HOOPER BAY, AK (August 30, 2006) – High school students in this community, where an August 3 fire destroyed the only elementary and high school and at least 14 homes, will receive high school and college credit for helping to build five new houses.
Grant Funk, pastor of Hooper Bay Covenant Church, worked with the local school district to arrange for the credits, says Mark Hill, executive director of Amundsen Educational Center (AEC) in Soldotna, Alaska. Funk’s wife, Lenna, also is helping families as they consider educational options.
The AEC will partner with the church, Samaritan’s Purse, and Missionary Aviation Repair Center to construct the five houses. Samaritan’s Purse, led by Franklin Graham, is financing the work.
Since 2001, AEC has offered a one-year certificate in home construction, as well as a two-year advanced certificate in home construction, Hill says. The founders and staff of AEC are all Covenant members and the organization is a partner ministry with the Evangelical Covenant Church of Alaska.
Students complete one new house each year and learn all aspects of construction, ranging from dirt work to finished carpentry. The accompanying photo was taken last year, showing a team of students building a new home similar to the ones being constructed as part of the current rebuilding effort.
Some students have returned to their villages in the Alaskan Bush where they have been hired to do construction – some have gained foreman positions, Hill points out.
He looks forward to working with the Hooper Bay students. “We know the students are going to get quality instruction in construction,” Hill says. “We’re going to celebrate the achievements of every student who participates.
“We hope that when students earn college credit, they will be encouraged to continue their education after high school,” Hill adds. Roughly 30 students will help build the homes in Hooper Bay.
Construction will begin September 18 and Funk says it is hoped the work can be finished by Thanksgiving. After that, the winter weather becomes too severe to allow work to continue.
“We’re working on a time frame that is pretty tight, and we have a lot to do in a short time,” Funk says. “We’re putting in some long days.”
Hill noted that “40-knot winds can come through during the fall. The weather can be a major challenge.”
Many families are sharing homes with people who lost their residences. The state has promised to bring in temporary homes before the winter hits. The five largest families in this remote village will live in the new homes.
Samaritan’s Purse has secured two general contractors, but skilled carpenters still are needed. Finding carpenters to spend several months in primitive conditions, including no running water, is difficult, Hill says. The problem is further compounded by trying to find those who can and are willing to teach high school students.
The short timeline also presents an educational challenge. “It’s a fine line between teaching and having to hurry to get it done,” Hill says.
Carpenters interested in helping should contact Samaritan’s Purse and speak to Nicole Franklin by telephone at 800-528-1980.
Educating the other students in Hooper Bay is proving a formidable task. Lenna Funk says that most people have handled the material losses well, but they are anxious about how all of the children will be educated. About 400 students attended the school.
Most of the teachers have come from outside the district and many are not coming back, Lenna says. “The school said they will set up a packet with books for kids to work at home,” she adds, “but so far that doesn’t look like it’s happening.”
The district also plans to hold elementary classes of an hour and a half each day, and then have the students complete work at home. The Covenant church will house two of the classrooms, but Lenna says other classrooms have not yet been arranged.
Some village children have gone to boarding schools in other villages. High school students have state exams, and Pastor Funk says efforts are under way to find tutors.
The school district hopes to have a new school built by the end of December.
Lenna has been showing material to parents who are considering home schooling. “We need a lot of wisdom to figure out how we can help,” she says.
The Funks, who have served in Hooper Bay for seven years, say they are grateful to be helping the villagers through the crisis. “It’s not a hardship right now,” Lenna says, despite the harsh conditions. “If God puts you in a place, he prepares you for what he wants you to do in life.
“You just love the people more and more,” she adds. “You hurt when they hurt. You rejoice when they rejoice.”
Copyright © 2011 The Evangelical Covenant Church.
