First Snow

We woke up Monday morning to our first snow on the ground.  We have seen it in the mountains as low as a couple of hundred feet above the floor.   It is a light and fluffly snow. 

We are seeing the kids coming into seminary a bit later now that it is colder.  Even the teachers are cutting it to the wire at times.  The kids wore their Halloween costumes this morning.  I told them it would be ok if they didn't wear masks. 

They sand the roads here.  There don't use any salt.  So far so good.  The Subaru is handling the roads just fine.

Dinner With the Warner's

This is Katherine Warner.  Her mother, Kristina, prepared a wonderful Sunday dinner for us.  It consisted of Popcorn Halibut, Crabmeat for the salad, Crescent shaped rolls, Fried Potatoes, and all the fixins. 

Their home is big and wonderful and close to Auke Bay.  The apple pie had cranberries among the apples and they served it with home made ice cream. 

This is Kristina and Mark Warner.  They now run Doc Warner's fishing lodge up here.  Doc and his wife are on their second mission in Indonesia I think he said.  Mark was busy helping her fix the meal.  There is no doubt these people have centered their lives around Christ.  Their home has so many Christ centered pictures and knick knacks you can't miss it.  They are wonderful parents of four children; Mark 16, Aurora 13, Russell 11, and Katherine 7 or so.

This is Mark.  He is a junior and attends our seminary class.  Diane sometimes teaches that class.  He is one intelligent kid.  He plays the piano very well but hasn't had a teacher since moving from Albuquerque four years ago.

 This is Brother B.  No one can say his last name.  His wife is from the Philippines.  He was hurt in a biking accident much like our son Mark was hurt.  The Elders had an impression to go down the road he had been hurt on.  They arrived just after the accident and gave him a blessing which they believe helped him heal and return to health. 

This is Bishop Zane Clark and his wife Denise.  They are in the Juneau 2nd ward.  He wants us to speak in church on the 11th but we will be in Yakutat.  He says he'll find another date so we are not to think we have escaped.

Aurora has not had a string teacher in four years when she too came to Alaska with the family. 

Kristina actually shot this brown bear last year.  She is very proud of the fact it went down with just one shot.  Kristina helps Mark run Doc Warner's fishing lodge.  She loves to fish, hunt and keep a wonderful home.  She is an incredible mother. 


The dinner was wonderful.  I especially loved the crab meat, but the halibut was wonderful too.  After dinner we went into the study and Sister Warner had the kids play some music for us.  It was a most pleasant evening.

Stake Conference

Members outside of Juneau make a big effort when they attend Stake Conference. They come in from Whitehorse, Canada, Yakutat, Petersburgh, Craig, Wrangell, Haines, Skagway, all of the beautiful places that we have visited or will be visiting in the near future.  These are strong people, with strong testimonies. They are loving and very diverse.

During last evening's adult session an earthquake occurred in the south of our stake. There was some concern shown by our stake president as he was up and down from the stand keeping in touch with the church's emergency people. There was some concern there would be a tsunami, but that really didn't happen.

The first picture I just wanted to play with my effects selection.  I thought it was worth a look.  The Mendenhall Glacier is quite close to us. I can drive to it in about 25 minutes. We have had three wonderful days of sun. Thursday we had been invited near there for dinner by the Schlechters. I noticed the wonderful colors in the 'magic hour' as my brother Paul calls it. So last evening I drove up with the express purpose to take pictures as the sun made it's quiet exit. I actually took a picture every minute. I have chosen four of the best to include here. The lake is no longer exhibiting calved icebergs. The surface is completely frozen over.

The waterfall I took pictures of earlier in the year is now a wall of ice. It is fun to stand on the lake side and listen to the cracking that occurs. I would hear a crack like July 4th poppers quite often. And every once in a while the ice would crack like lightening. You could hear it meander across the ice quickly leaving a scar or crack. And sometimes it just sounded like metallic popcorn. It was enchanting.

This is actually a camping area with picnic tables and a covered fireplace area. There were a few residents walking their dogs in the area.  I didn't test it, but I think the ice was thick enough to have held me had I walked on it.

 

                                                   

Stake Inservice for Seminary

Another day with Bro. Scott Beames from CES provided lots of wonderful teaching insights.  He has seen all of our teachers teach but one.  (Sister Erin Willis is in Arizona for two weeks.) 

This is Bernie Kirkpatrick.  She teaches our Junior and Senior seminary class. 

Last evening Jenny Schlecter invited all of the Juneau seminary teachers to a dinner with us and Scott Beames.  We had a wonderful visit with one another.  We learned that Heidi Malin served a mission in Siberia.  She told us wonderful stories of her mission.

This is Heidi and Michael Malin.  They are recently married.  Michael is a student and trying to decide between finance and business.  Heidi does work.  Her father is the Bishop of the 3rd Ward.  They teach with lots of enthusiasm and spirit. 

Jenny Schlechter is the Stake Seminary Supervisor.  Her help has been invaluable for Diane and me.  She and her husband Michael live very close to the Mendenhall Lake and Glacier.  The views are incredible.  Her husband Michael constructed his own cabin cruiser boat with a 4 stroke Yamaha motor and another for trolling.  If you looked at it, you would think it was on the salesroom floor waiting to be sold.  It is spotlessly clean.   She hosted a dinner last evening and served a wonderful soup and salad.  Diane fixed up a fresh pan cake loaded with raspberries.

