SOLD!!!

I am sitting here typing this entry surrounded by tubs and piles of things. We have our "goodwill" pile, our "garage sale" pile and our "Alaska" pile. I am not sure how everything from our "Alaska" pile is going to fit into one moving truck, but whatever doesn't fit, doesn't get to travel with us to the chilly North!

For those of you that haven't already heard, the reason that we are packing up 4 months early is that our house SOLD in 24 hours at ABOVE our asking price! Talk about confirmation that we are in God's will! This does leave us with the challenge of getting things moved either into storage (our unit is the same size as our truck will be) or to Steve's parents guest room where the four of us will live for the next few months.  I actually enjoy going through everything and cleaning out all of the non-essentials. (Ok, maybe I packed a few non-essentials, but really, how can you expect me to survive in AK without my Keurig???)

When we traveled to Soldotna to interview for this position, we quickly realized that our cars were NOT going to work in the snowy conditions of Alaska. So we decided we would have to sell both of our cars and purchase Alaska-ready vehicles. The challenge is that both of our cars are pretty old, and not worth much. We began praying that God would help us to secure safe, reliable 4-wheel drive vehicles. Steve's friend (and one of our supporters!) Bryan found a great old Land Cruiser through his dealings in the off-roading world. It has more than a few love-marks on it, but it is in good mechanical condition and was an incredible deal. So Steve is now the proud owner of a 1996 Land Cruiser FZJ-80. Once we sew the seat back together and winterize the paint a bit it will be the perfect truck for Alaska! Steve is very excited- I even heard talk about "lift kits" for birthday presents.
I am keeping my eye out for a three-row 4x4 of some sort (Expedition, Sequoia, or similar.) Most in our price range have around 100,000 miles, but fortunately cars are built to last fairly long these days :)  If any of you hear of a good deal, let me know!

We are hoping to have a support raising dinner or two in the month of February, and our goal is to hit the 50% mark by the end of Feb. Notice the handy-dandy ticker I added to the blog! Mr. Snowman (the best thing I could come up with for AK, they didn't have sled dogs) will help you see where we are in our monthly support raising progress. If you are interested in hosting a support raising dinner please let us know. All you have to do is the hosting (serve the food, take care of the guests, etc) and we will do all of the presenting. We have a list of 40 contacts that we would like to invite to one of these dinners, and we would most likely split this into groups of 10 or so.

In other news, Steve was contacted by the publishing company Wipf & Stock who notified him that they have accepted his proposal for a Syriac Grammar. (It will teach beginners of the language how to speak and write Syriac, which is similar to biblical Aramaic.) He has a year to get it finished and edited and then they will publish it! I am so proud, and excited for him! Steve really wants to take his love and passion for languages and apply it to the Native Alaskan languages. There is currently no complete translation of the bible into modern Yupik. A translation of the New Testament has been completed and is ready for publication but from what we can tell, there has been no full translation of the Old Testament. This is something that Steve wants to pursue once we start our work in AK.

It has been so amazing to watch God work, I truly can't wait to see what He will do in the coming months. Please keep the students of ACC in your prayers as the spring semester gets into full swing. Pray for focus, motivation, and perserverence for each student this semester.

Thank you all for your interest in this amazing ministry!

How do I give, when do I start, and other giving FAQs

Once you decide to become a part of our team, you will need to decide how you would like to give. There are currently several ways to go about giving your monthly support to Steve’s position at ACC.

The easiest way to give is to set up an account with ACC that will enable you to set up a re-occurring automatic gift. 

To do this, start by going to http://www.alaskacc.edu/giving/ways-to-give/ 

Click on give now

Next, click on Create Profile

Enter your email address to begin

Fill out your information

 Now you are ready to set up your re-occurring gifts. To add a re-occurring gift, click add transaction.

Add the amount you would like to give, and Steve Hallam into the Staff line. Choose your Donation Frequency, and your Donation Start Date. Steve’s work start date is June 1, 2013.  (We will receive our first pay check that day, so giving the month before is appreciated!) Any gifts received before that date will still be applied to Steve’s position. If we are not at least 80% funded by May we will not be allowed to start this summer, so it is crucial that even if you don't plan on starting your giving until a later date, you sign up and let us know what you are planning on giving.

Choose the type of account you would like the automatic deductions to come from and click process

Alternative ways to give

Employer Match

Alaska Christian College participates in Employer Match donation programs through such companies as Marathon Oil, Shell, Bank of America, Exxon and IBM. Check with your employer to see if your donation can be maximized.

Donation Authorization By Mail

ACC can automatically deduct funds from your checking or savings account. To set up, download the Donation Authorization Form.

Fill out the form and mail it to:
Alaska Christian College
35109 Royal Place
Soldotna, AK 99669

Mail

Your donation may be made by check, payable to:
Alaska Christian College
35109 Royal Place
Soldotna, AK 99669

Phone

Call: (907) 260-7422 to speak with one of Alaska Christian College’s development representatives.

Stocks & Marketable Securities

ACC has the ability to receive stocks and marketable securities through Solomon Smith Barney. Please call (907) 260-7422 to speak with one of Alaska Christian College’s development representatives.

