Final Mission Post

The CES fireside this month was given by Elder Tad Callister of the presidency of the 1^st quorum of Seventies.  It was absolutely brilliant.  He outlined what the Savior’s church should be expected to look like now.  He outlined the organization and the teachings of Christianity, comparing those at the end of the Savior’s life with those of the church of today.

It put a lump in our throats to say good-bye to our seminary students and their dedicated teachers.

Our first stop was Sitka.  We had a 5 hour wait in this port.  We read and did jig-saw puzzles. 

We are on the ferry now, waiting in Sitka for our departure to the next port.  We left Auke Bay in Juneau aboard the Malispina of the Alaska Marine Highway at 12:15 a.m. on the morning of January 21, 2014.   My emotions have been close to the surface the past five days.  It has been a continual parade of farewells and good-byes.  Closure brings to my surface melancholy.

It seemed to begin with a final lesson I taught in Sunday school.  The lesson was on foreordination.  We had a good number in attendance.  It was our first Sunday beginning the block at 11:00 a.m. instead of 9:40 a.m.  No one could remember why we started at 9:40 a.m.  And if they did remember church, and the correct starting time, it was too early to roll out of bed for many.  None of us are sure why we haven’t done this earlier.  But when it was suggested by our Elder’s quorum president, everyone jumped on the idea and the Stake approved it. 

The ferry also stopped in Petersburg and Wrangell but we slept through those stops.  This is the stop in Ketchikan.

President Sekona made a great effort to get as many to our final Institute lesson on Wednesday evening as possible.  We had 20 attend, plus several adults and the missionaries.  The lesson was from Alma chapters 40-51.  I spent most of the time explaining the need of an atoning figure and the great blessing of that sacrifice, and applied mercy and grace, having repented and done all we can do for ourselves.  The participation was flowing and the spirit was strong.  I couldn’t help but think; “They were so sincere in their tribute to us and the mission we have served.  Why couldn’t they attend consistently for the concern of their own strength and testimonies?”  Diane and I were hugged and kissed and thanked and we shed tears as we realized our time together was drawing to a close.  I gave Diane time to bear her testimony and express her feelings.  For both of us our words came with effort as our hearts seemed to obscure our abilities to speak. 

Looking towards Sitka.

It was wonderful to have Scott Beames with us.  He was there having completed a trip to Craig and Thorne Bay on the Island of Prince of Wales.  What an adventure he had.  The rain has been pouring on the inside passage for days.  He rented a car in Ketchikan, ferried it to Hollis on Prince of Wales and drove the 50 minutes to Craig.  After visiting with Travis and Erica Tripple on their houseboat, and attending their early morning seminary class, he proceeded back to Craig.  Mud slides were occurring everywhere.  The ground could hold no more water.  He was told he could not traverse the road back to Hollis to catch the ferry as the road had been covered with mud many feet deep and many yards long.  What was he to do?  He had a plane to catch in Ketchikan in order to preside over our in-service that would be held on Friday morning.  He did the only thing possible.  He arranged for a private bush pilot to fly him to Ketchikan.  He arranged with the branch president, Mel Bingham, to drive the rental car into Hollis when the road was clear and place it on the ferry.  He arranged with the Bishop in Ketchikan to pick that car up from the ferry and return it to the rental agency when it arrived from Hollis.  He did make the flight and arrived in time to attend seminary with us.  I was grateful that he was able to experience the spirit that fills our room during Institute.  I will miss that spirit in Alaska.  I know it can be experienced anywhere, but that won’t be on a mission and in Juneau with a wonderful group of Young Single Adults and our wonderful branch presidency.  President Sekona and his 2^nd councilor, Bob Francis have been so good to be in attendance.

Our ferry, the Malispina, pulls into the Bellingham, Washington dock. 

Diane and I were in the Relief Society room Thursday morning doing our usual studying and going back and forth between classes to see that all was well.  Ten minutes before the time for classes to end we heard quite a rustle in the hallways.  My immediate thought was that the teachers had released their students early.  All of the students from each of the three seminary classes came into the Relief Society room and presented us with a “Forget Me Not” statue to remember them by.  And then they sang “God Be With You ‘Til We Meet Again.”  Then Jenny Schlechter asked if I would give the closing prayer.  I think that may have been the second hardest prayer I have ever offered to my maker.  Usually when my emotions get the best of me my voice locks up.  But this time my voice was able to continue but my eyes burst similarly to the Teton dam back in the 70s.  And if that wasn’t hard enough, most of our seminary students gave us a hug.  I took the time to whisper into each their ears, “Be Great.” 

