Why are you going back?
Simple. God told us to. No he didn't appear in a dream or in the mirror, there were no sudden visions, or whispers in the ear. We simply read our Bibles and prayed. We believe that God was asking us to do something... expecting more out of us. So, we prayed about it. What did he want us to do? That's when the Alaska job became an option... then it was another school... another country... back to the first option... stalling... that became a no go but Joe was hired in anyway... FINALLY he was offered a principal/teacher job in Steven's Village. In between the 2 months of waiting and confusion we continued to pray that God would send us where he needed us most... where we could do the most good for Him. If that was here then great! If it was someplace else then awesome. We were up for whatever He had in mind.
So where is Steven's Village?
If you go to maps.google.com and search maps for Stevens Village, Alaska you can see it. I believe the largest building you see, using the Satellite or Earth view, is the school. I have no idea where the housing is but I bet it is very near the school building.
The village is 90 air miles North of Fairbanks.
Who lives in Steven's Village?
There are approximately 50 residents in Steven's village (not including us) but many more natives live away from the village so this number changes often.
What do you know about the school?
I know that there are 11 kids enrolled in grades K-12. We will be enrolling Gav and Macy this year as well... bumping it to 13 if the 11 stay. If the # enrolled drops to 10, the school starts closing down. (I also know that they are in search of a preschool teacher and I may fill that position... at least I hope to!) Joe will be the only teacher making him principal as well. We are told the school is a very large building and has a large gym we will be able to run around and play in when the winter seems too long.
Do they have a Native Store like Venetie or will you ship food in?
I do not know for sure about the store, from what I have read, there is 1. We will, without a doubt, be shipping food to ourselves from Fred Meyer in Fairbanks, and we will stock up each time we are in Fairbanks for inservice. Afterall, we do not hunt moose, know how to trap, or fish much... we will have to get our food someplace.
Isn't it dark all the time? And cold too right?
No it's not dark all the time... nor is it bright all the time... they take turns ;) I don't know the specifics for Steven's yet but we are sure to find out and report... I am looking forward to those 'white nights' though. Nothing like enjoying a sun lit walk in the middle of the night.
Between November and March the temp is usually below 0 and extended periods of -50 to -60 are common. Summer temps are between 65 and 72 but it can reach up to the 90's!
I am pretty sure these following links will answer any other questions you have... like do you have running water? (Yes the river runs for a few months before freezing... but we are the only ones with plumbing I think) We love talking about our experiences, so if you have any other questions ASK AWAY!
City Data My favorite bit of info here was the % of people who walked to work... 100%! LOL!
Fun Facts This was the most interesting site... I believe it was straight from some villagers but I did not read the entire thing yet so I can't be sure.
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