Junior Campers Keep on Keepin' on

Our 2nd full day of camp began with cold but clear skies warming to a nice sunny afternoon.

Yesterdays soggy clothing that Counselors tenderly hung to dry overnight in the heated shop was returned to use.

Campers have all chosen a name for their cabins... Here are all the Campers and their Counselors on their front porch, also the very valued Junior Staff.

The kids have enjoyed lots more games and activities with the counselors and staff. By far the favorite, by casual observation, was Biscuit in the Basket, followed closely by Fill the Can (on your counselor's head) or Drench the Counselor.

Please continue to keep all the Campers, their Counselors and the staff in your prayers as energy levels drain. Counselors have learned to sleep on their feet for a quick refresh and keep up with their "mob."

The campers evening prayers included prayer for a sunny day so they could hit the Sandbar! Looks like we're going regardless ;-)

Posted by Gayle Johanson, aka Mama Jo

First Full Day of Junior Camp

After breakfast Camp had Morning Session on John 10:10 about following the Good Shepherd. Staff put on a skit to demonstrate.

The kids had lots of activities to choose from; crafts, canoeing, archery, basketball, foosball, pingpong, swings, and the "zip-line." When interviewed, the Tanana campers said they loved foosball, pingpong, basketball and the Zip-line.
The afternoon game out on the basketball court was a Balloon Stomp which was won by Frankie in The Peanuts cabin.

Evening games moved inside the meeting hall due to rain, Blake & Sam came up with exciting activities that met with much enthusiasm.

Posted by: Gayle Johanson

Final Count: 54

We just finished our first evening session with the junior campers. They are half the height of teen campers, yet they have twice the energy.

Tonight we gave out Bibles to those campers who did not bring one. Sam shared his testimony about how God has changed his life and we sang many songs. Even on this first night, the campers were singing loud.

Please pray that the staff would effectively communicate God's Truth to these young campers. Also, pray for safety as we go through this week, learning about the Bible and having fun.

Junior Age Today

Junior age campers come today (9-12 year olds). Don Ernst will fly at least nine from Huslia and Allakaket direct to camp and it looks like there will be around 20 coming from downriver/Selawik, and more from Tanana.

Several of the Selawik Teen Campers are coming back to work on staff this week. That's the nice thing about running Teen Camp first!

The staff spent yesterday getting rest, doing laundry and planning for this next camp. Sam made a run to Tanana with staff who were leaving. Brian is in Tanana this morning -- to pick up campers of course -- but the main reason is to get his wife. Emily will be at KHBC for the next week.

Pray for good safe travel today.

Special Guest

Last night we had a unique opportunity here at camp. Franklin Graham with Samaritan's purse arranged for Dennis Agajanian to come to camp and play for the kids and share his testimony (You can find out more about Dennis at http://www.dennisagajanian.com/ministry/bio.php).

I wish we had recorded some of his playing and were able to post it because it was amazing. Dennis has very fast fingers and true to his reputation--he broke a string.

The campers were treated to personal concert and they loved it. Dennis even got out on the court to play knock-out. It was great to see his heart for the young native people of Alaska.

Please pray that the message Dennis shared last night would impact the hearts of the campers.

Thank you for praying.





AnnaRose hit it off with Dennis and he recruited her to sing with her. He kept saying how impressed he was with her voice and they performed a number of songs together.

Dennis is living up to his reputation -- here he had to stop and pull a broken string out of the way.

The campers were captivated during Dennis' playing. He really impressed them.

Catch up

We've been busy here at camp. The campers are having plenty of fun. I didn't blog anything yesterday and will try and catch up. We went to the sandbar yesterday afternoon and had another fund day of playing in the mud, burying people in the sand and basically just enjoying the weather. I forgot my camera back at camp so I don't have any pictures of it, but take my word for it, it was a blast.

I also want to add a note about our staff this year. The people we have serving here at KHBC are really carrying the camp. Thank you for praying for the unity of the staff, because this group is doing a terrific job--demonstrating the love of Christ to the campers. If you sent a loved one to serve here, thank you, and you can be proud. Everyone from the kitchen help to the counselors, to the staff maintaining the camp have been serving with a smile on their face and an attitude of joy.

Please be praying for health and energy for this extraordinary staff we have this year. The sleepless nights are catching up to them and some are beginning to feel a bit under the weather.

Thank you for praying.

