The Ahousaht community in BC, the largest tribe of the 14 Nuu-chah nulth First Nations, presents unique challenges and opportunities for missionary work. With approximately 900 residents, it is a remote, rural village accessible only by boat or seaplane. The absence of basic services like a grocery market or hospital adds to the villagers' struggles. This context underscores the crucial need for missionary support in the community.
In 2014, Jacob and Rachel Hwang went to Ahousaht on a short-term mission trip to serve the indigenous people. With prayer, they felt that God directed them to return to this ministry. In 2016, they embarked on their journey as full-time missionaries there. Over the next year, they visited the community every weekend, travelling for four hours by vehicle and water taxi to serve children and youth. The Ahousaht people provided a house for their family to live in on their visits. They realized that God had prepared everything they needed before their mission journey. They went there to become neighbours, but the Ahousaht people made them family
Their mentor, Mark Naylor, mentioned that what impressed him about Jacob and Rachel was their unwavering dedication to bringing Jesus' presence into the Ahousaht community. They do not just “reach out” to the community with the message of Jesus; they have immersed themselves in the community as people who serve and love in Jesus' name. Their children attend the local school and are part of the mission of living out Jesus’ values with others.
Today, Jacob, Rachel, and their children serve the First Nations community in Ahousaht by hosting various ministries: weekly Sunday worship, community care, discipleship groups, and special projects that will help restore communities. They applied to Teen Challenge Canada to be facilitators and operate the "Hope and Healing" program focused on young people who struggle with addiction so that young Indigenous people can receive healing from the power of the Gospel and become disciple-makers who can make movements to other communities that need healing and restoration.