Gary and Margo Posenjak Safe Harbor Church and Community Center Akutan, Alaska

Pre-Christmas Fun

2011-12-20T10:44:00.000-08:00

A small but enthusiastic group of folks from the village enjoyed a night of Christmas Caroling. It was cold but the stars were shining and people welcomed our singing and Christmas cheer.

Ian went with us and helped by knocking on doors so that people would know that we had come to sing to them. He's loving Tater, one of his mama dog's puppies that had gone to a new home.

This little fox was out for an afternoon stroll just outside of Gary's office window. He allowed me to get very near and seemed to be posing for this picture.

The beautiful little Russian Orthodox church and cemetery in the village with the snow covered mountains across the bay in the background. The Russian Orthodox Christmas is January 7th but they celebrate both observances of Christmas.

The school kids preformed several Christmas songs at the village's Subsistence Pot Luck. Gary has been working with them this fall teaching them to read music and play their recorders. The pot luck dishes including traditional Aleut subsistence foods like fish pie, octopus, seal stew, sea lion meat, smoked and dried fish, fried bread, goose, duck, whale blubber and plenty of fried halibut.

Quite a storm was brewing. The tide is exceptionally high and the wind was howling at about 80mph. Because of high winds we had not had a mail plane for two weeks. Since the storm though, we have had several planes and it seems that Christmas has arrived for most families.

Dawn and Art helped with the church decorating by trimming the stable with garland and lights to illuminate The Reason for the Season".

Our Christmas Tree decorating crew this year consisted of Dulce and Margo. There is a much smaller population of Trident Employees in Akutan for the Christmas season this year. We are happy that so many are home spending the holidays with their families, but we miss them!

We also have a Christmas tree in our residence. Gary is setting up his antique Lionel Train set, reminiscent of his childhood when there was always a train around the tree.

The annual Cookie Exchange Party is a popular event designed for kicking off the Holiday Season. The women enjoy swapping and sampling their favorite Christmas recipes.

Good friends, Lydia and Dawn enjoying the goodies and an evening of relaxation and fun with women from Trident and the village.

Waiting for Jeannie to open her White Elephant Gift, little Bella has abandoned her gift and wants to see what Aida got.

Thanksgiving

2011-12-05T08:59:00.000-08:00

Our Community Thanksgiving dinner at Safe Harbor Church made around 70 people full and happy! We had a good turn out from the village as well as workers from Trident. We cooked two huge turkeys and a 15 lb ham and real mashed potatoes, gravy and all the fixings. In addition the village folks brought their favorite dishes. We enjoyed fish pie, halibut chowder and octopus among other local favorites.

Our friend Ken entertained us with lovely classical music on his unique portable cello. The kids as well as adults were fascinated with his instruments and music.

The Otter Quilting Club prepared 18 quilted or hand made pieces for a silent auction. Here the bidding has just begun and continued at an increasingly heated pace throughout the evening.

The Sunday School kids performed "Away in a Manger" for their parents and they helped Gary share the wonderful story of Christmas.

Little one year old Sebastian was practicing his new walking skills and enjoying the whole evening, especially the big kids!

The Otter Quilting Club earned almost $1000 to be donated as a love gift to their beloved Father Andrew and his wife to help with their travel expenses to their itinerant parishes in the Aleutians.

Ministry Family Retreat

2011-10-16T12:05:00.001-07:00

For the second year our church has sent us to a wonderful retreat at Port Alsworth, Alaska, hosted by our friends at Arctic Barnabas Ministries during the last week of September. The Family Ministry Retreat provides much needed R &R for Alaska Bush pastors, missionaries and their families. We feel privileged to have attended.

This is the breathtaking view of Lake Clark from the huge picture window of the lodge at Tanalian Bible Camp.

A three mile hike to Tenalian Falls with some missionary friends from the Yukon River area. I look like Moses striking the rock with his rod. (The first time!)

One of the evening meals at MFR is a Prime Rib Banquet where we were served by our dear friend Marylil Spady of Arctic Barnabas.

We enjoyed a sweet reunion with precious friends from Kako, George and Eunice Landlord and their three children. Kevin (pictured here), Melanie and Isaiah. George is now pastoring the church in Marshall.

We spent the weekend following MFR in Anchorage where we met up with our friends the Boettchers.

Mike and Cayla were our neighbors and friends at Kako. They are now missionaries with Missionary Aviation Repair Center in Kenai where Mike is an aviation mechanic and pilot.

While we were in Anchorage we looked up our friend Henry Landlord whom we had worked with at Kako. We attended First Native Baptist Church with him and then went to lunch at the Cattle Company. What a blessing to re-connect with old friends.

Quilt Show 2011

2011-09-25T00:35:00.001-07:00

We were blessed to have our friend Kitty Sorgen from Friday Harbor Washington returned again for the month of September to teach us two more quilt patterns. There were a total of 26 quilts displayed at the Quilt Show at the end of September, the night before Kitty left.

She taught us her original God's Eye design (center) which reminded us that God is always with us and He will never leave us.

A group of ladies who came to view our quilts. They are women who would have liked to join the class but were unable because of demanding work shifts. They appreciated all the work that had been put into the quilts.

Bea Jackson and Kitty posing in front of a Jelly Roll Quilt. This design appealed to many of us because it was simple and took only a few hours to complete. The Jelly Rolls and fabric were donated by Kitty's network of quilters in Friday Harbor and other places in the Lower 48.

Our workers put in a minimum 12 hour day 7 days a week processing fish. Because of their limited time Max and Maria teamed up to make one of each of the quilt designs. Maria did the sewing and Max did the cutting and pressing.

Bea made this beautiful "Cars" racing quilt and bedroom set for her lucky nephew in California. It's displayed on our baptistery in the front of the church!

Vera made two quilts, her Akutan Eagle Quilt on the left and her Jelly Roll Quilt on the right. Nice job Vera!

Lupe, a brand new quilter, made this Jelly Roll Quilt with complete with machine quilting and hand binding.

Sarah, one of Akutan's teenagers and a first time quilter chose beautiful pastel fabric for her Jelly Roll Quilt.
Jenny completed her Akutan Eagle Quilt and a small table topper for her husband Andy. We are proud of you Jenny!

Yolanda works the night shift and she would come in the morning after working 12 hours to work on her beautiful God's Eye Quilt. Besides being a single mother supporting a family back home, she is a masseuse and rewarded Kitty's expert teaching with healing massages.

Our classes were not group sessions but mostly one-on-one instruction whenever the quilters had time to stop by. Kitty made herself available from 9:00am until 9:30 every night.

The donated fabrics and materials made it possible for many people not only to learn how to quilt but to experience a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction in creating something beautiful.

Margo's Trip to Washington

2011-09-22T16:31:00.000-07:00

In July Margo flew to Seattle for some repair surgery on her wrist that had been fused because of arthritis three years ago. She stayed with her niece Carol and her family in Redmond during her pre-op appointments. Carol's husband Toby generously loaned his truck for her travels for the next two weeks.

Carol and Toby's daughter Emma invited Margo to a Tea Party at her play house, (built by her and Grandpa Lon).

Brother Jake, Carol and Jessie attended the tea party as well where we played games and had refreshments prepared by Emma.

Bryan's family came to celebrate Matthew's 7th birthday in Mt. Vernon. We stayed in a motel with a swimming pool where Dylan, Nathan and Matthew spent the day swimming.

The boys resting in the motel room with Allison before the big birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese's

Spending time with grandson Matthew and son Jeremy in Bellingham was very special. Jeremy and Margo worked together to re-model Matthew's bedroom. It was fun to surprise him with a new bed.

Margo made curtains with wild Alaskan animals and Jeremy repaired and painted a used dresser we found at the Good Will.

Next stop was Friday Harbor where Margo spent a week with son Bryan and his family. On a hike to Jackel's Lagoon on the south end of San Juan Island Dylan and Nathan did some tide pooling. Margo enjoyed the warm weather and sunshine as well as a special day with her grandsons.

Reading to the "boys" in her special Grandma Room in their lovely home. What a delightful way to recover from surgery!

Dylan and Nathan attempted to teach Grandma how to play Golf on their Wii game. They were very patient but eventually returned to their more sophisticated games!

A fun bike ride around Lake Padden in Bellingham with Jeremy and Matthew. Actually, Grandma walked and this was the scene as I came around a bend where the boys were waiting for me to catch up with them.

Sunday School

2011-09-15T16:02:00.000-07:00

We began a Sunday School this summer for the kids from Trident and Akutan Village. We enjoyed enthusiastic participation from the kids as well as their parents.

With the help of some donations from several individuals in the Lower 48, we had lots of craft supplies.

As part of the Sunday School program Gary incorporated an AWANA type game time and the kids loved it!

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Basketball Camp

2011-08-25T16:59:00.000-07:00

Chuck and Diane Bundrant, Trident Seafoods, PenAir and APICDA sponsored a basketball camp at the Safe Harbor Church Gym on July 25-26. They brought with them a team consisting of Ryan Appleby, former player from the University of Washington, Jon Brockman from the Milwaukee Bucks and sisters Kara and Thea Hanato-Smith from the Hawaii State High School Girls Varsity Championships. PenAir flew over 50 kids and chaperons to Akutan for the event.

Jon and Ryan led the kids and some young adults in a series of drills designed for building basketball skills.

But more importantly they took the time to build relationships and to teach character and team building principals based on the Bible verse:"I can do everything through Him who give me strength." (Philippians 4:13) Here is JR, Akutan's Village Police Officer shaking hands with Ryan Appleby.

