MissionYOUTH & ADULT 2015 • QUARTER 1 • NORTH AMERICAN DIVISION www.AdventistMission.org Contents On the Cover: Mr. Roland Moody has profoundly impacted the lives of generations of native Alaskans through the mission school and camp he established. ALASKA 18 A Big Heart | February 21 4 A Guiding Star | January 3 20 The Kindness Experiment | February 28 6 Finding Jesus at Camp | January 10 GUAM/MICRONESIA 8 Changing People’s Lives | January 17 22 From Despair to Hope, Pt. 1 | March 7 10 The “Camp Lady” | January 24 24 From Despair to Hope, Pt. 2 | March 14 and the “Camp Man” 26 The Sabbath Shoes | March 21 12 Something Deeper | January 31 RESOURCES WEST VIRGINIA 28 Thirteenth Sabbath Program 14 Opening More Doors | February 7 31 Resources 16 They Deserve A Chance | February 14 32 Map = stories of special interest to teens Your Offerings at Work The South- freely distributed to those who are poor, Pacific Division illiterate and are in isolated areas. We (SPD) received are making good progress in distributing the Thirteenth 5,750 Godpods . [and] would like to Sabbath Offering express our deep gratitude to the General for the First Conference and the church for their Quarter, 2013. support to bring the everlasting gospel to One of the all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues projects was to through the Thirteenth Sabbath Offering provide solar- for the Godpods. powered “Godpods” containing the Bible Geraldine Przybylko, and other religious literature for people in Adventist Media Network, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, and Wahroonga, N.S.W., Vanuatu. Here is a letter of thanks: Australia Inter-American Division Inter-American “The Godpods have been a huge blessing for the church to use as a tool to ISSION M reach the people in the SPD. For many, © 2014 General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists® • All rights reserved this is the first time they have heard 12501 Old Columbia Pike, DVENTIST A the gospel message. The Godpods are Silver Spring, MD 20904-6601 800.648.5824 • www.AdventistMission.org 2 Dear Sabbath School Leader, Welcome to a new year, a new quarter, American Division (NAD) has a and a new division on which to focus our little more than one million members, attention and our prayers. comprising less than 7 percent of the church’s worldwide membership. North American Division This quarter we’re featuring exciting The North American Division includes stories coming from some of the most Canada, the United States of America and remote parts of this division—from its territories of Guam and Wake Island, the warm tropical islands of Guam and the Federated States of Micronesia, the Micronesia to the cool and beautiful state island nation of Bermuda, and several of Alaska and the rolling mountains and island possessions. rivers of Appalachia, you will see God’s The Seventh-day Adventist Church hand moving in mighty ways through His was born and nurtured in North America, people in NAD. where it was officially organized in 1863. In addition to the stories and Today the Adventist Church has more information provided in this quarterly than 18 million members, and ministers magazine, we would like to also remind in 216 countries around the world in more you that many excellent mission stories than 900 languages. are available to you completely free But growth of the church in North on our new Mission Spotlight/Mission America, like much of Europe and 360 DVD. Your church should receive Australia, has slowed. Today the North one free each quarter. In addition, you may also download the video stories (and quarterly magazines) at www. adventistmission.org/resources. Opportunities Please remind people that in addition The Thirteenth Sabbath Offering to giving their Thirteenth Sabbath this quarter will help: Offering on the last Sabbath of the quarter, they are also welcome to give to build bathhouses with showers and toilets at Camp Polaris, near this and other Adventist Mission offerings Dillingham, Alaska; at any time on our secure website: hold 35 evangelistic meetings www.adventistmission.org/give simultaneously across the Mountain Thank you for all you do to promote View Conference, West Virginia; mission—the heartbeat of Adventism! May the Lord richly bless you! provide gymnasiums for Adventist schools in the Guam-Micronesia Mission. Gina Wahlen, Editor www.AdventistMission.org 3 ALASKA | January 3 A Guiding Star Roland cabin. Mr. Moody and the eldest son took their large fishing boat down into Bristol Bay, home of the world’s largest source of red salmon, while Mrs. Moody cared for the three younger children at home. Sadly, just a few months after settling into their new home, tragedy struck the Moody family. As