We were so grateful to meet Mary and her children Makayla, Carly and Jaxdon. We were able to go with the missionaries for some visits and help teach and answer questions. They were so friendly and always happy to see us. When they found out we were leaving in March they came to every church meeting in February to see us before we left. I was so grateful that each week they came the speakers gave the best messages and the members were so welcoming. When we saw them the night before we left, Mary commented that we seemed so familiar and that she felt she knew us from somewhere. I felt the same way too. We will miss visiting with them.
This is a picture of Elder Polu and Elder Finau. They would come by to clean the office every Friday for service. Elder Polu (on the left) served in Barrow during the summer. The members and the community loved having the missionaries there. They fed them very well (even though food is very expensive). They were able to help when the village caught a whale and needed to cut it up. I think the whale meat tasted okay but the blubber was not good to eat. The missionaries the previous summer helped dig graves and worked with the kids playing basketball. The mothers in Barrow loved them.
Elders Mana'o, Cazier and Tait worked with the Bush Branch. They lived in Anchorage but would also work with members and friends who lived in the remote areas of Alaska. One of the rural towns is Gambell (pop 660) on the tip of St Lawrence Island in the north Bering Sea (it is about 65 miles from Russia). They taught the school teacher there and she was baptized. She flew to the lower 48 to have a family member baptize her (in Reno). A lot of the contacts they make come from other members or social media posts. The branch is growing. They have church every Sunday by telephone. You dial in to a conference call and have a meeting, a lot like a Zoom meeting, but it is by phone only. There were about 50 members the week we participated. There were members from Dillingham, Dutch Harbor and King Salmon on the Aleutian Islands and others from north of Fairbanks and the interior of Alaska. I am grateful that there is a way to reach out to everyone no matter where they are. They take care of each other and will arrange to air drop supplies when needed. Several members also attend the branch when they travel. Some were attending from Minnesota and Washington.
Elder Tahi had just arrived from the Provo MTC to serve in Alaska. He is from Utah but speaks Tongan. Elder Polu and Elder Finau also speak Tongan and enjoyed welcoming him to Alaska in Tongan.
Elders Anderson and Andrus were the Assistants to the President and were amazing at figuring out the logistics for getting missionaries where they needed to be for transfers, orientation, arranging zone conferences and taking care of the details in the mission. They know how to do anything!
This is Elder Bateman. His family has a dairy farm with over 30,000 cows. He knows how to work hard! The missionaries that served in the ward we lived in would usually come for dinner on Sunday 1-2 times per month. They would always give the best spiritual messages. I really appreciated the spirituality of the young missionaries. Elder Bateman was serving in a different area now but came by to say goodbye.
Sister Lameta and Sister Taylor made candy leis and left them for us on our desk. In the Polynesian culture you give a lei to someone to celebrate a happy time, like graduation or an accomplishment. I have never received a lei before and felt very honored they would present us with one. A nice way to celebrate our mission experience.
Sister Kimball and Sister Whitmer stopped by to say goodbye too. They appreciated having a nice apartment and furnishings. I'm glad they felt well cared for.
This is Sister Schreiner a service missionary. She moved to Alaska with her family from Eagle Mountain, UT. She has several siblings who are special needs and a brother on a mission. She helps her family a lot but was able to serve as a Service Missionary here. She is so talented and helped in the office and in organizing housing supplies. She also worked at the homeless shelter, community service projects and serving in the temple.
Elder Mana'o came by with Elder Bateman but he also came by the office earlier with Elder Cazier and Elder Tait. Later he came by with Elder Cazier and Elder Kanekoa at Elder and Sister Tracy's apartment. It was like Musical Chair Companions that week with exchanges. The AP's were working overtime.
This is Elder Taumoe'anga and Elder Finlayson, missionaries who served in our ward. We had them come to dinner several times. Elder Finlayson is a newer missionary and a bit shy. They always give a well-thought out message and simple sincere testimony. They are excellent missionaries! Elder Tau is the one who calls us grandma and grandpa when he leaves.
This is a picture of Elder and Sister Hudson who arrived on March 4 in the afternoon. They will be replacing the Tracys in the office as Finance and Office Secretary. Those are hard jobs. The Tracys leave the middle of April but they are making sure Elder and Sister Hudson are well trained before they go. They are here from Montana and will serve for 18 months. They will be living in the apartment we left and they have the car we used too.
Elder Cazier, Elder Mana'o (again) and Elder Kanekoa saying goodbye at the Tracys. Elder Kanekoa was leaving a few hours after us to finish serving his mission in Korea. Of 94 missionaries that were temporarily assigned to Alaska the past 18 months, only 9 are left to go to their original assignments (mostly Peru). One of the biggest challenges during the mission as Health Advisor was getting the immunizations, Covid testing and paperwork completed for travel. There were a lot of miracles in getting the missionaries on their way, but there were also miracles in the time they served in Alaska. They met people and accomplished things that could not have occurred any other way. There was a purpose in being here for that time.
