My Alaska Experience

2009-08-12T22:13:00.003-08:00

Folks in Alaska say that there is a way to tell the difference between the scat from the black bear vrs the grizzly? Black bear scat is full of seeds from berries, while grizzly bear scat is full of whistles, bells, sneakers and bits of clothing. One day we were sitting at our picnic table and we heard someone call from the next Campsite “Bear coming!” I looked and this massive Boar Grizzly was ambling down the path right to our site. I told Colleen to jump in the car and I jumped behind it. The old boar was too full of something to notice and it ambled down the path within 10 feet of me. Later as we packed up our tent trailer I saw a sign that said. “Bear! No tent trailer allowed.”
We recently spent a weekend at one of our favorite spots. Hope is a tiny historic town still functioning as it was before the turn of the century. It isn’t necessarily for tourists, the folks just like it that way.
In the afternoon we went on a 10.2 mile hike that was strenuous to say the least. A tough trail, but the beauty was beyond description.

Man! I love Alaska!

2009-06-08T11:35:00.007-08:00

Trip to Southeast:

There are times when travel gets weary and one longs for the rest and comfort of home, but this trip was just the opposite.
I arrived in Ketchikan to the hospitality of Pastor Charles and Kathleen Geary. The parsonage (I rarely stay in hotels, they are expensive and it’s not good stewardship of the Lord’s money) was comfortable and the food was homey and calming after a long trip from meetings in Walla Walla.
Ketchikan Parsonage

Southeast Alaska is one of the most picturesque places on our planet. The wildlife and scenery are unparalleled anywhere.

We left the next morning from the city dock for the quick flight to Prince of Wales island and the town of Craig. There is a small mobile home there that serves as a parsonage and so Kathleen, Charles and I settled into our digs for the weekend.

Fishing is still on the principle means of income in southeast Alaska. So this is a busy time of the year.

That night we had our first meeting in the Craig church. Members in this church come from all over the island and some travel almost an hour to get to the church. After a great supper (with Banana Cream pie) the Youth led out in a nice song service and then we had a slide show of Alaska and then our talk for the night.

Sabbath was a full day, that ended with a Vespers in the evening. Then Pastor Charles and Kathleen went to do some visiting and I left with Kurt Welser to spend the night at his house.
Kurt and Suzanne’s house Up until recently his place was only accessible by boat but now he has built a real road into it. What takes only 10 minutes by boat requires a lot more time by road so we travelled for almost 90 minutes over roads that were designed for a four-wheeler than a Subaru. But the trip was worth it. We arrived and one of the most beautiful spots I have visited in the southeast. Then we were up at 4:30 am to drive to catch the ferry back to Ketchikan and the continuation of meetings there.

Pastor Charles and Kathleen Geary

More on Ketickikan next issue.

2009-01-09T14:24:00.003-09:00

Winter Solstice
I am standing in the kitchen winter looking out into the frigid northland I call home. I spent an hour shoveling snow this morning and then came in to thaw the extremities for a while. While at the sink drinking a glass of water, I watch a tiny chide, its feathers ruffled up against the freezing temperatures, working away on a sunflower seed. Tiny puffs of breath hang in the air as it works. It is a mystery of divine intelligence, why its tiny uncovered legs don’t freeze, yet there the little creature is, happy and contented with its little morsel of food. Thankful for anything that comes along, what a happy joyful creation.
I must admit, even in the dead of winter I love Alaska. Yesterday I was watching, Maurice, (that’s what we call him) a young local, teenage Moose, methodically chewing his way through a neighbor’s favorite bush. He may be the local darling, but he sure can clean up a nice fruit tree in short order.
What is it about this white wilderness that is so inspiring and yet forbidding. Winter in Alaska is all and more that you might think. Cold temperatures, short colorless days, and long frigid nights, I think we are through our third week of subzero temperatures, last night I froze both my hair and my eyebrows, sitting in our outdoor hot-tub watching the full Moon rise over the Chugach Mountains.
Still, there is a beauty here that is unsurpassed. The only real color in winter is the rising sun (now about 9:45 am). It spreads across the southern sky with a blaze of color and light, clinging to the horizon, it follows its brief path to the southwestern end of the Turnigan arm, and then with a glow of brilliant orange it disappears into the forbidden white foothills of the Kenai Peninsula, leaving pink-violet hues of twilight. The hoar frost is clinging to the trees these days, making each tree wear a garland of snow that gives it a white robe of purity. We walk less now, not because of the cold, but because of the brief light. Winter here seems to lend itself toward hibernation, yet the ski trails are alive with pleasure seekers and exercisers.
Our journey through life has its seasons. During the busy endless days of summer, we force the long winter into the recesses of our experience, yet they come, for without them, how could we truly appreciate the lingering warm days of summer. Accept the winter in your life graciously, embrace the joy it gives and God will grant you an inner acceptance and peace throughout life’s journey.
For every time there is a season and a time for every purpose under heaven… He has made everything beautiful in its time. Ecclesiastes 3:1,11
God bless

2008-11-21T21:09:00.003-09:00

New Brunswick, Canada

At the end of the round of meetings, I flew to New York to interview a potential worker in the vineyard in Alaska, then on to Bangor, Maine where I rented a car. The 4 hour drive to New Brunswick was beautiful, although the leaves were all gone and winter was in waiting.

