Pathfinders Fly to Togiak
By John Payne
On June 1, 2003 ten Pathfinders from the Missouri Conference arrived in Anchorage, Alaska. They were returning at the request of village elders to conduct a Vacation Bible School in the fishing village of Togiak.
The next morning, three aircraft (a Cessna 185, Cessna 180, and a Mooney) arrived at Merrill Field, Anchorage to pick up the Pathfinders and transport them and their supplies to the remote village. The three pilots, Jim Kincaid, Jonathan Kincaid, and John Payne loaded the gear while each Pathfinder found a seat. After performing run-up checks, Merrill tower cleared the three aircraft for west-bound departure. The three planes roared down the runway and into the air. Their flight path took them over the scenic Alaskan Range, near the town of Dillingham and just north of the Walrus Islands of southwest Alaska.
Three hours later in the village of Togiak the sound of the aircraft announced their arrival. The three aircraft landed on the gravel strip and taxied up next to the village’s main road. Pathfinders unloaded their supplies and belongings. They then hauled their gear to the church where they would host their VBS program. As they were setting up, a boy named Preston who couldn’t hide his smile showed up, glad to see that his friends, the Pathfinders had returned once again to his village to share more music and stories about Jesus.
This event is another example of how Mission Aviation and volunteers are hand in hand reaching out to the remote people of Alaska. Many of these people are far from roads and all are in need of the News too good to keep to ourselves.
There are 570,374 square miles of territory in Alaska and approximately 200 villages - most only accessible by aircraft. There are many more opportunities to reach out to the native communities of Alaska and I would like encourage you to contact AWA or the Alaska Conference of Seventh-day Adventists to find out how you can get involved.