Each participant received a gift packet consisting of a sports bag, tee shirt, and a souvenir basketball. Here is Janene from Akutan getting her basketball autographed by Jon Brockman.

Even the young ones were included in special drills and workshops designed to instill some simple skills and a love for the game.

Jon, who towered above the kids at 6'7" led them in stretching drills but also stretched them to consider their commitment to living the 5 Ps. "Plan, Purpose, Perspective, Perseverance and Passion". He and Ryan shared from their own life experiences the importance of having a right relationship with Jesus Christ and living out these concepts.

Gary, Margo and Lon enjoying the activities and taking a break from transporting and serving food to over 50 people.

All of the kids and chaperons were housed in the church. The "Girls' Dorm" was the stage in the church sanctuary. The boys slept on air mattresses on the gym floor. We aren't sure just how much sleeping took place, but they all had a place to do it!

Jon, signing a picture for an admiring fan and taking time to pass on some words of encouragement.

Our friends Aida and Bea who showed up to help working hard in the kitchen, food serving line and even participating in some of the fun.

Trident's plant manager, Dave Abbaisan and Jon Brockman's dad, who traveled with the team as did Ryan Applyby's dad.

Diane Bundrant and volunteers preparing the individual awards for the closing ceremony later in the afternoon
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Akutan's own Anthony receiving a special award from Jon and Ryan for his hard work and consistency during the camp.

The tired but happy participants from Akutan picture here with the team at the end of a very busy two days.

Lon's Visit

2011-08-20T23:51:00.000-07:00

Gary's brother Lon came to help out with preparations for our Basketball Camp and to help with maintenance around our building. We loved having him around and appreciate all of his help.

Although Lon had recently had knee replacement surgery, he and Gary refinished the gym floor.

You might think they are working out in the weight room but they are really repairing some of the equipment

Trident brought over 50 kids from other islands to a basketball camp hosted in our gym. Lon was a big help getting ready. He helped transport all of the meals for the campers from Trident's galley to the church. Thank you Lon for your gift of service!

As you can see, it wasn't all work! The guys went out fishing almost every afternoon and caught over 30 halibut in the three weeks he was here!

Recent Projects

2011-05-29T14:49:00.000-07:00

Our Quilting club Pinning and Blessing this Racing Cars quilt Bea made for her Nephew. We figure we might as well pray for the recipients of our quilts while we are down on our knees!

A thank you gift for Bryan in the Baader Shop for making three fiber glass sewing tables for our sewing machines.

Margo and Marylil finishing up handwork on their projects and enjoying a rare moment of relaxing together and visiting.

Lydia's Easter wall hanging

A Tea Cup Quilt for my Tea Party Friend!

My daughter-in-law, Chelsea took me to her favorite quilting store in Reno and we found the cutest apron pattern (among other things!). I recently got busy and made several to give as gifts. I like them so well on my sewing room wall, maybe I won't give them away!

My Niece Gail taught me how to do Paper Piece Quilting with fabric while we were visiting in East Wenatchee.

Eagle Paper Piecing project that I tried on my own after I got back to Alaska.

Vacation 2011 - Part 2

2011-04-26T17:42:00.000-07:00

I just occurs to me that I never finished blogging our vacation that is now ancient history! We have made some very precious memories that I thought I would share briefly in pictures. We have been back home in Akutan for over two months now and so much has happened that I want to post on my blog. But I guess I better do first things first.

At the end of my first vacation blog we had only gone as far as Oregon. The rest of our trip was spent with our Washington family and friends. We made our headquarters at Lon and Janet's beautiful home in East Wenatchee where we shared their downstairs apartment with our niece Gail who is home on furlough from her teaching ministry with New Tribes Mission in Papua New Guinea.

Bryan, Allison, Nathan and Dylan as well as Jeremy and Matthew joined us in Wenatchee for a Ski weekend. We stayed in the Red Lion Hotel and the kids enjoyed and outside hot tub in the snow! Needless to say, Grandma and Grandpa didn't take the plunge! Gary's brother and wife Jeni joined us at Mission Ridge for the day. Lon and Janet's kids and grand kids as well as Bob's kids and grand children all came to visit and we shared a couple of wonderful dinners and a sweet reunion at Lon and Janet's.

The next two weeks were spent in Friday Harbor and Bellingham visiting with our kids. A dear friend lost her teenage boy in and accident while we were there and we were able to attend the memorial service in Lynden. It was a heartbreaking loss but a God glorifying service.

Gary had the opportunity to preach and share the ministry of Safe Harbor Church in Los Banos California, East Wenatchee, Friday Harbor and Entiat. We loved being in our home churches and sharing with so many of you.

It was hard to say good by to our kids but we are so grateful for the opportunity to have spent quality time with each one.

The rest of our vacation

2011-04-24T15:35:00.000-07:00

Vacation 2011 - Part 1

2011-03-17T11:19:00.000-07:00

We began our vacation on February 1 in Anchorage where Gary had follow-up appointments for his October shoulder surgery. He checked out fine and we had some time to spend with old friends from Kako, Thane and Chasity. They just happened to be in town on their way home to Aniak after a trip to Mexico.

The Boettchers flew up from Soldotna to spend a day with us. Mike flew back to Anchorage to take Gary to Kenai where he spent the weekend with the Boetchers and Vince Spadey while Margo attended a Womens retreat near Willow.

Brenda Johnson, Becky Noll and Vera Penz from Kako attended the retreat which was hosted by the ladies from Arctic Barnabas. It was a sweet reunion for Margo as well as being spiritually uplifting and rewarding for her.

The first stop on our journey was Reno Nevada where we spent several days with our youngest son Adam and his wife Chelsea. They were gracious enough to arrange three days off from their busy jobs to spend with us and we enjoyed every minute. We love our new Grand Puppy, Ace!

Next stop, Los Banos, California where we visited Margo's sister Shannon. This is Shannon, Margo and their mutual friend, Mary who invited us all to her home for dinner.

Katie and her Dad, John doing what they have done since Katy was a baby, reading stories before bed time. Christopher is enjoying the story as much as Katie!

We visited Margo's youngest sister, Trula in Red Bluff. They both cherished the special "Sister Time."

We happened to be there on Valentines Day and had a double date with Trula and KC at a lovely restaurant on the Sacramento River.

We visited our dear friends, sisters Fran and Hazel in Redding and enjoyed reminiscing with them about the Old Days in Weaverville.

Two other dear friends, Bernie McChristian and Ron Martin from our Weaverville days joined us for pizza at Hazel and Fran's home.

Salem Oregon was our next stop where we visited with Margo's brother Harold and his wife Joany. We were blessed to see three of their girls and their two grandchildren. This is Grandma Joany with Jenni and Randy's little girl, Madelyn Joan.

Grandpa Harold and Riley rough housing in the living room. After four sisters and four daughters, he finally has a boy to wrestle with!

Jenni and Joany in the kitchen of Jenni and Randy's new home in Aumsville, Oregon.

Harold and Joany's youngest daughter, Kelly, who loves her "Auntie M" and the feeling is mutual!

Our niece Brandy and her nephew Riley on a walk at Riverfront Park in Salem.

While at the Riverfront park we had a very quick visit with special friends from Friday Harbor, Dave and Helen Ellingson who now live in Dallas Oregon.

On our way up the Columbia River Gorge we stopped briefly at a Fred Meyer in The Dalles Oregon and ran into Donna Smith, an old friend from Friday Harbor who has moved to the The Dalles. What an unexpected treat that was!

40th Anniversary

2011-01-23T11:31:00.001-08:00

Gary and I were married on December 19, 1970 in Weaverville California. We celebrated our 40th Anniversary by renewing our wedding vows at Safe Harbor Church in Akutan Alaska. We were blessed to have our missionary friends, Jim and Terri Hibbard here to help us with the ceremony and reception.

We walked down the isle to the music of Kenny Rogers singing "Through the Years."

Gary sang the Hymn "Savior Like a Shepherd Lead Us" which was sung at our wedding by Pastor Paul Richins all those years ago. We are thankful that Jesus has led us because we have needed his tender care.

Friends from the village and Trident came to celebrate with us. My friends Dawn, Terry and Bea helped with the serving.

My little friend Mia came to the party with her mom and dad and her grandma. Our prayer was that God would be glorified in the renewing of our wedding vows and that it would not only be an affirmation between the two of us but a testimony of God's goodness, protection and grace through the years.

Although our children couldn't be with us we included them in our celebration. They are truly the blessings of our marriage and the joy of our lives. We miss you kids.

Thanksgiving at Safe Harbor

2010-12-08T10:16:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving at Safe Harbor Church is a community event. We had expected our friends from Arctic Barnabas, Jim and Terri Hibbard to arrive before Thanksgiving to help with the preparation and serving. They were weathered in at Dutch Harbor for five days and didn't arrive until after Thanksgiving. The school kids and their teacher Dawn came to the rescue and baked all of the pies. I think they baked a dozen pumpkin pies and 5 berry pies and they were delicious.
Several friends from Trident and the village came to set up tables and decorate.

Our hard working friends at Trident were processing King Crab and only a few were able to attend however we had over 70 people enjoy the meal and the fun. The folks from the village enthusiastically supported a fund raising auction for our new Otter Quilting Club

Over $500 was raised by auctioning these three small quilted pieces. Jason from the village was our capable auctioneer. Thank you Akutan Village! The funds will be used to buy more fabric and sewing supplies for the Quilting Club. The hope is to provide a healthy and creative activity for our ladies and an opportunity to provide some community service.

