Alicia Mayer, Regional President
Crystal Calloway, Regional Vice President
Nicole Snider, Regional Administrative Coordinator

Alicia Mayer, Regional President
Email Alicia

Sisters in Christ,
Welcome to the Alaska Region!

Let me take this opportunity to introduce myself and the other members of the Alaska Regional Board. My name is Alicia Mayer and I am the 2009-2011 Alaska Region President. Crystal Calloway is the Vice-President/Conference Coordinator and Nicole Snider is the Administrative Coordinator. We are very excited to be a part of the team leading the Alaska region for this term. You will want to read the letters Crystal and Nicole have attached in order to get to know them, too.

My husband, Brian, and two children, Amanda and Carrie, are currently stationed at Ft Richardson, soon to be Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson (JBER). We live in Wasilla, Alaska. We have been here for four years and I am in absolute awe every time I look around this great state at all the wonders of God. Alaska has brought new meaning to Isaiah 55:12, “the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.”

When first selected to the Regional Board, I was overwhelmed and honored to be a part of the best women’s ministry team I have seen in action. We have an amazing opportunity to lead women to Christ during a vital part of God’s plan. Being a part of a military ministry has laid before us many avenues and a vast field to work in. It is our job to walk out those plans. God has given us an invitation: let us accept with joy!

We, the Regional Board, spoke a lot about where God is leading us as a region. We agree that He is calling us to bring a sense of unity here. It is our desire to see more activity and communication across this region, equipping and encouraging us to share the Gospel with everyone we meet. PWOC International’s four aims will help us accomplish this. The aims are To Lead, To Teach, To Develop, and To Involve—all with the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Please join us in prayer and action as we forge ahead in the last frontier! This is a great time to be a part of this great region and I look forward to working with you.
Your sister in Christ,

Alicia Mayer
Alaska Region President 2009-2011

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Crystal Calloway, Regional Vice President
email Crystal

Greetings, Alaska family!

In 2008, my husband came home and announced that he had received orders to Alaska. That took me for a loop. Alaska, of all places! What did you do to get that assignment and what do we have to do to get out of it? You see, I looked at all the things that I would have to give up to go to Alaska: a great job, friends, family, etc. To make a long story short, I never wanted to come to Alaska. I was content staying in Texas, working out “Crystal’s Plan.” I fought my husband (not literally) and God every step of the way, even a little more once we arrived. On August 15, 2009, as my husband and I sat sharing Scripture with each other, we both felt God’s presence. My husband shared a story with me about Moses. The next day at church, it became very clear to me why God sent me here.

My husband had shared the story from Numbers 13, when the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Send some men to explore the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the Israelites.” (v. 2) He told Moses to send out a leader from each ancestral tribe. Moses gave them very specific instructions of where to go, what they were looking for, and what to bring back. Upon their return, the leaders’ reports were filled with fear and doubt. In verses 27 and 28 they report, “We went into the land to which you sent us and it does flow with milk and honey, and this is its fruit. However, the people who dwell in the land are strong, and the cities are fortified and very large.” They continued explaining how they had seen some past enemies as well. A few of the leaders allowed the obstacles they saw with their natural eye to overshadow what they should have been seeing with their spiritual eye. In short, they forgot what God had already promised them.

Caleb, a true man of faith, spoke up and silenced the people, saying, “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.” (v. 30) However, the other men began planting seeds of doubt among the people about the Israelites’ ability to attack their enemies. The Israelites continued to look at their situation instead of looking at the One who sent them. God was angered and that generation never saw the Promised Land. God wanted people who were willing to trust and follow Him. He desired a person like Caleb who publicly announced his willingness to trust and follow the LORD no matter what.

I share this story with you because it applies to me as your leader in the Alaska region. God spoke to someone on my behalf and said, “Send Crystal to explore Alaska.” I believe God is waiting for a report. Now I have two choices. I can take the Israelites’ approach, telling God that although the land is flowing with milk and honey, it is also cold and dark six months of the year! It is light the other six months and not as hot as I like. I don’t want to be apart from my family and friends and the list goes on. On the other hand, I can choose to be like Caleb. What I would like you to know about Crystal Calloway is that I have chosen to be like Caleb, reporting to God that the land does flow with milk and honey and that I will go up, and take possession of the land, for I can certainly do it.