Planned or Deferred Giving

If you are interested in adding Alaska Christian College as a beneficiary to your trust, please call (907) 260-7422 to speak with one of Alaska Christian College’s development representatives.

Please make sure to add Steve Hallam’s name to any gifts that you mail in or set up so that they will contribute specifically to his position. All gifts are tax-deductible. 

If you decide to join our team, please email us at steven.c.hallam@gmail.com to let us know so that we can thank you immediately!

Giving FAQ’s

What is the best way to give to ACC?

ACC appreciates all gifts and prefers for donors to give through the recurring programs that monthly support the ministry through the individual’s credit card or checking account.

Why do ACC missionaries have to raise financial support and how can I support them?

Many staff and faculty raise support to assist the general ministry budget in meeting its obligations due to the limited ability our students have to pay the actual costs of their education. ACC could not exist financially without this 20% of our total budget coming from individuals and churches supporting them. You can support them by giving to their support by designating this in your form of payment for donation.

How much of ACC’s budget is made up from donor revenue and how much from other sources?

Currently, 35% of the General Ministry Fund is made up of tuition, rentals, and other miscellaneous funding activities. 65% of all budgeted income comes from our donors whether they are churches or individuals/families.

Why give to ACC?

We desire that all gifts and partnerships advance our mission as a Christian education college based in Alaska that specifically targets Alaska’s native population. This ministry is advanced through its vision and mission.

This is accomplished through our mission to empower Alaska Natives through biblically-based education and Christian formation to pursue excellence in character, learning, and service as followers of Christ.

ACC’s passion is to equip students to become all that God has created them to be and to equip them with the educational and life skills they need to be engaged citizens in their communities. This is accomplished through offering a Christ-centered and general studies education, providing a culturally relevant community that cares for the individual needs of each student, and modeling Godly character in everyday living. Each student is encouraged toward a personal plan that promotes holistic lifestyles, education toward life goals, and service to God, church and others.

Issues Our Students Face

As we were doing some research, preparing to speak about what we will be doing up in Alaska we ran across several great resources that we thought you might enjoy.

First, you might be wondering just who the Alaska Natives are, and where they are found. This map shows where each tribe is generally located throughout Alaska and the languages they speak.

Alaska Christian College works primarily with the Aleut, Yupik and Inupiaq Eskimo people, and the Athabascan Native Americans. The fact that there are so many different Native groups with their own cultures and languages makes the job of educating and ministering to these students very challenging.


Neglected Responsibilities: America's Failure to Support Native Alaskan Students is a great article that outlines the challenges with the Native Alaskan elementary, middle and high schools (often these are all one school.)

Alaska Native Education Study: A Statewide Study of Alaska Native Values and Opinions Regarding Education in Alaska is a longer article that goes into more depth about some of the challenges and issues facing the Alaska Native educational system.

These two articles discuss the problem of suicide among the young Natives in Alaska.
Study: Young Alaska Native men at high risk for suicide
Alaska Native Suicide Rate More than Twice that of Non-Natives

The Changing Economic Status of Alaska Natives is a really interesting article that examines the gap in economic status between Alaska Natives and other Alaskans.

Praises, Prayers and Promotional Videos :)

As we begin this new venture we do it knowing that the only way that we will be successful is by starting everything in prayer.  We are already seeing so many prayers answered. This process is very exciting but can also be scary and overwhelming. Whenever we start to feel stressed or nervous, it helps to reflect on what God has already done.  If you would like to join our Prayer Team, please email Steve at steven.c.hallam@gmail.com to be added to our monthly e-prayer list. If you prefer a hard copy of the list please provide your address and one will be mailed to you. Thank you so much for your prayers- they make a huge difference! Here are the Praises/Prayers we have at this point in the process:

Praises:

• The hiring committee at ACC unanimously voted to offer Steve a position at the college
• Our home sold in 24 hours!
• We are finding many people that have a heart for these Alaskan Students.

Prayers:

• Please pray for God to raise up the financial support needed for this endeavor. We know that He will provide all that we need-pray with us that He will bring us into contact with people who feel called to be a part of this ministry
• Please pray for time management for both Steve and Lindsay. They are both working full time this semester (Steve at 3 separate schools as well as the church, Lindsay at the library at GCU), Lindsay has one more semester of full-time school to finish, they have to focus on fundraising, as well as normal family-related responsibilities
• Pray for moving mercies- packing, deciding what to bring and what to leave, selling cars and finding a moving truck, the long drive to AK, etc.
• Pray for Grace and Noah. Noah is excited about moving to “the north pole” but Grace is nervous about being “the new kid” and leaving family here in AZ.
• Pray for the ACC students as they start a new semester of school. Pray for diligence in their studies as well as well as a love for what they are learning
• Pray for the families of the students. Pray that they see a change in their family member and that they recognize the change as being God-inspired.
• Pray for healing for the students as they deal with the emotional and sometimes physical damage of past abuse, depression, and addiction.
• Pray for the staff of ACC as they venture into the uncharted territory of being an accredited college. This is an exciting time, but brings many challenges. Specifically pray for the balance between academic rigor/standards and the ministry of reaching these students with the Gospel Message.

This video is about the ministry/healing aspect of Alaska Christian College and the New Hope Counseling Center: