Off the Grid

Alaska: Kotzebue Outpost

Three Angels Broadcasting Network

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Series Code: OTG

Program Code: OTG000011


00:01 Alaska, America's last frontier.
00:04 The land of vast beauty and endless miles of open wilderness
00:08 Airplanes are the life blood of Alaska.
00:12 Only aviation can connect communities,
00:14 where there are no roads with violent weather
00:17 and extreme terrains make this
00:20 the most dangerous skies in America.
00:23 Adventist World Aviation has two outpost positioned
00:27 in north and south Alaska. Hauling critical supplies,
00:30 rescue personnel, and the Gospel message to remote villages
00:35 all across the Alaskan region
00:38 Without aviation these Alaskan villages would be unreachable.
00:44 This is Adventist World Aviation OFF THE GRID
00:50 On today's episode of "Off The Grid" we venture
00:53 to the far corner of North America, to Kotzebue Alaska,
00:58 where AWA has an outpost run by Jim and Linda Kincaid.
01:03 Here above the article circle, Jim and Linda use
01:07 their talents of aviation to spread the gospel and minister
01:10 to the local Native American people in their region.
01:15 Many people might think, Alaska is not in need
01:18 of mission projects; but due to Alaska's unique climate,
01:23 landscape and overall size, mission aviation
01:28 is a necessary tool to spread God's Word.
01:31 The areas in the world where mission aviation is most
01:36 essential is in the areas of the world, that are not developed
01:41 with roads and infrastructure. Here in Alaska we are located
01:48 approximately 500 miles from the nearest end of the road system,
01:53 upon which you can travel to any place in north America.
01:58 So that's 500 miles of beautiful pristine but very remote country
02:09 There are approximately 225 native villages scattered
02:12 across Alaska, of which only about half a dozen are connected
02:17 to the road system, to the rest of the world, so to speak.
02:21 Aircrafts are absolutely essential to traveling to or
02:28 from these places and providing support.
02:32 The highway system and road infrastructure of Alaska
02:35 is limited to the eastern and southern portions of the state.
02:39 Most of Alaska cannot be driven to.
02:43 Most of Alaska is accessible only by airplane.
02:50 There is a road system that covers the large towns of
02:54 Anchorage, Fairbanks, and in between connected to the highway
03:00 that travels down to the lower 48, but the majority
03:03 of the state is able to get there only by flying.
03:08 So we felt like this was a skill that we could provide service
03:14 to allow people to get back and forth from their camps
03:17 and to their villages that there is no other way to get there.
03:21 For many people living in Alaska the conventional mode of
03:25 transportation is aviation.
03:28 Jim and Linda do not just provide aviation support
03:32 to the north western Alaskans; they offer so much more.
03:36 Both are involved in evangelism on a weekly basis.
03:40 Almost every Sabbath they hold church right next door
03:44 to their home in Kotzebue. They sing; preach the word;
03:49 and fellowship with their friends and neighbors.
03:52 After church is over, Jim and Linda's day
03:56 is only half way through.
03:58 After lunch, they immediately head to the airplane hanger.
04:01 On weekends several times a month we go to remote villages
04:09 and help hold worship services to support the Christians
04:14 who live there.
04:16 Many remote villages do not have any permanent pastors
04:20 or Bible workers.
04:21 The villages are so remote, that unless they have a missionary
04:25 living in the village, there is no Adventist presence at all.
04:30 Jim and Linda have made it their mission to have regular Sabbath
04:34 visits with a few of these villages that surround them.
04:37 We will continue to help the couple of out lying villages
04:43 that have missionaries in them and have church members,
04:46 so we will be going and meeting with those people
04:50 every month or so.
04:51 After they pack the plane with Bibles, a guitar, and a meal;
04:56 they take flight toward those in need of Christian companionship.
05:01 Today, the Kincaid's are flying to the village of Selawik.
05:06 There is a small Adventist congregation here and they
05:10 eagerly await the plane's arrival.
05:12 Rural Alaska is characterized by over 280 isolated villages
05:18 scattered across an area more than twice the size of Texas.
05:23 Nearly all villages are accessible by air and water only
05:28 making evangelism especially challenging.
05:31 The need for the gospel is very great in these remote villages,
05:35 and without aviation, it would be all but impossible.
05:40 There is no road between here and any other village.
05:44 Only trails, snow machine trails and airplanes.
