By Tony Bulawa
Most every Christian knows the exhortation
and promise of Proverbs 3:5-6. Trust in
the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not
unto thine own understanding. In all thy
ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct
thy paths. In fact, many have this passage
committed to memory. But, what does it look
like when God is directing our paths and
what are the results? Recently, my wife and
I had the opportunity to visit three churches
in the Northwest Territories of Canada and
see firsthand the results of one man allowing
the Lord to direct his paths.

The account we heard from church
members and Pastor Riley Featherstone goes
something like this: In
1973, Dave Bickish, church
planter and bush pilot, and
his family were flying from
Fairbanks, Alaska, en route
to the Yukon community of
Old Crow. Before reaching
Old Crow, the Bickish
family landed in Aklavik
for fuel. This fuel stop
afforded Brother Bickish
20 First church building
in Aklavic
the opportunity to meet a man at the airstrip
who was alone, intoxicated, and sitting in
a snowbank. Through this encounter, the
Lord led Brother Bickish to stay in Aklavik
and plant the Aklavik Baptist Church. Old
Crow was the destination and plan that Dave
Bickish had, but when he yielded to the
Lord’s direction to stay and plant a church
in Aklavik, surely even he could not have
foreseen all the Lord would do.

In 1978, five years after the Bickish family
landed in Aklavik and planted a church in this
community of about 500 people, the church
in Aklavik reproduced itself in the larger
town of Inuvik. Inuvik, with a population
of just over 3,000 people,
is the third largest
community in Canada’s
Northwest Territories.

Today, the journey between
Aklavik and Inuvik is made
via an ice road across the
Mackenzie River delta
during winter or by boat
once the ice melts. Since
our visit was in the winter,
we made the trip by ice
road. I found the ice road
to be a smoother and better
ride than some of the paved
roads in the area!
Dave Bickish & his wife
—members of Inuvik church



From 1975 through 2009, other church
planters would labor alongside the Bickish
family and churches were planted in Fort
McPherson, Yellowknife, Tuktoyaktuk,
and Norman Wells—all communities in
Canada’s Northwest Territories. Of the six
churches planted, the works in Aklavik,
Inuvik, Tuktoyaktuk, and Norman Wells
continue today.

While the Bickish family left the Northwest
Territories in or about 1988, I met Christians
in the churches in Aklavik, Inuvik, and
Tuktoyaktuk who had fond memories of
them and are thankful for the influence they
had in their lives. One man’s testimony in
particular stands out in my mind. Tommy is
a member of the First Bible Baptist Church of
Inuvik. He spoke to me about the “churches”
that were in his communities before the
arrival of the Bickish family. But as he said,
“They did not tell us the truth” because they
“did not give us the Word of God.” Tommy
also told me that he was “so thankful and
glad that this man came and preached with
power and gave them the Word of God—the
truth!” His desire for others to be introduced
personally to Jesus is summarized in his
statement: “In this day and age, clear biblical
preaching is what everyone needs!” Tommy
and his wife both received Jesus as Savior as
a result of Brother Bickish’s preaching and
they continue as faithful members in the
church today. I spoke with several who had
similar testimonies. Today, scores of lives in
these remote Arctic communities have been
transformed by the Gospel message because
one man determined not to lean unto his
own understanding but rather allow the
Lord to direct his paths.

The Gospel outreach of the ministry
started in Aklavik has not been limited to
the Northwest Territories of Canada. The
principle reason for our trip to Inuvik was
to speak at the church’s missions conference.

The passion that this church as well as the
churches in Aklavik and Tuktoyaktuk have
for world evangelization through missions is
phenomenal. It was a joy for Paula and me to
have the privilege to be in these places most
will never visit and to meet and interact with
these Christians who had such a heart for the
things of the Lord and for reaching the world
with the Gospel. The testimonies of their
changed lives and the generational impact
upon families through the Gospel ministries
in these communities will continue to be a
source of encouragement for us long into the
future. While giving is not the only indicator
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