It Has to Be God Who Does It

What do you think of when you think of missions? What comes to mind? For many, there is the expectation of hot, steamy jungles with a profusion of insects, beautiful or deadly. Or perhaps you think more of a desert environment with cacti and snakes. Do you expect lions and tigers or tapirs and capybaras? Maybe you see people with little clothing and thatched-roof huts on stilts. But how many of us have contemplated the Arctic as a mission field? 

There is something starkly beautiful, mesmerizing and yet somehow discomfiting about the Canadian Arctic landscape. Joel Potter and I traveled to the Arctic in April, but even now I still can sit dumbfounded at the memories of those few days there. The constant breeze, the daily snowfall, the view of the frozen bay out the windows, the sun riding somewhat horizontally through the sky, the black hills exposed by the melting snow, the completely treeless landscape and the Arctic hares hopping about and nibbling on the dried lichen — it was like nothing I had ever seen or experienced before. But as we flew in, there were the brilliant flashes of color in the town — the bright greens and reds and blues of the buildings. And the airport terminal is a bright yellow orange!

And the wildlife? You will find seals, walruses, polar bears, caribou, ptarmigan, Arctic foxes, Arctic hare, beluga whales, Arctic char, musk ox and narwhals. Crustaceans abound in the summertime.

But it was not the wildlife we went to learn about. In the Canadian Arctic, there is a large population of the Inuit people. But that’s not the only place they live. There are 70,545 Inuit people in Canada; 51,000 in Greenland; 44,000 in Alaska; and 2,000 in Russia. 

Ethnos Canada has been a sending entity for decades, sending missionaries around the world, teaming up with other Global Partner entities. However, in the last few years, they have begun to look at their own country and have found new opportunities to see thriving churches within their own borders. It is to the Inuit that Ethnos Canada has begun a new ministry, one that was dreamed of long before it came to fruition.

The Team

At present the team is made up of three families. Rob and Hilary Bartholdson and their two boys are from New Smyrna Beach, Florida. Gideon and Cassidy Willard with their little girl are from Canada; Gideon was raised on the equator in Africa. Brandt and Lanie-Joy Whatley with their four children are from Canada as well; Brandt grew up on the equator in Asia Pacific. All were in the same class when going through the missionary training in Durham, Ontario. 

The main recruiter for the Arctic was Cassidy, who had been drawn to the Arctic regions since she was a young teenager. Before he married Cassidy, Gideon had planned to go to the Asia-Pacific region as a missionary. And the Whatleys had been in the USA for training but had returned to Canada to finish. God had set all of them up to be together, and they melded into a cohesive team. This was the beginning of watching God work and of taking the next step of faith in building the team.

There is a quote from David Livingston that I am reminded of as I look at the team. The beginning of the quote is this: “God, send me anywhere, only go with me.” This team, with their hearts burning for the Inuit people, have gone, and they have seen His hand leading the way.

Plunging Into a New Way of Life

We tend to get very accustomed to our ways of life. We can drive wherever we want to go … without even considering it. Not so to get where the team was heading! There are no roads from “the South,” anywhere to the south of where we were, to where they live. They had to fly with all their things. And you know that you can’t just turn around and pick up that one thing you forgot! The other alternative is traveling on one of the three ships that arrive in the port during the few months the bay is ice-free.

In that remote location, housing is at a premium, with rent being comparable to the average rent in New York City! All buildings need to be constructed on very sturdy above-ground supports due to the permafrost. Ethnos Canada has purchased two houses: one for the Bartholdsons and one for the Whatleys. We stayed in the Whatleys’ house — a beautiful place overlooking the frozen bay. The Willards had to look to the Lord for housing accommodation. Nothing much was available for them when they first arrived there. They rented a room for two months until God gave them an apartment to rent. That again is a way that they are learning to trust God for each step because there is no guarantee that their landlord will not sell when their present lease is up. 

Since everything has to be shipped in by airplane or the three annual ships, groceries, building supplies, clothing, vehicles and fuel are quite costly.

One challenge the team faced was in timing. The Willards had been asked to work with their church in Ottawa before heading north to join the team. That was a hard thing to do because their hearts were ready to start working, but they hadn’t even begun raising their required support. Trusting God for that, they did stay at the church, getting to know the congregants and letting the church see them work as a couple. The result? When the Willards were able to start raising their support, it only took them four months!

Language Learning — the Lord Provides

The next part of David Livingston’s quote reads like this: “Lay any burden on me, only sustain me.” Knowing that the gospel is best understood in one’s heart language, the burden of learning the heart language of the Inuit, Inuktitut, definitely needed His sustaining. And, oh, how we could feel the drive to learn Inuktitut as quickly as possible in order to let the Light of the world shine in that dark place!

