Beautiful Downtown Anchorage

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This week Kate and Jed took us out to dinner and then we went for a nice after dinner walk in downtown Anchorage. The flowers are so big and beautiful. There were not many people walking around, although there are a lot of tourists in restaurants. They are really full. It is hard to eat out because there are not many workers. It takes a long time to get seated and then longer to get your food. Many restaurants also have shortages of some of their food items. It is hard for businesses to bounce back after being closed and having to change their business model. We enjoyed eating out but walking around was the best!





It was so busy this past week with transfers. We had 29 new missionaries arrive and 14 of them were sister missionaries. That is the most we have had since we came here. It was also the first we have had everyone meet together in person. It went really well. Elder Robinson was responsible for getting the luggage transferred from the airport. Twenty-six of the missionaries arrived at the same time with 3 pieces of luggage each. We hoped to get a smaller U-haul, but everything has been rented by tourists since there are no rental cars, hence a 26-foot long truck. 


The truck was so tall that Elder Robinson had to park with the larger commercial transport vehicles to load the luggage (the truck was 12 feet tall and the limit underground was 11 feet). Everyone pitched in and they were loaded and on their way in about 20 minutes. I am amazed at the unique experiences we get to have. We also moved a lot of furniture and helped set up apartments for new missionary companionships. There are now sister missionaries in Fairbanks. Also some of the trainer missionaries have only been out for 3 months. Everyone is excited for new challenges. We love to see the excitement of the missionaries and their eagerness to help. They always ask "What can I do to help" or "Is there anything I can do for you". So nice to hear. An interesting side note about helping others this week. Our neighbor across from our garage stopped us as we pulled in on Saturday and asked Elder Robinson if he could drive a stick shift. Her roommate had gone on vacation and left the car in the garage. She needed to move it out until the roommate came back and couldn't drive the car. Elder Robinson was happy to help her with the car. It was an easy fix. I don't think many know how to drive stick shifts anymore. 

We are excited to have David and Krista and their family and Ben and LeAnn and their family here to visit this week. Today was Millie's birthday and it was great to celebrate with them here. We went to church together and then had dinner afterwards at our home. We had Alaskan spot prawns and battered halibut. I'm learning to cook seafood from Pinterest. We also had lasagna and fettucine alfredo (Millie's favorite). We sang Happy Birthday, off-key (just like home), and had cupcakes and ice cream sundaes. We feel so grateful to be able to spend time with family while we are here. We love and miss you all. This week we look forward to going to Seward for fishing, wildlife tour and hiking. Then both families will go to Denali for river rafting and hopefully they will get to see Mt Denali. We hope for good weather! It has been about 60 degrees, cloudy and some rain. Very different from Utah and Idaho.






Spiritual thought: We love being able to share the beauty and adventure of Alaska with those we love. Even with pictures it doesn't show how remarkable the scenery is and how unique it is to be here. I feel like saying "Come and see" because words and pictures don't describe what it is like to be here. I feel the same about the gospel. We like to watch the show "The Chosen" on BYUTV and YouTube. The disciples' message about Jesus is the same, "Come and See". I am grateful for the answers to prayers, the chance to learn more about the restoration of the gospel through Come Follow Me, and to learn spiritual truth, especially in reading the Book of Mormon. There is so much more to life. It has been good to come and see the beauty of the gospel in our lives. We hope you will find ways to come and see increased goodness in your life as you learn more about the gospel too. We love you all!






Love,

Elder and Sister Robinson

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