We’re flying over the Alaska Range, heading to Kako Retreat Center. Clouds covered the tops of the mountains during most of our flight over the range, but we leave the clouds behind as we enter Western Alaska.

We have less than an hour to go before we stop in McGrath to take a break on the ground before we fly another two hours.

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Kako is a remote bible camp nestled in the hills along the Yukon River. The western coast of Alaska is 140 miles to the west, and the Alaska Range borders it 200 miles to the East. Only a short flight away is the village of Russian Mission.

During the warm portions of the year, Kako has six kids camps, a family camp, and a berry-picking camp. Our family and the Tjernlunds are going to Kako’s family camp.

Billy Tjernlund and Jeff will be bringing families and staff from the villages to Kako in SFC’s two Cherokees. The rest of us will find other ways to help out.

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As it turned out, there is a lot we can do to help. Because cabin 8 had had some fire damage over the winter, there was less space for staff.

The first few days we were constantly active, cleaning houses, stocking the snack shack, and making sure the lodge was ready for our guests.

Erica watched Molly, Elliana, and her kids, while Johnathan, Ellesha, and Lael cleaned.

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It’s time to bring people into camp. Jeff, Billy, Mike, and Jonathan will fly to eighteen different villages in western Alaska. Some villages, like Marshall, are close by and take only ten to thirty minutes to get to. Other villages, such as Tooksook, take well over an hour.

Some of the passengers admitted they were rather worried when they saw Kako’s banana-looking runway. The runway is skinny, short, has a bend in the middle, slopes from one end to the other, and sometimes the far side of it is mushy. These… peculiarities make it a challenge for many pilots, so Jonathan, the camp director, makes sure that each pilot practices before they fly passengers. One man said of his experience landing there, “I didn’t see a runway, and then we were almost at the treetops and I thought we were going to land in the trees!”

For being out in the middle of nowhere, you would think that the villagers would be used to small, precarious runways. But, as it turns out, most of the villages have very large, smooth runways.

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The pilots flew almost all day long for the past two days, but now everyone is here. It’s exciting seeing some people we met last year, like Isaiah.

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It’s mealtime! Lael and Johnathan are in the kitchen helping Rick and Greta, the camp cooks.

During the camp weekend, guests are treated to three meals a day. Everyone meets together in the lodge where the meal is served.

Right after breakfast and dinner, there is meeting time. Two bands from different villages in the area are playing together, providing us with wonderful gospel music. Then Emmitt, the camp’s speaker, gives a message. Emmit tells his life story and how he came to Christ.

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It’s the last meeting. We’re having a Good News Club for the kids. We play games, have a bible lesson, and teach them a verse as Emmit preaches upstairs.

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The meeting went very late last night. The villagers loved the music and the glad times they had together. But the weekend is over and the pilots are flying everyone home. First, the guests leave. The next day, the staff and musicians fly out. Then it’s time for us to leave.

Family Camp was exhausting, but amazing. Souls were saved, hearts were convicted, and many were encouraged. We made some new friends and reconnected with old friends.

It’s sad to say goodbye, but there’s always next year.