Alaska, America's last frontier. 00:00:01.06\00:00:04.22 The land of vast beauty and endless miles of open wilderness 00:00:04.25\00:00:08.83 Airplanes are the life blood of Alaska 00:00:08.86\00:00:12.02 Only aviation can connect communities, where there are 00:00:12.05\00:00:15.52 no roads, with violent weather and extreme terrains 00:00:15.55\00:00:19.69 make these the most dangerous skies in America. 00:00:19.72\00:00:23.26 Adventist World Aviation has two outposts 00:00:23.29\00:00:26.21 positioned in north and south Alaska. 00:00:26.24\00:00:29.25 Hauling critical supplies, rescue personnel 00:00:29.28\00:00:32.81 and the Gospel message to remote villages 00:00:32.84\00:00:35.46 all across the Alaskan regions. 00:00:35.49\00:00:38.21 Without aviation, these Alaskan villages would be unreachable. 00:00:38.24\00:00:42.46 This is Adventist World Aviation OFF THE GRID 00:00:45.03\00:00:50.17 We want to welcome you to Dillingham Alaska! 00:00:50.20\00:00:52.99 Where it is sunny, cold, rainy and wet and snowy many times. 00:00:53.02\00:00:59.76 Today on "Off the Grid", we feature one of the 00:00:59.79\00:01:02.30 AWA outpost projects in chilly Dillingham Alaska. 00:01:02.33\00:01:07.17 Dillingham is located south west of Anchorage 00:01:07.57\00:01:10.53 sitting right on the Bering Sea. 00:01:10.56\00:01:12.89 Dillingham is one of two locations where AWA 00:01:13.39\00:01:17.46 has stationed a plane under the care of Pilot Wendell Downs. 00:01:17.49\00:01:22.43 Wendell uses the plane to carry out mission work in his area. 00:01:22.46\00:01:26.88 Although we often don't think of needing missionaries here in the 00:01:26.91\00:01:30.29 United States, Alaska has its own dynamics, making aviation 00:01:30.32\00:01:35.31 and mission piloting a vital necessity 00:01:35.34\00:01:38.00 to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ 00:01:38.03\00:01:40.70 Hi, I am pastor Wendell Downs I am the Seventh-day Adventist| 00:01:40.73\00:01:44.08 pastor here in the Bristol Bay area. My churches consists of 00:01:44.11\00:01:48.69 Dillingham and than I have another church 00:01:48.72\00:01:51.19 that is 65 air miles from here. Just south-west of here actually 00:01:51.22\00:01:58.28 It seems sort of strange, that you go just a short distance 00:01:58.31\00:02:00.97 by air, but there are no roads to connect any of these villages 00:02:01.00\00:02:04.68 one to another, so we do use the airplane 00:02:04.71\00:02:08.03 to do any of this type of work. 00:02:08.06\00:02:11.06 Today Wendell is pleased to host AWA's president, 00:02:11.09\00:02:15.47 Ric Swaningson in his district area. 00:02:15.50\00:02:19.00 Pastor Ric has traveled to Alaska to hold evangelic 00:02:19.03\00:02:22.65 meetings in a village that has never been reached with the 00:02:22.68\00:02:26.03 Daniel and Revelation message of the Bible. 00:02:26.06\00:02:28.96 The village of Manikata is only a few miles away from 00:02:29.86\00:02:33.44 Dillingham, but there is only one way to get there, by air, 00:02:33.47\00:02:38.16 Since there are no roads that connect the two villages. 00:02:38.19\00:02:42.26 And that is probably the best thing we get to do here at 00:02:43.47\00:02:45.72 Adventist World Aviation is sharing the love of Jesus Christ 00:02:45.75\00:02:48.91 Here in Alaska we may have a connecting road system 00:02:48.94\00:02:54.95 that goes for only 20 miles, but that is it. 00:02:54.98\00:02:58.34 The next village may be 30 miles out and it is just outside 00:02:58.37\00:03:01.32 of the road system, there is no way to travel and get there 00:03:01.35\00:03:04.79 except for the winter by snow machine maybe an hour 00:03:04.82\00:03:07.36 hour and a half, maybe 2 hours. Again if you have a life saving 00:03:07.39\00:03:10.65 situation, you need to get there Aviation is the only option. 00:03:10.68\00:03:14.51 Our Gospel message is spread by aviation. You can only get there 00:03:14.54\00:03:18.57 We at Adventist World Aviation we specialize 00:03:18.60\00:03:21.57 in reaching the un-reached. 00:03:21.60\00:03:22.86 And that is what we do with our aircraft. 00:03:22.89\00:03:24.74 The agenda for today is to scout out the location where the 00:03:24.77\00:03:28.10 evangelistic meetings are to be held 00:03:28.13\00:03:30.80 and make any last minute arrangements. 00:03:30.83\00:03:33.43 So Wendell and Ric head to the hanger to prepare 00:03:33.46\00:03:36.57 the plane for today's flight. 