I am part of a mission team of women flying almost 400 miles from our base camp in Fairbanks to do Vacation Bible School with the children in the village, as well as teen and adult Bible studies. The five of us come from Oklahoma, Alaska, North Carolina, and Illinois, and we are as different as can be in age, background, and temperament. But we all want this trip to be successful and to reach rural Alaska Natives with the hope of Jesus Christ.

Congratulations! You and your small group from church are heading on a mission trip to Point Hope, Alaska with Lutheran Indian Ministries. You'll be meeting new people, building relationships, and spreading the hope of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Hooray for you!

You are ready! Your small, twin-engine plane is descending on the barren land below. Nobody in the plane is talking - they all have butterflies in their stomach, like you. Your heart is pounding in your chest, mostly from excitement, but there is a little bit of fear, as well. This is it. This is what you have been preparing for the last six months!

But then, things start to go wrong.