Alaska Mission Trip Report

Family, friends, and church families,

Thank you so much for your prayers and support for my time with Kingdom Air Corps (KAC) in Alaska! I apologize that this letter has taken so long to get to you. My time in Alaska was such a blessing and a great learning experience as I prepare for full time mission work with aviation and maintenance. A great deal happened over the month and a half I was in Alaska. As such, I will try and break my trip up into different categories.

Flying:

            Flying in Alaska was completely different than anything that I was used to! I had the chance to fly the following aircraft: Cessna 150, Cessna 152, Cessna 170, Cessna 172, Super Cub, and Champ. I flew for a total of 27.6 hours. I learned a great deal about how to fly in the mountains, read the wind over the terrain, and how to fly into and out of challenging runways. The runways were grass, gravel, narrow, had a slope to them, not straight, and had terrain and animals you had to watch out for. I was also able to simulate searching for a lost person on a river by following the river at a low level. I gained firsthand experience of how to approach different mountain ridges and passes with low visibility and how to make a safe go no go decision. Overall, I received great bush flying experience.

Maintenance:

With a fleet of older aircraft comes an endless list of items which need to be fixed. Since it never really gets dark in Alaska during the summer, it was not uncommon for us to be working until 10-12 at night. My biggest challenge was learning what was acceptable for wear and tear of parts. I was able to gain experience working on landing gears, wheels/bearings, exhaust systems, painting/paint removal, corrosion, sand blasting parts, compression checks, and servicing batteries and spark plugs on about 8 different aircraft. I was also able to help out with an annual inspection on a Cessna 175 and several other hundred hour inspections. I was able to help supervise and answer questions for the inspection crew that came from LeTourneau University for a couple weeks. Another interesting project was helping take the wings and tail off of a storm damaged Cessna 172 in order to trailer it back to the ranch.

Aircraft maintenance was not the only work that needed to be done around the ranch. I was able to help burn a ton of wood in order to clear land for space for campers to stay. I was also able to help move an entire cabin that someone down the road donated to KAC. I was often sent into the town of Palmer to pick up aircraft parts or run different errands.

Brooks Range Bible Camp:

            The Brooks Range is one of the most remote places I have ever been. Fly north of Fairbanks about 3 hours, or about 230 miles and you will not see any gas stations, rest stops, restaurants, or buildings. There is only one road which follows the Alaskan pipe line with absolutely nothing else in sight for miles and miles of wilderness. I was absolutely amazed that hundreds of people live in such remote locations inside the United States. If I did not know I was in Alaska, I would have thought it was another country! The place we held the Bible camp at was called Paradise Valley and used to be an old gold mining camp. Our team picked up children from Anaktuvuk Pass (population 300), Allakaket (population 100), Wiseman (population 21), and Coldfoot (population 13). The first week of camp we had 33 younger kids and the second week we had 25 teens and a total of 30 staff members for both weeks.

I was a counselor for the first week and had nine kids in my cabin, along with two other counselors. The kids were quite a handful! Picture the most unruly kids you have known and you might get close to how these kids were. All the kids barely listened to us and did pretty much whatever they wanted whenever they wanted to. There were several underdogs in my cabin who got picked on because they were from a different village. Fighting, spitting on (gleaking), and name calling among all the kids was a fairly constant occurrence.

A typical day started out with chapel right after breakfast which consisted of skits, puppets, memorizing Ephesians 6:10-18, and a Bible message. After chapel we would have cabin time where we would discuss what we learned and open it up for any questions the kids had. After cabin time, we would play anything from Eskimo kickball, to wreck the castle, basketball, link tag, or swimming. However, as soon as you put your feet into the water, they were numb! I have no idea how the kids could survive going into the water which came from glacier runoff. Another obstacle that we all had to face was the swarms of bugs everywhere! There was also minimal electricity and running water in the camp. Other activities included camp fires, songs, obstacle courses, volleyball, and an ugliest counselor contest.

At the very start of camp, I was super annoyed at how misbehaved the kids were. I was fed up with breaking up fights, being spit on, lied to, and yelled at. Often the kids would yell “I’m bored! I want to go home!” As I thought upon this whole situation, God taught me a great deal about love. Christ loves the unlovable, no matter what their attitude is. As a counselor, my goal was to build relationships with the kids and show Christ’s love through my own actions. By the end of the week, I was amazed to see how the kid’s attitudes changed. Many kids even wanted to stay longer and were upset that they had to leave. Although no new decisions for Christ were made among the kids in our cabin, I was able to help mentor kids who had already made a decision for Christ during previous years. Discipleship and a Christian influence is seriously lacking among the villages which the kids go back to.

During the second week of camp, I was on the grounds crew. In reality, I should say I was the ground crew. The rest of the grounds crew left to go on a rafting trip that was moved up a week to help a guy, John, who was stuck on the river. The rafting trip was geared towards people who were 21+ from the villages. Each day, my duties included cleaning the outhouses, collecting fire wood, building camp fires, and projects for Mick, the owner of Paradise Valley.

God’s Provision:

What really stood out to me during my time in Alaska was just how God provided for all of our needs. While at KAC, several different people gave us the following: 200 pounds of potatoes, a large cabin which sleeps eight people, 500 gallons of aviation fuel and all the groceries for the Brooks Range Bible camp. We also received about two or three moose that people hit on the road; there is nothing like fresh road kill moose for supper! God also provided safety in flying time after time. I want to share with you a story of how God watched over me while flying. The following story is taken from my blog at http://vulken.blogspot.com/

“Another issue of trust that I have been thinking about is with aviation and flying. Every time I hop into an aircraft I am putting my life on the line. It is a risk which comes with the territory; both with terrain and aircraft parts. I trust that the five bolts holding the propeller on will not break, the couple nuts holding the fuel lines together, wing attached, and so on and so forth. One little bolt, one little nut, one little part which comes loose or fails could cause an aircraft to lose power or control. And yet I fly. I fly off of short grass strips, knowing this risk. There is very little room for error, mechanically or with technique exists.