00:03:36.60\00:03:38.44 Pastor Ric is also a pilot, so Wendell let him 00:03:39.34\00:03:43.09 take the controls today. 00:03:43.12\00:03:45.02 Soon enough, they are in the skies flying over the icy tundra 00:03:45.05\00:03:49.73 Today's flight is not a long flight, only 15 minutes in total 00:03:50.53\00:03:54.99 but strangely enough, there is not a single road connecting 00:03:55.02\00:03:58.61 the 20 mile distance between Manikata and Dillingham. 00:03:58.64\00:04:02.92 The only thing that lies between the two villages 00:04:03.42\00:04:05.99 is melting Tundra. 00:04:06.02\00:04:07.83 In the winter time snow machines can travel back and forth, 00:04:08.24\00:04:11.73 but once the spring comes and the ice begins to melt, 00:04:11.76\00:04:15.75 the ground turns into a sloppy mud-bog 00:04:15.78\00:04:18.75 that's impossible and dangerous to travel over. 00:04:18.78\00:04:21.81 The views from the airplane are majestic and breath taking. 00:04:21.84\00:04:26.52 Today they have great weather, so they can see 00:04:27.23\00:04:30.21 the beautiful vista all around them. 00:04:30.24\00:04:32.50 Soon enough, they reach the Manikata runway. 00:04:40.10\00:04:43.02 This runway is made up of gravel, 00:04:44.02\00:04:46.31 but, it is very well maintained by the village. 00:04:46.34\00:04:49.31 The airport runway is positioned roughly 4 miles away 00:04:49.34\00:04:52.97 from the village. 00:04:53.00\00:04:54.19 Once on the ground, Edward, one of the village police officers 00:04:54.22\00:04:58.07 and the only Adventist in the village is there to pick them up 00:04:58.10\00:05:01.91 in his vehicle, he is going to use the police vehicle 00:05:01.94\00:05:05.80 to transport these evangelists. 00:05:05.83\00:05:07.90 Even within the town transportation 00:05:08.30\00:05:10.37 isn't conventional. 00:05:10.40\00:05:11.93 Since Manikata is a small area, there really isn't 00:05:11.96\00:05:16.04 any need for motor vehicles. 00:05:16.07\00:05:18.34 Most citizens use a 4-wheel, or bike, or snow machines 00:05:18.37\00:05:23.27 to get around. Fortunately Edward was able to use 00:05:23.30\00:05:26.62 the police vehicle to transport the AWA team and all their 00:05:26.65\00:05:30.65 supplies back and forth between the airstrip and the school. 00:05:30.68\00:05:34.90 Manikata is a village of approximately 00:05:35.40\00:05:37.82 450 native Eupic people. 00:05:37.85\00:05:41.20 Within this village, there is only one church called 00:05:41.23\00:05:44.69 the French church, also more commonly known as the Quakers. 00:05:44.72\00:05:49.23 There is however, one single Adventist couple, 00:05:49.26\00:05:52.96 Edward and Rhonda, that live here. 00:05:52.99\00:05:55.81 They desperately crave more Christian companionship. 00:05:55.84\00:05:59.11 Our family is the only Adventist family here in Manikata. 00:05:59.14\00:06:03.75 Our dream is for people to find out more of the truth. 00:06:03.78\00:06:11.03 The meetings will be held in the only gathering place 00:06:11.93\00:06:14.90 the village has, the school. 00:06:14.93\00:06:17.33 The government recently constructed this public school 00:06:17.36\00:06:20.59 for the children of this region. 00:06:20.62\00:06:22.85 The school teachers have agreed to host the meetings 00:06:23.15\00:06:25.72 in one of their classrooms. 00:06:25.75\00:06:27.45 The meetings are to be held after school so the 00:06:27.48\00:06:30.51 class schedule is not to be interrupted. 00:06:30.54\00:06:33.18 The teachers are very gracious to share 00:06:33.95\00:06:36.19 their space and equipment. 00:06:36.22\00:06:38.00 Once all the arrangements are finalized, the team takes a few 00:06:38.03\00:06:41.73 minutes to get to know all the teachers and invite them 00:06:41.76\00:06:45.43 to the meetings as well. 00:06:45.46\00:06:46.94 Wendell, Ric, as well as all the faculty seem very excited about 00:06:46.97\00:06:52.29 the meetings, that are to begin tomorrow evening. 00:06:52.32\00:06:55.37 There are about 450 people that live in this community 00:06:55.40\00:06:59.32 and they need Jesus! 00:06:59.35\00:07:00.71 And we are here to share the love of Christ. 00:07:00.74\00:07:03.55 Adventist World Aviation is not just about aviation. 00:07:03.58\00:07:06.19 We are about leading souls to Christ. 00:07:06.22\00:07:08.63 About bringing the message of Jesus to them. 00:07:08.66\00:07:11.46 We are here to teach them about prophecy of Daniel, Revelation 00:07:11.49\00:07:15.36 It's been an interesting topic for many throughout the years 00:07:16.46\00:07:19.23 and this community is extremely interested. 