Sandbar Fun

The sandbar yesterday was incredibly fun. Each year the sandbar is different depending on where the ice carved into the island and how high the water is. This year when the ice moved out it carved big craters in the sand and mud that filled with water. There were two or three swimming pool sized craters with water as deep as four feet. Once everyone discovered these pits of warmer (the Yukon is quite cold) water, it was on.

Here are some of the pictures from the day.

Wild Weather

We are experiencing the strangest storm tonight. We got back from the sandbar, ate dinner and were just gearing up to run some activities before the evening session, when a storm hit from nowhere.
First came the wind, five minutes of massive gusts blowing through the camp. Next came the most bizarre thing I have seen at camp. Hail. Not just any hail, penny sized ice balls in massive quantities. It came down so hard that it hurt your ears to stand in the kitchen because of the noise the ice was making falling on the tin roof. Everyone kept shaking their heads, saying, “This doesn’t happen here.”

I guess someone should have told the clouds that, because this picture is of the basketball court. It looks like snow, but it is thousands upon thousands of ice balls. In some places, where the rain usually drains off the roof, there are piles of hail over a foot tall (I would have taken a picture of that too, but the campers started making snowballs out of it before I could.)

Even as I am finishing typing this I see blue sky rolling in. Only in Alaska.

5 foot nuthin', but she can wash!!

Marylee Kauffman stands at 5 foot 1.5 inches. Looks are decieving. To look at her, you wouldn't know that she is a dish-washing-animal! Since arriving at camp on June 14th she has washed 6,299 dishes (cups, plates, bowls, silverware and anything else we dirty at mealtime). Our dishwasher broke two years ago and Marylee was ecstatic. I wondered if she sabatoged the machine.

For the last 20 years Marylee has been coming to Kokrine Hills and doing the dishes. During the year she is a school teacher in Galena, but during the summer she has permanent dish pan hands--and loves it. She is a fixture here at camp and I hope to see her here for 20 more years.

You may want to pray that her hands hold up because I am certain I couldn't keep up with those dishes.

God is good to us!

This is what I woke up to this morning. I walked out of my cabin at about 7am and this is the scene that greeted me. Just enough rain to clean off the basketball court and settle the dust and now we have a beautiful sunny day ahead of us. Blake and Sam are taking the campers over to the sandbar today as long as the weather remains this way. Look forward to some pictures of muddy campers.

Keep praying for good weather and safety as we go swimming today. Also, please pray that the staff will remain healthy. As we get further into the week, the staff begins to get a bit worn out and it is easier to get sick. Pray that we will have extra energy and that everyone stays healthy. Thank you for praying.

Late night prayer request

Just started raining here. It's 11:00pm and we just sent the campers up to their cabins. The rain does do some good--it keeps the campers (usually guys) in their cabins. They are less likely to try and sneak out at night if it's raining. Good news for Blake, Sam and I because that means we can go to bed earlier and not have to watch for boys sneaking out.

Rain here at camp could mean that it will rain for the next three days or the next three minutes, so just because it is raining tonight does not mean it will be raining in the morning. However, to anyone still awake and reading this, please pray that the weather will clear tomorrow when we need it. Activities are much easier to plan when the weather cooperates.

Camp is for who?

We have a saying among the staff at camp that says, "Camp is for Campers." It is to remind us that we are here to serve the campers that come to Kokrine Hills Bible Camp. All the staff end up enjoying themselves also, but our primary purposes are to teach the campers about God and to have fun--camp is camper centered.

However, there is one activity that I think I may enjoy more than the campers, and that is pulling the tube. The campers love being pulled behind the boat on the tube, but I think Blake and I might enjoy pulling them even more than they enjoy being pulled. There is nothing more fulfilling than to toss two teenage guys who have been taunting Blake and I saying, "I bet you can't get us off the tube!" Of course they love the ride and even love being thrown, but I am sure that Blake and I enjoy it more. During those three hours today camp felt like camp was for Blake and Brian. (I wanted to add a side note to parents of campers reading this blog. We are very safety conscious on the water, especially on the tube. There is a driver and a spotter in the boat at all times and we only give a camper a more exciting ride if they request it. Naturally, when pulling the tube with the younger kids, we are more gentle.)



We are hoping to go to the sandbar tomorrow to swim and pull the tube, so pray that the weather will hold.

Hiking

One of the activities we do every week is The Hike. Everyone is required to hike to the first hill and some decide to hike on to the second and third hills. It's a rather long climb to the third hill, but worth it for the view. The trails were created many years ago, when they were first marked, the trails went straight up the hill with no switchbacks. It makes for a steep climb. I've often wondered why we haven't ever gone back and made the trails a bit more user friendly, maybe some year.