This final picture I took of Alaska.  It sort of represents the closing of a very wonderful block of our lives.

Following that emotional hour. I made final preparations for our concluding discussion with the adult Institute class.  The material was from Moses in the Pearl of Great Price.  Again, there were good-byes and tears.  The hard thing was to notify them the Stake Presidency had decided not to call a replacement teacher.  There are no CES people in Juneau and they asked me to encourage them to study the gospel from the prepared manuals in groups if they preferred, or alone.  But the stake has chosen not to call a teacher for the class.  They accepted it but were a little sad that it was over. 

Friday morning, the 17^th, was our final In-Service with the seminary teachers of the Juneau stake.  Scott employed a new online communication system the church is using.  He finally abandoned the PCS system that gave me so much grief in setting up and monitoring in the past.

Scott took us to dinner with Jenny that evening.  He had put a lot of thought into some going away mementos.  He gave us a beautiful picture book of SW Alaska.  Also in the gift sack was a picture frame and in that frame was a picture of the students from the seminary saying good-bye to us. 

Saturday evening Elder and Sister Dan and Ruth Brinkerhoff took us to dinner at the Valley Restaurant.    I talked them into coming into our apartment and watching a video I have of a glacier break up that happened in Nova Scotia.  The video showed a glacier with a portion of it bigger than Manhattan Island completely falling apart.  Sister Brinkerhoff and Diane chatted at the table for a couple of hours while Elder Brinkerhoff and I watched BYU beat Santa Clara in basketball.

We enjoyed our final Sunday block with the YSA branch.  The 11:00 a.m. start seems to have helped the attendance a great deal.  There were a few more good-byes.  Diane Lohrey gave Diane a beautiful hand carved and painted bird feather attached to a pin, a broach.  It was hand made by her husband John.  We have great expectations that John will soon join the church.   Along with that we hope to hear soon that Michael, 16 years old, will also be baptized.  He’s waiting for his father I think.  He is such a tremendous young man.  And he is so faithful in his attendance at Seminary.  *(We learned from Michael's sister, Emilyanne who is on a mission now, that Michael will be baptized this month.)

Yesterday was the final push to get the apartment ready to turn over to the Sister missionaries.  Diane has been cleaning and organizing for several weeks in preparation for our departure.  That evening we were invited to have supper with Jenny Schlechter and her brothers who are living with her for the time being.  Her husband, Michael, who is a ferry captain, is in Seattle for two weeks of training.  We returned to the apartment and read for a couple of hours until it was time to drive the car onto the ferry.  After being in the apartment for a bit we were visited by Eric Mullen and Brennan Oakley.  Eric seemed to be relieved to see we hadn’t left.  For some reason he had chosen not to attend the meetings on Sunday and felt badly he had not said good-bye.  We had a wonderful visit and laughed together before we had to push them out the door so we could leave.  Eric will be a wonderful missionary.  His papers will go in any week now.

I have been blessed with a wonderful companion.  Diane has been more than a good sport by jumping into this desire to serve with me.  She has been a powerful influence for faith and testimony.  I love her.

Our family worked very hard to get the house back into shape.  They moved all of our belongings from the storage garage back into their proper place in the house.  They even stocked the cupboards and provided a couple of nights for us in a hotel until we could get the gas company to turn the gas back on.  The inside of the house was full of balloons.

My emotions are ever present right now.  Another of my life’s goals has come and passed.  I can only hope that we helped build the Lord’s kingdom as expected, and that testimonies have been strengthened.  Was it worth it?  There is no doubt in my mind.  It was.  My many hours of preparation from the scriptures has strengthened my testimony that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day-Saints is the organization as left by the Savior upon completing His Foreordained Mission on the Earth.  He is my Brother.  He is my Friend.  He is my Savior.  I know and love Him better now than any other time in my life.   He is represented now by a real prophet.  Thomas S. Monson exercises all of the keys of power and authority from Jesus Christ here on the earth, and he communicates with God and he speaks in His behalf.  And twelve Apostles along with Pres. Monson hold the priesthood keys.

