Even after all of my years in the church, I am still amazed at how there is still so much to be learned. As we are trying to do our work here with the young single adults, and the Institute, we are trying desperately to increase attendance and to find, those young young adults who are lost and need to be found. This week we had the opening Social to our Institute program after a month long break for Christmas and New Year’s so we planned an opening Social and Carolee and I planned and executed it because our Institute council is still small and not functioning yet  That’s one thing that is a challenge, it just takes so long to get momentum going. We are still pushing as hard as we can, and still don’t yet have that ball rolling. But we’re working on it and we’re making some progress on getting  Institute council upgoing.

And we are still committed to visiting and inviting those who have been lost, but it’s just a lot more complicated process because there are so many moving parts to integrate and not to duplicate effort.

So we really went after advertising this opening social.   We posted on our Facebook pages and then we used the church email system with the YSA ward and sent all of them an email. Then we used the Institute system and sent a text and email to everyone who had ever registered for Institute, or attended Institute in the past. We put posters up in every church building in Anchorage and it was announced on Sunday in every Sacrament meeting in  both stakes.  We had never put much effort on getting the word out, so we were not really sure what its affect would be and how  many we needed to plan for. So we decided to do a Cafe Rio sweet burrito and had JUSTIN  smoke a 16 pound pork butt and shred it and sweeten it. Then we did all the fixings for the burrito, rice and beans, lettuce and cheese and pico and all the stuff . We decided that we were probably going to top out at 50 people and so that’s what we planned for.  Well, it didn’t turn out that well and it was actually kind of disappointing for me because I had high expectations as usual. We had about 20 or 21 YSA’s  and 10 missionaries and leaders. So that’s about 30 short of what we were hoping for. I was a little disappointed, but not shocked.

That night during the middle of the night, I woke up from a dream which I couldn't remember, but I was saying loud, “ what more could we have done, what more could we have done, what more could we have done ?"   I pondered that all day and tried to think of what more we could have done, but did not have much insight during the morning and my study. So at 1 o’clock, we went to our zone council meeting where our zone leaders and other missionaries teach each other from preach my gospel  and teach best practices and ways that they can be successful here in Alaska. The very last presentation was  talking about how to work with members better. He said that in his last area every Saturday night, he sent a text message to the ward council with an update to them of everyone they were teaching , and ask for feedback, help, suggestions for each individual.

It hit me hard right then that may be our answer. We can’t do it all ourselves and we have been trying to make or get a program or process that is sustainable. And the only way to do that is to have local people be the ones who are finding, searching, supporting the Institute. We will provide direction and support, but we go home. So texting members of the ward council  the results we are having  as we are searching for YSA in their ward. We can ask for their feedback and input. For example, they could tell us if people we are trying to find, if they’ve moved if they’re married, if they don’t know who they are, or if they are active in their family ward.

Then we met with the YSA adult reps from the North Stake and correlated a plan that we can take to the Ward Councils, Elders Quorums and Relief Societies of both stakes. It's been an amazing process just since Wednesday.

It just proves the principal of knock, seek, and you shall find. I believe I was in a state of mind to listen, and to hear him, so that we can move forward. I believe things will continue to happen as we work to have a sustainable plan, and hopefully find these YSAs.

The Lord knows where they are, and we & the members here, need to be his hands and feet and voice to bring them back.  Little experiences like this, continually gives me confidence that the Lord is in the details of our lives, he has a plan for each of us and he will help us when we are seeking to find answers. Now, I’m sure that there may be other adjustments as we move along, but we need to move along we need to press forward with Faith, and as we do so, he will guide us so that we will be in the right place, at the right time, doing the right thing, and saying what he wants us to say. He won’t give us the answers if we are just sitting back, waiting for our revelation to hit us . And that’s what we’ve been doing, moving, visiting, inviting, praying , and trying new & different things.

We’ve had four or five new girls move into the Cook Inlet YSA ward, which is a good thing, since our boys just seemed out the girls here. It’s a little bit opposite from the lower 48, it’s usually the girls that out Number the boys.

One of the young men, Logan, who’s about 28 years old was talking to us after church a couple weeks ago. He was telling us that he was serious about dating and getting to know the girls in the ward. He’s been in the word for three years so I don’t know for sure why it’s taking him this long, but by his own admission, he is a little bit on the autism spectrum. He has some quirks, but such a nice guy. We kind of chuckled together when he was talking because it made so much sense and he was so open about his status. Carolee mentioned to him that it was strange here where the boys outnumber the girls. He agreed , and then gave us a quote that will go in my quotes of immortality. He said that up here in Alaska, for the girls “the odds are really good, but the goods are odd “.    That is absolutely hilarious and so true.

I turn 70 this week, which is a sobering thought. So I just don't think about it. 🙂 For my birthday, we have rented a side-by-side, fully enclosed with a heater that is equipped with snow tracks. 3 1/2 hours. It will be totally awesome! 3 hours north of Anchorage, so way up in the mountains. I am stoked about this. there are 4 of the Senior couples going so 4 per UTV. And only 2 of us are experienced drivers, the others are along for the ride!!! Yay. Gary.

Kinda like this.