BY DAWN REED
My beloved and I just returned from a mission/vision trip in Alaska. We connected with Michael and Marsha Woodrum, who are bi-vocational missionaries in Tok. They own and operate Mukluk Land – a fun and interesting stop on the Alaskan Highway.
At Mukluk Land, locals and international people groups enjoy eclectic collections and Alaska memorabilia along with Skee-ball, Wack-a-Mole, bounce houses, snacks, and much more. While Mukluk Land has been around for over 40 years, since the Woodrums took over, they have been adding Jesus to the property. Bible verses are posted all over and they are eager to have gospel conversations and/or pray with guests.
My beloved and I have been on several mission trips – in-country and out. This was the first time we didn’t know in advance what we were going to do. We knew we were supposed to go, so we packed and went. The goal was to establish a partnership with Michael and Marsha for future teams over the next three years.
For hours in the mornings, my beloved cut weeds and shrubbery. He and Michael worked on an Alaskan-sized woodshed. I painted the outside of the bunkhouses with Marsha’s 78-year-old mother, Margie. (She outworked me every day.) In the afternoons and evenings, we talked with locals and people from many nations.
On Sunday evening – the 16th, we sat on the porch of the snack shop making plans for next year’s team for construction and evangelism/VBS. We went to bed excited about the future.
Monday started as a beautiful day. The sun was shining, the sky clear, but the wind was blowing. Hard. Painting high on a ladder, I bent over and held on to keep from being blown over.
My beloved called from the Woodrums, an eighth of a mile away. They could see thick smoke and wondered if it was close to Mukluk Land. Margie and I went to the front gate to take a look.
Smoke billowed from the forest. I had never seen a wildfire, but this looked bad. We sat at the gate and prayed. For a miracle. For the Lord to protect Michael and Marsha’s home and their neighbors. And for the Lord’s will.
They scurried to move their vehicles. The Forest Department arrived to tell them they had to evacuate. Grabbing what they could, they left their brand-new, almost finished home behind.
An evacuation was issued for all of Tok. The fire raged, claiming everything in its path. Within minutes, the unthinkable happened. The Woodrums lost their home. It was surreal. It was heartbreaking.
When the evacuation alert was issued, it looked like the fire would jump the road to where Margie and I were. We grabbed backpacks, stuffed them with essentials, and waited by the front gate to be picked up. But eventually the wind shifted. Mukluk Land was saved.
In true Michael and Marsha fashion, they put their own loss aside and rushed into the fray. They hurried to help neighbors; they drove smoke jumpers where they needed to be; and they invited the displaced in the community to Mukluk Land for hot dogs. My beloved manned the grill.
Since 2009, my favorite mission verses are from Psalm 18. They were crucial for this day. “I love you, O LORD, my strength. The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. In my distress I called to the LORD; I cried to my God for help…”
Alaskans are like mountain people. They rallied. Friends came bearing groceries and bottles of water. One mom brought cupcakes with sprinkles. Sprinkles had never been needed more.
The Woodrums are still serving the community of Tok, helping build tiny homes for those who lost everything. Winter is coming quickly. Please partner with them in prayer. They need strength. They need wisdom. And they need supplies.
Dawn Reed is a newspaper columnist and pastor’s wife in Prestonsburg.