Dear Family, Friends, and Church Family,

As I sit down to write this letter, I find myself overwhelmed with gratitude.

First and foremost, thank you.

Thank you for praying for me.

Thank you for encouraging me.

Thank you for believing in what God was doing, even before I fully understood where He was leading.

Many of you know that earlier this year I left for Alaska to serve a ten-week summer at Tanalian Bible Camp. I came believing the Lord was simply inviting me to spend a summer investing in the lives of children and teenagers.

What I didn't know was that while I was helping point young people toward Christ, the Lord was quietly revealing the next step of my own journey.

Throughout the summer, He has allowed me to serve children and teenagers from every imaginable background.

Some arrived full of joy and excitement.

Others carried wounds far deeper than anyone their age should have to bear.

I've sat beside homesick boys who simply needed someone to listen.

I've watched teenagers wrestle with questions of identity, purpose, and brokenness.

I've had the privilege of seeing children hear the name of Jesus and the message of the Gospel for what may have been the very first time.

There were moments filled with laughter.

Moments filled with tears.

Moments of prayer.

Moments of quiet conversations.

Moments where the greatest ministry wasn't found behind a pulpit, but simply sitting beside someone who needed to know they were seen, loved, and not alone.

Those moments changed me.

Somewhere in the middle of all of those ordinary days, I began to realize something.

God wasn't simply allowing me to minister to these young people.

He was revealing the kind of ministry He had been preparing me for all along.

Many of you know my testimony.

You know that there was a season of my life marked by brokenness, addiction, pride, and running from God.

Yet the Father, in His incredible mercy, pursued me.

He rescued me. He restored me.

And one of the greatest gifts He gave me along the way was faithful men who patiently walked beside me. Men who taught me the Scriptures, prayed with me, challenged me, encouraged me, and showed me what it looked like to follow Jesus.

Looking back now, I realize they weren't simply teaching me about Christ.

They were helping me learn to walk with Him.

I don't know where I would be today without the men God placed in my life.

This summer, I began to recognize something that humbled me deeply.

The Lord was inviting me to become that kind of man for someone else.

As the weeks passed, conversations began about an opportunity to serve with the Tanalian Leadership Center (TLC), a nine-month discipleship and leadership development program here in Port Alsworth.

At first, I simply listened. I wasn't looking for another opportunity. I genuinely believed I had come to Alaska for one summer. But the more I learned about the vision of the program, the more something in my heart came alive.

This wasn't simply a leadership program.

It was discipleship. It was walking beside young men as they learned to walk with Christ. It was helping them establish rhythms of abiding in Him.

It was encouraging them through life's struggles.

It was pointing them toward their identity in Christ and equipping them to become faithful leaders in their homes, churches, workplaces, and communities.

Everything about it resonated with what God has been cultivating in my own heart over these past several years.

After much prayer and seeking the Lord's direction, I have accepted the invitation to serve as one of the male mentors for the Tanalian Leadership Center beginning this September.

As a mentor, my role extends far beyond teaching classes. Life will be shared. Meals will be shared.

Conversations will be shared. Scripture will be opened together. Prayers will be offered together.

Some days will involve encouragement. Other days will involve correction. Many days will simply involve faithfully walking beside these young men as they learn what it means to follow Jesus in everyday life.

My prayer is not simply that they leave the program knowing more about God.

My prayer is that they leave knowing Him more deeply. That they become men who love Christ wholeheartedly. Men who love their families well.

Men who serve their churches faithfully. Men who disciple others because someone first discipled them.

As exciting as this opportunity is, it also requires a step of faith. The TLC mentor position is entirely missionary supported.

That means I have the privilege and responsibility of raising the financial support necessary to serve full-time throughout the program.

From September through May, I am trusting the Lord to provide $3,500 each month through the generosity of individuals, families, and churches who desire to invest in what He is doing here in Alaska.

I'll be honest—that number feels overwhelming when I look at it on my own.

But this entire journey has been one long testimony of God's faithfulness. Time and time again, He has gone before me, opened doors I never could have opened myself, and provided in ways I never could have orchestrated.

Because of that, I'm choosing to trust Him again.

I don't see this letter primarily as a request.

I see it as an invitation.

An invitation to partner in raising up young men whose lives may impact generations to come.

An invitation to sow into future husbands...

future fathers...

future pastors...

future missionaries...

future business owners...

future faithful disciples of Jesus Christ who will, by God's grace, one day invest in someone else's life just as others have invested in theirs.

We rarely get to see how far one act of obedience reaches.

But eternity will.

If the Lord leads you to partner with me—whether through faithful prayer, monthly support, or a one-time gift—I would be deeply honored and incredibly grateful.

Your partnership will become part of every Bible study, every late-night conversation, every prayer, every moment of encouragement, and every opportunity these young men have to encounter the love of Christ through this ministry.

Please continue praying—not only for me—but for the young men the Lord is already preparing for this coming year.

Pray that they would encounter Jesus in a life-changing way.

Pray that they would become men of integrity, humility, courage, and faith.

Pray that they would come to treasure Christ above everything else.

And pray that, years from now, they would faithfully turn around and disciple others, continuing the beautiful work that God has entrusted to His Church from one generation to the next.

Thank you for loving me. Thank you for believing in me. Thank you for praying for me. And thank you for considering becoming part of what I truly believe is God's next chapter in my life.

Whatever fruit comes from this ministry, I have no doubt it will be because the Lord chose to work through a community of believers who said "yes" to His invitation.

May Jesus receive all the glory.

With love and gratitude,

Elison Dove

HOW YOU CAN PARTNER

If the Lord leads you to become part of this ministry, there are three meaningful ways you can partner with me:

1. Pray

More than anything else, I ask for your prayers. Please pray that I would remain deeply rooted in Christ, that I would faithfully reflect His heart to the young men entrusted to my care, and that the Lord would continue preparing their hearts to receive all He has for them. Pray also that God would faithfully provide every need as this new season of ministry begins.

2. Give

As a full-time mentor with the Tanalian Leadership Center, I am trusting the Lord to raise $3,500 each month in ministry support from September through May.

Whether you feel led to give a monthly gift or a one-time contribution, every gift becomes part of investing in the spiritual formation of these young men and helping make this ministry possible.

3. Share

If this letter resonates with you, I would be grateful if you would consider sharing it with your church, small group, family, or friends. Sometimes the Lord provides through people we have never met, simply because someone else was willing to share what He is doing.

WAYS TO GIVE

VENMO: you can donate directly here(venmo):

https://venmo.com/code?user_id=4569572640294357808&created=1776256922

CASHAPP:

https://cash.app/$ElisonDove

Questions or Interested in Learning More?

I'd love to share more about what the Lord is doing in Alaska and how you can be part of it.

Email: sirius1328@gmail.com

Phone: 706-391-2282

"Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever! Amen." — Ephesians 3:20–21