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
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| Dee after Relief Society with two nursery children |
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| Primary children singing on an activity day |
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| Taken from the driveway of a new investigator |
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| Tlinget blanket of the coho/raven clan |
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| Tlinget blanket of the raven clan |
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| Tlinget blanket of the Eagle clan |
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| Tribal values. The first one is "Discipline and obedience..to ancestors" which makes our work sooo difficult |
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| Our investigator, Wayne, is in the white shirt with yellow stripe |
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