God has sent me to Alaska to lead his women back to Him, to unite the body of Christ, and to LOVE on His women. I am going to be faithful to do just what God has instructed me to do and I trust that He will be with me every step of the way. I can state that with such confidence because He has been faithful so many times before. I have chosen not to be like the Israelites and give Him every reason why I cannot possess Alaska. God has chosen many leaders to come to Alaska, possess the land, and be about our Father’s business. I plan to be a leader that, primarily, allows God to LEAD me and then I plan to LEAD other women to Christ.

Therefore, sisters of the Alaska region, as Philippians 1:6 assures us, “Be confident that he who began a good work in you will complete it until the return of Jesus Christ.” God has begun a good work right here in Alaska. I cannot wait for you to come and help me possess the land as the shepherd leads us all to become a part of the great legacy He has set before us. YES, RIGHT HERE IN ALASKA!
See you soon,

Crystal Calloway
Alaska Region Vice-President

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Nicole Snider, Regional Administrative Coordinator
email Nicole

When I was asked to write something for the website, I wasn’t sure what I should write. Each time I started to think about it, I just felt like I was drawing a blank. Why? I’m a fairly intelligent woman and I generally don’t have a problem expressing myself. The problem was that I wasn’t allowing God to work through me. While chatting with a friend about my struggle to write this, I finally just gave a big sigh and turned it over to Him. Within seconds, I had an idea of what God wanted me to write. So remember that while Nicole is still writing this in all of my humanness, I truly believe that the message is one that God desires His daughters to know.

I have been an Army wife (or fiancé) for 16 years now. Until about three years ago, I was not involved with PWOC. Wow, was I missing out! We all know that PWOC is a built-in group of friends whenever you PCS. It is a place where we can be Christian moms, wives, and women without being judged. It is a place where we can grow in our walk with our Lord. What I think so many of us miss is that it is also a place of huge opportunity for us to grow as a servant. We can grow as a servant to our sisters in Christ, as a servant to the chapel, but most importantly, as a servant to God’s will.

About six months before moving to Ft Wainwright, I really felt God calling me to serve in PWOC. I had a million excuses why I couldn’t. I am PCS-ing at the end of the upcoming semester, so how will I be able to commit time to serving and still prepare for the move? Having only been in PWOC for about two years, what could I possible contribute? I didn’t feel like I was far enough along in my walk with m
y Lord. What if I didn’t always have the right answers? All seemed like legitimate questions and concerns to me, but in my heart, I knew they were all just excuses for me to hide and not be used.
Hesitantly, I stepped out and took advantage of some training for women that were interested in possibly leading a Bible study in the future. Wouldn’t you know, shortly after the completion of that training, there was a need for a Bible study facilitator for the upcoming semester. Again, with the valid, legitimate reasons why it surely could not be me. After hearing God’s nagging voice (yep, nagging, because that is evidently what I needed at that time) for a few days, I finally gave in and made the call to offer to facilitate the Bible study. I can tell you that I surely did not feel like I was ready or even adequate to take on the task, but what I did know is that God was asking me to trust Him and do it.

It was such a huge blessing to have God use me in ways beyond my imagination! Nothing accomplished in that class had anything to do with me; instead, it had everything to do with God. As much as I know the ladies in that Bible study were spoken to during our times together, I can honestly say that I got so much more. These are the rewards of service and obedience. I grew so much in my walk simply because I was obedient in letting God do what He does best: use me to the best of my God-given abilities.
So I want to challenge all of you who have heard that voice before, urging you to get involved. You probably do have questions and concerns about how you can fulfill some of the roles that you may be asked to fill. I will tell you that the only way you will be able to do it is by trusting God. He can do amazing and wonderful things, but only if you let Him use you! Be blessed as a servant!

“The LORD redeems His servants; no one will be condemned who takes refuge in Him.” Psalm 34:22

“All the ways of a man are clean in his own sight, but the LORD weighs the motives. Commit your works to the LORD and your plans will be established.” Proverbs 16:2-3

Nicole Snider
Alaska Region Administrative Coordinator

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