Jesus is Joy, Alaska is my calling, and Life is my Passion <3

Well, I am currently on a bering air charter bush flight from Nome to Fairbanks. It is quite crazy, because I completely recognize that not many people will ever have this opportunity. Anywayz, I guess is saw this as an opportunity to reflect on what The Big Man has been doing over this last week. You know, I truly cannot explain it, but I know with every fiber of my being that God has called me to Alaska. Each reoccurring time I am  here, I feel that calling getting stronger and stronger. I am literally ready to follow Jesus to the end of the earth, and He continues to bring me back to this place...the literal edge of tomorrow and one of the furthest points from Israel on earth....He has called me here and I am so thankful. I see so SO much beauty in this place, and it is all His beauty.

Last week, I was asked how God speaks to me. Of course He speaks to me through His Word first and foremost. Howevr, I truly feel that I can hear God through his creation. His creation of earth, His creation of life, and His creation of relationships. How does He speak to you?

Being able to be in Alaska in February has been absolutely incredible. I have been volunteering for the Iron dog race (a 2050 mile snow mobile race from anchorage to nome and then to fairbanks). It has been a completely different ministry opportunity, but it has taught me so much. It has reminded me that ministry is everywhere. It has reminded me that Jesus IS everywhere and IS alive outside of your stereotypical "Jesus" setting. I am not going to lie, going to a Christian school (GCU) gets tiring because you are constantly in a Christian bubble......but being out in the world is where Jesus was..... that is where I love to be. You have the opportunity to meet people. You have the opportunity to love people right where they are at and come to understand their circumstances.

I am currently reading a book called "mY Generation", essentially,  it discusses the beauty that can rise from the ashes of the Y generation......my generation. We are a hurting genereation. We are misundrstood. We are rebellious.  We are seen as strange........but it is the generation I love. We are a generation where we have to opportunity to show Jesus...and not just talk about Him...

Excerpt from "mY Generation" - "For those who are wanting and willing to be continually transformed, perhaps the most powerful thing we can do for skeptical people, for the skeptics of the world, is simply to invite others in to see".

Far too often we think that sharing Jesus means being bold and courageous with our words......and it definitely is, don't get me wrong...however, sometimes, instead of pushing to "convince" for prideful reasons......Why don't we just show people Jesus for his glory. Invite people to experience Him, not just to hear about Him. Seeing someone transformed for the glory of Jesus is more times than not going to be an extremely gradual process...and the most influential thing we can do is invite others to experience His love, His goodness, His joy, His power, His all entailed perfection.

Please pray as we near Fairbanks. Pray that we have opportunity to invite others to experience Jesus. Pray that racers return home safely. Pray for His joy to be experienced in new ways.

I love you all :)

-Em

ejfoster94@gmail.com

Sarah Palin HAHAHA

Flight from Nome to Fairbanks on a charter Bering Air Plane!

Me and the dudes on said plane!!

Fairbanks

The Irondog chute in Fairbanks!

Helping the racers at the Nome halfway point garage!

Flight to Fairbanks cancelled..... Hangin out at the nome airport! :) thes guys rule! Jesus is so good and I praise Him for connecting me to these amazing people! 

Took a pit stop at North Pole Alaska

GOD IS SO GOOD! 

Psalm 115:1 -"Not unto us, o Lord, not unto us but to your name be the Glory. For the sake of your steadfast love and faithfullness"

Thank you Jesus....Thank You

Well, I left my home of Nome this morning, I spent the day Doing ministry at camp Lavern Griffin in Wasilla, and I got back from the village of Gambell safely three days ago. Honestly, words cannot CANNOT express what The Lord has done, and how He is changing me. He has put people in my path this summer that will forever have an affect on my life. He ha put children in front of me that crave love and He has allowed me to share with them the love He wants to give them, he has taken me to the end of the world (16 miles from the international dateline and 35 mile from Russia) and back, and let me tell you; HE IS ALIVE AN HE IS MOVING! Praise all tht He has done! I ask for prayer over this ENTIRE state and these people! 

Please Lord, bring me back here!