05:51 Selawik is located at the mouth of the Selawik River,
05:54 about 70 miles southeast of Kotzebue.
05:58 There are 147 families residing in an area
06:02 of only 3.4 square miles.
06:05 About 1,000 people live here, yet there is no one here
06:09 to reach these people with the gospel message.
06:12 The village is completely isolated from
06:15 any other villages or cities.
06:18 Four wheelers are the conventional mode of
06:21 transportation here in Selawik.
06:24 Jim and Linda are picked up from the air strip and given a ride
06:27 to the church building.
06:30 They wined through the town on the wooden board walk made
06:33 especially for these ATV's.
06:36 Since the village is small, everyone sees Jim and Linda
06:41 as they make their way towards the church.
06:43 We have a little church here, Seventh-day Adventist
06:49 We don't have any pastor at this time, but every Sabbath
06:53 we try to meet in the church and spend some time there.
06:59 We read the Bible, or watch DVDs.
07:04 Jim and Linda hope to bring strength and encouragement
07:07 to the believers of Selawik.
07:09 The small congregation soaks up every minute
07:12 of Jim and Linda's visit.
07:14 They crave spiritual leadership and are always blessed
07:17 from the Kincaid's visit on Sabbath afternoons.
07:21 So we help to provide them a focus and a reason
07:28 to get together and to augment the worship service with music
07:32 and preaching. And praising God.
07:36 It is good, there is nobody to teach us and preach things
07:42 that we need to know.
07:46 We learn a lot of things from the pastor from the Bible.
07:53 ... that we'll be awake to what is happening and awake to the
07:59 spirit of Jesus in our hearts, so that we'll be ready when the
08:04 time comes. Amen, Amen
08:08 We appreciate it very much. I am glad they are coming more
08:12 often, not that we don't have anybody in the church.
08:16 It is real good for Jim and Linda to spend time with us,
08:21 that way we can be all closer to each other and deepen
08:26 our knowledge, to know more about Jesus and be closer
08:33 to Jesus every day because time is getting close.
08:37 As the Sabbath draws to an end, it's time for the Kincaid's
08:41 to return home. They had a very pleasant visit with the Selawik
08:46 congregation and had an opportunity to encourage
08:49 and spiritually rejuvenate these fellow believers.
08:54 This is kind of a weird place to live, if you look at the map
08:58 and we are way off in the far northwest corner and people
09:02 would say, why are you living up there?
09:06 I guess one of the reasons is... we lived in Alaska for 35 years
09:11 It was time for us to do something a little different
09:14 from what we had been doing we had a real love for Alaska.
09:18 Didn't want to leave, so we looked for a place that we knew
09:23 had needs that we could provide a skill that we had.
09:30 And yet, on the other hand, I don't feel like,
09:33 I am doing anything special out here.
09:36 I like the people and it's where we definitely feel
09:40 God has lead us to be.
09:42 So it is not something I view as look at me,
09:46 I'm up here doing this wonderful thing at this odd place.
09:49 It is just where God has placed us, we want to continue
09:52 to do the very best we can to serve Him here.
09:55 Jim and Linda feel blessed to be able to use their skills
09:59 in aviation to carry out the Lord's work in their region.
10:03 Although it makes for a long day, Jim and Linda feel
10:07 great fulfillment in the work they do.
10:17 Alaska is a vastly different area
10:19 from the rest of North America.
10:21 While it is considered part of the United States,
10:24 It still has many challenges and obstacles that make it unique
10:28 from the rest of the lower 48.
10:30 Because of it's enormous size, and vast wildness,
10:34 Alaska is often difficult to live in.
10:38 Villages are hard to reach; and therefore Alaskans' often go
10:42 without many of the comforts, that we take for granted.
10:46 Things like churches, pastors, news papers,
10:49 or even radio stations are a luxury in rural Alaska.
10:54 You know, we have all the technology, we have satellite
10:56 we have all of the stuff that North Americans have,
11:01 but we still have the logistics and the problems
11:06 and the challenges that you would face
11:09 in a third world country. And so because of that
11:12 the Adventist World Aviation is a very needed part.
11:17 In Alaska, only a few of the larger southern cities have
11:21 radio stations for people to listen to.
11:24 However, there is a project in Dillingham that is making
11:28 efforts to provide Christian Radio stations
11:31 to all remote and rural villages.
11:34 Warren Downs is one of the leaders in this movement
11:37 to spread the gospel message.
