The final day of projects

For the last several years, the Alaska mission teams have worked hard to build and maintain relationships with the Kake community. This year's team made a giant leap in building bonds with the people and really learn about them. I have had the pleasure of writing the blog with two others from the team. We conducted interviews with team members and with a few community members in an attempt to know the experiences we have had been having and to share them. In today's post, we hope to share some of those experiences and feelings.

Prayer. We have some powerful prayer people on this team. There were many stories of answered prayers from meeting people on the street, listening to a person's struggles and praying with them to community prayer walks. This team has been awesome at reaching out to the people of Kake and listening to their hurts and struggles. Personally, this has been the most impressive show of unconditional care for a community I have ever seen. Unfortunately, I will not be able to do it justice through this post.

Projects. Many projects were completed this week. We had an awesome team of people working on cleaning up the community, cutting grass, and picking up trash. They were even able to work in some of the homes of the native people. This is a huge step in building relationships within the community. We also built a roof over the deck of the church, which will allow people a place to spend time in fellowship regardless of the weather. In this process, we found rotted wood in the railings and the rim joist of the deck. The remainder of the railing was also scrapped and painted. We also repaired a few other deck issues in the process of building the roof. Many people expressed how much they like the new space and look forward to using it. The donated dishwasher, stove, and refrigerator were all installed and are working great. They were tested all week by the team and the community. Once we arrived, we were asked to help out in a variety of areas in the community in addition to the planned projects. This has been a hope from the start of this mission trip for myself. Through being a servant to the community, we are becoming a part of the community which is awesome! We helped install some lights for a church member. We also cleaned yards and chopped wood for a few different people around the community. These activities are showing a big move towards being accepted by people who have been taught at a young age not to trust.

Culture Camp. As in the past, we helped out at the camp by keeping kids on-task with the scheduled activities and organizing games for them. Coming along side them in this very important community event which has helped us make significant connections with the elders and the opportunity to hang around adorable kids is an added benefit. We have great respect for the traditions of the Tlingit and they now welcome us to be a part of it and learn more about their culture.

Sports Camp. We were blessed with more kids than ever before on a consistent basis. The first three days we played soccer and the last two we had to play Lacrosse based on popular demand! The emphasis was on how to play the sport and treat others with respect. The teens were able to hang out with the young ones from our group, play basketball, and make some great connections. This was an age group which we typically have had a hard time connecting in the past, so it was a neat opportunity for us to connect with them this year.

Bible Study. Our team had some deep discussions with the people in attendance. From my interviews, I could tell that there were deep connections with the locals and our team. Many of our teammates were openly discussing how moving the conversations were, to the point where they would not miss a single study session. 

The week has been too short, but it has been a life changing experience for many on the trip. We will have some video clips coming out once the internet connection improves. We hope that you have enjoyed following our experience in Kake, Alaska 2014.

Kake Impressions

Kake Impressions

Abbey's Experience at Kake

Day 4

Today has been another busy and productive day with many projects completed.  The roofing crew was able to get all the beams up and the rest should be completed tomorrow evening. Another part of our team joined the kick-off to the month-long "Kake Clean Up" project where participants help clean up litter around town, mow lawns, and weed whip around fences and buildings.

Culture Camp has also been another good opportunity for us to partner with the community by providing additional support in their planned activities for the kids. We have also been able to connect with others in the community through camp. This evening, we were invited to a pot-luck at camp which was a special treat. It allowed us to connect with the elders of the community and the chance to learn more about the Tlingit culture. During dinner, we saw an eagle also having "dinner" on the beach and a bear cub also wandered pretty close looking for a "snack" as well. Needless to say, the "Minnesotans" were pretty excited to see the bear while those from Kake thought it was unexciting to say the least. :)

We look forward to another exciting day to see what opportunities God provides for us to share about Him as we continue to serve in this amazing part of His creation.

The team putting the pillars into place for the roof

 The "Good Samaritan skit for the kids performed using characters from the community.

Team meeting in Juneau the day we were scheduled to leave on the Taku for Kake.

Team building over breakfast in Juneau. 

 Small group discussion about the way God is preparing us for Kake. 

Part of the welcoming committee when we arrived at the Kake harbor.

Day 2 - Service Begins!