One thing that was reiterated often as we talked with the team is what turned out to be the title of this article: It has to be God Who does this work. The next challenge the team faced was in finding a language helper. (Yes, almost everyone in that town speaks English, but to speak to one’s emotions, feelings and spiritual needs, that must be done in the heart language.) All three families had moved up by June 2023, and they had determined that they would start language study in November after fully settling in. The language consultant had agreed to be there for six weeks to get them started. There were two ladies from “the South” who had agreed to come up for those six weeks and do childcare. There was a problem, however; there was no one who would agree to be their language helper. They had asked their friend Lena and others to be the language helper they needed, but they had already politely refused, saying, “I’m not a teacher.” Just before they were to start with their consultant, Hilary decided to ask Lena one more time. This time, she agreed “to give it a try.” And sure enough, she turned out to be a wonderful helper, giving them the direction and encouragement that they needed. The six weeks turned into eight, but the Lord continued to provide childcare, and Lena continued to work with them. The team called her their “language nurturer.”

We were there during the spring festival called Toonic Tyme, and there were different competitions taking place. One thing we did get in on was the bannock-making competition. Bannock is one of the most universal of dishes in the Indigenous Canadian repertoire; it is a form of fried bread. While watching one Inuit lady cooking, the Willards started speaking to her in English and then smoothly moved into Inuktitut; the lady looked up in quiet surprise … and then mentioned that they must have learned Inuktitut from another location due to their accent!

Inuktitut

Let’s take a brief pause to look at Inuktitut. Inuktitut is a branch in the Eskimo-Aleut language family: This language family is found across the Arctic where the Inuit live. There are varying dialects, some of them quite different due to the large geographical spread of the people, from Russia to Alaska to Greenland. It’s rather hard to explain clearly; they are all connected somehow and different at the same time. Linguistically it is related to the Yupik language, which is also part of the Eskimo-Aleut language family and is spoken by people indigenous to the Arctic, mostly in Alaska and Siberia.

Inuktitut is difficult due to the “sound set” being different, using sounds that our mouths, tongues and throats don’t normally make. As to the grammatical makeup, the language takes a root and then adds many suffixes all at once to make a long word for a sentence. More ministry opportunity assessments will have to be done to see how different the dialects are for future Scripture translations or revisions and for writing Bible lessons. There is already an Inuktitut translation of the Bible. The syllabics were adapted from another indigenous group in Canada by a translator for the Inuit. This happened about 100 years ago. There have been a couple of other translations produced since then — one is partial.  The Inuit actually learned to read and write by using the Scripture.

Culture — Seen, Heard and Felt

The final line of the quote is this: “And sever any tie in my heart except the tie that binds my heart to Yours.” I think one of those ties that will be severed is the team’s tie to their own cultural ways. As they begin to bond with the Inuit,  their former cultural ways will cease to be as important to them as the “new” culture will become.

A cardinal rule in learning another language is that you must learn the culture as you learn the language. And the Inuit culture, as expected, will have some twists and turns as the team learns more and more. One thing that they noted is that whenever anything that belongs to the culture — food, hunting, travel, clothing or decorative weaving — is being talked about or being taught to a learner, it is done in Inuktitut, not in English. 

Part of learning a new culture is treating it with respect. Just because it is different does not make it wrong. The Inuit love to share their culture — when they understand that those to whom they share it are indeed respecting and appreciating it. One of the ways the team chooses to show that respect and appreciation is to wear the Inuit style of warm clothes. The Inuit have developed clothing that fits their environment; if you wish to survive in that environment, it is wise to wear the clothes. Honestly, I would have been grateful to have some seal skin pants and some protective fur on my hoodie!

As we went about the town or mingled during the festival, it was so evident that this team is indeed respecting the Inuit culture as they learn the language. So many times a note of admiration came through as they explained life in the Arctic to us — things that they had learned from their new friends.

There were some rather interesting cultural tidbits that the team has picked up on. For instance, when you see the northern lights in the sky, keep your head covered to keep a spirit from cutting off your head. One of my favorites is this: One member of the team heard that when you see the northern lights, don’t whistle or hoot at them; of course, another team member heard it like this — when you see the northern lights, do whistle and hoot at them to make them even more brilliant.

I think that in any culture you will find that it takes work to develop the relationships that we seek to nurture to get close enough to share the Good News of Jesus Christ. And in the Canadian Arctic, there have been some barriers to those budding relationships. One is the past; there is a cloud of past interracial issues.

Overcoming the Cultural Divides

Another barrier is a stereotype: the fact is that for many “Southerners” who have lived in the Arctic, their sojourning has been significantly short. The team is trying to show plainly that they are there to stay. They try to be consistent in their involvement. They show up at events; they participate as much as they can. The men on the team go hunting and fishing with the Inuit men. The ladies are going to the “sewing circle” and learning from the elders there.

We all recognize that it takes time to do anything that will last. And the team is finding that their persistence in “being there and doing” is paying off. During one of the events they went to, someone mentioned, “We are glad to have them here. They are learning our language and learning to write our language!” It hasn’t been easy.  There is a strong stereotype regarding outsiders, and with this stereotype comes a hesitancy to interact with the outsider or to include them in life. But again, God has been opening doors for them to build those necessary connections.

