In fall 2022, Delta Junction Adventist Church in Interior Alaska discovered that an older couple, Linnie and Delores Gilpin, had been living in their garage.
They were not in the best health, living in a small space with a leaking roof and inadequate insulation. Delta Junction’s average temperatures in the winter range from a high of 13 degrees to 9 degrees below zero. After hearing of their situation, the church felt called to help.
On the property was an unfinished log home that had sat for ten years because the Gilpins had not been able to finish it. This summer, Delta Junction Church started two-hour work bees each Sunday, with plans to finish the home for the upcoming winter.
As first priority, volunteers split and stacked wood for heating. Next, volunteers connected a water supply and a septic system to the structure. With the plumbing completed, volunteers could finish the interior. They cleaned the space thoroughly before constructing walls and installing electrical wiring throughout. To finish the project, volunteers connected kitchen appliances and installed a wood stove for heating.
The Gilpins were overjoyed, appreciating the assistance from the Delta Junction Church members who experienced the joy of disinterested benevolence — giving up self in favor of helping others. God’s gift to humanity, giving His life so we may live with Him for eternity, is the greatest sacrifice. As His followers, the least we can do is help those in need, putting into practice one’s love for God and His gift to us all.
"For whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because of your name as followers of Christ, truly I say to you, he will not lose his reward" (Mark 9:41).
Volunteers from the Delta Junction Church in Alaska helped Linnie and Delores Gilpin, seated, have a safe, warm home before the winter season.
