Keep up with all the latest news as we serve with Voice For Christ Ministries

Get the latest newsletter here. (June 30th)
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For previous logs go to the Pictures section.

Weekly Updates(Usually updated Monday morning)
Our goal is to update on a weekly basis. Check back each week to keep up with happenings here in Alaska.

We have now caught up the weekly updates. You may want to scroll through to make sure you didn't miss anything.

August 23 thru August 29
On Monday with help from Brad, we got the dish moved from the temporary stand to the new pole. On Tuesday we voted in the Alaska primary elections.

Kayleb is getting more and more interactive and enjoys playing with his dad and his brother. However he doesn't seem to be able to hold interest through our Wednesday staff meetings, maybe if we hire clowns, hmmmnn.

The field where KAGV's antenna is located requires electrically connected wires that are buried just under the surface for the antenna to perform correctly. We are starting to see small birchs sprouting up. The roots from these plants can harm the buried wires. We will need to cut these plants down to completely stop their growth. For now we are applying herbicide directly to these specific plants to make sure they stop growing now and completely die once they are cut back.

On Thurday Kristan took the boys to visit the Musk Ox project farm in Palmer with friends.

They got to see the grownups

and they got to see the teenagers and the babies.

It was a fun day and Kristofer even got to sit on a tractor.

On Saturday we hauled some of our clothing out of storage that has been packed away since we moved here. Kristofer got to try out some clothes that didn't quite fit him. Saturday evening the feed system to the KAGV antenna had a insulative failure that induced multiple exothermic events. Heavy rain seems to have a way of doing that to the antenna at KAGV. Anyway with a little new pipe and some hose clamps Karl was able to make a workaround to get us back on the air.

August 16 thru August 22
On Monday Karl caught a ride with a friend from church to check out NorthStar Bible Camp. It was fun to visit and learn more about the camp.

Some different green foods this week. Here Kristan is picking some fresh lettuce and Kristofer is enjoying his first green Jello.

The kids can be quite a handful during staff meetings. On Friday we got to visit with Grandma Dee and her entourage.

Saturday was Founder's day for our little city of Houston, Alaska. Complete with a parade that traveled ~ 100feet and a petting zoo with 5 animals.

The bouncy toys were a little less mediocre and then the fireworks were world class in a way only the city of Houston can be. Starting at 10:30 and continuing the aerial displays until close to midnight.

Here Karl is repairing a feed arm for one of the satellite dishes. With a small modification it is able to hold a C-band feedhorn so we can try to get some stronger signals for backup news feeds.

The temporary tire stand was the reason the feedarm got damaged when the wind blew it over. Here Kristofer and his dad installed a sturdier arrangement with a mount pole buried in the ground.

August 9 thru August 15
We are going places as a family.

Sometimes going to work can be sleep inducing. Sometimes going home to make a pizza can be lots of fun.

Sometimes outside, big planes that are going places seem to be coming pretty close to the KAGV tower. Taking a look at our garden outside it looks like we should get to see some sunflowers bloom this year.

This weekend we worked together on the woodpile.

Meemaw and Papa have sent some fun matching clothes for both boys.

August 2 thru August 8
Through the perfect provision of our Lord and the generousity of our supporters we got full support for the month of July. This gave us the opportunity to stock up our pantry during a trip to Anchorage to handle some of the Bethel transition logistics.

The transition to remote operation for the station in Bethel has gone well. It isn't a very visual thing so we don't have pictures to share but we are recording the weather and bulletin board programs here at KAGV and keeping everything up to date much in the same way we kept things going for KAGV last year. Karl has developed a good morning routine to update both stations with the latest weather. After the weathers are all recorded the routine then involves a morning walk down to the river and the post office. It is an enjoyable way to start the day. This Friday Karl gave our newest volunteer announcer the run down of station operation so that he could take the Monday afternoon shifts. What a surprise to learn that Brad Herndon knew of our sending church Lake City Community Church having spent a year enjoying the fellowship there while teaching at Clover Park Highschool.