00:07:19.26\00:07:22.47 However tragedy strikes over night. 00:07:22.50\00:07:25.88 Around 1 am, Pastor Wendell's son's house catches fire 00:07:25.91\00:07:31.45 while he and his family are asleep inside. 00:07:31.48\00:07:34.07 The fire department is able to put the flames out, 00:07:34.10\00:07:37.51 but sadly, the entire house is lost. 00:07:37.54\00:07:40.66 Today sadly we are standing in front of a bit of a tragedy, 00:07:40.72\00:07:44.81 but a miracle at the same time. 00:07:44.84\00:07:46.37 We are here in Dillingham Alaska having evangelistic 00:07:46.40\00:07:51.73 series of meetings here in the area. 00:07:51.76\00:07:54.57 Now I've been in evangelism, an evangelist since 1993 00:07:54.60\00:07:58.40 and one of the common denominators in evangelism 00:07:58.43\00:08:00.95 is that the devil hates what we do. 00:08:00.98\00:08:02.74 He tries to destroy us at levels that are almost unbearable. 00:08:02.77\00:08:08.50 Yet the Lord, Jesus Christ protects us in every way. 00:08:08.53\00:08:11.37 If you can see behind us here, we are standing in front of a... 00:08:11.40\00:08:14.18 really, we are standing in front of a tragedy, 00:08:14.21\00:08:16.42 but yet there is a miracle, that is involved. 00:08:16.45\00:08:18.40 I am standing here with the Downs family, 00:08:18.43\00:08:21.07 Wendell Downs is the pastor here in this district, 00:08:21.10\00:08:23.81 in the Dillingham district. And this is his son and his family. 00:08:23.84\00:08:27.45 Warren Downs and his wife Veriti. 00:08:27.48\00:08:30.60 Warren, you have 3 beautiful girls here and the night before 00:08:30.63\00:08:35.13 the evangelistic series meetings were to open up, 00:08:35.16\00:08:37.59 indeed the devil tried to absolutely distract us. 00:08:37.62\00:08:40.91 In fact he would love to destroy every one of us, 00:08:40.94\00:08:43.53 yet there is a miracle involved. 00:08:43.56\00:08:44.84 Warren, why don't you introduce your family here to us 00:08:44.87\00:08:46.90 and let us know what took place here 00:08:46.93\00:08:49.79 just a night before evangelism. 00:08:49.82\00:08:51.17 My name is Warren, this is my wife Verity. My oldest daughter 00:08:51.20\00:08:55.05 Sarah, Abigail, and Merriam. We were all sleeping peacefully 00:08:55.08\00:09:00.85 in our beds, Friday morning, about 1 am in the morning, 00:09:00.88\00:09:05.60 When we heard a call, I heard a call "the house is on fire", 00:09:05.63\00:09:10.45 I jumped out of bed "what?" "The house is on fire!" 00:09:10.48\00:09:14.24 I couldn't believe my ears. I opened the door 00:09:14.27\00:09:17.73 to hear a loud crackling and see flames outside the window. 00:09:17.76\00:09:22.35 My friend Rasco Cleveland here, who was staying with us 00:09:23.35\00:09:27.46 was telling me "the house is on fire" 00:09:27.49\00:09:30.06 So I quickly ran up the stairs and as I started running 00:09:31.42\00:09:36.59 up the stairs, I called to my wife "call 911" 00:09:36.62\00:09:39.74 And I went up the stairs to the girl's bedroom and bathroom 00:09:40.43\00:09:43.67 Now where is the girl's bedroom? 00:09:43.70\00:09:45.48 The girl's bedroom is in the... what is the attic up there. 00:09:45.51\00:09:49.59 You can see where the most of the fire went in to the upstairs 00:09:49.62\00:09:54.12 When we heard the call, the fire was just going up 00:09:55.72\00:09:58.77 past their window, when I got the call from Rasco 00:09:58.80\00:10:02.04 and went into their room, saw the flames there, 00:10:02.95\00:10:06.85 got the girls out, so we just got them out in their pajamas. 00:10:06.88\00:10:10.83 Than we realized, their coats were all in the entryway here, 00:10:10.86\00:10:14.90 which was on fire, and so we didn't have coats for them. 00:10:14.93\00:10:20.85 None of us had our shoes except I think Rosco had a spare pair. 00:10:20.88\00:10:25.35 But we got out with our lives and we were so thankful. 00:10:25.38\00:10:29.20 God has preserved our lives 00:10:29.23\00:10:31.52 and given us another chance to serve Him. 00:10:31.55\00:10:34.43 Now Warren, I was talking to your Dad the morning after 00:10:34.83\00:10:41.93 I didn't realize, we were staying, our team was staying 00:10:41.96\00:10:45.42 at your father's house and one of the things 00:10:45.45\00:10:48.48 that we were unaware of is that you weren't even there, 00:10:48.51\00:10:50.35 we heard some things in the middle of the night 00:10:50.38\00:10:51.58 we got in late at night and I heard you and I had come in. 00:10:51.61\00:10:54.90 We weren't sure what was going on. The next morning 00:10:54.93\00:10:58.89 I had an occasion to ask your dad, you guys were all sleeping 00:10:58.92\00:11:00.89 down stairs yet and I asked your father what was all the 00:11:00.92\00:11:03.43 racket last night? He told me that, you know, just the night 00:11:03.46\00:11:07.22 before evangelism was to open up his son's house was on fire. 00:11:07.25\00:11:12.02 Caught on fire, and you were there at his house. 