I was born and raised in eastern New Brunswick on the shores of a large lake called Grand Lake. I am the fifth generation from these Atlantic shores and I get homesick every time I return. My Mother still lives there in a private care home, however the ravages of Alzheimer’s have taken a deadly toll on her once productive life and it was a hard visit.

The compensation was spending one night of seclusion at our old lakeside cabin. The solitude was healing and the late fall scenery was beautiful.

A few days were spent helping my two sisters on their Organic farm. It was refreshing to get some physical work in the out-of-doors.
On November 14th, I drove back to Bangor and caught a flight to Seattle via JFK in New York city. (I am certainly glad God hasn’t called me there) Because I couldn’t get a flight from Seattle to Portland, I ended up renting another car and driving. It had been a long day, I finally was able to connect with my wife, who had flown in from Anchorage. We stayed at my daughter Heather, and son-in law, Dallas’s Condo. It was nice to reconnect with them after several months of not seeing them.

Sabbath, November 15th, Colleen and I went to church at Meadow Glade, our old home church, where I served as Senior Pastor for almost a decade. It was lovely to reconnect with everyone from our former days. The afternoon and evening were spent at Jere Patzer’s memorial service. It was a moving service and I hope to leave such a profound legacy as that dedicated leader did.
Sunday, I flew to Walla Walla, Washington and was picked up by my son, David. He is a Professor at Walla Walla University, so I again had a place to stay and again saved the cost of a hotel. His wife Nelita is a wonderful hostess, but she sure makes spicy curry.

Monday, November 17th was Walla Walla University board of trustees and Tuesday was President’s council. Wednesday was North Pacific Union executive committee and then I finally got to fly home on Wednesday night.

2008-11-21T20:49:00.002-09:00

Year-end meetings
There are times in life where travel, meetings and solitude all mix. This month was one of them. I left Alaska on November 4th for a trip with 11 or 12 legs to it. I first flew to Silver Springs Maryland for year-end meetings. These meeting happen once a year and this is where most of the policy changes take place. The main meetings can be long and tedious, yet at times, most inspirational. I always come away from these meetings with a deep sense of God’s leading in His church. There are a number of difficult issues that must be resolved and the discussion can be intense at times. Our church may soon be facing some of the greatest challenges in its history.

One of the most moving testimonies was the work among the Hmong/Mong people. When the Communist government took over Laos in 1975, Hmong/Mong people were singled out for retribution, and tens of thousands fled to Thailand for political asylum. Since the late 1970s, thousands of these refugees have resettled in United States and Alaska. A recently converted Lutheran Pastor and Theology Professor gave his testimony. Later as I spoke with him, he indicated that there was a large population in Anchorage and he had been here working to convert them. He is open to coming to Alaska to continue his work here with his fellow countrymen.

Another inspirational report was the one on Cognitive genesis study assessing Seventh-day Adventist education. It was a proud and motivating moment to see how our education system excels in every field of endeavour.
More information can be found at: https://cognitivegenesis.netadventist.org/local/showdocs/Year2Reportupdated-1-1.pdf
One of the most productive parts of the meetings is the information you glean from spending time with so many other Presidents and Ministries directors.

2008-10-21T11:43:00.003-08:00

Why I love Alaska

After an absence of more than 20 years, I have returned to live in the land I love
Here the skies are clearer and deeper, the mountains majestic and the waters clear, deep and cold. Here the great wonders of nature are revealed. Here the vastness of the arctic, the strange stillness of the Brooks Range is a stillness that only nature knows.

There is actually music in the wilderness that can be heard; here you can hear your own heart beat. Here all the irksome noises of civilization can be left behind. There is a feeling of remoteness even isolation here, yet even in the vast spaces of mountain ranges and rolling tundra carries a certain joy in it’s bosom.
Here the vastness of the wilderness seems to make the voice of the Creator a thousand times more eloquent. There is an eternal timelessness that reminds me of the Almighty. I sense my finiteness, my insignificance in the grand schemes of nature. Man has really made few inroads into the vast wilderness here.
Here nature is the undisputed Master and man either respects it or dies.
Here the mysteries of the cycles of nature are so much more real. She has a harsh reality here that is subdued in the softer lands of the south.
Here the pace of life is different. It seems that the stark contrast of the cycles of the seasons, prepare the heart with hope. Hope springs eternal because one knows that winter will not last forever, but then again, neither will summer.
Here man and animals coexist in a symbiotic relationship that reminds me of Eden. This morning I watched from my office window as a mother moose shepherded her twin newborns down the office driveway and across the street. Traffic sat in patient silence as if she had as much right to the land as anyone else. There are three thousand resident moose within the city limits of Anchorage.
Last week, I had to herd a yearling black bear out of the neighbor’s back yard, and then out of the office garbage bin. He was so innocent and cute and friendly, I wanted to hug him. (I don’t think he would have felt the same way)

