Still Winter- December 13, 2020

 I think if I could learn to paint I would want to paint sunrises and sunsets. They are so colorful and different every day. I love the feeling of wonder that looking at the sky brings. I also love the way the snow reflects and contrasts so beautifully with the surrounding scenery. 

Everyone says it is hard to enjoy the winter in Alaska, but the summer makes it all worthwhile. I think I was made to be in Alaska because I am really happy here in winter. At least the first month of winter. It is interesting that in Anchorage the temperature range only varies by about 10 degrees and sometimes only 2-5 degrees. So it is as cold mid-day as late at night. When the sun shines though it feels much warmer. 

I wanted to get a picture of the electric plugs some cars have in the front grill to plug in the engine to keep it from freezing (I didn't get the picture though because people were sitting in their car). They use it a lot in Fairbanks where it gets down to 40 below zero. In Anchorage they recommend plugging your car in if it is less than 20  degrees. Not many people do that. Only if the car sits for a long period of time. 

It was transfers this week so Elder Robinson has been really busy making sure apartments have the beds and furnishings they need. He has been trying to upgrade apartments. We went to Wasilla to look at some apartments early in the week. Then on Saturday they moved missionaries out of one apartment into a newer apartment and also switched around another 4 sets of missionaries. He spent all day helping to move. The missionaries do all of the heavy lifting so he mostly supervises. The sisters were so happy to have an apartment with a deck and a view. 

The elders were happy to move into the sisters’old apartment. Their apartment was in a remote part of Wasilla, on well water that was rust-colored. It was pretty primitive. The towns are really spread out. It reminds me if Provo were to extend from Nephi to American Fork. It can take 45 min to drive from one end to the other with a lot of open space in between. But it is all Wasilla.

Whenever we drive, we usually see cars that have slid off the side of the road or are abandoned by the road. Alaska has the highest number of accidents per capital in the US.

 I am glad Elder Robinson is not in charge of cars. There have been 4 mission car accidents so far. Plus there have been 3 break-ins of cars they keep parked in the church parking lot. Nobody has hit a moose yet. When were driving to Wasilla there was a moose crossing the highway and traffic stopped on both sides of the road to let him cross. I tried to get my phone out to take a picture but Elder Robinson said I wouldn't be able to get it driving and shooting from the far side of the car. Can you see I got it? (Not a great picture, but I am getting better at pictures in the car).

I feel like we are getting to know more of the missionaries as some leave and new ones come. The missionaries left us some delicious muffins on our doorstep. I appreciate how they emphasize love and service each day even in small ways.

This picture is Sister Powell. She is from UT. She is the only member in her family. She is the tech specialist who knew nothing about tech when she started. She is so kind and helpful. It was her birthday so we stopped by and gave her a little gift and card. 

She goes home in 3 months. We will really miss her. I admire her strength and conviction to serve a mission and do whatever she is asked to do (and she is so pleasant while she does it). You can feel that she loves people and loves the gospel. She has a wonderful smile behind her mask.

One thing that is exciting is that the missionaries that were unable to go to the temple before their mission are now able to schedule a time to go here. They can invite family from home to come to Alaska and go to the temple with them. What a unique experience for them and their family! I also wanted to let you know that the Samoan missionaries that had to come back are being given some options for staying in the US with family members and serving a stake service mission. It isn't as good as going home, but it will help them to be with some family and get outside of Alaska. They think the next opportunity for a repatriation flight will be late spring. 

I feel so blessed to be here in Alaska at this time. I feel it is a miracle that we were able to leave a month early and get here when we did. We found out Elder Curtis, who left just before Thanksgiving after serving 18 months as both Housing and Finance Coordinator, had a heart attack. It was mild but he was in the hospital several days and had angioplasty. It would have been so hard for the mission to go forward without Elder Robinson and Elder Tracy here to take over his responsibilities. We were here in time for them to learn what to do and for Elder Curtis to get safely home before he had a heart attack. I feel the Lord helps us to be where we need to be. 

I hope you are all enjoying the Christmas season. It is different this year, but I enjoy the slower pace and focusing on why we celebrate Christmas. I'm also grateful for the Book of Mormon and especially for the things I have learned studying through Come Follow Me. It has helped me to read and think about the scriptures each day and to see how the examples and lessons apply to my life. Most importantly it brings me closer to Christ to see what is most important. I hope you have a good week and know how much you are loved.

Love,

Elder and Sister Robinson

Some extra pictures of scenery. I was amazed at this condensation trail that went all the way across the sky. It looked like he was flying forever.

I also thought the name of this cab was appropriate for when you need a cab.

Scott gave me an assignment to find some interesting food pictures this week. So look forward to the blog next week.