On the 4th of July, I flew into a fairly short, unfamiliar grass strip, trusting my finite skill as a pilot to land the aircraft. On takeoff out of the same strip, it is scary to know you are traveling at about 60kts, half way down the runway with large trees at the far end which you need to clear. Upon liftoff, you hold the airplane down in ground effect, accelerating to maybe 70-80kts straight at a line of trees. It takes judgment and skill to know how to takeoff and when to pull up to clear the obstacles. This takes trust in the aircraft and your own personal skill. That takeoff was one of the scariest runways I have flown out of so far. Safe? Yes, as long as the aircraft performs how you want it to.

Upon landing back at KAC, I had another scary moment for a pilot. Short final, about to land, just below the tree line a wind gust caught my wing and pushed it over. Slow and low with a wing banked 45 degrees is not a good place to be. I quickly added power, reacting on impulse to what happened. The stall warning was going off, and I was headed at about a 45 degree angle away from the centerline of the runway. This all happened in a flash, and I reacted with the training I had received. The thought ran through my mind that I was not going to make it. There was no instructor on board to help me out, I was all by myself. Somehow I managed to recover and get the plane on the ground. I thank God for His protection.

I find it interesting/ a God thing that later that night, after my gusty landing, I read my friend Katrina's post about trust. Also, here is an e-mail I received from my father this morning, not knowing what happened the previous day:

Ken,

     You were literally in my dreams last night.  I love you.  Be blessed with safe flying.

 Love

Dad

Again, trusting in an aircraft to do what it is supposed to do. Trusting in my skills to recover. As I was thinking about trust, trusting the small little aspects that keep an airplane performing, I was thinking about my trust in God. Do I trust Him as much as an aircraft? Do I trust Him with my entire life? Do you trust God for your life? I am blessed and thank God for His protection. ”

            While flying back from the Brooks Range, we encountered a 40 knot headwind in Windy pass. A headwind means you are going much slower and are using more fuel to get to your destination. As I already mentioned, where we were flying in Alaska was very rural. As such, there are not many airports to land at if a problem occurs. After finally making it out of Windy pass, we encountered rain along the route. Normally, light rain is not an issue; however my carburetor heat cable broke. This means that it was a possibility to get icing in the throat of the carburetor which would cause a decrease in power if not complete loss of power. Thankfully I did not ice up! However, upon landing at the closest airport, I found out that I had about 35 minutes of fuel left on board when I should have had about an hour and a half. Again, God was providing for our needs!

            I want to leave you with one more story of how God started this whole journey to Alaska for me. I feel this is a testimony to how God is active and sovereign in our lives.

I watched fireproof last Thursday night (Feb 3) with the guys in my apartment. In the movie, they have something called a 40 day challenge. I thought the movie was great and I was in the shower and was thinking about the 40 day challenge. I was also thinking about what to do this summer. One idea is to stay in Alaska after our family reunion cruise is done and go to Kingdom Air Corps with Dwayne King.  Anyway, in the shower I was thinking about just the idea of spending 40 days on something and the significance of the number. This brought me around to wondering how long it would be from the time our cruise was over to the end of the Bible camp that Kingdom Air Corps holds. I thought to myself, man that would be awesome if it was 40 days and how that would really be a confirmation of what I was supposed to do. So I went to my room and ran the numbers: we are supposed to leave Alaska on June 14th, Bible camp is the 2 middle weeks in July. The day Bible camp ends on July 23th, which is when I would probably be leaving, or the day after. Doing the math, this is 40 days exactly (17 days in June, 23 days in July). I had sent an e-mail to Dwayne King several days before asking to get together and talk with him about Alaska. I also had met with Mr. Poelman to ask his advice and talk about some concerns I had. One of the things Mr. Poelman said was that it was ultimately going to be for God to show me one way or the other what to do this summer. So right after I ran the math, I checked my e-mail and received an e-mail from Dwayne King. He wanted me to call him sometime and figure out a time to meet. When I saw that it was 40 days I started laughing, and then right after that I saw Dwayne's e-mail and laughed even more and wondered what the odds were of that being a coincidence.

Again, thank you for your support and prayers! You helped make a difference in the lives of many kids in Alaska. God is alive and active! Please don’t hesitate to contact me with any questions. Most of my pictures from Alaska are on Facebook.

            Please keep checking my blog to stay in touch with me! I have been home in Pennsylvania for about a month now and have been working on many odd jobs around the house and for people I know. I am still searching for a job and would appreciate your prayers! As soon as I pay off my school loans of about $25,000, I hope to serve in a closed country where Christians are not allowed.

Mark 16:15 “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation”

Peace and love,

Ken Misiak

Life Trust

Wow, where to start this update... Everything has been going well, and I have been very busy moving from one project to the next. As many of you know, I have also been searching for a job start the beginning of August. This has been on the forefront of my mind for pretty much my whole time here. It has been a little discouraging hearing about many of my friends already being hired by someone, and I am still looking. I have found many places who may hire me, but I have just not felt right about it in my spirit, just not thrilled about the company or just don't think its a good match. Maybe I am being picky, but I don't know. I have a strong conviction not to work on any aircraft which are used offensively/defensively. 

As I was looking back on where God has taken me, time after time everything has worked out one way or the other. As I work here in Alaska at KAC, I keep asking myself, why am  I here? What purpose is in it? I know its to gain more experience, and also the Bible camp coming up, but it is easy to loose sight of the big picture. I have been blessed beyond belief so far in my life. I graduated college with only a fraction of debt as many of my friends. I have about $30,000, whereas many of my friends have over $100,000. I have to ask myself, why me? Why do I have so little debt? I could just as well be on the opposite end.