I am so anxious to see my family again.  I have missed them.  I don’t think I realized how much until now, as we slowly travel through the waters of the South West Passage in their direction.

And with that being said, I close the pages of this blog in the name of Jesus Christ.  Amen!

A Final Zone Conference

This new year has offered challenges to overcome.  Many of the YSA have returned to their places of schooling.  We have seen others come in who hope to make money here before returning to their schooling activities.  That means there are presidencies to replace and teachers to be called and trained.  It keeps our branch presidency hopping.

This beautiful place is Amalga Harbor.  It is a few miles short of Echo Cove and is a popular place to launch fishing boats.

L. to R. Sister Ruth Brinkerhoff, (sitting) Elder Dan Brinkerhoff, Ruth and Dennis Cunningham, Diane Kaiser, and Sister Diane Waldron

The Cunninghams, Ruth and Dennis, invited us to dinner a final time before they headed down south to warmer weather and the temples of the southwest.  They also had invited the Brinkerhoffs and Sister Diane Kaiser.

Cort and Julie Franklin have been called to be the Institute teachers for the Young Single Adults in our place.  Cort has been the branch president of the YSA branch in the past and Julie has taught seminary and substitutes for us now and then.  They met with us before Wednesday's Institute class to receive some orientation and then stayed to watch the class.  We also had an earlier meeting with them and the stake presidency to prepare for the future.

President Jon and Sister Beesley were in Juneau for Zone Conference this weekend.  They invited me to assist in ways to help the missionaries teach and interest young people in the gospel.  There wasn't nearly enough time to do what I had planned.  Sister Whitby, from Dallas/Ft.Worth Texas, sang my sister Connie's song "He Answers Prayer."  I did show Pres. Gordon B. Hinckley's talk on the tree he neglected in his back yard until it was almost too late to salvage.

Elder and Sister Brinkerhoff at Echo Cove.  In July the pinks gather there prior to going upstream to spawn.

The Beesley's invited us to breakfast with them yesterday.  Our favorite place to eat breakfast if at Grandma's Feather Bed.  We, the Brinkerhoffs and the Oswalds, who are from Pocatello and serving in Haines, had a wonderful visit.  We giggled, laughed and even cried as we shared stories and feelings and experiences. 

Elder Brinkerhoff wanted to be shown where he could go to catch a fish when the season opens again.  We drove up to Echo cove near the end of the road.  It was actually the literal end of the road yesterday as that is as far as it was plowed.  We stopped and took pictures of some of the impressive sights we saw.  How do you decide which is more impressive than another here?

The lesson we discussed in Institute was the powerful chapters in Alma, 30-39.  There was lots of wonderful discussion.  A recently returned missionary, Andie Wharton, joined us for the first time.  She was in Brazil three weeks ago.  She just bubbles.  She shared some wonderful testimony of her experiences with her Father In Heaven.

Andie Wharton recently returned from Brazil where she was a missionary.  She shared with us her prayers to her Father In Heaven as she struggled to learn the language.  She seems to be a lot like I am when it comes to the scriptures.  Each verse has a special meaning and so it must have a special color.

The Thursday Institute lesson came from the Pearl of Great Price.  We learned more of God's purpose, the spiritual and physical creation of the earth and the Fall of Adam.  I continue to feel this is my favorite assignment of our mission.  We read every verse and discuss it until we understand it.  I have lots of time to use the resources provided by the church.

I wanted to get out to the end of the road a final time before leaving for Utah.  Yesterday seemed like the perfect day.  Echo cove is a beautiful place to drive to and a beautiful place to visit.  It is approximately 35 miles north of our apartment.

