God created the heavens and the Earth six thousand years ago in six days, and on the seventh day, he said that "everything he had created was very good." Within a short period of time, our ancestors, Adam and Eve, chose to reject God, trusting instead the word of a crafty serpent in the garden.

As a result, all mankind has turned from God, which brings with it all the suffering and death in our present lives. In comparison to our loving creator, we are like simple sheep who have lost our way. Left to our own devices we will die in this barren wilderness of a world.

But our loving Shepherd cares for us and took the penalty for our sins on a wooden cross two thousand years ago. He was a pure and spotless sacrifice, having never committed a sin in his entire life.

Can you imagine a sinless human being? No wonder his brothers hated him. When we are such evil people, being around someone who is sinless, especially your brother must have been infuriating.

As a 16-year-old wandering sheep, the Holy Spirit showed me that I could never be good enough to have a relationship with a holy God. He showed me that I was an evil man, and I lived among evil men. All men were like sheep who had turned away from their loving Shepherd and loved the darkness rather than the light.

I felt the despair of my own inadequacy and was without hope, until my pastor Damon shared with me the words of the true Shepherd: "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." No man can work his way to God because we are born evil. We are naturally unclean, and we live amongst people who are unclean.

However, God knows this, which is why he came to Earth as a human child and lived for 30 years with severe hardship and in a low-income family. Jesus did this because we are sick people, and sick people need a doctor.

As a 16-year-old, I was elated to get healed by my shepherd who loved me and loves you enough to shed his blood to wash away our sins. I was overjoyed to receive Jesus as my shepherd. I believe he alone can save us from our sins, and by believing in what the Lord Jesus has done, we become his sheep — his little children.

Having faith in the work of Jesus, I trusted that I could be baptized along with my high school sweetheart Ellesha. And the Lord joined us together in marriage at the age of 18.

After accepting Christ, I wanted to become a pastor, because what is more exciting than sharing the good news about Jesus with other people? But the Lord led me to get a degree in engineering, and I have been working for General Electric since my early twenties.

We have always loved the church, being involved in youth group, Bible studies, Sunday School, Vacation Bible School, Church Retreats, men's and women's groups, and one-on-one discipleship. Whatever is going on at the church, we want to be there.

In addition to the church, the Lord has gifted us with five children: Johnathan, Lael, Samuel, Elliana, and Molly. The Lord kept our third child, Samuel, for himself, but we are looking forward to seeing Samuel in Heaven someday.

In my early thirties, the Lord led us to start digging into his word some more, so we could find out what he had to say about things, despite what we had learned from our culture. This culminated in a men's morning Bible study, where we were reading a book about missionaries of the past being willing to give their lives in service of the cross.

This reminded me a quote by Jim Elliott who said, "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep, gaining what he cannot lose." This struck a chord in my soul, that the Kingdom of Heaven is worthy and we should expend our lives for a savior who is deserving of our service.

In the same time period, Ellesha and I went on a missions trip to Haiti, where the Lord convinced me that we should pursue a life in missions despite my concerns about providing for the family. Because if believers in Haiti can trust the Lord for provision, then why can't we?

Jesus reminded me that we are not rich, but poor apart from him. And that we should buy from him gold refined in the fire.

As a result, we have been serving in Alaska for the past six years, being predominantly involved in missionary aviation where we fly native youth and staff to Bible camps, flying missionaries into villages. And in addition, we've had opportunities to serve in maintenance, local outreach in the villages, working at bible camps, and sharing the gospel in our local schools.

We have also served in our local church, teaching our youth and helping with outreach events in our community. We have learned to not know what to expect, but just follow the Lord's leading. This has led us to some wonderful times of service during our time in Alaska, but it has not been without its hardships.

Serving as a tent maker sounds good until you try it because, for me personally, it is hard. My attention is always divided between my family and other obligations I have with work, the church, missions... There's just never enough hours in the day! And I often feel that I am just failing in every area of life, though the Lord just reminds me to be faithful in the tasks for today.

We have had to deal with limited funds at times and large expenses that we didn't expect. We have had to face raging forest fires, terrible earthquakes, and health emergencies. But the most difficult problems we've faced on the mission field are problems with people, where at times you are abandoned and betrayed by your friends. You're maligned and misunderstood by those who should know you. And you're far away from a lot of your support.

I mean, how could this happen in a broken world? I wish my shepherd had warned me. Oh wait, he might have said something about facing troubles. All I seem to remember is about overcoming the world, not facing troubles in the world.

I am learning through life experience that serving God is not a stairway to heaven, where things just keep getting better and better each day. Not so much. My shepherd is teaching me that dedicated service to him is hard work, and more than that it is a battle for the very souls of men.

I now know why my shepherd tells me that "brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death. And you will be hated for my name's sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved." -Matthew 10

I like what Jim Elliott said, "Missionaries are very human folk, just doing what they are asked. Simply a bunch of nobodies trying to exalt somebody."

We are just little sheep like everyone here who trusts in the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd led this little flock to Alaska, and he is teaching us to stick close to him as we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, also known as planet Earth.