Robinson Alaska Mission

 There have been a lot of changes the past 2 weeks. We are excited that several new senior missionary couples have come. Elder and Sister Schultz arrived this past week and they will be taking over for us in the mission office. They are from Springville and have 4 children. One of their daughters lives in Anchorage so they are living with their family while they serve their mission. That is really nice for them. Sister Schultz is a retired RN who will serve as Mission Health Advisor. Elder Schultz is a retired mortician and will be taking care of housing. They both have very calm, pleasant personalities and will be perfect for their jobs. We have spent the past week helping them get oriented. This coming week we will be packing and getting ready to leave so we will not be in the office as much, but will be available if they have questions. I am glad we will have some free time to get ready to come home.       Sister Dekay is a service missionary who has helped a lot in the office. She

           We finally went to the Eagle River Nature Center. It was a short walk down to the river where there was a nice viewing deck. It was a pretty day for a short walk. There were others riding fat bikes and cross country skiing on the trail. During the summer people frequently see bears attracted by the salmon in the river. The Nature Center had some interesting displays with the bears and other furry animals. It was interesting to feel the fur of the different animals. The bear skins had very coarse hair for their outer coat and softer fur underneath. Moose have that too, a double layer of fur and hair. We learned that a moose's winter coat is so warm that at 23 degrees they pant because it is too warm. Their lighter summer coat is too warm at temperatures over 50 degrees.       The bighorn sheep horns were really heavy! We aren't sure if it is the mount they are on or the horns themselves. They felt like a wrecking ball.      It was a very hectic transfer week. Several