father and eldest son headed ife was hard in the western up the river from Dillingham, somehow Washington town of Humptulips L both men ended up in the fast current and during the 1930s. Located on the drowned, leaving the mother to raise the Humptulips River on the Olympic two younger sons and a daughter. peninsula, the town had seen better days for the commercial fishermen trying to A Family of Faith earn a living. Being a family of faith, the mother One family, the Moodys, found life so continued to gather the children for difficult in Humptulips that they decided worship and on Sabbath they met with to follow Mrs. Moody’s brother to Alaska, Mrs. Moody’s brother and his family. where, according to the brother, the During the week, Mrs. Moody carried out fishing was good and there was money the family fishing business, with the help to be made. The family of six packed up of her two sons, Lloyd, 14, and Roland, 13. and traveled the 2,500 miles (4,023 km.) “We grew up fast,” remembers Roland. from Humptulips, to the Canadian border, “We had a mother and little sister to help.” then on through British Columbia and To help their family survive, Lloyd and the Yukon before heading west to the Roland had little time for school as they frontier town of Dillingham, Alaska. From worked as commercial fisherman near their Dillingham they headed up the Wood home. By the time they were no longer River, finally arriving on the remote shores teens, the young men had not yet finished Inter-American Division Inter-American of Lake Aleknagik. at the rural public school. Early each ISSION Although Aleknagik is a Yupik word morning Roland, who was now 20, built a M meaning “wrong way home,” the Moody fire in the school’s wood stove so that the family found a good place to settle beside place would be warm. During those early DVENTIST A the lake, where they built a small log mornings, Roland not only warmed up the 4 classroom—he also took the opportunity ,have any place to take the young kids for to get to know the school’s beautiful activities and stuff,” recalled Roland, “and young teacher, Miss Jackie. By the end of kids like to go someplace.” They named the year, they were married and set up a the new place “Camp Polaris”—after the home beside Lake Aleknagik. guiding light of the North Star. ALASKA Roland Moody purchased several old Camp Polaris—a Guiding Star buildings from Crick Cannery, which had After they married, Roland and Jackie gone out of business. He barged these started talking about ways to reach out to buildings across Bristol Bay to Aleknagik, the native Alaskan community around and then 12 miles up the lake to Camp them, and decided to build a Seventh- Polaris. More than 60 years later these day Adventist school on their property old cannery buildings are still in use each by the lake. They called it the “Mission School” and offered grades 1 through summer by the children of western Alaska. 8. Students and parents were delighted, Continuing the Camp Ministry and kids came from as far away as Nome For decades Roland and Jackie Moody just to attend the mission school. In enjoyed hosting the children and ferrying order to accommodate the students, two them up the lake by barge to the camp. dormitories were built. Additionally, the Each year on the last Sabbath of camp, Moodys started an Adventist congregation the entire Aleknagik Adventist Church and built the first Aleknagik Seventh-day prepared a feast for the kids and made the Adventist Church. 90-minute boat trip up the lake to Camp As the school grew, Roland and Jackie Polaris, where they enjoyed a special wanted to provide more for their students, Sabbath by the lake with the campers. so they started a camp. “We just didn’t After Jackie passed away, Roland married Beverly, who helped continue the Camp Polaris traditions. Fast Facts Over the years the camp has been a vital ministry to the young people of western The term Alaska native refers to Alaska’s Alaska. Many of the children who attend original inhabitants including Aleut, Eskimo and Indian groups. camp come from less-than-ideal homes where poverty, alcoholism, and abuse are Alaska officially became the 49th state too often the norm. They often exclaim on January 3, 1959. that coming to the camp is the highlight of Alaska is the United States largest their year, because it is a place where they state and is over twice the size of Texas. feel loved, accepted, and cared for. Measuring from north to south the state is approximately 1,400 miles long and measuring from east to west it is 2,700 Note about picture on p. 4: Mr. Moody owned a miles wide. fuel station. He is in the center of the picture, wearing Nearly one-third of Alaska lies within whitish overalls.