Adam and Eve in the garden were objects of the wonders of nature.
The mysteries of the visible universe--"the wondrous works of Him which is perfect in knowledge"[JOB 37:16.] afforded them an exhaustless source of instruction and delight. The laws and operations of nature, which have engaged men's study for six thousand years, were opened to their minds by the infinite Framer and Upholder of all. They held converse with leaf and flower and tree, gathering from each the secrets of its life. With every living creature, from the mighty leviathan that playeth among the waters, to the insect mote that floats in the sunbeam, Adam was familiar. He had given to each its name, and he was acquainted with the nature and habits of all. God's glory in the heavens, the innumerable worlds in their orderly revolutions, "the balancings of the clouds," the mysteries of light and sound, of day and night,--all were open to the study of our first parents. On every leaf of the forest, or stone of the mountains, in every shining star, in earth and air and sky, God's name was written. The order and harmony of creation spoke to them of infinite wisdom and power. They were ever discovering some attraction that filled their hearts with deeper love, and called forth fresh expressions of gratitude.
CED p207

Here in the last frontier, you can look out your hotel window and watch a sea otter lounging on its back in the surf with a rock on its stomach, smashing clams and enjoying lunch.
The magnificent orca plays in the waters that are still pristine and unspoiled.
There is something about this country that sets within me a craving for heaven, to be able to commune with nature.

SPTED.059.001
The whole natural world is designed to be an interpreter of the things of God. To Adam and Eve in their Eden home, nature was full of the knowledge of God, teeming with divine instruction. It was vocal with the voice of wisdom to their attentive ears. Wisdom spoke to the eye, and was received into the heart; for they communed with God in his created works. As soon as the holy pair transgressed the law of the Most High, the brightness from the face of God departed from the face of nature. Nature is now marred and defiled by sin. But God's object-lessons are not obliterated; even now, rightly studied and interpreted, she speaks of her Creator.
If nature is God’s second lesson book, then here is where he speaks of His loving care for us the in the clearest tones, consider the following:
3T.333.002
The beauties of nature have a tongue that speaks to our senses without ceasing. The open heart can be impressed with the love and glory of God as seen in the works of His hand. The listening ear can hear and understand the communications of God through the works of nature. There is a lesson in the sunbeam and in the various objects in nature that God has presented to our view. The green fields, the lofty trees, the buds and flowers, the passing cloud, the falling rain, the babbling brook, the sun, moon, and stars in the heavens, all invite our attention and meditation, and bid us become acquainted with God, who made them all.
Ken Crawford

2008-10-05T18:55:00.005-08:00

Last weekend, Colleen and I flew to Kodiak, Alaska. The island itself, is one of lush landscapes with mountains covering much of the terrain, which is why it is called the Hawaii of Alaska. The island gets over 70 inches of rain on average each year, producing a rain forest environment. The beauty of the island is breathtaking. With mountains surrounding the town, there are frequent hikes up to the peaks. The town of Kodiak has a population of about 6,000 and the largest Coast Guard base in the world in located about 5 miles west of town, adjacent to the airport. The economy there is robust and housing is hard to find. Like so many towns in Alaska, it has gone though boom and bust cycles. Kodiak is world renowned for the giant Kodiak Grizzly. The largest bear in the world. The year has been a particularly bad year with many bears in town.

It was nostalgic feeling driving from the airport to town for Kodiak was out first fulltime Pastorate. Our daughter was born here in the little hospital and we learned a lot about the Ministry from the gracious forgiving members. The Adventist church there was built by Maranatha in the late 70s, and when we arrived, the church was growing and had an active church school. It has gone through some difficult times with a lot of members moving away, however now it is growing again with lots of children in Sabbath School.
Like many churches in Alaska, there is a small apartment to accommodate the Pastor who comes once a month from Anchorage, almost 300 miles away. Colleen and I stayed in the little apartment Friday night then, had a lovely Sabbath School and Church Service with a fellowship lunch after.
The members come from varied backgrounds, some transplants from outside (The lower 48) and some native Alaskans. Because of the small congregation they have many challenges especially financial. They just completed a major water leak repair, to the tune of $11,000 which drained all their resources. The leakage problem won’t be solved until they replace the 36 year old roof. The materials alone will be in excess of $30,000 which is an astronomical sum for a small congregation. They are again asking Maranatha to come and replace the roof, but they first must raise the money for the materials.

Later in the afternoon, Colleen and I drove an hour on twisting winding roads to Pasagshak to visit Bill and Kathy Burton, our dear old friends from yesteryear. They live on a 22,000 acre wild Buffalo ranch at the end of the road. It is a place of raw untouched land of incredible beauty. The ranch sits on a great peninsula where you have to frequently stop for buffalo on the road, then a mile long drive down Burton Boulevard amid scenes of such grandeur that it is breathtaking. We spend a lovely evening with them, reminiscing and laughing together. Then back to the apartment for the night and a flight home on Sunday.

