A Youth Outing On The Yukon Delta

One of the things we were able to do while we were in Emmonak, was take some of the youth associated with the church youth group out of town for an afternoon, go up river and have a picnic outing. When you plan such things, you pretty much have to make a commitment to go rain or shine, or else, you would never go. So, we planned that on the Thursday afternoon we were there, we would go. Phil Kovloski helped us out by rounding up his boat and another to get everyone who wanted to go up river. He also scouted out a suitable place that was high enough to get out of the water, yet not so brushy that you would have to clear a spot out of the alders. He also got a fire started before we arrived which helped quite a bit.
We loaded up about 8 kids - not one wearing any sort of rain gear and about the same number of us - all wearing head to toe rain gear. We left town in the driving rain. The clouds lowered over town, dark and heavy with rain and let loose upon us. Nevertheless, we plowed forward to our destination. Frankly I thought it would just be pretty miserable of an outing, but I was very keen to see more of the territory up close.
We powered up river for about 20 minutes and arrived at our spot. The fire was smoldering and we went to work to put up a shelter of sorts - kind of hard when the tallest bush is only about seven feet high and very spindly. Others went to work on the fire and getting more fire wood split. The rest of us hauled up our coolers full of food and the $60 in soda I have already mentioned.
Interestingly enough, as soon as we had everything ready for getting the food out, the sun came out from somewhere between the clouds and flooded our picnic spot with light and warmth. Suddenly everyone was peeling off layers of rain gear and coats. This brightened up the mood considerably. Soon we were roasting "brats" over the smoldering fire and scooping up a meatloaf casserole with our hands as we forgot to bring plates and other civilized utensils to eat with. Since we were hungry it didn't seem to matter a lot to anyone.
We then sang, shared testimonies and prayed. Then in a spontaneous moment, we had a spear throwing contest. The "target" was an empty pickle jar that had just been emptied. Everyone who joined the contest was very intent on being the one to knock the pickle jar off the stump. There was also a search for some of the edible plants in the area and the usual dodging smoke in the eyes around the fire.
After a couple of hours, the sun let us know it wasn't going to stay around any longer so we loaded up the boats and headed off up river to see what could be seen.
The Yukon River at this point is huge. Once we arrived at the main channel of the river, it might as well have been a huge lake as there was nothing but water on the horizon to see. It was amazing to try to comprehend how big a river could be. There are many, many channels that crisscross back and forth through the river. Someone like me was unfamiliar with the area could take a wrong turn and be lost forever. It is certainly a place where people could disappear easily.
We saw a couple of fish wheels, a family of foxes and some really flat land. Just because the river is wide does not mean it is deep everywhere. Way out in the river we hit some very shallow water which you couldn't tell from the surface as it is very muddy and the wind was blowing which put riffles on the water everywhere.
All in all, it was a fun and worthwhile outing. As we neared town, the rain came back as strong as before and we all hustled to get things back to the church and ready to pack up for home the next day.

Missions Trip Food

A quote that has been attributed to Napoleon, the French general is, "an army marches on its stomach" (or at least something to that affect). Well, the thought that food is important to anyone who wants to do much at all is applicable. A missions team needs a fair amount of food to do work in bush Alaska. Consider the difficulty of trying to feed a team of 14 people by having to make all the food, breakfast, lunch and dinner. Consider that a lot of kitchen facilities in bush Alaska aren't really equipped to handle this task, and, in both trips we have taken, the kitchen had to be dismantled so work could be done. Consider that there are nearly no restaurants in a bush village, at least any that could handle 14 people all at once. Consider that the cost of procuring that much food in bush Alaska would cost almost as much as the trip itself over a week of being there. That is a lot of considering I know, but you get the idea, food is expensive, in short supply and it is impractical to prepare on site. Enter the great team of cooks and people from New Life Assembly of God to the rescue!
A couple of weeks before departure, numbers of volunteers came forward to prepare and donate an incredible variety of breakfast, lunch and dinner entrees that were ready and frozen in aluminum foil pans to take with us as well as a variety of desserts. Each and every day we had hot meals that were delicious and in generous supply, even with 14 hungry people to consume them. The ladies that came primarily as cooks simply had to heat these meals up in the oven in order to prepare them for the team. We took two large coolers full of these frozen meals with us which covered all our needs.