I have been stretched in all areas of my life here in Alaska. As I have been searching for a job, I would like to be closer to home where my family and friends are at. I don't like the idea of "starting life over" if I were to move to who knows where to work. I would need to build a new church and friend pool. This is hard for me, and takes a while to build any significant close relationships with people. At the same time, I am also the one who wants to go overseas and serve God using my pilot/mechanic skills. Sure, I may be working with a team overseas, but if I can't live more independently now, whats to say I can't later? Reminds me of my blog a while back when I was thinking about the idea of what I am now is what I will partly be later.

Another issue of trust that I have been thinking about is with aviation and flying. Every time I hop into an aircraft I am putting my life on the line. It is a risk which comes with the territory. Both with terrain and aircraft parts. I trust that the five bolts holding the propeller on will not break, the couple nuts holding the fuel lines together, wing attached, and so on and so forth. One little bolt, one little nut, one little part which comes loose or fails could cause an aircraft to loose power. And yet I fly. I fly off of short grass strips, knowing this risk. Very little room for error, mechanically or with technique exists. On the 4th of July, I flew into a fairly short grass strip, trusting my limited skill as a pilot to land the aircraft. On takeoff out of the same strip, it is scary to know you are traveling at about 60kts, half way down the runway with large trees at the far end which you need to clear. Upon liftoff, you hold the airplane down in ground effect, accelerating to maybe 70-80kts straight at a line of trees. It takes judgment and skill to know how to takeoff and when to pull up to clear the obstacles. This takes trust in the aircraft and your own personal skill. That strip was one of the hardest strips I have flown out of so far. Safe? Yes, as long as the aircraft performs how you want it to.

Upon landing back at KAC, I had another scary moment for a pilot. Short final, about to land, just below the tree line a wind gust caught my wing and pushed it over. Slow and low with a wing banked 45 degrees is not a good place to be. I quickly added power, reacting on impulse to what happened. The stall warning was going off, (which I had previously thought didn't work all the time), and I was headed about a 45 degree angle away from the centerline  of the runway. This all happened in a flash, and I reacted with the training I had received. The thought ran through my mind that I was not going to make it. There was no instructor on board to help me out, I was all by myself. Somehow I managed to recover and get the plane on the ground. I thank God for His protection.

I find it interesting/ a God thing that later that night, after my gusty landing, I read my friend Katrina's post about trust. Also, here is an e-mail I received from my father this morning, not knowing what happened the previous day:

Ken,

 

    You were literally in my dreams last night.  I love you.  Be blessed with safe flying.

 

Love

Dad

Again, trusting in an aircraft to do what its supposed to do. Trusting in my skills to recover.

As I was thinking about trust, trusting the small little aspects that keep an airplane performing, I was thinking about my trust in God. Do I trust Him as much as an aircraft? Do I trust Him with my entire life? Do you trust God for your life? I am blessed and thank God for His protection. More later...

The following is a brief summary of what I have been up to the last week or so. I need to keep track of the maintenance items that I have been doing for mechanic FAA reasons. For many, this short summary of stuff  may be very boring, but for others it may be fascinating. A bit of other items are mixed in as well.

-----------------

Wednesday: Worked on the 206 wheels the whole day. What should have been a couple hour project turned into a whole day event. Our project was to change the tires, but once we took the wheel off, we found a great deal of corrosion, and so we had to strip the paint off, then sand blast it clean, wash it, and inspect it. Breaking the bead on the tire took forever.

Thursday: Worked on 206 wheels, spray painting wheels, stripping paint, and figuring out how to separate two halves of other wheel. Also polished spinner.

Friday: Exhaust on blue aircraft. Marshaled aircraft all day for sight seeing people and a bit of sand blasting. Learned how to hand prop aircraft.

Saturday: Cessna 175 annual inspection: compression check, exhaust removal, serviced tires/wheel bearings, fixed navigation light on tail/cleaned up ground connection. Serviced sealed-lead acid battery, helped remove inspection cover panels, checked ELT for proper operation and security.

Sunday: Went to church in the morning, went flying/got checked out in the 150, went to church at night, celebrated Joe’s successful completion of private pilots license.

Monday: Worked on landing gear for a little bit, then flew into Palmer with Dwayne King. Made a lot of stops, flew back, ate dinner, went down to the river and had smores/shot guns.

Tuesday: Started to work on super cub engine, taking off accessory housing. Went flying twice with Dwayne King in the mountains. Very good learning experience.

Wednesday: Worked on wheels again- stripping paint/bead blasting. Worked on inspecting engine cowling- stop drilled several cracks/replaced a rivet. Went flying to pick up Jeremiah (Dwayne King’s grandson).

Thursday: Fixing seats for 206/working on sealing floats. At night did formation flight with friends.

Friday: Compression check on 150, troubleshooting rough magneto on 200SD. Went flying up to the glacier. Finished wheel project.

Saturday: Worked on troubleshooting 200SD all day- checked ignition leads, changed out spark plugs, checked timing, removed mag, replaced distributor, still ran rough- 200 rpm drop and popping, two cold cylinders, Dwayne ran it and thinks it’s a bad cylinder.

Sunday: Church, nap, flew into Anchorage to drop off Lauren and Pat.

Monday: 4^th of July.  Had the day off. Flew into Gulkana again to pick up Jeremiah. Then flew to Downwind airstrip- small grass strip near Palmer for a 4^th of July party. Bowling, maintenance, pool, air hockey, ping pong, you name it. Very fun time in fellowship. After that, took off, flew to Palmer, picked up Jeremiah then landed back at King ranch. Big fireworks display once it got “dark”. Also shot a couple of exploding targets.

