“I am Pearl ‘Sungaghyuk´ Mikulski.  Sungaghyuk is the St. Lawrence Island Yu’pik name given to me by the elders of Gambell, Alaska.  It means ‘blue like the sky on a sunny day’, and was given to me when I looked up to the sky and they saw my bright blue eyes.  I am a widowed BBFI Missionary to Nome, Alaska.  Shortly after receiving our 30 years of service pins, John passed away on March 19, 2019 after a courageous battle with cancer.

The mission church here in Alaska is experiencing a great time of revival and outreach.  We have seen several new souls won to the Lord and new church membership.  New ministries are opening up for us including a prison ministry, medical mission trips, and we have supported other missionaries for several years.  We have appointed Dr. Terry O’Malia as the interim pastor in Nome, and I am assisting him by continuing to serve in the children’s ministry.  Gurleen Prokop, my 82 year old mother lives with me.  She suffers from moderate dementia, but is doing quite well.  She and I will be moving out of the church parsonage when a new missionary or pastor comes to take over the work.  We will be staying in Nome, probably until my retirement in 10 years. I am originally from Baltimore, Maryland.  My sending church is Sauk Trail Baptist Temple in Richton Park, Illinois.”

What activities do you like to do?

“I like learning new things, fishing, target shooting, pen turning, arts and crafts, sewing, computer repair, selling at craft fairs, berry picking, making jams and jelly, cooking ethnic foods, spending time with children.”

What do you like to listen to in the car?

“With only 8 miles of road in Nome, we rarely spend more than 10 minutes in the car. We only have 2 Christian radio channels (one run by the Catholics and one by the Covenant church) and one public radio channel. I prefer listening to my passenger if there is one.”

What is your favorite type of food?

“Eskimo food (muktuk, herring eggs, wild berries, salmon, wild game), wide variety of cheeses, fresh vegetables, and homemade soups.”

What is your favorite thing to take guests to see and do?

“Gold mining operations, local wildlife (reindeer, caribou, muskoxen, moose,), salmon fishing, and Eskimo dancing.”

How did you surrender to missions?

“While attending Sauk Trail Baptist Temple, I loved missions and wrote letters to over 80 different missionaries on a regular basis. I begged that God would use me as a missionary in my community even if I never got to serve as an official missionary. God began to work in my husband’s life, and after he spoke to missionary Ruth McCartney and our pastor, one Sunday he took me forward and officially surrendered, announcing that we’d be going off to Baptist Bible College. It all became so real to me when we took a mission trip to Russian Mission, Alaska to work in missionary John Sleppy’s Bible Camp. I was sure then that Alaska was where God had chosen for us to serve because I felt a great love and burden for the Alaska Native people.”

You can find this and much more about Pearl and other BBFI missionaries on the BBFI Missions app available for download from your favorite App Store.