| Looking Back – 2019 at a Glance
Kicking Bear Foundation’s 20th year began with our team members traveling to Louisville, KY, to attend the ATA (Archery Trade Association) Trade Show and be a part of the annual Target the Heart (TTH) Prayer Breakfast, which has grown over the past 8 years from a small spark to a blazing flame. Team Kicking Bear helped start and cultivate this prayer breakfast as a way to bring the gospel message to attendees. Each year, Howard and Julie Tripp organize this overwhelming event. Throughout the years, we’ve witnessed great victory in Christ, and hundreds of people have received salvation and/or rededicated their lives to the Lord. Our 15th Annual Banquet/Fundraiser was humbling in all aspects. It helped us to do missionary work in Uganda with Shepherd’s Fold and Yahweh Ministries. KB team members took bows and arrows to the children and taught them fun new skills in a culture where fatherhood abandonment is horrific. These kids were hooting and hollering with new dreams God instilled in their hearts, just like kids in America do after attending Kicking Bear camps. We also taught the local people how to be self-sufficient by starting Bible studies and helping them expand their farming operations. We were privileged to be involved with several organizations this year. We did speaking engagements and KB activities at wild-game dinners, conservation groups, the National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF), Quail Forever and the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation (RMEF), just to name a few. God gave us these “platforms” from which we share the Gospel and also to find teams of people who want to bring Kicking Bear Camps and Adventure Days in their communities. By the way, Adventure Days are an absolute blast! They’re much like our camps, but with all the activities packed into one day. We had several new Adventure Days this year. One was in Omaha, NE, where we teamed up with KB Teams from Minnesota, Missouri, as well as the Pope & Young Club, to share the Good News and teach kids new skills with bows in their hands. God has allowed Christian churches to be planted in all areas across the United States, and KB has partnered with these ministries to help them with their community events. KB is an outreach to the churches and ministries, and by teaming up with them, we can get kids and adults who wouldn’t ordinarily attend church to attend these outreach events and hear the Gospel message.
God has given KB special “tools” such as bows and arrows, tomahawks, tug-of-war ropes and marshmallows to meet kids at their level. And by our actions — not just by our words — we can continue spreading the Good News. |
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| We also had a family ice fishing day, special spring turkey hunts, shed-antler hunts, trout-fishing derbies and Muskie tournaments — all integral parts of the Ministry meant to bring volunteer mentors and youth together in fellowship. It’s been encouraging to see how both groups continue to grow in their relationships with one another, making lasting memories and friendships. It’s humbling to see so many mentors making one- and two-year commitments to be involved in these kids’ lives.
The summer months were filled with campouts, archery shoots and MudFest, which were all over the U.S. Our first camp of the year, held in Kansas, was preceded during the week by a KB veterans’ turkey hunt and men’s conference. Kicking Bear partners with other equally-yoked organizations such as Veterans Afield, Centershot Ministries, Hunt for Life Foundation, Foundation for Hope and Patriots of Praise. The veterans and their families all harvested turkeys! The camp was incredible, their largest camp to date. What really stood out were some of the pictures we received from kids throughout the U.S. who had started shooting archery at a young age at KB camps and are now chasing their dreams, harvesting deer, turkeys and lots of other critters. For instance, here’s Alexander from Kansas and the buck he harvested this year. |
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Our La Crosse camp, like many others, was an exciting event with 700 attendees. When Kevin Bonnar presented the message, numerous decisions for Christ were made, and the following day, 21 youths stepped forward to be baptized! We found out which kids did not have opportunities to get into the outdoors, and we paired up more than 50 youths with mentors who not only guided them in the woods, but also discipled them spiritually. Since we started having KB camps in Maine 10 years ago, we decided to have kids and warriors together. This year in Maine, we again teamed up with Veterans’ Afield. Twenty-two moose tags were allotted to the veterans. It was exciting to spend time with these “anointed” heroes and help them accomplish their dreams by harvesting giant moose. Twenty of the twenty-two tags were filled! It’s amazing how the Holy Spirit guides us while fellow-shipping with warriors. For many years, by the laying on of hands, we’ve witnessed God go to work and do miracles. Just one example is a woman who had a mass on her brain. After the blessing, she went in for the final scan before surgery. Guess what … the mass was completely gone! The Bible is a compass to get us through this life, and every Word in it is true. If we convey that truth to others in the way we conduct ourselves, we’ll spread the love of Christ over our nation, one heart at a time. |