Tears and Laughter

Dear Family & Friends,

Elder & Sister Badger writing this week. We apologize that some of these posts are rather long. It's been quite an adventure and it hasn't become commonplace to us yet. We don't know if it ever will. 

Sister Badger - I cried Monday morning, hearing of the passing of President M. Russell Ballard. He had been an Apostle for nearly as long as I can remember. We met him and his dear wife, Barbara, on an airplane heading to Hawaii. Farrell flew for business a lot during that time, and he surprised me with first-class tickets to Oahu for my birthday. In the airport departure terminal, we noticed several General Authorities standing not too far from us. We had our Ensign magazine with us from the October General Conference and started looking them up. It was great to see them in person. To our delight, we sat between Elder & Sister Ballard to our left and Elder Hales to our right on the entire flight. Elder Hales slept most of the way and flew on to another island. Elder Ballard told us he always wore a sweater under his suit coat when he traveled as he could never tell what the temperature was going to be like on the plane.

Elder & Sister Ballard were there with something pertaining to BYU Hawaii. I remember hearing him speak and he wore an elaborate lei. The Church news says he addressed the winter commencement at BYU-Hawaii on Dec. 12, 1998, in Laie, Hawaii. He was accompanied by his wife, Barbara. In Elder Ballard's remarks that day he explained, "When our time comes to return to our Heavenly Father to give Him an accounting of our stewardship while here on the earth, what do you suppose the Lord will be most interested in? I believe He will be pleased with all of our honorable accomplishments, but will have a special interest in the service — including sharing the gospel — that we have rendered to others along the way." I have never in my life met more Christ-like people. They were genuine, loving, calm, caring, and full of faith. I am confident he will continue to have a powerful impact for good on the other side of the veil.

My dad, Gordon A. Flikeid, and his wife, Clare, were serving a mission at the Polynesian Cultural Center in Laie, and we stayed with them in their home next to the Laie Temple. We were invited to attend a dinner as guests with the Ballard's and senior missionaries serving at the PCC. I have a picture at home with all of us. Later that evening we attended the PCC Luau show with the Ballard's and other senior missionaries. We had VIP seating next to them and were all served delicious dole whip in pineapples. Their faith and example had a great impact on me during the beautiful and turbulent years ahead.

My dad was in his element there and at his best. He was retired, healthy, happy, and vibrant. He was working on the electrical for the PCC and his wife worked in the office. He was about the same age as Farrell is now. My father passed away almost 20 years later in April 2018 at age 91.  On that vacation, our oldest son proposed to his beautiful girlfriend, Megan Killpack, in our living room back home in Mapleton while caring for younger siblings. Jared went on to marry Megan in the Manti Temple and they had two beautiful twin daughters, Lauren & Leanna. Our baby daughter, Heather Rose, was born nine months after the twins. Sadly, Jared and Megan later divorced. Nine years ago last month Jared tragically left this world. I know he is in a better place and we have heard of many special experiences others have had with him since his passing. I see his pictures on our Frameo often and still miss him greatly. I'm sure these experiences are all intertwined in my memory, thus my tears. I am so happy that Elder Ballard can now be with his eternal companion Barbara forever. There is always comfort in knowing we will be with our loved ones again because our Savior Jesus Christ overcame death. I am so grateful for His love and comfort. 

President Ballard's funeral was so inspiring. We attended it virtually on Friday morning. We highly recommend watching it if you get a chance.      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QDeSctHF7So

Back in Anchorage -- We better understand the ice skaters that we saw earlier. With 2-3 feet of snowfall, the opportunity is now gone. Isn't that ice amazing? With that clarity, I don't know if I could convince myself it was solid! The link below talks about it (plus other interesting stories - one about Zions).

"Rare ‘Ice Window’ Makes For Gorgeous Skating Conditions"

November 13, 2023   

 

 A cold, dry transition to winter led to unusually beautiful skating conditions near Anchorage, Alaska. Skaters were able to see right through the ice to the bottom of Rabbit Lake, but the spectacle lasted only about a week.

https://weather.com/travel/video/rare-ice-window-makes-for-gorgeous-skating-conditions

We had our second snow day this week. A foot of snow on top of an already two feet, makes it hard to get out. We have had two neighbor cars stuck in the middle of our street -- one in front of our driveway high centered on the snow piled in the street Tuesday morning. He had to be towed. The snow plow came by at 8 p.m. that evening. Stuck cars have been a common theme throughout Anchorage. We were at the temple Thursday evening and had just finished a sealing session when the power went off. The emergency lights continued allowing the endowment session to finish and allow us to exit the temple. We had a nice visit with the temple matron. Apparently, the temple also has an emergency generator that kicks in at some point. It lasted for about three hours covering a large area. We had heard about three-day outages which would lead to pipes freezing etc. Not cold enough and not long enough for that to happen this time. We have all the comforts here and are stocking up for an emergency. We had purchased battery-operated candles and two minky-like blankets on sale at Costco just for decor. Surprisingly, they were perfect for this power outage. 

Yeah for battery candles.

Neighbor stuck in street.

On a lighter note: Funny enough, I have learned silk, wool, down, and chemical hand and feet warmers can keep me warm in almost any temperature we have had so far. The reason I had to leave the Farmer's Market early last Saturday was that after I took off my down coat, gloves, and wool neck gaiter I was still too warm! I had silk long johns under my cotton long-sleeve shirt. (Farrell was ready to leave way before me but waited patiently. I hope he appreciates all the practice I give him.) The danger is that sweating and then going out in the cold can make it really hard to get warm again. It was 28°. We are still learning. The temperatures for Sunday's forecast are 6° for a high, with 0° for a low, and Mostly Sunny. It will be a good test of our preparedness. Might be the best Northern Lights viewing yet. One of the other Sr. couples, Elder & Sister Cox, went out early this week in the middle of the night after a major snow and were treated to 20 minutes of spectacular lights.

We had a couple of visitors show up in our driveway this Friday morning while talking to our oldest daughter, Anna. When they were standing by the car, they looked huge. (We had to leave our car parked in the driveway overnight due to the power outage.) Looking at pictures later, I think they were a couple of young moose--no mama moose around. They were a little skittish but not like deer. We have been cautioned not to feed them. It's tempting because they act so friendly and innocent. Unfortunately, they grow into unwieldy adults that knock humans down in the parking lot to get to their groceries, ie. fresh carrots, and then have to be put down. 

 

We visited with the Stake Patriarch and his wife last Sunday, the Light's. They live about five minutes from us on Rabbit Creek. She showed us several pictures of what happens when the salmon come up the creek in the Spring -- several grizzlies fishing the stream. Her son, Brother Joe Light, who teaches our Sunday School Class says she can sit at her dining room table and see the salmon in the creek. She took the pictures of the bears from her porch. We have been invited back for a visit next spring. 😊

We saw another huge moose on our way to church this morning right on the road. We couldn't check it out or we would be late for church because it's a one-way road.

We continue to work diligently on the Temple project and visit with those involved during the week. We have been working through some computer problems and are still learning programs. In our spare time, we listen to Conference talks (that's our joint missionary study), Tabernacle Choir, and Follow Him podcasts. The last one we count toward our individual missionary study time while we exercise at the gym (if we don't have a meeting and if we can make it through the snow). Kitty - I have been doing yoga to keep limber, but it doesn't burn many calories. Thinking about buying some more snowshoes. We didn't have room in the car to bring them.

Have a wonderful week. Stay safe and keep in touch.

Love, Elder & Sister Badger