Happy 46th Anniversary.

This has been a very eventful week. The most exciting thing was being able to go to the Alaska Temple on Jan 2, our 46th wedding anniversary. Even at home it is not often that we are able to celebrate our anniversary by going to the temple. The temple is closed except for living ordinances. Elder Riddle came to his mission in Alaska without being able to go to the temple first because they were closed at that time in Utah. His parents and maternal grandparents flew here from Morgan, UT to attend with him. They were limited to 8 guests and he had room, so he invited us to come too. It is a smaller temple but very beautiful. Another elder and his family were there too, so there was a total of 13 of us attending. They let us see the sealing room and the bride's room as well.  I remembered the day we were married in the Washington DC temple. It was a very cold, snowy blizzard day. So no pictures. It didn't matter what the weather was though because we were so happy to be married. With all of the ups and downs of life, learning to work together, having kids, adjusting to changes in jobs, homes, and stages of life, the one true constant good has been the blessings of the temple. Even being here on our mission we have come to realize the most important thing is the love we have for each other and trust in God. We don't worry so much about things, schedules or accomplishments. It all works out. It was such a wonderful anniversary!

We also had a very fun New Years Eve. We went to Fairbanks to trade out a truck and bring back an SUV. We also were helping missionaries move from 3 apartments in to two. Because one of the other missionary couples were quarantined because of Covid (Bro. Hobbs had the truck and trailer we hoped to use), we rented a U-Haul truck and turned it over to the missionaries to use for the move. I was nervous seeing a 20-year old elder drive off in the big truck. He was really excited. We bought full insurance coverage. They completed the move without any problems and returned the truck on time. 

We stayed in an old time lodge that had a balcony view of the (frozen) Chena River. Since it is too light to use fireworks on July 4th, they have huge fireworks displays on New Years Eve. People sit in their cars on the side of the road, get takeout food and watch the fireworks for about an hour. The hotel also set off fireworks on the river and we had a great view of from our balcony. Easiest fireworks show we have seen. They also will call you during the night if the Northern Lights are visible. It was a full moon so no one saw any lights that night. We'll have to come another time.

We enjoyed having dinner at the Pump House restaurant. During the gold rush in Alaska they would pump water to the mine fields to operate the mining operations. The restaurant had an Old West feel with lots of interesting antiques and stuffed animals. There was a wood carving of a dog sled with dogs hanging upside down from the ceiling. You can see it if you tilt your head. Delicious halibut, shrimp and chowder. 

It was very cold and you needed to cover your face, ears and hands after about 5 min. It was 5 degrees for a high and 14 below for the cold. Most people have an electric cable attached to the engine to heat the oil when the car is parked. The plug comes out of the front grill and is attached to an extension cord that they plug into a block with an outlet. They say to plug in when the temperature is 20 degrees but most people only use it if it is zero or lower.  It is used a lot in Fairbanks. 

The parking lots are also full of ravens. They are scavengers and flock wherever there is food. They love McDonalds and WalMart. They are such a big nasty bird. Not the kind Elder Robinson likes to look for. 

We left New Years Day to drive home. We hoped to leave by noon but it took a little longer getting the apartments ready. We left a little after one. The sun sets at about 3 in Fairbanks and 4 in Anchorage. It is a 6.5 hr drive in good weather. I was worried about having to drive on icy snow-packed roads in the dark. The sun was starting to set at 3 and we were just starting the drive from Denali where the roads were bad. I prayed we could find a car to follow to see the road better. There were some cars very far ahead that we could see every now and then. I was so grateful because the sun continued to shine like it was dusk until 5:15 when we got to Houston and the roads were clear and dry. By then too we had caught up to other cars to follow. I felt so blessed to have enough light to see the road and the lines. We had light when we needed it most. It was about 100 miles of slippery scary roads. I don't know how Alaskans get used to it. There were a lot of trailers parked in small off-road lots with snow mobiles along the way. I think people park their rigs and play in the snow until dark and then just spend the night in their trailers. They call it "snow machining" here. We call it "snowmobiling" in Utah and in Canada it is "Snowdooing" (like Ski-doo).

This was an especially busy week caring for the missionaries. We had 3 missionaries in the same zone who were sick and tested positive for Covid. They were in separate apartments and only one of each companionship was sick. I advised the Mission President to quarantine the whole zone until Jan 8. Normally I have 10-12 calls a week. This past week I've had 35 with a wide variety of problems. I hope next week is better. Even with everything with Covid I am amazed at how the missionaries adapt and adjust to the circumstances. We have an Elder who will be going to Chile this week with about 3 weeks notice. Another was supposed to go to Paraguay in mid-December and has been postponed again until late January. The Samoan missionaries are all back again. The final decision has been to get new visitor visas for each missionary so they can go live with any family they have in the US. There are a total of 268 Samoan missionaries in the US that are stranded. The visas are quite expensive ($1000 or more) but several lawyers have offered to work pro bono and the church will pay the balance. One of the elders here has been serving for 3 years in March. They cannot work or go to school on a visitor visa. But they will be with family.

We took down our Christmas tree yesterday. It looks so bare. I have been happy to see you playing Mexican Train, working on puzzles and eating Chinese food. Remember to post pictures too. I'm glad for Lindsey's January suggestions for goals and birthdays. I think there is a birthday to celebrate every week this month. LeAnn's BD is Jan. 8 and Dad will be 70 on Jan 10. Time is going by so fast but we are moving a little slower. I am so glad to be spending this time together here in Alaska on a mission. I feel that is our gift, to be able to be here. Here are some miscellaneous Alaska pictures. There is usually somethings that makes me smile. 

This sign is an interesting combination. Who would camp at the landfill? Not Kate!!

Caribou on the way to Fairbanks. Elder and Sister Tracy got this picture as they drove up. They were 2 hours ahead of us and got this picture and the beautiful picture of Denali. 

Outside of Fairbanks the tops of all of these trees are snapped off. They look like matchstick stumps. The small tops and branches of the tree freeze and then high winds snap off the frozen pieces. It almost looks like fire has stripped the trees but there are no charred areas. 

This is the almost frozen Nenana River. We walked out on a bridge to see this. It looked so pretty but was 8 below. Elder Robinson needs gloves and ear covering but his Shrute Farms sweatshirt was plenty warm! Thanks Collynn.

As we were driving it looked like beautiful fall orange colors in the snow. It is actually the way the sunlight is shining on the trees. 

Nothing else for this week. I hope you have a great start to the new year. We love you and enjoy hearing from you. 

Love

Elder and Sister Robinson