November & December 2005
This is a memo from Joseph Hale 10/28/05 to our dear friends and neighbors in McCarthy:
It was our desire to be with you at this meeting, but since we cannot be, John graciously offered to read this for us. Please bear with me as I try to share my heart.
We well remember the day we drove into McCarthy. Our hearts were overwhelmed by your kindness, and we fell in love with your town. You were gracious to us and we wanted to reciprocate, but we truly did not understand what it meant to be a good neighbor. Our hearts weep for the pain and misunderstandings that we have caused in the town, and we want to ask your forgiveness individually and collectively. We need your help to be the people that we want to be, and though we don't deserve it.. .we beg for your patience and understanding. It took years for us to become the people that we are, so we know that it will take some time for us to adopt a manner of living that is truly acceptable before God and man.
We love McCarthy!!! The whole spirit of the community is something we always dreamed of being a part of. We would count it a special privilege to be a part of what you are doing there. We tried in our own simple way to express that feeling a bit this summer as we worked and sought to apologize to those we had offended in the past. I know there is much more apologizing we need to do, and we will try to make restitution as we have contact with you personally.
It is our plan to work a bit in McCarthy during the early winter months and finish putting up our visitor's center on our property as you come into town. We will spend some time here in Palmer, trying to round out a bit of our educational needs and return to McCarthy in the spring to prepare for the tourist season. We are putting a small add in the Milepost today which will advertise our horseback riding. We have bulldozed a sight for a future home for our family across the street from the parking lot. It is our intent to build there as funds are available and the Lord is willing.
We know there will be a lot of unexpected interruptions to our plans, but we will proceed as we are able. We wanted you, our friends and neighbors to know that it is our desire to live and dwell among you... if you will still have us.
Joseph
For Mama and the children
The older children issued this statement on their web site:
“We hold no bitterness, anger or resentment towards our Papa but simply desire that he be held accountable for his actions before God and man. We would pray that he would openly confess his sin before God and repent ... knowing that God is able and willing to both forgive his sin and save his soul. This is the hardest thing we have ever had to do, but we want to be clear about our desire to separate ourselves from evil ... which required us to physically separate from Papa. The requirement that we count the cost of following Christ has required that we be obedient to the Scripture which says, ‘He that loveth father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me.’ Matthew 10:37.”
“We are so thankful to have the love and complete support of our Mama in this very difficult time. We trust her explicitly and know that she would lay her life down for us. We also are grateful to have the love and support of the Buckingham family. They have truly been a ‘father to the fatherless’ during our time of real need and provided us with daily love and counsel. Our lives are filled with joy and hope of a new life before us.”
ALRA statement on recent developments with the Pilgrim family
The criminal indictment of Robert Hale (Papa Pilgrim) last week on charges of assault and abuse against one of his own children is appalling and tragic. In working with the family over the last two years ALRA never observed anything out of order and we had no reason to believe that any misconduct by Papa Pilgrim was taking place.
The immediate concern of all must be that the children be looked after, protected, and given every chance to recover and thrive. Our heart goes out to them.
Today, two years later, the land issues remain the same. The National Park Service is still blockading reasonable and feasible access to the McCarthy Creek homestead where the mother and her younger children continue to live. Almost all of the property is owned (and always has been owned) by the victims of this latest criminal development: the children. Their absolute right to access to their property continues.
The American Land Rights Association will stand by these children and all other Alaskans that are facing unjust access restrictions to their lands affecting their daily lives. Now more then ever before it is critical that the Pilgrim children get a fair deal so that they may have the opportunity to move on from recent events.
You have to admire their courage and the resiliency of their statement, "Our lives are filled with joy and hope of a new life before us."
November & December 2005