Christmas In Juneau

What a wonderful Christmas we enjoyed this past week.  We lazily got up and exchanged our gifts for each other.  Just like each Christmas when we are at home, Diane made German pancakes with maple syrup.  Yum.  We watched a Hallmark movie and put together a jig-saw puzzle.  And then we took the Brinkerhoffs with us to eat dinner at the home of the Sakonas.  We enjoyed meeting Sister Sakona's side of the family.  There was lots of Tongan being spoken and some basketball being watched.  The food that was prepared was absolutely unreal.  There was goose, ham, king crab, salmon, white sweet potatoes, salads, casseroles and vegetables.  The Sakona family has obviously done this a lot as they had lots of food warming dishes that you see when the caterer comes.  President Sakona sat right by the king crab legs and cracked one after another and gave the meat to the missionaries until they had each had enough.  He made it his personal mantra for the meal.  There is a tremendous amount of love in that family.  Margaret Sakona had just returned from a trip to Thailand and had lots of adventures to report.

Colt Franklin helping to prepare for the YSA Dinner.

After a great time we excused ourselves from their family activities and returned home to have our Skype visits with our own families.  We were able to connect with all of them.  My microphone didn't work but we used a telephone to visit with one another while we were watching their beautiful faces.  The grandchildren were excited and fun.  Our own kids each have their hands full.  We are so happy to hear of their successes and achievements.  We had no idea Aubrey was hurting so badly from 3 separate concussions.  Honestly Aubrey, three?  We have lots to talk with our Father In Heaven about when we say our prayers.  Tomorrow we expect to have our first great grandchild and are praying for Ashley and the soon to depart from her Heavenly Home, Avery. 

Sebastian Welling and Marie Holden bring in their White Elephant gifts.

We enjoy this "Season."  Even though our time is spent pretty much 24-7 in the work of the Savior, the focus of those around us, TV, advertising, music and business, point towards good will to men, and towards being more like Jesus Christ.  Couldn't that just stay with us and the world for a bigger portion of the year?  And even more, can't these values of loving our fellow man seep upwards toward our leaders so that peace would be more important than domination, power and money?  Dear Father In Heaven, bless mankind.  Bless us all to be more kind to our fellow man.

Amanda Mosher, Bryce Anderson and Macey Bettridge arrive for the dinner.

We can report that Elder Parker Bengtzen is burning 'em up in Long Beach as a zone leader.  He keeps working hard in spite of the problems he is having with gastroitis and Chrone's symptoms. 

We aren't holding seminary or institute during the two week Christmas break.  But that hasn't kept the branch from using us as teachers.  Diane taught Relief Society last Sunday and I have taught the Doctrine and Covenants Sunday School lessons the past two weeks. 

Sisters Luvinia Sakona, Karlyn Welling and Diane Waldron take a moment from their dinner preparation duties to pose for the camera.

We have both been concentrating on genealogy research big time.  I have actually found 19 names to take with us to the temple when we get home.  These are names on the Waldron side of the family.  Diane has prepared several hundred names on the Bengtzen side of the family.

Marie returned from BYU Idaho and excited us all that she was taking a semester off to make some money so she could return.  You better believe the branch is going to put this convert of two years now, to work.   Erik Mullen allows me to get a photo.  He is planning on leaving for a mission after this coming semester of school. 

We had a wonderful Young Single Adult activity on Friday.  The members of the branch presidency provided the meat dishes and the rest of us brought pot-luck salads, casseroles and desserts.  These items combined made for a wonderful dinner in the cultural hall.  It was decorated. . . a bit.  Diane took some Christmas things from our tree to put on each table for a center-piece.  After the meal we put everyone in a circle and played the IN-famous White Elephant present game.  There were about 50 attending including several non-members and a few guests brought in from out of town. 

There was lots of gift "stealing" and laughing at the silliness of the whole thing. 

The snow has been packed down into solid ice by the rain that followed it.  It is treacherous to walk here.  I noticed that Elder Brinkerhoff has been wearing the pull on metal spikes for his shoes.  That is certainly better than falling. 

Mallory Welling is the daughter of our first councilor in the branch presidency.  She fell in love with the remote control tarantella and used her skills to acquire it on the third and final "steal." 

There was an incredible sight behind the church and in the trees along the road from our church to our apartment today.  We counted 50 bald eagles in the trees.  I know there were many that I didn't see because I was driving.  For me it is a glorious sight.  One dead Sitka Spruce with bare branches had 16 in it.  I never tire of it.  And I'm sure I drive my companion nuts by pointing out the eagles and any wildlife we come across.

