All of us at Kingdom Air Corps are astounded and so blessed at how big-hearted you, our supporters, are! A few days ago in our March newsletter, we announced the good news that we’d been granted permission to replace 11-year-old canvas tent structures with wooden cabins for our Brooks Range Bible Camp. This camp is held on private property owned by the Fickus family, deep in the mountains north of the Arctic Circle. They have graciously allowed us to operate on their land since 2012. Each summer, we fly nearly 100 children and teens from the surrounding villages to and from camp for a faith-filled time of ministry including Bible studies, crafts, games, devotions, prayer, and swimming in an icy creek. The kids really needed sturdier shelters; last summer we had several nights with temperatures below freezing. Brrrr!
In the recent newsletter article, I mentioned there were eight canvas structures we wanted to replace, and that we had a short window in mid-March to haul lumber and other building supplies by truck up the Dalton Highway to Coldfoot or Bettles, then pull several loads by snowmobile 30 miles across the frozen bush to the site of the camp. (There is no road that leads directly there; it is a fly-in property.) Our window for transporting these supplies closes as the temperature rises; as soon as the ice melts, our “road” is gone!
Within just a few days, we received donations from several of you—enough to build all eight cabins! We were overwhelmed with gratitude and joy! You should read our staff email string; it is full of “Oh WOW,” “WHAT!!!???!!!” “Praise HIS name!” and “Praising God!” This is a project close to each of our hearts as this camp is the highlight and focal point of our summer outreach ministry. And we have grown to love the kids very much!
Here is how it works and how it so wonderfully integrates much of our summer ministry in Alaska. Kingdom Air Corps hosts a LeTourneau University Aircraft Inspections class onsite in June. The aviation mechanic students, under the supervision of both LeTourneau’s and Kingdom Air Corps’ A&Ps (aircraft mechanics) and IAs (aircraft inspectors) work on the airplanes in our fleet with the goal of readying them for the flights north to camp later in the summer.
Simultaneously, in any given summer, we train 8-15 flight students, depending on applicants, available flight instructors, and the number of aircraft equipped for the ratings and certifications sought. The students train hard knowing they will be flying 600 miles north to camp in mid-July. They will fly over rough terrain and remote places where there are only occasional Air Traffic Control services to guide their navigation or to give them updated weather reports. Instead, our pilots use pilotage as their main means of navigation. This means they will follow a chart and mark their route by matching the symbols on the chart (of rivers, mountains, and checkpoints) with what they see on the ground below. Communication is spotty at best, but when able, pilots contact Flight Service through Remote Control Outlets (RCOs) to report where they are along the route. This is challenging flying for sure. Usually, at least two airplanes fly together so one can notify the lead pilot if the other has a problem. Although this kind of flying was common in earlier decades of aviation, it is not often practiced in the continental United States where sophisticated electronic navigation is integrated into most airplanes and Air Traffic Control is a dependable radio call away. However, in the remote places in the world, where many of these pilots are training to eventually fly as missionaries, these conditions are common. This is exactly the experience they need!
Once they’ve arrived at camp, after the facility is ready to receive campers, these pilots, with instructor supervision, fly to the villages to pick up the children. They return with two or three campers at a time, since our airplanes seat four to six, and it takes many trips and several airplanes to get all the children on site. What an adventure! The kids are ecstatic when they see the airplane land in their village, and, as soon as the prop stops, race out to meet it! For many this is the highlight of their entire year!
What a blessing it is for them, as well as for those of us working in the background to make it happen. And so, to those of you who generously funded the building of the wooden cabins, thank you! We hope this bigger picture helps you feel part of the team! We appreciate you so much and all you do to support Kingdom Air Corps through prayer, giving, and volunteering!
We pray that God will bless you with a blessing so big you cannot contain it, as written in Luke 6:38: “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”