11:40 Adventist World Aviation partners have discovered that
11:43 flying in pastors isn't the only way to reach
11:47 remote villages in Alaska.
11:49 Village that was once unreached because of it's remote location,
11:53 can now be given the good news of the Gospel simply
11:57 by bringing Christian radio programming.
12:02 You've just seen me setting up a radio station kit for a
12:08 low power FM radio station. All we need now is
12:11 an extension cord to plug in and have power
12:14 and we can have a station operating.
12:17 Here is where the power supply goes in, here is where
12:21 the Ethernet for your internet connection goes in.
12:24 And here is where the antenna connects, or disconnects.
12:31 In the villages we are rather limited. There is an AM radio
12:36 station that is located right here in Dillingham
12:39 It's high enough power that it does reach the villages.
12:42 That's the only regular listening option.
12:45 There is nothing in Christian radio close by here.
12:50 Now if you go further east of here, there is a Christian radio
12:53 station in King Salmon and actually right here
12:57 in Dillingham there is a translator.
12:58 But out in the small villages, there really is nothing
13:01 out there. And so when we have been able to put 3ABN radio
13:06 in the small villages, and you have to understand,
13:09 these villages maybe sometimes half a mile deep, and maybe
13:14 at the most a mile long. I mean that's stretching it sometimes.
13:18 So we are not really talking a very large geographical area.
13:22 Beyond the perimeter of these villages there is nothing
13:26 out there, there is no houses, nothing, so we are talking about
13:29 a very small area, and a low power FM station seems to be
13:35 really the ideal means to put Christian radio
13:41 in the villages.
13:42 As you go out, into more bush villages, you don't have any
13:47 any other stations, maybe if you are lucky if you can pick up
13:50 an AM station in the middle of the night from Japan,
13:53 or somewhere around the world. So don't have a lot of selection
13:59 There certainly is a lot of negative media coming out.
14:04 If you do get a radio station, most likely it is
14:06 not a Christian one, that are available.
14:10 We want to provide something positive, that will help people
14:15 to understand the love of Christ for them, and have something
14:19 that will draw them away from the negative things that the
14:23 world with the devil has put out there to try to
14:26 lead people away from Christ.
14:28 I contacted Three Angels Broadcasting Network, 3ABN
14:33 Who was interested in helping us with this. They already have a
14:39 system that lets you stream 3ABN radio over the internet.
14:44 So it does work with internet and if you plug in the internet
14:50 Ethernet cable here into your router, it will connect
14:54 and go that route. But more recently we have been working
15:00 on a modification that will allow it to operate entirely
15:04 off line with a preloaded cache, basically. A small SD card,
15:12 like you stick in your camera. You can put a whole bunch of
15:16 media files on that.
15:17 We actually have two radio systems that are in operation
15:21 one is a stand alone system, that's the one
15:24 Linda is referring to. We also have another system
15:27 that is pre-recorded material. It randomly chooses and picks,
15:33 depending on the play list, whether it is sermons, or songs,
15:38 or stories, or that type of thing.
15:40 This is not the only project like this, there are other
15:46 efforts along the same lines. One of them in particular
15:51 has had feedback from a man, who was interested.
15:56 At first he listened to the radio and he was angry
16:01 about what he heard, because it went against what he understood
16:04 about the Sabbath, but he looked up the text in the Bible and
16:08 he found that it corresponded to the truth and he found
16:12 it matched the Bible. So he was challenged to study for himself.
16:18 He found that the radio was something that he enjoyed
16:22 and was inspired, and led to the truth by it.
16:25 I believe that could happen for many other people.
16:29 My vision for this, and I know it sounds far fetched,
16:31 but I would like to have one of these stations
16:33 in every village of Alaska.
16:35 Currently we've been saving about $500 a kit.
16:40 The cost is actually going down for making them as we figure out
16:44 technology and new technology keeps getting less expensive
16:48 and more powerful, but there is also the cost of deploying them,
16:53 and that is still an expense. Getting them out to the field
16:57 is probably... the airplane flight, which could run
17:03 couple of hundred dollars, so I think that the funding
17:06 will come when the timing is right,
17:09 when the people are there ready to host it.
17:12 I am sure God will make it possible.
17:15 So far we've had very positive response from the people.
17:21 Every time the radio station goes off the air they call us up
17:25 and they say, hey can you get this radio station back on
17:28 we really, really miss it. So we are really positively blessed
17:35 by the reports that are coming back from this.