This is Lynn Hirschi.  She just left Utah to come to Alaska because it was exciting to her.  She is in the medical field and works two shifts each day at two different medical clinics.  She teaches our Freshmen.  She team teaches with Erin Willis.  And she lives in the same apartment complex as we do.  Her apartment is directly above ours.

We had our in service meeting this morning in the Stake House this morning.  We used a polycom system for the sound and one outlying teacher used her computer to connect with mine on the church's vydio system. 

Mel Bingham flew in from Craig.  Penny James flew in from Yakutat.  If you don't live in Juneau, getting to Stake conference consists of an airline ticket and a hotel room.  That is no small commitment. 


Learning Our Role Better

We have enjoyed having Bro. Beames with us again yesterday.  He watched the Malins teach their Sophomore Seminary class.  Afterwards he gave them observations, kudos and a few suggestions. 

Diane and I came back to the apartment for our breakfast and nap to catch up on our lost sleep.  The 5:00 a.m. thing is physically trying.  After catching up we went to the Health Center to try and get our heart rates up for a bit.  I have been staying away from the weights so as not to aggravate my right shoulder further.  I have noticed the pain lessening because of that the past two weeks. 

We picked up Scott Beames.  He has been staying at Jenny Schlecter's home while visiting in Juneau.  We picked him up with the intent of taking him to lunch.  But when we got to the cash register he insisted on having CES pay for the lunch because we were talking shop so much. 

A cute couple was in the Broiler the same time as we.  I struck up a conversation with the man.  He is 86 years old and a WWII veteran.  He lied about his age and joined the marines at the age of 16.  He had on a Civil Air Patrol jacket.  He told me he and his wife were both Lt. Colonels in the CAP.  They both fly, still.  After we and they had finished eating our hamburgers or salads, they approached us and spent quite a bit of time telling us who they were.  They asked who we were.  "Well," she said, "If you are LDS you must know a Brother Bingham."  We haven't met him yet, but evidently he has invited them to church with him a few times.  They did go.  We really don't know many of the members from the other two wards very well.  They each have a set of missionaries and we spend our time with the YSA branch.

After our lunch we brought Bro. Beames to our apartment and we talked about his new role as coordinator of CES throughout Alaska.  He has all but Anchorage.  We talked about the cut in financing.  And he told us he is in charge of all training of teachers.  That takes away from one of our assignments we were told we would be doing when we received our call.  However, he does want us to visit and help still in the outlying wards and branches when needed.  The Stake will still have us go as often as we can to the outlying branches and stakes as well, at least up to twice a year if that's possible financially.  We also worked on learning the churches vydio conferencing system.  It really is very well put together.  We had fun learning how to toggle our screens and show each other what we were looking at while seeing each other very much like Skype.  However the picture quality seemed to be much better in spite of the signal going from here to Salt Lake City and back up here to us.

We received approval from Seattle to make our trip to Yakutat.  We will do that for four days the second week of November.  I purchased the Alaska Air tickets yesterday as well.  Bro. Beames wants us to go to Wrangell and Ketchikan the first of the year. 

Bro. Beames Visit

Brother Scott Beames is the CES Coordinator for everything in Alaska with the exception of Anchorage.  He has been on an evaluation visit to Craig, and to Ketchikan and is now spending Wednesday through Saturday here in Juneau.  He is a young enthusiastic CES educator with lots of personality and a very positive outlook in so many things. 

He visited our seminary yesterday and sat in on Sister Lynn Hirschi's lesson.  Afterwards he spend quite a bit of time giving her suggestions and ideas.  Sister Hirschi was very nervous but went ahead with her lesson just fine. 

Diane and I spent the day with our final preparations for our lessons.  She will be teaching a seminary class this morning.  Last evening I taught a very sparsely attended Institute class.  Our Freshman boy from Valdez, Matt, rode his bicycle from the campus. His usual ride was with many others in the YSA on the temple trip to San Diego.  We also had Michael.  He came without the missionaries tonight.   And so I unloaded the lesson on the two of them.  I found myself having to dummy down so that Michael could understand.  I had to give him my scriptures as he wasn't finding anything in his own and I would help him find things.  But he is recognizing the spirit of the church and wants to learn. 

I taught half of the time and Bro. Beames taught the other half.  The missionaries came towards the end as did Robert and Sawa Francis.  He is the 2nd councilor in the YSA Branch. 

Diane put together a wonderful snack plate that was close to a full dinner.  She had her specialty salad and a Mormon Potato dish.  There was pumpkin pie and strawberries and whip cream. 

Missionary Prep Changes Each Week

The faces that show up for missionary preparation class are like being in a terminal at the Greyhound bus station.  Nia texted me that she has a bug of some sort.  She has almost completed her application online.  Leti and Marshall have been to every session, and they are going to need every session to be ready.  They are such babes in the woods when it comes to gospel knowledge.  But they have so much faith.  We added Vika.  She bore a wonderful testimony in Family Home Evening on Monday.  She attended General Conference with a few of the others.  She actually stayed with relatives in Herriman, near our home when we aren't being missionaries.  She mentioned in her testimony that she wanted to go on a mission. 

