A Christmas Journey to Gjoa Haven

By Deacon Nick Kigeak, Youth Coordinator

Just a week after being ordained, Deacon Nick flew to Gjoa Haven on King William Island to bring Word and Sacrament to his hometown.

I was born and raised in a community called Gjoa Haven Nunavut, that’s where all my family are, my father, my siblings, nieces and nephews. After being ordained in December, I went and visited my hometown Gjoa Haven to do the Christmas services, also to visit people, and to teach the faith. I almost forgot how cold the weather gets at my hometown (I guess -60 with windchills isn’t so bad for some of us!). I almost forgot having to put extra layers of clothing to go to visit people.

My visit to Gjoa Haven the whole entire time was refreshing because I got to see familiar faces, since I have been serving the Lord working from the Diocesan Office in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories.

Whenever Christmas comes around, the community gets together and do a bunch of great activities to entertain each other, stuff like storytelling, game activities, drum dancing, talent shows and other fun dances. I got to watch a little bit of that during my 2-week visit. Since Gjoa Haven doesn’t have an Anglican minister living there anymore, now that Rev. Ikey Nashooriatook is serving in Inukjuaq, the Bishop let me go over to Gjoa Haven and do the church services and encourage the people. During my stay, I did some pastoral visits, training the lay leaders who are now in charge, and went through the liturgy with the lay leaders and some of the choir members. I also took over the reserved sacrament so that we could have Communion on Christmas Eve, since the people haven’t had Holy Communion since Rev. Ikey moved.

On Christmas Day I went over to the Elders Home on to distribute communion there also, with Christmas hymns, prayers, and scripture readings to follow. The people at the Elders Home were quite thankful and happy after the little service, which made me happy too.

What I noticed was that, even though the community went through a lot in the last couple months with a number of deaths and people grieving, they still came together, the different groups hosted Christmas games, events, dances and talent shows. They played all kinds of games: there were traditional games, modern games, ice sculpture challenge, Christmas light decoration challenge, ice chiseling challenge, iglu building challenge. This just shows me what love they have for each other, it showed me that they support each other, and that just shows me that coming together is what a real community does, no matter what we’ve been through.

Sharing each other’s burden, an act of kindness changes everything. Showing God’s love and supporting each other changes everything. For in Job 10:12 it says, “You have granted me life and favour, and Your care has preserved my spirit.” I always pray for my hometown community, and I keep other places in prayer too, but coming together as a community really helps lifts up burdens and encourages others. Which reminds me of one verse from the gospel of Matthew in the 11th chapter on the 28th verse which says, “Come to Me, all you who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

It’s always really great and joyful whenever the community gets together having fun, there’s laughter, there’s smiles as if there were never sorrows and sadness. But Christmas time of 2023 was such a blessing, seeing familiar faces again is a blessing, going to visit the elders and listening to their stories is a blessing, and seeing my father, siblings, nieces and nephews is a blessing. Doing the church services in Inuktitut, playing and singing the hymns, doing the prayers in Inuktitut has reminded me of being a kid again growing up in church. I was so encouraged by the people around me, and I hope the people in Gjoa Haven were encouraged by having me over for Christmas too.