00:11:12.05\00:11:13.87 He says, you know it is just a miracle that Rosco was there, 00:11:13.90\00:11:17.06 because, he says I know my family, they are deep sleepers. 00:11:17.09\00:11:20.11 Had Rosco not been there, and had that guardian angel not 00:11:20.14\00:11:25.87 nudge Rosco, you all would of perished for sure. 00:11:25.90\00:11:28.91 And if you can see right there, the girls right there 00:11:28.94\00:11:30.52 in the upstairs. This is a miracle in works, 00:11:30.55\00:11:35.69 Verity do you feel that the Lord was really watching after you? 00:11:35.72\00:11:40.09 Yes, and every time something bad has happened in my life 00:11:40.12\00:11:45.09 Miscarrying my kids, my Dad dying, this, there has been 00:11:45.12\00:11:51.16 a lesson and this time I am starting to get closer to God. 00:11:51.19\00:11:54.88 feeling what love and forgiveness really is. 00:11:54.91\00:11:59.05 We've only lived here a week. 00:11:59.58\00:12:01.48 You only lived there just a week? 00:12:01.51\00:12:05.00 Yes, we are renting this place.. 00:12:05.04\00:12:08.48 I am just learning a lot about God, His love and forgiveness. 00:12:08.51\00:12:13.19 The community embraces the Downs family and pours love 00:12:13.59\00:12:17.84 and generosity on them. Immediately donations, clothes, 00:12:18.04\00:12:22.70 helping hands begin to show up. 00:12:22.73\00:12:25.05 A family that lost everything, is now engulfed with love 00:12:25.56\00:12:29.32 and blessings from their town. 00:12:29.35\00:12:31.27 We just been blessed with the outpouring of generosity 00:12:31.30\00:12:35.83 from people giving everything you know, things for the girls 00:12:35.86\00:12:40.07 and things for us, shoes. We have a thrift store here, 00:12:40.10\00:12:44.77 that said, just take anything you need, come and get whatever. 00:12:44.80\00:12:48.57 so we've been blessed with their generosity. The people at the 00:12:48.60\00:12:52.29 company where I work, a native corporation, that I work for 00:12:52.32\00:12:56.11 volunteered on Friday to help us carry our personal belongings, 00:12:56.14\00:13:00.03 that were salvageable out of the house, 00:13:00.06\00:13:02.41 and take them over to my parents. 00:13:02.44\00:13:04.62 We've been just blessed, they also gave us some money 00:13:04.65\00:13:09.07 we haven't used yet to wash stuff down at the Laundromat. 00:13:09.10\00:13:12.76 We are planning to do that later today. And as time goes on 00:13:12.79\00:13:17.01 cleaning up the smoke damage... 00:13:17.04\00:13:19.42 Although the fire did not consume the entire home, 00:13:19.55\00:13:23.68 everything is still lost. 00:13:23.72\00:13:25.76 The items that weren't scorched in flames were ruined 00:13:25.79\00:13:29.89 by smoke and water. 00:13:29.92\00:13:31.55 Warren and Varity sift through the house, looking for anything 00:13:32.71\00:13:36.58 they might be able to salvage. 00:13:36.61\00:13:39.12 Any items they pull from the rubble, has to be laid outside 00:13:39.15\00:13:42.64 to dry in the sun and air out the smoky stench. 00:13:42.67\00:13:46.97 However despite the material loss, its undeniable 00:13:47.00\00:13:51.17 that God was watching over and protecting this family. 00:13:51.20\00:13:54.58 We got a letter from Rosco about a month and a half ago. 00:13:54.61\00:13:58.37 sharing some of his trials that he had been going through. 00:13:58.40\00:14:02.43 And I wanted to invite him, if he wanted to, to come down here 00:14:02.46\00:14:06.14 and get away from some of those situations that... 00:14:06.17\00:14:11.24 We offered that he can stay with us. 00:14:11.27\00:14:14.07 Rosco, a young man that the family had been witnessing to 00:14:14.47\00:14:18.10 and spiritually mentoring, was temporarily living 00:14:18.13\00:14:21.28 with the Downs family. 00:14:21.31\00:14:22.89 Rosco was the one, that first heard the fire 00:14:23.59\00:14:27.08 and woke the rest of the family up. 00:14:27.11\00:14:29.35 It can truthfully be said that this families' passion for 00:14:29.38\00:14:33.26 sharing the gospel and saving souls, 00:14:33.29\00:14:35.66 literally saved their own lives. 