Update 2.0

Saturday: Today we went to a gun show where most of the group shot a lot of different guns. The people there were giving out free hotdogs and gun safety glasses. After that, we went across the street to the airport and toured around looking at all the different aircraft. I posted a lot of pictures up on Facebook. After this, we went to A&W and went on a hike to a waterfall, then went to a very pretty lake, then to a really good pizza place. After that we went to a sporting goods store, walmart, and then back to the ranch. It was a fun and relaxing day.

Sunday: This morning we went to church, came back and had really good turkey with all the fixings.

Monday: Made tags for wheels. Helped put tailwheel on the champ. Made repair to 200SD, Cessna 150 cowling. Tie wrapped oil pressure line on 200SD. Also helped with cabin- putting big heavy logs up into place.

Tuesday: I just remembered one day last week we went after dinner to try and move a cabin that was given to us. This is a fairly large project, and we have to haul it up a large hill and then take it 2 miles down the road. But anyway: Today I finished up the cowling project. We fixed the mixture cable as well, it was getting snagged up on a nut. After that, I went flying in the 150 and did some slow flight, steep turns, and stalls. I practiced landings as well at the ranch with Jon. After that was dinner, and now blogging/updating. I have been reading a book called Weird, which is very interesting and makes you think. I feel like a lot of it is tailored towards older people/people who are married/have jobs and kids already, but it is still good. I would recommended it to anyone.

I am at a strange time/place in my life. I’m done with college, and I am a pilot/mechanic in Alaska. I have no job lined up yet. There is a slight possibility I could stay in Alaska if a job does not come through in VA. I would prefer working in VA, being close to family and friends and all, but I have to think Anchorage may be my new home. I will be going with a friend of mine, Daniel, to take a look at different companies in the Anchorage area. Daniel bought a one way ticket up here. Please be praying for God’s direction for my life and where I should go/what job I should take. I had a good conversation with Dan, the head mechanic that I have been working with here, about what it is like the first couple years and dos and donts in the industry. This was very helpful and encouraging.

3 day Update

Wednesday June 15^th

First day at Kingdom Air Corps. I drove the van back after picking up Patrick and Daniel from Anchorage. We arrived at about midnight. No one was awake except for Zack. He was very helpful and had a list of where everyone was supposed to stay. However, no one knew where my cabin was. So I ended up sleeping on the floor of their office- I really didn’t care and could have slept anywhere since I was so tired. The next morning I went to breakfast which starts at 7am. (Lunch is at 12:30 and Dinner at 5:30 I think). Before each meal, we all sign a hymn and then pray. In the morning, we have devotions, and Dwayne King shared this morning. After that, I found the right cabin where I was supposed to be staying and put all my stuff in there. I then helped cut up, move, haul, lift, and burn a ton of logs. (More like 10 tons of logs!) Our burn pile was huge! Thankfully, it was raining on and off so the fire would not spread/kept us cool. I did that pretty much the whole day. I got to meet a lot of cool people so far, I’m just having a hard time keeping their names straight. In other news, I still have a cold that I have been trying to get rid of for quite some time now. Your prayers on this would be greatly appreciated.

At night in Alaska, it isn’t really dark at all which is very hard to get used to!

Thursday June 16^th

This morning the group went around and shared a bit about themselves, their background, experience, and what God has been doing in their life. It was cool to hear/get to know everyone. After that, I worked with Dan and Daniel in the hangar working on a super cub all day. We took off both front tundra tires and inspected them, cleaned/re-greased the wheel bearings, inspected the landing gear assembly, inspected the empennage, and worked on fixing several discrepancies. After dinner, a group of us went up to Victory Bible Camp just up the road to attend their chapel for the kids which are at camp now, but for some reason they did not have it that night so we will try to go another night.

Friday June 17^th

This morning I got to go flying in a Cessna 150. This was a great experience after not having flown in many many months (other than the sightseeing trip with Roger). I thought I was going to be really rusty, but I was surprised that all my landings were pretty good for not being very familiar with the aircraft. All of them were smooth and I got to even land on a gravel strip and the strip at Kingdom Air Corps. After the flight, the engine is shut down by pulling the mixture control- I pulled this, but it came out right in my hands. The aircraft is pretty old, so it was not a huge surprise, but we got busy trying to fix it. Turned out the cable snapped. When we took the cowling off, we found several other discrepancies that had to be fixed.

I am really enjoying my time here. Everyone is like a big family, working together. Each person has their own set job, but we all come together and form a community of believers. It is really cool to see how God works. One person donated like 200lbs of potatoes (we have been having them at every meal!). We have also been eating a ton of moose! Very tasty! (Some of it came from roadkill too!) Another person just donated a cabin about a mile down the road, and we worked today to try and move it. We will be putting it on a trailer. So many people come up and donate their time to cook, clean, build, and do whatever needs to be done. 

Live update from Anchorage!

This morning I woke up at 3:50am to catch a flight at 6am from Fairbanks. The flight was uneventful, only about 30 passengers on a 737. I had three seats to myself. I arrived into Anchorage just fine and began to wait, and wait, and wait. I arrived at 7am, and I met up with a group of people from Kingdom Air Corps at 9am. Thats the short story- The problem was that I did not have any cell phone reception so I could not get a hold of anyone from KAC. Thankfully, I ran into my tour director from Denali and the bus driver and they were able to let me use their phone. Three phone calls later, I met up with the 4 people. Two were flying out right away, and the other two I spend the day with touring around Anchorage. We hit up the market area, many shops, got burgers for lunch, and then went to an Air museum to kill time! Turns out they were also flying out from Anchorage... which means I'm left with a 16 passenger van all to myself! Needless to say, I'm still at the airport now, because I need to pick up someone who comes in at 8:30pm, and then another person at 10:30pm. Thankfully they have free wireless internet! After I pick up these two LETU friends, we will have about an hour drive back to the ranch. If your bored, get on skype, FB, or Gmail and we can chat! Peace out!

