Upon our arrival we settled into the school building for our stay. From previous year's trips we were allowed to store inflatable beds and sleeping bags in the attic of the school. We had our choice of classrooms to sleep in but the building has no heat this time of year due to the extreme high cost of heating oil. Right now at this time the cost of heating oil is $7.05 a gallon and as you can see this is a BIG building to heat as it has not just classrooms but a large gym.
The biggest building in the village is the school. The church is the red building off to the left side of the photo.
Unpacking the Totes
Organizing the food for the week
Food was not just for us but each day we feed the kids who would come to the Vacation Bible School. Needless to say, they always were asking; "What are we going to have a snack?" followed by "when?"
Crashing in the classrooms. All classrooms have "smart boards" and PowerPoint. The internet service is great out here but there is poor to no phone signal. It was best to call our homes using Skype due to the strong internet signal.
The village holds a wide range of housing. All the buildings are built on pilings or stilts due to this being the tundra. The ground had a lot of water laying on top and for the most part a few feet of the earth thaws out each year in the short summer. This is why the houses are built the way they are and there are board walks connecting everything. This photo has a picture of a truck in it but this is rare and I doubt it runs. I can count on one hand the number of vehicles I've seen. Most transportation is by boat, 4 wheeler, and snow machine.
Dogs are everywhere. A few might be ones used to pull sleds but as I looked about most sled dog teams/ sleds have been replaced by the mechanical variety.
This is a common scene about the village. These are mainly pike and white fish caught by line or by nets that are hung in open/ screened "fish houses". This is what is available now until the salmon begin to make their runs. Much of the "meat they eat comes from birds they hunt or fish they catch. This is not an area where you find moose, bear or even caribou. To hunt those animals means a journey to areas that have habitat that support those animals.
The houses and all building are connected via board walks due to the perma-frost and water level about the village. They are well maintained but the kids do not have a grassy lawn to play in and there are no trees. The area is mainly a long grass of some kind and scrub bushes that pepper the landscape where there are humps of "dry ground" for them to grow on. These board walks are wide enough for the most part to drive full size 4 wheelers on and still have people walking on them.
Housing:
Housing is meager or even substandard by most American standards. The pictures here are not the worst of the housing. They do have indoor plumbing but the water is questionable to not upset our "tender" stomachs. It is costly to heat and the insulation is not the bet to put it mildly. They live and are comfortable with what they have. I sense the people are genuine and care for each other with a deep spiritual sense. Many of you may look at this and think: HOW?!! They look at it and put importance into relationships from what I see so far. Families, a roof over their head, food on the plate, things they need to carry out their daily life not frills. They do not talk about how many square foot their home it or their house payment. Think about that as you look at the photos. I have been blessed to be graciously invited into two people's homes. Coffee, a table to sit at, a word about faith and conversation were the most important things. It was an honor for me and a feeling of "shame on me" for the times I put other things before God, family, and relationships.
Shopping:
A general store and a grocery store are the place you have to choose from. The grocery store is 3 isles of food in what we might see in a convenience store in most of your towns just tighter packed. It is mostly dry good, boxed and can foods. There is some frozen food and little fresh food with the exception of what comes in on the hovercraft (see photos) twice a week except during early ice and ice out in the spring. A can of coke is $1.25 and I saw a fresh tomato for sale that would hit the dumpster in most stores. Fresh food that does come in, goes fast. They are not able to grow anything here due to the short season and the water/ permafrost. I do wonder as I look around if wild rice could be grown like it is in Minnesota but again the season might be too short. One of the nicest buildings in town is the post office. All metal supports under the building and is very busy as many people have things shipped to them that are not available through either of the two stores. The village is "dry" and although no alcohol is sold it is still brought in to town one way or another for those who really want it. It is dry because in some areas the alcoholism rate is so high they try to limit access to it. It seems to help here. The village elders are caring people who want to help their neighbors not have a chemical dependence issue. Still life is difficult here.
I have tried to give to a view of the village. Next I will try to give you my view of the people here. It is not based on a long study or history but simply what I have observed in a few days.
I hope as you read this that the Holy Spirit might stir within you the desire to come to a place and teach others about Jesus--but most importantly have your own life, values, and faith challenged. God just might put these things or even something else on the anvil and shape you and mold you in a way you never expected!!
Until next time.... God bless! Pastor Andy
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