I love you all! I am currently boarded in anchorage, and I'll be in phoenix by 8:30. Praise be to God forever and ever......amen.

(These pictures are so precious to me, please pray hard for this place that has become my heart and my home)

*God will place you, you only need today yes. When you do, You will only them truly understand the UNDIEING love that He has for you! Fall on your knees, and praise.... For He has overcome, and we can all now share this great news!

(Village of GAMBELL)

(LORD YOU ARE ALMIGHTY AND TOO GREAT FOR WORDS TO EXPLAIN)

❤️

I'm Home!!!

I simply love it here! Praise you Lord Jesus for all you have done! You place us right where we need to be! I pray for the village of Gambell as we prepare to depart tomorrow, and I pray for softened hearts tht are hungry and ready to soak up the Gospel! I love you all!!

:(

I just always hate leaving.... Even If it is for three days ;( 

Lord willing..... I'll be back! Thank you Almighty God for the adventures you send us as your children on. You are ALL, you are EVERYTHING, and you are AWESOME! I pray that you continue to open the door to Alaska! Continue to pray for all of the people calling this Northern Place Home!

I love you ALL!

Praise out a lord Jesus Son of God!

Thank you Lord..... Just Thank You

Well, after leaving Nome and being away for a few days now..... My heart is aching to be with my kids again. It is aching to be with the people of Western alaska! As many of you know, I am headed back to AZ for my best friends wedding this Saturday, and I am so excited for her and her fiancé. But, right after the wedding I am flying straight back to Alaska and getting on another plane to go back to Nome. From there I will fly to the village of Gambell on Saint Lawrence Island. Please pray for the people there. The people group on that island are Siberian Yupík Eskimos, an they are absolutely incredible people. Please pray tht their hears be softened and that they are receptive to the Gospel message. 

 The Population of Gambell is about 700, and their village sits about 35 miles from Russia, and 18 mile from the international dateline. These people are in total isolation, and with that isolation comes tough living and sustaining circumstances. Pray hard for the children that call this village home. Pray that any alcoholism or drug abuse going on is wiped away by the hand of our Lord. Please pray that these people will come to know Jesus as their savior and redeemer. Pray that try understand an fully grasp that they are special and worthy and beautiful in the eyes of our Father. Pray that they feel loved and accepted by us, but that they realize that that love and acceptance is coming straight from Jesus. And pray that our Lord is vividly seen in this village! amen...

I love you all so much, God is moving mountains. He is opening doors and showin me His creation. 

OVER AND OVER again, God reminds me about what ministry is really about. It is about love. It is about compassion. And most of all, it is discipleship. You ALL, no matter who you are, are missionaries under His great commission. You ALL are told to share who He is through your lives!!! So Do It!!! Don't wait around for others to, share Him! Think about this, ...... After you accept The Lord and make a decision to love for Him, you take on the responsibility of being His ambassador: ALL OF THE TIME. But, do your actions, words, and Love accurately express our Lord? 

Are You Unable to answer "yes" to this question? Because the fact of the matter is, we will NEVER be able to answer yes to this question, we will only be able to constantly realize the lengths to which we must go to make His name great! We realize just how urgent and important it is to share the good news of Jesus! And because we are ambassadors for Him, We MUST live a life worthy of the calling He has placed upon our hearts! Why should our lives be full of hate or distrust or anger if the God of all creation has already cleared our path!?!?! We should be showing others who have yet to see that cleared path, the amazing journey that is ahead if they follow Jesus!!!!!! Through His people, He will be heard. And through His people, He will be seen...

The Church in Nome is doing great, and Aaron, the pastor, is actually currently with me here in Anchorage. I picked Him up today front the airport in order to assist him with some city business. Please keep praying for Nome! Pray for the people of the entire region! For All of western Alaska! 

I love you guys, I miss you, and I pray that God is moving mountains in your life! And of it doesn't seem like He is......He is!

