I would like to share a little about myself and my experience at Victory Bible Camp in AK. In 2019 the Lord placed on my heart to go to camp for the summer and serve there. This was a big challenge for me for a few reasons, the first being that I would not be earning money for two whole months!! I also had a lot of fears because I never was a part of any summer camp growing up and wasn’t quite sure what I was getting into, but I decided to go anyway. That first summer at camp was a challenge, but the Lord used the challenges to help me grow spiritually. By the end of the summer I had felt the Lord prompting me to go up for the entire winter and be a help in whatever way I could, using the skills God has given me.
After a lot of prayer and seeking some wise counsel I decided to pack my bags and drive up to Alaska. The drive up was a very cool experience not many get to do, but I won’t go into much detail about it. After four days of driving we (my grandfather, cousin and I) made it to Alaska and that was the start of my time up there. Over the next 7 months the Lord taught me a lot about myself and it was a time to grow spiritually. In April of 2020, amidst the rise of COVID-19, Mikaela and I got engaged and we both committed to go back up to camp and serve for possibly our last summer.
The summer came with a lot of challenges due to COVID and also the challenge of being an engaged couple serving together at a “high stress” summer camp environment. Once again the Lord proved faithful and we had a wonderful summer. The Lord protected camp from COVID with 6 weeks of camp and not one case of the virus – from the out-of-state counselors to the in-state campers – praise the Lord. After camp my wife and I jumped from one stressor to another. Our wedding date was set for October 18, 2020 and I had a house that needed to be fixed up so we could have a place to live. Time was ticking.
To make a long story short I was able to get the house done thanks to some help from the family and the Lord gave us a beautiful day for an outside wedding. Oh yes, did I mention that I also started my own home remodeling and repair business during that time? January 2021 found my wife and I living happily together, my business going pretty well, and we are plugged into a good young adults group at our church – quite content where we are. That’s when we get a text message from a good friend from camp who leads the Doulos work groups every summer. The reason he texted us was to ask if we would be willing to help him run the work teams up there. After much prayer and seeking some wise counsel we decided to join the work up there for yet another summer.
I hope you have enjoyed reading my little bio of the last year and a half of my life. I would like to share some prayer requests with you.
1. That many campers will come to know the Lord this summer
2. That the work teams can get all the needed work done before the end of the summer
3. That the Lord will continue to provide work for my business when I get back
This is a very big step for us as a newly-wed couple and a new business owner to be doing this, but my wife and I believe that the Lord has put us in this situation for a reason and we know that he will make everything fall into place. Thank you for all your prayers and support.
Benjamin Naugle
Written By
Benjamin & Mikaela Naugle
We’re a young couple following the Lord’s call to serve at Victory Bible Camp in Glacier View, Alaska. We believe in the power of Christ-centered community, the beauty of wild places, and the joy of saying “yes” — even when you can’t see the whole path. Thanks for walking with us.
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