00:14:35.69\00:14:37.98 Had Rosco not been there, the whole family 00:14:38.68\00:14:41.11 might have perished in the flames. 00:14:41.14\00:14:43.37 But because they extended the love of Christ 00:14:43.40\00:14:46.35 and opened up their home, they were able to escape the fire. 00:14:46.38\00:14:50.60 Their ministry literally saved their lives. 00:14:50.63\00:14:54.67 When I first met them, I have gotten kicked out of my house 00:14:54.70\00:14:59.16 the only place I could find, was under his roof, 00:14:59.19\00:15:03.89 so within a matter of 3 weeks, we became close. 00:15:03.92\00:15:07.48 For the first 3 days I was arguing with Warren 00:15:09.13\00:15:12.41 about the Saturday, that it really isn't the Saturday, 00:15:12.44\00:15:16.89 because I grew up in the French church, and believing 00:15:16.92\00:15:21.43 that Sunday is the Sabbath and has come to fully realize that 00:15:21.46\00:15:24.85 Saturday is the Sabbath. 00:15:24.88\00:15:26.54 Through Warren's mentoring and the materials he has given me 00:15:27.54\00:15:32.48 offering me to read, you know I picked up, 00:15:34.89\00:15:37.75 I openly picked it up and I had to discover for myself that 00:15:37.78\00:15:40.78 not only is he saying it, he really believes it, 00:15:42.40\00:15:45.14 but I had to look, I had to read these books and see. 00:15:45.17\00:15:48.52 Even these books, that he gave me to read were pointing 00:15:48.55\00:15:52.49 to the Scriptures, that Saturday is the Sabbath day! 00:15:52.52\00:15:55.84 Rosco, what are some of the biggest problems 00:15:55.87\00:15:57.48 that we are facing in Alaska, and some of these communities 00:15:57.51\00:16:00.01 that are isolated from the rest of society. 00:16:00.04\00:16:02.91 That can only be reached by aviation, what are some of the 00:16:02.94\00:16:04.97 biggest problems, that you see as growing up 00:16:05.00\00:16:07.01 in one of these communities? 00:16:07.04\00:16:08.47 Degradation of morals, addictions, and circumstances. 00:16:08.50\00:16:16.38 You know circumstances you can't help, but I definitely see 00:16:16.41\00:16:20.14 a moral decline in our young people. 00:16:21.44\00:16:23.37 They just stopped attending church altogether. 00:16:26.12\00:16:29.38 We need to especially be praying for those, who are laboring 00:16:29.41\00:16:32.49 in the Lord's work up here. Working so hard, to make sure 00:16:32.52\00:16:36.76 that souls are being won. 00:16:36.79\00:16:38.27 We need to invite you to pray for our families, that support 00:16:38.30\00:16:44.19 what we do in the Lord's work, not only at 00:16:44.22\00:16:47.00 Adventist World Aviation, but at the Adventist Church as a whole. 00:16:47.03\00:16:49.69 The Lord is an awesome God, but every time, I believe every time 00:16:52.00\00:16:57.03 we pray, I believe the Lord dispatches more angels 00:16:57.06\00:17:01.04 So, will you promise to pray, for not only the Downs family, 00:17:01.07\00:17:04.59 but continue to pray for the work, that they are doing 00:17:04.62\00:17:06.61 up here and the work Adventist World Aviation is doing up there 00:17:06.64\00:17:09.01 that we can continue to reach the unreached of the world. 00:17:09.04\00:17:12.61 Reaching areas that can be reached by no other means, 00:17:12.64\00:17:15.47 other than aviation. 00:17:15.50\00:17:16.57 And in spite of tragedy, our family seems to go forward. 00:17:16.60\00:17:19.97 The next day, despite the fire, the team pushes on forward 00:17:26.50\00:17:29.58 with the opening night of the Revelation seminar. 00:17:29.61\00:17:32.57 Despite the huge distractions of the fire, the whole family 00:17:32.60\00:17:37.64 pushes through the obstacles and refocuses their vision 00:17:37.67\00:17:41.20 on the spreading of the gospel. 00:17:41.23\00:17:43.18 Could we pray? Dear Lord, thanks for this day and thanks for 00:17:46.00\00:17:49.65 the privilege of flight and we pray that You bless us 00:17:49.68\00:17:52.91 on the ground. Please bless us in the air. Bless the aircraft, 00:17:52.94\00:17:56.95 angels wings to lift here to help us today. 00:17:56.98\00:18:01.69 We love You and we thank You in Jesus' name, Amen 00:18:01.72\00:18:05.91 They prepare and take flight towards Manikata. 00:18:05.94\00:18:09.83 Leaving all the distractions and stresses behind in Dillingham, 00:18:10.69\00:18:15.47 they head towards the awakening people of Manikata. 