Sunday, April 29, 2012

April 29, 2012

Nephew Vance Hemsley with daughter, Faith

Richard with our sweet Virginia

Sister missionaries.  We took the sisters and Virginia out for dinner after the baptism.

We spent most of last week in the Anchorage/Wasilla/Kenai areas, so this first paragraph is pretty much a travel log.  Sorry.  We left Sitka on the 6 a.m. flight Monday morning and flew to Anchorage, and then drove to Wasilla to visit with David Robinson (my brother) and his wife, Koreen.  We thoroughly enjoyed their company, their cooking and the comfortable bed.  David’s getting ready for another over-seas assignment and Koreen will likely go with him, so we wanted to see them before they take off.  Tuesday morning we drove to Kenai where we attended Virginia’s baptism that evening.  Wednesday we drove back to Anchorage to attend the temple and spend the evening with President and Sister Beesley and other couples from the mission. 

About Virginia:    Last June, while serving in Dutch Harbor we received an email from our mission president saying that the Lord had transferred us to Sitka and that we were to spend a week in Anchorage prior to departing for Sitka.  We asked if we could stay at a missionary apartment in Anchorage so we wouldn’t have such high hotel bills since it was peak season.  The missionary apartment given to us was next door to Virginia’s apartment.  We had prayed for someone to be placed in our path, and there she was, sitting on her porch smoking, so we visited with her and invited her to dinner.  We worked like crazy cleaning the apartment and then bought some take-out food and shared it with her.  We taught her the first lesson and committed her to baptism.  During the lesson she had said that she had lived next door to “the boys” for two years and always wanted to know more.  Each day she watched them come home and smelled their cooking and listened to their singing, but not one missionary had talked to her.  We taught her twice more before leaving for Sitka.  Over the following months we learned that Virginia had fallen through the cracks again and again.  Finally, (we’re convinced in answer to our prayers) Virginia was transferred to Kenai and we called the sister-missionaries there. They took Virginia into their hearts and now Virginia is baptized.  It was joyful to see her in white.     

While in Anchorage we handed our Bush Branch over to new missionaries.  The church defines the Bush as “areas of Alaska that are not served by other wards or branches and that are not accessible by road.”  As the first missionaries called to the Bush Branch we spent a lot of time figuring out how to teach people effectively over the phone—there isn’t enough band width for Skype so we never get to see those we teach.  We’re admittedly territorial about those voices we have come to love.  So after meeting with the missionaries and turning over our area book we set an appointment for last evening to “meet” them on an 800-conference line with one of our investigators.  We introduced the elders, had prayer and read scriptures and then it was time for us to say good-bye and for the elders to continue teaching.  After hanging up Richard said “I don’t like this one bit.”    We wish we could teach them from Boise.  Letting go is hard.

When we got back to our beautiful island of Sitka (noon Thursday) Richard found a leak underneath our sink in the apartment.  The landlords were stateside at a daughter’s wedding so Richard spent several hours replacing rusted pipes.  We had to reschedule our two evening appointments.  Consequently Friday arrived and we had ZERO lessons for the week, but now it’s Sunday night and we’ve had 10.  But even though it’s a bleak week for lessons, one of our investigators set a baptismal date for May 19.  We’re going to work with him closely over the next couple weeks to help him prepare.       

We just talked with Virginia.  She was confirmed today and she says she feels sooo good.  She says she looked in the mirror and said “I’m beautiful,” which she says she had never thought before.  She says that people tell her she glows.  She told us of the new vibrant colors she sees in nature and of her overwhelming gratitude for all of it.  She cried when she said that she finally found the place where she belongs.  She thanked us.  Can you imagine?  We’re the ones who feel thankful. 

FINAL MONTH!  YIKES!!!!

Love each of you.
Richard and Linda, Mom and Dad, Papa and Nanny


Saturday, April 21, 2012

April 21, 2012


We’re flying to Anchorage on Monday to travel to the baptism of Virginia.  She will be baptized in the Kenai Ward but she’s ours.   We’ll share her story when we get home.  Last week the sisters called to tell us that Virginia was being baptized and she was hoping Elder Later would do the honors.  Our mission president gave us permission to go.  Weeks like this are “the why” of missionary work.  While there we’ll drive to Wasilla to share some white salmon with my Brother, David.  He’s a chef and Sitka white salmon is his favorite.  We look forward to spending Monday evening with family before driving to Kenai for a reunion with our Virginia. 

We attended a Tlingit (pronounced “Klink-it”) graduation exercise today where many of the cultural traditions were performed and explained.  Their clans in this area are either Raven or Wolf or Eagle, or a combination.  A traditional robe was placed on each graduate in turn while a speech was said about the person.  The robe was beaded with insignias of the clan.  The colors were important—black to ward off death, red to enliven the spirits, white for light.  We didn’t take notes.  This is from memory, and you know us.  They beat a huge drum and sang a cultural song, which was pretty cool.  The Tlingits are more like North American Indians than Eskimos in our opinion.  We have several Tlingit friends and we love them dearly.

