Who would have thought that I'd be back in Juneau, Alaska, this summer!? God is so good and a wonderful mystery and (to make a long story short) brought me back here to Juneau for another summer, this time, as staff.
We had an amazing road trip up to Juneau in May. We began our transcontinental adventure with four of us crammed in a Volkswagen Jetta and five people's luggage for the summer. Needless to say, it was tight. We stopped in Laramie, Wyoming; Boise, Idaho; Seattle, Washington; and Vancouver, British Columbia, and picked up two more members of the staff along the way (and another car, don't worry!) We had a beautiful trip along the Canadian Rockies and fun camping adventures. God protected us and made it a smooth trip (and a lot of fun!) Much less hectic than last year.
God has been so faithful in uniting our staff team and helping us work together. It is a huge blessing to work with people who have such a heart for Juneau and the men and women who come up here.
All the students came last Tuesday, and it has been wonderful getting to know these beautiful women of God! God shows me how big He is as I see them all begin to build authentic community with one another, even though they are from all over the country. They are so much fun and excited to be here. I am continually humbled by their big hearts and desire to grow in their walk with Jesus.
On Friday, we were helping out at a women's shelter, deep cleaning some rooms and helping them organize some stuff (we did not get to actually spend any time with the women b
ecause that involves considerable risk on the part of the shelter). As I was wiping down the woodwork in the bedrooms upstairs, I decided to start praying (inspired by Jenny and Jarah) for the women who lived in these rooms. I soon became very discouraged as I realized what these women needed most was Jesus and that was help they would not receive here. The only thing that was going to fix and heal what was really wrong, no one was telling them. I became very disheartened and my heart was breaking for them. Who is going to reach to these women and tell them Christ loves them and wants to give them so much more? Will they actually listen if someone tried to tell them? As I became more frustrated with their situation, I bent down to clean the bottom of the bunk and I froze. There, on the underside of the top bunk written in pink crayon, were the words "Psalm 148 <3 Amen." I almost cried. Here in this dark place with little hope, God is shinning. Who am I to say God can't reach them here? We serve the Creator of the universe. A God who is big enough to reach every tribe, tongue, and nation. This week, God's been showing me how infinite He is. He is so much bigger than our plans or ideas. If we would just surrender, He would do so much more with us.Please pray for:
1) The hearts of the people of Juneau. Darkness reigns here and tries to suffocate all hope. Pray that the Holy Spirit would be working on peoples hearts and preparing them to there the good news we bring.
2) The students coming on this project. Some of these college students have sacrificed a lot to get up here and the transition can be hard. God has amazing growth opportunities waiting for them, but Satan can try to distract them in many ways. Please pray that they will be willing to take steps of faith and grow deeper in their relationship with the Lord.
3) The staff team. Please pray that we would continue to seek the Lord first in EVERYTHING we do. It is all about His glory. Pray that the Holy Spirit would continue to give us unity as a team and His vision for this summer. This job can be very exhausting; please pray that Jesus would refresh us and give us the energy to pour into these students. Also, pray that individually we would be seeking the Lord as we have nothing to give if it doesn't come from Jesus.
For our King,
Emily Ann
Isaiah 45:5-6