As always, let's know how ican pray or you! <3 

email me at ejfoster94@gmail.com

Love His People by Loving Him

Hey y'all, alright...... First off... Let me just tell you all that I apologize for not being on top of my blogging like I was last year. With that being said though, there is reason behind that. This summer has been a tornado of ministry, emotions. And opportunity. It feels as though the second I wake up to start my day, it is already 1 in the morning and the day is gone. This summer, I have seen and experience things that are too much for words! God has moved mountains this summer, and it's not over yet. I have seen people come to Christ, I have been faced with discomfort, I have been in a constant state of prayer, and all the while The Lord is doing all the work and it makes you realize just what it means to be a VESSEL for HIM! So if I don't blog everyday, or for two weeks, please keep praying and please understand that God IS MOVING, and that it is a privledge and a blessing to even have the opportunity to share what He is doing through this relatively new technology! 

So, let me start off by saying that The Lord is speaking loud. He has put this region of western Alaska and the Eskimo people residing in it so heavily On my heart that I can barely stand the thought of going home! God has been shaking hearts and bestowing blessings in the short time I have been back home, I mean Nome. I have gotten to spend a lot of time at the children's home with the kids that stole my heart last year. These kids come from situations incomprehensible. After what these kids have been through, I woul not expect them to be able to show love and trust the way that they do. And yet, that is The Lord. Their senses of purity and youth exert The Lords love in ways you would not expect!!! I have been blessed with the opportunity to work with them, and gain a valuable relationship with the children's home director! God is absolutely incredible, and through His sovereignty, He places people In our path that can mentor is through pieces of life, and the director is one of those people! Praise Our amazing God!

SMAK has been able to perform some great work for our God! We painted the entire Children's home, while they went out to a camp sight. We put in windows, and repaired roofs, but in the end none of that matters. What matters are the relationships that come through those actions. Personally, the people that I have met this summer and have been able to continue discipline from last summer are what this ministry is all about. It is about meeting people where they are, showing them the love of God, and allowing The Lord to take the reigns of those relationships! 

I was able to participate in the Fourth of July outreach again, and we had our annual Nome Community Baptist Chirch barbecue at the mouth of the Nome river. (On Fourth of July, countless people are out fishing, and so we do the barbecue out there to reach all of those people). It went great!!! We served countless people, and got to talk to people that we can continue to walk with even after that holiday!!

Overall, words simply cannot paint a brilliant enough picture of what God has done over the past couple weeks... It's almost a "you had to have been there" thing. But, it is apparent that this ministry and these people are being prayed for!!! God is working to reach these people!!! And it is the most beautiful thing!

Tonight, myself and Aaron were sitting downstairs and I was messing with the guitar.... And before we knew it the entire copperas Cove Texas team was downstairs and we were worshipping and praising our God. Thanking Him for all He has done and for allowing the Family bond between us all I become so strong! 

Something that I have learned lately is this: when we meet people who are following the same Jesus, we have an immediate connection. And that connection often times feels like a relationship that has lated Ten years!! And that is how it works around here. I can spend a week with a group of people on a mission trip, and those people have become my family!! And our foundation is built on nothing less than Jesus blood and righteousness 😊 . 

Thank you everyone for your continued prayer! It is felt and it has been felt in full force!! Please keep praying for SMAK, and for Brian and Aaron! Please pray for Nome Community Baptist Church and for Aaron Cooper! Please Pray for all of the people in alaska serving missions! Please pray for the residents of western alaska and for their hearts and salvation! I ask that you pray for Sarah Miller (SMAKs new communications director) as she flys home to Texas for a brief period of time before moving up here! Please pray for the children of Western alaska, and more specifically for the children at the Nome Childrens home! They could sure use a lot of prayer, and a lot of love!!! Please pray for a women's Bar ministry that is taking place tomorrow afternoon. Some women on the SMAK team from Texas ha it on their hearts to host a luncheon for women workin on Front Street! They desire to share joy and hope and love with these women and the promise of Jesus! Pray that their ministry is recepted by these women, and that hearts are changed!! Overall, please pray for these people and people everywhere that are hungry for something, and pray that they realize that what they are hungry for is God!

I love you all!!

PS I got to talk to Pastor Fred yesterday ( my pastor from Winslow AZ), and it was awesome to be able to Talk to him, and share some amazing stories with him!! I love you all so mch, and I pray that God leads your heart in His direction!!  

