Tuesday, March 20, 2012

March 20, 2012

Here are a few pictures, hoping they're worth a thousand words.  We're leaving for zone conference Thursday and hope to write more after that.  There's so much to say about the families we're teaching.  This stuff is FUN!

Richard at the recycling center.  Sitka is BIG on recycling.  All the products are ferried to Seattle

Jana helped us by going to DI and finding a suit for Ian.  He's just reactivated and was ordained a priest.

Here's part of the little family we've been working with.  Ian was able to baptize his wife and 12-yr-old step-son.

This is Sitka ward's awesome ward council

During church on Sunday it snowed 14 inches.  This is a shot of priesthood meeting.

March 18, 2012, sudden snow-storm.  It was forecast to be sunny.

Saturday, March 10, 2012

March 10, 2012


The work is progressing.  We’ll have two baptisms this Saturday.  It’s a great story of miracles and finding.  Deanne and Ian (a deacon) just celebrated their third wedding anniversary.  Two family members will be baptized March 17 (Deanne and her 12-year-old son), and Ian will be doing the baptizing.  He hasn’t been active since he was a young boy, but now he and Dee want to prepare for the temple.  The Bishop is working with him to prepare him for priesthood advancement.  This little family of five is an awesome find!

We feel loved here.  When we go to the post office to check our mail we get little smiley faces on masking tape from the recently-activated member who works there.  When we go to either of the grocery stores we talk with people we teach who work there.  When we go to the cafés we have waiters come to our table two at a time to talk with us.  We have friends in three shops downtown.  Trying to teach these sweet people hasn’t often resulted in progressive investigators.   In fact, though we continue to reap, the people who are ready to progress are few.  But even though people do not progress, they feel appreciation toward us.  We know that we’re very plain people who are called by THEIR Savior to help them.  Each day we pray that they feel His love through us.  We are not the power.  We are the conduits. 

We spent a lot of time putting together a Dr. Seuss birthday party for the library.  There were about 35 children with their parents, including one part-member family that has been critical of the church.  As we have previously said, one of our reasons for being here, according to our mission president, is to dispel misperceptions about the church.  After the Seuss party we reviewed the results of our labors and made a list of seven people that perhaps we helped in a positive way.   We put the part-member family on the list.  The party was a lot of work, so we hope we accomplished something, however small.  Donating time to the community is part of missionary work but doesn’t create the same feeling in our hearts as teaching the gospel.  We decided that this was our last library event.  We’re going to concentrate on teaching for the remainder of our mission.  It’s hard to believe it’s been almost 16 months.  We want to continue to find new investigators so they will have a reason to send in a couple or a companionship to replace us.  We love Sitka.

The Iditarod races are in full swing up north, which are proving to be a distraction to our scheduled lessons with people living in the Bush Branch.  There are celebrations in every village and everyone is busy preparing for festivities.  We feel the excitement from way down here in Sitka. 

Here in Sitka we have our own exciting energy, with longer days and the anticipation of the herring run.  Old-timers say to watch for the herring run when the weather is bad and the whales start filling the sound.  The whales have become more numerous over the past week and the weather has been bad.  People are expecting the run at the end of this month, and the excitement is palpable.  We’re hearing stories and politics from everyone about the herring.  There are a few million dollars to be had for a few, and the contest will be competitive.  Fifty boats are licensed to be part of this year’s catch, but the natives don’t need to have a license.  The roe (caviar) from the Sitka herring will be purchased by the Japanese.  Apparently Sitka’s caviar is better than anyone else’s.  You’ll have to take their word for it.  



Bishop Hart and Brock Bauder.  Bishop Hart is the "heart" of the Ward.

A family we are teaching.  Not Ian and Deanne.


Aurora -- a wonderful friend and investigator.  She knows the church is true.



Dr. Fribush's magic class at our Dr. Seuss party


Aurora decorated cupcakes with us.