Links to all my pics so far:

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10101153086846604.3583749.9391920&l=f4c441434a


http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10101157662961034.3585796.9391920&l=cdf5470fbc

Travel Pictures

By Train...

 By Boat...

The real boat:

 By airplane... with Roger from LETU in Juneau.. 

Alaska is pretty far away from home!

Uncertainty

The following is an excerpt from an e-mail I sent my family back on Feb 7:


So I watched fireproof last Thursday night (Feb 3) with the guys in my apartment. In the movie, they have something called a 40 day challenge. I thought the movie was great and I was in the shower and was thinking about the 40 day challenge. I was also thinking about what to do this summer. One idea, is to stay in Alaska after the cruise (*see below for more details) is done and go to Kingdom Air Corps with Dwayne King.  Anyway, in the shower I was thinking about just the idea of spending 40 days on something and the significance of the number. This brought me around to wondering how long it would be from the time our cruise was over to the end of the Bible camp that Kingdom Air Corps holds. I thought to myself, man that would be awesome if it was 40 days and how that would really be a confirmation of what I was supposed to do. So I went to my room and ran the numbers: we are supposed to leave Alaska on June 14th, Bible camp is the 2 middle weeks in July. The day Bible camp ends is July 23th, which is when I would probably be leaving, or the day after. Doing the math, this is 40 days exactly (17 days in June, 23 days in July). The Bible camp that Dwayne holds is up in the wilderness of Alaska for Eskimo kids. I had sent an e-mail to Dwayne King several days before that just asking to get together and talk with him about Alaska. I also had met with Mr. Poelman to ask his advice and talk about some concerns I had. One of the things Mr. Poelman said was that it was ultimately going to be for God to show me one way or the other what to do this summer. So right after I ran the math, I checked my e-mail and received an e-mail from Dwayne King. He wanted me to call him sometime and figure out a time to meet. (We met on 2-8-2010) When I saw that it was 40 days I started laughing, and then right after that I saw Dwayne's e-mail and laughed even more and wondered what the odds were of that. 


*Cruise info--- I just wanted to clarify and make sure that you guys know what is going on. Some may have heard about the cruise, and I wanted to make it clear that it was two separate trips. All the support that came in for me ($4,055!!!) is going towards my time at Kingdom Air Corps and NOT paying any part of the cruise. The cruise will get me up to Alaska, but I will just be staying longer once my family leaves. However, I may use some of the money towards my return flight from Alaska. 


Here is my Itinerary:

Flight summary

Thu 31-May-12 Newark (EWR) Depart 9:45 am  to  Seattle (SEA) Arrive 12:47 pm 2,406 mi (3,872 km) Duration: 6hr 2mn   Flight: 1581 Economy/Coach Class ( 25A ), Food For Purchase, Boeing 737-800 Total distance: 2,406 mi (3,872 km) Total duration: 6hr 2mn Tue 14-Jun-11 Fairbanks (FAI) Depart 6:00 am  to  Anchorage (ANC) Arrive 6:57 am 261 mi (420 km) Duration: 0hr 57mn   Flight: 62 Economy/Coach Class ( 15A ), Boeing 737-400 Total distance: 261 mi (420 km) Total duration: 0hr 57mn Tue 26-Jul-11 Anchorage (ANC) Depart 5:15 pm  to  Seattle (SEA) Arrive 6:23 am 1,445 mi (2,326 km) Duration: 3hr 20mn   Flight: 1476 Economy/Coach Class ( 24F ), Food For Purchase, Boeing 737-900 Seattle (SEA) Depart 5:15 pm  to  Newark (EWR) Arrive 6:23 am +1 day 2,406 mi (3,872 km) Duration: 4hr 53mn   Flight: 1476 Economy/Coach Class ( 24F ), Lunch, Boeing 737-900 Total distance: 3,851 mi (6,198 km) Total duration: 8hr 13mn (9hr 8mn with connections)

So now my trip has started. My 10 days at home between driving up from Texas and then flying out to Seattle have been quite the whirlwind. Leaving and coming back is always weird. Only seeing a good friend for a couple of days during a period of 1.5-2 years or every couple months is tough. I've had to say a lot of goodbyes to friends in Texas and in Pennsylvania over the last month. I was talking with one of my friends about this, and it is kind of turning into how it is with my family's brothers and sisters. My dad may only see his brother 3-4 times a year, and then only for a day for a couple hours. My only consolation for all the goodbyes is that one day we will all be reunited together with Christ in heaven.


Starting any new chapter of life is always hard. I don't know what to expect. Since graduating LeTourneau, I have had many many doubts and uncertainties face me. Graduation should be a joyous event, but for me it was surreal- wonderful and horrible at the same time. I had to say goodbye to so many friends, and missed saying goodbye to others. 


The greatest lesson I learned at college is the fact that I know so little. Upon graduating, you may think you know everything one needs to about a certain field- I wish this were the case, but it is not so. I am rusty on so many areas and have forgotten so much material just because I had not been reviewing or using it. With aviation, knowing your stuff is critical; life or death. There is no room for mistakes in maintenance or flying. Lives are at stake. The aviation job market is tough as well. Training is super expensive, and a starting job is only a bit more then minimum wage. I keep asking myself why? Why aviation? Why LETU? Why am I going to Alaska? The missions of Kingdom Air Corps is to give real world, hands on experience as a mission aviation pilot. 


I have to keep reminding myself of the story about the 40 days which I first related to you above. I had been thinking about Kingdom Air Corps for a while, knew about the organization, and had always wanted to go to Alaska. Staying in Alaska just made sense, especially since I do not have a job lined up right now.


I am unsure where I will be after Alaska, even unsure exactly what the day to day life looks like in Alaska. I know I will know a lot of LETU people there, but that makes me ask if I am just going along with the crowd or doing what is most comfortable or safe? Everyone who has been says they love it up there, but is this really the best choice for me? Alaska is remote. I keep wondering what if this or what if that... 