Please let me know how I can pray for you, ejfoster94@gmail.com

Yes, it says ALL STAR GRANDPA!! Happy fourth!! Praise Jesus!

This is a picture of our beach reach Fourth of July barbecue at the mouth of the Nome river! We had hotdogs and coffe and hot cocoa for the whole beach!

MUSKOXXXXX!!!!!!

Me and my best friend from Alaska, ANDREA!!!

My great frien Beth taking a selfie while 3 kids dog pile me in the back of the Nome fire truck!!! LONG STORY!

Me , And my two buddies!! Cody and Jon! These two are LEGIT!! I love 'em to death!

My baby shopping cart experience in AC grocery!

Ran into an old friend, Madeline! She is so grown up now!!!

Me and my Bro Cody hangin by the Snake river! This is one cool Kid, let me tell you! Tough as nails he is!!' 😃

And yes, I caught two salmon this morning! I have them to an elder in the village, but I was SO excited! Two pink Salmon! 🐟(pink, not blue)

I'm Home.... I mean Nome 😊

Wow..... So God is so good! First an foremost I just want y'all to know that! He is doing some amazing things with the people of Western Alaska! It is currently 1:30 AM and we have a BUSY day tomorrow, but I just can't sleep before updating everyone!

So, while interning for SMAK this summer, I knew I would be going back to Nome at some point.... But I didn't realize just how much I missed it, or how excited I was to come back! I kid you not, when I was on the plane to fly back to Nome, I was giddier than a 4 year old going to Disneyland for the first time!!! I seriously CANNOT explain to you guys in words how my heart feels in western alaska. I mean, it is literally where The Lord needs me right now. My prayer now is simply that I have the courage and exciting desire to walk through ALL doors The Lord prepares to open for me! He will always lay out a pathway for us, it is simply up to us then to take the steps!

So immediately when we got back to Nome, I knew I needed to go to the Children's home, where I spent ALOT of time last summer. I feel In love with those kids immediately last year, and i was excited to see how The Lord has moved there over the year. 

Well, I come to find out that 4 of the children that I worked with last summer had returned to the home because of unhealthy confidential circumstances. My heart is literally breaking for these kids, but at the same time I know that God has me here for a reason.... I mean I wish I could just move here tomorrow.... But I just have to trust Gods plan an be here for them NOW. God has actually opened some really cool doors recently too regarding this Children's home, and I am stoked to see How The Lord uses these mission teams to impact these kids and all involved here for His kingdom!

Aside from the children's home, we have been preparing for our first team to land in Nome. Our team of 17 landed today from Copperas Cove Texas. 10 of them will be leaving bright and early to fly outto the village of Golovin, and the other 7 and myself and Will and Sarah(SMAK communications director) will be heading it up here in Nome. It just so happens that through the connection with the children's home, we have arranged for the Children's home to be painted. We will be working on that on Tuesday. I know that through various projects done this week, The Lord will work through this team and truly impact these people. Praise Him for this amazing place.

Ya know, being back here just makes me remember how I got here.... And how this entire chain of events that has happened between last June and now..... Is LITERALLY Gods Han perfectly arranging The puzzle that is my life, an I am so excite to see what He does next. His sovereignty is beyond incredible. Please keep my team, SMAK, Nome and all of western AK , copperas cove TX , the children of Nome and western ak, and all people back home in times of need or praise... Lift them and these situations up to The Lord. I miss an love you all. Thank you for your continued support. Y'all have assiste me greatly in being able to minister to the people of western ak. This people group is the people of my heart, and I am so excited to serve them in a way glorifying to our savior. I love you all... Please let me know how ican specifically pray for you.... ejfoster94@gmail.com (don't hesitate to ask)

He helped me lead worship at church this morning. He's got a set of pipes on him, let me tell you!

I missed we!!!! Little sister savanna! No.... There is no hesitation when giving each other a hard time! I sure missed this one!

Aaron (pastor in Nome) and I being our "normal" weird selves. Gosh I missed this dude! I love him so much!

2 o'clock AM....... God is good❤️