Bill and Elouise Hawkes, a daring missionary couple serving St. Lawrence Island west of the Bering Sea, were deployed to the village of Savoonga. St. Lawrence is an island that lies closer to Siberia than it does to Alaska.
The Hawkes, along with volunteers Dwight and Jacqi Shull, presented a ShareHim outreach to the Yupik youth of Savoonga from March 25 to April 10. The Shulls arrived four days early to establish friendships and develop relationships among the natives. They sang at the grocery store every day and, as a result, were invited to provide music at the Presbyterian Church during its Easter holiday program. The Shulls also collaborated with the youth organization Youth With A Mission, who also attended the ShareHim meetings at the Adventist Mission.
Bill Hawkes' daughter, June, and grandson, Joseph, arrived from North Carolina four days later to conduct the Truth for Youth Program designed by Doug Batchelor. In spite of the whaling season, both the ShareHim and Truth for Youth programs were able to inspire four teens to commit their lives to Jesus and be baptized.
The Hawkes are a missionary couple supported by the Arctic Mission Adventure program of the Alaska Conference. The Arctic Mission Adventure is a community outreach program supported by Adventist Community Services and by the Division of Behavioral Health of Alaska State Department of Health and Social Services.