Another interesting weekend of Ministry in Alaska.

2008-09-15T21:02:00.005-08:00

A visit to Tok, Alaska,
Colleen was sick this weekend and can’t travel with me. She hates staying home as she loves visiting these little churches. However, every weekend is a full weekend from Friday to Sunday, as we have to travel such great distances. She is working full time as well, so she wears herself out.
I leave Anchorage on Friday morning and fly north along the Knik arm. The fall colors were brilliant. The short Alaska summer is now past and the sharp smell of fall is in the air. The needles of great tamarack trees had turned the lower valleys to a bright gold against the deepening red color on alpine meadows. Between snow line and timberline, the endless hillsides had darkened to crimson from the leaves and berries of the high bush cranberries. I am flying low so as I fly, I watch for the rippling movement of brown fur of giant grizzlies as they move on the hillsides, stripping the low lying huckleberry bushes of their precious fruit.
Through the Manatuska valley, I follow the contour of the lower slopes next to a wide river basin. Great poplar trees are drawing their sap back to their roots, to prepare for a long cold winter of hibernation. Interior Alaska is a vast wilderness where one can fly for hours over land so remote, that it seems that seasons must pass and generations of animals live and die, without the sound of an axe or footprint of a human.
In the valleys, great columns of morning mist rise thick off ponds and streams. The air is colder than the water so the lakes and streams will vaporize until they freeze.
I fly past the north side of Sheep Mountain Pass and follow the Caribou creek watershed until I am past the pilot’s landmark. a craggy peak, know to locals as gun-sight mountain. It towers above me as I fly the north face.
Now a vast valley, several hundred miles wide, known as the Copper River basin, opens up before me. Up until this point the weather has been low clouds and calm, but the forecast is to strong winds and moderate turbulence east in the valley. Glen Allen is really a tiny town stretched for miles along the Glen highway. The junction of the Glen Allen and the Richardson highway is really the center of town, but there is not much there.
By now it is getting rough. In the distance, I can see great columns of dust streaming skyward of the cliffs of the Copper river. I have 100 miles to go and I am getting bounced around. Luckily I have gained a 40 mph tailwind which skims me over the ground. My GPS pinpoints Chistochina, and the Red Eagle lodge, yukonred48t@yahoo.com where some friends live. I finally reach the lodge and bounce down, over their power lines and land on their little gravel strip. There are several places cut back into the trees, and I park there not far from Richard’s Cessna and tie down the plane securely.
Judy is away and Richard won’t be home until later, but their son Jonathan is at the lodge. It is an remarkable log structure that is set back in the tree. On the ground are several small log cabins. Jonathan shows me to Gramma’s cabin, where I will stay for the weekend. It is a delightful little log cabin of unknown vintage that has been modernized and updated. I spend a little time building a fire in the stove and then Jonathan prepares a delicious meal for me.
I sleep to the crackle of the wood fire, and the fresh air from the window. The next morning, Dennis and I climb back in my plane and head through the next mountain pass to the town of Tok. It is a rough ride again this morning, but within and hour we are on the ground at the Tok airport.
Don Lee, retired Pastor picks us up and we head for church. The church seats about 50 people and after a rousing Sabbath School lesson, we prepare for the service. Having a guest speaker is special for these folks and I am glad to be here. The head Elder has been out hunting and returned with a Moose he shot. It will fill the larder and help get them through the winter. Now he has to get his 15-20 cords of wood in.
The last time I was here, Colleen and I got up and went for a two or three mile walk on Sabbath morning. When we returned and were picked up for church, out driver exclaimed, you walked for two or three miles. Do you realize its -42 degree F outside? “I thought it was a little chilly!” exclaimed my wife. They told me that it reached -72 degree F, last winter are one point. Brrr!
I love attending these small remote churches where the members are so faithful and dedicated. We have a full church for the divine service and then over to the head Elder’s for a fellowship dinner. After dinner we have an informal meeting for a couple of hours to talk about the needs and the future of their church and then Dennis and I head back to the Lodge. Then wind is unabated so we bounce our way back home, bucking a strong headwind.
How I wish we had the resources to give each of these churches a Bible worker and their own Pastor. Yet even with their remoteness they are so outreach and service oriented. They have their own Radio Station that plays to the area, 24 hours a day, and seven days a week. They also have a health food store and a health clinic.
Our conference is so vast, yet so sparsely populated that it stretches our finances just to maintain area pastor’s in these remote villages and towns. One Pastor’s district in the arctic is almost 700 miles across and he has to fly everywhere. Yet, Christ blesses the work here. His hand is ever over the progress of the work and it is an unspeakable comfort to know that He is in control of His body on earth.

