Wake Up Call
As a member care couple in SEND North, my wife and I frequently travel to villages to visit our people scattered across the 60/70 window in Alaska and Northwest Canada. For us, each visit is a real eye-opener, as life is far different from Anchorage where we live. Recently we were asked to fill in for a SEND North family for several months as they went on Home Service. The family has so many ministries going in that village, that we (and a just-out-of-college daughter who stayed behind) could only try to keep some of them going until they returned.
Our time there was beyond eye-opening, it was a big wakeup call on one hand and a great encouragement on the other. Because the family’s ministries are typical of SEND North families, we’ll call the family F. And because the attitudes of the residents of the village where we served are typical of many villages, we’ll call the village V.
We woke up to a difficult reality; those representing Christ in Northern villages still have a horrible reputation to overcome. We met several residents who were still bitter about the way that they or their relatives had been treated in church-run boarding or residential schools, though there had long been a public elementary and junior high school in V. Some told us that V is near what was one of the worst residential schools in the nation. Certainly, not all of the boarding schools in the North were nightmares, but neither was this one the only bad one.
The inexcusable physical and sexual abuse, neglect, and cover-ups were made worse in that these schools were usually operating in Jesus’ Name. In addition, the young children were forced away from their families, and according to many accounts were robbed of their culture, language, and traditions. One particularly bad memory from that time is that the young students were forced to speak English only and beaten when they spoke their own language. As well, there is abundant evidence of some courageous and compassionate missionaries who left their homes in the south only to proclaim the hope of the Gospel and the love of God. But the wounds of the people are deep and the horrible reputation persists, even passed on from generation to generation. As a result, the name missionary is so charged with negative baggage in some areas that our SEND North workers identify instead as Christ-followers or Christian workers to emphasize the distinction.
So where is the encouragement in this sad reality? I was encouraged that the many ministries of our team offer healing from those traumas in many ways. For example, this family operates an afterschool program in Jesus’ Name that offers kids a safe and supervised place to hang out with friends. Their house is known in the community to be a safe refuge, where kids can go when their own homes are not safe. Instead of removing children in crisis from their relatives in V, the Fs take children at risk into their own home temporarily and return them when their relatives are ready to take them again. We met several young adults who had fond memories of living temporarily with F family. It was a joy to see the F daughter speak to a three-year-old under her care in the local language instead of English, making sure he heard and understood it.
What encouraged me the most was that the ministries that the F family do in village V lift high the Name of Jesus, and that their neighbors now associate that Name with love and care in action, especially to the children in V. It is a joy to do what we can to keep families like the Fs keep serving their villages like V. Though there are many obstacles to ministry in the North, the love of God is undeniable in the way the Fs operate, and that love heals the deepest wounds.
Additional Posts
Choosing a Missions Organization: Why SEND International Stands Out “Why should I be a missionary through SEND International?” Jenna, a new missionary in Eastern Europe, shared with us what she appreciates about working with SEND. The highlights for her are: - Devotion to prayer - Diligence in communication - Commitment to development - Intentionality in accountability Prayer “Back in September of 2022, the Lord reconnected me with SEND after I had met them a year prior at the Moody Bible Institute. However, before he would sign me up for anything, my Missions Coach encouraged me to pray. He said something to the effect of, "I know that you've been praying on your own for a long time. But as the Church, we are not called to walk alone. So, you and I won't talk for about a month unless you have questions. I want you to go pray with 5 or 6 others from your church about where God is calling you." That October, more than 10 friends prayed with me and we saw God answer as He directed me to Romania. From February 2024 to November 2025, I had the pleasure of being a part of team meetings in Romania with my SEND colleagues. Our meetings were four hours long, two for prayer and two for business. This has been the minimum for our team. There are also prayer meetings with the local churches we partner with, among smaller groups within our team, of course prayer with many of you across the pond, including those at our US office. The organization was built, has been sustained, and continues to run on prayer. This is my favorite thing about SEND. Communication As I mentioned above, we have a two hour block for business / ministry details in each of our meetings. This provides consistency across our team which works alongside three different churches and in a variety of ministries. It also helps us to communicate about the need for change or growth, alongside what is working well. In addition, my team director also meets with each of us, allowing us to communicate needs, considerations, and prayer requests. I've also enjoyed getting to work with SEND workers outside of my immediate region . We receive emails with the minutes from the Europe leadership team, Friday communications from our international director, and information regarding projects that affect our work among the unreached. In December of 2024, our international director at the time wrote a note to my parents for the first Christmas that I was gone. If nothing else had convinced my mom yet, this did. He took the time to care for me, but also to care well for the parents that were sending me (What it meant to my dad and mom for him to do this well has been one of the greatest ways I've been supported.). I also have some pretty wonderful regional directors. These people have prayed alongside us (while also serving in their own countries of service), they have taken time to come visit and encourage our team, and they have also taken the time to encourage the people in our churches. Development SEND has provided much in the area of development and care (spiritually, physically, mentally, and emotionally). At our regional conference (every three years), there have been medical check ups available, counseling options, and time for connecting with others on the field with similar experience. At our conference last October, I connected with a missionary who served overseas for many years, and is now serving on the administrative side of SEND. She has met with me since then for mentorship and has also invested much of her time recently in preparing a retreat for the singles across Europe. Accountability Over the years I have read and heard amazing stories of how God has worked through missionaries. God has done great things and great things He is still doing! However, people who have committed their lives to the Lord in this way are not “super Christians”. We are still humans with the same struggle against flesh that others have . A major challenge is in being isolated -- living in areas with little to no presence of other believers to sharpen them can cause many difficulties. SEND has been a great resource in this area too. Through my team, I have an accountability partner that I meet with monthly. When my regional director came to visit, he and his wife spent a day with me and asked intentional questions about how I lead, handle conflict, and how I am growing in general as a Christian. In addition, my teammates share their wisdom with me on a regular basis. These things and more have assured me that SEND International is a highly valuable organization and I'm excited to partner with them in service to, for, and with our great God! Interested in being sent by SEND?
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Explore Georgia's spiritual heritage and the impact of SEND International's mission. Join us in fostering authentic relationships today!
