The sailor on the poop deck.
Samaritan's Purse draws its name from the Parable of the Good Samaritan, found in Luke 10:30-37. I like this story for a number of reasons, but here is a little nugget of truth that really struck home in regards to Hooper Bay. The Samaritan didn't ask the man what his religious or political affiliation was; he didn't ask him about any annoying habits or addictions or if they were of the same ethnicity or nationality. The Samaritan saw a need, had the ability to address that need, and took action. 
DK, my former colleague from Summit Adventure, who now works for SP and his son Josh.
David, from my home church in Jacksonville.
Helen; one-half of the wonderful kitchen crew.
Jay was the other half. Did I mention I gained EIGHT pounds while I was there?
Roy and Art came from Minnesota. Art (below) posing with his prize halibut.
Yours truly, on the shores of the Bering Sea.
That's all for the bad news...in spite of what might seem to be overwhelming odds and a miserable existence, many of the people of Hooper Bay find joy in the small things. And thanks to the work of the state of Alaska and organizations like Samaritan's Purse, the future is looking much brighter. In this image, local kids play around the base of what will be three large wind turbines, bringing reliable, cheap electricity electricity to this isolated town.
Full disclosure: DK took this great picture.
Hooper Bay has about 1,100 people; about 70% of those are under the age of 18. Kids are everywhere; young, old, by themselves, with their favorite dog, on bikes, on foot, always curious and full of questions.
In 2005, the school caught fire and burned; the resulting fire also burned 17 homes in the community (when you consider that there are only 40-50 homes in the entire town, that's a lot!). Franklin Graham (yes--he's Billy Graham's son and also the CEO of SP) was in Alaska at the time, and immediately flew to Hooper Bay to evaluate the scene. What he saw then, and what we saw these past two weeks, is hard to believe. 
Most of the town of Hooper Bay lives in Third World conditions; no running water or sewer systems in their homes, and although most have electricity, some do not. They have oil furnaces to heat their homes, but since the price of oil is $6.00+/gallon, many heat with driftwood collected on the beach. There are dirt roads in town, but only 2 or 3 vehicles. However, the villagers have a huge collection of four-wheelers that they use for transportation. Most of the homes look derelict and abandoned; you are shocked to find out that an entire extended family lives here. For many months of the year, the town is covered in snow and ice, with 18 hours of darkness each day. Abuse, in all of it's various forms, is very prevelant in town, and depression and suicide are major issues, especially among the teens in town.
Balto, of course, was the lead dog on the dog sled team that took diphtheria serum from Anchorage to Nome in 1927 to stop a fatal outbreak of the disease. Each year, this run is relived as the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Ride. (On a side note, if you want to read a spectacular book about the event, I highly recommend The Cruelest Miles, by Gay & Laney Salisbury). You can read more about this historic event here: 
I didn't really take this photo, but I did make it on Google Earth. I leave bright and early tomorrow for Hooper Bay, Alaska, where I will be working on a project with Samaritan's Purse. I doubt that Ginger will update this while I am gone, so you will have to wait until I return (I'll be back late in the afternoon on the 21st) to get an update.
We spent most of the afternoon at the beach with several families from work.