In the airport before I left, I sat down at a table with two chairs. An identical table/chairs was to my left and right. These tables had two different friends/couples at them. The chair across from me was empty. This symbolically represents one of my biggest fears- rejection/not having a companion. I am not naturally a very outgoing guy. Is serving God as a single person what God has called me to? Would I be willing to follow God if he called me to lonely, desolate, depressing situations just to make his name known? Would I still follow God if I did not have any friends or normal comforts of the western world?


If God has really called me to live a life that is bringing the gospel to people who have never heard, then I think I will find myself in many of those situations just described. Whole countries hate my God and hate me as a result. I need to be willing to give up everything in order to follow Christ. No matter what happens, only Christ matters. 


I am reminded of Romans 8:


"³¹ What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? ³² He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? ³³ Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. ³⁴ Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. ³⁵ Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?³⁶ As it is written:
   “For your sake we face death all day long;
   we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”
 ³⁷ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. ³⁸ For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, ³⁹ neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. "

The funny thing is, over the course of just a couple days, I was called a missionary by separate people on about 2-3 different accounts. Back in the day, missionaries went out on boats and traveled for months if not years just to reach people. The missionary's families in this time would hold a funeral service, not expecting to ever see this person who was leaving ever again. Many died and withstood great pain and hardship without ever seeing any fruit of their work; but they were faithful to the end!


Please pray that I can remain faithful to what God has called me. Pray against spiritual attacks on my life as I face this new chapter in my life. Pray for God's peace and guidance. Pray against depression, loneliness, and fear.


I love you guys!


Ken

Planes Trains and Automobiles (And boat and bus)

And so the great Alaskan adventure begins. Drove to Newark this morning at 5:30am, and then flew to Seattle Washington. Spending a couple days with my brother before heading on. Will update more later.

Alaska Trip Update

Praise the Lord! So far about $3,500 has come in for my Alaska trip this summer. Thanks so much for your support! I have met my goal to pay for airfare to Alaska, as well as room and board while I am there. Any additional support that comes in will go towards helping pay for flight training. 


I am filtering support through my home church in PA. Any contribution is tax deductible. Please make checks out to Lords Valley Community Church and mail to:

Lords Valley Community Church
PMB 112
641 Route 739, Suite 1
Lords Valley, PA 18428


Please check back often! I am also updating the facebook event for my trip called "Prayer and Support for Ken's Trip to Alaska" You can find that on my Facebook page.

Redefining Facebook

Redefining Facebook

   

Submitted to Dr. Compton

ENGL 1023-02

English Composition II

By

Ken Misiak

April 15^th, 2011

Every multimillion dollar business starts with a simple idea.  Upon first conception, this idea may seem abstract and even impossible.  However, one idea, given time to grow, has the potential to impact the world.  For Mark Zuckerberg, a drop out college student, his idea was birthed into a reality which has truly revolutionized the world.  His idea was simple, to create “an online directory that connects people through social networks at colleges” (Grossman 50).  This online directory, now called Facebook, has evolved into the most popular social networking website online.  Facebook is quickly taking over a large portion of our lives and is falsely filling social needs; Christians should be cautious of their approach to the site, but more importantly, they should redefine their use of Facebook to become a witness for others.

Facebook has become a cross-continental network.  According to Lev Grossman, author of TIME magazine’s 2010 Person of the Year article, Facebook has close to 500 million users (58).  Grossman gives some startling facts to put this number into perspective.  This number comprises a total of 7.2% of the world’s 6.9 billion people.  Out of the world’s population, two billion people use the internet on a daily basis.  This means that 25% of internet users have a Facebook account.  A reporter from USA Today, Jon Swartz, examined research data from Nielsen to show that 25% of the time spent online is spent on social networking sites (Par. 1).  Facebook has also spread to almost all countries and is translated into more than 75 different languages (Grossman 59).  No matter where a person goes, he or she is bound to run into someone on Facebook.

            Facebook’s network reaches all over the World Wide Web.  On almost all major websites, the familiar blue Facebook square with white “f” can be found along with a “thumbs-up Like” button.  By clicking on these buttons, the content is reposted on Facebook.  When another Facebook friend is browsing the same website, a profile picture will show up next to the same content to catch their attention.  According to Dan Fletcher’s TIME magazine’s article, Friends Without Borders, during any given day Facebook processes approximately 100 million clicks of a Like button (Par. 23).  Finding Facebook all over the web is part of an initiative called Open Graph.  Grossman states that already two million websites are integrated with Facebook, with approximately 10,000 being added daily (72).  The thought process behind Open Graph is that a person is more prone to watch or read the content if a Facebook friend has already “Liked” the content.  The ultimate goal of Open Graph is for Facebook to display friend’s preferences on any website in order to create a more personalized web browsing experience.

            Another way that Facebook is slowly taking over the internet is by a project called Facebook Connect.  This project allows an internet surfer to use his or her Facebook username and password to log onto different websites.  This process eliminates the need to go through lengthy account creation steps for each individual website.  The need to remember different usernames and passwords is eliminated.  Fletcher describes Facebook Connect as a passport for the Web; a way to confirm identity (Par. 21).  Facebook Connect and Open Graph are clear examples of Facebook’s global impact on the way the internet is run.

            Facebook’s sphere of influence goes beyond the web.  Facebook is everywhere.  All a person needs to do is pick up the nearest magazine and flip through to find an advertisement which says, “Find us on Facebook,” with the familiar blue square to catch a person’s attention.  Grossman believes Zuckerberg’s vision will take Facebook off the web and fully integrate the site with televisions and mobile devices (63).  Instead of flipping through the channels on a TV aimlessly, a person would be able to sort through shows that are recommended by friends.  Many phones are already equipped with Facebook applications.  Status updates and pictures can be quickly uploaded to Facebook by using phones.  The impact of Facebook on daily life cannot be avoided wherever anyone turns.

