March 25, 2024

 We just woke up from nap.  Before you say oh they are getting old(which we are) let me tell you that teaching seminary must be exhausting!! Part of the problem is when we have to get up early we don’t sleep well!  We taught today and our internet went out last night so we needed to go to class early. Which meant leaving just after7:30.  Neither of us slept well! Friday we taught as well and had to be there by 7:00am.  The classes actually went well for us we did a scripture learning activity on Friday.  Today was a short class but Gary introduced Holy Week and we watched the churches intro to that!  We had a little competition as a young women’s leader came to give her girls something and the cookie lady brought cookies!

A group of seniors came in the building to practice accordions between 1-3 periods.  Zone council was going on in the primary room. We. Have class in the relief society room of the Klatt building!  Anyway I did a zoom call with my friends between 1st & 3rd period. Kind of short and sweet, but always glad to visit!  We left and went across town between 3-6 for our zone council! When we got home at 3 after 6th period Gary said we need to start prep for institute tomorrow to teach! We just fell asleep!

Yesterday we had stake conference, then YSA  Maplewood group Church and then the missionaries to dinner!  We had good meetings and always enjoy getting with the saints! One of our seminary students spoke and lots sang in the choir!  In seminary today we sang Gethsemane for devotional and it was beautiful every time!

We continue to explore Anchorage as our exercise. We went for a walk on Sand Lake last week!

In the summer I don’t think there is a trail around it but they make a trail on the ice and it was a beautiful walk. Some really nice homes on waters edge!  

Our cleats on crisp snow are a little noisy.

Saturday we found a trail through pretty forest from Lake Otis road up to Elmore!

Wednesday evening Newmans were in town so we went for a burger with Kuerths and them!! That is always fun!! We need to laugh more so we do!

We continue to feed the young people last week I made Red Front rice krispy treats and a veggie tray!  I also mended our district leaders slacks! Glad to be of service! We also tied a quilt with the missionaries after institute!  They do lots of service too . Always more we can do.  I am so grateful to be serving here!  Grateful this week for service my kids do for each other!  Kidney stones may be our current plague!  We love you all and are so grateful this Easter week for our Savior and his gift to us! Let us all love each other more and make our world a better place!

March 17 2024

 Well today is St Patrick’s Day or the birthday of the Relief Society!!  I got to read the Relief Society meeting transcript cause  not feeling up to going out today! It was good but felt bad to miss the get together at the institute for the meeting and dinner! Elder Cox took the corn bread over and got the meeting started without me! Bummer!!  

View from Homer Across Cook Inlet.                              

We have had a good week!  We started with shopping for institute dinner with Sarah Powers. She taught us Tuesday night to make empanadas.  We had district council and family night!  All planned and put on by the young adults & missionaries and not us. We are generally impressed with their  great spirits!  We went to the temple with our district Tuesday morning and that was great.  We are on spring break so no class so we had a party instead and did the empanadas and chips and pico and fruit! Did ice cream sandwiches but still spent the day preparing!!  We had a great turnout!! Patti came and helped and Justin brought his family!  We had about 40 kids. Not a lot of our regulars so a good crowd.  We were there until 10. So a long day but worth it!  Felt a lot of kids connected with someone and that is the goal. If they know someone they are more likely to join us for class!

Because of spring break and Kuerths shortening their time here we decided to go south Wednesday morning.  We drove in a blizzard over the pass but Gar was okay and I was in the back seat so it was good !  We drove all the way to Homer and to Lands End!  We walked on the beach and ate at the waters edge and had fish and chips and clam chowder!!  It was really good!  About the only place open but good.   We are so comfortable with them that we laugh a lot and really enjoy visiting!  We stayed in a Vrbo in Kenai.  We found our church there and a street named Devin( after their son).  Our place was nice and we visited until after 12.  This daylight savings still messing us up!  Lynn brought snacks so we didn’t go for ice cream!!

Thursday we got a late start and went to the recommended breakfast stop!  It was good but $50 later. I try not to go into shock!! I know it is more expensive here  but really?  We went and walked the board walk on the river which was frozen solid but still beautiful!  A few places on the way we saw the beautiful blue water or frozen. We saw quite a few Eagles about !  We are anxious to see in the summer also !  We drove home and it was gorgeous blue skies! The roads were clear but it looked like they had like 18 inches over night!  We stopped in Coopers Landing and Mark treated us to an ice cream. The girl that waited on us was a member, returned missionary from BYUI. And Alabama! Darling accent!  Not participating currently but we invited her back . She knew where the churches are!  

