Bakers to Alaska

[Maggie Mae]

21 hours ago, AliceInFundyland said:

I just read Pilgrim’s Wilderness, by Tom Kizzia about the Hales. It was quite fascinating. It does contain vivid accounts of incest (over 18) and child abuse.

I listened to the audiobook a few years ago, it's pretty good. It explains a lot about the family and how they got that way, and some of the other legal battles about the road through Wrangell/St Elias NP. I enjoyed it, and would recommend it to anyone interested!

[Maggie Mae]

Okay, so if I'm reading this right, this family of 10 has sold everything and moved to Palmer, Alaska. They will be moving to Wainwright and staying there from July until October (bring bug spray), then moving back to Southcentral, where the dad thinks he'll find a job in a downturn economy, and living there for "several years" until they can figure out a way to move to Nuiqsuit, because God told them to? Was there some sort of "reality" show that recently featured Nuiqsuit? It's an Inupiaq village in the middle of an oil field. Nothing against the region or the people, but there are so many better choices for them, though my preference would be for people to stop coming to Alaska without a usable skill (like a doctor or teacher or nurse) and trying to make Alaska just like Texas/Kansas/bible belt. (In the same way, I'd like for oil companies to stop hiring out-of-state workers who move here, make money, and then leave with their money while voting to slash our budgets. Invest in your community or GTFO)

[Palimpsest]

Catching up, now let me get this straight.

The Lord laid it on the hearts of the Baker parents, with their 10 children (and one on the way), to move to the "North Slope" and convert Alaskans.

So they sold their house and business somewhere in the lower 48 USA and moved the whole kits and caboodle up to Alaska.  They are based just north of Anchorage at the moment, because God provided a (rental) house for them within 12 hours of landfall.  God is a miracle worker, it is better than they ever dreamed of living in.  I hope it is a short-term lease,

At the end of July they are packing up the kids again (how pregnant is she? ) and moving up to Wainwright, a town of <600 people, to fill in for some other missionaries going on furlough.  They will be there until October.  It will be getting a bit nippy around then.

Jason Baker, it is claimed, has found a job in Alaska.  It may, or may not, have to do with boats.  It may, or may not, be based anywhere near where they are living, either in Wainwright or near Anchorage.

They have no established plans after that.  God must be working overtime to find the next door He needs to open for them.  Are we looking at the usual IFB solitary missionary family who don't have a f'ing clue what they are doing types? 

There is an established missionary organisation on Guidestar, NORTH SLOPE BAPTIST MISSION INC, based in Fort Hope AK.   https://www.guidestar.org/profile/94-3048802 

That seems to be a 2 person mission, Nick and Darianne Servino.  Is there any chance - or hope - the Bakers know them?   

[Anonymousguest]

What do you think missionaries do in a village like this? Practically speaking on a day to day basis. Also what kind of housing do you think they will have there? I can't imagine there is much to accommodate 12-13 people. 

Is there information about them somewhere besides the FB page? I didn't see anywhere on there mentioning she was expecting. Just wondering when she's due.

[albireo]

4 minutes ago, Anonymousguest said:

Is there information about them somewhere besides the FB page? I didn't see anywhere on there mentioning she was expecting. Just wondering when she's due.

She has a private Instagram that I found through Sharia Hale's page. I followed her out of interest in her growing megafamily and connection to the Hales (read Pilgrim's Wilderness recently too!), and later found out about the mission. Not clear when she's due, but she only announced at the end of April.

Her Facebook page (Sarah Baker, accessible through the Bakers to Alaska page) is visible to anyone with an account.

[Maggie Mae]

15 minutes ago, Palimpsest said:

There is an established missionary organisation on Guidestar, NORTH SLOPE BAPTIST MISSION INC, based in Fort Hope AK.   https://www.guidestar.org/profile/94-3048802 

That seems to be a 2 person mission, Nick and Darianne Servino.  Is there any chance - or hope - the Bakers know them?   

Point Hope is one of those "look at this place" if you don't believe that climate change is happening kind of places. My searching has me believing that all of these baptist missions are connected and under Grace Baptist, which is a young-earth kind of deal. None of this is sitting very well with me. 

If they want maritime work, they need to go to Southeast or Western Alaska. Otherwise he's probably going to end up in the oil fields, doing manual labor, and probably end up back in the lower 48 in a year or two. 

[Anonymousguest]

36 minutes ago, Palimpsest said:

seems to be a 2 person mission, Nick and Darianne Servino.  Is there any chance - or hope - the Bakers know them?   

