Alaska Mission

A beautiful scene along a finger of the Cook Inlet near Anchorage.

The Portage Glacier Lake.

It was so quiet we were able to hear the ice cracking on the frozen lake.

                      

 

Anchorage Temple

There is a ski resort here in Girdwood.

This week has been busy and fun.  We had inservice meetings in Anchorage to teach us more about our responsibilities with the Institute and the seminaries.  We took a short flight to Anchorage and planned for extra time to allow us to go to the temple there.  We arrived late Wednesday afternoon and were met by a missionary from the mission office with a car that we were able to use there.  We visited the mission office and met the other couple missionaries that work there.  It was great put faces to voices that we have heard on the phone.  Anchorage is surrounded by beautiful mountains. 

Thursday it was a beautiful sunny day.  We couldn't believe how much higher the sun was in the sky.  We took a drive to see the Portage Glacier and drove through the longest combined highway/railroad tunnel in North America.  It takes 6.5 minutes to drive through it.  The tunnel ends in Whittier at the mouth of Prince William Sound.  It was a beautiful drive.  That evening we met with President and Sister Dance (our mission president) and had dinner with them.  They are wonderful people and we have grown to truly appreciate their council and direction.  After dinner we went to the Anchorage Temple.  It was a good thing that we found it earlier in the day.  We missed it completely the first time around.

Friday was filled with meetings and directions on how to better help seminary teachers and to accomplish what we are expected to do with the Institute program.  That evening we were able to attend the temple again.

Saturday we had a few hours before our flight and spent time driving around Anchorage in the fog.  Even though we were very close to the ocean, the fog was too heavy to see anything.  We decided to look into some gift shops to keep warm and to see some fine Alaskan artwork.  I was very excited to find an Alaskan Igloo Nativity set to bring home as a remembrance of Alaska.

Each day we are reminded of the importance of  family and friends.  Our lives have been enriched by each one of you.

With love,
Elder and Sister Spens