Here Comes the Sun

This morning one of the seminary girls offered the opening prayer.  She said something like this. "Heavenly Father; Thanks so much for the sunshine.  Living here we don't see a lot of it and we are so thankful to have it."  She was echoing my thoughts exactly.  The snow line is receding up the mountain sides.  The bare bushes and trees are sporting young leaves and the tulips are out.  As a boy I recall this time of year emerging with the accompaniment of a new born colt to the side of the farm mare.  I always loved the arrival of a new colt. 

The ice is coming off of Mendenhall lake and the water is again gushing down every crevice in each mountain.

We have prepared vigorously for tomorrow evening's seminary graduation program.  Diane has worked especially hard getting the certificates, diplomas and the program ready and accurate.  The seminary teachers have given their final lessons from the New Testament.  Heidi and Michael Malin had placed around their room library pictures depicting the events of the entire year's study of the New Testament.  Centered among those pictures was a wonderful portrait of the Savior on a tripod, which set the room off in a very spiritual way.  The kids have been practicing their graduation song with Sister Kirkpatrick.  Yesterday we fed them breakfast.  We bought three big boxes of Eggos at Costco.  We had the toppings and syrups and chocolate milk and juice.  They ate Eggos to their little hearts content.  This morning, our final seminary day of the year, we had a testimony meeting with them.  It took a bit for them to get going, but once they did, many took the opportunity to express their growth during the past school year and to also declare their spiritual beliefs. 

The days of little sunlight are past.  We now see sunlight creeping in through the window shades by 4:00 a.m.  This is the mountain behind us at 9:30 p.m. earlier this week.  You can still see the sun shining on the mountain peak.  We still have a month before the summer solstice.

We did hold our Missionary Preparation lesson on Sunday.  Only one came.  That was our recently called Relief Society president, Nicole Huntsman.  She is very excited upon returning from her second year of school at BYU, Provo, to now go on a mission.  The usual attendees were returning from out of town from high school soccer games and other commitments. 

The Juneau 3rd ward lost their bishop due to the re-organization of the Stake Presidency.  That necessitated a new bishop being called.  Our freshman seminary class teacher has been a wonderful teacher.  But we will be losing her talents because her husband, Reuben Willis, has been called as the new Bishop.  He is a wonderful outgoing and smiling personality and I know the ward will love and serve diligently with him. 

This week I have been preparing an Institute lesson on the Doctrines of the Gospel.  Normally a class would meet twice a week for an hour each time.  A single lesson would be given in that hour.  However we only meet once a week.  We try very hard to get two lessons into an hour and a half.  The lessons this week are on the Holy Ghost and also on our Pre-Mortal Earth life.  When you gather everything together we actually know quite a bit about our life before our birth. 

This is a view of one of the wonderful and quaint streets in Downtown Juneau.  There is a lot of Scandanavian influence on the housing here.  You also see some Russian influence and good old American influence.  Now and then you will also see something very oriental.

The Thursday gospel discussions with our adult class will be centered on the first 8 chapters of the Book of Acts.  I love those chapters.  There are so many wonderful events that are told us in these first chapters of Acts.  The 'New' Christian church dealt with a rapidly growing member base.  It reminds me of not only the early Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, but of the LDS church today.  It is growing so rapidly.

Diane's cooking skills have become a great asset to the Institute.  The kids love her deserts and the things that are set out to the side of them.  We had over sixty attend Sacrament meeting on Sunday.  The Priesthood and Relief Society rooms are full of excited YSA members.  It is an exciting time.  We had a member of the Quorum of Seventy with us Sunday, Elder Call.  He was here to train and work with the recently called Stake Presidency, but spent a lot of time with our YSA branch.

Michael Malin, Jenny Schlechter and Sister Waldron are preparing Eggos for the entire seminary.  We were even inviting the parents who were waiting in the parking lot to pick up their kids, to join us.  We had plenty.  I mopped that kitchen as clean as it has been since we arrived. 

There was lots of fun at Family Home Evening on Monday.  Lete and Marshall gave a lesson on the need for keeping our language clean.  It turned out to be a great lesson as everyone got involved and contributed to the discussion.  Afterwards there was lots of popcorn and some went to the cultural hall to play basketball.  Some went outside to play ultimate Frisbee and some stayed in the Relief Society room to play Family Feud, Battle of the Sexes.

 

Leti (Hotsauce Freddy) likes to pose whenever he knows he is having his picture taken.  Marshall Sargent is hoping to serve a mission here soon.  We really love these two great Tongans. 

We drove up a small canyon behind Downtown Juneau on a rainy Monday.  We had seen mountain goats on the cliffs the day before but the clouds were too low to see them that day.

 

 

  

 

Sister Bernie Kirkpatrick is working with the combined seminary classes to learn a song to sing when they graduate from seminary.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

We love watching the water fall from the mountain side and flow down these conservation flumes and into the creeks which rush out to the waiting Gastineau Channel.

Another week has passed, and another tragedy has occurred in the world.  Our hearts were heavy as we watched images of the destruction in Oklahoma.  So many have been affected with heavy consequences in a matter of minutes.