A dental team from Michigan, a children’s ministry team from Pennsylvania, a teen ministry team from Oregon, a worship team from Colorado, and a beautician and photographer from Alaska all ministered to the Christian pastors and missionaries and their families during the 17th annual Ministry Family Retreat Oct. 1-5 at Victory Bible Camp in moose country near Sutton.
The week even included a two-hour private concert by the six-man Christian mostly-acapella group This Hope, from Atlanta, Georgia.
Each of the mission teams and dozens of Arctic Barnabas Ministries donors who funded a significant portion of the retreat together made the camp a success, said Executive Director Jim Hamilton. “Our team’s prayer, planning and preparation paid off. God blessed us with an amazing week to encourage and strengthen bush ministry families. It was intimate, relational and relevant for all of us, ministry families, volunteers and ABM staff.”
Mention also must be made of the Victory Bible Camp staff, who had all the cabins ready for the bush families, volunteer teams and ABM staff, as well as areas designated for the dental office, beauty salon and age-level activities.
The VBC kitchen staff worked hard as well, churning hot, filling and most of all, tasty meals three times a day. From hot cereal at breakfast plus a variety of other hot breakfast items, to different types of cookies with salad, sandwiches, soup and chili at lunch every day, to substantial meat-and-carb suppers, with veggies and dessert, it was “good cookin’” for sure.
All this plus solid Bible preaching, great worship, horseback rides, hikes and too much more to mention. But what several said was the biggest blessing was the opportunity just to relax and visit with people who like them minister in hard places.