Snowy Willow

 

     The weather this week has been a mix of lows and highs. It snowed early in the week and there was 2 feet of fresh snow when we went to Willow, north of Wasilla. We were taking a bed to the missionaries there. Five of them share a house and really like rural Alaska. It was a pretty drive and nice with clouds to block the sun from shining in our eyes. The home where the missionaries live is off the road and it hadn't been plowed, so it was a slippery drive in the back country.  I'm glad we didn't get stuck in the snow because I don't think I could have pushed us out.

     Later in the week we had record-breaking high temperatures in the upper 40's. It has been alternating between snow and melting snow and ice. Last year the snow was piled about 20 feet in the parking lot in January. It is less than 5 feet now that most of it has melted. It is windy too, but it is a warm wind — hah! The missionaries came by the office after playing basketball. If it is above freezing, no one wears coats.

     

     Here are a few pictures of pretty skies and scenery. I love the clean air, beautiful clouds and colorful skies. The way the sunlight was shining on the mountains made them look sparkling white but my camera doesn't show sparkling. The sunset the day after the volcano in Tonga was very pink from residual ash clouds in the atmosphere (that's what the meteorologist said). We also had a 5.1 earthquake this past week. The earth is fascinating.        

     This is a picture of a Russian Orthodox church in Anchorage. Elder and Sister Allred were able to visit and were telling us the interesting history of Russians in Alaska. We found out yesterday we will have 3 missionaries transferred here from the Ukraine. With tension increasing between Russia and Ukraine, the church closed 2 of the 4 missions in Ukraine that border Russia. Missionaries that are non-native are being transferred to new missions. I am amazed at how quickly things can change. We also have some missionaries who were supposed to go to Guatemala that will be reassigned here next week. One of the missionaries is from Hayden, Idaho. LeAnn knows him. 

     We thought things would be slowing down but instead it is getting much busier. We now have 19 new missionaries coming. We have 8 missionaries going to South America this month, 6 going next month and 5 in White Horse Canada. White Horse is in our mission but we have to do Covid and immigration requirements whenever they transfer into Canada. It has been very frustrating arranging Covid testing because there is a shortage of tests. Somehow it has been working out. This month since PCR tests take too long to get results in Alaska, we have missionaries fly to Salt Lake, get a rapid test and fly the next day to their new mission area. 

     These last pictures are where we keep extra cars for the mission. It is a fenced area to protect the cars from vandalism. Elder Sessions needed to get two cars in the back out for some maintenance. With the snow and ice he couldn't maneuver them out. There were seminary kids here for class so we asked them to help move/push the cars. They were so excited to help. There were about 15 kids and they had the cars out in about 5 minutes. We gave them homemade cookies. They were excited to see the mission office and to do something different during class. It was fun to see how happy they were to help too.

     Spiritual thought: I usually have a lot of favorite conference quotes.  There is one quote though that has been my least favorite. It was from a talk by Pres. Eyring a few years ago when he said his mother told him "If you are on the right path, it will always be uphill." I hate uphill! It is so hard. It takes so much effort and you can't always see the end in sight. I like hiking that is not too steep, too long or too hard. I like my comfort zone. But I can see from our mission experiences the value of going uphill. A mission takes you out of your comfort zone and helps you to learn to trust in the Lord. It is hard to leave the comforts of home, family and friends, what is familiar, for the unknown. But the best learning comes when you are away from what is comfortable. I think a lot about the stories of Lehi and Nephi and their experiences in the wilderness. The Lord helped them overcome challenges, not avoid them, to get where they needed to be. I am grateful for the time we have served on our mission. There has been so much to learn, see and experience here. We have been so blessed to see how the Lord does help you do hard things. I think too that even though I say I don't like uphill, the hikes I remember the most were the hardest ones--Angel's Landing and Mount Timpanogos. The scriptures often refer to going to mountaintops to find the Lord. I think the uphill journey is what prepares you to find Him. I have also learned that the path is not just a relentless uphill struggle. There are times of beautiful views, enjoyable companions, helpful guides and periods of rest along the way. I have softened my view of taking the uphill path. It is worth it.

     This week we have another senior couple coming that will work with YSA in Wasilla. We will go with them when they arrive to help them get settled. We also will be going to Seward to take some apartment furnishings there. We have traveled about 18,000 miles so far. We have seen a lot of pretty scenery and enjoyed time talking in the car. I will miss those experiences.

     January is a big birthday month. This week is Larry, Dale, Kate and Maggie. Have a great birthday and feel celebrated by family and friends! We love you and are so glad to hear from you and see pictures of what you are doing too. You all make us very happy!

Love,

Elder and Sister Robinson