Robinson Alaska Mission

    We traveled to Kenai this week to set up a new missionary apartment. The Kenai Peninsula is divided with Seward to the east and Homer to the west and Mountains down the middle. Kenai is about an hour north of Homer and 20 minutes west of Soldotna. It took about 3 hrs to get there, we spent about 3 hours setting things up and then drove back home. So it was a long day, but we enjoyed the trip. I have to apologize for pictures though. The van was very bouncy with a lot of bug spots on the windshield, sun glaring on the windows and the good shots always seemed to be on the opposite side of the car. We didn't have time to pull over so most of the pictures are "action" shots. Pictures help me to remember what we did and I am enjoying the challenge of taking pictures on the go. The pictures are of the Kenai River and the mountains between Soldotna and Seward. I love the beautiful blue sky.     I really liked these pictures of the fireweed growing in the area that had a...

       We were so excited to go the the Alaska State Fair yesterday. It is held in Palmer, about 50 minutes north of Anchorage, from August 20- Sept 6. It has been raining most of the week so we were especially happy to have a sunny day on Saturday, our P-day (day off), to enjoy being outside. We left early so we could get there when it opened, along with multiple thousands of Alaskans who had the same idea.  It was about a five-mile traffic jam to get there and took twice as long but it was worth it! I was a little worried for how we would find our car afterwards but we found landmarks and didn't get lost. There were a lot of carnival rides with long lines so we were glad we were there just to eat food, see the animal and garden exhibits and watch others on the rides. People are very friendly and it was nice to see families having a good time.  Interesting sights included a ride that was like a chair with two people bungee jumping but it would flip around ...

  We went back to Elder and Sister Hobbs' farm again this week to help move their things into their new cabin. The missionaries love going out to the farm even though it is a bit of a drive. Several of the missionaries are from rural areas/farms and enjoy helping Elder and Sister Hobbs. It is  peaceful and was such a pretty day. We got to pick vegetables and raspberries from their garden and the greenhouses. The highlight is getting to see the bison. It was a new group of missionaries that went this time and they had a lot of fun. They work hard too but it is fun when you work together in such a beautiful setting. It was a busy week with transfers but everything went smoothly. It has worked really well to rent the big U-Haul for luggage. The missionaries have an overnight bag and then meet for orientation the next day and get the luggage after the meeting. It is exciting to see them meet their companions and receive their first area assignment. There are 4 sisters (1 new missi...