We haven’t told you about our weekly devotionals with the senior missionaries or shared what it’s like to attend weekly district meetings.  Once a week all the senior couples throughout Alaska get together (mostly by telephone) and read Preach My Gospel together for thirty minutes.  We take turns reading paragraphs, and when scriptures are listed or referenced we turn to them and each read about three verses.  There are three CES missionary couples, four office couples (one set will be leaving in May); two proselyting couples (us and Powell’s who are serving in Haines); and one armed services couple who works with the military as a liaison for members of the armed services.    The couples’ devotionals are on Thursdays from 8:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. and we love hearing the voices of the other couples who have traveled to Alaska to devote all they have to serve the Lord.  We love each of them.

District meetings are on Wednesday mornings.  All the other members of our district labor in Juneau so we also call in to that meeting.  They’re respectful young elders who do their very best.  They seem wise beyond their years and we adore them.  Elder Norris is our district leader right now.  He’s a favorite because he was in our first district when we worked in Dutch Harbor and had to call into Anchorage every week.  Whenever there’s a birthday we order pizza online for our district.  That may be the reason they love us.  It makes us happy to work with such high energy and strong testimonies.  They’re exceptional.

We’ve had to get involved in fixing our travel home May 29, which has been a major distraction.  Next week we travel for Virginia’s baptism in Kenai, and then on May 5 our grandson, Nicholas, comes to visit for a week so it feels like time is slipping away too fast.  We have three investigators that we’d love to see baptized prior to departing.  It makes our palms sweaty to think of everything that must be done, but we have to proceed with steadiness and faith and NOT PANIC!!!  Breathe.   

We love you! 
Richard and Linda, Mom and Dad, Nana and Papa

Dee after Relief Society with two nursery children

Primary children singing on an activity day

Taken from the driveway of a new investigator

Tlinget blanket of the coho/raven clan

Tlinget blanket of the raven clan

Tlinget blanket of the Eagle clan

Tribal values.  The first one is "Discipline and obedience..to ancestors" which makes our work sooo difficult

Our investigator, Wayne, is in the white shirt with yellow stripe



Tuesday, April 3, 2012

April 4, 2012


The days are long with sunshine, the herring are in and the festival has begun.  Of course there’s a little drama because the bears are back, but right now Sitka feels like it’s awakened from a winter nap and it’s an exciting place to live.  Here’s a link to an aerial view of a herring festival.   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLXNw34yxrQ

Every day we say “We need to write this in our blog.”  Each day passes and now we can’t recall all we wanted to share. 

The mission office called and let us know that we were flying home May 29 from Anchorage.  We knew it was coming but it’s still hard, good news.  We talked with our president and asked if we could fly home directly from Sitka.  Right now we don’t know if we’ll be coming home the 28th or 29th.  They’ll let us know. 

We’re not “wrapping up our mission.”  We’re “ramping up our mission.”  We want Sitka to continue to have missionaries, so if we’re teaching and turning in fruitful reports, President Beesley said he’d replace us.  Those lucky missionaries.  Sitka is ready for harvesting.    

  We found and taught three new people last week and our planner is full this week.  We also teach a man in rehab (he admitted himself).   It’s a spiritual experience to teach someone who the “the higher power” is.   We better understand King Lamoni’s reaction as well as Ammon’s.  This young man has family and friends who want him to fail and only one soul who will support his sobriety.  The odds of his succeeding are slim, but right now he’s amazing and we love teaching him.  He’ll be at church again this Sunday.

We enjoyed watching general conference with recent converts.  On Sunday, noon session, we set up a TV in the Primary room for Spanish-speaking people and then went to the home of the Fritz family to watch it with them.  We checked with Hilda afterwards to see if the Spanish broadcast was all right and she got tears.  “I love my apostles,” she says.  She is very brilliant and learning English quickly.  Hilda is a great little missionary.  Last week there were five in our “Spanish section” of the chapel.  They’re all returning members and they support one another. 

Our Leeshawna is doing well.  She’s a polyanna and tends to look for the best and say everything is all right when it isn’t so we have to watch her.  She’s in counseling and trying to start her own baking business so we felt she was well enough to begin teaching again.  Her new best friend turns out to be a member.  Less-active members make very good “member-present” helpers, and it’s always nice to hear their stories and testimonies. 

The Williamson family is fun to teach.  We aren’t sure they’ll be baptized during our tenure, but we can hope.  Brother Williamson has serious doubts, which he is working on.  We love this family and want to be there for their big day. Their baby had her first birthday party at the church, which was brilliant.  We were able to get several appointments with attendees. 

We love you!
Richard and Linda, Mom and Dad, Papa and Nanny

Mountains and ocean surround downtown Sitka

Brittany rope-swinging in our yard.  Church in background on left.

Mission couples:  us, The Schindlers and the Powells

Juneau Zone.  Elder and Sister Beesley in middle.  We'll get a closeup next time.

Birthday party for Berlin (center front on her Dad's lap)

Arriving at the Calverts to teach.  They always swing the door open before we ever have a chance to knock, greeting us with smiles.  We're so happy to be part of their lives.

Kathy Swanberg.  View from her living room.  What an ocean!

Evening time in Sitka.

The CoraLee--Dylan's boat.

We found the Calvert's along the road.  Flat tire.

The Herring run was so far off the shore (highly regulated) we couldn't get a good photo.  The white dots are boats.  Be sure to click onto the link above to watch it.  It's soooo worth it!  Millions were made during these few hours.


Another evening in Sitka.  Boats returning.