Rick Patrick
rick@greenepublishing.com
It may not be the first place one thinks of to spend a summer vacation, but for a group of dedicated Madison County residents, Alaska is a prime place to go and serve others during the summer. That was true this year for Christy Bass-Adams and a group of volunteers from Madison County who traveled to Alaska to work at the Kokrine Hills Bible Camp. For some, this is a yearly event.
Actually, there were three groups of locals who traveled to the Bible camp, which is located in the Galeena and Ruby area of Alaska, on the Yukon River. The camp is approximately 350 miles north of Anchorage and approximately 200 miles west of Fairbanks. One of the primary jobs undertaken by the Madison group was to help repair and work on the buildings at the camp in order to prepare for youngsters from surrounding villages to attend the remote camp. This year, the group had their hands full due to ice jams that broke loose as the winter ice on the river melted and caused major flooding problems at the camp. “Several of the buildings at the camp had flood damage,” said Bass-Adams. “We had to resurface the basketball court at the camp and repair several buildings.” In addition to work on the buildings, many of the volunteers helped make cookies and prepare for the incoming campers. One group served as camp volunteers during the elementary grades camp, from Thursday, July 13 through Sunday, July 23.
The only way to access the camp is either by boat or by plane. Some of the campers take as much as a two-hour flight on a small plane to attend the camp. For many, the camp is the only exposure to the Gospel that these young people ever have. This is due to the lack of churches in many of the remote native villages.
Kokrine Hills Bible Camp has been serving young people in this area of Alaska since 1950. Each year, they have camps for high school age youth, junior high aged youth and elementary school aged youth. They also have a discipleship camp for youth in grades nine through 12. “In addition to learning about Jesus, the kids also participate in a lot of fun activities such as archery, arts and crafts, canoeing, kayaking and
a lot more. It’s a lot like 4-H camp,” said Bass-Adams. “We are very grateful to many people who help us every year, especially Frank Argenbright, who helps with transportation every year.”
For more information about Kokrine Hills Bible Camp, please visit their website at kokrinehills.org.