Ministry Family Retreat

2010-11-19T10:23:00.000-08:00

Quilt Show

2010-10-09T22:07:00.000-07:00

We said Good Bye and Thank You to Carol and Kitty on Monday. They flew out on the last "Goose" before a big storm that would have caused them to miss their connecting flights to Anchorage and Seattle.
Thursday we hosted a Quilt Show Open House to show the finished (and almost finished) projects. On display were the quilt tops, pillow shams, knitting, wall hangings and table toppers of all of the adult and school children who participated in the project. Our guests from the village and Trident appreciated the hard work of the students as well as the refreshments.

Week One - Quilt Project

2010-09-17T09:37:00.002-07:00

We dedicated this Akutan Quilt Project to God and asked Him to be the center of all we do for the next three weeks. Having Kitty and Carol here is such a blessing and we are grateful for their generosity in coming as well as the generosity of all those who contributed fabric, batting, supplies and air miles to make this ministry possible.

Kitty and Carol recognize that this project is about much more than quilts and our prayer is that these quilts and the interaction with these women will be used of God in the lives of many in Akutan.

We had a "Patchwork Tea" for the ladies of the village and Trident to introduce them to Kitty and Carol as well as the Akutan Quilting Project.

The school children are coming for a sewing class three days a week and enjoying Kitty's enthusiastic teaching. She got them excited about making their own fabric on the first day.

Kristy sewing strips together for her first block. The week started out slowly because of work schedules but by the end of the week 18 people had begun quilts.

Lydia cutting strips from some of the donated fabric. We are still missing fabric that has yet to arrive via the mail plane. We are praying that the weather will lift soon so the "Goose" can fly. It's been over a week since a plane has landed in Akutan.

Akutan Quilt

2010-08-26T14:24:00.000-07:00

We are very excited about an upcoming ministry at Safe Harbor Church. A three week quilting class featuring the "Akutan Quilt" will be taught here in September. Margo's love for quilting, the generosity of her quilting teacher, Kitty Sorgen and quilting friend Carol Herbert from Friday Harbor and God's provision have made this event possible. Kitty and Carol will arrive in Akutan on September 7. You can read about Kitty's mission trip to Kenya last year to teach women in Mashaka how to support their families through the art of quilting. Please click on the link at the right of this post to read about Kitty's Missions trip. When you get there view the video by clicking on Oasis Africa -Mashaka to see Kitty in action.
Our prayer is that the women of Akutan and Trident will not only end up with a beautiful quilt but that their lives will be impacted by the love of Jesus and the lives of these amazing Christian women. We appreciate your prayers.
The quilt was designed by Kitty and sewn by Kitty and Carol. All the fabrics and sewing kits for the ladies have been donated by the gals in the Rain Shadow Quilting Arts Guild in Friday Harbor. The batting has been donated by Elsie Campbell.

Launching Miz Becky

2010-08-23T17:43:00.001-07:00

I promised Adam that I would post pictures of our new boat tonight, so here they are Adam. Miz Becky is a 16' Starcraft with a 55 hp Evinrude motor and a 7.5 hp Honda kicker. It came fully equipped with safety equipment.

Our new (used) boat was shipped from Tacoma and arrived on a barge last week when Gary was gone to a Dr. appointment in Anchorage. As soon as he got home he prepared Miz Becky for her maiden voyage and with the help of our friend Boris, she was launched on Sunday afternoon.

Boris used his 4 wheeler to tow the boat and back the trailer down the airplane ramp which doubles for a boat ramp.

On our first outing we went to a creek at the head of the bay where Gary showed me how to "dip net" for Pinks. Gary had been here with Boris a couple of weeks ago so he was experienced! I have two nice ones in the net. What a blast!

Gary rinsing our catch in the bay at the mouth of the stream. We spent the next hour walking on the beach and exploring new territory for us.

Docking Miz Becky in our slip at the Akutan City Docks. This happened to be the only available slip in the marina and we felt fortunate to get it.

Besides life preservers we each have Coast Guard approved survival suits. Without them hypothermia would set in within 15 minutes in our 36F waters, with them a person could survive 24 hours or more. So don't worry Kids. Besides we are in God's hands.

Blast Off!

2010-08-20T11:35:00.000-07:00

Gary included the boys from the village in a Summer Rocket Project. They each built and painted a rocket and then launched them in the park an several summer evenings.

Anthony and Gary setting up the launching pad an ignition switches for our the last launch of the summer.

10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, Blast Off! Ian, Mia and Jay counting down for ignition and blast off.

Ian, Gary and Anthony getting ready to go fishing on the Akutan City Docks where they caught several Bull Heads just for fun.

Our Emerald Isle

2010-07-29T21:12:00.000-07:00

I thought you might like a glimpse of what we are seeing on Akutan recently. These pictures were all taken within the last week and give you an idea of how beautiful it is here in the Summer.

We walked for several miles on the beach at low tide and returned along a hillside trail at high tide.

The return trail was completely obscured by beautiful purple, white, pink and yellow wildflowers.

Gary caught this nice Halibut when he was out on a boat with his friend Boris from the village. Gary filleted it and we cooked some of it on the Weber and froze the rest. Best Halibut I ever tasted!

Some mornings the bay is so calm it reflects perfect mirror images. Other days, like today, it's so foggy I can't see across the bay and the wind is skimming across the water.

Early morning fishing trip with our friends Joe and Lorraine at Entrance Point. We caught several Black Bass and a big Gray Cod.

The Great North Islands Gospel Tour

2010-07-25T12:03:00.000-07:00

Trident Seafoods, Chuck and Diane Bundrant and Kory Ness hosted a Gospel music tour that performed three concerts in Akutan on Sunday July 11. It was part of a joyous celebration of spiritual and gospel music uniting the coastal communities of Norway and Alaska. The three concerts featured the lively and uplifting country vocal duo of Synnove Aanensen and Solfrid Brekka, sisters from Karmoy, Norway. Other musicians on the tour were our friend Fred Holmberg from Sand Point, Alaska and Aleksander Hauge from Norway. The music and the message were very warmly received by the workers at the Trident plant as well as those who attended the concert at the church from the village. Our hearts were lifted in praise to God and encouraged by the fellowship and music. Three of the musicians and their spouses stayed in the parsonage with us and the others stayed at Trident. It was a whirlwind tour which included all of the Trident plants in Alaska as well as Hawaii.

The Great North Islands Gospel Tour group arrived late Saturday evening on two PenAir "Geese" and departed Sunday evening following a reception at Safe Harbor Church.

Sisters Synnove Aanensen and Solfrid Brekka from Karmoy, Norway sang and played such favorites as I Saw the Light, Sweet bye and bye, I can only Imagine, How Great Thou Art, Amazing Grace and several Norwegian Folk songs.

Synnove

Gary with Chuck Bundrant, sponsor of the Music Tour, Trident owner and Safe Harbor Church board member.

Akutan Spring

2010-06-28T17:54:00.000-07:00

A busy Sunday at the Port of Akutan! The Goose is approaching the landing and a cargo ship is tied up at the City Dock. This view of the church shows our home, a lovely four bedroom, two bathroom residence with a family/dining room and separate living room. In addition to a lovely kitchen in our residence, this area also includes a large commercial kitchen and office. We are blessed!

We took the Alaska Marine Highways Ferry to Dutch Harbor last Saturday and spent the day with some Pastor friends there. What a blessing to fellowship with them. This is the approach to the Akutan dock on our return home on Saturday evening.

Gary has spent the last two weeks sanding, buffing and refinishing the Gym floor. Just finished yesterday and now we wait seven days before we can allow traffic on the floor. Because this is the busiest time for the workers at Trident, it was a good time to shut the gym down. By the time they get some time off the floor will be set up.

My friend Lorraine planted tulips in her Dad's grave and they are just beautiful this Spring. The Russian Orthodox church is in the background.

Leaving the Dutch Harbor Docks on the ferry Saturday evening after a full day of visiting and exploring. We were grateful for the sunshine and change of scenery.

We gave a birthday party for Moria, Lorraine's 12 year old grandaughter who is visiting from Anchorage for the summer. There are several other kids visiting Akutan for the summer and we had the whole gang for the party.

Ian and Raimie came for the party with the big kids. I put them on stools at the kitchen counter instead of in the living room on the carpet!

Humpback Whales feeding on Krill in the bay right in front of the church last Saturday. We will try to get better pictures but thought you would like to see what we are seeing!

Gary built new shelves for storing fabric in my sewing room. I am excited about an upcoming quilting class in September. My friend and quilting teacher, Kitty from Friday Harbor is coming with another quilting friend, Carol to teach the ladies in Akutan how to quilt. They will be here three weeks and we are praying that this will open new opportunities to build relationships with the women in the village as well as women at Trident. More details about the class will be posted as they develop.

Small Blessings

2010-06-06T12:04:00.001-07:00

There is a woman playing the piano in the church right now. I met her earlier and found out that her name is Aurora and she has studied classical music. I don't think she speaks English and I'm not sure if she is Mexican or Filipino but her music is lifting my thoughts and heart this dark and cloudy Akutan morning.

My friend Lorraine dropped by this morning to have devotions with me and brought me a seagull egg. Isn't it beautiful? I will eat it for breakfast tomorrow. She also brought a picture she had taken of a bird in her feeder last night and we eagerly looked it up in my Sibley's bird book to see if we could identify it. It is a juvenile Swainson's Thrush. Kind of a plain looking little bird, but fun to watch and identify. We usually see only water birds and Eagles, Ravens and Gulls.

Sunday Afternoon Fishing Trip

2010-06-01T21:25:00.000-07:00

We went Cod fishing with our friends Joe and Lorraine on Sunday. It was overcast and windy but not too cold. Joe explained that we were in a hole between the Pacific Ocean and the Bearing Sea.