We got back to Anchorage after a side trip up to watch skiers at Girdwood. We had empanadas from Tuesday left so we had dinner together at our place before we took them home.  A fun couple of days!

Saturday we went for walk in Russian Jack park. Stopped to talk to a guy with a dog as big as a horse!! He asked us what ward we served in !  Obviously a member. What are the chances--we run into so many!  Wearing a badge helps.  By the time we got home from our walk I felt gross so that put me down for the night until this afternoon. I feel better tonight!  Glad cause a full week in front of us!  Sister Moleni went home Friday so another change! Love them all!  Not so much the change!

Love serving here . Grateful for the gospel in our lives!  Love those we serve and serve with !  What an honor to be in Gods army at this time!  Grateful to share some of home as Benny read to us and Hayes had Prom dinner at our house!!!!!  We sure love you all. 

March 10 2024

 

A few highlights of our week starting with daylight savings time!  So now it is light at 8:30 pm. Not nearly so traumatic for us now as when we had littles but for their sake it could go away.

Beautiful O'Malley Peak!

We have tracted this week( trying to find our YSA’s) & fed many institute kids!  

Took treats to district meeting to wish them off with love!! Had a really fun FHE at Strawberry building!  They played games and really had a good time with gym games like musical chairs etc.

Tuesday we do open building at noon on, so have time there to make treats. Did some mending for sister Pruit for members.  Visit with missionaries that drop by and do our study!  Had Institute council meeting after class too and planned an activity ( making empanadas) for this weeks spring break no class!  Feels good to have a counsel involved.

Wednesday temple is always good for me!  I get to watch the Brayton building go down too!! Very interesting!  

Also a good day cause we do a zoom with usually our girls but sometimes boys get on!!  We catch up on life!! We went that night to see the Chosen, the series movie we really enjoy!  Feel it is appropriate for us!  Really like the spirit I feel with it!!  Thursday I went with sisters to serve at the local charity . I serged for a couple of hours and finished a big project I was helping with. After had a good group at institute! Did cookie bars and fruit!  Elder Halls birthday so celebrated all!  I had done mint brownies earlier on Tuesday!  Really enjoy Patti Kincaid! A great friend!  We ran errands on Friday and asked Kuerths to do something with us . She had texted us earlier in the morning to say they are going home in May do to some complications with her heath!  It made me feel so sad I cried!! We took Mark my Iditarod hat and we were going to dinner. Kitty Badger called while we were at their house and said they were bored. So we all went to “Don Jose's” for dinner and visited and laughed for three hours!  It was great.                                                                  

 We went yesterday to go to a baptism that I guess got changed so missed that but went north on a ride and Hiked Thunderbird Falls trail and went up to Elklutna Lake and walked out on the ice.  It was cold but beautiful!  Realizing this winter will end and we have lots more stuff we want to see. 

Dad and I have been doing somewhat better on some goals!  One is to listen to a conference talk every night!  One more way to bring the spirit into our lives!! And to prepare for our upcoming conference!  We love these great teachers and are inspired by them to lean closer to our Savior!  We are grateful to be serving Him right now!  We do love our supporters at home!! Love Carolee 

Monday, March 11, 2024

Today marks our 6^th month anniversary of entering the MTC to start our mission.  We are halfway finished.  We have a lot of work to do to accomplish what we started out to do.  Hopefully we will leave in place a sustainable program that will have the Institute attendance increasing and a plan in place to continue to invite the one and make sure the lost are fellowshipped back.  And that there is a mechanism to keep the Institute Council alive, staffed and functioning.  We have a pretty good council in place now that I hope will help bring in people not coming.  The enthusiasm is there and with summer coming up, we can do a lot of activities.  We really love these young adults and pray intensely for them.  Their generation has such a different way of life and sees the world so differently that it is hard for us to relate.  But we see effort from a lot of these kids, but still so many are distracted and have wandered off.