You'll notice in this first picture from the first hill that the view is quite impressive. You might also notice the four wheeler. I went ahead and made the sacrifice to drive up the hill instead of climb. I wouldn't want to take the joy of feeling the burn as your legs scream for oxygen up the hill away from anyone, so I did the only kind thing I could -- drive up the hill and wait for everyone else. Actually, I did bring water up for everyone, so I had a good reason to drive and not walk. . . . . right?

The second picture is of Sam leading the train of campers as they arrive on the first hill (about twenty minutes after me).

Lunch: Kokrine Hills Style

One of the great traditions of Kokrine Hills Bible Camp is the hot dog roast. Always a favorite of everyone at camp.

Morning Activities

This morning, after the morning session, the campers had a chance to practice their archery skills. The river was so nice this morning many of the campers tried their skills out on the river in canoes. Jeff Budke is in this canoe with one of his campers.

We have been blessed with terrific weather this week (thank you for praying) and campers are definitely enjoying hanging out together in the warm weather, here are a few relaxing after canoeing. They tend to congregate around the kitchen right before lunch, like you see in the picture.

Afternoon activities

I don't have much to add except that the campers had fun this afternoon.

There was trap shooting with Lowell and Ben.

Archery with Alan and Roger.





And Carl Sylvester was helping some campers build a canvas kayak, which the campers will test later in the week.

We had great weather today and everyone had a fun afternoon. Thank you for praying.

Morning Session

Roger shared his testimony this morning. He shared how the Lord has watched over him and Carole throughout their lives. The campers listened intently. Keep praying that the hope Roger shared that he has because of Jesus Christ would make an impact.

One of the exciting things to see is campers learning to use their Bibles. This place is called Kokrine Hills Bible Camp and it's great to see that after 44 years the Bible is still the foundation of the camp.

First morning

The campers look a bit sleepy waiting for breakfast, some more than others. When I went to bed, around 2:30am, I could still here voices in the cabins--I think they were enjoying themselves, happy to be off the river.

Served at breakfast this morning was the greatest food known to man (in my opinion), baked oatmeal. A big thank you to Becky Boos, the recipe came from her, for introducing Kokrine Hills to baked oatmeal many years ago. The campers sure seem to be enjoying breakfast.

Today Blake and Sam (camp program directors) are planning a day of archery, canoeing, and maybe some skeet shooting. And if the water calms down we might pull the tube tonight. Roger is speaking this morning and Alan is speaking tonight. Keep praying for the weather and safety. Also, with such an unusually large Teen Camp, pray that the staff will remain energized and healthy.

Thank you for praying.

End of the Day. . . Err, night, or is it morning?

It's about 1:30am and the campers are gathered to hear Blake announce what cabin they are in. You can't tell by the sky, but it is the middle of the night and the campers are tired--or is it the staff? Tomorrow will start a bit later. Pray that the weather holds for tomorrow and for safety throughout the week.

Mom would be proud

I arrived at camp today and discovered we have some "genius" male staff members working at camp this summer. I was asking everyone if they have enjoyed their first few days out in the Alaskan bush. When I got to Jacob Cuniff I asked him how he was dealing with the mosquitos. His face lit up and he beamed, "Jeff (Budke) and I decided not to wear any mosquito repellent! We are training our bodies to become immune to mosquito bites!"

I didn't have a response for that, actually I burst out laughing. Then, Jacob lifted his pant leg and showed me his shin . . . I think the picture speaks for itself (he said he had counted 30 bites on this one leg). I'll let you know in a few days if the boys have come to their senses. . . . Other than this brilliant experiment by Dr. Cuniff and Professor Budke, the rest of the staff are doing great.

First post from Camp

I am writing this entry from 65:3.68 North latitude, and 153:55.24 West longitude. This is the first blog entry posted from Kokrine Hills Bible Camp! The camp has come a long way in 44 years, from canvas tents put up over soft moss, to cabins, mattresses, and now a satellite connection to the World Wide Web.

Today is the first day of teen camp, a few of the campers arrived late in the afternoon and another 22 around 8:30pm. Roger is on his way from Galena right now and will arrive with 18 campers around 1:30am. The river is calm and the campers are rolling with the change in schedule. Here are a few of them hanging out on the basketball court waiting for the rest of the campers to arrive. Needless to say, breakfast is going to be pushed back a little tomorrow morning, I'm sure everyone will enjoy a bit more sleep after this very long first day.

