Arctic red River (Aug 21/06) - "Sir - sir! Please wake up!" A ferry worker taps on the window of Rev. Matthew Ihuoma's car, where he has fallen asleep.

He is on the ferry from Tsiigehtchic to the Inuvik side of the Mackenzie River and set to continue his journey along the Dempster highway to deliver God's word.

With a friendly "thank you" and a wave, Ihuoma is back on the road.

It's another long ride for the Inuvik pastor, who often travels to Tsiigehtchic, Paulatuk and Tuktoyaktuk with his message of faith.

"In the past, people had a resident priest, but that hasn't happened in a long while," said Ihuoma, explaining he visits Tsiigehtchic every two weeks.

While the highway drive can be long and tedious, Ihuoma is not alone in his campaign.

On July 16, he met with another minister in Tsiigehtchic, who was travelling from the U.S. Maury Arsenault, from Baltimore, Md., and his wife Dottie were staying in Tsiigehtchic a few days at the Holy Name of Mary parish, until July 21.

They are teachers of a program called "On Eagle's Wings," which will visit 30 communities in the NWT, Nunavut and northern Alberta this summer.

"We're here to bring the message of Jesus to the remote and isolated areas of the North," he said.

Like Ihuoma, they are travellers on a religious mission, criss-crossing the North in the name of Christ. It may be tiring work, but they say it is very rewarding.

"We're here to celebrate the message of the Bible," he said.