You Sent Us to Alaska! (Vol. 3)

Five weeks in the Alaskan bush

We spent just over five weeks in Alaska in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta region with Kako Retreat Center. We were able to help with both big and small projects that were pivotal for keeping them running.

From dirt work to keep rain and snow melt from making its way into the lodge, to bridge repair that lets them reach the fuel that keeps the generator and vehicles running. Jon worked on several ATVs and a snowmobile or two, which are their main form of ground transportation. He also did work that brings their water into compliance with the health department, so it no longer needs to be boiled.

I (Ashley) got the linens ready for next spring after they had been saturated by exhaust from a boiler that had an issue. The kids got involved in several projects too: a climbing wall that had to be dismantled, cleanup in a cabin that had a fire before we arrived, tagging along on our projects, and being a friend!

Aria playing a game with new friends — Aria playing games with new friends.

Malchus washing out buckets with a hose — Malchus helping wash out buckets for mixing concrete to pour the footer for a new swing set.

Arrow standing on wooden steps he repaired — Arrow proudly standing on the step he repaired just before leaving.

Arrow smiling behind a birthday cake shaped like a 13 — Arrow turned 13. We are officially in the teenage years!

Three Kling boys standing next to a blue ATV — ATVs are the main ground transportation at Kako.

Jon mixing biscuit dough in a kitchen — Jon took up making biscuits for breakfast.

Family and friends around a campfire in the woods — An adventure down to the river to roast marshmallows in the rain.

Jon lying on the floor of a shop working on equipment — One of Jon’s many projects!

No roads. Nowhere to put a road.

When I read that the only way in and out of the area was by small plane, I looked at a map and kind of understood. But flying over it was eye-opening. After getting as close as we could by commercial flights, it was about a 45-minute flight over this. No roads, nowhere to put a road. It truly is remote.

As we landed back in St. Louis and exited security, I was telling the kids, “Right over here is where your dad proposed,” only to walk to that spot and find they have since installed a “Kling Family Gallery.”

View from a small plane over the flat, watery Alaskan tundra — Flying over the delta. It truly is remote.

The family standing beneath a “Kling Family Gallery” sign at the St. Louis airport — The spot where Jon proposed, now home to the “Kling Family Gallery.”

What’s next? We are off to Florida!

This winter we have the opportunity to work with Agape Flights out of Venice, Florida. Jon will be using his aircraft mechanic license to work alongside the pilots and mechanics who keep Agape’s aircraft supplying missionaries in Haiti, Cuba and other Caribbean nations with mail and cargo.

We have a history with Agape Flights. One of Jon’s first experiences in Haiti was riding in the back of a dump truck to Port-au-Prince to get the mail at the co-op pick-up site. And in 2024, Jon’s first aircraft mechanic job after receiving his A&P license was three weeks in Bombardopolis, Haiti, doing a double engine swap on one of Agape’s planes.

We will drive down mid-to-late November and work with Agape until sometime in February.

Jon in a wide-brimmed hat inside an aircraft hangar — Burly Jon in Haiti.

Cargo being unloaded from an Agape Flights plane — Cargo being unloaded in Cap-Haïtien from an Agape plane, June 2024.

Sunset seen through an open hangar door — Sunset through the hangar door in Bombardopolis.