An Unexpected Halloween Visitor
We were excited to have a ward Trunk or Treat activity on Saturday. It was a bit cold and rainy but most of the ward members said it was good weather (45 degrees and drizzle) for Halloween. At least no snow. We set up our spot and were visiting for about 15 minutes when 2 moose showed up in the field by the parking lot. They were slowly grazing when they started to come toward the cars in the parking lot. Brother Beagley, the Elder's quorum president and a police officer, got in his truck to urge the moose back into the field. We didn't expect to have to chase moose away from the party! One of the members told us that moose love to eat pumpkins. The military base in Anchorage has banned outdoor pumpkin use on base to keep the moose away from people. I guess moose like everything pumpkin flavored too.
The young missionaries told us that missionaries could dress up for the ward Trunk or Treat as long as we followed mission guidelines. We didn't know quite what that would be so we went as a bowling ball and bowling pin. I was able to make the decorations and costumes for $6 with things I had on hand from last year and items around the house. Not a lot of stress and we had a lot of fun. We enjoyed seeing all of the kids in the ward. I think there were about a dozen little kids and 8 teenagers. They all came by each car 2-3 times. Hot dogs and cocoa were available in a covered area if we wanted to stay and visit but we left to eat hot soup in our warm cozy home. We are not winterized. It still surprises me to see people in shorts and sandals in cold weather. Although high school dress that way all the time everywhere.
It looks like it was a fun Halloween at home too. Thank you everyone for the Robinson Family Halloween party pictures. You all did such a good job with costumes, treats and fun. I'm so glad you could spend time together and especially that LeAnn was able to visit. Kate and family had a lot of Halloween activities in Indiana. I don't have a picture to post but Annie was Ana from Frozen, June was Merida from Brave and Jack was a Jack-O-Lantern.
We had another senior couple arrive this week. They are Elder and Sister Anderson from Ephraim, UT. This is their second mission. Their first mission was an 18-month mission, 6 years ago. They served a humanitarian mission in Kazakhstan in Central Asia bordering Russia and China. Sister Anderson had worked as an RN for 26 years and Brother Anderson worked for the US Agriculture Department. Their mission involved planning their own projects to serve the needs of the people there. They got approval for their projects through the church area authority in Moscow and then implemented them. Sometimes they partnered with other service organizations working on water or hygiene projects. Mostly they relied on inspiration to know what to do. Their agriculture and health experience were really useful. In a lot of ways missionary work is discovering how individual talents can meet individual needs. There is a higher degree of "figure it out" than I expected in missionary service.
For this mission they will be working with the Young Single Adults and Institute/Seminary program. We had a welcome dinner for them on Thursday. There were about 40 Young Adults and other seminary teachers attending. They enjoyed playing music, eating and visiting. The daughter of one of the teachers liked writing on the whiteboard. Great message.
We finished furnishing the Anderson's apartment just before they arrived. It took 6 days for them to drive from Utah to Alaska. The roads were clear but there were not a lot of places to stay while driving through Canada. They were so happy to get here and especially happy with the apartment. Living in Kazakhstan was quite primitive, so this was a lot better. They had requested to go to upstate New York to serve because they have a daughter living there. Instead they are in Alaska. They will just need to have family come visit here like we did!
Elder Robinson has 3 apartments in Anchorage to get ready before transfers on Nov 10. The elders that have been serving in Utqiagvik (Barrow), Kotzebue, and Nome will be coming into Anchorage for the winter. They don't have cars in those areas (because they have to be shipped on a barge) and it is too cold to get around without a car. There is also another apartment in Delta Junction to get set up. It is nicknamed the Birdhouse because it is a tiny little two-story rental that looks like a birdhouse. Delta Junction is 7 hours away and is about 3 hrs south of Fairbanks. Elder Tracy will go with him to help set things up. They are excited for a road trip. It is a long drive and I am not much help moving so I am relieved to not go this time. I look forward to the pictures though. With this trip Elder Robinson will have traveled on just about every paved highway in Alaska (except a short stretch north of Fairbanks and east to Canada).
Spiritual Thought: I listened to a really good audio book (you could read it too) this past week. The book is called "The Slow March of Light" by Heather B Moore. It is a historical fiction story about living in Berlin in the 1960's when the Berlin Wall was put up dividing East and West Germany. It was so interesting and inspiring. As I listened to the story there were parallels to the Come Follow Me Lesson this past week about Joseph Smith being imprisoned in Liberty Jail. Both stories made me think about how going through hard trials can teach us about God and the purpose of life. Sometimes you wonder where God is when you are really hurt or suffering. It is hard to believe that any good will come from the pain. The miracle is that God can turn hard things for our good or for the good of others. It is a small example of how to deal with challenges but I asked one of the missionaries how he liked winter in Alaska (it was a really cold, snowy, windy day). He said "I better like it. I'm in Alaska!" His answer made me think of Elder Wirthlin's talk several years ago, "Come What May and Love It". One of the hardest things in life is to accept that things are different from what we wanted or hoped for. I liked this quote from his talk,
"In spite of discouragement and adversity, those who are happiest seem to have a way of learning from difficult times, becoming stronger, wiser and happier as a result."
I hope that as you remember hard times or experience them, you will do things that help you to remember God is with you and loves you. He will help you overcome every loss and disappointment. I liked Elder Wirthlin's suggestions to 1. Learn to laugh; 2. Keep eternal perspective; 3. the Lord compensates the faithful for every loss and 4. Trust in Heavenly Father and Jesus
We love you all and are so grateful for each of you. You are wonderful family members and friends! Hope you like the weather this week too wherever you are! Collynn and Joe are in New Orleans for a conference with Joe's work. I think Lindsey recommends the beignets there.
Love,
Elder and Sister Robinson
Miscellaneous pictures: Another strange cloud picture. Elder Robinson and I call these river clouds. Also this newscaster has an interesting fashion sense. It caught Elder Robinson's eye. Sister King uses the term "Only in Alaska" for things like this Queen Elizabeth in the window picture.
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