Actually they print in the Sunday Sacrament meeting program that anyone interested in going on a mission should see Elder and Sister Waldron.  I think that mentioning that in her scriptural thought on Monday was her way of notifying me.  She is a sophomore at the University of Alaska S. E. here in Juneau.  She graduated from High School a year early and is very good at expressing herself.  So she came to our missionary preparation class last evening.  She turns 19 in February.

We talked about the importance of having the Holy Ghost with us as missionaries.  We actually had to back up and explain the Holy Ghost, who he is, what his purpose is and how we can have him with us not only when we need him, but at all times.  We went into some bit of depth on the Spirit of Christ.  We talked about how every being is born with the Spirit of Christ and that if they are living a type of life that we could say they are trying to be good, they will recognize truth when they are presented with it. 

I then gave them the assignment to read the Joseph Smith History for next week.  The boys are quite vague on the specifics. 

After the prayer it was interesting to hear Vika say, "I actually felt the spirit tonight."  And she meant it.  We stayed around the table again and they really talked again.  The boys don't read in the scriptures much, if at all.  Leti commented how when he was in our meetings he feels so good and wants to be a better person.  He then said that when he leaves the building he quickly feels like his old self again.  I know that reading the scriptures each day can fix that.  He actually fears being involved in a shooting here.  He said he would like to someday go back to Oakland.  I asked, "Why?  The young people in Oakland can be mean to each other and there is a gang orientation to the city." 

He said, "I know.  I want to stay here until I'm older, and then I want to go back home." 

We talked about where the shootings occur and at what time of the day.  I tried to impress upon him to not be out at those times of the day.  He said, "Sunday they can happen at any time."

My response was, "That is an easy one.  Be here with us on Sundays."  I then explained to him why we were trying to have so many activities with them.  It keeps them with young people with the same goals and values.  And it helps to strengthen their resolve to live with the Spirit of the Holy Ghost.    We can see them on Sunday, Monday, Tues, Wednesday and on Friday they have a group activity night.

Diane made a chip dip of artichokes hearts, green chilies, and Parmesan cheese and mayo.  She also made some chocolate chip cookies.  The kids stayed and talked until they were all gone.  We really enjoy getting to know them and being with them. 

Oh the Trials

It is cold outside.  It is in the low 30's and high 20's.  The snow has backed up the mountain a bit.  But the air is nippy.  The puddles are icy in the mornings. 

We have our supervisor coming to do an in-service for the stake seminary teachers.  There is also Stake Conference this coming week-end.  I have no idea where we are going to do the in-service.  I was told we would be fine by the Stake Presidency first councilor.  But everything seems to be scheduled.  I am trusting it will all work out.  We are kind of in the air on our next visit.  We need to go to Yakutat.  The approval is slow in coming.  I'm sure it will work out. 

Our home evenings have been conducted by the young people themselves.  They are anxious to get together but these events are often very unorganized and not much happens.  We adults have kind of taken the bull by the horns and interjected gospel topics and themes the last several weeks.  When our family group leader was finished with the announcements last evening she mentioned that was all unless someone had a spiritual thought.  So I took the opportunity to dissect D&C section 4.  We have a few who want to go on missions but their attendance is sparse and their knowledge is weak.  A few of the returned missionaries picked up what I did and sliced and diced a few of their favorite scriptures as well. 

Sister Francis talked about the blessings that come from serving.  She used the 12 chosen apostles when Christ granted 9 of them to preach and teach until they became 72 years of age when they would return to their Father in Heaven.  Then she explained why the three Nephites were "More Blessed."  She did such a good job and the room was full of a peaceful spirit. 

We then had banana splits.  They really enjoyed that treat. 

One of the young ladies will be 19 in March.  She bore testimony of what she felt while attending General Conference and seeing all of the Sister Missionaries.  She mentioned she didn't want to be called to Temple Square.  I told her how wonderful that mission is.  She doesn't really attend regularly with the YSA branch.  I think she is attending the Tongan ward more than ours.  I asked her if she would like to join the Mission Prep class and she said she would.  So we have one more coming tonight. 

We loved talking to four of our kids on Sunday.  Matt had his 39th birthday.  It was so good to hear his voice and visit.  Gregg, Amy and Erik each spent some time with us on the phone.  These little visits really pick us up.  I tried to get ahold of our grandson, Max.  He turned 11 yesterday.  I had to settle for an e-mail greeting as no one would answer the phones. 

My sister, Shauna and her husband, Craig, took mother to visit with her remaining siblings in Socorro, New Mexico.  Her brother Paul and his wife Marolyn traveled from Kansas.  The pictures showed a wonderful reunion.  Those pictures really lifted me and brought back a lot of precious memories. 

We are well.  We exercise.  We stay warm.  The trick is to stay busy.  We work at that.

Weather Change

Each day as we look outside of our apartment, we notice the snow is creeping down the mountainside.  Little by little it is closer to where we will be taking our steps.  And it is noticeably colder.  The lows are in the low 30's and the highs are in the high 30's.  This is the mountain just to the North of us.

This is the same mountain directly behind our apartment looking west.

We fed the elders last night at 5:00 p.m.  Elder Springer is on the left.  He is from Utah and came to Juneau from the MTC about a month before we did.  His new companion is Elder Knudsen from Kansas.  He has been in Alaska for 10 months.  He has a wonderful voice. 

