SEND International North upgrades aircraft

North America (MNN)– Jesus challenges His disciples in Mark 16:15 to “go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.”

One mission agency has stepped up its game in regards to this command. SEND International North, located in Anchorage, Alaska, recently upgraded its Bonanza aircraft, allowing it to fly higher, faster, and safer. This helps the organization expand its gospel outreach in the Far North.

Led by Area Director Barry Rempel, Send North seeks to spread the good news to remote Native and First Nations communities 60-70 degrees north of the Equator. This area is known as the 60/70 window, which expands from Alaska to Greenland.

SEND North is also heavily dependent on aircraft, as less than a quarter of Alaska and parts of northern Canada have highway systems. Flight is the fastest and least expensive means of keeping SEND North’s more than 30 missionary families in 19 villages connected.

With the harsh cold and constant darkness the winter months offer, this region can be a depressing place to live. Drug abuse, alcoholism, and suicide are rampant throughout the remote villages in this region.

Canada’s remote villages also pose a unique problem. Known for their tolerance, Canadians are likely to be open to the gospel message. They may find, however, the message of Jesus being the only route to salvation as intolerant of other religions.

As SEND North seeks to reach these distant people, the organization can rack up a lot of expenses. SEND North pilots flew over 600 hours last year, while the cost for operating a small airplane is approximately $400/hour. The agency’s annual need is $150,000.

Here are a few things you can do to assist SEND North in its Gospel mission:

• Consider donating to the SEND North Aviation Fund to help the organization in its efforts to reach those unreconciled with God.
• Pray for the safety of the pilots and the effectiveness of their mission as they carry out God’s work
• Pray for wisdom on how to best reach the native people. Pray also for the hearts of the native people themselves, that their hearts would be open to new teaching.