Today we started with the projects and setup for Sports Camp, VBS, and Culture Camp. Our team has had an impact on the people of Kake already. The guests coming for our meals have been overwhelming (we are nearly running out of food for every meal which is awesome!). VBS has had a record turn out with 18 kids the first day and we expect even more tomorrow! Our craft supplies are running out so the team is coming up with new ideas to meet the increased number of kids. Sports Camp was also a hot spot for kids tonight! For the first time, we had to have the younger kids separated from the older ones. There was approximately 30 kids in attendance. Prayers are needed for Emmanuel as he tries to figure out a plan for so many kids! The construction projects are also coming together.
Perry led the landscape team today as they cleaned up the park, mowed the grass, and weed whipped. This was no easy task because the tools that are so readily available to us in Woodbury might not be in Kake, so it is always an adventure. The roof construction process was under a bit of stress in the morning. The box of fasteners that was sent from Minnesota had not arrived and we were going to need to improvise with the parts we could scrounge up in Kake. As always, God came through with the package arriving right at lunch time. The new dishwasher is nearly installed and the new stove is getting a major workout! The new refrigerator has been very useful for storing the added supplies needed to support our mission to the community of Kake.

Even though we have been busy with all these activities, our main focus is on building and developing relationships with the people of Kake. God has already blessed our work in the community as we see more people willing to share their stories with us. It is really cool to see how God's love is being shown. Words cannot express the way He is moving in both the hearts of those who live in Kake and those of us who are blessed to experience life here for a short time.

Drew convinced Dan and Abbey that it was a good idea to jump in the ocean. This was a great bonding moment.

Sports camp started out the evening festivities with prayer.

The sports camp kids playing soccer with Abbey and Perry.

Our journey to Kake had a couple hour lay over in Sitka. For the folks who were able to get up early and brave the rain, an interesting experience awaited in downtown Sitka. Most stores were closed as the team disembarked the Taku. What awaited them toward the end of their time in Sitka was an invitation to visit the Russian Orthodox Catholic Church. John somehow found the priest and asked if he would open the church and he did.  One of the team members asked if they could,"take some pictures" and the priest said,"we would like to keep the pictures on the walls." There are comedians everywhere!

Today was the first full day in Kake. First thing in the morning a small team went to clean up the location for Culture camp. There was a lot of glass and beer cans laying around the area where the kids will be playing. We were able to clean up the area and then head to church.  We then headed to church. The service was very passionate, as Dawn put it, "...the singing was so loud and inspiring!"

Lydia and Maria on the shoulders of Drew and Emmanuel.

Emmanuel, Dawn, and Perry work together to cut a stick to use in for the tent at culture camp

At the team meeting at the end of the night tonight we gave a recap of the the days events. This is the hardest part of a blog, how to accurately explain the personal connections that are made on a mission trip of this nature. We heard from many of the first timers about the connections they were able to make. Abbey was able to connect with some of the tribal elders and even got some photos of a lady who has never been willing to be photographed in the past. Megan N., along with a couple other members of our team were riding with one of the ladies and she mentioned how she always loves when we come to town because we remind her of how beautiful the land is where she lives because everyone is always fascinated by the splendor of Gods creation. Megan W. later mentioned how she had had some really deep conversations with some people today. The mission teams from WLC have proven to gain a lot of trust with the people of Kake. This long term commitment has really started to show in the relationships that are forming and trust that the people of this tiny community have in our teams. It has been a great start to our time in Kake and ask that all of you continue to pray for our team and the relationships that will be created and cultivated this week.

Welcome to Alaska!

On Wednesday, the Advance Team (John, Bil, Joyce, Sally, and Megan W.) left MSP for Juneau, Alaska. We arrived safely and met with Jay our contact at Faith Lutheran Church. We have been very blessed through this congregation by them allowing us to use their facilities during our stay in Juneau. It allows us to shop and pack up our final supplies before leaving for Kake. Today, we spent most of the day shopping for food and work supplies while the rest of the team was traveling to meet us in Juneau. Tomorrow the team will have some time to regroup, connect, and see a bit of the town before we head out on the ferry later that night. Many thanks to those who have partnered with us through their prayers and donations. To God be all the glory and praise as we live to serve on this trip and the rest of our faith walk through life.