It Certainly Looks Like Spring

With the temperature registering 37 degrees you wouldn’t, as a seasoned Utahan, say that it feels like spring.  But looking at the beautiful blue skies and the welcome sunshine, which has been prevalent the past four days, you have to think there is a chance of change in the snowy and cloudy conditions that have been prevalent here in Juneau for months now.

The Northern Lights were playing in the skies on Saturday night.  Of course we were sleeping and did not see them, but we heard all about it in church yesterday.  We stayed up later than usual last night in hopes of seeing them for a possible encore.  With books in hand, for reading material while we were waiting for the aurora borealis to appear, we drove to the northern tip of Douglas Island where we could get a clear visual of the northern hemisphere.  Alas!  We had no luck.  Those famous lights precipitated by the events on the sun still hadn’t shown themselves by 10:30 p.m., and it was pitch black.  We had a 5:00 a.m. wakeup call approaching and so we returned to our apartment still having not witnessed this beautiful phenomena.  I had hoped to have some pictures of the lights to post with this missive.

Our investigator, Carl, had to make a trip to Washington to face some charges in court.  He finally opened up to our branch president about the plight he was in.  A beautiful strength of the church is how it looks after the down trodden, even when the down trodden are struggling because of their own mistakes.  Carl was facing extradition unless he showed voluntarily.  Without a job, his ability to get to Washington was small.  Pres. Olsen provided the means for that to happen . . . one way.  Carl is expected to earn the return fare if wants to came back to Juneau, whenever that becomes possible.  Don’t think his violations are felonious as I don’t know that fact.  We only have hopes that this is part of the process to help him on his way to enter the waters of baptism.

The Institute lesson on Wednesday was on 2^nd Peter and 1^st John.  We zeroed in on the steps to obtain a 'Divine Nature' that will allow us to be visited by the Savior and, to have our Savior show to us the Father.  It is a beautiful lesson on precept by precept and line upon line.  The discussion was heavy.  The missionaries were able to be there for about 20 minutes.  Elder Kafoa, a convert from Tonga, grabbed me on Thursday and wanted to know more about this doctrine.  We were able to get together last evening at our 'break the fast' and I showed it to him from 2^nd Peter.  He was so excited to learn about it. 

The poor elder has had back problems his entire mission.  He goes home in two weeks.  Brother Richard Welling, of our branch presidency, gave him a prescription for an MRI.  It turns out he has a serious bulging disc.  We aren’t sure what happens now.

Amanda was at a Friday YSA activity at Auke Bay Park on Friday evening.  We haven’t seen her since the Temple trip to San Diego back in November.  Her parents are so against her having joined the church last June.  She came to the block meetings yesterday.  It was so good to have her with us again.  Her ski instructor job is ending.  She has changed jobs.  She did work at Wells Fargo.  I don’t know what her new job is. 

Nia Ma’ake has been in the MTC for a week now.  You can’t imagine the hole she leaves in the leadership and example of our branch.  We are losing the three Verhagens, Josh, Elijah, and Mary.  They are returning to Fairbanks and they are taking with them our Elders Quorum President, Colt.  He is going to work with them for a while in construction.  I have been feeling a loss knowing these active members of the branch are leaving.  But yesterday we had three active elders show up at the block meetings who have been away to BYU Idaho for the winter.  That will be a boost for us.  We had our first seasonal employee show up at Institute on Wednesday.  He is training to be a bus driver and will soon leave for Skagway.  We expect many others to begin arriving for the summer tourist season.  One of our senior seminary students, Michaela Schlechter, has been hired by a whale watching Tour Company.  She is excited. 

Dexter Wilke, a convert from last February, leaves this week to be married in the Idaho Falls temple to a BYU Idaho student.  She has lived here in Juneau some.  What fun it is to see success stories.

The study this week has been intense.  We are approaching the writings of John the Revelator.  I want to be sure I know what I am talking about when we get into this. 

We held a missionary preparation class on Sunday.  Nick Tracey and his fiancé joined us.  They are both returned missionaries and I was able to make good use of them. 

I continue to get raves from people who enjoy Diane’s cooking talents.  I am often told how lucky I am to have her as a wife.  Don’t I know it? 

We had our break the fast at 5:00 last evening.  The turnout was so so.  After the pot luck meal we met in the Relief Society room where I had Karlyn Welling read an article written by Valerie Hudson Cassler, I am a Mormon Because I am a Feminist.  This is the most beautiful explanation of the importance of womanhood in the LDS church.

http://mormonscholarstestify.org/1718/valerie-hudson-cassler