00:18:48.26\00:18:52.56 The evangelism series will be held every evening for 2 weeks. 00:18:52.59\00:18:57.36 Pastor Ric has been holding evangelism series for over 00:18:57.96\00:19:01.85 20 years now, yet this is his first series 00:19:01.88\00:19:06.30 where he has to fly a airplane to reach the meetings. 00:19:06.33\00:19:10.30 So this is a new adventure for him. But he definitely sees 00:19:10.33\00:19:14.71 a great need for this project. 00:19:14.74\00:19:16.48 We are on our way to Manokopak about 10 miles from here. 00:19:16.98\00:19:23.86 Just no roads to it. Who would think about 00:19:23.89\00:19:27.77 flying a distance of less than 15 miles. 00:19:27.80\00:19:30.48 That, if you look outside, if you been looking outside 00:19:30.51\00:19:35.64 you'll see that there is nothing but tundra. 00:19:35.67\00:19:39.54 Which is swampy land in Alaska. You can't walk it, You can't 00:19:39.57\00:19:44.30 take a 4 wheeler on it. In the spring when it's melting 00:19:44.33\00:19:49.22 you certainly can't take a snow machine in it. 00:19:49.25\00:19:51.46 with some serious problems. 00:19:51.49\00:19:53.49 So there is just no way to get there. 00:19:53.52\00:19:55.50 There is some river system here, that sometimes work, 00:19:55.53\00:19:59.14 sometimes doesn't, I am told. So really, 00:19:59.17\00:20:03.37 the only way to get there from one village to the next 00:20:03.40\00:20:05.73 is by an aircraft. Aviation is important for soul winning, 00:20:05.76\00:20:11.49 important for delivering products and services 00:20:11.52\00:20:14.13 certainly as well and items of life, but soul winning 00:20:14.16\00:20:17.75 is probably one of the most important things that we do 00:20:17.78\00:20:20.10 at Adventist World Aviation. They wouldn't have this 00:20:20.13\00:20:25.29 opportunity had it not been for the aircraft, so we are happy 00:20:25.32\00:20:27.95 we can fly to them, study with them, we have probably 00:20:27.98\00:20:33.59 5 or 6 souls, who never heard the word of God like this before 00:20:33.62\00:20:38.10 and we certainly want to deliver to them a message of hope. 00:20:38.13\00:20:43.23 And that is what Adventist World Aviation is all about. 00:20:43.26\00:20:46.14 Not just about med-evacing, but it is about hope, 00:20:46.17\00:20:48.46 The best way to deliver a message of hope 00:20:48.49\00:20:50.83 is to bring it to them. 00:20:50.86\00:20:52.53 Because there is just no infrastructure and because 00:20:52.56\00:20:57.85 some of the entitlement programs there is a lot of government 00:20:57.88\00:21:00.11 here lot of government programs of course the educational system 00:21:00.14\00:21:03.40 is government. And you know after a generation of teaching 00:21:03.43\00:21:08.61 our young people that there is no God in the concept 00:21:08.64\00:21:11.74 of evolution. There are a lot of geologists, and just lots of 00:21:11.77\00:21:17.00 global warming scientists coming up here, and of course 00:21:17.03\00:21:23.80 unfortunately the majority of our global warming scientists 00:21:23.83\00:21:26.87 and geologists are evolutionists and so after about a generation 00:21:26.90\00:21:31.23 it doesn't take long, you know 30-40 years, you know the entire 00:21:31.26\00:21:35.19 concept of Christianity is all but gone. 00:21:35.22\00:21:37.13 And we are faced with that right now. The concept of Christianity 00:21:37.16\00:21:41.96 is just about been completely evacuated from, or I should say 00:21:41.99\00:21:51.54 just by attrition has left our community. 00:21:51.57\00:21:55.35 And so mission pilots are... mission pilots and missionaries 00:21:57.67\00:22:01.84 Christians in this area are just in great high demand. 00:22:01.87\00:22:05.62 I am amazed at the thought process of many Christians 00:22:10.74\00:22:14.76 and fortunately they say, well you know, why would you go in 00:22:14.79\00:22:18.53 a state with so few people, you know just because there is 00:22:18.56\00:22:23.42 less than a... less than what there are in some other states 00:22:23.45\00:22:26.87 in the lower 48. Does that mean that those, who live there are 00:22:26.90\00:22:31.35 any less deserving of the Gospel of Jesus Christ? 00:22:31.38\00:22:34.29 Once they touch down in Manikata, 00:22:34.32\00:22:37.23 Edward is eager and awaiting them. 00:22:37.26\00:22:39.68 They again pack into the state trooper SUV 00:22:39.71\00:22:42.86 and head toward the school. 