Boettchers in Alaska

Michael & Cayla Boettcher: Called to minister to Yupik Eskimo families of the Yukon-Kuskokwin Delta region of Western Alaska, to share the hope of the gospel, disciple believers in the Faith and establish New Testament churches in the tribal villages.

“Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade men ...because we are convinced that one has died for all ...that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for Him who died for them and was raised again.”
(II Corinthians 5:11-15)

Kako Retreat Center, Inc. is a non-profit religious organization incorporated by the State of Alaska. It is an Independent Mission with a Board of Directors for accountability.

Kako Retreat Center is located six miles from the Yukon River on the property of an old gold mine nestled in the valley surrounded by mountains. Since there are no roads to Kako, the Center has its own airstrip. Most of the staff are pilots with their own airplanes. Kako Retreat Center owns a Cessna 206.

The facilities for this center are: several cabins, a wash house, a lodge with a kitchen and dining room seating over 50 and a multi-purpose room, bookstore and office. There are individual homes for each of the Kako staff families.

Why Kako Retreat Center?
Kako Retreat Center, Inc. is a place set aside to provide Christ-centered retreats, workshops, leadership training classes, seminars and counseling to encourage and help the people living in the remote villages of Alaska. 90% of the women in the villages have been sexually abused as well as 60% of the boys.
The suicide rate among teenagers is high. It is estimated that around 25% of the young people have attempted suicide by the time they reach the age of 24. Alcoholism is destroying families. These people need the light of Jesus Christ and the hope of an abundant life in Him.

Another means of encouragement is the itinerate work for visiting, counseling, and Bible studies in the villages.

For Kako's Doctrinal Statement, click here.

Kako Retreat Center is strategically located in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta region of Western Alaska. Within an 80-mile radius there are over 24 villages and within 160 miles, over 50 villages. Living within the circle is a population of over 30,000. About 27,000 are Eskimo, 1,000 are Indian, and another 3,500 are white, according to the 2000 census.


“How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? (Romans 10:14)

Click above to watch a Cessna 182
(a four-passenger aircraft),
taking off from the Kako airstrip
to take some people to a nearby village.

I came to know Christ at an early age, in fact before grade school. I grew up in and around church and Christianity all of my life (which was very fortunate for me). In the younger years of my life, my parents were missionaries to South America in both Bolivia and Argentina, giving me the unique lifestyle of a Missionary Kid. Though sometimes hard to say goodbye to grandparents and friends over and over again, there are many things you get to see, places you get to go and people you get to meet, that have a life changing impact on you. One evening, while my parents were in language school in Texas before we moved to Bolivia, my mother came to pray with me before I went to bed and I spoke with her about asking Jesus into my heart. I was very young, so she made sure I knew what it meant to be a Christian and all that it entailed. I did know and understand and she prayed with me to accept Jesus into my life. I have been very fortunate to have been able to grow up in a loving Christian home, where my parents lived Godly lives. Around the age of nine I believe I was called to missionary work. A missionary couple by the name of Ron and Bernice Farnum came to visit us. They were involved in a missionary aviation ministry and as I sat and watched their presentation about how airplanes played a key role in their ministry in the jungle, I realized that God was calling me into Missionary Aviation. This calling was reaffirmed while I was on a missions trip in Ecuador, when I was a junior in high school. Since then, God has been working in my life and preparing me for the mission field, through schooling and personal growth. I am so excited to finally be on my way to the mission field, sometimes it seems as though you work so hard to get somewhere and wait so long that when you do actually attain your goal, it’s hard to believe you made it. Lord willing Cayla and I will get to Kako soon!

I was saved at a young age. I was about 6 years old and sitting down by the creek with by brother who was a couple of years older than I was. We were talking about what heaven and hell would be like, and I remember listening to him talk about hell. I was scared and asked how he knew he wasn’t going to go there but to heaven. He explained to me that all I had to do was pray to God and ask Him to forgive my sins and ask for Him to be my personal Lord and Savior. I did pray with him on that little dirt bank and I remember running to the house to tell my mom what had happen and seeing tears in her eyes and then sitting down with me by my bed and talking with me for a while to make sure I understood my decision. Then when I was about sixteen I was at a college retreat with a youth group from our area. They had a speaker that was there all weekend and he was challenging all of us that weekend to make a commitment to serve God more fully in our lives. I had been living a good life these years since I had made my initial decision at that young age but I was older now and did understand better what fully giving my life to Christ meant and I also knew that I was not daily in the Work like I should be. The whole weekend I felt as if he was speaking to me and felt convicted to made a new found commitment to God, and so I did I went forward, got on my knees and told God that I was completely His to use were He wanted me to.

Cayla and I currently hope to be able to head for Kako in about a year, depending on how support comes in. We are currently in the process of raising our support and will be traveling to many churches throughout the country, sharing about the ministry that Kako Retreat Center has. If you would be willing to have us come and visit your church, small group or even have us come and share at a home meeting, please let us know and we will try to work it into our schedule.

One way is to PRAY

Prayer partners lift our ministry, our marriage and our walk with the Lord. We, in turn, will remember you and your family in our prayers.

“I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ my dwell in your hearts through faith."
(Ephesians 3:16-17)


Another is to GIVE

Kako Retreat Center is a faith mission and the staff members do not receive a salary. Financial partners invest in the ministry monthly or with one-time gifts through the Mission Office at Kako. If the Lord has placed us on your hearts to support us financially, please fill out our “partnering form” below. Our financial account is managed by the Kako office, and support checks and gifts need to be made out to Kako Retreat Center Inc. for tax deduction. Please do NOT write Boettchers on the memo line of your check. Instead, just attach the completed form to your gift.


A Third is to ENCOURAGE

We hope that our partners will keep in touch with us by letters and e-mail. Keeping us abreast of the events of your life and church will encourage us as well as apprise us of prayer needs you may have. We hope that our correspondence with you will be an encouragement as well.

“And my God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:19)

You can contact us at:

Home Address:
Michael and Cayla Boettcher
642 St. Charles Avenue
St. Charles, MN 55972
507-259-0331
E-mail: boettchersinalaska@hotmail.com

Field Address:
c/o Kako Retreat Center
P.O. Box 29
Russian Mission, Alaska 99657

YES I would like to partner with the Boettchers….

( ) I/We are committed to pray for them and their ministry.
( ) I/We want to receive their news and prayer letters.
( ) I/We are committed to contribute to their ministry:

O $25/mo.
O $50/mo.
O $75/mo.
O $100/mo.
O $______/mo
O $______/qtr.
O $______/yr.

 My/Our first contribution is enclosed with this form.

 I would like to make a one-time gift of $__________.

Name: (Please print)

__________________________________________

Address:

__________________________________________

City: ___________________

State: ____ Zip: __________

Phone #'s: __________________________________

E-mail: ____________________________________

Copy and print out this form, enclose it in an envelope and mail to:

KAKO Retreat Center
P.O. Box 29
Russian Mission, Alaska 99657

For more information about Kako Retreat Center:
http://www.kako-retreat.org/
(907-584-5695)

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