 

After our meal of jambalaya and some other good stuff, Elder Knudsen left us a message from Isaiah. 



 

I had not quite finished washing the dishes when Landon came.  He has been taking the Temple Preparation lessons from Diane.  She gave him the final lesson.  He will be going to San Diego with many of our other YSA members for a Temple trip and experience next week. 

 

A mission is not about a place.  It is about the people we serve.  We wake up in the morning and the mountain to the side of us is still there.  It may have taken on a different color, but it is still there.  But some mornings we wake up and the people we have been enjoying being with are not there. 

 

Sean is a 19 year old Tongan who grew up in the gang circles of Los Angeles.  He literally feared for his life, and who he was 4 years ago, and so he fled to Juneau.  He has some relatives living here.  Through some great friend shipping and missionary work, Sean joined the church two years ago.  His personality is happy and fun to be with.   He is a good leader for the other Tongans.  He wanted to attend our missionary prep classes, and has done so for the past three weeks.  But he missed on Tuesday.  Nia told us that circumstances were such that he had to go back to Los Angeles.  He will be with his mother.  Last night the missionaries told us he has found the YSA branch and one of the members is a friend of Elder Knudsen's.  He had called them to let them know he would be alright.  This member had been in the MTC with Elder Knudsen and he recently had to return home because of some allergies he had picked up in South Carolina.  But this missionary has latched on to Sean.  I know the Lord works his tender mercies to bless those who believe in him and follow his teachings.  When the connection was made, the missionary who had been in S. Carolina said to Sean, "Hey tell Elder Knudsen I still think he's ugly."  I guess that's the way good friends let each other know they still care for one another.

The Mount of Transfiguration

This is A J Collins.  He is our Elder's Quorum President.  He is a mainstay in our branch.  He works as an accountant at a precious metals mine office.

This is Brad Allpin.  He too is a mainstay.  He and A J are both return missionaries.  Brad is the Wells Fargo Branch manager a couple of hundred yards down the road between our apartment and the church.  He credits his re-activation to Amanda Mosher who also works at another Wells Fargo branch.  Amanda joined the church in June.  She chided Brad that she was more active than him and it caused him some reason for thought.  I don't think he has missed a thing we have done since we have arrived in Juneau.

This is Elder Knudsen.  He is from Kansas and is a vocal music education major at Kansas State.  I think that's the Wildcats.  He sang "A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief" for us at the close of our home evening on Monday.  He has a wonderful voice and a very wonderful personality.  His companion is Elder Springer and they are assigned to our YSA branch.  We were sorry to learn that Elder Franks was transferred but are happy to have Elder Knudsen with us.

This is Jamie and Zak Kirkpatrick.  Jamie is the daughter of our Branch President, David and Jerilynn Olsen.  Zak is the son of our seminary teacher Bernie Kirkpatrick.  She is teaching the juniors and seniors.  They are students at the U. of A. S.E. 

Landon Goodman is another of our stalwarts in the branch.  He lives with A J and Brad.  Landon has recently become active and is attending Temple Preparation classes that Sister Waldron is teaching.  He is going with others in the branch to San Diego next week.  They are doing a temple trip and staying with the Schindlers.  The Schindlers were the CES missionaries here in Juneau prior to our arrival.

We met Michael two weeks ago at Institute.  The missionaries brought him.  He has been with us since.  He has asked the missionaries to meet with him each lunch hour to discuss the gospel.  He is a Tlingit Indian and has plans to become a dentist. 

Diane and I are very grateful to have this health fitness center not too far from our apartment.  It is about a 5 mile drive but it gives us a chance to take care of our fitness needs. 


Last evening in Institute we discussed "It Is Not Got Goes Into the Mouth That Defiles A Man, But That Which Comes Out."  After a very wonderful discussion on that and "As A Man Thinketh" we moved into the next chapter, "The Mount of Transfiguration."  I think I learned more studying this subject than I expected too.  I more fully understand this event paralled what happened to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery in the Kirtland Temple in Ohio.  There is a tremendous amount of preparation put into being ready for this Institute class.  I know I way over prepare, but I have to be ready for what direction the discussion may take us. 

Diane fed them some chicken coleslaw, some grapes, rolls and a raspberry delight dessert that was scoffed up very quickly.  She is so creative when it comes to this assignment.  She hasn't repeated a food presentation yet. 

Tuesday was a big day for her as she also went shopping and did the wash. 

The snow is creeping down the mountain side.  It appears a bit lower each morning and is now only a couple of hundred feet above us.  Our temperatures are usually in the mid to upper 30's in the mornings and seldom get above 42 degrees during the day.  I wore my trench coat this morning just to get a feel for it.  I am going to like it.

Chewin' the Fat

We held our third Missionary Preparation class with our prospective missionaries this evening.  Nia, Marshall and Leti are hanging in there.  Nia is filling out her papers.  Marshall is a convert of 18 months.  Leti is a reactivated member.  We lost Aaron.  He had been commuting between Seattle and Juneau.  His Father works for the airlines and that made it possible.  It wasn't what he was hoping I guess and he is staying home in Seattle. 

We discussed the importance of being obedient and having faith.  Along with being obedient and faithful we discussed the cause and effects of keeping commandments.  They already had heard of the special rules that missionaries follow. 

