The Daily Alaska empire., 1941-10-28
Wood Back
 t.4 teff se from Long
 inspection
Pastor Makes Extensive. Visitation 10 Various
 Parts of Territory


 Arriving last evening in Juneau on the PAA Electra from Fairbanks, Pastor H. L. Wood, Superintendent Of the Alaska Missions of Seventh day Adventists ended a survey trip over the territory, which took him as far west as Gambell on St. Laurence Island and Umnak Is land in the Boring Sea District.
 During the more than eight weeks travel by plane, rail and boat, Pas -or Wood visited all but two of the Seventh-day Adventist churches and mission stations in Western Alaska and these two at Pilot Point ard Aleknagik were not reached as he lakes had started to freeze over and pcntoon equipped planes could net land there until the ice was strong enough to land with skis. New churches have been completed at these two villages and the ded icatory services will be postponed until the mission superintendent makes his next trip there in the early spring.
 Over 4,000 miles were covered on the trip of which most was made by plane. While at Nome Pastor Wood made the plans for the new church building to be erected there in the spring and saw the founda ten nearly half finished before leaving for St. Laurence Island which is only 35 miles from Cape Chukotski Siberia. This was the Pastors first visit to this isolated island and found it to be most in- teresting Here primatiye organism end real Christianity are seen side by side in marked contrast, said Pastor Wood. Another contrast is the way he found the natives adopt ing some modern conveniences and rejecting others. A typical example in contrasts is the modern diesel electric lighting plant which furn- ishes light for the fine frame houses of the Villages and also for the streets as we'll In these same homes however the natives will not use "whiteman's" stoves. They pre- fer to use their primative stone whale oil stoves. The reason given is that they need the modern light to enable them to do more and better carving when the sunlight is so poor much of the year but should they have whiteman's stoves it would necessitate the purchase of wood, coal, or oil which would take money.
 There are no trees on St. Laur- ence Island, and the whale and animal oils can be obtained from the sea when hunting for food and clothing.
 The Eskimos of St. Laurence are akin to the Siberians and have intercourse with them crossing the 35 miles of water. to the nearest mainland, in their oomiaks and whaleboats. They have large rein 1 deer herds on the island and white fox are trapped in large numbers in the winter time
 At Gambell the Eskimos own and operate their cooperative store and through this nativeowned organi- zation purchased the modern diesel lighting plant.
 After Tough voyage durnig the equinoxial storm on the Urdted States Coast Guard Haida to Um- rak Island, Pastor Wood visited nearly all the towns and villages of the Aleutians, spending a week each at the Naval Base of Dutch Harbor and Kodiak before return ing to Anchorage and the railbelt.
 The Pastor states that he found everywhere greater interest in mis- sicns and church activities than ever before in Alaska and the Sev- enth-day Adventist church in AL aska is enjoying the most marked increase in membership in it's his-