Pastor Ken

2008-09-05T20:00:00.006-08:00

Suicide Prevention: A Crying need!

I want to share with you why I have a burden for suicide prevention in the arctic. As I mentioned in a previous article, suicide among Alaska native young people is 400% higher than in the rest of United States. Let me share a recent newspaper article from the Alaska Daily News that outlines the problem.

Pastor Ken

Suicide plagues Natives
NO IMPROVEMENT SINCE '80S: Alcoholism, cultural isolation, drugs and unemployment cited as factors.
By ALEX deMARBANAnchorage Daily News
Published: April 10, 2007

Despite two decades of effort by state and community leaders, Alaska Natives continue to kill themselves at alarming rates, a new study reports.
In fact, they seem to be committing suicide as often as they did in the late 1980s, when Native leadership, state officials and others acknowledged the crisis and vowed to solve the problem.
"It's a crisis, and if we don't start doing something really soon, it's only going to get worse," said Bill Martin, a Southeast Native and Alaska Statewide Suicide Prevention Council chairman.
Among other things, the study reports 58 of every 100,000 Natives killed themselves in 2004. That's the highest rate since 1986, according to state records on the council's Web site.
The rates were also high in 2005 -- 52 per 100,000 -- but improved in 2006 to 42 per 100,000.
For years, the national suicide rate has consistently hovered around 10 per 100,000. In 2004, the last year figures are available, it was 11 per 100,000.
"The figures command immediate attention from society and the state as whole," said Lanny Berman, with the American Association of Suicidology in Washington, D.C., which helped with the study.
What's happening? State and tribal officials said Natives battle the same basic afflictions they faced two decades ago, with new factors thrown in, such as methamphetamine.
Alcoholism remains rampant. And young Native men are culturally adrift, caught between the traditional subsistence world and newer demands of a cash-based lifestyle. They're searching for identity and hope in areas where jobs and educational opportunities are few.
The behavioral health system has grown tremendously to battle depression, substance abuse and other suicidal factors, experts said. But it doesn't reach enough into villages where per-capita suicides are most rampant.
The study was conducted by the Alaska Injury Prevention Center and other groups on behalf of the state Division of Behavioral Health, Alaska Mental Trust Health Authority and the suicide council. It was released last month.
Calculation methods might have caused differences between 1980s rates and today, but not enough to change the fact that Native suicides for the last three years appear to be as high now as they were then, said Ron Perkins, the injury center's executive director.
In the study, rural Alaska posted the highest numbers of suicides. Two Inupiat regions in Northwest Alaska topped the charts. The regions, around Nome and Kotzebue, had seven to eight times more suicides during the three-year study period than the 2004 national average.
Also high are suicides by males 30 and younger.
As part of the study, the center analyzed the 426 Native and non-Native suicides that occurred in Alaska between Sept. 1, 2003, and Aug. 31, 2006.

Researchers interviewed family members and friends of 56 of those victims to spot trends that might prevent future suicides. Among other things, they learned that nearly half went on drinking binges in their last month. Two-thirds expressed hopeless thoughts or a wish to die.
Seventy-eight percent of respondents felt suicide victims didn't get enough professional help.
Silence is part of the problem, Martin said.
The study included little feedback from Natives -- they were reluctant to talk, said Perkins. Family members and friends of only 13 of 159 Native victims sat for interviews.
It's a tough issue in small villages where many people intimately live, said Martin, originally from Kake. But people must talk.
Tribal leaders should make suicide their priority and work with regional Native organizations and the state to provide public awareness campaigns to prevent suicidal factors, he said. They should increase cultural pride by creating traditional dance groups, Native art classes and other programs.
Parents, the front lines, should battle depression and alcoholism in children.
"That's where it's going to stop," he said.
Talks with family members and friends help Vera Tagarook fight suicidal thoughts, she said.
The dark thoughts developed after her younger brother killed himself in the North Slope village of Nuiqsut 17 months ago.
Joseph Taleak Jr. walked out of his house and into the cold darkness on his 20th birthday -- after celebrating it with friends -- and shot himself with a rifle.
He was despondent over a recent breakup, but he didn't drink that night, she said.
At times, Tagarook can't eat or sleep. She blames herself because she wasn't there when he needed to talk.
"When I get real mad and frustrated, I say I want to join my brother," said Tagarook, 26.
Her mom and others change her mind.
"They always listen to me, and they make me feel comfortable," she said.
"I take their compliments. They say you have a family. You have this and that."
Native suicide rates are highest in Kotzebue and the surrounding region -- 91 per 100,000 during the last three years, according to the study.
A key reason? Alcoholism destroyed families in the 1980s and hasn't let up, said Barbara Janitscheck, vice president of Maniilaq, the Native organization providing the region's social services.
Kotzebue's bars closed after the community voted to ban alcohol sales in 1988, but people still order booze from Anchorage. It flows to surrounding villages on snow machines, boats and planes, though the villages outlawed alcohol possession, she said.
A few years ago, Maniilaq made suicide a priority. It developed teams in villages to look for "risk signs" in people and interviewed young people to understand why it's so common.
Young people reported feeling hopelessness stemming from the lack of college opportunities and jobs. They have trouble connecting with grandparents and parents who speak more Inupiat than English. Some soothe despair with drugs and alcohol.
Last year, Maniilaq won a $1.2 million federal grant for "Project Life," an initiative to raise awareness about suicides and prevention through radio, videos and other means.
"Seems like everyone knows someone who's killed themselves," said Janitscheck.
The steps the state's tribal health care providers have taken to address suicide in the past two decades haven't been enough, said Scott Prinz, director of behavioral health and rural services for the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium.
The federally funded system, inherited from the government, waits for people to get sick instead of preventing the problem, he said. Tribes hope to reorient the effort to give prevention more resources.
One important hope: A $4.3 million program to create 50 village-based health aides. Among other duties, they'll focus on at-risk groups, such as families with alcohol and drug problems. They'll try to involve potential victims in sports, dancing, subsistence programs and other healthy activities.
The study showed mental health services in Alaska aren't responsive enough, said Diane Casto, the manager of the state's prevention and early services section in behavioral health.
Therapists and case workers who address suicide issues for Maniilaq, for example, live in Kotzebue and fly to villages, said Janitscheck. It's difficult to recruit professional staff to live in villages.
The state provides about $800,000 in yearly prevention grants, helping some communities create healthy cultural activities, such as dancing, drumming and beading programs.
The state also has several mental health centers around the state, Casto said. But those are based in hub communities, not villages.
"It can work (in villages)," Casto said. "But it's not going to work when people need something right now."
Daily News reporter Alex deMarban