Marie Holden was so cute.  She asked if she could take my picture.  She noticed that I am always taking the pictures.  I told her yes if she would consent to be in it with me.

The church is providing some very wonderful  insight into church history and current social issues and other things on the lds.org site.  If you look under church news and then go to resources and follow up by going into the Newsroom, there is so much to help us understand our leaders, their pathway to decisions and even history on topics such as Priesthood (for every worthy male), same sex attraction, polygamy and hundreds more.  I am so happy the church has put these things up so the populace can get the answers from the source rather from those with agendas and ulterior motives. 

Luvinia Sakona is a wonderful asset to our branch.  She is very supportive of President Josh Sakona.  She opens her home to so many relatives and neighbors missionaries and friends.  The world needs many more just like her.

Serving a mission has given us many opportunities to help others understand the scriptures, strengthen their faith and build testimonies of their own.  At the same time, we have come to understand the scriptures better, our faith is stronger, and our testimonies are dear to us. 

We are looking forward to another year and the opportunities and challenges 2014 will bring, and along with that, looking ahead to coming blessings and family growth. 

What Child Is This?

The Sister missionaries asked me to accompany them in Sacrament meeting.  They sang Sally DeFord's 'What Child Is This?'  Sister Whitby and Sister Faupula sounded very good together and helped to make the meeting a very nice one.  Elder and Sister Brinkerhoff spoke.  They told the YSA branch about their mission and Elder Brinkerhoff spoke wonderfully about the Savior.

Mendenhall Glacier has been a wonderful attraction for us while we have been in Juneau.  It is so beautiful and so deadly if not given proper caution.

The Institute class was attended by three again this week.  It didn't stop us from having a wonderful discussion on Alma.  Diane's meals continue to be a looked forward to activity by those who attend. 

This is Nugget Falls in the lower middle portion of the picture.  In the summer it roars with runoff water.  It is so cold you wonder where there is water that is not frozen on that mountain.  But the ground is saturated with water and it just runs out in numerous springs and gather at the bottom of Nugget falls.

Today in the Thursday Institute class we started our new course, "The Pearl of Great Price."  All of us in our lifetimes question who we are, why we are here, and what happens to us after this life.  A most wonderful statement made by the God of this world to Moses brings a great amount assurance to me: "Thou art my son."  How wonderful.  We are the sons and daughters of our Father In Heaven. 

Mendenhall lake is completely frozen over.  The temperatures in the valley below the glacier is typically 8-10 degrees colder than where we live which is around the mountain in Lemon Creek.

The snow has dropped on us today.  The humidity is lower than usual for Juneau.  Consequently the snow has been light and fluffy.  It appears to have accumulated an additional foot on to of  that which had already fallen earlier in the week. 

The blues in the glacier were amplified by the sun on this day.  Glacier blue is such a stunning color.

I took a drive up to Mendenhall Glacier yesterday.  The sun was shining without a cloud in the sky.  The temperature was 4 degrees Fahrenheit.  I tried to capture what I was seeing with my limited photographic skills.  But it was beautiful and had it not been so cold, I would have spent more time soaking up the beauty of the place but the cold drove me back to the car.

The snow was falling today at least by an inch an hour and sometimes more.  The snow removers have their work cut out for them on days like this.

December Weather Lashes Out At Juneau

It has snowed and snowed here.  And then it has rained making all that snow into a sheet of ice.  And then it has snowed some more today.  We have had to watch the school district web site to see if they were holding school on the snow days.  We didn't want to cancel seminary if the schools were going to tough it out.  The beauty of the snow on the Sitka Spruce trees is wonderful for the eyes.  Elder Brinkerhoff has expressed his displeasure for the weather and wonders why anyone would live here.  We enjoy our association with them.  This is their third mission.  Each mission has been as digital records preservationist missionaries.  They have done this in Dublin, Ireland, Oregon, and this third mission started out in Iowa before they received a transfer to Juneau. 

