Lessons of Life

Elders and Elder Robbins, Elder Moberly getting his kiss,

Weather Report

Temperature: High + 74 Low + 47

Daylight: Sunrise 3:15 a.m. Sunset 12:26 a.m.

For a total today of 21 hours and 15 minutes of sunlight.

The funny thing is that last Sunday, 5 days ago the high was 44 and the low was a record 29 Degrees and it snowed. Today was uncomfortably warm. There is a fire in Nenana and the smoke is blowing up here. We could hardly breath yesterday. It is really sad because people say that for the past two years it has been so smoky from fires that it just ruins the summers. You survive the cold only to have fires - it just isn't fair!

We had just the best week ever. Last Sunday the Bishop in second ward thanked us in Sacrament meeting for all the new members who were going to the temple to do baptisms. Two new members bore their testimonies. It was very emotional for me because one of my stresses for this mission was not having the baptisms like the Elders and Sisters do. Well, it was payback time for all the packets we have done and I don't even think any more of not having baptisms because we had 65.

We do the research for the packets, finish them up and hand them back. We don't see them again except to help the people do "Temple Ready". Except for one name last week. Br. Rodriguez was one who was so excited to go to the temple, I think I told you that he stopped us in the street to tell us "he was going to the temple". Because he had no dates or places we were unable to find anyone for him to take except his parents. I couldn't sleep at night thinking that as excited as he is he needed more names to take to the temple. You get in Mexico and research is really difficult to do.

Another thing was that every time I would open my Legacy program to work on another packet it would open up to Br. Rodriguez. It is supposed to open to the last person worked on and we hadn't worked on him for a couple of months. I finally got it, someone was trying to tell me something so last week while Elder Robbins was searching for someone else I just pulled out Br. Rodriguez file and plugged it in the computer guessing on his grandfathers birthday and there it was! I could not believe my eyes. I was able to get his grandparents and 7 children. We gave him the information on Sunday and he ran around the church telling everyone, "I have my grandparents, I have my grandparents." Then he told us tonight that this made him think of an aunt who he hadn't talked to in years so he called her and she gave him so many names he couldn't write fast enough. And by the way would we help him do temple ready for them. Oh, my gosh, the blessings are unreal.

We taught a district meeting this week and we taught them "Lessons of Life". Some of you know that program. How to take an experience that you just had, find out what you learned from it and then find a scripture that goes with it. Well, my dear Elder Robbins hasn't been too impressed with our lesson, "Lessons of Life" so he decided to sit down and try it Wednesday morning before we left. He wrote down the wonderful things that have happened with the people going to the temple and then found the scripture, Alma 30:34. It reads, "And now if we do not receive anything for our labors in the church, what doth it profit us to labor in the church save it were to declare the truth that we may have rejoicing in the joy of our brethren."
That did it, he is converted he says and is now memorizing that as our mission scripture. "Oh, life is Wonderful!"

We did apartment checks for the Elders and Sisters today and as they met at the end of a tracting session we gave them some awards. They were so funny and especially Elder Moberly who is going home to Kansas in two days. For him we told the story about Dorothy and Toto. We put some colored glasses on him, made him shut his eyes, hold out his hands, and say three times, "There's no place like home, There's no place like home, there's no place like home." We then put a stuffed Alaska puppy, who we named Toto in his hands and Sister Robbins said she was going to be the first girl to kiss him when he was released. Elder Robbins got a picture of a very red faced elder. I got a picture of a handsome Elder Robbins with all the young Elders outside in the parking lot. It makes my heart skip a beat to look at them.

There is way too much to tell. We went to Denali and next week I will have to include pictures of that trip. What a beautiful fun filled day we had!

I will include my favorite picture of the glacier beds and will send the animals next week.
Love and miss you all but wouldn't trade anything for this experience.