A to Point B is no easy task and one that requires a lot of vehicles. And GraceWorks has a lot of vehicles that get a pretty tough workout on Alaskan roads, including a lot of unpaved byways that lead deep into the beauty of this magnificent state.
Every year, before the volunteers begin to arrive in biblical proportions, GraceWorks must ensure that all of their vehicles are in good repair. That’s where we come in. Our men’s ministry team has come to service all of their vehicles — doing tune-ups, oil changes, and some vehicle-specific maintenance.
Doing tasks like servicing vehicles is a behind-the-scenes but necessary part of what it takes to advance God’s purposes in the least-churched state in America. We want to help ensure that those who come to serve in the land of the midnight sun can indeed serve. And in order to do that, they must have reliable transportation.
I am grateful for the Men of Kingsland. Our men’s ministry now touches the lives of hundreds of men at Kingsland under the leadership of Gil Harris, our men’s ministry director. We are committed to leading men to do more than just meet together. We also challenge men to serve together as well as to share adventures.
We have a lot of work ahead of us this week. We are here to go beyond! We will spend long days in a garage and under the hoods of some thirty vehicles. And we are excited to do so, knowing that our labor of love will make it possible for those who come after us to take the life-transforming message of the gospel to people throughout Alaska.
Go Beyond 
I am amazed, and impressed. Car repair is not what comes immediately to mind when you think of missions, but service to our Lord comes in many forms, doesn’t it? From digging water wells to making baby clothes, from tending to medical needs to building wheelchair ramps, from building a classroom to rescuing abused girls in India, and now to servicing vehicles to mission teams can travel to the people who need to hear the Word. There’s something for everyone to do to serve Him.
By: Lanni Fish on April 22, 2017
at 10:49 AM
Good words, Lanni. Good words, indeed. Thanks for sharing.
By: Omar C. Garcia on April 22, 2017
at 10:52 AM
Hey Omar! Lisa and I moved here last summer. If you can shoot me an email to jeff@libertysports.us, I would love to come by and give y’all a big Texas ‘Howdy’… Jeff Houghton
By: Jeff Houghton on April 23, 2017
at 10:19 PM
Will do, Jeff.
By: Omar C. Garcia on April 23, 2017
at 10:21 PM