Dear Pastor and church,
We are very grateful for your prayers for us. My wife’s medical results came back with positive news!!!
This month we were in multiple mission conferences and meetings in the states of GA, TN, IN, IL, and NY. A while back, God gave me a message titled "Trials-the unwanted tool for Missions." It has blessed people in full-time ministry and church members.
We have secured 60% of our needed support and are grateful for your sacrificial giving.
I was able to go to Alaska and spend some time in Hoonah. This time it was very different from the previous time I’d visited. My family and I first visited the coastal village in 2021, and this was the year that the cruise ship industry came to a halt because of covid fear and political restrictions.
Therefore, the only people in town were the locals. During this past visit, I experienced Hoonah for what it is…. A beautiful, lonely, quiet, remote coastal village whose amazing geographical location makes it the perfect spot for cruise ships to stop before going to the Capital. The tourism industry provided $30M of infrastructure for their ships to dock in a town of 850 residents. There is no tourism during the wintertime, and the true locals stay there. In the summer, you can have over 12K people roaming the little town. The residents of Hoonah have truly made a commitment to love their community.
Because of its summer beauty, many outsiders try to make the island their home. However, the harsh, depressing, and long winters keep population numbers low. Therefore, love and respect for the community speak volumes in this place. For a missionary family, some people will not trust you until you have gained respect in the community. In their minds, they think many outsiders come and do not endure.
Housing is very limited in the village, and we ask you to continue to pray for that. Whatever might be available now probably won’t be available once we get there.
We also ask you to help us pray for the people we met there. Victor a Tlingit, and Bill from the Kaagwaantaan clan, whose native name is “Father of the Wolf”; they were very likable individuals.
Also, Mr. Lewis is a fisherman and business owner whose roots go back to Norway. When Russia owned Alaska, they brought Norwegians to manage the land. We ask for salvation for these individuals, their families, and many others pictured below.
I also had the opportunity to join a local church in the capital for their soul-winning time. I was reminded that Alaska is not a place where people are eager to hear the gospel or anything church-related, but soul-winning faithfully must be practiced. We’ve passed out tracks from the plane flight to gas stations. One of our witnessing spots was the city of Chicago, where we saw Melanie come to Christ. We also pray for Mrs. Harriet, a sweet Polish lady, to come to Christ. We are cultivating that mentality in our daughter. Sarah now has been asking, “Are we going soul-winning?”
Thank you for your love and support,
Gratefully,
The Villafranca family
