What No Eye Has Seen
In 1 Corinthians 2:9, Paul quotes a passage from Isaiah 64:4: “no eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived, what God has prepared for those who love them.” This verse captures the reality that we, as God’s children, live in: continually seeing God bless and provide in ways that we cannot even imagine. We certainly experienced that this year at camp!
Entering 2025, we anticipated seeing God work in and through the ministry of Echo Ranch and Avant Ministries, but where and how, truly only God knew. We pressed on in faith, knowing God’s work would produce God stories, and we were not disappointed! Week by week, we saw the plans of God unfolding. Our staff stepped into the unknown, pursuing His vision placed in our hearts to reach the communities of southeast Alaska with the gospel, and we saw Him provide. God brought the people needed to do the work of ministry, on so many levels. Along with the necessary staffing, He provided the necessary energy, time, and resources – and the latter came once again through God’s people, as He laid on the hearts of so many generous friends of camp to participate by giving. Whether it was money, equipment, vehicles, prayers, or a hundred other gifts, many stepped up as partners in ministry with us, and we saw divine fingerprints all over their decisions and actions.
But then we also saw the answer to the why; that is, why was God assembling and equipping His team? What would all these volunteers, gifts, and partners come together for? Well, all year long at Echo Ranch, God used the team, the location, and the Word of God to magnify the reality of the Glory of God! Week after week, we saw the Gospel being lived out in the context of the intimate, temporary community we share in both Berners Bay and Haines. Lost souls found hope, wandering souls found direction, hungry souls were discipled, tired souls found rest, and called souls were trained to go out and further proclaim the glory of God. We, as God’s children, as the family of God, as Echo Ranch, participated this year in spreading the greatest message that defies the imagination: that the Son of God not only came to earth to be born in a manger, but willingly lived a perfect life in our place and died for our sin, so we might share in His life, His joy, His glory, His family.
And what’s our hope and prayer for 2026? That once again we will witness God perform “what no eye has ever seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived, what God has prepared for those” – for us! – “who love Him.”
Thank you for being a part of the story God is playing out in this corner of Alaska, a piece of the great, glorious story God is writing throughout all the world. We’re grateful and excited to enter 2026 alongside you, and to see another new year unfold where God grows the family of Echo Ranch and, most importantly, the family of God!