I love to see divine intervention happen.  After Kuerth’s revelation on Friday that they are going home in May, 5 months early, we invited them to go to dinner with us after we posted some posters in the church buildings.  We also wanted to go to the new Costco business center out there to see about some things that they had that we could buy in bulk for Institute.  We walked around the huge store and saw a couple of things we were looking for.  But the main thing we need is frozen cookies.  They are just cookie dough frozen and ready to bake.  We have them for emergencies at the Institute for when more people show up than we have treats for.  So Carolee bakes a couple or three dozen during class to add to the original snack.  It’s been a life saver and we are running low. Anyway, we re-traced our steps through the frozen section and found them at the very back corner of the store.  As we turned around to continue, one of our YSAs was walking up.  He works there (we knew that, but were just hoping we would see him).  His name is Logan and has been inactive in the church for a long time.  I helped him with his headlight in his car and have taken an interest in him.  What are the chances in a store that size that he would be taking a garbage run and walking right into us there?  It was good to talk to him.  Then when we got to Kuerth’s, just as we were about to leave, Sister Badger called and said they were bored.  So we went to dinner with them too…she needed a social outlet right then.  Timing was fascinating…

Saturday as we were coming home from Lake Eklunta

& Thunderbird Falls, Carolee mentioned that we were probably past the point of having snow decorating the pine trees.  I sadly concurred. Then we awoke Sunday with a fresh 3 inches, covering the brown snow on the edges of the roads and dusting the pines with a beautiful layer of snow. 

  There has been at least 3 feet of snow on the ground every day since the 3^rd of November when we were hit with a huge snow storm and there is no way its going away anytime soon.  Almost 5 months and counting.  But we realize that this is our only winter in Alaska and it is so beautiful we just want to enjoy every minute of it. 

We love serving the Lord and these YSAs here.  It is very different from my proselyting mission in South America, but we are still doing hard things and growing as we show our faith in Jesus Christ.  We miss all of you and pray for you.  The gospel is true.  We would not be here if we didn’t have that conviction.  Love you all,  Gary

March 3, 2024

 We had some major events this week.  Most significant is Kaley going through the temple yesterday for the first time!  I am so proud of her and these choices she is making !  Second the Teeple's are putting on Beauty and the Beast and we got to watch it on FaceTime last night! They looked so good!  We are proud of all of them!!  Lastly we got to volunteer at the Iditarod!  We heard of this race lots of times before!!  Now has personal meaning as we were at the end of the ceremonial start here in anchorage.  We were on the Campbell strip runway with lots of other missionaries on and lots of observers!  It was fun to see the dog sleds. All 38!  

Also saw a couple of cute families that I thought would make great members . Ended up they are members and both dentists. One saw my tag and came across the trail to say hi!  It was also -8 when we started!  A balmy 18 by the time we left!!  Went to church to day without a coat!! 20 degrees didn’t bother me!

We had really good institutes this week with big classes! We are studying pres. Nelsons talks and I really enjoy that!!  I made cinnamon bread for both classes. It was a hit!  We ate 3 big loaves both nights!  We also did family night with Cook Inlet and did baptisms with Maplewood group!  I'm enjoying working at the temple more each week as I get comfortable.  During our shift this week they started knocking down the Brayton building!! That is kind of historic too!

We have called more youth to our institute counsel.  We plan to meet this week to plan activities and welcoming the 18 year olds!  Seminary is out of the hanger and in Klatt building!  Bummer cause it is far for kids!  Justin is a good guy!  He rolls with things well!

We are doing better in our self world ! Set some goals and sticking to them better so that feels good! Still liking my companion.   (Emphasis added by her companion) 😊So glad to be serving our Father in Heaven!  This is his work and we are grateful to do our part!  Carolee

March 5, 2024

This week has been a challenge for me, for different reasons.  Kaley going to the temple for the 1st time and we are so proud of her.  Plus, Chalae’s family is putting on Beauty and the Beast in Malad and Hayes is starring as the Beast.  We are missing both of these significant family events.  We are typically really involved with Teeples as they prepare for this and we go to every performance and just able to give a lot of support.  We watched it on Face-Time the second performance and were so impressed!  Hayes was fantastic—such a rich baritone voice.  Myriam, Bentley & Dot were fun to watch as well.  The FaceTime was better than nothing, but it was not like being there.  It has made me feel a little melancholy and missing home.  Tanner came up to see it from California and we missed being with them too. 

