Hmongs, Mormons, Snowflakes, Temples

A wonderful trip to Homer Alaska and we saw some awesome Glacers.
On the way home we happened on "Teal Lake". What wonderful fall colors!

Weather Report: High 42 Low 34
Sunrise 8:56 a.m. Sunset 6:30 p.m. = 9 hours & 30 min.

Last Sunday we were excited to open the newspaper and read on the front page and two whole pages about our missionary, Elder Bennion, serving among the Hmong (silent H) people. He is among the best missionaries here and learned the Hmong language easily. He has since been transferred to Fairbanks as a Zone leader and a brand new missionary, Elder Page, from Centerville has taken his place here with the Hmongs. The Hmong Branch meet in our building for Sacrament Meeting and then join us for Priesthood, Relief Society, and Sunday School.

Go to this site to see the article and click on the links below Elder Bennion’s picture to see an interactive slideshow and to learn about the Hmong People. One link even takes you to http://www.lds.org/ What a missionary tool! I wanted to send this last week but since we were going into transfer week I didn’t get it sent. Tonight we attended a baptism in the Hmong branch of a father and his 8 children. What an outstanding experience to see a young elder who has only been in the branch 3 transfers, 18 weeks, speak and translate himself and do half the baptisms. Elder Page did his first baptism tonight and he was so cute. He spoke mostly in English and the Tom Lee mentioned in the article translated for him when he needed it. But you have to understand that Elder Page has only been here for 6 weeks and these elders get no training in the MTC before they come. He spoke after the baptism and started his talk by telling us he was having problems and that he left his dry underwear home. Tom Lee will probably be a general authority some day he was so impressive when he conducted the meeting and spoke.

In the same newspaper there is a couple of pages talking about the parks in Utah and then a picture of the temple in Salt Lake. The title of the article is “Utah’s Top Jaw-dropper sits right downtown” then they go on to tell our history etc. etc. They said that as many people go to temple square as all 5 of the national parks combined. What a missionary tool!


Last Sunday we attended church in the Girdwood branch. There are only about 5-6 families that attend here and their Branch President is a man with a full beard and a pony tail down below his waist. It was held in a Catholic Church with the signage in front of the chapel as shown in the picture.


Have you ever had a cross on your chapel? It was just dedicated by the Catholic priest a month ago and he said it was the only sign like that he knows about. The community of Girdwood is a small tourist town 40 miles south of Anchorage. Alyeska, Alaska’s famous ski resort is here. It is hard to believe that you can have a ski resort at sea level with 7 feet of snow most winters but it is, after all right on Turnagain Arm Inlet.


Today, Saturday October 21, we spent all day in the temple with another two families that we did Family History packets for right after their baptisms. I was the escort for Anne Marlin who has embraced the gospel 100 percent. She said when she was baptized that it was just like the church was made for her. The Philippian sister is 35 years old and her husband is 82. Their two boys are 9 and 8 years old and the cutest things. What a wonderful emotional day!

On a holiday note! Buy the stamps with the snowflakes for your holiday letters. The snowflake in the upper right hand corner is from Fairbanks.