Canada and Covid

 

  

     I wanted to share a little bit about Jed's adventurous drive to Alaska from Indiana. Kate and Jed will be living in Anchorage for about 12 weeks while he works a temporary job as a nurse anesthetist in Alaska. Kate and the kids flew to Anchorage but Jed drove from Indiana pulling a travel trailer. He had to take a Covid test at the border and wait for results before being allowed into Canada (plus meeting residency and work requirements). Once in Canada he had to take another self-administered Covid test after 24 hrs and drop it at a designated collection site. When he tried to call the helpline for instructions about the test he was #300 in line until the call dropped. He was then #1800 in line when he called back. He missed the deadline but since he was a nurse someone he talked to the next day allowed him to take the test without using the helpline. But he had to drop it off in Edmonton, which was 3 hrs the opposite direction. That added about 7 hrs to his trip. He had 7 days to get through Canada and 24 hours to get through the Yukon or get a $10,000 fine and jail time.  Residents in the towns along the way are told to call the police if they notice anyone with foreign license plates. The restrictions and requirements were very punitive. But Canadians on the highway were very kind. He met truck drivers who gave helpful advice. He ran into a snowstorm and since they stopped plowing roads after April 15, Jed had to buy chains for the truck and trailer. That stretch of road is called Suicide Pass. The truckers were very sympathetic about having to drive through that.  

     At one gas station/RV stop the grill was closed and the only food left was 4 brownies. Jed explained his situation and the employee said he needed a hot meal. So he opened up the kitchen and made Jed a delicious burger and poutine fries (loaded fries with gravy and cheese). When Jed asked for the bill, he told him no charge, he had been through enough. Hurray for a kind man! 

     He did see a lot of wildlife-- Stone sheep, buffalo, fox, caribou, moose and bear. There were long stretches without phone service and without anything downloaded to listen to he thought about talking to the soccer ball (like Castaway).  So happy to have them here now!

      It is getting much lighter very quickly now. We saw this beautiful sunset at about 10:15 p.m. By June 22, sunrise is about 4:20 a.m. and sunset at 11:40 p.m. With twilight, it really doesn't get very dark for most of the night. Most homes have blackout curtains in the bedrooms but the other rooms stay quite light. A sleep mask is a good idea when you come to visit. 

     So many people, both missionaries and Alaskans, are excited about longer days and the prospect of summer. Even though the temperature is still in the 50's, a lot of people are in tank tops, shorts and sandals. It makes me wonder how warm summer will really be. Since it was a sunny day these missionaries were having a district meeting and decided to eat pizza for lunch in the parking lot. A little picnic. 

     One thing I am not looking forward to with warmer weather is mosquito season. It hasn't been too bad in Anchorage. Fairbanks and interior areas can get very bad. We went to Wasilla to work on an apartment for a senior couple coming next week. The mosquitos were huge and aggressive, like dive bombers. They recommend using head nets for hiking during the summer and making sure arms and legs are covered. We are also learning about using bear spray. Some missionaries went hiking last Monday and tried out the bear spray to make sure they knew how to use it. Unfortunately they sprayed it into the wind and it blew back on them. That is really painful. Now they know how to use bear spray. Elder Robinson saw a bear far off the road by the Knik River. Jed saw a bear on his drive through Canada. As long as it is from the car (or in a hotel lobby) I'm okay seeing bears. 

     We were excited to welcome a new senior couple to the mission. Elder and Sister Dewey came from Smithfield, UT and will be serving in Juneau as Family History missionaries. The Binghams from River Heights, UT will be serving with the YSA ward in Wasilla and should arrive May 8. I am glad that more missionaries are able to come out again.

     It is such a blessing to serve as a missionary. I have been thinking of all of the church callings I have had and what I enjoyed most about them. Serving a mission has been the best of all. I love the companionship with Elder Robinson, the feeling of unity in service, the earnestness, enthusiasm and unique talents of the young missionaries, feeling so close to the Spirit and seeing miracles in missionary work moving forward in spite of challenges. Even with periods of discouragement, with patience, things always work out. The missionaries who were supposed to return to the Philippines were rescheduled to leave at the end of the month but a special flight opened this weekend and they were able to return home today. Sister Smith got her Covid test results in less than 24 hours and was able to go to Brazil last Friday. Still waiting for Samoan elders to go home but for right now they don't seem to mind. 

We had Stake Conference today and a man who was baptized on Feb 26, two months ago, spoke. He said that 40 years ago he worked at a Montgomery Ward store just before it shut down. The manager was a member of the church and always treated him with respect and kindness. He noticed how happy and encouraging the man and his wife were. Then about 10 years ago he met another member of the church and noticed the same qualities with him. He called them "beacons of light".  When he was going through a difficult time last year he saw some missionaries and felt it was God tapping him on the shoulder to remind him of what he had felt. He is a black man and said that he had heard negative things about the church in the past but now he felt God was telling him "it's time". He had such an ardent testimony. I am grateful to be reminded that you never know the things you do that touch a person's life. At some point they may realize "it's time" to act on what they felt because of knowing you. So make sure you are doing good things!

     I like this quote by President Hinckley and have thought a lot about it applying to serving a mission. "What appears today to be a sacrifice will prove instead to be the greatest investment you will ever make". We did miss being with family last week for Summer and Joe and Collynn being at that temple. But I don't know when would be a better time to serve a mission. Particularly with Covid, I feel we both are so needed to help missionary work continue. I don't know that we will see the difference we make now either, but I know it must be good because we feel good being here.

      It was funny when Jane was with the family last week June said, "Grandma's not in Alaska she's in the living room". The last time I had seen June I think she remembered me  looking more like Jane. When June and Annie saw me this week for the first time, they both looked confused like "Where is Grandma?". I gave them a hug and after a few minutes Annie asked what I had done to my hair, she wasn't sure it was Grandma. I'm glad we will get reacquainted. I will have to send more pictures and FaceTime a little more too. 

     We love you all and are so happy whenever we hear from you. Time is going by so fast and it seems each day brings something new. We are so grateful for this opportunity to be here. I love the steadfast and faithful members, the hardworking yet fun missionaries, and the goodness of people we meet each day. It is a small sacrifice for what we are experiencing. I have heard you can't give the Lord a crumb without getting a loaf in return. That is true. Sometimes it just takes time to see it. 

We love you!

Elder and Sister Robinson