ALASKA
CONFERENCE // NEWS More online at glnr.in/115-04-ak_fairbanks
Selawik Indian Reorganization Act staff receive masks from AMA worker Edna Estrella (second from left).
LADIES IN ALASKA HELP GIRLS IN AFRICA
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adies in Fairbanks worked together to sew and assemble 100 hygiene kits for girls at a boarding school in Malawi, Africa. The kits support Days for Girls, a movement to ensure a lack of feminine hygiene products doesn’t prevent girls from attending school every day. Fairbanks Church member Michelle Henry heard a mission group from Upper Columbia Academy in Spangle, Washington, was planning to go to Malawi in March 2020 and wanted to take kits to the girls there. The need was great: 200 bags, 1,600 liners and 400 shields. Henry shared the goal with fellow church members, who were already meeting weekly to work on sewing projects. The group readily agreed to help.
AMA VOLUNTEERS PROVIDE CALM IN THE STORM
The kits contain two shields, eight liners, one washcloth, two undergarments and a bar of soap, all placed in a beautiful fabric drawstring bag. Women young and old worked together to complete the kits by shopping for fabric, washing, ironing, cutting out patterns, sewing, placing snaps and assembling 100 kits. Because the mission trip was canceled due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the kits are being shipped to the schoolgirls in Malawi. Fairbanks Church members who worked on the project agreed it was wonderful to have a part in fulfilling a great need and look forward to more unique ways to help their community, both far and near.
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Kathy Stanley, Fairbanks Church women’s ministry leader
Some of the ladies who participated in the project included (from left) Clarice Esquilla, Holly Proehl, Jillian Proehl, Leola Gillette, Kathy Stanley, Pearl LaFountain, Helen Norton and Michelle Henry.
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ntil recently, there was no mention of coronavirus in Selawik. Edna Estrella, a nurse and HIV specialist working as an Arctic Mission Adventure (AMA) volunteer, and her husband, José, were worried to see the lack of knowledge and leadership in setting up safety protocols. The Lord kept impressing Edna Estrella to call a meeting with the tribal administration, the city administrator and the clinic supervisor, but she resisted. As the story of Esther kept playing in her mind and the words “for such a time like this” repeated day and night, Estrella gave in. She shared her concerns with the city administrator, who immediately called a meeting with Selawik city, tribal and clinic personnel. The following morning the group gathered (6 feet apart, of course) to discuss what steps to take to protect the community. At that moment Estrella realized how much help the village needed and how eager they were for guidance. She was able to share lessons learned from her work as a specialist during the HIV epidemic, emphasizing the devastation COVID-19 could cause in Selawik with its lack of medical infrastructure. By the end of the meeting, the group had a solid plan in place to protect the community and july/august 2020
More online at glnr.in/115-04-ak_volunteers
mitigate potential infections. God knows the beginning from the end, and He knew the Estrellas could help set protocols for the village where there were none. The Selawik community has been so welcoming to these volunteers, and they cannot stop praising God for His mercies. What a blessing to be a modern-day Esther and answer God’s call to lead out at such a time as this. Under Estrella’s guidance, Selawik leadership has received praises from the Maniilaq Health Center and North Slope Borough as “an example that other villages should follow.” Most importantly, the Selawik community felt empowered and prepared for whatever comes. The Estrellas are social distancing through all this. Their home remains closed for visitors. They are not entering homes and are using hand sanitizers and masks. They are also practicing the important step of boosting their immune systems with vitamins, antioxidants and plenty of rest. Please continue to lift the AMA workers, isolated Alaska Native villages and all of Alaska up in prayer during this time of fear and uncertainty. AMA volunteers, like Christ, can be a calm in the storm. Edna Estrella, Selawik Arctic Mission Adventure volunteer