17:39 Adventist World Aviation's goal is to help bring this project
17:44 to a reality.
17:45 By partnering with the radio project. AWA can help spread
17:51 the message of the gospel by bringing aviation support
17:54 and deliver these radios to the remote villages.
17:58 AWA's commitment is to provide air support to any radio
18:04 that needs to be transported and installed with this project.
18:08 One town that has been affected by the radio
18:11 is the town of Manokotak.
18:14 This village was given a radio to be hosted
18:17 in Edward and Rhonda's home.
18:21 It's been a blessing to have Adventist World Aviation come in
18:25 and bring new supplies, the Word and of course
18:33 Seventh-day Adventists. We are always blessed to have a pastor
18:41 from Dillingham come in, we wish we could have him more here.
18:49 There is no doubt about it, villagers long for
18:51 more frequent visits from their regional pastors.
18:54 However they are still appreciative and soak in
18:57 the programming they receive by way of Christian media.
19:01 There is a need for Adventism here.
19:05 Our family is the only Adventist family in Manokotak
19:09 Our dream is for people to find out more of the truth.
19:16 Because if they are not listening to you,
19:19 they are listening to them.
19:20 The radio station, it will probably talk to them.
19:30 Edward and Rhonda have made it a personal goal to share
19:34 this media with anyone in their village that will listen.
19:39 This radio project is a collaborative effort.
19:41 The radios are built,
19:43 but they must be deployed to the rural villages.
19:47 Not only that, they must also receive maintenance
19:50 about twice a year. This is only made possible with aviation
19:55 Today, we are going to fly with AWA partner, Eric to the village
20:00 of Koliganek to check on one of the radios
20:03 that was installed there.
20:06 I have a small airline Shannon's Air Taxi, that I started in 96.
20:13 Eric's business is a charter company,
20:15 but he also uses his business for ministry.
20:19 Whenever he has a trip to a village with a radio in it,
20:22 he offers to transport radios, or do the maintenance
20:25 while he is there.
20:27 I prayed to God, if got a Navaho I would use it, for business
20:33 and when ever I could, I would use it to help out.
20:38 in God's cause, where ever He needed it.
20:42 Eric has lived in Alaska all his life and therefore has a strong
20:46 passion to help the Native Americans whenever he can.
20:49 As Eric Loads up his plane, he heads towards Koliganek.
20:54 He travels down the run way with his plane
20:57 full of passengers and supplies.
20:59 Eric knows the value of aviation
21:02 To Alaskans, aviation isn't a luxury, but a necessity.
21:07 The journey between Dillingham and Koliganek,
21:11 is over flat arctic tundra.
21:14 There are no roads anywhere in sight.
21:17 Eric has been an intricate player in getting the radios
21:20 installed in Koliganek.
21:23 He too wants to help whenever he can and therefore
21:26 has been instrumental in this project.
21:28 About 56 miles north east of Dillingham pastor Downs asked
21:37 if we could put radio stations anywhere else, so I called
21:40 Koliganek, the people of Koliganek village and he said
21:46 that we could put one in the Counsel building, than we put it
21:49 up in an afternoon, and I switch out the computers when...
21:58 After so many months, I switch it out to a new hard drive.
22:05 Today, Eric is going to be doing some general maintenance
22:09 on the radio in Koliganek.
22:11 After he drops off his passengers, he will ride
22:14 into town and check on the radio that is located
22:17 in the community building.
22:25 Koliganek is a very small town of roughly 200 people
22:29 and 50 households.
22:31 They have no local TV, newspaper or radio stations here.
22:35 So having a Christian radio here is a very powerful tool.
22:40 The radio antenna is attached to the roof
22:42 of the Community Building in the center of town.
22:46 It's low power, it has six months of material on it.
22:53 It is a hard drive and it transmits basically
22:57 from one end of the village, to the other end.
22:58 This is the central part of the village.
23:00 It just plays on it's own, we put it on there, turn it on
23:04 and after... It is time to change it now.
23:09 And I just come switch out the computer. It only takes me
23:12 about 20 minutes, half an hour.
23:15 The radios are very low maintenance.
23:18 They are simple to set up and can be left to play on their own
23:22 for months at a time. The contents can be easily updated,
23:26 and requires very little work.
23:28 They are the perfect solution for these rural villages.
23:33 Eric looks over the radio system and checks all the connections.