2008-08-25T14:03:00.003-08:00

I have been asked to produce more information about the needs in the arctic so I will try and write about my burden for northern Alaska.

“Alaska Village Initiative”

The Setting
It is early morning and I am sitting at the kitchen table in a little parsonage in Savoonga. This little Eskimo village of 650 lies at the east end of St. Lawrence Island in the Bering sea 130 miles west of Nome, Alaska. It’s not the end of the world, but you can see it from here for the island is about 35 miles off the coast of Siberia. It’s been 26 years since, as a volunteer worker, I sat at this very table crafting my first sermon.

It is still many hours before the sun will rise and the village is finally quiet. This visit has reminded me why I love these Eskimo people for they are a remarkably intelligent race, so gentle spirited, kind and generous. They are always ready for a laugh.

After an absence of so many years, my heart aches as I see the changes here. This village hangs suspended between two cultures. Their entire way of life, skills and priorities are caught in a vicious generational time warp. The subsistence way of life is in the last throes of death. The very things that gave these stoic people a sense of self-worth is evaporating, like frosty breath in the cold air. On this remote island there is nothing to offer the young people except twisted visions of a Hollywood society and video game entertainment. They graduate from high school with no prospects of a future, no anticipation of a career or even a return to the old ways and sadly, nothing in which to place their hope for the coming generations of their children.
Yesterday morning as the sun arose about 11 am, the village was astir. It was a rare and beautiful day and walrus had been spotted many miles south of the village. Some hunters left in anticipation of some additional food for the village and some of the young men left with them for the joy of the hunt. For the rest of the four hours of light the village is alive with families and children.
Later, as midnight draws close, the quiet, unhurried climate of the village begins to change. Many of the younger generation slept the day away and now while many of the people in the village are preparing for bed, the young people are ready to party. All night the village is a constant roar of snow machines, four-wheelers and the sounds made by the young people trying to stave off boredom that covers their existence like a suffocating blanket.
On the door to the post office the graffiti is telling.
”I wish I die now! “
“Want to die! Right now!”
“Can’t wait until it’s my turn!”

The elders in the village are watching the destruction of their future with no tools to begin to deal with the terrible problems. This is a dry island but there is no one to enforce any laws that are in place. The traditional system of social intervention in the village has always been based and operated on respect, and now they have nothing to replace it with.
Savoonga is in the winter of its life. Suicide is rampant, especially among the teenagers, and every family here has been touched by its devastation. The government has abdicated its responsibility to help shape the culture and only offers bandaged prescriptions that do little good.

As the village slowly and imperceptibly disintegrates into anarchy, the only preoccupation is alcoholism and depression. Seventh-day Adventist Christian families stand as a beacon of light on a dark stormy night, yet even they are not untouched by the pain.

Our goal at the Alaska Conference is to try and make a difference. I want to appeal to those who are missionary-minded, have a spirit of sacrifice and want to make a difference. In Alaska, we need funding as well as leadership in the villages. While the living conditions may be a challenge, the needs are a far greater challenge. W e need both young and young in heart, in a number of villages in Alaska, to be willing leaders that would give a year or two of their time and energy to make a difference. Are you that person?

