Dear friends,
Hello, my name is Matt. Over a decade ago I married my childhood crush, Nicole. Together we have 5 kids in total. For years I was running the race trying to fill my plans and future with what I wanted. A li2le over two years ago God “wrecked” those plans. At this time I was going to school for nursing. I had finished all my prerequisites for my RN and was ready to start an RN program. God had different plans.

A pastor friend of mine asked me if I had considered working with youth. I had been involved in youth ministry in some capacity. He was challenging me to a life completely surrendered to God. One where I was in full-time ministry. I spent time in prayer, in the word, and seeking council from wiser men in my life. One night I spoke with Nicole and asked her, her thoughts on this situation. She was in full support. In fact, she has been trying to tell me this for years and I kept doing my plan. I went to the Lord in prayer and said “alright Lord, I am ready”. Three weeks later the opportunity to step into missionary service in Alaska landed in my lap.

“Surely God you don’t work that fast”.

He does though! Nicole and I came up in December for a visit. The Compass wanted to meet us in person and share what we would be doing. It was a perfect fit. After we returned home the board at The Compass voted and we were brought on as the first missionary staff members to the organization. From there, God moved every hurdle out of our way. The move to Alaska was seamless. It was as if everything in our lives had led us to this moment.

For the past 10 years, Nicole and I have given our lives to guiding, shepherding, and serving youth. We have served infants through high school students in one capacity or another. A li2le over a year ago, we took our past experiences as the Lord moved us to Nikiski, a small town on the Kenai Peninsula in Alaska to continue that work through missionary service.

Welcome Home, Nikiski

Nikiski is located on the west side of the Kenai Peninsula. It lies along the shore of Cook Inlet between Salamatof to the south and the Swanson River to the northeast. Nikiski is not an established town but a borough. Nikiski is a small community boasting just shy of five thousand residents. Many people work in the oil industry either locally or on “the slope” at the northern end of the state. Alaska as a whole processes a boom or bust cycle. It is not uncommon to drive the main highways and imagine what this community looked like with all these buildings in full swing.

Alaskan youth are in crisis. Alaska leads the nation in teen suicide. Nearly forty percent of youth are sexually active before 15 years old. 13% of youth in Alaska experience some form of sexual assault, and this number only shows those that are reported. Combine that with the weather, lack of sun in winter, and odd family work schedules, and you will see that the need for these youth to feel cared for and loved is great.

The Compass was launched in the heart of Nikiski, less than one mile from Nikiski Jr. High/High school. It is here that we serve the youth of Nikiski, primarily through an after-school “Drop-In”. Drop-in provides the students with a safe place to hang with friends, play games, do homework and be shown the love of Christ. This gives us the best opportunity to build meaningful relationships with the youth, and that gives us the opening to speak The Truth into their life. If you would like to hear more about the work The Compass is doing, please contact me.

We are here to serve the youth who call Nikiski home. I Titled this section “Welcome Home” because our main goal is to bring the youth in this community to Christ, to Eternity, and to God’s Family.

We are uniquely qualified to reach this community.

• We know this community and town. We are commi2ed to live here, work here, and raise our kids here.
• Our past experiences in youth and high school ministry have been vital in helping us understand student life and build relationships with the students we serve.
• We are passionate and driven to share the Gospel with the youth in this community.
• We have a team of mentors and partners surrounding us as we labor for The Compass.
• We have the support of other local pastors, churches, and ministries. Our heart is to reach the youth in Nikiski….together

It is our hope and prayer that God would keep us here for years to come. To invest in the lives of youth one has to be consistent. They won’t care about anything you have to say until they know you care. relationships and trust take time to build. In some cases, we are the most consistent relationship these youth have ever known.