One thing that touched my heart was the decision by the Willards to have their first child born in that town. So many “Southerners” head to one of the big cities to the south for childbirth, but not Gideon and Cassidy. And you know what? That was an incredible step forward in their acceptance into the community. “Your child will be one of us — born here!” It made me grin when they told us that they even chose an Inuktitut name for their daughter. They chose Paunnaq for one of her middle names; it means “dwarf fireweed flower”!

The Obstacles

The team wants to see a thriving church among the Inuit; the beginning of that church is being laid by the building of those relationships with the Inuit who someday will hear in Inuktitut the clear story of salvation. But as in every place, there are obstacles to reaching the goals.

Psychological

Any of you who have ever watched a documentary about the Arctic know of the long periods of darkness that descend over the land each winter. That affects everyone. There is a sense of depression — it affects the entire town. There is that feeling of ennui, of tiredness, of a lack of motivation. Suicide rates go up. 

There is also an identity crisis. In the centuries before, there was a purposefulness in the lives of the Inuit. They had to be out hunting or fishing or gathering berries in order to survive. Now they are living in towns and don’t have to be hunters/gatherers to live. That leaves them with a feeling of purposelessness as they transition to being urban dwellers.

Religious

Many Inuit practice a form of folk Christianity. The Anglican Church has been there for a long time; some of the stereotypical animosity stems from past actions by the church. There is much animism included in their forms of religion.   

When I asked if their religion was polytheistic or monotheistic, Gideon looked at me and said, “Neither. They have no main god or gods.” They have legends of godlike individuals, but not one that they worship. They also cling to a form of reincarnation: When one person dies, the next one born receives his or her name to perpetuate that life. The team told us that the culture is not homogenous — not all of them believe the same way. To make sure there is no syncretism, the team needs to be able to share clearly and effectively in their heart language.

Literacy

Among the Inuit, the ability to read and write is not widespread. This is true in both English and Inuktitut. As mentioned before, the translated Bible is what the older generation of Inuit used to learn to read and write. As the pull to read the Bible has waned, so has the literacy rate. Yes, there are schools, and there is a push for the revitalization of the language. Past actions associated with Christianity left a large segment of the population without the ability to speak, read or write in Inuktitut.

Travel

Kilometers become obstacles when there are no roads. The four main modes of transportation are four-wheelers and boats in the ice-free months; snowmobiles are necessary during the snowy months; and airplanes are able to be used year-round, though air travel is expensive. Travel from town to town is an arduous journey on snowmobiles — due to the number of kilometers, many of those proposed trips are impossible. 

But God …

As the team stated multiple times, it has to be God who does the work, and here is where He will continue to show His power. They have been encouraged in the building of relationships. A sign of that is evidenced by the fact that they are being greeted before they greet others. 

It was eye-opening to see into the Inuit culture and to recognize how God could use a cultural aspect in evangelism. As we talked about how the Inuit lived in years past, I asked what they used for money. I was told they didn’t use money. When anyone goes hunting or fishing and is successful in getting meat, the hunter shares his meat with all his family first and then gives it away to whoever needs it. (That is how we were able to try caribou!) It still isn’t culturally acceptable to sell the extra meat; it is shared with others. 

Can you see the application? We have the gospel of Jesus Christ, and what are we to do with it? Sell it? Hoard it? No, we are to share it, and as the team shares the gospel with the Inuit, their culture tells them to share it with family and friends!

Looking Ahead

The team has purposed in their hearts to learn the culture and language well, and they know that it will take time. As they gain fluency, they will begin seeking ways to share the story of Jesus. As opposed to a large group setting for beginning foundational chronological Bible lessons, they expect to teach family by family. Those opportunities come as they build the relationships we mentioned before.

There are other communities of Inuit that the team hopes to spread out into in the future. Those will be reached by air due to the distance.

The team? A vibrant, active, outgoing group of people who are ready to see a thriving church among the Inuit. The leadership? That team has the full backing and support of a wonderfully in-touch leadership team, willing to go and be with them to help, to counsel, to advise in all areas. And there are some new team members planning to join: Brian and Michaella Bittner from the USA and Carolyn Bosman from Canada. They are working on building a team that will pray for them and support them financially so that they can move up and begin learning the Inuit culture and language.

What is our part? We need to keep them in our prayers as they face that language with its twists and turns. They need us to pray for their relationships; they need us to pray with them as they learn from the Inuit in order to be able to share with them the most precious news ever. Please keep the Willard, the Bartholdson, the Whatley and the Bittner families and Carolyn in your prayers. The challenges are there, but it is God Who is doing the work to see a thriving Inuit church in every Arctic community.

Editor’s Note: The team would like to express their heartfelt gratitude to all the churches and supporters who have made this initiative possible. Again, it had to be God Who was directing the supporters to see this happen.