We have experienced the mid-winter drop off in attendance at Institute .  We are not sure of the reasons but miss them when they choose not to come.  This week only 3 came.  Diane had a wonderful meal for them afterward.  We studied the people of Limhi in the Book of Mosiah.  We also studied the people of Alma in the land of Helam.  The lessons we talked about were the burdens we have placed on our backs during our sojourn on earth.  We all have them.  Sometimes they are placed on our backs by others.  Some the Lord gives us to make us stronger.  And some we place upon ourselves because of disobedience.  Hopefully our burdens will cause us to be humble and call upon God at all times.  When we finally realize we are carrying burdens needlessly, and that we have caused these burdens to be placed upon ourselves, we re-evaluate our relationship with God and strive to obey his commandments better, or again.  Even though there were only three in attendance, they each contributed greatly to the discussion. 

We finally wrapped up Revelations in our Thursday morning Institute class for the adults who attend here in the stake.  It was rewarding to see them understand better the imagery written by John in his Middle Eastern way.  Of course we couldn't answer every question and identify every image, but we all received an understanding of the coming trials that await us as the Lord works out His sovereign will among the nations.  We know there is to be a purging of "Babylon" from the world.  The tares will be separated from the wheat.  There will be much destruction before the end.  It was important to understand that after 13 or so chapters of destruction and purging, there would be a reward of righteousness for those who can be gathered among "the Sheaves of wheat."  We talked about the importance of living up to the covenants we have made with God.  We will now jump into the Pearl of Great Price.

Pres. and Sister Beesley came to Juneau last week to hold some training for the missionaries from Juneau and Whitehorse and to have interviews.  They invited us to sit in on as much of the training as we wanted.  We did attend some of the afternoon meetings until they started the interviews.  They also took us to dinner at the "Broiler," along with the sister missionaries, the zone leaders, Poppy and the Brinkerhoffs.  Poppy volunteered to fix lunch for the missionaries.  Sister Beesley had a hard time staying awake.  Watching them I recognize they have a grueling and physically taxing assignment. 

The sister missionaries, Sister Whitbey and Sister Failupa sang Sally DeFord's arrangement of "What Child Is This?"  They asked me to accompany them on the piano.  I was busy trying to hit all the right notes, but I think they did a very good job.  Sister Whitby had mentioned she was disappointed she couldn't find the Tabernacle Choir CD with Jane Seymore.  I have a box of them I brought up to give to those who invite us to dinner.  The sisters were pretty stoked when I gave one to them. 

I was able to teach Friday's seminary lesson to the sophomore class.  They were wonderful and patient with me as I tried to straighten out the chronology of the events in Mosiah for them.  It takes some real character and stamina to be a seminary graduate here. 

I'm getting better at genealogy I believe.  Diane tells me she has researched 200 ancestors names from her lines and those of her first husband, Larry.  Their work is ready to do in the temple.   I have found 10 ancestors that qualify to have their temple work done.  I ran off coded paper for Tiffany and mailed it to her to take with her to the temple for one of them.  I have gotten better at making sources and using ready made sources so others can see where I found the records.  The amazing thing is the sources, each one of them, have been a result of the church putting so much resource into the digital recording of records world-wide. 

Closing Out November

Bob and Sawa Francis have been so wonderful to us as we have served our mission in the Juneau Young Single Adult Branch.  Bob is a counselor in the branch presidency.  Sawa is so supportive and attends with him like a trooper. 

They invited us and Elder and Sister Brinkerhoff to spend Thanksgiving with them.  They have no family with them here in Juneau.  He works for the forest service and she works for Walmart a couple of days each week.  Sawa had marinated a turkey in a brine solution and cooked it in the oven.  It was wonderful.  The amount of food and variety was huge for the six of us.  We had bean and mushroom, beets, mashed potatoes and gravy, turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, rolls, the celery, olives, carrots and artichoke heart vegetable plate, candied yams and apple and pumpkin pie.  After cleaning up we visited and played chicken foot with some dominoes. 

Last evening was our Break the Fast which we hold each first Sunday of the month.  Pres. Sakona was in Mesa, AZ. and the YSA members came through still.  There was so much good food.  We fixed up some plates for the 3rd ward Bishopric who were working on Tithing Settlement.  We invited Poppy, a recent convert from Thailand, and her friend who works with her at Costco.  They were grateful.  Sister Whitby asked for a blessing which we gave her last evening.  She has been dealing with the flu a couple of days.  Sister Failupa, from S. California has returned to Juneau after being away for about 4 transfers.  Sister Whitby's companion, Sister Hallmark has been transferred to Fairbanks.  BRRRR. 