I got so excited when the fish started biting my line. My arms and fingers were very sore on Monday morning!

Between the four of us we caught 25 fish. The others each had a big halibut on their lines at one point, but no one landed any. One broke Gary's 80 lb test!

Gary filleting the catch at a cool fish cleaning table on the Akutan beach. We took them home and put them on the grill for dinner. Tasty!

There were two hungry adult eagles waiting for Joe and Gary to throw the fish remains on the beach for them to devour.

Precious People

2010-05-16T15:47:00.002-07:00

These are only some of the precious people in our lives. They just happen to be the ones we were privileged to spend time with when we were visiting friends and family in February and March. We thank God for all the precious ones he has given us.

Girls against the boys in a game of Charades at our family March Birthday Party in Friday Harbor. Heather, Melissa, Chelsea, Allison, Margo and Heather. The girls won, hands down!

Gary and Chris, friends and fellow elder on the church board at Islands Community Church.

Jeremy and Matthew joined us for a swim at the Comfort Suites in Bellingham

Margo and Helen having a chat at the memorial service for our mutual dear friend Fred in Bellingham.

In February Bryan, Allison, Nathan and Dylan spent a fun weekend with us and snow boarding at Mission Ridge. Bryan spent most of his time helping his three beginners on the Bunny Slope but at the end of the day he and Dylan got in a couple of good runs on the chair lift.

Our good friends Ruth and Ken who spent time with us in Friday Harbor as well as traveling to Entiat to spend a weekend with us seeing the sights around Lake Chelan and Entiat.

Jeremy and his girlfriend Heather outside Matthew's favorite restaurant in Bellingham, Boomers.

Our dear friend and Sunday School Director at Islands Community Church, Alice. She called on our grandson Dylan to read about missions in Sunday School.

Visiting with the Boettchers in Soldotna is always lots of fun. This time we were especially blessed because our old friends Kevin and Maryann and their little girl Kira are living in the area while Kevin attends Bible College. This is Alissa and Kira relaxing on "Uncle" Gary's lap. All three of our families lived and worked together at Kako and we enjoy keeping in touch.

The Buckingham family in Palmer Alaska. We met parts of this special family when they volunteered at Kako Kid's Camp last summer. They graciously invited us to visit them in their home. What an encouragement and a blessing they are to us.

We always love to get together with our dear friends Thane and Chasity. This trip we caught up with them in Wasilla and spent time together with them and their little friend Larissa in Anchorage.

Our pastor Bill and his wife Sonja at Entiat Federated Church in Entiat Washington where we worship when we are at home. We appreciate their friendship and sweet fellowship with the folks there.

Friends from East Wenatchee, Janet, Jerri, Peggy, Jan, Evelyn, Valerie and Sharon. We enjoy special times of fellowship with these gals and their husbands any time we have an opportunity. We are grateful for Lon and Janet who open their home to us and share their friends.

More Precious People

2010-05-15T14:40:00.000-07:00

Our niece Jessica and her new little girl, Rainbow. We had a picnic in the park in Everett with Jessica's parents, Jim and Jeni and took a walk in the arboretum with Jessica and her husband Tim and their little boy Sonny.

Gary's brother and his wife Janet who are also our dearest friends.

A "not unprovoked Nerf attack" on Aunt Chelsea by Matthew and Nathan. The battle raged for over an hour with the victors still undeclared.

Nephew Jared and his wife Melissa and son Miles joined us for our Family March Birthday Party in Friday Harbor.

Open Gym at Friday Harbor High School. Taking a time out after the guys played a hard game of basketball. Adam, Margo, Allison, Nathan, Heather Adam and Bryan.

Nathan and cousin Miles playing Ultimate Frisbee at Roche Harbor.

Bryan, Nathan, Dylan, Margo and Adam resting at the Ultimate Frisbee course. I think Margo threw the winning toss for her team!

Akutan School Quilt

2010-03-05T10:18:00.001-08:00

Every year the Akutan School Children do a fund raiser to earn money for their Spring Trip. The last couple of years their teacher, Dawn has helped them put together a quilt that reflects an Alaskan theme. They have raised quite a bit of money selling raffle tickets to win the quilt. This year Dawn designed a beautiful Alaskan scene and I had the privilege of working with the students to put the project together.

Tom, David, Becky, Nikita and Shaylyn admiring the finished quilt top. The piecing of the quilt was done entirely by the students and they are very proud for their work. I am very proud of them!

All of the sewing was done by the younger kids in the classroom. This is 9 year old Nikita skillfully attaching the sashing to the quilt.

Eight year old David was one of the most skillful and by far the most precise with the 1/4" seam allowance.

The older kids are safety pinning the quilt together for the last step, "stitching in the ditch. " Notice the three layers are taped to the gym floor for smooth pinning. My knees wore out before theirs did!

Scenes from Akutan

2010-01-30T10:39:00.000-08:00

Probably not politically correct, but who could resist? We soon learned that she became a nuisance and we discontinued feeding her on the back porch.

She was rather intimidating when we came out our back door and she wanted some more treats!

Safe Harbor Church and the Trident Seafood Company processing plant to our West

Margo took this picture from the hill behind the church. It shows Akutan village, the Russian
Orthodox church and cemetary and Akutan Bay.

Celebrating Selaviq, the Russian Orthodox Christmas on January 7th inside the old church in Akutan..

New Year's Eve Party at Trident. Our Fillipino friends love to pose for pictures with us.

Exercise class at Safe Harbor Gym. We walk three miles with a walking CD on the big screen TV.

This is a view of Freighters in Akutan Bay directly in front of Safe Harbor Church

Christmas at Safe Harbor Church

2009-12-27T14:20:00.000-08:00

Margo, Edna, Berkie and Bea decorating the church for Christmas

The Church's annual Ladies Cookie Exchange party was attended by women from both the Trident community and Akutan Village. Each woman brought two dozen cookies for the exchange as well as a treat to share.

A successful swap at the White Elephant Gift Exchange which is a tradition at the Cookie Exchange Party.

Christmas Caroling in the village as well as in the Trident Bunk Houses

Following the Christmas Caroling we gathered in the parsonage for refreshments and fellowship.

The Akutan School held it's Christmas Program on the afternoon of Christmas Eve and we were honored to be invited. This is the entire school population, Kindergarten through 12th grade. Margo has had the opportunity to volunteer at the school reading with the kids and helping with a quilting project they are doing for a fund raiser.

Joe, Gary and Mike carving turkeys and hams for our Community Christmas Eve Dinner. There were around 60 people from Trident and Akutan Village in attendance.

The dinner was served buffet style in the gym.

The Christmas Eve Candlelight Service followed the dinner. Bea Jackson led the 20 voice choir as they presented the Christmas story with songs and Scripture reading.

Pastor Gary leading the congregation in a responsive reading

Gary organized an indoor soccer tournament for Christmas Day for the entertainment of the Trident workers who had the day off. There were about 20 who participated on four teams.

"Team Sudan" the first place team won gift certificates to the Trident Store.

All in a Day's Work

2009-12-20T11:31:00.000-08:00

We enjoyed touring the Trident plant to observe their cod processing as well as King Crab processing. These pictures were taken on two different days considering the same facility is used for both processes. It was very interesting and we enjoyed seeing several workers whom we have recently met and begun friendships.

These workers on the line are sorting cod fillets according to size and packing them for freezing.

Parasites are removed by viewing the fillets on a lighted surface where they can be detected easily. We were glad to see how thoroughly that piece is accomplished!

Cod roe being prepared for a Japanese market. Apparently this is a delicacy in some parts of the world. There is also a market for stomachs and heads. Almost nothing is wasted.

We were invited to tour the King Crab fishing boat that was off-loading into the processing plant. This boat was loaded with over a million pounds of crab.

These workers are emptying the last of the catch from the bottom of the hold. The huge basket opens at the bottom and drops the crab onto a conveyor belt entering the processing plant.

The line on the right is sorting and cleaning the crab and the guys on the left are steaming them in large baskets and preparing them for quick freezing and shipping.

I wanted you to see how we boarded the Cargo Ship, Eastern Wind when we sailed from Dutch Harbor to Akutan on November 20. I thought this basket was just for the cargo and our baggage and I was surprised when they wanted me to get in. I guess I thought there would be a ramp or stairs or something. It was as much fun as a Disneyland ride!

The crew off-loaded us the same way when we docked in Akutan.

First Impressions

2009-11-25T13:59:00.000-08:00

Our first view of Safe Harbor Church and our new home as seen from the deck of the Eastern Wind. The four bedroom parsonage is on the left of the sanctuary and the high school sized gymnasium is on the right.

We were warmly greeted by our new friend Bea who is a worker at the Trident plant as well as a strong believer and supporter of the church. She has been especially welcoming of the new pastor and his wife!

This picture of Akutan Bay was taken from the front steps of the church looking toward the Trident Seafood Co. about 1/3 mile away. We have been eating our meals at the plant galley and enjoying their little store.

The Grumman Goose delivering mail for the village as well as loading passengers from Trident trying to get home for the holidays. This is the first mail plane in three weeks.

Gary, shoveling a dusting of snow off the front steps of the church. Temperatures have been mild and most days are windy and rainy, sometimes turning to snow.

Early Thanksgiving in Entiat

2009-11-07T14:31:00.000-08:00

Because of our planned move to Akutan before Thanksgiving, we got together on November 7th with two of our boys and their families as well as Bob, Lon and Janet and two of their kids and families. For some reason I didn't get a picture of the 21 of us sitting down to dinner in our kitchen, but I did get some shots of the kids having pie and playing and the adults relaxing and enjoying this rare opportunity to be together.

