May 2008. I came home from work to my husband asking for help sending an email. He was searching on the Samaritan’s Purse website and found a posting advertising a short-term need in Alaska for a diesel mechanic. As I tried to support my quickly dropping jaw, I helped him send a three-sentence email to a man he’d never met asking him when he needed help. Less than three weeks later, he was on a plane by himself to a Bible camp on the Yukon River only accessible by boat or plane.
Why is this significant? This is the same man who looked at me when we were engaged and said to give up on my missionary dreams for him because he would never go anywhere that he couldn’t walk home or get back by dark. Ironically, he COULD walk home if he absolutely had to, AND it never gets dark in the summer while in Alaska. I’d say God has quite the sense of humor.
Kokrine Hills Bible Camp
David’s first trip changed him. He met Roger and Carole Huntington, the leaders of Kokrine Hills Bible Camp. Roger told David what he needed done to all the heavy equipment and he had total faith that David could make it happen. He and David had many conversations on that first trip and when David came home, KHBC had his heart.
This Bible camp is unique. It is the only place for the surrounding thirteen village children and teens to hear about Jesus. There are no churches in any of the small, native villages and the suicide rate has been as high as fifty percent amongst the teenagers who reside in these areas. Alcohol and drugs are huge influences in the isolated villages as well as high numbers of physical and sexual abuse cases. These native Alaskan kids and teens can’t wait for summer to come so they can attend Kokrine Hills Bible Camp and learn about Jesus. Some kids enjoy the safety so much that the thoughts of going home bring them to tears.
When our team serves at KHBC, there are no camps happening. We purposely go early in order to de-winterize and get the camp organized, functional, and safe for the summer. David and others use their mechanical knowledge to work on and use heavy equipment. Regular maintenance to the runway because of snowmelt is always needed and with the camp being so remote, machinery is a must to move buildings, smooth and build roads, and haul off junk.
The camp also has a sawmill and most lumber is milled onsite for whatever repair or new build is needed. This spring when the river’s ice broke, there was an ice jam which caused excessive flooding at KHBC. As different work crews arrived, it was amazing to see how God sent just the right people, with exactly the right skills for the jobs that needed doing. Electricians. Carpenters. Welders. Small engine workers. Gardeners (for all the plants Carole lost in the flood). Diesel mechanics. Bakers (they made over 2000 cookie balls frozen for camp to use). Musicians (for our worship night). Organizers (pantry and flooded areas). Seamstress (made curtains). And the list could go on and on. This week was such a beautiful picture of what can happen when we offer our gifts and talents to God and allow him to use us in Body of Christ.
Bible camp transformed as soon as everyone arrived. Groups from Florida, North Carolina, Anchorage, Oregon, and New York all showed up. Fallen trees, excessive trash, turned over and damaged buildings, flood ravaged basements and Carole and Roger’s home all changed. Hard, long hours went into trying to make everything usable again. The guys even moved Carole’s greenhouse back out front and her plants were planted and are ready to grow. As we were flying out, another group from Pennsylvania was heading in and I have no doubt they will finish what our groups started.
Will You Go?
David has made the trip to Kokrine Hills Bible Camp for fourteen summers now. During that span of time, he has invited others to join him and over fifty individuals from our area have also experienced this beautiful camp for themselves.
One big, scary, yes often changes our lives forever. Learning to offer God our talents and abilities is a game changer and then seeing the actual results can be overwhelming. And what are those results? Having a clean, safe, organized camp facility ready for leaders to pour the love of Christ out to the campers. A place where God has free reign. The safe haven of Kokrine Hills Bible Camp.
Is God moving deep in your heart to go deeper and offer our talents, abilities, and skills? Maybe you aren’t even sure how to help, but you know you can do something. He just needs your availability. He’ll take care of the rest.
(for more about Kokrine Hills Bible Camp, please visit Kokrinehills.org)