History

Cowgill of central Louisiana, happened to pass by an old, dilapidated building.  It didn’t take Skipper long after finding out the origins of the building to hear God’s call to While on vacation to the area in July of 2003, Skipper and Mary Anne turn a former brothel, bar and liquor store into and men’s rescue mission.

Through the guidance of the Holy Spirit the Cowgills moved to Alaska in September 2004 and acquired the property for less than $2,000. Thirteen months later in October 2005 the Friendship Mission opened its doors.

From 2005 until 2011 we were in the back building which was quickly set up to house a small number of men until the main building could be repaired and brought up to code. It continued to be a long journey with many obstacles including: several cave-ins in the basement walls due to the poor condition of the building; roof leakage; sewer issues; well problems; code upgrades; and permitting issues. God has performed miracle after miracle in making provisions for the many projects that had to be done since the beginning.

In October 2011, the sleeping facilities were completed and men began to stay in the front building. By May 2012 the chapel, the dining room, the kitchen, and the storage facilites were completed, and the building received city approval for full time occupancy.