Script For Alaska Narrative Report

Script

Many of you know that this trip went through several variations of itself before reaching its final form. What originally was a journey to Africa became a mission to Barrow, and eventually a trip to Healey Alaska. My initial response to this change of was disappointment. Africa seemed far away and exotic and Barrow was the exciting frozen, northernmost city in the United States. However, I knew nothing about the small, mountain town of Healey. While I was looking forward to the great community projects that were carefully planned for us in Barrow, what we would be doing in Healey remained a mystery. With all of this in mind, I had set my expectations low for the trip. Upon seeing Healy for the first time, my expectations were immediately shattered. There were tall mountains stretching to the clouds in every direction, large fields of wildflowers in full bloom, and a

This required several different tasks including painting, wood cutting, installing drywall, and everyone’s personal favorite: shoveling gravel. While these tasks may seem mundane at first, it wasn’t until I spoke with the missionary that I discovered how important they actually were. The organization would use the garage to repair and maintain their airplane, which allows them to travel to the dozens of small native villages in need that are inaccessible by road. The pavilion would create a place to have social gatherings, alternative to the dangerous rock quarry where the community would drink and make large bonfires. After learning this, I understood that every board I nailed and every rock I carried made a tangible difference in the lives of others. If you look at the pictures of the site between the first and last day, you can clearly see the difference our just our youth group made in just one week. If we had a congregation of people, imagine what we could