00:22:42.89\00:22:45.09 As they bounce down the gravel road, Edward makes a call 00:22:45.12\00:22:49.29 on his radio, which transmits into each home in the village. 00:22:49.32\00:22:53.80 He again announces tonight's meetings for everyone to hear 00:23:01.70\00:23:05.12 in the native tongue of YOU-PICK. 00:23:05.15\00:23:07.63 Since the villages do not have newspapers, TV stations 00:23:07.66\00:23:12.05 or radio stations, each family has a low power radio 00:23:12.08\00:23:16.60 in their home, that they can send out mass messages on. 00:23:16.63\00:23:20.86 It's the easiest and simplest way 00:23:20.89\00:23:23.38 to spread news in the village. 00:23:23.41\00:23:25.26 As they reach the school, a small group has gathered. 00:23:26.16\00:23:30.32 It was good that Edward made the radio announcement 00:23:30.35\00:23:33.44 and reminded everyone of tonight's meeting. 00:23:33.47\00:23:36.74 What we are trying to accomplish here in this small community 00:23:36.77\00:23:40.00 of 450 of course is to lead souls to Christ. 00:23:40.03\00:23:43.15 Many of these folks have been learning a variety 00:23:43.18\00:23:47.30 of different things that may or may not have any connection 00:23:47.33\00:23:49.88 to Jesus Christ. 00:23:49.91\00:23:50.94 Unfortunately our government kind of comes in and takes over 00:23:50.97\00:23:54.43 and leads them in all sorts of directions that are really 00:23:54.46\00:23:58.69 counter intuitive to Christianity. 00:23:58.72\00:24:00.69 So we are here to teach them about the truth 00:24:00.72\00:24:03.42 of our loving Lord and our savior Jesus Christ. 00:24:03.45\00:24:05.93 There is a lot of need here, there is a lot of despair, 00:24:05.96\00:24:10.07 disease, alcoholism is a high problem in most of these 00:24:10.10\00:24:13.40 communities in Alaska. So we are here to bring them hope 00:24:13.43\00:24:17.88 and the truth about the second coming of Jesus Christ. 00:24:17.91\00:24:21.62 It gives them something to hang unto. 00:24:21.65\00:24:23.88 Unfortunately what ends up happening many a times 00:24:23.91\00:24:26.51 the high suicide rate, which is many times 500 times more 00:24:26.54\00:24:30.85 I should say greater than the lower 48, 00:24:30.88\00:24:33.84 or higher than the lower 48. 00:24:33.87\00:24:36.24 Is the theology... Sometimes we teach them 00:24:39.47\00:24:43.14 and I don't say we as Adventist, but as Christians, sometimes we 00:24:43.17\00:24:47.02 come in and we teach them poor theology. As a result of that 00:24:47.05\00:24:50.39 poor theology, they believe that when you die, 00:24:50.42\00:24:52.05 you go right to Heaven. And so well what's the big deal 00:24:52.08\00:24:54.47 of with killing your self. And so sadly it's a big problem. 00:24:54.50\00:24:59.41 Now there are a lot of things going on, alcoholism is a great 00:24:59.45\00:25:02.16 contributor to suicide, so we are here to not just help them 00:25:02.19\00:25:05.28 or help to teach them about our Jesus Christ. 00:25:05.31\00:25:08.02 As the meetings begin, there is a small turn out. 00:25:08.05\00:25:12.41 But again, the AWA team cannot be distracted by obstacles 00:25:12.44\00:25:16.60 or discouragement. 00:25:16.63\00:25:17.94 They must keep their eyes on the goal. 00:25:17.97\00:25:21.04 Their persistence pays off. 00:25:21.07\00:25:23.60 About half way through the evening, the room fills. 00:25:23.63\00:25:27.80 Eager and curious Alaskans listen attentively 00:25:27.83\00:25:31.89 as the mysteries of the Bible are explained to them. 00:25:31.92\00:25:34.95 The book of Revelation is an escape manual, 00:25:34.98\00:25:39.58 an escape book, if you will. What to do in time of emergency. 00:25:39.61\00:25:44.47 Well beloved, I think we have looked at the earth 00:25:44.50\00:25:47.33 and the politics and the world events that are happening 00:25:47.36\00:25:50.47 I think it is time to get the escape manual out! 00:25:50.50\00:25:52.87 Are you with me? And get ready, because Jesus is coming again. 00:25:52.90\00:25:55.99 He is coming again very soon! There is no doubt about it! 00:25:56.02\00:26:00.20 Most American Indians and most native Americans, they believe 00:26:00.23\00:26:04.48 in a Creator, I always believed in a Creator, I was never sure 00:26:04.51\00:26:07.38 exactly who that Creator was, until I found John 3:16. 00:26:07.41\00:26:12.02 And the clear statement, that Jesus is the Creator! 