The other consideration is that with each meal, there are guests. Children, young people and adults all find out there is hot food available and for just showing up, you get a nice plate full, served with a simile. It's one of the best ways of interacting with the community, because even if some people never come, they hear about these visitors that feed anyone who comes by. It's hard not to like someone who readily invites you to share in a hot meal just as soon as they meet you, which is one of the strategies the team uses when we go to these locations. Word spreads and so does the good will. You can't often see a direct result, but because so many are helpful to us when we run into problems you can't help but wonder if this kindness greases the skids when it comes to needing help.
When kids or adults are there, it often leads to ministry opportunities.
That was one aspect of our team I was really proud of. Whatever the need was, they would sense the opportunity to pray, counsel or just befriend someone without so much as a single prompt from me. It was so wonderful to see each person approached with some form of ministry. Not everyone wants prayer or for you to do something, but it was always offered. Food was a catalyst to make these opportunities happen. I don't know how each individual person found out they could come and get a meal, but as I already said, word gets around in a place like Emmonak. So, if you have an opportunity to fix a meal for someone or even for a missions team like ours, it may not seem like a very spiritual activity, but be assured, it is. In a culture where the significance of food and meals goes beyond just quieting hunger, food provides bridges to relationship which in turn provides us with opportunities to minister to other needs in Jesus' name.

Livin' The Dream

The kids in bush Alaska are wonderful. On the two trips to the Alaska bush that I have made, the children are a significant part of the experience.
Until about the hour of noon, there are no children to be seen in the whole village. About one o'clock, they begin to emerge from their homes to see the curious new people in town. At first, they are a bit shy and cautious. That doesn't last very long. As soon as they determine that you are friendly, it's game on. They tease, they play, they hang on to you. They not only want to be with you, they want to stand in the very place you are standing, even though you are already occupying the spot. Of course they want to "help" with painting or digging or carpentry, dangerous or not, they want to be doing what you are dong.
We developed a strategy in which one of the team members was designated to interact with the children while the others were working. This was the only safe thing to do. One day the ladies held a Sunday School with crafts, lesson, singing and of course food. Another day, Jared, was assigned to build "boats" with the kids which they also painted (in retrospect, not such a good idea to mix kids and paint). Walking around the village, is an interesting study. There is no way in or out of the village except by air or boat. So the kids roam freely without much of a care as strangers are pretty conspicuous. There are limited things to do in the village so they make their own fun. One of the sites they introduced us to was "Mud Hill" which was exactly that. It was a hill about 25 feet high with a sharp drop off. They would run up the ramped side with all the speed they could muster and fling themselves into the air to land in the accumulated softer mud on the backside. Pretty amusing to watch.
Rain or shine these kids dress and play the same. We witnessed them wrestling and rolling on the ground as the rain came down so hard that we had gone inside for a bit. No rain coats, no boots, just hoodies and tennis shoes. There really is not one reason for a person to own a pair of tennis shoes in Emmonak. You could even play a game of basketball on the boardwalk basketball court in your "Extra Tuffs" (boots), that is if there was a basketball. It is wet and mud everywhere. But, that is pretty much all they wear there. A new pair of tennis shoes is new probably about 30 seconds before they are not new anymore. Less time if it is currently raining.The kids are cute and generally pretty starved for your attention. Most of them grow up without ever getting out of the village until they are teens or later. "Big" cities might be Aniak or Bethel. Anchorage is a huge place to them. Of course they know all about popular culture through the internet and video games and dish television. As they become teens, village life becomes understandably dull and many problems are evidenced in the grim statistics that are complied each year. Teens typically dress in the popular "gang" fashions, baggy pants, sideways hats, hoodies, and puffy tennis shoes. The school system tries to address the problem with self-esteem programs, one recent one which was "Livin' the Dream." Several kids were wearing the hoodies they received for completing the course. It seemed ironic at times. Our missionaries have such a challenge to not only meet the spiritual needs of adults in a place like Emmonak, but the teens and children as well. What do we offer them? Where do we take them? Is the key to their survival in Emmonak or would they do better somewhere else? Does the village want to see all their children leave for a more populated area? Hard questions and all of it takes a lot of money and a lot of time. Pray for our ministries in bush Alaska. Without God, I am not sure what if anything might be done.

Working In Bush Alaska

I know it is difficult to imagine accurately, but try to think of going somewhere to work and having to think of everything you might need to bring with you and anticipate what unexpected things you might encounter that would prohibit you from accomplishing your task. Then try to do all with a very small weight limit. Those are the constraints you must deal with in working in bush Alaska. The team members are limited to 25 pounds of personal gear - that includes your sleeping pad/bag, changes of clothes, personal hygiene and any specialized gear like rain gear. This leaves no room for your own tool kit. Tools on a trip like this are community, which means there is not always enough to go around. So you take turns using certain tools and making the best of it all.
You bring things like different kinds of nails and screws of different lengths, tape, string, extra saw blades and drill bits. It is sometimes the craziest little thing that can bring progress to a halt. Then, there is no guarantee you will be able to find what you need at the village store, and as I have already mentioned in a prior blog, if you do find it, it will cost you dearly. So, you pack and pray for the best. On both trips our teams ran into trouble with plumbing parts. Out of the infinite number of possible plumbing parts which ones might you possibly need?
While pulling out the old kitchen cabinets a hot water line was broken. What we discovered was that ALL of the valves in the building that controlled water were so old and corroded that they did not work. EXTREMELY hot water was pouring out of the wall with no way to stop it. To shorten a long story, there was a lot of drama while a way to shut off the water was found. Then a search to find a copper fitting 3/4" necked down to 1/2" was the need. Impossible to find but a project stopper. The kind men of the village water department gave us one out of their inventory. A working shut off valve was sourced by going into an abandoned building and hacksawing off one off the wall.
Then, there is the obvious, you have to deal with the weather. It is usually raining and most of the time blowing, both hard. If you are working outside, you are working in water. If you are on a ladder 50% of the time you are standing under the edge of the roof where the water drips off besides just being in the rain. If you are on the ground, you are standing, kneeling or sitting in water. This all has implications for safety and things electrical. The picture I included of the decking between the buildings may not seem interesting of itself, but the person who decked this area made it so much more livable. Without the extensive decking, it would all be standing water you would have to slog through. Actually, there is standing water but it is under the decking.
One thing I could not get an effective picture of was of the brave men who actually leveled the building. If you look at the picture, you can see the building is built on a LOT of individual posts. This is the foundation. Not like the foundation under your house. These posts rest on some wood timbers that are literally laying on top of the ground. There is no reason to dig into the ground as there is nothing solid for a very long ways. So the building actually "floats" on these timbers. With the freeze/thaw cycles, they get out of level pretty quick. This creates cracks in sheetrock, doors that won't close, floors that slope and windows that crack. So, every so often you have to jack up the building and level it again. It is a hard, dirty job. I was assigned to this detail with two other men. I felt pretty useless as I don't kneel well for long periods of time and I am pretty much built to change light bulbs not get under buildings. I did try to be a good go-fer and lug the heavy timber to the needed spots while the 20 ton jacks did their work. Speaking of jacks, it is weird to jack something "up" but be actually jacking the jack into ground because it is so soft. As you can imagine a two story building is pretty heavy so it is easier to push the jack into the mud than jack the building up. Yes, it is a hard job.
You will notice, we got new paint on the building. The moment we arrived, it was nice weather and we got right to work scraping and prepping the building. It was a good thing as we barely got paint on and the rain began. Had we not gotten right on it, it would not have gotten done.
Maybe this gives you an idea of what such work entails, not everything is so difficult and most things go quite well, but you can't take it all for granted. Creativity, resourcefulness and prayer all play a part in getting things done in the Alaska bush.

More Alaska

I have to admit, one of the motivations I have in going to villages in Alaska is to see, more Alaska. Alaska is such a large state and I have seen relatively little of it. Most of what I have seen is "on the road system" which as a system, is pretty basic. I have lived in Alaska about 37 years or so of my 52 and have yet to see so many places of what this state is all about.
Last year, in flying out to St. Michael, I had the great delight to be able to land in a small handful of new places on the way. I was able to see Napakiak, Akiachiak, Bethel, Hooper Bay and then St. Michael. Now, "seeing" them is a bit of a embellishment as we flew over them and then landed at their landing strip. Once you are on the ground in southwest Alaska, you can't actually see much. The topography is pretty flat and if the bushes are taller than you can see over, which is pretty much the case, you can't see anything beyond where you are standing. And with air schedules, it prohibits one from moseying into "town" which is usually a mile or more from the airstrip. Town is in quotes as there really is no town or town center to speak of. Most villages are an odd collection of houses setting in every direction in all kinds of places. Like someone might have a handful of dice, shake them up and spill them out on the table. No real rhyme or reason as to how most of the villages are laid out. And, in a lot of ways, one looks pretty much like the other. But it is a great adventure to be able to see a new portion of our state and to experience the people and the challenges they face in living where they do.
Unfortunately, I can't always take pictures of what I want and when I want. So, I don't have a lot to share. The picture at the beginning of this post is in Aniak. Aniak is a "hub" community in the Kuskoquim region. In other words, all the smaller villages use Aniak as a way to access the larger communities by having to fly there first before they can go somewhere else. So, Aniak is an important location for that reason. We are standing under the wing of the Casa because it is raining pretty hard and you cannot stay inside the aircraft while it is being refueled. The mosquitoes were pretty aggressive too.
Another community we were able to see was Unalakleet on our return trip home.

We had to pick up some fuel there as well. Unalakleet was a great surprise to me. It is a very beautiful place. Not that the other places are not beautiful, but they are so flat that you can't see very far. Easily Unalakleet would qualify as million dollar real estate if it was in a more accessible and warmer place. Beautiful rolling hills that end right at the Bering Sea. Very scenic and pleasing to the eye. You may not see it from my pictures, but taking pictures while the rain is beating down on you and the wind is howling isn't the greatest way to see the potential in a place. Unalakleet the town is a little different as it looks like it was laid out on a grid, the buildings are for the most part in good repair and it has a nice feel about it. It must be spectacular on a sunny day. The Bering Sea was raging while we were refueling and it was impressive.
One of the things I saw here and in Emmonak was wind turbine generators. What a stroke of genius for these villages. One renewable resource that is abundant in these southwest Alaska villages is wind. It blows all the time, usually with great force. If they can use wind power for electricity instead of diesel fuel at $8 per gallon, they could save a substantial amount of money. I hope it is an idea that works.
So, I am really enjoying the opportunity to see more of this great state through these mission trips. I hope we'll be able to keep coming and making a difference for our missionaries who live out in these remote places so they can do their work better, longer and with less difficulty.

Emmonak 2011

On that theme of "it's been a busy summer", we just returned from our missions trip to Emmonak, Alaska. "We" and "our" refer to our church's missions team of course. If you have followed this blog for about a year, you will recall that I did a series of blogs on our missions trip to St. Michael, Alaska last summer. I will hopefully be able to do some of the same for this trip.
I want to thank all the great people of New Life Assembly of God who have supported these ventures. Without so many who don't actually go on the trip, but support in prayer and finances and making meals, it just couldn't happen.
One of the ministry partners we are fortunate enough to be able to work with is MARC - Mission Aviation Repair Center in Soldotna. They in turn are partners with Samaritan's Purse, the organization led by Franklin Graham. Samaritan's Purse loans their aircraft to MARC when they are not using them. Ministry teams such as ours can then charter the aircraft and MARC pilots fly us to our destinations. It's not inexpensive, our round trip to Emmonak and back will cost us in the neighborhood of $10,000 and that is just for fuel. In a way, it is a bargain as to fly commercially to the same destination per person would be right at $1,000 each and we would be limited to the 50 pounds per person. We took 14 people and about 4500 pounds of food and tools, so if you did the math, we are way ahead of the game cost-wise.
The aircraft is a wonderful thing. A Spanish made "Casa" which essentially is a miniature C-130, military, drop tail style aircraft. It sports twin turbofan engines and has a tremendous lifting capacity and short take off and landing features. All of these are essential in bush Alaska. We used this same aircraft last summer in our trip to St. Michael. Other than being a bit noisy and the passenger seats made for midgets, it is a great airplane. We flew 2 hours each way to Emmonak and back. We wouldn't have wanted to do it in a lesser aircraft. To get the entire 14 member team and all our things in one trip to Emmonak was a real blessing. We appreciate MARC and Samaritan's Purse for their partnership in Alaska missions.


We went for 5 days and accomplished a lot of work on the church/parsonage facility. The challenges to getting things done are great. First, you deal with the weather every day. Emmonak is literal built on water. The elevation of the entire village is 4 ft. above sea level. You don't have to go or dig very far to find water. Most of the time, water is standing on what little earth there is. It rains there hard, almost every day. Second, getting all of your tools, materials and "stuff" on site never happens. 20 boxes of materials were shipped 5 weeks before this trip and 6 boxes are still unaccounted for. Of course you find out which 6 boxes didn't arrive when you need something that was in one of them and you can't find it. Third, the cost of things you either forget to bring or that don't show up or that you didn't know you needed until you got there and must purchase locally is substantial. I purchased three small toothpaste sized tubes of silicone caulk, you know the kind you use to caulk your tub. Normally, I think they would cost about $2-3 dollars each in Kenai. In Emmonak, they are $10 each. We purchased 4, 12-paks of Coke for a special youth outing we sponsored. I saw them today advertised "2 for $7.88" at a local store. In Emmonak, I paid $60 for the 4 12-paks. We also needed 4, 12' 2x4's for some bracing. Again, in Kenai, probably about $6-7 dollars each. In Emmonak, $40 each.


So you get the idea. There are a lot of challenges to doing work in bush Alaska. However, we had a great team. Despite the challenges of 14+ people getting by on 2 toilets,1 shower and little internet/cell phone connections, less than ideal working conditions, I heard not one complaint. There was humor, prayer, worship, sharing, support and ministry taking place all the time either to other team members or children or adults that would come to see what we all were doing. I am really proud to have been part of this team. It was amazing.

I hopefully will be able to post more stories and adventures in the days to come. Stay tuned!