COVENANT YOUTH OF ALASKA Volume 18 | Issue 5 December 2022
Special Edition: Celebrating 2022!
There is no time like the present to celebrate all that we have been able to do this year through Christ and your partnership! Be blessed as you take a glimpse! As we bring 2022 to a close, we sit and smile at the work the Lord accomplished this year. We were physically in person for most events this year! One personal experience takes a full circle this year. Just over a year ago, I served on a team to Elim. Although circumstances were undesirable, it was a way to connect with the community. Walking thru tragedy with someone brings you together. Each of the three weeks that I was at camp, I got to be a part of watching these relationships blossom as we recognized each other. Second glances were moving to smiles and hugs. It blessed my heart to see these kids flourishing at camp. They were away from home, away from the normal, and away from the daily grind that weights on them. They were free to let go. Heading back to Elim almost a year later for the same reason, my heart, while broken, was different. I knew even amid tragedy, I had formed relationships that would bring a different depth this time. I would bring comfort in consistency and being known. When we showed up in November, many of the youth knew each of us in some way or another. We made the connection! Jaime Nanninga Comms and Marketing Director
It has been an exciting time here in Scammon Bay. Between Covid and waiting for our new church building we have had a couple years of extremely limited ministry here in Scammon Bay. But as of October 9 the church was finished and we are back in full force. It is so nice to have a fresh new building that we can use. The old building had poor insulation and was extremely expensive to heat. Now, we are running six official programs during the week. As well as having the building open for people to drop by during the week. We also continue to run our woodshop twice a week with kids. We are seeing people’s lives improved and bettered through the work that Jesus Christ is doing here on the far west coast of Alaska. So glad to share this journey the Lord has us on with you.
A highlight of our year was welcoming campers and staff back to Bible Camp in Unalakleet. As camp stewards, the past couple years have been quiet on North River, so the LIFE of camp was such a privilege to witness. I was reminded of the Goodness we are blessed with at camp on an afternoon during Junior High week - bluebells in bloom, frisbees flying, someone strumming a guitar in the sun, carpet-balls clanging on the Ark porch, the smell of fry bread wafting from the Temple. Our family’s favorite new song from Pathfinders camp has stuck with us. It’s a powerful reminder of why we choose to be part of Bible Camp year after year to share the Goodness of God’s love with campers: “God made me/ Like He made the sea/ He filled it up with green and blue/ He sent His Son/ His only One/ To fill me up and make me new.”
Drew Williams
- Kami & Brad Camp Stewards
Statewide Youth Director Scammon Bay Youth Leader
Mission Fund Match!
All year-end gifts that come in 2022 will be matched up to $50K by a generous CYAK supporter. Again, it is a match! This year-end challenge will help us reach out to youth in villages and through Bible Camp outreach. It will also help equip and support more youth mentors in Alaska throughout the year!
CAN you help us double it? www.cyak.org/donate
Your gift Could help CYAK ReACH $100,000
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I love CYAK because of its integrity to its values and mission. There are many nonproits wanting resources and it is hard in America to know which to trust. CYAK is trustworthy. I know my time and financial gifts will be used efficiently and effectively to further Chrisitan mission. That’s why they receive my highest giving amount as a nonprofit. I hear stories from people whose lives have been changed and continue to be changed through CYAK staff and volunteers. They also don’t rest on their laurels. Byron and the staff continually work to improve the organization and its methods to reach more youth and young adults. It’s an honor to support them! CYAK lives this gospel message for Alaska’s youth: “...our gospel came to you not simply with words but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and deep conviction. You know how we lived among you for your sake.” - 1 Thessalonians 1:5 Amen, Dan Vaughn CYAK Board Chair
Lets reach more Youth together
As we transition into a new season of winter, God’s faithful promises and plans give me new perspectives. God has a great plan to show us that life has seasons that ebb and flow and that there is a time and reason for each season. As we serve our young adults, they too experience seasons that often present challenges, are very difficult, and feel like they will never end. We strive to point them toward God and remind them that God is working. We encourage them to seek Him for peace and for discernment according to His plan. This too shall pass. “The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can’t see now will last forever.” (2 Corinthians 4:18) One of the things that helps me in difficult times is to focus on being grateful for provision of God’s love. If I am seeking peace outside God’s provision, I find myself unfulfilled. It leaves an emptiness in my soul that can only be filled with God’s peace. I pray you have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Jason Battiest Statewide Young Adult Director
So thankful to be going into 2023 with you!
S pecial Edition: Celebr ating 2022! “Oh, the weather outside is frightful…..” As I write this, it is blustery and -10 degrees outside and we have about 3-4 feet of snow on the ground. This time of year is the coldest and darkest for those who call Alaska home. Jesus Christ, the King of the universe, came to be the light in the midst of this darkness. Praise God! Moving toward 2023, it may be difficult to notice the subtle advance of daylight for a couple of months, but as of today (Dec 21st), our days will certainly be getting longer. Outlooks brighten as the light grows stronger. There is hope. And as we prepare for another year of bringing the light of Christ (our one true living Hope), we want to say Thank You so much for your prayers and gifts in support of all involved with this ministry. As we help students realize that it is God who created them wonderfully and with purpose, many will begin to understand their true intrinsic value and want to share this joy with others. They’ll learn (as all of us do) through discipleship, experience, and time what it means to glorify Him and enjoy Him forever. We’re so grateful for your partnership with us in this work. From our CYAK family to yours, Merry Christmas!, and may the Lord bless you in His perfect ways this coming New Year!
Byron
Thank you! Byron Bruckner Executive Director