Part of what drives Zuckerberg’s vision is the idea of serendipity.  In other words, it is the desire to make accidental discoveries which enrich a person’s life.  For example, imagine a group of friends decide to spontaneously go out and see a movie.  Unbeknown to this group of friends, more friends were also planning on seeing a movie, but a different one.  After the movie is over, each group goes separate ways without even knowing about the other.  Facebook wants to change this process.  With the use of onboard phone GPS systems, Facebook would be able to alert the user if any of his or her friends were nearby.  Instead of the two groups missing each other completely, they would have been able to meet up and see a movie together.  Grossman describes Zuckerberg’s vision as trying to “turn the lonely, antisocial world of random chance into a friendly world, a serendipitous world” (63).

As journalist Anna Keating has observed, Facebook is popular partly because it is whatever people want it to be (19).  Fletcher expands on this idea and says that part of Zuckerberg’s vision is to make the world more open and connected (Par. 7).  On the surface, most of Facebook’s initiatives and plans sound amazing.  However, on one side of the coin, Facebook creates unauthentic relationships.  Knowledge about someone is different than actually knowing someone.  In the same way, knowing all about God is different than having a relationship with God.  People can be as real or as phony as they want on Facebook.  Often, many people take Facebook too seriously.  Users of Facebook fool themselves into thinking that people care just because a post or comment of theirs was Liked.  People almost substitute Facebook for reality and do not believe something until it is on Facebook.  An example of this can be seen by the saying that relationships are not official until they are on Facebook.  On the other side of this coin, many aspects of a person’s life are revealed which friends may not otherwise know about.  For example, pictures are posted on a daily basis to give a glimpse of what is going on in someone’s life.  Additionally, posting a comment on someone’s Facebook profile is a very natural action to show interest about what is going on in his or her life.  As expected, Facebook draws a wide audience that uses the site for many reasons.

In and of itself, Facebook is not good or evil; however, our approach to Facebook can determine its merits.  On the negative side, Facebook can quickly become an addiction.  For Christians, this addiction can quickly turn into idolatry.  Another negative aspect to using Facebook is the issue of privacy.  By the use of status and location updates on a user’s Facebook wall, a criminal could theoretically plan a robbery with this information.  Sir Francis Bacon hit on this point exactly when he coined the phrase, “knowledge is power.”  A stalker could also use information on a Facebook page to not only track a person’s movement but also fool the person into thinking that they are the perfect romantic match.  Facebook’s merit, along with any other technology, is based solely on the approach a person takes to using it.

Facebook fulfills a very deep social desire within each user.  Every human being desires an authentic relationship, acceptance, recognition, and love.  We feel good about ourselves if people see our pictures or comment on posts.  However, this feeling of social satisfaction is only temporarily met.  The completely authentic relationships that Facebook users are searching for, can only be truly found in relationships rooted in the church. However, the traditional church is not a person’s primary support basis.  Today, society’s social fulfillment often comes in the form of Facebook rather than face-to-face interaction with real people.

            The global impact Facebook has on the world is undeniable.  However, Facebook cannot be contended with, nor is it going away anytime soon.  As such, Christians need to be especially careful with their use of Facebook to avoid falling into idolatry.  Ideally, Christians should shift their mindset to use Facebook as an extension of the body of Christ on the internet.  Christians can use Facebook as a tool for reaching out to people both online and in person.  Facebook can be used to share Christ on a global network.

            Christians being the church on Facebook can take many forms.  In Lenora Rand’s article, The Church on Facebook, she mentions how one of her friends used the Facebook newsfeed as a prayer list.  Taking this idea a step farther, instead of just praying for each individual, a person can follow up with the individual once they see them in person.  Following up and acting on different status updates can make a world of difference in a person’s life.  Facebook can be used to share encouraging words, Bible verses, and notes on what a person is learning about God.  Churches with fan pages can use Facebook to promote their church to the public and keep members up to date on different events and news.  Churches are also able to let the community know about various outreach programs.  Facebook allows a user’s Christian witness to be constantly placed in front of non-believing friends.  If the Apostle Paul lived in the Facebook age, he might say this about Facebook, “I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some.  I do all this for the sake of the gospel” (New International Version, 1 Corinthians 9:22-23).

Being the church on Facebook means changing the approach and mindset of how Christians go about using Facebook.  This does not mean Christians should stop the corporate assembling together of believers at their local churches.  On the contrary, this being the church means living intentionally to impact the lives of friends on a daily basis.  The thought process behind this approach is being in the world, but not of it.  As the Apostle Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians, Christians should use all forms available to reach out to those in need.  Rand states it this way: “Church is what you do.  Church is who you are” (22).

            One idea can change the world.  One action can form a chain reaction.  Facebook is a mega giant that has been influencing all parts of our culture.  The American Church must be careful of its use of Facebook to avoid becoming addicted.  Instead, Christians should work towards building real world friendships.  The time has come to redefine Facebook as an opportunity to love and witness for the name of Christ.

Works Cited

Fletcher, Dan. "Friends Without Borders." Time 20 May 2010: 32-38.

Grossman, Lev. "2010 Person of the Year Mark Zuckerberg." Time 27 December 2011: 44-75.

Keating, Anna Nussbaum. "Losing My Religion." Faith in Focus 22 November 2010: 19-20.

Rand, Lenora. "The Church on Facebook." Christian Century 30 June 2009: 22-25.

Swartz, Jon. "Time spent on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube grows." USA Today 2 August 2010: N. pag.