The Mid-Night Camp Bus (Boat)

Roger and 18 more campers will arrive at KHBC (Deo Volente), at 1:30 or 2:00 AM, Alaska time. Pray that all will arrive safely.
BA

Revised Estimate

...now estimating at least 45 Teen Campers. Because of the distances and complexities of travel, many campers won't get to KHBC until near midnight -- or even after. Fortunately, interior Alaska has 24-hour daylight this time of year. BA

Teen Camp Estimates

Don Ernst got his airplane float repaired so he is flying about 6 Teens from Koyukuk River villages. Roger said 18 are coming from Selawik and about 9 from Koyuk. Galena may have about six and possibly a couple from Ruby. The river at Galena this morning was not rough but clouds hung heavy overhead. BA

Ready for Teen Week

(Blake via satphone)
The final day of orientation wrapped up with the last few "practice" testimonies and everyone viewing the video telling about the camp. The staff is "tremendous" in Blake's words, and all are looking forward to Teens arriving tomorrow. Marginal flying weather and strong winds (as in rough water) are in the forecast so pray for safety as Teens travel hundreds of miles to get to camp.
BA

Note from Blake

Email issues still aren't sorted out at KHBC. Brian will take CAT5 cable and some other things to improve the system. We printed all the emails in the kokrinehills@gmail inbox for Brian to hand-deliver, so recipients will see the emails you've sent -- at least by tomorrow (Wed). Blake did manage to get one note out last night:

"Rachel made it to camp today safely. Last night, Mike Curtis and Sunny Russell and the all native group showed up and gave us a wonderful time of worshiping the Lord in song. I cannot express how much they acted as an encouragement to me. They reminded me that God really is at work in the interior, not just at the camp. They were really great and really did a wonderful job communicating how important the work here at camp is. They were a big encouragement to me and the whole team. We already have a few sick people, so be praying for health and for the weather. There is a really strong wind coming from the coast so pray that things will go according to what will be best for the camp. Thanks for all the prayer, Blake"

Darris left camp this morning and Roger is heading to Galena today. Pray for good travel in spite of rough water.

Day Two of Orientation

We "chatted" with Roger (via computer) this afternoon for a while. They are working out the kinks in the new internet satellite dish. If you wrote a friend or relative on staff at "kokrinehills@gmail.com" it may be a day or two before you get a reply -- because of some technical issues. Brian Arnold is heading to Alaska tomorrow (and taking a wireless router). Roger said everything was going well. Despite rough water today, Lowell made a trip to Tanana to pick up more staff. Pray for Don and Brenda Ernst, missionaries in Huslia, a village 100 miles north of KHBC. Don usually does flying for the camp, however, he punched a hole in an airplane float a few days ago so he's grounded for repairs. Plus, they had two deaths in Huslia in the last few days, a suicide and an old man, so Ernsts are really pressured. Pray that the airplane problems and funerals won't prevent kids from coming to KHBC.
BA

KHBC is online!

KHBC is now "online" with satellite internet access (paid for through a grant). For the past number of years, we have spent thousands of dollars on satellite phone calls. With internet service at camp, communication should greatly improve and phone charges go way down. They will soon begin updating this blog right from camp - hopefully, even with some pictures!

You can send messages to the people at KHBC (staff and/or campers) by emailing kokrinehills@gmail.com. (Individuals are not able to check their own email accounts.)

Barry

First Day of Orientation

Blake called to say they had a good first day of orientation. They covered cultural issues and testimonies this morning and then this afternoon they helped set up the archery range. For archery this year, the camp has a lifesized bear, a deer (even though there aren't any on the Yukon), and a larger than life fox. Thanks for praying.

Staff Arrived @ KHBC

Blake called a few minutes ago to say everyone made it to KHBC -- with all their bags. The river was nice and smooth for travel today. Thanks for praying. The next three days will be staff training/orientation.

BA

Travel Day

This is a big travel day. Thirty-some work team members will leave Tanana for Fairbanks and about 25 staff members will take their place. Pray for the MARC pilots as they shuttle people between Tanana and Fairbanks, for good weather and smooth water on the Yukon. We talked to Blake (in Fairbanks) this morning. He said everyone made it to Super 8 last night and only one Oregon bag is missing. Hopefully, it'll show up at Alaska Airlines today before the last shuttle to Tanana.

The Missionary Aviation & Repair Center airplane will leave Soldotna this morning, fly to Palmer where Russ and Freda will load on about 1500 pounds of freight (plus Sam Minatra). They'll then go direct to Tanana, unload, and start the shuttles.