The Facts
Suicide in 2004 in Savoonga claimed four teenage lives with many, many more unsuccessful attempts. Mayor Jane Kava noted that in a single month there had been six unsuccessful attempts among 13-16 year olds. In a village of 650, four deaths is roughly 200 times the national average.

The Needs in the Villages of Alaska
In a recent feature article in the Washington Post magazine*, reporter Gene Weingarten noted. “Suicide, we would learn, has reached epidemic proportions among the young people of Savoonga. They have been taking their lives in violent ways and in breathtaking, heartbreaking numbers for some time now, and there is little agreement in the village on precisely how to stop it.”

*Washington Post, May 1, 2005, “Snowbound, Life in Savoonga, Alaska” by Gene Weingarten.

The Target Village for a suicide prevention program.
Savoonga is on the northern coast of St. Lawrence Island in the Bering Sea. Archeological digs show that the island has been inhabited by Siberian Yup'ik Eskimos for at least 1,400 years and probably closer to 2,000 years. In the late 1800’s Whalers brought Small Pox and alcohol. In less than a decade, the village population on the island went from 15,000 to 600. There are currently two villages with a total population of around 1400. In 1900, a herd of reindeer was moved to the island, and by 1917, the herd had grown to over 10,000 animals. Savoonga is known as the "Walrus Capitol of the World." Walrus, whale, seal, and reindeer comprised 80 percent of the islander's diets but that is rapidly dropping as modern food becomes more available.

More on this as I can write it.

Blessings

Ken

Savoonga Church and parsonage

2008-08-15T11:58:00.006-08:00

A visit to Valdez , August 14, 08
Last weekend, Colleen and I spent a nice weekend with the Church group in Valdez. Calvin and Sherrie Miller, friends from Vancouver, WA, were visiting so, when Colleen got off work from her job as a Nurse Case Manager, we drove the spectacular six hour trip from Anchorage. Valdez is a small town at the end of a beautiful fiord on Prince William sound, that is best known for it great fishing and it's incredible snowfall in the winter.
We stayed at Glen and Sharon Mills lovely B&B and after a rather short night, went to church.
Valdez church averages about 8-12 in attendance, but everyone is so friendly and hospitable. It is a challenge being faithful in such a small church, however everyone gets very close, and there is a real sense of caring and community there. Calvin gave an excellent Sabbath School lesson and then I had the Divine Service. God blessed our little service and we all had great fellowship.

After a nice fellowship dinner we walked with a group to Debbie's cabin. She lives on a beautiful peninsula perched on a private beach. Her cabin is about 16x20 ft. and has no electricity or water. In the winter she heats with a tiny wood stove, and doesn't linger in her decorated outhouse. Her biggest problem is with bears that bother her. She carries a bell and Bear spray when she walks to work every morning at 4:30 am.
We went for a drive around the bay to the Valdez Oil terminal, where the supertankers are loaded from the Alaska Pipeline. While there we watched the end of the Chum Salmon run and a couple of bears feasting on their favorite food.
Sabbath Evening we had a nice Vesper Service and then walked down to see the end of the Women's Salmon derby. The women had their ocean fresh catches weighed in for size.
Sunday morning we had a breakfast with the church members and after some lovely fellowship, set off for the ferry terminal to catch the fast ferry back to Whittier. We watched a Supertanker loated with Alaskan oil leave the harbour and head for the lower 48 states. Those super ships are almost 1000 feet long and hold 400,000 tone. I'm not sure how much oil that is, but it's a lot.

The ferry travels at 35 knots and is in Whittier in an easy three hours. The trip is unsurpassed in beauty as we passed icebergs, freshly calved from glaciers.
Stopped in Whittier for some lunch and then quickly left to catch the tunnel. The tunnel is only one lane and is designed for the train. In recent years, it has been opened up for vehicle traffic with each way on the hour. You have to hit it just right or wait for the next opening going your way. It takes about 45 minutes to an hour to drive through the tunnel. Portage Glacier greets you at the north end, so after a brief tour of the Portage Interpretive center, we hiked up Byron Glacier. It's an energizing hike and a great view from the Glacier. Played in the snow for a bit before heading home.

2008-08-14T14:15:00.002-08:00

Trip to the Arctic.
June 24, 2008:
After Interior Campmeeting I persuaded Hal and Judy Thomsen to come to the arctic to view the work there. They graciously consented to accompany me to see the progress of the work there. The day after interior Campmeeting we flew from Anchorage to Nome, Alaska. While waiting for the flight to St. Lawrence Island, Pastor Rick Binford gave us a quick tour of the work there in Nome. Pastor’s Rick’s district is about 600 miles across and he has to fly everywhere he goes. Can you imagine the expense of this district when each airline ticket is over $500.00?

Nome:
At one time, Nome was an exciting place for our work. The church was growing and had a mission school with over 40 children, mostly native. This year the school closed it’s doors and the church is struggling with dwindling numbers.
Picture 1--Students camp on the beach and pan for gold Gold Dredge from Gold rush days.

