Camp Agaiutim Nune "Camp AN" - For Yupik Families in Alaska's Delta of the Mighty Yukon River

And so we bid the Camp AN workers "goodbye" until next year. Here's a final note from Jim & Linda Schulz in Anchorage:

"The attendance was up for all camps and the spiritual impact was great. God changed many lives and we are believing that as the campers have gone back to their villages, they take with them the same powerful demonstration of God that they witnessed at camp."

Volunteer Howard Marshall's 2007 Blog

Saturday, July 14, 2007 - All the workers from Camp AN are gone - and Pastor Howard Marshall reports that all is quiet in Emmonak.

Thursday, July 12 - Pastor Howard reports, "Phil and Lynn Covlasky both drove a boat to Camp Sunday evening. We had several families go from Emmonak, a dozen or so. Tim Sergie was the speaker. He is a great preacher. Good altar service, and music by many. Guest soloist was Cissy Padget, and her husband Bill was along with her. Very good. Beautiful trip up and back. Lots of changes at camp. The most expensive "outhouses" anywhere. They are "fourplex" but went unused because the "custom built commodes" didn't make it ... something to look forward to next year! Shipping costs just for the lumber was $13,000.00 plus the cost of the materials! I called them Pent Houses!"

Camp breakdown and pack-up are now underway. Tents, kitchen equipment, and supplies put into storage; unused food will go into the freezers at the Emmonak church, for safekeeping until 2008. Then the workers will be taken to the airstrip and flown out on Grant planes.

Monday, July 9 - "Teen Discipleship" is in session and families are coming in for Family Camp. Folks from the villages enjoy the Christian fellowship involved in eating together as well as worshiping together. The Yukon Delta villages include Alakanuk, Emmonak, Kotlik, and Saint Michael.

Saturday, July 7 - Teen Camp is over now - 40 teens attended ... two guys even got to come from Saint Michael! Today and tomorrow, the counselors will leave by plane for their homes. They'll never forget this summer!

Wednesday, June 27 - There are 40 kids at Kids Camp! That's 3 boatloads! Don't you wish you could bottle up all that young energy and sell it - you'd be a millionaire!

Monday, June 18 - The construction crew is hard at work preparing the campgrounds. Kids Camp begins a week from today. Pastor Howard in "Emmo" writes, "Today (Friday) has been a 'dust settling day!' It has been raining, or misting, most of the day and where the dust was it looked like bland, watered-down chocolate pudding, very thin and runny. I took one of the workers out for a short tour so he could get some pictures in the rain! We asked a couple of ladies IF he could take their pictures processing fish, fish in their smoke house, and fish on their drying racks. One asked what he was going to do with them. He told them he is in Valley Forge Christian College and doing a project on his trip. So, they let him! Went to AC store. He was shocked at the price of 1/2 gallon ice cream. (Howard didn't say how much it was, but a 12-pack of soda is $18.00.) He didn't really come prepared for wet and cold weather, but they found him some waders and his jacket is supposed to be water repellent... I've made two trips to the airport, one for workers and one to the cargo company waiting for hazmat items for camp... didn't make it in, so will be Monday. Fog moved in this evening but looks like it is clearing up, the clouds are breaking up and the sun is coming out!"

Saturday, June 9, 2007 - Our reporter, Pastor Howard Marshall, is in Emmonak, coordinating things until Camp Director Jim Schulz arrives. Howard says, "I made two trips to the airport, all of 1.3 miles one way, checking on the "by-pass mail" and keeping in touch with Terry Hull at Camp AN via the radio.... When the cargo plane arrived it had 13 pallets of food, building supplies, paper products, etc. On the first load I didn't have any help except for the driver who carried the stuff to the back of the truck and then I just stacked all of it outside the bldgs to let Terry and his crew put them in the storage bldgs behind the church."