Our niece Carol and husband Toby Smith from Redmond Washington. Four of these cute kids are theirs.

Gary's brother Lon and his wife Janet presiding over the chaos in the living room. After all, seven of the ten children are their grandchildren!

Our daughter-in-law Allison, Brad and Lindsey's boy Spencer and Carol and Toby's daughter Jessie playing Marble Works

Brad's boy Wesley, our daughter-in-law Chelsea and Bryan's boy Nathan building Thomas Train tracks.

Our son Bryan, nephew Brad and son Adam getting caught up. The boys helped set up tables and chairs and seem to be avoiding the mad house in the living room!

More Family Fun

2009-11-06T15:25:00.000-08:00

We played a round of putt-putt golf at a course in Entiat. The course was closed for the winter, but the owner allowed us to play for free. Although our hands got cold, the sun shone and we enjoyed being outside. I think Nathan was declared the over-all champion! He had the most strokes!

Chelsea putting off the wall. She's getting plenty of coaching from the crowd.

We visited the Fish Hatchery and spent some time throwing large bolders in the Entiat River and splashing everyone.

Margo and Chelsea visiting with the women in Lon and Janet's dining room. Janet had us all over for home-made pizza on Friday night.

On top of Mt. Buttercup just behind our house. I think you can see our house in the lower left of the picture.

Bryan and Allison on top of Mt. Buttercup

The Columbia River looking toward Chelan from the top of Mt. Buttercup on a beautiful Fall day.

Bryan and Dylan went Mule Deer hunting with Grandpa and Uncle Lon. This was Dylan's first hunting trip.

After Uncle Lon and Grandpa walked their legs off. No deer, but lots of good hiking! I think Lon and Gary were engaged in similar activity about this time!

Safe Harbor Church and Community Center

2009-11-02T20:01:00.001-08:00

To reach Akutan you fly to Anchorage and then to Dutch Harbor on Alaska Airlines. Weather permitting you take either a flight on a Grummond Goose to Akutan Harbor or hop a Trident fishing vessel for the 35 mile trip from Dutch Harbor.

The church building consists of a four bedroom parsonage on the left, the sanctuary in the middle and a high school size gym, and recreation center on the right. The Trident Seafood Company plant and employee housing is in the right of the picture and the Aleut village of Akutan is to the left, about 1/3 mile from the church.

Christian movies are offered to the villagers and the seafood workers on a regular basis. There isn't much to do in Akutan and the church offers a message of hope and a friendly place to spend a winter evening.

Special events such as Ladies Teas and Bible Studies are offered to the women who live and work in Akutan.

The church's 12 passenger van provides transportation from the fish plant as well as the village to all who want to attend the services and special events.

The Safe Harbor Community Center is equipped with a full size gymnasium, ping pong, volley ball, weight room, games and movies.

Our Entiat Home

2009-10-05T19:06:00.000-07:00

The Promise of God

2009-08-01T20:33:00.000-07:00

This is the 5th year that the Kako Camp craft has been designed, produced, packaged and funded by our dear friends Don and Barb in Woodland Washington. Shipping was paid for by our friends at Islands Community Church in Friday Harbor Washington.

The theme was "The Promise of God" based on the story of the Great Flood in Genesis and the promise that God made to Noah to never again destroy the world with a flood. The rainbow is the sign of His promise and reminds us of His faithfulness.

The story lends itself to teaching of the promises that God has made to His Children and encourages the kids to trust Him to keep His word that He will neve leave them or forsake them.

250 campers from eight year olds to 18 year olds enjoyed the process as well as the end product. Margo has enjoyed teaching crafts at Kako for 7 years. Each craft kit contained Alaska versions of Noah's Ark animals, a moose and a bear. Thank you Don and Barb and Islands Community Church.

Jeremy and Matthew at Kako

2009-07-05T17:15:00.000-07:00

Jeremy and Matthew came for a short visit the second week in June. Here we are at the Bethel airport ready to fly to Grandma and Grandpa's house in Kako's 206

Gary and Jeremy went fishing on Kako Creek about 10:00 PM

"At the cross, at the cross, where I first saw the light and the burden of my heart rolled away, it was there by faith I received my sight and now I am happy all the day."

Making Grandma dizzy!

On top of Kako Mountain. The boys drove Grandpa's four wheeler to the top to deliver a cooler of drinking water and paper cups to 40 thirsty Junior High campers

Matthew was fearless like his dad, exploring the outcroppings on the ridge of the mountain.

Niece, Brandi was also visiting Kako and helped out with camp for two weeks. Here is the whole family on top of the mountain with Kako airstrip in the background.

Matthew painting a Noah's Ark wood craft in the Craft Barn. He did a great job, but he really would rather be out driving Grandpa's four wheeler.

The boys were responsible for hauling all the camper's bags to their cabins when they unloaded the planes. That kept them busy all day the first day of camp.

Jeremy, helping out with the Paint Ball game. Our campers play with sling shots rather than paint ball guns. A new concept for Jeremy, but he had a great time and the kids enjoyed his help.

Pushing Grandpa on the swings

All worn out after a busy day at camp. Thank you God for bringing them to Kako!

Emma's Wedding

2009-05-24T11:02:00.000-07:00

Margo was thrilled to attend her nieces wedding in Redding California on May 9th. Emma and Chris were married in a beautiful park on the banks of the Sacramento River.

The siblings together again! Harold from Salem Oregon, Margo from Alaska, Trula (mother of the bride), Rea from Florida and Shannon from California. We love any excuse to get together and we can't think of a better excuse than a wedding!

Matron of Honor, Emma's big sister Aimee and her son Charlie who was one of the ring bearers.

Great Nephews Miles, Scott and Louis getting the best use out of their fancy wedding clothes!

Beautiful cousins, Katie, (Shannon's daughter), and Ella, (Aimee's daughter.)

Great nephew Scott, ring bearer and great niece, McKenna, flower girl

Mother of the Bride and Emma at the rehearsal dinner in Trula's back yard in Red Bluff

March 2009

2009-04-18T16:44:00.000-07:00

Alaska's governor, Sarah Palin and Margo met in the village of Russian Mission when the governor and Franklin Graham came to distribute food packages to the needy families in the village. What a thrill for Margo.

Gary co-taught the "By This Name" Bible Study Course with Tom Leger in Fairbanks. Here he is holding a model of Noah's Ark and teaching the lesson of obedience to God's Word.

Gary turned 60 in March and the boys and Margo bought him a new rocker-recliner for his birthday. An Eskimo friend of ours, Henry, told him that when a man turns 60 he is entitled to a nap. Now he has a comfortable place to do that. Our neighbors gave him some new hip waders so he's all set! I'm not sure if he's set for a fishing trip or a nap.

We attended a Family Life "Weekend to Remember" in Anchorage along with Dave and Vera, our friends, Thane and Chasity from Fairbanks, George and Eunice from Marshall and Joe and Becky from Russian Mission.

A new gas powered propane pump was donated to Kako by supporters in Friday Harbor. Now instead of filling our propane bottles by gravity feed, which took two days to fill one bottle, we can now fill 30 in three hours. We are grateful. This picture was taken at Kako's fuel farm at the river. Gary is actually standing on the top of the large propane tank that is covered with snow.

Winter in Alaska

2009-02-17T21:10:00.000-08:00

Here is Gary out checking a trap line. This is a trapper's cabin built by a former Kako missionary about 30 miles round trip from Kako. He and Ray were setting traps for martin, lynx and wolverine.

Margo and Cayla going out to dinner at Donlin Creek Mine during the Kako Women's Retreat at Snow Gulch in October.

Best friends. Kira and Alissa and their mommies, Mary Ann and Cayla

Kako Women's Retreat. Vera, Carolyn, Cayla, Eunice and Margo. What a special time of rest, relaxation and fellowship hosted by our friend Carolyn at her home at Snow Gulch
Gold Mine.

A fierce January wind storm lifted the roof on Kako's hangar building. The guys were able to pull the roofing back over the gaping hole with the help of the front end loader and cables, but major repairs will need to be done when the weather is more forgiving. We are grateful that no one was hurt and the planes weren't damaged.

This is our home in the right front of the picture and the row of staff and guest houses on the hill behind our house.

Florida

2009-01-05T21:26:00.000-08:00

We visited with my sister Rea and her husband Pat in Clearwater before Thanksgiving. Here we are in Downtown Disney in Orlando. We were blessed to spend 10 days visiting with Pat and Rea, their daughter Monica and husband Bubba, their son Matthew and daughter Madison and their son Marcus, wife Jocelyn and baby Callie.

Rea and her grandsons, Jordan and Logan at TGI Friday's in Olando

Pat took us on a tour of Kennedy Space Center

Walking on Clearwater Beach. I have to admit that the beautiful white sand was a bit cold, but I couldn't resist!

Rea and Pat and their grandaughter, Madison at Fort De Soto on Tampa Bay

Out West

2008-12-30T22:03:00.000-08:00

We flew from Orlando to Seattle and our kids met us at the airport. We had a fun family dinner at Gary's brother Jim's and spent the night at their home in Everett. I guess Matthew and Jeremy were sticking out their tongues for the camera.

Grandma and the boys watching a movie at Uncle Jim's. Dylan, 8, Mathew, 4 and Nathan 4.

The next day we headed South to Salem to spend Thanksgiving with Marg0's brother's family. Along the way we stopped to have lunch with our dear friends Dave and Helen who were traveling North to spend Thanksgiving with their kids in Friday Harbor. What a treat to visit with them.

