Ray Baker and Lyle Nelson, from Fairbanks, Alaska, explain:

“The area near Nome and along the Bering Sea is notorious for severe icing and white-outs. The white-out is a dreaded foe because it can come with little warning, often beginning with a light overcast and then snow. But soon everything becomes white. A pilot must strain his eyes, peering into the snow. He may lose his orientation, not knowing which way is up or down. Then dizziness sets in and one could easily fly right into a mountain or into the ground. More pilots are lost in this area than anywhere else in Alaska.”

In spite of these dangers, eleven of Jehovah’s witnesses went into that area in three small planes in 1973. They report: “We covered an area of over 96,000 square miles. To reach the 24 villages in this territory, each of the three planes flew about 2,600 air miles and we spoke to about 6,000 people.”

One of the main problems in getting to the homes of people in the far north is the severe cold. The temperature may plunge to more than fifty degrees Fahrenheit below zero. But frigid weather does not stop Jehovah’s witnesses from showing love to others. Robert L. Hartman, a traveling minister who serves several congregations in Alaska, tells of the coldest day he ever experienced in his house-to-house ministry:

“Twelve or thirteen of us gathered together that day at the Kingdom Hall. It was 47° F. below zero. Several said that they would rather remain inside and write letters to the villages. Thinking that that was what everyone wanted to do, I was getting prepared for a session of letter writing. Then two brothers approached me and said, ‘We are just not very proficient at this letter writing. After we have gone to all the work of getting our cars started and traveling the distance to the hall (one had come fifteen miles), we would like to make some house-to-house calls. Will you accompany us?’ I could not resist such a sincere plea. So out we went at 47° F. below zero.”

Winter storms can further complicate matters, especially for air travel. Ray Baker and Lyle Nelson, from Fairbanks, Alaska, explain:

“The area near Nome and along the Bering Sea is notorious for severe icing and white-outs. The white-out is a dreaded foe because it can come with little warning, often beginning with a light overcast and then snow. But soon everything becomes white. A pilot must strain his eyes, peering into the snow. He may lose his orientation, not knowing which way is up or down. Then dizziness sets in and one could easily fly right into a mountain or into the ground. More pilots are lost in this area than anywhere else in Alaska.”

In spite of these dangers, eleven of Jehovah’s witnesses went into that area in three small planes in 1973. They report: “We covered an area of over 96,000 square miles. To reach the 24 villages in this territory, each of the three planes flew about 2,600 air miles and we spoke to about 6,000 people.”

Ray Baker relates an experience his group had upon landing their plane in the village of Buckland, Alaska, near the Arctic circle:

“As soon as we shut down the engine we were surrounded by forty or fifty curious fathers, mothers and children. We told them that we would soon be visiting their homes to talk to them about the Bible. When we called at the houses we often found whole families gathered together waiting for us, Bible in hand.”