I just returned from a rare blue sky day in Valdez, Alaska. It is one of the most beautiful places in Alaska. The mountains that surround the city were just crystal clear and snow capped. Esther met with several people and shared the work in Indonesia with another large group. It was a worthwhile time of building partnerships.While driving back to Fairbanks we saw four moose and one caribou. The caribou was running down the road in from of us....

I have been traveling with Esther Scarborough and Nius. Nius has met with several groups to share about his life and work. He is in medical school and has an awesome story of how he desires to serve the poor in his region. We have past over 1,000 mile posts in the last week. We have seen several animals–moose, caribou, musk ox, bear and even elk. There is another more than 800 miles to go and mountains and rivers to cross. Esther will be...

Tonight Esther Scarborough and Nius Sudan will arrive in Fairbanks, Alaska. They have been in California for two weeks and will be here in “The Last Frontier”. Nius will be speaking to several groups and he will be very busy. Esther will be traveling around the state and will find her way to Palmer and Anchorage on August 1-4.She will go to one of the most spectacular places in Alaska–Valdez. She will speak there and meet with...

Nius Sudan and Esther Scarborough are in the U.S. They arrived in last week. Nius is an amazing young Indonesian man. He has been sharing his story of survival and courage. Esther Scarborough is the director of IFC’s medical work in Indonesia. She is a real hero and has served the poor and former refugees–saving countless lives.They will be in Los Angeles for two weeks and then to Alaska for a month. Nius will be speaking to a...

It is the longest day of the year. No it was not 25 hours long–but it is the summer solstice. The sun is above the horizon longer than any other day in the year. The Midnight Sun Festival is here in Fairbanks– it is literally light at midnight. There were some 30,000 people attending this Festival.IFC had a booth at the Midnight Sun Festival where we spoke to hundreds of visitors and many Alaskans about our efforts in Indonesia. We...

I have a heavy heart at the accidental death of a young friend of mine. Jeremy Earnshaw was on staff at the YWAM base in Newcastle, Australia. He and three friends went to spend the day at the beach after he called his father, Darryl, wishing him a happy Father’s Day. He and his friends were enjoying the day as they were walking near some rock outcroppings when a freak wave swept over Jeremy and one of his friends–they were pulled...

Where would we be without email, blogs, and the Internet? I know there are negative and positive realities about the Internet. What if you are miles from the nearest cell phone tower and the Internet is not even in the region. That is the challenge of working at the end of the earth.IFC has solved that with a modest Internet satellite system. It connects the base with the rest of the world. This is an amazing system because it can find a...

I just got home from a time in Idaho. It was a great time of sharing the work of IFC in Indonesia. It was also a time of stepping into the past. I spoke to a group and a woman came to me and said she had a picture of me from my college days. My wife and I went to a small private college in southern Idaho. I worked in the food service my entire time at school. My first job was to wash dishes and later I was given a job making cookies. I really...

I am in Idaho this week. IFC has some good friends and supporters here in the famous potatoes state. I spent yesterday with Ray and Lorraine who are choice leaders and have supported the work in Indoneisia since we began in early 2001. We has a wonderful time and caught up on the time since our last meeting. They are so positive and encouraging.I will be here in Idaho for this week–meeting with partners and finding new partners. I began...

I have been reflecting recently of the hundreds of partners we have in our work. We have over 80 full-time workers at our base in Indonesia but there are hundreds of others who are standing with us.I have friends, Dona and Craig, who have been supporting our efforts from the first day we began to work with refugees. I am blessed and amazed at their heart and faithfulness. They have never been to Indonesia but they are so important to Indonesia....