North Texas pastor finds mission trip to Alaska rewarding, but grateful for health

When Pastor Lyndale Holloway left for Alaska, COVID-19 was just making its appearance in America. When he returned it had hit the country full force.

But for a dozen days from March 8-20 he was in another world of sorts, helping with the legendary Iditarod dog sled race from Anchorage to Nome, Alaska.

“We may have been in one of the safest places we could have been, but then, there were people from all over the world coming in,” said Holloway, the lead pastor at First Baptist Church in Weatherford.

“We left Alaska before it all hit, and then we were traveling home after it literally hit in the middle of our trip. There were literally nine people on every leg of my flight back, and we did not fly through any hot spots, which was good.”

Holloway and three members of his congregation made the trip, arriving a few days after the start of the race. It was his fourth time to go on this particular mission to help with the race and benefit a program called Alaska Missions, started by a longtime friend.

Joining him on their second consecutive trip were the husband-and-wife duo of Bruce and Georgeann Kuettell, along with Don Branch.

Holloway first went in 2010 after learning a former member of his congregation, Brenda Crim — during his time pastoring in Lafayette, Louisiana — had started Alaska Missions. The purpose of the mission trip is to help raise funds and awareness for a variety of shelters in Nome, where he and his crew were stationed.

He returned in 2011, along with the past two years. After taking several years off, which included making the move to Weatherford in 2015, he wanted his new church to become more involved in missionary work.

“I filled out something online and Brenda called and said, ‘I’ve been waiting for you to come back,’” he said.

While en route to Alaska, some of the events Holloway and his crew would have normally helped with were canceled because the coronavirus was beginning to make its mark, including the annual basketball tournament and snow machine races. Still, there was plenty for them to do, he said.

For example, they helped run safety watches for the city of Nome. Folks can get pretty drunk sometimes in a celebration, and wandering around outside in one of the coldest parts of the world can become dangerous.

“We’d check to make sure no one had fallen asleep,” he said. “When I was there the temperature ranged from 8 below (zero) to 30 degrees. People could definitely die if they passed out in that weather.

“For me, the coldest ever was 20 below, but if you talk to the mushers, they’ll tell you the colder it is the more the dogs like it. If it’s too warm, the trails won’t be in good condition.

“If you stay layered, it’s really not bad at all. As crazy as it might sound, I’ve actually been colder sitting in the stands at a football game in central Texas with the wind blowing than in Alaska.”

They also helped care for dogs in the lots for the Iditarod, and would sometimes deliver supplies, such as snow machines, to the last checkpoint on the trail, among many work opportunities.

“Some of us did electric work. We also did a lot of deep cleaning at the Boys & Girls Club,” Bruce Kuettell said.

“The main thing is we’re working with and assisting people. The Iditarod just happens to be going on at the same time,” Holloway said.

And sometimes they would see breathtaking sights that only Alaska can offer.

“It’s absolutely beautiful. The most amazing thing is the athleticism of the dogs and the love for what they do. They were raised to do that,” Georgeann Kuettell said.

“In the winter it’s all snow. You look out across the Bering Sea and it’s frozen over. It amazes me how that happens,” Branch said.

Holloway remembers seeing bald eagles, a few moose, and, of course, beautiful mountains in the distance.

“It’s one of the most beautiful places in the world. I remember telling my wife a camera doesn’t do this justice,” he said.

He’s never seen a polar bear, though he has seen some grizzlies, Holloway said.

“And I’ve seen some lynx, which is one of the rarest things to see,” he said.

Holloway’s wife has also been to Alaska twice, but she is an accountant and can’t make the trip in March.

They also encountered different cultures, along with bringing a sample of their own culture to the Alaskan native citizens.

“They are much more in tune with nature up there. It’s just a slower lifestyle,” Bruce said.

“You’ll be driving down a main thoroughfare in Anchorage (the state’s largest city) and see a moose on the side of the road,” Branch said.

Nome’s normal population is just under 4,000. However, during the Iditarod that number often doubles, even this year as the coronavirus was raring up.

“This is like an Alaskan Mardi Gras,” Holloway said. “This year, because of coronavirus and so much else being shut down, this might have been the largest sporting event in the world.”

Still, Holloway believes he and the others got out of there just in time.

“They have a hospital, but it’s not equipped to handle an outbreak,” he said.

Branch admitted to a scary moment upon his return.

“When I got back I had a cough, and of course I thought about coronavirus, but I called my doctor and we went over some things online,” he said. “I had none of the other symptoms, so it was just that, a cough, and I’m fine now.”

All four said they are excited about making the trip again, with hopes such travel will be available again next March.

“We’ll do it as long as we’re able to get up there,” Georgeann said.

“Absolutely, I’m going to keep doing this as long as I possibly can,” Holloway said. “We’re getting to partner with people and meet needs, and, of course, this particular location is incredibly unique.”