Dear Friends

Reaching hearts in Togiak, Alaska

Welcome to Togiak, a small fishing village in southern Alaska. Located north of Togiak Bay and southwest of Anchorage, it is so remote that it can only be reached by plane or boat.

Togiak is a close-knit community of about 850 people, most of whom are Native Americans from the Inuit tribe.

In 2013, newlyweds Chad and Elizabeth Angasan accepted a call to nurture and grow a congregation of Adventist believers in Togiak. Although Chad is from the Bristol Bay area of Alaska and Elizabeth is from Anchorage, the couple didn’t meet until they attended Walla Walla University in Washington State.

Chad is an Inuit-Aleut, and both he and Elizabeth have a passion for reaching the Inuit people for Jesus.

Not long after Chad and Elizabeth arrived in Togiak, God provided an opportunity for them to work as full-time teacher’s aides at the public school. As they grew to know and love the children, they learned about the struggles the children face while growing up in a village where drug and alcohol abuse are common. They felt impressed to start a special ministry for them; and now every Tuesday and Thursday evening, there is a great deal of learning and fun going on at the Adventist church.

“Children are the future,” Chad says. “I told the Lord, ‘If You’ve given us a gift to love these kids like You love us, we’re going to use it!’”

The community children love to hear Bible stories, play games, share meals, and experience the love of Jesus through Chad and Elizabeth’s ministry. They knock on the church door every day, sometimes using the excuse of wanting a drink of water or to use the bathroom. But what they really seem to want is to spend time with two of their best friends who genuinely love them.

While Chad and Elizabeth focus special attention on the community children, they never forget that there are others who are also hungering for the love of Jesus. On a daily basis, Chad uses a VHF radio frequency to spiritually feed hungry souls.

“I share a daily Bible text with my listeners and then talk about how that text can help us in our daily lives,” says Chad.

Please pray for Global Mission pioneer Chad and his wife, Elizabeth, as they continue to share Jesus with the community of Togiak, Alaska.

P.S. Every dollar that you give to Global Mission goes directly to the front lines of mission to support pioneers, such as Chad all over the world. Thank you so much for your contributions!