Alaska Mission Team Week 5 Update
Dear family and friends,
Week five of the Alaska Mission Team was a week of division — the good kind! The team separated to meet needs in three different locations. Mrs. Z, Emily, Hannah and Nick remained at Higher Ground Baptist Bible Camp (HGBBC) in Sterling to help staff during primary week (2nd and 3rd graders). Robbie and Jessica flew off to Fairbanks and then drove nearly two hours to Camp Challenge with Bryan Graham to help staff this ministry of Hamilton Acres Baptist Church. April, Missy, Megan, Janine (Janine was just rejoining the team after two weeks in Galena and Talkeetna working VBS ministries in those villages), Austin, Matt and Mr. Z all headed for Fort Yukon—an Athabascan village 150 miles north of Fairbanks and just a few miles north of the Arctic Circle—to hold a VBS in that village with the Craig family.
Saturday morning Mr. Z flew seven students in the Navajo from HGBBC in Sterling to Fairbanks where BJU students spent the afternoon with Mr. and Mrs. Earl Barnett (retired veteran Alaskan missionaries). In the meantime, Mr. Z flew a trip for Mission Air Care (MAC) to take another group (unrelated to the BJU team) to Selawik to help with that VBS. Mr. Z returned to Fairbanks about five hours later, said farewell to Robbie and Jessica as they headed for Camp Challenge, ate supper and refueled the airplane, and loaded up the Fort Yukon team again and headed to Fort Yukon, arriving about 8 p.m. MAC equipment made the timely staging and coordination of four groups to three new locations all possible in one day at less expense to missionaries and passengers than charter and/or airlines! This is missionary aviation at work — thanks to the Lord’s work in Earl Malpass and MAC!
After getting settled at Fort Yukon, preparations were made for music and preaching the next day. On Sunday, Mr. Z preached in the morning and evening services, and Matt taught Sunday school. The team had a part in special music as well.
A second missionary aviation aircraft out of Fairbanks was scheduled to pick up six Fort Yukon teens and fly them back to Fairbanks right after the Sunday morning service so they could then drive to Camp Challenge for the camp week. The weather turned rainy and cold Sunday morning, and the CE-207 operated by another missionary could not safely get over the White Mountains to Fort Yukon. Tongue in cheek, Pastor Craig came to Mr. Z and said, “Anyone know of an eight-seat mission aircraft (like maybe a Navajo?) that can fly instruments to Fairbanks with a load of camp teens?” Mr. Z, smiling, said something like, “I think we might be able to dig one up somewhere!” On Monday Mr. Z and Pastor Craig used the MAC Navajo to fly to Fairbanks with the teens and then drive them to camp challenge in a van while the BJU students helped Mrs. Craig with the first day of VBS. BJU Mission Team members Robbie and Jessica, working at Camp Challenge that week were very surprised to see Mr. Z and crew come to camp with the Fort Yukon campers! All had lunch together, and the return trip was uneventful. At the end of the week, Robbie and Jessica gave good reports to the rest of the team about the Camp Challenge ministry and the work accomplished there. God was working in campers’ hearts.
The Fort Yukon VBS also went well with about 50 children in attendance. The six BJU team members taught Bible lessons, told missionary stories, sang, performed skits, counseled and made gospel presentations. Several children came forward at the end of the VBS to trust Christ as savior! The Craigs gave team members a real taste of village life, including local meats such as moose, caribou and smoked salmon. They showed the team around town, the adjacent wilderness on a hike, and a hiking tour of what they hope will be future camp property for the area. As well, the team spent an afternoon on the Yukon River and one of its sloughs and another river that feeds the Yukon. Everyone had a real introduction to Alaskan wilderness, complete with bugs and guns!
Thanks to the Craig family for being great hosts and the Lord for safe and fruitful ministry!
For the team, Mr. Z