Roof is Done in Aklavik!

We got the roof done on the Aklavik Baptist Church today! We got done about a day earlier than we thought, so now we are working on additional things that need to be fixed at the church or at the Nolands' home.

Because the sun stays up so long, we've been keeping some weird hours. We have generally gotten up to start at the roof between 9 and 10 A.M. Then we stopped to eat around 2 or 3 P.M. and worked until about 8:30 to have dinner. The sun is still blazing like midday at that time! As it has gotten a few degrees warmer over the last couple of days, more people are starting to get out and do things--in the evening. We've made visits to townspeople as late as 11:30 by just stopping by. We have fellowshipped at the Nolands' house until about 2 to 2:30 A.M. before going to bed. And when we finally did go to bed, well, the sun is still casting light. I believe May 25 will mark the beginning of the "midnight sun" time when the sun will no longer set. It won't set again until later in the summer.

I heard the services back home at Open Door went well yesterday and that a guest accepted Christ as her Savior! That's awesome! Thank you, Bro. Shawn, for preaching!

Larry Noland preached the service yesterday at Aklavik Baptist Church. He challenged the people to trust he Lord because He supplies all our needs. It was a good service, and they also had a fellowship afterward. It is a bit different here, too, when it comes to service times. They had one service at 7:00 P.M. This is due to the culture because many people here stay up late and wake up late. A children's and teen's Sunday school met before the main service at 7:00 P.M. We were able to meet many of the church people. We will participate in their midweek service on Thursday. I am scheduled to preach that night.

Well, I miss you all, and I can't wait to share what I'm learning about the mission field in Aklavik, NT, Canada. We're having steak for dinner--moose steak!

Yours in Christ,
Pastor Dennis M. Schaffer

24-Hour Sunlight in Aklavik

One of the "strange" things about the "Arctic world" is that during the summer months the sun never sets. Tonight is the first night that this happens for Aklavik, and since I love sunshine, this is great! I've always wondered what it would be like to live in a world where the sun never sets. The Bible talks about a time when 24-hour "Son-light" will be a reality! It really is different because your body clock gets changed significantly, in that you don't get tired as quickly in the evening. Aklavik is a fairly quiet town, but even now as I type this at 12:43 in the morning people are out and about doing things.

We had a little slower day today because the roof was done, but that does not mean we did not stay busy! We are continuing to work on projects at the church and the Noland's house. We finished putting some steps outside one of the church doors, and we also built a cross to put on the outside of their church building. We plan to finish these projects tomorrow.

Tonight, after a great American meal (fried chicken) with some local people at the Noland's house, we went four-wheeling in the bush. On our trip we saw some beautiful landscapes with trees, mountains, and lakes--many of which are still thawing out and have snow on them. We saw a muskrat emerge from one of the icy lakes. Here muskrats are hunted for their fur (hunters/trappers can get $8 for each one). Standing still, it was absolutely silent. We took a rifle along with us on the trip because three grizzly or brown bears were spotted recently. Not too far away, grolars, have been hunted, too (grolars are a mixed breed of grizzlies and polar bears).

I'm looking forward to what the Lord will do over the next couple of days. I'm checking my email when I can--sometimes early in the morning--if you want to email (pastor@opendooronline.com). I appreciate your prayers and concern for the spread of the Gospel worldwide--including Arctic Canada!

Yours in Christ,
Pastor Dennis M. Schaffer

Chasing Beavers

We finished up with all of our work projects, so we took some time this afternoon to take a boatride into the bush about an hour up-river. While we were on the trip, we saw many birds, and we also saw an occasional beaver. One beaver was heading our way, so we chased it a little bit. It did not like that, though, so it would slap the water, and dive under soon to pop up where we chased it some more!

Sometimes it's unfortunate, but when the Lord is chasing after us we have a habit of letting Him know we're not happy and try to stay away from Him. Eventually, the Lord will leave us alone--He won't often push Himself on an unwilling person.

Tonight, I will preach at the midweek service of Aklavik Baptist Church. They will start with a meal. I have enjoyed getting to know the culture and people the Nolands' minister to.

Along the way, I've even managed to get a little sunburn on my face--and my neck. Up here is a northern "redneck" heaven! ATV's, trucks, snowmobiles, boats, hunting, trapping, and everything a good ol' southern boy could want! It just gets a little colder!

Tomorrow, we (Roger and Aaron Chastain and me) will begin our trip back home to the States. Thank you for your prayers. The Lord has definitely blessed the weather up here to help us get even more done than we planned. It is a definite encouragement to the Nolands and the church here. I am thankful to our church for the opportunity, and I look forward to sharing what the Lord has shown me on the trip. I look forward to seeing everyone on Sunday! (I heard about Pastor Mike Wynn, too--let's keep him in our prayers!)

Yours in Christ,
Pastor Dennis M. Schaffer

Roofing in Aklavik

We are in Aklavik and are making headway on the roofing project. We flew in yesterday via a small Cessna 207 plane, unloaded, and got started. This morning it was fairly cold--enough to have snow flurries!

It started getting a little warmer this afternoon to make it a little more bearable. Yesterday, we were able to see the river break up behind the Noland's house (the missionary we're staying with). It is icy all winter long, but it broke up and most of the ice is gone now headed downstream--which is farther north from here.

I have been learning about the culture here in northern Canada, and it is much different than the way we are used to living. Our roofing project is the talk of the town--it's even being talked about over the local radios!

Please continue to pray it gets a little warmer--it'll make the project a little more comfortable to do! Well, we're off to get more work done. We have plenty of daylight left, as the sun will not set until...well, it barely sets in enough time to come back up again!

I'm praying for our services at Open Door tomorrow! I miss you all.

In Christ,
Pastor Dennis M. Schaffer

Worldwide Missions

I have safely returned from my trip to Aklavik, NT, Canada, and I am excited about what the Lord showed me while I was there. In general, life up Aklavik was a bit slower than it is here in Louisiana, and we managed to squeeze a lot of work and activities into the long, sun-filled days. The Lord answered our prayers and allowed the weather to be just perfect for replacing the church roof--it even got done a day earlier than expected! That freed up some time to work on other projects, including building some steps and adding a cross to the front of the church building.

I was able to meet new people and make friends along the way. God is using the Nolands to reach the people there, and I was glad to see how the Lord is doing that in one of the far corners of the world!

On Sunday evening, I am hoping to share some of what the Lord showed to me while I was in Aklavik. On Saturday, Sarah Normand is also scheduled to arrive home from her trip in Africa. I am proud of the steps our church is taking to see the fields and to learn about the opportunities God may make available for us! In addition, Tommy Normand went on a trip to South America earlier this year, the teenagers are going to Mexico, and Meagan N. is heading to Asia this summer. Let's keep looking for open doors for getting the seed of the Gospel out!

In Christ,
Pastor Dennis M. Schaffer