Alaska Support Letter

Dear family and friends,

I can’t believe that I am graduating from LeTourneau University in a mere 41 days! I am majoring in Aeronautical Science Mission Aviation and have a minor in Applied Science.  This means I am walking away with a commercial multi and single engine pilot certificate with a high performance and tailwheel endorsement along with an instrument rating.  In addition, I have recently passed my oral, practical, and written tests to become an aircraft airframe and powerplant mechanic.  As you can imagine, these last four years have kept me very busy with managing my way through 143 credits of maintenance, flight, Bible, and general education courses.  God has blessed me significantly during my time here, and I will be graduating with the honors of Magna Cum Laude on May 7^th.

Besides academics, I have also been actively involved in extracurricular activities.  For one, I have been on the Sting Precision Flight Team and I was also selected to help form a new campus group called LeTourneau University Mission Aviation (LUMA).  When people think of LUMA, we want them to think of discipleship-based, skill-oriented, Christ-centered, Spirit-filled missionary training.

Many of you may recognize the banner at the top of this page from a letter I sent out almost two years ago on March 22nd.  I sent this letter out when I was going to work with Mission Aviation Fellowship in Lesotho, Africa, in July of 2008.  Well, I am not going back to Lesotho (at least at the moment), but going as far north as I possibly can and still remain in the United States.  No, not Maine or Washington, but Alaska!  I am going up to Alaska with Kingdom Air Corps (KAC) for a month and a half.  Kingdom Air Corps’ mission is to “train up people who will carry the good news of the Gospel to places that are difficult to reach, prepare pilots and mechanics to fly and maintain aircraft in difficult places, the uttermost places, and to work and develop relationships in order to bring the message of salvation, and to bring vision and inspiration to new missionary pilots.”  See this site for more information: www.kingdomaircorps.org

During my time in Alaska, I will be honing my pilot and aircraft maintenance skills.  My hopes are to gain valuable mountain flying experience and missionary training.  All flight training costs at KAC are for the fuel of the aircraft and not any other fees.  To be able to go on the mission field permanently, most organizations look at how many flight hours you have and how much debt you are in from training.  KAC not only provides inexpensive flight hours, they save time that I would otherwise have to be working to pay off debt so that I can get on the mission field permanently in the future.

More important than flying or maintenance, I have the chance to help out with a Bible camp!  From July 12th through 24th our team will take a caravan of seven airplanes and fly up to the Arctic Circle to host a Bible camp.  The camp reaches out to Native Americans and Eskimo children who live in villages that are in or near the Brooks Range in Alaska.  These children come from some of the worst home situations imaginable.  In addition, many of these young children are addicted to smoking and alcohol.  My goal is to build relationships with these kids and show them the love of Christ through the Gospel message.  I know 13 days is not enough time to break addictions from these kids, but it is enough time to shine a very bright light into a dark situation in order to bring hope.

After this trip is over, I plan on working for several years to pay off my college debt.  I have a possible job with Dynamic Aviation in Bridgewater Virginia (where I had a maintenance internship this past summer) if a position becomes available for a pilot and mechanic.  Dwayne King, the leader of KAC, has also said he could hook me up with a job working up in Alaska.  After my loans are paid off, I have high hopes of working as a full time missionary pilot. Often, the hardest people to talk to about faith are the closest people to you.  Our Western worldview shies away from talking about religion for fear of rejection or offense.  I cannot send this letter in good conscious without talking about my faith. My faith is fundamental to everything that I do and to this trip.

The world in which we live has many warring worldviews and religions.  Christianity is not all about heaven and hell, what to do and what not to do, or even living a morally upright life.  Christianity is all about Jesus Christ and having a dynamic relationship with God and creator of the universe!  Being able to have a relationship with God sounds weird; but it is out of God’s love for us that Jesus Christ sacrificially died (and rose again!) on the cross for our sins. Jesus is the promised Messiah and the fulfillment of the covenant that God made with David and Abraham in the Old Testament. God is perfect and holy and our sin separates us from Him. I will be the first to tell you that I am a sinner.  Thankfully, grace is given in abundance to cover my faults. 

            The consequences of sin has many effects on humans.  Sin effects out relationship with God, with other humans, the world, and our own self understanding.  Sin impacts every aspect of our life and distorts the image of how God intended it to be.  The Garden of Eden was the perfect example of how our relationships should be; perfect harmony with God.  Sin comes in many forms and has brought sickness and pain into the world in which God created.  A very real battle exists for Satan trying to lead us away from God.  God wants to have a relationship with you, but you must take the first step. Romans 10:9 says “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

           

            As one of my professors once said, “Eshatology is protology recapitulated.”  In other words, the future is a remaking of the beginning.  Jesus will return one day and judge mankind.  This judgment is not annihilation of the world but rather restoration of the entire world for those who are in relationship with Christ.  A new and renewed heavens and earth will be formed.  The restoration is for the whole human life and the whole creation.  Relationship with God, with fellow humans, ourselves, and the world will all be renewed.  Sin’s destruction on life will be completely healed and the picture of life with God, in which the serpent twisted in the Garden of Eden, will be restored to its original state.

God loves and accepts you just the way you are.  I am not perfect.  In fact, I live a pretty messed up life at times.  The only way I find hope in this world, peace, and joy, is through Jesus Christ.  His grace covers all my mistakes, and He freely gives this grace to you as well if you believe and accept what He has done for you.  Christ freely sacrificed His life on the cross to save us.

           

            I encourage you to check out my blog at www.vulken.blogspot.com  On this site, I talk a lot about my faith and very real issues that I struggle with in life in regards to what it means to be a Christian.  If you look under the blog archive on the right hand side of the page under December 2010, you will see two blogs that I wrote about my call to ministry as well as a very short summary of the Bible and how the major events in the Bible all connect together to ultimately what Jesus’ life meant.  I also plan on posting updates to my Alaska trip on this site as well.

           

            If you feel called to help support me financially, that would be awesome! I need to raise approximately $3,000. Please see the attached sheet for details.

Peace, Love, Joy,

Ken Misiak