23:37 He wants to make sure that everything is in order
23:39 and it is transmitting without any problems.
23:42 Radio Stations are a very simple solution for a very complex need
23:48 Everyone involved in the project
23:50 realizes the impact these radios have.
23:53 Whenever I want to switch it out I just have to shut this off,
23:56 unplug it, put the new one in, turn it on and, that's it
24:02 start playing.
24:04 A local village member expresses just how much he enjoys having
24:07 the radio here in the village.
24:09 Lot's of good variety, Story Hour, preaching, music,
24:16 Bible history, lot of good music there is even native music,
24:21 lot of good hymns.
24:24 Do you like having it here in the village?
24:26 Oh yeah, the only other station is AM650 in Anchorage and that
24:33 is the news, talk shows. That is real good and clear.
24:38 We don't have TV, no satellite, nothing,
24:43 so I am sure glad it is here.
24:47 Before leaving, Eric tunes the radio to listen and make sure
24:51 the signal is strong. The radio is working optimally,
24:55 and spreading the gospel to all those around.
24:58 AWA is very happy to help and be a part of this radio project.
25:04 Ultimately AWA's primary goal is to spread the gospel,
25:08 and these radios are the perfect tools
25:11 to accomplish this in rural Alaska.
25:14 Another Radio was installed in the village of Togiak
25:19 Togiak is 65 nautical miles from Dillingham.
25:23 Here, missionary Chad keeps a close eye on the radio.
25:27 The radio has become a helpful and beneficial tool
25:30 to Chad's ministry.
25:32 Chad can now reach people in church as well as in their homes
25:38 Well, what we have... We don't have radio stations like we have
25:43 down in the lower 48. Which pretty much the case
25:46 in the main body of the United States
25:48 We can't just flick a switch, or put on a preprogram,
25:53 regular station of K-Love or anything like that.
25:56 We actually have to install our own connections here
26:00 satellite or Am, FM transmitters here. That's what these are here
26:07 We have two stations, both are the same,
26:11 but if one channel is bad the other one will be clear,
26:16 that is why we have two here.
26:17 So to get to know more about the Adventist culture,
26:21 what we do, who we are as a denomination
26:26 they love getting to know that aspect through 3ABN.
26:30 That is what we use out here.
26:33 As a collaborative effort with those already working on this
26:37 radio project, Adventist World Aviation is excited about
26:42 delivering future radios to remote villages
26:44 all throughout Alaska.
26:46 There are 15 villages in our immediate area
26:49 that are serviced by the hospital in this hub village
26:52 of Dillingham. We would like to place radios in each one of
26:57 these villages, because it is a good way to reach out
27:02 in an area where we don't have a presence.
27:05 Currently there are only a handful of radios in place.
27:08 The dream and goal of the AWA partners, are to expand this
27:14 number to over 200 radios, one in every village.
27:21 We have great expectations, that this will become a real
27:25 blessing in this region anyway.
27:28 This is sort of a team effort it's no one person's
27:31 star of the show type of thing. It is a team effort and we
27:35 really do appreciate all the support that Adventist World
27:40 Aviation and the direction that they are able to give.
27:42 I see a need for Adventist World Aviation around Dillingham area,
27:46 Bristol Bay area, the rural area. There is no roads between
27:53 villages, there is no roads between anywhere except on water
27:59 So, yeah it's very much a need.
28:03 We really appreciate the work that AWA is doing.
28:06 Making this a possibility, making this a reality.
28:11 It has really enhanced our ministry in this area here.
28:19 What you have been watching is areas that
28:24 Adventist World Aviation goes into. We go into areas that
28:29 you can't reach by conventional means, whether it's in Guyana
28:32 whether it's in Alaska, whether it's in the Philippines.
28:34 We go into areas that can't be reached.
28:38 We reach the unreachable.
28:40 The average person doesn't recognize that there are
28:43 2 billion people in this world
28:45 that have never heard of Jesus Christ.
28:47 Of those 2 billion people 800 million of them can only be
28:52 reached by means like aviation. We are able to reach people that
28:55 would normally, under normal circumstances just not be able
28:59 to be reached. And as a result we are able to share
29:02 the love of Jesus Christ.
29:03 Pray for us! We need your prayers more than anything else.
29:06 For more information contact your local station.
29:09 Thanks for watching!
29:10 Ask about Adventist World Aviation!


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Revised 2014-12-17