Maybe with us coming up on our half-way point of our mission has made me feel like time is moving too fast and we have so much to accomplish. I’m struggling with how slow things move, even though we think that things are progressing well.  Some of it is the Polynesian effect and some the Church effect.  So, I guess I’m just a mess! Missing home and angst over the work here.  Wow!  Get me a sedative…☹

But a big highlight of the week was the start of the Iditarod dog sled race. The Iditarod is a grueling, 1,000-mile race from Willow (just 40 miles north of Anchorage to Nome through some of Alaska’s toughest terrain. Since Dog sledding is Alaska’s sport, race veterans and the people here consider it their Super Bowl.  The day before the historic race officially begins on Sunday March 3rd in Willow, Saturday, the mushers and their dogs run along the easiest 11 miles they’ll see in the coming days for the Iditarod ceremonial start in downtown Anchorage.  It takes them down city streets and onto the trail system ending at the Campbell Airstrip.    

There are 38 mushers and teams in this years event, with mushers from all over the world and the states, who come to compete.  Alabama, Arizona, Utah, Preston Idaho, Minnesota…but the majority are from Alaska. 

All along the route through Anchorage thousands of fans elbow for position along the trails in celebration of the state’s sport and to cheer the mushers on.  We were able to help at the end of the ceremonial run as they came down the last stretch of the trail onto the airstrip where many hundreds more stood cheering on the teams as they came to the finish line.  These guys were like tail-gating with a tent, fire, hot dogs, lawn chairs, the works.  there were quite a few making a day of it tail-gating the Iditarod!

Many other missionaries were lined up along the 11-mile trail managing the crowds to keep the trail clear and people safe.  One of the things the race celebrates is the Alaskan Husky.  It is not a recognized breed, but is bred for dog sledding.  It is a combination of Siberian Husky, Alaskan Malemute, and other less prominent of greyhound, Pointers, and other breeds.  They have speed dogs for shorter term races and distance dogs who can run forever.  This race is 1,000 miles and they will finish in 8 days.  That is 125 miles a day!!

And there is a stretch of the trail that has no snow and they go over tundra of dirt, mud, patches of snow. Apparently, that section is thru what they call the burn.  So with no trees because of the fires, the snow just blows away. it’s really amazing what these dogs can do. 

So, the race itself started in 1973 as a celebration of Alaska, the Alaskan Husky and the way of life.     Since it ends in Nome, there is a similarity between the race and the famous Serum run in 1925 where dog sleds made a 750 mile run in blizzard conditions to get the diphtheria serum to Nome and saved hundreds of children. 
Much of the trail is the same as then, and each year they remember that event as they celebrate the race, but it is not to memorialize that run.  But that story is such a great story.  Watch the movie Togo if you want to be inspired.

So last night we had a great FHE with the YSA ward, with over 30 there and some brought their friends from work who are not members.  We have an enthusiastic new ward member named Mary who has brought new energy to the group.  We played games with a large group that we’ve never heard of or seen.  It was a riot. 

With 31 grandchildren and our 7 kids and their spouses, there are always problems, drama, heartache, joy, fun, happiness etc all at the same time.  So to zero in on one of the 46 other people considered immediate family doesn’t happen very often.  But last night and this morning, Lolee was really on my mind.  She has had some very real emotional issues over the last couple of years and it was hard for us to leave because we felt really connected with her.  But as it goes, being apart and each busy with our lives, we have not had as much contact with her as we hoped.  But this morning I pleaded with heavenly father of how I could help Lolee when I was so far away.  The answer came in just a few hours.  Lolee texted me and told me she had just re-read a back to school blessing I had given her before we left to come here.  (Chalae had taken notes of the blessing and typed them up for her.)  She said she loved having a bless that she could look back at and find the things that are coming true.  As I read that, I almost felt like I had just given her another blessing.  My prayer was answered in  a way I could not have conceived and I was able to help Lolee in the only way I really can.  Isn’t it amazing how the Lord works.  Such a testimony to me that He is looking out for us and that we are able to serve and still minister to our families we have left behind in ways we didn’t think possible.  I am so grateful…

I have the best comp, the gospel is true, the Lord loves each of us and we are so blessed and grateful to be missionaries, set-apart representatives of Jesus Christ.    Love you all  Gary