“With my eyes fixed on Jesus, I strive to reflect Him in everything I do. I am not perfect by any stretch, but as I run this race of life I strive to be obedient to His word.”
HHebrews 12: 1-2, states (NIV version,) “Therefore since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him, he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” As a young teenager, these verses spoke to me in a manner that other verses in Scripture had not. Running the race has become a part of my DNA so to speak. With my eyes fixed on Jesus, I strive to reflect Him in everything I do. I am not perfect by any stretch, but as I run this race of life I strive to be obedient to His word. I run looking for opportunities to serve Him daily in the small ways and the bigger ways. In doing this, He has taken me to places I could never imagine. Two of those places, so far, have been Unalakleet and Mekoryuk, AK. In these two different experiences, I have had the privilege of seeing the youth of Alaska draw closer to God and develop skills to run the race as they fix their eyes on Jesus.
My husband and I moved to Alaska the first weekend of November 2022. We quickly found Community Covenant Church and started attending regularly. We had been praying for a ministry to serve God regularly together. Since he works on most Sundays, finding a ministry that could utilize our gifts and God-given passions has been challenging. But we serve a mighty God! On a spring Sunday morning, while my husband was at work, Byron stood up in church and described the need for Bible Camp volunteers in Unalakleet. He stated he would be at a table after service to help with information and questions. Since no one else was at the table I approached, slowly and cautiously—definitely not running or racing! I inquired about the camp needs my husband and I might be able to fill. We talked about supporting in the kitchen and Byron asked me what I did for a living. As a licensed professional counselor, I typically don’t tell people what I do as it often changes the conversation. In this case, God used the change in conversation for His glory, for me to serve Him.
My husband and I served at the 2024 high school summer camp. He worked in the kitchen and I was a part of the brand-new care team, both important functions of camp to make the experience meaningful for the campers. We were hooked. From that point forward serving with CYAK and using the distinctive gifts God has given us has been a part of our lives. As a counselor, the majority of my professional career involves extensive training and treatment expertise in self-harming behaviors and suicidal thoughts and behaviors. At camp, Pastor Lauren and I started to discuss ways to integrate behavioral health skills in conjunction with teaching God’s word. In Nov. 2024 I joined a CYAK team and flew to Mekoryuk to assist Pastor Lauren in a weekend youth retreat for village youth. She structured the weekend with a focus on being worthy in Christ. I taught a few simple skills to help them regulate when they are struggling. As the weekend closed, the kids started to share more and those that struggled significantly met with me individually. Some of the kids exchanged phone numbers with me so we could check in with each other from time to time to allow us to “run the race” together.
My husband and I are thankful God guided us in serving Him with CYAK. As we move through 2025, I am excited to see what adventures God will take me on with CYAK, what doors He will open, and who I will get to “run” with to help the youth of
Cindy MacLearn CYAK Volunteer
www.cyak.org/give You are a part of the team that God has called together to impact youth and young adults in Alaska.