Elder Dan Brinkerhoff was a rancher in Fairfield.  He claimed to have butchering skills and wanted to carve the turkey. 

The week has been in preparation for teaching Mosiah, Zeniff through Limhi, and the final chapters of Revelations for the Thursday adult Institute. 

We have spent many hours the past 10 days on genealogy and indexing.  Diane mentioned that she has submitted over 200 names for temple work.  I got one.  Yay me! 

The weather is cold now.  A week ago we received over a foot of snow.  Our highs and lows are both in the teens right now.  

We enjoy the work and the people we are with.

That is Sister Waldron on the left.  Bob Francis is in the center and Sister Ruth Brinkerhoff is on the right.

This is the view to the south west from Francis' living room. 

And this is the view to the south east from their dining area.

Thanksgiving In Juneau

We haven't had a missionary prep class for the past two weeks.  Eric has had the lessons and Emmilyann is now in the MTC.  We had to cancel last week's Thursday Institute because of the amount of snow that was on the road.  We got 10-12 inches depending on where you were, Lemon Creek or in the Valley.  It is gone now.  The constant rain of the past 5 days has melted it.

Our Sunday School Gospel Doctrine teacher is struggling right now and didn't show up on Sunday.  I did my best filling in on lesson #41, Missionary Work.  I hurried home during Priesthood meeting and ran the lesson off from the LDS.org site and used the headings to direct the lesson.  Elizabeth Munoz told me she liked my lessons better when I didn't have time to prepare them.  I'm not sure what to take from that.

Wednesday Institute we spent admiring the leadership of King Benjamin and his example of service and righteousness. 

Now and then I have to make an 'executive' decision in the seminary.  I made one yesterday.  I asked a young man not to sit next to a certain young woman anymore.  He was reluctant but told me he would try.  I did a rewind and said trying wasn't enough.  The correct answer is either yes or no.  He said that if he refused to sit away from her then he probably wouldn't be allowed to come to seminary.  I responded that would be his choice, that seminary is a privilege and not a right.  He then said he would sit away from her.  He came in to the area where I was studying quite upset and said he just couldn't do it.  He wanted to know what power I had to make an edict like that.  I explained that as the Priesthood holder with the responsibility of supervising the seminary, I had that authority and responsibility to see that classes were orderly and enjoyable for all, including the teacher.  After a Priesthood holder talk to another Priesthood holder, where it was explained what stress he was causing his volunteer teacher, and the disruption it caused to the class when these two were talking and laughing during a lesson, he seemed to understand a bit better.  He said, "Now that I understand the problem, can I sit next to her?"  lol  I explained that when it was not as important whom he sat by, as the privilege of just being there to better himself, we would discuss the issue again.  But for the time being he was to sit away from her.  For a bit I felt like I was back teaching school instead of serving a mission. 

The Bald Eagles have returned to Juneau.  I saw these three Thanksgiving morning at the top of the same tree.

I have been doing a lot of Family History research this week.  My genealogy seems to become a bigger job with each name I find.  Duh!  I try to keep up with my Indexing too.  I have been doing nothing but arbitration the last month.  I am working on the obituary pilot batches.  They are so interesting. 

Diane (Sister Waldron) is busy finishing up the rolls for today's dinner.  She baked two beautiful pies yesterday.  We have been invited to Thanksgiving dinner with Robert and Sawa Francis.  Elder and Sister Brinkerhoff will be going with us as well. 

There has been plenty of time to look back at my life and realize how hands on the Lord has been.  I am so thankful for my blessings.  My family is beautiful and precious to me.  My faith is more precious than any amount of rubies for sure.  I have never had to go hungry.  The only times I have slept without a roof over my head have been by choice, except for that one time I got lost with my missionary district in Inscription Canyon in Arizona.  There's a story.  I have never had to defend my freedoms with a gun.  Freedom is a great thing.  I know who I am.  I am a son of God, and a brother of my Savior, Jesus Christ who has made it possible for me to be an heir of my Father In Heaven.  I have a decent understanding from the scriptures of where I will go when this life is over. 

Happy Thanksgiving!