Family Camp at Kako

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!

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

"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

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

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

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

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.