She mentions the Servinos on her FB page as their first contact to AK.

[Palimpsest]

15 minutes ago, albireo said:

Her Facebook page (Sarah Baker, accessible through the Bakers to Alaska page) is visible to anyone with an account.

Thanks.  Yes, the Bakers do know the Serinos.  Oh, hell, no.  She sells Young Living!  It's almost obligatory.

And apparently they had a poultry business or kept chickens and other fowl.  Still browsing.

 

[Maggie Mae]

7 minutes ago, Anonymousguest said:

What do you think missionaries do in a village like this? Practically speaking on a day to day basis. Also what kind of housing do you think they will have there? I can't imagine there is much to accommodate 12-13 people. 

Is there information about them somewhere besides the FB page? I didn't see anywhere on there mentioning she was expecting. Just wondering when she's due.

I have no idea. I don't even know what non missionaries do all day in some villages. There are villages I feel safe in, that are thriving, where kids go to school and travel and play basketball/other activities and they harvest whales (or whatever is traditional in their area)  when they need to, and then there are villages that are, to put it bluntly, terrifying with lock downs and zero parental involvement and only one or two kids in school that are over the age of 14. Most North Slope villages are welcoming and friendly in my experience which is not comprehensive.  

[usedbicycle]

On 6/11/2018 at 5:11 PM, Anonymousguest said:

What do you think missionaries do in a village like this? Practically speaking on a day to day basis. Also what kind of housing do you think they will have there? I can't imagine there is much to accommodate 12-13 people. 

I'm sure Mom and the kids can't realistically do anything but take care of themselves and the home. Whether in Kansas or Alaska or Zambia, it's the same routine of cooking, homeschooling and endless laundry. Maybe Mom can lead a ladies' bible study, but most likely she will just attend church services twice a week with the kids. 

Now the real question is what does Dad do?? Some missionaries do very little à la John Shrader and Derick Dillard, some have a real job and act as a pastor on the side, some pastor full time and do some good work in the community. It usually depends on what the sending church or sponsors expect (just saving souls, or actual work in the community). If the Bakers are completely independent and have no sending church, then Dad is going to have to work. 

[Palimpsest]

6 hours ago, usedbicycle said:

Now the real question is what does Dad do?? Some missionaries do very little à la John Shrader and Derick Dillard, some have a real job and act as a pastor on the side, some pastor full time and do some good work in the community. It usually depends on what the sending church or sponsors expect (just saving souls, or actual work in the community). If the Bakers are completely independent and have no sending church, then Dad is going to have to work. 

Sarah did say that her husband had found a job.  I would also argue that John Shrader does a lot.  Granted everything he does fails eventually, but he is a positive whirlwind of destruction and cultural insensitivity when he is in a manic phase.  His converts ran for the hills for good reason, but not until he had succeeded in exploiting many of them as free labor.

I took a quick look at a few other IFB missionaries to Alaska.  The Serinos have a church and run faith-based alcohol recovery meetings along with Bible study, prayer, and Sunday services.  They also have a line item on their 990 for money expended on assisting with funerals.  As Shrader knows, there is nothing like a free funeral service as an opportunity to harangue the survivors about Hell Fire.

The Pinnix family seems to collect boats, planes, snowmobiles, SUVs, and a giant "Rig" to travel to remote villages for conversion purposes.  Papa Pinnix at least grew up in Alaska and must have some idea of the terrain and weather conditions.  https://thepinnixfamily.wordpress.com/

The Bakers could be very destructive over a summer in Wainwright, Alaska.  It is a city (although it has the same population as my small town) and has a public school and a clinic.  I'm envisioning Wainwright as being a bit like the town on Northern Exposure - Alaskans please correct me if I am wrong.

While Jason is working, preaching on Sundays, and holding Wednesday evening prayer meetings, the whole family can still be involved.  Sarah could sell Young Living oils and home schooling rhetoric as well as Jebus at her ladies prayer meetings.  They could picket the health clinic with anti-contraception and anti-abortion signs.  Jason could picket the local watering hole and the airport to protest the demon drink, and to persuade people to come to his faith-based alcohol treatment meetings.  I doubt he has any understanding of addiction at all so he could do a lot of damage by pulling people away from more legitimate and effective treatment.

I'm sure some of these IFB "missionaries" do a bit of good work, but I usually don't see their actions as positive at all.