Okoboji alum concert raises $8,000 for classmate's mission work
By Russ Oechslin, Journal Correspondent | Posted: Saturday, July 14, 2007
Singers John Moore, Jessica Schable, Heath Huburg and Karina Van Wyke take their bows at the end of a benefit concert that raised nearly $8,000 for Stephanie Fisk, their former classmate at Okoboji (Iowa) High School. Fisk, a missionary with The World Race, is working in Africa. (Photo by Russ Oechslin)
MILFORD, Iowa -- Four members of the Okoboji High School Class of 2000 proved Thursday night how supportive the community can be for students of the school's music program, one that's earned high marks for years.
The four, John Moore, Jessica (Hurley) Schable, Heath Huburg and Karina (Jorgensen) Van Wyke, who have all gone on to study music, performed a benefit concert of light operatic, sacred and popular music.
The concert packed Milford's First Lutheran Church and raised $7,980 in a free-will offering for classmate Stephanie Fisk's work with the missionary group The World Race.
Since January, Fisk has ministered to the people of Argentina, Guatemala, Mexico, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Peru, South Africa and Swaziland.
The daughter of Kathy and Gary Fisk of Milford, Fisk made her first service trip to Harrisburg, Pa., before graduating from Wartburg College three years ago. That trip "opened up a whole new world that I did not know existed (or at least had not taken the time to acknowledge) -- both in the physical sense and within myself," she said.
"My plan was to enter the Peace Corps," said Fisk of her post-graduate plans. "Well, God had another idea."
For a year Fisk worked in inner cities, small towns and Native American reservations in United States. Her missionary goal now is to work on seven continents.
Fisk's work with The World Race involves one of five teams racing around the world for a year, ministering the hope of Jesus Christ as they go.
Following the concert Spirit Lake businessman Steve Moore noted he had a lot of admiration for Fisk and her work. "I'm not sure I'd go to Africa today. It's a dangerous place, with disease and everything else. But Stephanie is putting her trust in God," he said.
Fisk's classmates have continued to study and work on the music they enjoyed together in high school nearly a decade ago.
Van Wyke studied with Fisk at Wartburg, but graduated with a business degree. She sang in the college choir and now gives voice lessons and sings in her church choir.
Schable studied music with Huburg and Moore at Simpson College in Indianola, Iowa, and now teaches 40 piano students and accompanies vocal students at Ruthven-Ayrshire High School and other places. She and retired piano instructor Karen Carr accompanied the singers Thursday.
Huberg just received his master's degree from the New England Conservatory, and will enter the young artists program with the Utah Symphony this fall.
Moore is working with New York's Metropolitan Opera, where he will portray Fiorello in the Met's production of "The Barber of Seville" this year. Next year he expects to perform the role Figaro in another production of "The Barber of Seville" in Wales.
"Stephanie is about the most Christian person I know. She really walks the walk," Moore said. "The money we raised will help provide her security so she can continue to do her mission work."
Moore said the four "thought we'd be happy if we could raise even a couple of thousand dollars to further Stephanie's work." Even though Fisk was able to listen to part of the concert via a computer-cell phone link, she was not aware of the funds raised Friday morning.
The Fisks contacted their daughter late Friday night (Africa time) to tell her they were just $20 short of $8,000 in collections.
Fisk said her daughter's reaction was: "Oh My God, I'm just shaking in bed. What a blessing."
Stephanie's mother said, "We are very fortunate to have had all these talented students in one class." Fisk's father termed the situation "very overwhelming."
Read Stephanie Fisk's blog at stephaniefisk.theworldrace.org
The four, John Moore, Jessica (Hurley) Schable, Heath Huburg and Karina (Jorgensen) Van Wyke, who have all gone on to study music, performed a benefit concert of light operatic, sacred and popular music.
The concert packed Milford's First Lutheran Church and raised $7,980 in a free-will offering for classmate Stephanie Fisk's work with the missionary group The World Race.
Since January, Fisk has ministered to the people of Argentina, Guatemala, Mexico, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Peru, South Africa and Swaziland.
The daughter of Kathy and Gary Fisk of Milford, Fisk made her first service trip to Harrisburg, Pa., before graduating from Wartburg College three years ago. That trip "opened up a whole new world that I did not know existed (or at least had not taken the time to acknowledge) -- both in the physical sense and within myself," she said.
"My plan was to enter the Peace Corps," said Fisk of her post-graduate plans. "Well, God had another idea."
For a year Fisk worked in inner cities, small towns and Native American reservations in United States. Her missionary goal now is to work on seven continents.
Fisk's work with The World Race involves one of five teams racing around the world for a year, ministering the hope of Jesus Christ as they go.
Following the concert Spirit Lake businessman Steve Moore noted he had a lot of admiration for Fisk and her work. "I'm not sure I'd go to Africa today. It's a dangerous place, with disease and everything else. But Stephanie is putting her trust in God," he said.
Fisk's classmates have continued to study and work on the music they enjoyed together in high school nearly a decade ago.
Van Wyke studied with Fisk at Wartburg, but graduated with a business degree. She sang in the college choir and now gives voice lessons and sings in her church choir.
Schable studied music with Huburg and Moore at Simpson College in Indianola, Iowa, and now teaches 40 piano students and accompanies vocal students at Ruthven-Ayrshire High School and other places. She and retired piano instructor Karen Carr accompanied the singers Thursday.
Huberg just received his master's degree from the New England Conservatory, and will enter the young artists program with the Utah Symphony this fall.
Moore is working with New York's Metropolitan Opera, where he will portray Fiorello in the Met's production of "The Barber of Seville" this year. Next year he expects to perform the role Figaro in another production of "The Barber of Seville" in Wales.
"Stephanie is about the most Christian person I know. She really walks the walk," Moore said. "The money we raised will help provide her security so she can continue to do her mission work."
Moore said the four "thought we'd be happy if we could raise even a couple of thousand dollars to further Stephanie's work." Even though Fisk was able to listen to part of the concert via a computer-cell phone link, she was not aware of the funds raised Friday morning.
The Fisks contacted their daughter late Friday night (Africa time) to tell her they were just $20 short of $8,000 in collections.
Fisk said her daughter's reaction was: "Oh My God, I'm just shaking in bed. What a blessing."
Stephanie's mother said, "We are very fortunate to have had all these talented students in one class." Fisk's father termed the situation "very overwhelming."
Read Stephanie Fisk's blog at stephaniefisk.theworldrace.org
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