The traditional Thanksgiving game of Hearts is pretty serious business at Uncle Harold's, unless you are four. Gary, Randy, Harold, Adam, Chelsea, Jeremy and Matthew.

Fishing at Detroit Lake Oregon

2008-12-29T08:31:00.000-08:00

The boys went fishing with Jenni's husband, Randy at Detroit Lake the day after Thanksgiving. The girls stayed home and did some shopping while Grandma watched the kids. Everyone did just what they wanted to do!

What a string of trout they caught and had a lot of fun in the process

The Old Guys were not to be outdone by the Young Guys!

Randy's boat in the background, Jeremy, Adam, Randy and Harold

California and Reno

2008-12-28T18:27:00.000-08:00

After Thanksgiving we drove to Red Bluff California where we spent the weekend with Margo's sister Shannon , her husband John and daughter Katie.

While we were in California we couldn't pass up an opportunity to visit our old pastor and dear friends, Paul and Beverly in Paradise.

Nephew PJ and his family drove from Susanville and visited with us at Margo's sister Trula's home in Red Bluff.

Grandma Trula and grandaughter Kylie

Helping Adam and Chelsea decorate for Christmas at their apartment in Reno.

Chelsea is working as a RN in ICU at Renown Medical Center and Adam is an insurance agent starting a new business. He is also finishing his business degree at the University of Phoenix in Reno.

Nephew Chris and his wife Sonja and family met us at a restaurant for dinner while we were in Reno. They also live in Susanville.

Christmas in Friday Harbor

2008-12-25T22:34:00.000-08:00

Dylan and Nathan helping Grandpa decorate Christmas Cookies. I think these are becoming blue reindeer.

Nathan, Dylan and Matthew playing Candy Land on Christmas night.

Allison's sister Heather, husband David and son Brandin

Reading new books with Grandma

Allison, trying to even out the ornaments after the boys had decorated the tree

Getting instructions from Dad

Nathan getting a hair cut before his Pre School Christmas Program

Sportsman's Lake on San Juan Island

Wenatchee

2008-11-22T23:52:00.000-08:00

Gary's brother Lon and his wife Janet in their home in Wenatchee, Washington. We are celebrating Lon and Janet's 40th wedding anniversary.

Lon and Janet's daughter, Carol and her daughter, Emma

Son Brad, his wife Lindsey and sons Spencer, Wesley and Elliot

Janet's mother Jesse, Janet, Emma, Margo and Carol

October Activities

2008-11-02T22:47:00.000-08:00

Eunice Landlord, babysitting little Titus while his mom and dad, Mike and Cayla Boettcher lead AWANA games at our first Kids Club in the village of Marshall. George and Eunice have moved to Marshall to minister to the people of that village. Although they have left Kako, they remain part of the Kako Family.

We were a bit overwhelmed with the response to our Marshall Kids Club when 45 kids showed up! There were 11 and 12 kids on each game team. They kept their leaders hopping!

Carolyn Lyman hosted a Kako Womens' Retreat at her home at Snow Gulch Mine. From left to right. Vera Penz, Carolyn Lyman, Cayla Boettcher, Eunice Landlord and Margo

Gary and several men from local villages attended a conference at the Moravian Bible Seminary in Bethel. Here they are relaxing together in the dorm.

Kako Fall

2008-10-20T09:32:00.000-07:00

Gary bagged his first bull moose on the second day of the season! It may be small, but it is sure good eating. Mike's teasing him about his trophy antlers.

The Yukon River near Kako Landing

The barge off loads fuel, building supplies and equipment up and down the river twice a year. Here it is off loading our fall fuel supply at Kako Landing on it's return trip up-river.

The Fuel Farm at Kako Landing. Fuel is hauled from here by 4 wheeler or snow machine, 8 miles to Kako. Getting the washed out bridge repaired will allow us to haul fuel with a fuel truck, saving many trips and wear and tear on the machinery.

Vern, a volunteer mechanic, from Washington State, doing major repairs on our D6 CAT. The cat is needed to do the bridge repair work that will allow the fuel truck to transport the fuel. There are steel girders at the wash-out site that will replace the old bridge and should prevent wash-outs in the future.

Gary hauling propane tanks from Kako Landing with his 4 wheeler

Kevin and Mike quartering Mike's moose before loading it on the 4 wheelers to transport to Kako. Kako needs at least 4 moose a year to supply meat for the staff families, retreats and Kids Camps. George shot one this fall as well, so we need at least one more. A cow season opens in December and the guys will travel 50+ miles on the frozen river by snow machines for this hunt.

Mexico!

2008-09-17T23:17:00.000-07:00

From 46F in Alaska to 103F in less than 24 hours!

Sand Castle on the beach in La Paz, Mexico

Hacienda Del Sol - Our home, just outside the city of La Paz

Our private swimming pool

Baylano

One of many ice cream breaks!

Our Morning Counseling Sessions in our little Hacienda

A Cruise in La Paz Bay to go snorkeling and swim with the Seals

As soon as we jumped off the boat, the seals slipped off the rocks to swim with us!

Mango on a Stick - 20 pesos

Down town La Paz boardwalk and beach

Our Summer Begins!

2008-06-17T22:20:00.000-07:00

Our first two weeks of Camp were quite rainy, but the kids don't seem to mind getting wet!

Junior High boys at the archery range, not caring that it's a cold, wet day.

Friday Harbor Presbyterian Church VBS donated money for new playground equipment. We have added four new swings, and a trapeze bar with rings. A slide is ordered, but has not arrived yet. Thank you FHPC Kids!

This group of young men from California came a week before camp to help finish the pavilion that was started last summer. They got the sides up and the screens built to enclose the building that houses the swimming pool, ping pong table and foose ball. Now they are serving as camp counselors, activity directors, dish washers, and wherever else they are needed. They have developed a way to heat the pool by building a fire in a wood burner outside the pavilion and circulating the pool water through a water jacket. They have actually raised the water temperature from 36F to 61F! The kids would swim regardless, but how much more fun to have it warm! (relatively)

Now the kids can play and swim in the pavilion relatively bug free!

Flying kites on the top of Kako Mountain, a new experience for most campers.

Carolyn and Margo serving a little cheer and TLC to hungry Elementary Campers during the first week.

Tie dying T-Shirts in the Craft Barn. The kids enjoy the process almost as much as the end product!

Family Camp at Kako

2008-06-09T21:15:00.000-07:00

Kako's annual Memorial Day Weekend Family Camp is a popular and well attended retreat. Including the Kako Staff, there were around 70 participants. The 4 -day event is filled with fellowship, worship, games, traditional foods and gospel singing late into the night. No one wants to go home on Monday, but we must say goodby to new friends and old. See You next year!

Henry and his mother, Virginia came to Family Camp for the first time.

Tata, Anna and their boys, and one more on the way!

It's ok Brother, the lady only wants to take our picture!

Kevin, MaryAnn and baby Kyra, having dinner with us before they left Kako for Fish Camp

Loaded for Bear!

2008-05-09T20:23:00.000-07:00

An unprovoked bear attack on Gary's snow machine led to a couple of all night vigils, waiting for the culprit to show up again.

The thing continued to terrorize the neighborhood for two more nights, dumping out bags of aluminum cans and prowling around the chicken coop. The third night, Gary was determined to shoot it.

We waited up with the window open so we could hear the thing. Around 12:30 pm we heard something thump against our cache door. We looked out the window and there he was standing on his hind feet, with his front paws pushing on the cache door. Gary had his rifle ready and when it got back on all fours, he shot him. One shot in the head was all it took. Our neighbors, Mike and Sheldon came to help gut it and hang it in the airplane hangar.

The young male black bear measured about 6ft. and weighed around 300 lbs. Gary skinned it out the next day. He hopes to tan the hide and make a bear skin rug for our living room

He said his back was getting tired by the time he got to the head! We cut and wrapped it the next day and had bear steaks for supper. It doesn't replace the almost new snow machine seat, but revenge never tasted so good!

Grayling

2008-04-28T11:20:00.000-07:00

"This is your pilot, Alissa. We will be departing for Grayling Alaska momentarily. Please fasten your seat belts and enjoy your flight." Actually, Alissa's daddy, Mike Boettcher was our pilot and she and her mommy, Cayla came along with us on this trip.

The little mission church in Grayling is temporarily without a missionary pastor. They have invited Kako to come alongside to help them. Gary agreed to preach at the church on the weekend of April 18. As it turned out, the village was mourning the death of a three year old little boy and needed a pastor to minister to the family and conduct the funeral service on Tuesday. Monday we were able to fly to two neighboring villages to make contacts with local schools and community agencies to distribute Kako brochures, inviting folks to our upcoming counseling and training sessions as well as our summer kids camping program.

The custom of this Athabaskan Indian village is to conduct a community vigil for three days, supporting the family with meals and time spent viewing the body. The village gathered several times a day for meals and in the evening for gospel singing. We were privileged to be invited to participate in these events as well as the potlatch held the night before the funeral This beautiful spruce wood sled was made by family members to transport the casket three miles from the funeral to the graveside.

Pray with us for this precious young mother who has lost her toddler as she raises his little sister.

Cama'i Dance Festival

2008-04-14T13:55:00.000-07:00

We spent a cultural weekend in Bethel, celebrating Gary's birthday in March. There were dance groups from villages around the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta. Each group includes drummers, singers, female dancers, standing, and male dancers, kneeling.
We were surprised that we knew some of the performers from village schools in the area. Every dance group included children. To view video footage click Cama'i Dance Festival on our links and click on 2008 Group Index. You might enjoy hearing the Yupi'k language spoken and sung.