The thing Diane and I enjoyed the most was the three of them stayed and chatted for about 40 minutes after we finished the lesson.  Diane had made a plate of cookies, cheese and crackers and ginger snaps and brownies.  They just chatted and snacked.   The two boys are pretty novice in their gospel knowledge but are very willing to learn and participate.  Nia could leave tomorrow and be successful.

I didn't take this picture but was really impressed with it.  As of yet, we haven't seen the Northern Lights.  But I have downloaded an app on my Droid that let's me know when I can see them.  The trouble is it is always when I want to be asleep.  The picture was taken in Whitehorse, Canada on Sept. 3, 2012.  When we were in Whitehorse last month the Aurora Borealis was going quite well.  It was our luck to have a heavy night of cloud cover. 

A Fun Home Evening

Nia and Amanda planned a wonderful Home Evening activity.  We played Conference Jeopardy.  They had categories in Hymns, Talks, Music, Miscellaneous and Speakers.  Our young people really had a fun time.  Two of them had been to SLC and attended conference in person.  Noni was most impressed with the reference that 21,000 people in an auditorium can show when the Prophet comes into the room.  Dexter was so excited to have been able to hear the speakers and see them in person.  he couldn't believe he now has actually seen the Mo Tab.  That's what he called them.  He's been a member since February. 

We have had transfers for the missionaries and all three sets of Elders here received one new missionary.  Elder Knudsen has been assigned to our YSA branch.  We lost Elder Franks.  Elder Knudsen is a vocal music major and President Beesely told me he has a wonderful voice.  I asked him if he would sing the closing number.  He chose "A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief."  He has a wonderful voice and a wonderful pleasant personality. 

Diane spent the afternoon baking these wonderful ginger snaps and a batch of brownies.  The kids love it when they see her cookies and cakes.

The Sabbath

Sunday is a very busy day.  We have our Branch Council at 8:15 a.m.  Priesthood, Sunday School and Sacrament fill out our Sunday Block.  I enjoy ending with Sacrament meeting. 

I received a text from our Gospel Doctrine teacher just as Priesthood was about to begin.  She was ill, throwing up, and not able to teach.  She said the lesson was #41 in the manual.  I checked the manual out of the library and spent half of the Priesthood meeting going over the material.  I was a bit rattled as I tried to organize it in my mind.  However, I can testify that if you do your part, the Spirit will help when the time comes.  Even as I started the lesson I wasn't sure how I was going to pursue this.  I'm one that takes a week of mulling over data before trying to organize it and then present it. 

I had spent a final block of time Wednesday evening in Institute testifying to the importance of reading the scriptures, and especially the scriptures for the class before coming.  I used the analogy that Elder Uchtdorf used in describing living the gospel.  "You cannot live the gospel like the boy who dips his toe in the water and then claims to have gone swimming."  The Gospel Doctrine lesson focused just on that life-style block.  You can't place your scriptures on your bedside table and tell yourself that you are studying from the scriptures.  Well, it all worked.  I was nervous, but it all worked.

Word is out that we are teaching a missionary prep class on Tuesday evenings.  Others want to attend as well.  It appears that we will start a second class on Saturday mornings in about 3 weeks. 

We had our break the fast pot luck dinner at 5:00 p.m.  The kids are very helpful in bringing food.  We always have food left over.  There is always enough that our 4 missionaries can eat too.  They were preparing for a baptism.  (A high school senior had told her parents yesterday morning that she wanted to be baptized.  She was baptized last evening at 7:00 with a full room of family and friends to support her.)  After our break the fast meal I took the YSA branch into the relief society room and showed Elder Holland's fireside talk from September 3rd.  They were very attentive and anxious to hear the words of an Apostle.   His way of showing that ones heart must be very close to the Savior as well as ones lips.  He illustrated that we should never check our religion in at the door with three vocal vignettes. 

Eating Out

One of the big challenges is to find an eating establishment that we enjoy.  Lots of the eateries have shut down for the tourist season.  We have driven by the Canton almost daily since arriving in Juneau and decided to give it a try.  All I have to say about that is this:  Big Mistake!  The sweet and sour pork looked like heat impacted malt balls and tasted somewhat better than cardboard pellets.

We have enjoyed good weather this week until yesterday.  It has begun to rain again and the temperatures are now in the high 30s and 40s. 

Lots of our time is spent at the computer preparing lessons and doing reports.  Diane has to keep tabs on each of our seminary classes in the stake.  Our stake goes from Ketchikan on the south to Whitehorse, Canada on the north.

The Bread of Life

Ouch!  I left my glasses on the floor beside my books on Tuesday evening.  One of the kids attending the Missionary Preparation lesson unknowingly stepped on them.  Fortunately the lenses are fine, but the frame is history.  I was able to find a place that can order in another frame in about 10 days.

The Bread of Life was part of the Institute lesson last evening.  We started with the 5th Article of Faith and discussed how Inspiration is the tool used to call members of the church to a calling.  We then talked about the call of the Apostles of Christ in Judea and the Apostles of our own time.  That led to sustaining those who are called.  Sustaining can be a wonderful topic.

But the topic I loved presenting the most was the Savior's sermon on "the Bread of Life."  I enjoy the way it is told in John chapter 6.  So often we are consumed with the bread of daily sustenance that we forget that we can have the Bread whereby we shall never hunger or thirst if we but recognize it and then partake of it. 