Gambell:
Later that day we hopped on a small commuter plane and flew to the village of Gambell. The village of 700 Eskimos, sits on a spit of gravel about 35 miles from Siberia. The work here was started back in the 1930’s by dedicated Public School teachers. The members here have been faithful and conduct their church services every week. The Pastor from Nome tries to visit them every 4-6 weeks.

Pastor Hal and Judy sitting on the
jawbone of a bowhead whale.

Clement, Head Elder in Gambell

Church and Parsonage in Gambell

Gerard, another Elder in Gambell

Savoonga:
My wife and I started our Ministry as volunteers, back in 1979. There was a small church here and 3 or 4 faithful members. Our parsonage was a tiny one-room cabin, 20X20 ft. Back then there was no running water or much electricity. For the next two years these kind, quiet, gentle people won our hearts and we gave our hearts to them. When we left the church was full for we had a lot of baptisms. We found these wonderful people very open to spiritual things and eager to learn. They are intelligent people and are quick to catch unto spiritual concepts including Daniel and Revelation.

Savoonga now has an enlarged Parsonage and a nice church. Sometime the members get together to watch a video but mostly the church sits empty except for the monthly or bi monthly visit from the Pastor.

Walrus and seal drying.

Chester, newly baptized member in Savoonga

Girl with drying Polar Bear skin.

My burden:
For more than 25 years now, the work in the arctic has come to a standstill. We have 7 Churches and Parsonages around the northern rim and in the northern interior of Alaska that have stood virtually empty of Pastoral leadership. In 1983, the classification of Alaska was changed from a Mission to a Conference. At that time, for whatever reason, (mostly financial) it seemed that the the work in the arctic villages contracted and has been in limbo ever since.
It is somewhat painful for someone like me who started my work in a small Eskimo village on St. Lawrence island to see the work now.
We get inquiries on a regular basis from villages to please come and teach them the Bible. However we have no funding to answer their call.

Hal and Judy quickly saw the need in the villages and became advocates to help us reach these areas. They have been campaigning for Alaska ever since.

2008-08-14T13:41:00.001-08:00

Campmeetings:
In Alaska we conduct 6 different Campmeetings. Because of the vast distances and the sparse population, it is eqasier for us to conduct regional campmeetings than it is to bring people to Central Alaska.

Interior Campmeeting: June 20-22, 08—Harding Lake, 50 miles east of Fairbanks.
Pastor Hal Thompson, Vice President of the North American division was out guest speaker at our Interior Campmeeting. His wife Judy works for the Review and Herald and accompanied him.

Delta Junction, Tok, Fairbanks, North Pole and Valdez were all represented. It was an excellent Campmeeting. I really enjoyed the Tag-Team approach to special music and sharing on Sabbath afternoon. We also had some wonderful baptisms in the lake on Sabbath afternoon by Pastor Odea Sigh.

South Central Campmeeting: July 15-20—Palmer Campground.
This is my fifth Campmeeting and they just keep adding blessings. Things started on the previous week with Camp pitch with all the Pastors involved.
What a great group of Pastor’s to work with.

Pastor Jose’ Rojas was our featured evening speaker for this Campmeeting. Record crowds attended each session and the seminars seemed to be greatly appreciated. Marvin Moor’s seminar on end-time events and the health emphasis in the afternoon by Dr. Adams were both well-attended. Some of the most gratifying results were from a Seminar on prayer by Donna Kutzner.

One member wrote: “I wanted to thank you and all your staff for such a wonderful camp meeting and for the books on prayer you handed out Saturday night (I'm almost through the one on Powerful Prayer). The whole camp meeting was such a blessing to us and we know how much work goes into planning such an event.”

Constituency at Campmeeting 2008--
The 2008 constituency followed on the Sunday after Campmeeting and was finished with the election of all officers and conference business by noon. Our constituency video was welcomed and received high praise. It will be available in a partial format on NW Mission spotlight and in a full format that will be available to all churches in Alaska. A thank you to all the churches who sent delegates and to the conference secretaries who untiringly helped with this event. The next one will be 2012.

Southeast Campmeeting: August 1-3 —Vank Island, Camp Lorraine.
The weather cooperated by blessing our Campmeeitng in SE with several beautiful days. Guests arrived from a number of churches in South East Alaska. Most of the Campmeeting participants were transported to the Island on the newly donated boat. (see attached picture) and what a wonderful vessel the newly donated “Horizon light” is.

New Bathhouse:
Dr. Rebecca Cody from Georgia, organized and planned for a group of over 30 people to come to Vank island and build a new bath house at Camp Lorraine. The finished facility is very nice. A heartfelt thanks to James Eilertson and Dan___ for their tireless organization and continued work. The first Friday was spent in scrambling to get toilets, showers and sinks working in the brand new bathhouse. The construction of the bathhouse was accomplished in about 10 days by a volunteer group from North Carolina with volunteer team of about 35 people.
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Our Campmeeting speaker was Leon Anderson of Kettle Falls area in Northern Washington