Teacher's Retreat/Easter Weekend

2008-04-11T21:21:00.000-07:00

Gary, leading a Bible Study at our Easter Weekend Teacher's Retreat. We flew in public school teachers from villages in the area to join us for a weekend of Rest and Relaxation and Fellowship.
Easter Week also brought a group of students from Colorado Christian University in Denver to Kako. Besides doing tons of work projects for us, they helped with Kids Club and put on a Youth Snow Retreat for local teenagers. What a blessing they were to all of us. Here are some of them decorating Easter Eggs with our Kako Kids.
Easter Sunrise Service on Kako Mountain. We were shuttled via snow machine and sled to this early morning service. He is Risen! He is Risen indeed!

Easter Sunrise as we worshiped on the Mountain

March Update

2008-03-11T06:41:00.000-07:00

Greetings from Alaska,

We are enjoying our second winter at Kako and now we're looking forward to Spring. There is still plenty of snow, but the temperatures are warmer, which we are enjoying.

In February we had a Leadership Training and several men from local villages came to spend a few days studying God's Word together. Gary led them through the book of Ephesians and taught them how to do and inductive Bible Study. The Holy Spirit did the work of applying the truths as the men learned and shared.

After several months of delays, we were finally able to begin our Kids Club at the public gym in Russian Mission. Beginning on Feb. 28 , seven boys showed up for our after-school program. They were excited about the games and told their friends. The next Thursday, 20 boys and girls showed up. They told their friends and the next week, 30 kids came. It has been exciting to watch it grow week by week.

The first week the weather wasn't good for flying, so we drove to Russian Mission on our snow machine, traveling on the frozen Yukon. That was a major event for Margo because she had never done it before and had developed a fear of traveling by snow machine. God helped her to overcome her fears and she actually enjoyed the scenery. It takes about 40 minutes one way and half of the trip is on the river. Since then, our new pilot and his wife, Mike and Cayla Boettcher, have flown down to help out with Kids Club and Margo has hitched a ride with them. Gary and Henry continue to take the snow machine route, pulling the game equipment on a sled.

Our goal for the Kids Club is to provide wholesome activities and build relationships with the kids. We have had kids from 4 years old to 19 attend and we welcome them all. Using AWANA games, provided by Islands Community Church, has been a great way to include large numbers of kids of varying ages and skill levels. Eskimo kids love to sing and we have begun singing silly, camp-like songs with them as well as some visualized songs that were donated by Margo's childhood pastor and his wife, Paul and Beverly Richins.

Gary has been busy scheduling upcoming Kako events and communicating with all the participants. March 21-23 is our Spring Teachers' Retreat and Easter. That same week we are hosting a Teen Snow Camp with a Youth Group from Colorado as well as local teens from Russian Mission and Marshall. We are looking forward to ministry with each of these groups. In May we will have a week long conference called, Hearts Toward Wellness, which helps hurting people learn to deal with the pain of their past with God's help. Family Camp is Memorial Day Weekend and we traditionally have around 90 people attend. Fortunately, our cook, Becky Noll, will be returning the first part of May to stay through the Summer Camping season. As a matter of fact, Becky has been accepted to be full-time with Kako and will be returning to her home church in Iowa, to begin raising support at the end of the summer.

Volunteer work teams, camp counselors, musicians, kitchen helpers and pilots have signed on for the Camping Season. God fills the slots almost before we can identify the needs. There is still room for you!

A new Play and Pack portable crib has been donated to Kako by a friend in Friday Harbor and we appreciate it so much. It will be especially useful during our family camp. This same friend has sent boxes of beautiful children's clothing, which we have shared with our missionary families. Recently we took a bunch of them to Russian Mission and displayed them on a table at the Town Council office. The secretary there put out an announcement on the VHF and within an hour, all the clothes were gone. We never know which door of ministry God will open next!

I must tell you, we are missing our boys and their families terribly. We appreciate your prayers and thank God for the peace He brings. We knew this would be the hardest part. It has helped that Margo has been extremely busy with the bookkeeping, in Vera's absence, in addition to her homeschooling responsibilities, the last two months. We all look forward to Dave and Vera's return March 10.

Thanks so much for your prayers,support and encouraging words. We love hearing from you.

Love,
Gary and Margo

New Neighbors

2008-02-10T15:33:00.000-08:00

Gary welcoming Mike Boettcher to Kako
Mike is a pilot and a welcome
addition to the Kako Staff.

Cayla and 7 month old Alissa
Cayla is an RN and will be a help to all of us, and
especially as Camp Nurse in the Summer

Mike, Calya, Alissa and Abby
The Boettchers have moved in next to the Posenjaks
and we are glad to have them as neighbors, co-workers and
friends.

Slaviq

2008-01-17T22:20:00.000-08:00

We were invited by our friend Moses to participate in the Russian Orthodox Christmas Celebration called Slaviq. It takes place the week following our traditional Christmas.

The celebrants follow the star from house to house for feasting and singing of Christmas Carols in Russian, Yupi'k and English.

A meal of traditional Eskimo food is served to all the participants and a gift is given to each one by the host. The symbolism is the Star of Bethlehem stopping at the home of the Savior and the Wise Men bringing gifts. The most precious gift being that of the Savior, the Lord Jesus.

Winter at Kako

2007-12-17T17:20:00.000-08:00

Fred Bourland de-icing the wings of the 206 before
he left to go home to Friday Harbor

The day we cut our Christmas Tree. Margo is
learning to drive a snow machine.

Our friends and co-workers, the Sharps.
The children ride on the sled, with bungy
cords around them, and Cindy rides
on the back of the snow machine, holding the
baby.

This was taken around 10:00 am on a December
morning as the moon was going down behind
Kako Mountain

Our little house at Kako with the snow on the
roof suspended in space with the freezing temperatures

Biblical Counseling Training

2007-12-17T17:18:00.000-08:00

Our week long conference in December was taught by
Clair and Clara Schnupp from Native Youth Ministries
in Dryden, Ontario

Our class

Our Graduates

By This Name

2007-12-17T14:00:00.000-08:00

Our November Bible Conference was a 40 hour course that took the students through the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, following the theme of God's plan of redemption through Jesus.

Our teachers, Dennis and Tom
from Good Seed in Spokane

Julian, Henry and Clarence

Peter, Lucy and Lena

Ray

Saying good bye to our
friend Jane, who was
weathered in at Kako for three
days following the conference

Bridge Building

2007-11-01T19:05:00.000-07:00

The washed out culvert on Kako Creek

The guys finishing up the new construction

The quality control test

Successful crossing!

Atmauthluak

2007-10-04T21:07:00.000-07:00

Hi Friends,

Dave and Gary have been praying about the possibility of reaching remote villages with little or no exposure to the Gospel. They took off yesterday in the 206 headed for the village of Nunapitchauk which neither Gary nor Dave have ever visited before.

The purpose of the visit was to make a contact with someone in the village to introduce the work at Kako and invite people to attend our retreats and camps. Dave landed in a remote village that he thought was Nunapitchuk and left Gary there. Dave flew on the the village of Kasigluk, where he was doing the same thing.

As it turns out, Gary was actually in Atmauthluak, but he didn't discover that until he was visiting with the Postmaster there. He asked her if he could send her some camp registrations and information about other Kako events for her to make available. She was glad to do that and gave him her name and address.

Next he went to the school where he met a couple who have been the only teachers there for many years. He invited them to our Teachers Retreat next weekend. They were friendly, but gave no indication that they were interested. He left some Kako brochures at the Native Store and the lady there was glad to display them.

The only road from the air strip to the village was this long boardwalk used by pedestrians and 4 wheelers alike. So, that was Gary's first experience going into a village by himself to make a contact. He was very excited about it and said the Lord gave him courage when he was way out of his comfort zone. He doesn't like going alone, but that's the way Dave prefers to work.

Dave had a successful visit and invited a guy to come spend a week at Kako because he said he wants to get his life straight with God. He agreed to meet with Gary for Bible Studies every day for a week. Please pray for him. His name is Oddrick and he doesn't know the Lord.

We are very happy to be back at Kako together after Margo's surgery. She will have the cast on until November 13 when she will make a quick trip to Seattle to have her arm x-rayed and the cast removed. Hopefully she won't have to make a follow up visit.

Love,

Gary and Margo

Sheldon's First Moose

2007-10-04T18:00:00.000-07:00

Sheldon shot his first moose near Kako on September 15. Gary, not having his resident license this year, helped dress, bag and butcher the thing. He was as proud of Sheldon's moose as Sheldon was. We'll show you Gary's first moose next year!

Adam and Chelsea's Wedding

2007-09-03T13:56:00.000-07:00

Adam and Chelsea were married on August 10th at Cedar Springs Estates in Sandy Oregon.
Her mom and dad, Kim and Deanna Smith were gracious hosts and proud parents of the bride.

Gary was privileged to perform the ceremony. It was an honor for him to get them started off in their new life together with encouraging words from God's Word.

Adam's groom's men were, Bryan Posenjak, Brett Percich, Jeremy Posenjak, Jason Buffum, Jared Posenjak and Charlie Herbert

I'm afraid I'm not as familiar with the girls in the wedding party. But they were all lovely and their dresses were beautiful. Chelsea's three little nieces were adorable flower girls. It's too bad I didn't get them all in the picture.

Our Grandson, Dlyan, who is 7 years old was the ring bearer. He took his job very seriously and delivered the rings on que. Dylan is Bryan and Allison's son.

