Introduction
The Inuit, those living on the barren and frozen land of northeastern Canada, were not only enduring the climate’s brutal conditions, but they were also suffering from intense spiritual barrenness. In 1996, following passionate prayer, the once spiritually barren people experienced a visitation of God that transformed community after community.
Conditions Prior to the Revival
► Like the barrenness of the land, there was deep inner barrenness.
► For decades the people struggled to find their identity.
► With no sense of place or purpose, communities were spiraling into darkness.
► The loss of their culture and traditional ways enhanced their shame and enhanced the darkness surrounding them.
► Entire communities were often drunk or high on illegal drugs.
► With no police, laws, or community rules, there was fighting all the time.
► Spousal abuse was rampant.
► Sexual abuse, rape, and incest were rampant.
► Fear of being assaulted was a cloud surrounding every young woman.
► There were deep emotional wounds and no way to process them.
► Suicide was common: gunshots, inhaling solvents, or strangulation.
► The caribou (reindeer), fish, and berries that were once abundant began to disappear.
Harry Tulugak
A local resident, Harry Tulugak, said,
It was total horror.
One woman said:
It looked like our community was cursed.
The conditions were so devastating, that the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC News) sent a television crew to investigate. They found that the suicide rate among teenagers was twenty times the Canadian average.
Extraordinary Prayer
In 1996, intercessors in Pond Inlet began interceding for revival, and the results were immediate and tangible.
Attempting to describe the intensity of the prayers, Harry Tulugak said:
The wailing. The wailing in the churches. The pain, the pain.
It was this travailing prayer that ascended as incense before God, resulting in the heavens opening.
Prayer was accompanied by severe wailing and deep inner pain due to their level of repentance and desperation for freedom.
What Happened
In the village of Puvirnituq, in 1996, the conviction power of the Holy Spirit became intense, drawing people to the Lord in great numbers.
Artic Missionary Roger Armbruster said of this powerful conviction:
I’ve seen men get up and publicly confess that ‘I have abused my children, and I have abused my wife.’
The conviction power was so great in Pond Inlet that the people were led to clean their houses of everything that was deemed sinful:
► Illegal drugs
► Pornography
► Alcohol
► Heavy metal music
In an effort to demonstrate repentance, people would bring the objects to the church.
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
The RCMP offered assistance in the destruction of the objects by providing a place to burn them, as well as fuel to help the fire get started. The objects destroyed were said to be valued at $80,000 – $100,000.
Objects in plastic bag people brought to church to repent of
Burning of some of the objects the people deemed sinful
Young boy interceding
Planned Revival Services
On Sunday, February 28, 1999, the Anglican St. Timothy’s Church in Pond Inlet held special revival meetings for a week, with a special Sunday afternoon youth service on that day. During this service an invitation was given for the youth to come to the front of the church if they wanted to get closer to God. It was then that, according to Evangelist Billy Arnaquq,
Something started to happen that was out of our control.
Those present commented about the phenomena they experienced:
Looee Arreak
► “The noise started coming. It started softly, and you could barely hear it” (Looee Arreak).
► “It kept getting louder and louder. I started to notice that people were getting a little nervous” (Billy Arnaquq).
► “Right away, I wanted it stopped” (James Arreak).
► “It was so strong. So strong” (Looee Arreak).
► “It was so loud that everything [in the church] started to shake” (Moses Kyak).
► “It sounded like a jet” (Looee Arreak).
► “It sounded like Niagara Falls” (Joshua Arreak).
► “I told my self, ‘there’s no jets in Pond Inlet’” (Looee Arreak).
James Arreak
► “Things started to shake. I started to shake” (James Arreak).
The presence of God was so strong, that some people began falling down for no known reason.
Pastors Moses Kyak and Billy Arnaquq
When Pastor Moses Kyak first heard the low-pitched rumbling, he went to the soundboard and tried to readjust the settings, but nothing changed. He then turned the master controls to their lowest setting, and still the sound continued. He then shut the sound board completely off, and yet the sound, as well as the recording of the sound, continued.
Joshua Arreak
The minister of that Anglican church, Joshua Arreak, said:
It [technically] couldn’t have been recorded. It is only by a miracle of God [that the sound did get recorded].
Pastor Moses Kyak said about that incident:
It was so humbling that I wanted to continually come before God to ask for healing and cleansing of my heart. To become pure before Him.
Some of the locations to where the revival spread.
Results of the Revival
► The communities were changed.
► People were set free.
► Suicides immediately dropped off.
► Crime at all levels diminished.
► Relationships were restored.
► Every community in the Arctic began experiencing revival.
► Unity among the churches occurred, as well as the development of Inuit leaders.
► The Gospel began to infiltrate the political arena, with some mayors opening their council chambers with prayer several times per week.
► The land began to be productive again, with caribou and fish being more populous, as well as the land producing plants which yielded berries.
Several years after the revival started, Harry Tulugak said:
We have an almighty and all-forgiving God, and families have been healing over these past 6-7 years now. It has been wonderful to see the moving of God in our community.
Worshippers during the revival
Sources
► A Roar on Baffin Island by Daniel Curry
► Arctic Revival by Debra Fieguth
► Transformations II by The Sentinel Group
Return to List of Revival Stories
Chet & Phyllis Swearingen
(260) 920-8248
romans1015@outlook.com
Beautiful Feet
P.O. Box 915
Auburn, IN 46706