He continues, "Next week I'll have Fish & Game keep 4 king salmon for Jim S and his crew at Camp AN. Jim likes to have his cooks prepare a salmon cookout for his work crew. When I see him Monday, I'll ask him what day, because they do not have room in any of their freezers. Folks are going to eat well at Camp!"

The Fish & Game office in Emmonak catches a certain number of fish each day in order to gather harvest statistics. After the weighing and measuring of the catch, F&G gives the fish to anyone who comes by the office.

{You can click on a picture to enlarge it}

Videos of Camp Agaiutim Nune (Camp A.N.) are at Voice to the Village.

Note: Eskimo peoples are called by their native language; e.g. Yupik Eskimo. Children speak English, but their elders also speak Yu'pik, and most of the young people do too. The culture is taught in the school systems. You can see a small village in a YouTube video by clicking here. Marge Marshall

Camp AN is located up-river from where the Yukon empties into the Bering Sea. This is rural Alaska, better known as "bush Alaska." The nearest village is Emmonak, population about 740. Alakanuk is a little farther away from the Camp.

Camp AN was established in 1996 for the Yu'pik Eskimo people. You can read about the history of the Camp at www.JimSchulz.org. With the assistance of many volunteers, the Camp facilities are improved each year.

The purpose of this website is to give you glimpses of the families who enjoy the Camp and the workers who give of themselves to enrich the lives of young people and adults who live and work in this remote area of our 49th state.

"Volunteers are NOT paid, not because they are worthless, but because they are priceless."
source unknown

Camp AN could not exist without volunteers!

Camp Agaiutim Nune is on the Akularak River approximately 15-20 miles up the Yukon River from the village of Emmonak. It is set in a beautiful natural setting in a totally undeveloped area of the Yukon Delta. There is no electricity, running water or sewer, telephones, stores, or any other conveniences available. All of the supplies and equipment are shipped into the village of Emmonak then taken by boat to the camp site. All drinking water must be brought in from the village of Emmonak also. The only neighbors are a handful of fish camps and the wildlife of the area.

It is a rustic camp, using tents for all of its facilities. There is a total of 13 tents of various sizes that are used as needed. The largest is a 2,012 sq. ft. tent which serves as the main assembly room and dining hall. A second large tent (1,100 sq. ft.) is also used. Four tents (over 500 sq. ft. each) provide dormitory facilities.

Alaska’s bush standard of dress is very relaxed. It is usually determined by weather and the remoteness of the project. For the most part, everyday work dress would be sturdy work clothes such as jeans, khaki-style work clothes, flannel shirts, sweats shirts, etc. Warm socks and a warm jacket should be packed, as usually cool weather may be encountered. Rain gear is nearly always a must and often rubber knee boots are very useful. A cap or hat may be needed. For camp church services and classes, casual pants or jeans and shirt are the order of the day.

Volunteers are assigned tasks as the need warrants, including helping with “dorm” responsibilities with campers, kitchen, maintenance, and activities supervision.

Howard and I had our first experience with Camp Agaiutim Nune (the place of God) in 1998, and we came away "sold" on it! Howard filled the pulpit at Yukon Delta Assembly of God, in Emmonak, for five months; we lived in the parsonage portion of the church. During July, we served Camp AN by coordinating things in Emmonak. I worked with the radio to camp and let the workers send e-mails when they wanted to. Howard met planes, helped load the camp boat and made lots of cookies! He even made moose stew for one group of volunteers. Marge Marshall

Read more about the church at www.spaciousskies.me/Churches/AGsYukonDelta.html.

He returned to Emmonak during the summers of 2005 and 2007, while I stayed in Kansas. He really enjoyed it. Here you see him on the Camp AN 4-wheeler, which is stored in Emmonak. You can read about Pastor Howard's times in Alaska at www.spaciousskies.me/howard/AlaskaComments.html and www.spaciousskies.me/howard/AlaskaComments2007.html.

Our home page is at www.spaciousskies.me/home/ and Howard's ministry page is at www.spaciousskies.me/howard/