Adam and Chelsea, cutting the cake. Her grandparents catered the reception dinner and everything was wonderful. A really fun thing she did was decorate the tables at the reception with candle vases filled with water and gold fish swimming in them! She also had lighted candles, in little votive dishes floating in the pond.

Everyone enjoyed dancing to Adam and Chelsea's favorite Country tunes.

Margo's siblings, Trula, Harold, Shannon and Rea

It was so fun to have my sisters and brother all at the wedding. We spend a couple of nights together in the Best Western in Sandy and didn't get much sleep, trying not to waste any of our precious time together!

Rea and Shannon were able to go to Harold and Joany's home in Salem with Gary and I for a visit. Trula and her daughter Aimee had to head back to California the next day. Shannon and her daughter Katie spent the night and Harold took them to the airport on Sunday to fly back to Los Banos, CA. Rea was able to stay in Salem with us several days. We drove her to the airport and sent her home to Florida and Pat on Thursday. We sure missed our mom and dad. They would have had such a wonderful time at the wedding with all their children together.

We were thrilled to have so many friends from Friday Harbor and beyond, attend. I think everyone had a great time visiting with old friends. Several of the couples came a day early to help us prepare and serve the rehearsal dinner at Roslyn Lake Park, near Sandy. We served Yukon King Salmon that we brought with us from Kako.

Some Special Folks Along the Way

2007-09-02T15:58:00.000-07:00

Helen, Dave, Elaine, Ruth and Merilyn

Bryan and Aunt Rea

Ken, Dave, Fred and Lon

Uncle Gary and Brandi

Margo and sister Trula

More Special Folks

2007-09-01T16:41:00.000-07:00

Laurie and Baby Nathaniel

Chasity with a gift she made for Gary

Adam getting ready to take Mom and Dad flying

Shannon and Katie

Grandma Joany and Riley

Just a few more

2007-08-30T19:28:00.000-07:00

Jim and Jeni

Kelly and Jill

Jared and Myles

Jeremy and David

Jackie and Jacob

Shannon, Rea, Aimee and Janet

Nathan and Matthew not getting their white shirts dirty before the wedding

Katie and Dylan

Ryan, Dylan and Brandin

Matthew's 3rd Birthday Party

2007-08-23T19:40:00.000-07:00

Matthew's 3rd birthday party at his house in Bellingham, August 5th. Grandma and Grandpa were there as well as his cousins Nathan and Dylan from Friday Harbor, his Bellingham cousins, friends and neighbors. His Mommy decorated a Thomas Train Cake.

Some Posenjak Women

2007-08-21T17:35:00.000-07:00

Here are the Posenjak women who attended Melissa's baby shower in Friday Harbor. Jackie, Jeni, Mesissa, Chelsea, Allison, Margo and Christine.

Summer Camp

2007-08-01T13:15:00.000-07:00

Hi Friends and prayer supporters,

We had a tremendous camping season at Kako this year. We set new records in reaching 201 kids from 20 different villages. Over 40 kids accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior. I just got a phone call from one of the kid's dads in Hooper Bay. He thanked me for teaching his son about Jesus and the decision that he made to follow Christ. We had 8 different camps starting with family camp where we had over 70 people attend. Then 6 kids camps and 1 wilderness camp for high school boys.

We had asked for prayer concerning our shortage of counselors (especially girl counselors). The Lord supplied great counselors for both boys and girls. We had also asked prayer for pilots for the last two weeks of camp and the Lord provided there too. We got help from Samaritan's Purse and MARC a mission organization that flies natives to Biblical activities. So thank you very much for your much needed prayers. The Lord is good!!!!!!

Please pray as I write a letter to the Russian Mission Council to get permission to use their sports hall to have a Kids Club once a week. We are also going to invite those in the village to come to our church services at Kako on Sundays and stay for dinner after wards. Margo and I have been going to Russian Mission regularly and meeting with different ones. We are beginning to feel accepted by the villagers.

Last month I went to a funeral for a young man from Russian Mission who drowned while fishing. We had him at our home several times and invited him to join us for Bible studies, but as far as we know he didn't make any decisions for the Lord. Anyway, while at the funeral many kids from camp and adults we have met in the village, spoke to me. One couple invited Margo and me to visit them the next Saturday. We had a good visit with them and encouraged them in this difficult time.

We would like to start Kid's clubs in Russian Mission, Marshall and Pilot Station this Fall. Pray for these clubs especially for Pilot Station. We had 5 kids from there for the first time. The village officials are not open to the gospel coming into their village. But now we have an in with the kids there.

We are now getting ready to fly to Seattle to be with our family and friends for Adam and Chelsea's wedding. We plan to be in the Northwest for the month of August. We are hoping to visit many of our supporters during this time. If you would like us to speak in your church please e-mail me soon so we can make a schedule.

Thanks again for your prayers and support.

Your missionaries to the Yup'ik Eskimos

Gary and Margo

Our Newly Painted House

2007-07-11T02:13:00.000-07:00

June 1, 2007 Press Release

2007-07-01T12:00:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends and Family,

We can't believe we have been on staff at Kako for six months! My how time flies when you're having fun! The snow only remains in patches on Kako Mountain, the ice has melted from the ponds and rivers and the leaves are budding out on the willows and birch trees.

The Teachers Retreat in April was a great time. We invited public school teachers from the bush communities to come for a weekend of fellowship and relaxation. We had a good turn out and they enjoyed the opportunity to be out of their villages and spend time with other teachers. Frank Fenby was the speaker. He is a professor at Moody Bible Institute, as well as a visiting professor at the Moravian Seminary in Bethel. He asked Gary to participate in preparing a systematic theology to teach Eskimo seminary students.

Margo started a little pre-school program for Jed and Melanie who are both four and are eager learners. Gary made some chairs and a painting easel for the school. Home school for Kevin has gone well and school is officially over for the summer.

Family Camp on Memorial Day Weekend brought over 70 people from villages on the Yukon, the Bering Sea and the Kuskoquim. We had a wonderful weekend of fellowship, relaxation and spiritual renewal. Several volunteer pilots are doing all the flying in three planes. We are thankful for two young men who came to help out with the kid's program at Family Camp. We had a ton of kids and they were engaged in outdoor activities as well as Bible Story time. The families bring traditional native foods to share and I wanted to tell you some of the foods we have tried. We have had King Salmon soup, Trumpeter Swan soup (can you Island folks believe it?), dried seal, Beluga blubber, Che fish, Northern Pike, dried Tom Cod dipped in seal oil, aguduk, (Eskimo ice cream made of salmon berries, pike, shortening and sugar), Canada Goose soup, (cooked with the head, bill and body. The feet have been removed.) and dried salmon. Gary liked the whale blubber and swan, Margo likes the dried salmon and salmon soup. George and Eunice have a couple of beavers in their freezer that they are saving for a special occasion.

Now preparation for Kids Camps begins in earnest. We have one week to get ready and plenty of projects left to do. The laundry room will be a busy place while we launder all the sheets from Family Camp and put the beds from the cabins in storage. The kids sleep on the floor on mats so that we can get more in each cabin. Some construction is being done this week as well. A pole building/pavilion is being built to house the swimming pool, half court basketball and a camp fire area. The pavilion will have four foot walls and screened windows. All the lumber and posts have been milled here at Kako's saw mill. A work team from Pennsylvania is bringing all the screening materials for the project. A deck is being built to keep the swimmers feet out of the mud. There will be a lot of post holes being dug this week. We are thankful that the ground is still a bit wet for digging.

We have plenty of men counselors lined up for camp, but we are still short a few women counselors. Please pray that that need will be met. We are praising the Lord for camp scholarship money that has come in as a result of a fund raising project initiated by our friend Kris Brown in Friday Harbor. So far $8000 has come in!

The original house for the Kako Mine has been turned into a recreation room and this Spring Gary and Sheldon have put re-cycled siding on it and painted it. From the airstrip it looks much better! It had been somewhat of an eye-sore as people landed at Kako. Getting building materials in here is very difficult and expensive, so every scrap of plywood is re-used.

We look forward to work crews coming from the lower 48 to help with construction projects and general maintenance. There is always more to do than the staff can accomplish and we appreciate all the help we can get. Besides, it gives us opportunities to meet people from all over the country.

Gary and I have been flying to Russian Mission once a week where he conducts a Bible Study. Richard, the young man who had to leave Kako last winter because of his violent behavior, is attending every week. We enjoy being in the village regularly, getting to know the people and becoming part of the community. It takes time to be accepted and when you don't actually live in the village, it even takes longer to build trust.

We are looking forward to coming home at the end of July for Adam's wedding in August. It will be a wonderful event and a great excuse for a family reunion. The wedding will take place in Sandy Oregon and many of our family and friends are planning to attend. Thanks again for your interest in Kako and your love and support for us. We miss you all.

You can now e-mail us at mposenjak@yahoo.com . We would love to hear from you. Our mailing address is: PO Box 29, Russian Mission, AK 99657. Our phone number is 907-584-5200.

Thanks again for your prayers and support.
Love,

Gary and Margo

Our Photos from Kako

2007-06-01T12:08:00.000-07:00

Margo and Gary on Kako Mountain

Margo Teaching Crafts

Enjoying the new pool donated by Islands Community Church Sunday School

Sunday Drive

Our Family

2007-05-01T12:05:00.000-07:00

Bryan and his wife, Allison, live in Friday Harbor, Washington with their two boys, Dylan and Nathan

Jeremy and his wife Christine live in Bellingham, Washington with their little boy, Matthew.

Adam and Chelsea