The impact of Echo Ranch Bible Camp reverberates throughout Southeast Alaska, influencing the lives of hundreds of children and young adults each year. Thanks to your generous donations, the camp continues to share Jesus’ love and truth with the unreached in a remote and underserved part of the country.

We have good news to share in response to your prayers and giving! The mother of four children who attended Echo Ranch for the first time shared this uplifting testimony. By doing so, she is truly echoing the words of the Psalmist who wrote, “Come and hear, all you who fear God, and I will tell what he has done for my soul” (Psalm 66:16 ESV).

It All Started with Echo Ranch

Faith, fun and making friends for life

Shared by Mary Stixrud of Juneau, Alaska

I have never pushed Jesus on my kids. I was broke when I moved back home to Alaska in 2021 with my four kids. I had no money to send the kids to any camps, [but] I found Echo Ranch and they offered camp scholarships to my kids.

My three youngest loved camp and couldn’t stop talking about how much joy they had talking about Jesus and singing the camp songs…My oldest son fought going to camp. “It’s a Jesus camp. They’ll make me pray before I eat and they won’t talk about anything but God.” I told him I  couldn’t get any other camp for him and that he had to at least try it. Reluctantly, he agreed to go.

When I picked him up from camp a week later, he was a whole new person. The kid I dropped off was full of anger and hurt, but the kid I picked up was happy and so excited. I asked him how the camp was and without missing a beat he blurted out, “I am a Christian!”

After Echo Ranch, the kids begged me to take them to church. Very reluctantly I agreed and started taking them. It was at church that my kids started blooming. The joy pouring out of them was amazing to watch. They started asking me whey I didn’t believe them. My story is longer, but in the end, sending my kids to Echo Ranch has been such a blessing. It has brought my family so much healing and faith that I didn’t even know was missing in our lives. Going to church has healed me and made me a believer.

It all started with Echo Ranch and the healing I saw in my kids. Seeing them healed has helped me see that I could also be healed.

You Were a Part of This

Kids worshiping in the majesty of Alaska

This story is powerful and is the kind of story you want to tell and retell because of how amazing it is. And on that note, we hope you will! Celebrating what God has done in the lives of others builds our faith and gives Him more and more glory. So feel free to share this article with your friends and family! Let’s “declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples!” (Psalm 96:3 ESV).

We also ask you to consider remembering the vital work of Echo Ranch in your prayers and giving (click here to learn more). Let’s join together to see testimonies like these spring up throughout Alaska and spread to all people.

Glory to God!