We were so excited to see some of the missionaries who had come home before us at the Sacrament meeting where we spoke about our mission. Elder Radke was working at McDonald's when Elder Robinson stopped to get something to eat. He normally doesn't work at the window but was covering for about 15 minutes. He was so surprised to see Elder Robinson and said "Elder Robinson!" and he replied "Elder Radke!". He invited him to come to our meeting. We were so glad they all came! There is a special bond in that shared experience on a mission.
Our favorite food in Alaska was Alaska spot prawns. I made one last meal of prawns and vegetables but Elder Robinson only ate prawns. We had gourmet hamburgers with bacon jam; reuben rolls that were really good but the picture doesn't look good; and ate Mexican food and Bear Paw Grill food with the office missionaries. I will need to lose some weight when we get home!
Saying goodbye to the moose in the airport. They really are everywhere!
Our souvenirs are Alaska license plates. Mine is Northern Lights and Elder Robinson's is a bear. It helped to find my white car with the Alaska plates in the parking lot. The cars are now registered with Utah plates so it is just another white car.
David picked us up at the airport and brought us home. We were so surprised by the welcome sign in the front yard and all of the family there. I couldn't stop smiling and hugging. We were so happy to see family and how much the grandkids have grown. All of our children were there and most of our grandchildren. What a happy day! And just so we wouldn't forget Alaska, it snowed the next morning. I added the following pictures of family. They are my wonderful scenery now.
Drew liked the Moose magnet.
Little Spencer liked the Peeps tasting contest. He tried one of each all at the same time.
Cooper is taking magic lessons and performed a magic show with about 25 tricks. He IS captivating!
Alex had her 11th birthday party and was in a choir concert at school. She is a very good singer. I love being able to be a part of their activities.
Lisa and Amber were in an Irish dance concert. They danced traditional Irish dances and then did some modern music with Irish dance steps. It was really fun to watch. Good for Lisa to take dance lessons with Amber. That takes a lot of energy!
Cooper was ordained a deacon and given the Aaronic Priesthood. He is excited about passing the sacrament and being a part of the Deacon's Quorum. He is tall, handsome and a good young man!
Sister's Lunch and Daughter's lunch. Between leaving Alaska and coming home I haven't cooked much.
We went to Arizona to see Grandma Robinson. She is 92 years old and still getting around. We went to Texas Roadhouse for dinner (one of her favorites). Rahn picked delicious grapefruit and oranges from his tree. We ate Mexican food as soon as we arrived. Slade, Sophia, and Corbin were learning to make cotton candy. It was 85 degrees while we were there. Pretty hot.
Spiritual Thought: I have had a hard time finishing this blog because I don't know how to express what it has meant to me to serve a mission. Sometimes it felt overwhelming and hard. Sometimes it was humbling with feeling unsure of what I was doing. Other times it was routine. And sometimes I felt surprised by how happy I felt doing routine, hard or humbling things. It felt like there was "more" in my life. Life seemed better, more purposeful and full of gratitude. Even when it was hard, I felt there was always help through prayer. There were unexpected miracles and sometimes just a sense of peace that things would work out. I thought a lot about the talk by Elder Joseph Wirthlin, "The Abundant Life". Some of the things he said to have an abundant life include embracing the gospel, loving and serving others (being kind), loving God, being a part of a noble and great cause, filling your mind with learning, strengthening your testimony and reaching out to others. A mission involves all of those things. I enjoyed seeing and learning new things each day. I especially enjoyed being with the missionaries. Elder Christofferson said how much General Authorities love to meet with missionaries to feel their uplifting and renewing spirit. That is true. The young missionaries are so different in personality, background and experience but they all do their best sharing their unique, individual testimonies of Jesus Christ. They are so good! It is a blessing to serve with them.
I want you to know I have a testimony for the blessing it was to feel the influence of the Lord in my life each day and to see the effect it has on others. I know the gospel is true. I know reading the scriptures to learn more of Jesus Christ brings more light and truth into my life. The Book of Mormon is true and with other scripture, teaches us who Jesus Christ is. I know that following Jesus's teachings and example will bring happiness. I am grateful for the testimony of others--especially prophets (ancient and modern), leaders, teachers, family and friends--who through their example lift and strengthen me. I feel that whatever sacrifice or effort it took to serve a mission, I have been so abundantly blessed.
Two of my favorite scriptures are:
"If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself." (John 7:17) AND
" ... I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments ... save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them." (1 Nephi 3:7)
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