Back to Normal After Ketchikan

Even though our beds don't feel like our bed at home in Utah, we were happy to return to them after our Ketchikan/Craig trip. 

We have returned to our regular routine and it has been welcome.  Especially enjoyable is the missionary prep class for these priests and laurels we hold on Sunday afternoons.  EmmilyAnne Lowrey, who has gone from wanting to go to SVU, to being accepted and wanting to go to BYUI, now wants to go on a mission out of high school.  She turns 19 in June and could turn her papers in now I believe.  Her non-member father, John, is very supportive of the idea, as is her mother.  She impresses Diane and me with her insight into scriptural doctrines and ideas. 

Our YSA Family Home Evening (FHE) was very well attended.  That always amazes me because they are so haphazardly put together.  In fact, there was no plan so Nini asked if anyone would like to say something.  So for 20 minutes there were short positive experiences shared, some from their seats and some standing.  It wasn't exactly a testimony meeting, but almost. 

The missionaries continue to invite me to join them as they give discussions to Carl Bogren, our Tlingit investigator and recently returned marine.  He has progressed in the past 6 weeks to being on fire with a thirst for knowledge.  He actually reads the assigned reading each time we meet and has very intelligent questions.  I have gone from being skeptical to being aware that he is being touched by the spirit of the Holy Ghost as he learns.  His language is still very Protestant in nature as he prays and discusses the scriptures. After all, he has been one for a long time.  He still has a tendency to try to impress with big words and phrases.  But he wants to change, and he is changing.  He attends the Block meetings faithfully and he also attends Institute weekly.  The material is most times deeper than he can comprehend, but he is so attentive and into what is going on.  The missionaries have been meeting with him twice each week.  This week we taught the Word of Wisdom, Chastity (in all of its forms) and the Keeping of the Sabbath Day Holy.  He agreed with all of them and committed to trying to live these commandments to the best of his ability and knowledge.  His prayer before we left was sweet and from the heart.  It was long and wordy, but sincere.  Tears freely flow when he asks for and applies Moroni 10:3-5.  Elder Thorne challenged him to ask Father In Heaven to help him find a job.  He balked and explained that he didn't feel worthy to ask a menial favor from God.  We did some explaining and he followed through beautifully.

Elders Thorne and Norris asked me where we go next with him.  I think they have a hard time reading a Native American and that is why I am being asked to accompany them.  One short experience with Carl.  We had just taught him a lesson on the Word of Wisdom.  I asked him how the job search was going.  He was so excited to tell us that he thinks he has a job at a smoke shop.  Whoa!  A bit of explaining and comparing it to placing a recovered alcoholic behind a bar to serve drinks.  He got it and said he would keep looking.  It also took us into a discussion on trying to get a job that would allow him to keep the Sabbath day holy.  I could see him let his shoulders drop a bit as this would make his job search a bit tougher, but he is willing to exercise his faith and give it a try.  I called the seminary teacher in Yakutat to see if she remembered him growing up there.  Penny James did remember him.  I asked what she could tell me about him.  It wasn't an unfamiliar story.  He was present and eight years old when he saw his mother's boyfriend shoot her to death.  He was adopted and raised by an Uncle and Aunt.  He was not into trouble, but as he grew through high school he felt unloved and grew more rebellious.  He joined the marines. 

Back to the Elders question.  They asked for advice on what to do next.  My advice was to encourage Carl to set up a date for baptism, possibly a month out.  That won't be the problem.  He would be baptized tonight if we would let him.  But they need to also challenge him to get that job before he is baptized.  I don't feel he is making that enough of a priority.  A.J. Collins, our recently released Elders Quorum President, is generously letting him live in his apartment with two other members of the church.  He is not being charged rent as long as he looks for and gets a job.  I put a scenario before Carl by explaining, "Karl, here is what will happen if you don't pursue a job with more intent.  A. J. will sit down with you and explain that his apartment is a business venture for him.  He uses that to make money.  By not getting a job, or not actively pursuing a job, he will give you an ultimatum that will require you to work or be evicted.  And that will be hard because it will cause hard feelings.  It may even cause you to think less of the church because of that coming discussion.  But hopefully it will not."  He shook his head in agreement and said he understood.  The Elders always seem amazed that I can be so blunt with Carl.  But I believe my earlier missionary experiences with the Navajos have helped me in knowing how to talk with and get Carl's trust.  Small and Tender mercies huh?

Institute, as always, was exciting for me to prepare for and to teach.  The YSA Institute lesson was from the book of Hebrews.  I felt like I could take my time getting into depth, and so I actually spent the entire 90 minutes just giving an introduction to Hebrews.  The three things I wanted them to watch for as we begin to discuss Hebrews were this: 1) The Importance of Knowing that Jesus in literally God's Son, 2) The Superiority of Jesus' Priesthood, and 3) The Superiority of Jesus' Sacrifice.  As we got into these items, the discussion poured from those in attendance.  I even got so excited I had a brain cramp and had Aaron restoring the Aaronic Priesthood to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery.  I have no idea what I was thinking.  The hands went up like lightning when I said that.  I had to stop and ask, "What did I say?"  We all laughed at my senior moment, corrected it and went on.  I wish I could say that's the first time I experienced a dementia short-wave boost.  In spite of that, I felt like it was one of our most fruitful Institute classes. 

Thursday, yesterday, we discussed the Triumphal entry of the Savior on the foal of an ass into Jerusalem.  I just love being able to just sit around the table and introduce a theme and let them take off on it with their discussions.  I have to sometimes take the wheel and get us back on track with the intended lesson.  The pot-luck meal afterwards was very tasty. 

I was talking with Bud Rosenbruch after.  He showed me a picture of three king crabs he pulled out of a pot.  They each were 7-10 lbs.  I asked what king crab sold for and he said it can go to $28 a lb.  That explains why I saw a guy give another $200 for one crab last week while on the ferry.  It just amazes me.  It's no cheaper here than it is at home.  No wonder I never order it.

Sometimes I will get in a mood I guess and wonder at the call we have.  CES is a wonderful call.  But I will spend my time preparing lessons and teaching them and then have a bit of down time and wonder if we are as effective as we are supposed to be.  This caused me to pull out my Patriarchal Blessing and read it, and ponder over it after Institute Wednesday.  I have been teaching that if some were foreordained in the first estate to be leaders, that wouldn't it be expected that we were each foreordained to our callings prior to leaving our first estate to come to earth.  Paul seems to say so.  And how do we know what we were foreordained to?  I suppose that our Patriarchal Blessings could be a reminder of an earlier setting apart, or an earlier ordination.  As I finished reading that blessing, I had the strongest impression that these thoughts were truer than I imagined them to ever be before.  As I look back on my life I realize that by having patterned my life after this blessing, I have been blessed.  I noticed, again, the importance of the home of my youth in my successes, blessings and strengths.  I realized again how blessed I have been because of the faithfulness of my parents and my heritage.  I understand the importance of my name, and the names I have been given by those who love me.  And I love them for it.

Dexter Wilkey will be getting married next month.  He was baptized just over a year ago.  He will be getting married in the SLC temple to a BYUI student from Pocatello and Juneau.  Pres. Olsen gave him a couple of combined temple prep lessons and Diane gave him two additional combined lessons last evening.  His fiancé, Kiera, will be coming next week and Diane has made arrangements to give them the final two lessons while she is here. 

This morning the seminary classes had a breakfast.  Heidi and Michael's class wanted to do a little musical skit they had prepared.  It was fun and these pictures are from that activity.