00:26:12.05\00:26:15.95 Than I started looking at it from a scientific aspect 00:26:15.98\00:26:18.66 And that is where I spent the majority of my studies 00:26:18.69\00:26:21.06 in Bible archeology and science, proving the science of creation 00:26:21.09\00:26:24.74 making sure, that it is Jesus, Who indeed gave us life. 00:26:24.77\00:26:27.24 The meetings continue for two weeks. 00:26:27.27\00:26:29.42 The turnout fluctuates. Even Rosco is able to attend 00:26:30.12\00:26:34.49 some of the meetings by flying from Dillingham 00:26:34.52\00:26:37.44 with the Evangelistic team. 00:26:37.47\00:26:39.29 Even though the message goes against what most of them 00:26:39.99\00:26:43.30 have been taught their whole lives, 00:26:43.33\00:26:45.39 the people of Manikata seem intrigued. 00:26:45.42\00:26:49.16 So they keep attending the meetings. 00:26:49.19\00:26:52.02 At the end of the 2 week Revelation and Daniel seminar, 00:26:53.36\00:26:56.94 10 people answer to the call for baptism. 00:26:57.64\00:27:00.54 A wonderful and joyous response. 00:27:00.57\00:27:03.61 Because there was no church or place to baptize people 00:27:03.64\00:27:07.87 in Manikata, the decision was made to fly everyone 00:27:07.90\00:27:11.79 from the village to Dillingham to be baptized 00:27:11.85\00:27:15.22 in the Seventh-day Adventist church there. 00:27:15.25\00:27:17.41 Each plane only holds 3 passengers and the pilot 00:27:18.00\00:27:22.18 so a few trips had to be made. 00:27:22.21\00:27:24.26 But everyone that chose to be baptized was happily transported 00:27:24.76\00:27:29.11 to Dillingham no matter how many trips it would take. 00:27:29.14\00:27:32.50 Everyone was so pleased with the outcome. 00:27:33.10\00:27:36.24 Especially Edward and Rhonda, 00:27:36.27\00:27:38.76 previously the only 2 Adventists in Manikata. 00:27:39.48\00:27:42.87 Now, they have a church family. They are no longer alone. 00:27:42.90\00:27:47.64 They have fellow believers with whom they can worship, 00:27:47.94\00:27:51.63 and seek support from. 00:27:51.66\00:27:54.27 It's been a blessing to have Adventist World Aviation come in 00:27:55.05\00:27:58.95 and bring supplies, the Word, 00:27:58.98\00:28:05.09 and of course the Seventh-day Adventist message. 00:28:06.09\00:28:10.72 We're always blessed to have the pastor from Dillingham come in. 00:28:11.96\00:28:17.63 I wish we could have him more! 00:28:21.01\00:28:22.83 The communities that Adventist World Aviation enter are not 00:28:22.86\00:28:26.58 communities, that you would see on a normal, daily basis. 00:28:26.61\00:28:30.10 We enter communities where, number 1, they can't be reached 00:28:30.13\00:28:33.11 by normal means, and they are communities, 00:28:33.14\00:28:36.06 that have great needs. And so when we at Adventist 00:28:36.09\00:28:40.00 World Aviation go into these communities, what we bring them 00:28:40.03\00:28:42.69 is hope and life and health! 00:28:42.72\00:28:45.10 We deliver many cases of supplies, much needed supplies. 00:28:45.13\00:28:48.60 That you can't get there by normal means. 00:28:48.63\00:28:50.94 And so ultimately, what we end up leaving them with 00:28:50.97\00:28:54.39 Is the hope of Jesus Christ, and His soon return. 00:28:54.42\00:28:56.49 They learn abut Jesus, and they fall in love with Him. 00:28:56.52\00:29:00.28 What you have been watching is areas 00:29:05.94\00:29:09.48 that Adventist World Aviation goes into. 00:29:09.51\00:29:11.51 We go into areas that you can't reach by conventional means, 00:29:13.31\00:29:16.75 Whether it's in Guyana, whether it's in Alaska, 00:29:16.78\00:29:18.62 whether it's in the Philippines. 00:29:18.65\00:29:20.36 We go into areas, that can't be reached. 00:29:20.39\00:29:23.52 We reach the un-reachable! 00:29:23.55\00:29:25.45 The average person doesn't recognize, 00:29:25.48\00:29:27.90 that there are 2 billion people in this world, 00:29:27.93\00:29:31.35 that have never heard of Jesus Christ. 00:29:31.38\00:29:32.85 Of those two billion people, eight hundred million of them 00:29:32.88\00:29:36.09 can only be reached by means like aviation. 00:29:36.13\00:29:39.51 We are able to reach people that would normally, 00:29:39.54\00:29:42.19 under normal circumstances just not be able to be reached. 00:29:42.22\00:29:45.59 And as a result we're able to share the love of Jesus Christ. 00:29:45.62\00:29:49.08 Pray for us! 00:29:49.11\00:29:50.14 We need your prayers more than anything else! 00:29:50.17\00:29:52.00 For more information contact your local station! 00:29:52.03\00:29:54.84 Thanks for watching! 00:29:54.87\00:29:55.92 And ask about ADVENTIST WORLD AVIATION! 00:29:55.95\00:29:59.69