The Jews saw Christ work miracles among them as the blind were made to see, the lame to walk, the rose again, and devils were cast out from among them.  Many were healed by simply touching the hem of his garments as he passed.  And then they saw him feed 5000 men and their women and children from 5 barley loaves and 2 fishes.  They recognized power.  But they wanted that power to lead them to freedom from the oppressions of the Roman government and provide for them forever.  They tried to force him to be the leader of entitlement and a life of ease.  (Feed us this bread that we will not hunger or thirst again.) 

I felt better about this week's lesson.  It helps not to be distracted by events of the day that can get you down.  Last week I had been distracted.

When the Savior explained that he was the Bread and that they must eat of his flesh and drink of his blood, they could not think past the visualization of actually eating and drinking Jesus.  The true meaning was hidden from them because they did not have that spirit to understand.  He was talking of Coming Unto Him in Spiritual things and following his teachings and a way of life.  It was hard to understand.  Even though they had seen so many miracles personally, and had witnessed the power of Jesus to miraculously feed a multitude, they murmured and wanted a 'sign.'  It was too hard, the things they had been told and at that time, many of the Jews ceased to follow him any longer.  But the Apostles, when asked if they too would leave, had the testimony and wisdom to respond differently.  "Unto Whom shall we go?  Thou hast the words of eternal life." 

Diane had a wonderful plate of food for the 20 that were there.  They really compliment her culinary skills.  The missionaries even brought an investigator.  I didn't know who he was and I had him reading from the scriptures right along with the others.  He did great.

Missionary Prep Lesson #2

Diane was loaded with things to do yesterday.  She is teaching this morning and spent a good deal of time yesterday finalizing her lesson.  She did our wash as well.  We are fortunate as the washer and dryer are just outside our apartment door.  She also did the shopping for groceries. 

I prepared for the missionary preparation class that was held last night.  Four 19 year old priesthood holders and a 20 year old sister attended.  They all five have very humble personalities.  They boys are a bit timid in the gospel still.  It's hard to get them to remember to bring their scriptures.  The concept of a journel is hard to take root.  But they are trying and looking forward to serving missions.  Our young sister, Nia, is so excited and is right where she should be in her preparation.  She is a driving force in keeping many of our young people actively participating.  She commented that with all of the 19 year old sisters now able to serve a mission, she would be the old maid of those entering the mission field.

I went to the Breeze, a local fast food place with an incredible assortment of baked goods, and bought a half dozen doughnuts, maple bars and sugar twists.  They all had colds but gobbled them right up.  I guess if I had been a better example I would have given them each an orange. 

Conference

The day after conference is different.  For two days we have been spiritually fed in front of our television in our own home.  But we must get back to our routine. 

We missed Saturday morning as we were flying home after having checked in too late at the airport for them to adequately move our luggage.  But we did view all of the conference sessions after that.  I watched the Priesthood session of conference on the computer, as BYUtv didn't seem to be carrying it.  I am not sure what was going on at the Stake House. 

So Tucson will be getting a temple.  That is wonderful.  And missionaries can leave at the discretion of a bishop when they reach the age of 18 if they have a high school degree or the equivalent.  That will certainly change the numbers down the line of time in many ways.  I see it changing how many women go on a mission.  It will change the way colleges recruit for athletics.  It hopefully will help our young people do their higher ed in a single block of time and then get on with their family making.  Will it help them to get out of the habit of hanging out?  We'll see.  There will be many changes for our young people I can't even begin to think about. 

I was watching "The District" on BYUtv between sessions yesterday.  They were covering a young Elder Christensen.  I recognized him immediately as our friends grandson.  I taught his mother at Brighton High School and became acquainted with Reed and Kathleen Thacker as they would diligently come to Parent Teacher conferences.  It was fun to hear the story of Elder Christensen as he faced the challenge of serving a mission or pursuing a Rock Band lifestyle.  And they interviewed his parents who are in Florida.  Kathleen tells me it is a series and will keep going on Sunday evenings at 6:30 p.m.  I will try hard to remember to turn the TV on at 4:30 p.m. Alaska time.  (Whoops!  We missed the first one.  We were teaching a Temple Preparation lesson to a young man who will be traveling to San Diego to go to the Temple for the first time this month.)

Diane taught the Temple Preparation lesson this afternoon.  She did a great job of preparing Landon for the sacred things of the Temple.

Conference lifted me up as it always does.  But I especially love to hear from the members of the Twelve Apostles and the First Presidency.  These special witnesses of the divinity of the Savior ring my Spiritual Bell loudly.  I am in awe at the wisdom they each possess and the way they so eloquently teach us. 

CES Instruction In Anchorage

This is Allison Holtkamp.  We met her at the Sandpiper for her lunch time and treated her to lunch and delivered to her a gift from her mother.  We were both very happy to see each other.

On our flight to Anchorage it was very cloudy.  However we came across an open space and there in that open space was a glacier.  You can see the long finger looking figure near the center on the left.

This is Elder and Sister Campbell.  They are from Northern Utah and do a lot of the office work in the Anchorage Alaska Mission Office.