One staff member, Ryan Brooks, is already at KHBC (along with a few other staff members). Part of Work Week #2, Ryan is mosquito-toughened and settled. (He also celebrated a birthday there last week.) We'll post tonight when we get word the rest of the staff has made it to KHBC.

Pray for InterAct missionaries Don and Brenda Ernst (Huslia) as there was another suicide there (Travis Sam) a couple days ago. Pray that the funeral will not prevent Teens from attending KHBC.

BA

Work Week #2 observations

(Post by Barry Arnold)

Gordon Wood and I returned to Oregon today after at nearly a week at KHBC. Both Gordon and I were taken back last Saturday when we walked up over the riverbank and saw the new covered play area all done and the dining hall roof on. You guys (and ladies) who made up work week #1 worked HARD! Wow! And what nice work, too. The play area is going to be a great help on those rainy days when Porcupine Hall is just to small to contain antsy campers.

It was fun having Horst and Rob Mager, world famous chefs, there to work with Larry and Billie. Wednesday night Horst treated us all to the cheese fondue which made his Rhinelander restaurant here in Portland a landmark.

Chief covered a lot of ground (and cut a lot of grass, willows, and bushes) with the new Billy Goat mower. The winter caretaker cabin had 3 rounds of logs on it when I left camp. The plan was to spend most of today cleaning up the grounds -- in preparation for the arrival of the camp staff, tomorrow.

Thank you to all who prayed and sacrificed to make these first two work weeks happen. We had no major accidents and only one injury -- from someone falling out of bed. (Really.)

June 11, 2008

Barry called. Everything is going really well. Not much to report.

Roger Huntington will be sharing his story tonight when they are all done working. It is always a powerful testimony of how God has worked in Roger's life.

It's been a safe and productive week. Pray for a good last few days as they wind down and get ready to leave on Saturday.

Thank you for all your prayers. Please pray for the campers and counselors who will be getting ready to come to camp. That's what it's all about...the campers and impacting their lives for Christ.

June 10, 2008

Barry called this afternoon. Everything is going well. They are having a beautiful sunny day. They are getting lots of work done. The projects are coming along nicely.

I'm sure they are having fun as well. I hear that the fishing has been fun...of course, they only report on the "work" :)

We are thankful for a safe work week so far...so thank you for all your prayers. It will be fun to hear all the stories when they get home.

Thanks for being a part of all that is happening up at camp.

June 9, 2008

Barry called with a great report. They have many workers and are making great progress. He said there is enough lodging for everyone and no need for tents. The food that didn't make it from Pamer is due in tomorrow. There should be enough eggs & toast for everyone. The meals have been wonderful!!!

The plan tonight is to go fishing (after the work is finished for the day). It's windy and the water is a bit choppy, but that won't stop those avid anglers. They're going for it!

As always, thank you for praying.

June 8, 2008

Barry called tonight. They were just getting ready to have church! They worked all day and were having church this evening at 7:30 (8:30 our time).

They have had a good day. Roger went to Galena for some things and will be back soon.

They had a good day of logging...lots of lumber cut. Some of the crew have been busy cleaning up the grounds and getting it ready for campers.

They are still waiting for some supplies from Anchorage...but want everyone to know they are eating well!!! :)

It was a short call...church was starting!

Keep praying!

June 7, 2008

The work team from Gresham made it to camp. There are about 90 people there. Barry said he wasn't exactly sure on the count yet!

The teams that have been working got a lot done. The covered play area is almost finished. The dining hall is all framed and the roof is on.

This week the team will be working on getting logs, milling them into siding for the dining hall. They will also be working on the 3-sided logs for the house. The house will be where Roger & Carole Huntington will be staying.

They had a beautiful day for traveling. Barry said there is a beautiful blue sky tonight (remember it doesn't get dark this time of year!)

Pray for safety for all the workers.

Work Going Fine

Roger called from Tanana this evening. He said all the work at camp is going fine. He was impressed with the "great bunch of guys." We're especially thankful for David Adams, a mechanic from Florida. David didn't know he was coming until just a couple weeks ago -- but what a valuable asset he's been already. It's one thing to be a "parts-changer" mechanic, another, completely, to be able (like David) to figure out machines without manuals and make fixes when you don't have exactly the right tools or parts. Roger said they should have the new torque converter on the old Payloader by this evening. That's a BIG job on a big machine. Teams from New York, Alaska, and Oregon are working together at KHBC -- along with a first rate building crew from Samaritan's Purse.