Life-Giving Alaska Transformation Trip

• In 2018, we planted
• In 2022, we watered
• In 2025, we expected a harvest – and got one!

A diverse team of ‘transformed Transformers’ gathered in Anchorage, Alaska in July 2025 – One from Oregon – Phebe Leighton, one from Florida – Katelin Yandow, a Californian – Hellen Meade, a Hawaiian – Karen Ellison and two Alaskans Fran Hallgren, the leader, and Wendy Cleveland – united by the call to the remote Yup’ik villages of St Michael and Stebbins, on Alaska’s northwest coast. Under the leadership of Fran Hallgren from Aglow’s Transformation Department, these women had been preparing for this mission with prayer, practical training online, and fundraising. 

Fran said that the team’s mission was to take the love of Jesus to the people through VBS (Vacation Bible School), Ladies’ Night with the King for the women, church services for the faithful, and other village outreach. These kids would probably never get to go to a VBS if we didn’t bring it to them.”

Fran is adamant about getting the Word of God into the hearts of the children. “…because it’s what I memorized as a 5-year-old child that Holy Spirit used to bring me back to Jesus when I was 23.” Our VBS program is home-grown, not canned (store-bought), because we know what works in our Alaskan villages. The songs, puppets, skits, crafts, games, and even the snacks are all tied in, every day, with the memory verse of the day. For example, the snack of Goldfish crackers was given on Jesus Calms the Sea day.

Fran said, “We had some kids come this year that had been with us in 2022, and they STILL remembered their memory verses! Hallelujah! What we are doing is working!”

The team always takes fresh fruit instead of candy for snacks. Bananas, apples, and oranges make up a good portion of their luggage weight. They occasionally have to show them how to eat a banana; they’ve only seen pictures, and the little ones don’t know you have to peel it first!

Three on the team have been to these villages before. They were prepared for the unique challenges of Native village life. Flying in by small bush planes, odd plumbing or no plumbing – indeed, no running water in Stebbins! That means: no showers and no flush toilet. We took turns washing each other’s hair in the kitchen sink with water we purchased from the village laundry mat at $.25 per 5 gallons. 

The team always brings their own food. They have instant oatmeal or granola with powdered milk for breakfast, tuna or chicken salad kits for lunch, and Mountain House freeze-dried dinners. Best of all: freeze-dried Chocolate Cheesecake Mousse! It only takes cold water, and they have a very satisfying dessert. Of course, they have devotions and communion every morning with Pilot Crackers and Crystal Lite Grape drink.

Ministry was enthusiastic, exhausting, and so, so fulfilling. Four days of VBS in each village culminating in a Graduation Ceremony. Native kids here understand ‘ceremony’. They have watched their elders at traditional ceremonies in the villages. Therefore, they take their Graduation Ceremony fairly seriously. After the children have recited their memory verses and the songs that go with each day’s Bible story, they come to the front – one by one – to be TAPPP’ed. The team members take turns putting a Scripture dog tag around their neck (T=tag) and anointing the child with oil (A=anointed). This is followed by a personal prophetic prayer (PPP). Holy Spirit has always been faithful to tell team members quickly what to pray or pronounce over each child. It is a beautiful time.

After the ceremony, they collect all their crafts, worksheets, and a special backpack stuffed with all kinds of goodies! By the way, every craft has the daily memory verse on it – so, Scripture goes into the homes of these children, too.

When there was a little spare time, some of the team would go beach-walking, looking for sea glass and shells. A couple of the gals painted some Scripture rocks to place around the village, too. Fran said, “Whether on the beach or the streets, Holy Spirit set up divine appointments for us to meet and talk with people in the village. Because of our walks, a couple of women came to Ladies night, and word went around that VBS was happening, and we were blessed with a side-by-side (ATV) to use in both villages!” 

The ATV was super helpful in Stebbins for making runs to the laundry mat for water, or moving all our supplies from St Michael to Stebbins – a long ATV ride over a gravel road, and so nice for making the honey-bucket run every morning. We also used it to take some of those Scripture rocks to strategic places.

But where is the harvest, you ask? Ladies’ Night with the King! First, the team decorated the tables as lavishly as they can with lightweight materials they bring with them. They bring some fancy chocolates and cookies, little tea lights, doilies, gold paper plates with matching cups and napkins, etc. When the ladies came, they are treated to some special ministry, using the varied gifts and talents of the women on our team. Karen danced a beautiful hula to How Great is Our God. Wendy used sign language to Holy Forever. Phebe dramatized the story of the woman with the issue of blood.

Next, the team brought inflatable pillows so the ladies could get comfortable. The lights were lowered, and cloths with essential oils were placed on their foreheads. As they relaxed, we listened to one of Graham Cooke’s soaking CDs, telling them how God sees them and loves them. Fran said, “After one segment, I asked how everyone was doing, and no one said anything. I waited…and then heard a faint voice from the back softly say, ‘More’.” We played another segment of the CD.

When it was over, we gave each of them a piece of black cardstock and a white gel pen – to write what God spoke to their hearts, or even draw a picture of what He was showing them.

Fran said, “After the program, everyone stayed around the tables to share and chat, and this is where it got amazing. Half the women were local Native women; the others were Filipino-American teachers brought in to teach at the school. Atha (Native) was expressing her sadness of heart that the church does not currently have a pastor. They were blessed that the Aglow team did a service for them with communion. Evelyn, one of the Fil-Am women, voiced the same. And as they chatted across the tables, I saw a meeting of their hearts and a spiritual bridge being formed by Holy Spirit. They decided that they should get together on Sunday and have a service even without a pastor. And they DID! They streamed it on Facebook, too! The following week, they did it again. We are blessed that this Aglow transformation team could facilitate this meeting of hearts! And we pray that this is “lasting fruit”. We all felt like God breathed new life into that church.”

There was a time when the Aglow team experienced some spiritual opposition. They entered into a time of warfare with instruments – flutes and voices. As they prayed, prophesied, and declared, the heaviness lifted, and they were able to go on with ministry. Hellen said, “At the end of our ministry there, I felt the Lord said that we had established a beachhead with Him and He would keep expanding on that, and would completely shift the village.”

Fran said, “The 2025 Aglow Transformation Team Alaska Village Mission was a spiritually rich and successful outreach. We delivered impactful ministry to the children, empowered the women, and encouraged the faithful. We are already in the planning stages of the 2026 Transformation Alaska Village Mission to Point Hope, Alaska. It won’t be as rugged as this year’s mission, but it is Alaska! If you are interested, you can contact me at frantastic@fastimap.com”

After the team left Alaska, Fran received a message from one of the ladies in Stebbins letting them know that the transformation team has encouraged them so much that they have now opened the Church on Sunday’s for Bible study. To God be the Glory!

Reaching out in communities can be risky. Will the people receive Christ or reject Him? They will know us by our love, and when we come in His Name, filled with love, people will receive Christ! 

A team is going into Uganda soon and back to Alaska in 2026. Contact Fran at the email address above for more information.