Elder and Sister Ferrin are from Mesa, AZ.  This is their second mission to Anchorage.  Ten years ago they actually were in the same apartment building that we are now in.  They wanted to come back but this time in the office.  They will be replacing the Campbells who will be going home in December.  The Herrin's are learning the office ropes.

The Palmers are from Mesa AZ and helped us a great deal while we were in Anchorage.  Bro. Palmer manages the mission fleet of Subarus and Malibus the missionaries use.  He brought a Subaru Legacy to us at the airport for us to use while we were in Anchorage.  Sister Palmer keeps the housing up and helps with the logistics of transfers and a tremendous amount of other things.

Bro. Eric Bacon organized the instruction for our Friday in-service session.  He was very interesting and full of enthusiasm.   I think you can see that on his face.

I have been looking forward to meeting Scott Beames since July.  He invited us to participate in the In-Service sessions he conducted then.  We did so in our casuals and sitting in lounge chairs.  Now we are not so casual and we sit on Samsonite church chairs.  Bro. Beames is our coordinator.  He lives and teaches in Palmer, Alaska just outside of Anchorage about 30 miles. 

You can see a channel of water below us.  It is part of the Inland Passage and Juneau is down there to the right a bit. 

We traveled to Anchorage, Alaska for a CES coordinator’s In-Service meeting that was held in the University of Alaska Institute.  It ended up being a trip of bloopers. 

The missionaries over the mission vehicles met us at the airport and gave us the keys to a Subaru Legacy.  We followed them to the Mission Office, which was still quite a ways from the mission home.  They drew a map for us and after a small Carl Jr.’s burger, we made our way to the mission home.  We were able to sit in on the meeting with President and Sister Beesley and his assistants, and the mission home help, as they went over the transfers for the mission.  That happens about every 6 weeks.  We were sad to hear that each of our three sets of missionaries are losing one to this transfer.

We met the Palmer’s.  They take care of the vehicle fleet and the housing for the missionaries, the Campbells who assist in the mission office with lots of things.  And we met the Ferrins who will replace the Campbells in a few months. 

After the transfer meeting we had a nice dinner with the Assistants to the Pres., President and Sister Beesley and each of we senior couples.  Elder Campbell told me to activate my voice mail.  He said dial 611 and follow the directions.  I did and somehow the SIM card gave out on me.  I was beginning to panic at having to find where we needed to be without the use of my phone’s GPS Navigator.

We stayed the night in the mission home.  The bed was small and it may be the worst night’s sleep I have had in years.  I was anxious not having my navigation application from the phone.  We managed to lock ourselves out of the mission home when we left.  We didn’t realize we had to unlock the door when we went out.  After about 10 minutes we finally got Sister Beesley’s attention and she let us back in to get the rest of our things. 

We found an AT & T store on our way to the Institute Building.  They replaced the SIM card and got us on our way.  We arrived 5 minutes late to our meeting. 

The meeting was wonderful.  Several of the CES employees presented some teaching methodologies and pedagogies.  I enjoyed the 5 hours with them very much.  Our supervisor, Scott Beames is very mindful of us and offers lots of positive reinforcement.  The area coordinator from Seattle, Greg Bishop met with us and taught us as well.  He had met us in our hotel in Seattle when we were traveling to Alaska.  He just wanted to meet us and get to know us that day.

We made our way back to the mission home with the help of our GPS on the phone.  We called to make arrangements with the other senior couples to eat out near the airport and then they took us to our flight.  The assured us we only needed to arrive 30-40 minutes early.  Well we arrived at the check in desk with 35 minutes before the flight left, and they refused to check on our luggage.  So here we are in a hotel and we will be flying out at 8:00 am in the morning.  I guess we’ll have to read about that session of General Conference.  The plus is, I am watching the second half of the Utah State vs BYU game here in the hotel.

We did stay at a very nice hotel, the Crown Plaza.  We didn’t really get to enjoy it as when our heads hit the pillow we were out like a light.  I didn’t wake up until 5:00 a.m. when we received our wake-up call.  We did arrive in plenty of time for us to check in our luggage this time.

The weather was terrible and so our 8:00 a.m. scheduled flight was delayed for an hour.  We just sat in the cabin and read while the pilot would periodically check on the weather and let us know our projected status.  Finally at 9:00 a.m. we started on our way.  We just got part way down the tarmac and he hits the brakes enough to cause us to skid.  An announcement came on the speakers that they needed a doctor as there was a medical emergency on board.  I never did hear what the emergency was but we did see them remove an Indian man on a medical evac wheel chair. 

We had to wait for clearance from Seattle where they re-did the paper work for a flight with one less on it.  At a quarter to 10:00 we finally got off.  It was nice to finally be in our own apartment with our own familiar surroundings.

The Parables

Institute was a surprise last night.  We only had seven in attendance.  Several have flown to SLC to attend conference.  Several more have returned home following their summer employment.  The final cruise ship of this tourist season left the Juneau harbor on Wednesday with her wake and tax dollars following closely behind.  We had several who chose to prepare for mid-terms.  It really was good to have the seven we did have.

Diane prepared a wonderful macaroni salad and cut up some vegetables.  She made a wonderful cake on a cake sheet and put some treats inside it and some frosting on top.  She prepared for 20 like we have been experiencing.  We had a lot left and were sending it home with whoever we could convince to take it home with them.