Kristofer knows it is time to start looking for berries and the efforts of his eyes are proving fruitful for all of us.

We've got a way to go to get all of this winter's wood put up and get next winter's drying out but we are making progress. Karl has been cutting up the big logs.

Kristan has been getting the sections split and Kristofer has been hauling the useless ends and pieces to the burn pile.

July 26 thru August 1
This was the last week for Ken and Karen Anderson out at KYKD. At this time God hasn't provided for others to take their place. We have been working with Ken and Karen to prepare for remotely operating KYKD from KAGV much like last summer when we ran KAGV remotely from KYKD. With a few legal and relational things to finalize this transition, Kristan and Kayleb went out to KYKD this week while Kristofer and Karl held down the homefront at KAGV.

Kayleb was all eyes at the prospect of his first plane ride.

Here Kayleb enjoys the comfortable accomodations of the KYKD apartment. A beautiful rainbow over the KYKD antenna array.

Ken and Karen have been doing a great job during their term at KYKD. The facility is in great shape, they have even had good sucess beating back the relentless growth in the yard.

Back on the home front Karl and Kristofer had plenty of fun checking on the wild blueberries and playing on the swings.

The roads were graded in our neighborhood and we watched attentively. Kristofer is getting closer to being able to work on his own.

After 3 nights apart we went into the Anchorage airport to pick up the rest of the family. It is great to be back together.

On Sunday our church had a baptism service and a great big picnic. Lots of fun celebrating these public proclamations of trust in our faithful Lord.

At the picnic Kristofer got to ride in the peddle boats "One time with Daddy and one time with the other people, two times."

July 19 thru July 25
It has been a moist summer so far. The mushrooms are pretty interesting in weather like this though.

The rain seems to affect transportation too. All the mud takes the edge off a tractor ride to the radio station. On the transportation front we are exploring new frontiers as Kayleb begins to enjoy front pack riding.

The garden probably could use more sun but seems to be doing well inspite of all the drizzle. The big rhubarb stalk came from the farm in Oregon and seems to be doing well in the long Alaska daylight hours.

Our dissapointment in the garden this week was the large appetite of our neighborhood moose. They got most of our cabbage crop and a bit of our brocolli. However the lettuce was too far down for them to bend over for so it was spared and still looks like it is going to be yummy.

July 12 thru July 18
Here Karl and Kristofer are taking a morning walk. Kristofer really likes the backpack. Not quite ready to carry it himself though.

Kayleb is growing and enjoying more and more of the life we live.

On our construction front, some of the finer details are taking shape downstairs. We even got the shower door installed this week.

On Saturday we had some great sunshine and we got out to split some wood and whack down the growth in the yard.

With the downstairs bathroom shaping up it was time to take a look at the upstairs bathroom. The shower valve was leaking and now we have a big hole in the wall while we work to replace the leaky valve.

July 5 thru July 11
We've been having great weather lately. Not too many bugs either. This has made for some nice time playing outside.

Inside we have been working on the construction area downstairs. The issues we had with the floor leveler last week seem to be mitigated with some area patches. Then the detail work of cutting out the vinyl flooring. With all of us working together we got the flooring glued down.

Then to start installing the fixtures. Kristofer kept the tools handy while Kayleb looked on.

With the toilet all hooked up, Kristofer got to be the first to test flush it.

June 28 thru July 4
With John and Eva here, Kristofer and Kayleb keep on enjoying the extra attention.

On Monday we got to show John and Eva the radio work at KAGV. Then after dinner we celebrated Karl's birthday together.

Some new guards have been posted at the KAGV transmitter site. With only this quick glimpse of what they are guarding, we can certainly sympathize with their protective instinct.

Here one of the guards makes the rounds inspecting John and Eva's house on wheels. Inside we got to visit and Kristofer got to imagine driving their house.

On the home construction front we tried to level the floor with a floor leveling product from Home Depot. Things didn't work so well but we have to clean up just the same.

Are you looking for the rest of the pictures? They keep getting archived to the pictures section. Click on through to see more.