I felt very good about the first chapter, chapter 9, but when it came to the Parables, I don't think I was prepared enough.  This was the first time I returned to our apartment feeling I hadn't taken things deep enough.  Thank goodness our branch president was there.  Twice he took the parables we were talking about to a level I had chosen not to go to.  Pres. Olsen and his wife contribute so much and are truly vested in the YSA branch.

Tuesday evening we started a Missionary Preperation class in the church.  I think we will do that in our apartment in the future.  The 3rd ward had Mutual and there were a lot of children under that age running through halls and being noisy.  It made it tough. 

We had three attend that Missionary Prep class.  Nia Ma'ake brought her cousin who is trying to earn money here for the mission.  He is from Seattle and flies back and forth often.  His father works for the airlines and he can comfortably do that.  He was a very sharp kid just out of high school.  He came to Institute as well. 

A wonderful treat for us, especially me, was the lunch we had with a past high school student I taught my final year of teaching at Brighton high school.  Allison Holtkamp also went to Europe with the Utah Ambassadors of Music in 1999.  She is so happy and excited about her life here in Alaska.  She lives for her theater experiences and works jobs to help support that acting career just like so many do.  We chatted about the past we had together.  We kind of have a mutual admiration society between us.  I loved her when she was a high school student.  And she tells me I was her favorite teacher.  (That's what I would tell me).  Our hour went by way to fast for me.  I gave her a gift her mother sent up with me.  It was a wonderful hand stitched framed piece of cloth representing some sort of bird.  Allison understood it. 

We did watch the presidential debates between Romney and Obama prior to leaving for Institute.  It is quite important to us this year because of the direction our country has been going recently.

Here are the pictures we took returning from Whitehorse, Canada to Skagway, Alaska.

Diane in front of Emerald Lake.  These emerald colors in the midst of the blue water color are caused by a layer of mineral coating on the bottom of the lake.

This too is Emerald Lake.  The color of the water here is heavily affected by the reflection of the cloudy sky above it.

 It was so beautiful I guess we felt it needed to be shot without the human props.

 This is a shot outside of Carcross Canada.  The amount of sand really surprised us.  We were higher in elevation by several thousand feet.  I think we were at about 3000 to 4000 feet.  But it was referred to as a desert compared to Skagway.  They get more rain than our home of Utah, but not near what Skagway gets.

The mountains were magnificent.  The colors in the sunshine were like eye candy.

 These cliffs on the other side of this lake are made of limestone.  I believe this lake is called something like Lagish.  It was huge.

 This Island in the middle of this British Columbia lake is called Boone Island.  The lake was originally called Boone Lake but later changed to the original Native name.  Boone was an Italian officer in an exploring calvary.

The same lake.

Missionary Preparation

We had our first Missionary Preparation class last evening,  Three young Tongans showed up.  Nia is the sweetest young woman you could meet.  She attends everything.  She has begun to fill out her forms on the internet.  Sean came here from Los Angeles four years ago.  He came to escape the gang culture.  He joined the church two years ago.  He has a smile that will take him where ever he wants to go.  Aaron is Nia's cousin.  I'm not sure if he attends another ward or what.  Last evening was the first we had ever met him.  But he had all of the answers and a good knowledge base.  Nia came with her scriptures ready to go.  Sean and Aaron did not so we got them some from the library. 

The committment to go on a mission is such a big one for a young man or woman.  There is so much to accomplish.  Those who have had the advantage of the gospel in their home have an easier time of it.  We had a wonderful time with these three anxious young people. 

Here are more pictures from our trip last week-end.  These are from Skagway up to Whitehorse, Canada.

The weather was rainy and the clouds hung over the mountains like frosting hangs to cake.  We came across numerous places where the standing water created beautiful pools. The trees were stunted in their growth because of the elevation.  The lower we got, the higher they became.

 For several miles it was one pool after another.  The dirty look to the water was due to the color of the clouds and the reflection off of them.  They were actually clean water pools.

This branch building is beautiful tongue and groove woodwork throughout.  The chapel is on the diagonal and very attractive.

Vic Lecheminant is the recently called seminary teacher.  He is so anxious to do the job right.  He is a computer techie for the city of Juneau.  He hasn't been as active in the church recently.  This call will be wonderful for him.  I understand from the members the 5 seminary kids in the branch adore him.

This home of Tom and Patti Hirsch's is about 12-15 miles outside of the city center.  Tom built it himself.  It has absolutely everything you could want except for a dishwasher.  We spent the night with them and visited until I couldn't keep my eyes open any longer.  They are wonderful people and if we were to live near them I know we could become fast friends.

This is Patti and Tom Hirsch with Sister Waldron.  We had just finished Sacrament meeting.  We looked at our clocks and realized that if we left we could make the Skagway ferry that afternoon.  It was about a 125 mile drive.  It would save the church some money and so we scampered on our way to Skagway. 


Diane had attended the Relief Society general meeting.  We had attended a baptism of the Garcias.  I had a wonderful time working with the four young elders assigned to Whitehorse.  We had discussed the Beatitudes during R.S. meeting.  We had gone to the Little's home to practice a piece to sing in Sacrament meeting.  We had spoken in Sacrament meeting and left them with our testimonies.  It is wonderful to be so far away from home, walk into an LDS meeting house, and feel at home.