Moving Forward

Hello All,

We hope everyone is doing well. We sometimes feel a long way away from the pulse of our friends and family, although Kitty especially maintains frequent contact with family members. It has been a blessing for them and for us. We would ask one thing - the blog does not identify who comments. It shows the comment, but we have no idea who made it. So .... if you wouldn't mind, put your name, initials, or some other ID in the comment so we can feel that connection. We love all of the comments. Of course, this ID need does not apply to emails we receive. We love hearing what you are up to. Thank you!

Kitty had a wonderful time last Sunday enjoying dinner and a RS Devotional at the Dugan's beautiful home. After dinner they watched the broadcast and it was followed by a tender testimony meeting. So many sisters have had difficult times in their lives and our Savior and his Spirit has been there to bring them comfort and guidance. The sisters here have been so welcoming. The closing prayer was given in Korean:)

Cute, but no:)

We have had a busy week on our mission. The big task was to work on putting together the Visitors' Center. We made trips to Costco and other stores to secure everything from a water dispenser to garbage cans to a carpet for our office. We moved a lot of furniture around (some of it heavy) to test every possible location. In the 10' x 60' space minus an office on each end and a restroom next to one of the offices, it takes some doing to get it right. The project site manager has an office on one end, and ours is on the other end. It is carpeted and has some kind of vinyl wallpaper -- looks pretty nice. Hanging big pictures, whiteboards, and a display cabinet came next. You know how that can go ... they have to be precisely positioned and leveled, etc. Kitty doesn't compromise. About halfway through we realized that using a level was just not going to work because the trailer was not perfectly level due to ice melting under the frame supports. The pictures were also staggered to match windows or other wall objects -- just didn't look good. So we started over. We learned that art galleries usually hang the midpoint of art at 57" -- eye level.  We chose 60" because Farrell is tall and that is closer to Kitty's eye level. This time we measured from the floor. We figured it would be level after the ice melts and we readjust the trailer.  

After several long days (and the end of Farrell's patience), we finished and it looks good. By that time Kitty's back was hurting so much that she couldn't attend the Saturday evening conference session. She has been recovering and is feeling better. (She really misses her yoga classes.) Now all we need is electricity, a heated and insulated septic tank, and fresh water tank. The trailer has no direct connections; it works like an RV. The real milestone will be heat. We need heat. It was soooo cold. We eventually obtained a Little Buddy propane heater to take the chill off, if we shut the doors to the offices. The real heat comes with the temporary power which is in the works. Then we will also have lights. :-)

We have enjoyed introducing many people to the temple project, many of them neighbors but not members of the church. When Farrell sees someone wandering around in the parking lot, I go out and visit, inviting them to come to the Visitors' Center when it is up and running. I haven't found anyone yet who doesn't express sincere interest in the temple and the church.

The construction folks have been pushing hard on the demo work. There is a seemingly endless procession of trucks with two excavators working hard from 7a.m. until sometimes 7p.m. They trade off operators occasionally but I can't imagine how dizzy I would be in a track hoe swinging back and forth for hours at a time. Next is digging the foundation hole. It will be about 20' deep. That is a lot of dirt of which some will get hauled off before being replaced by load-bearing compacted fill. We expect that to kick off sometime this week. There is a law here that as soon as the ground thaws, truck loads are reduced by half to protect the roads. The rule remains in place until the roads dry out. That law slows down all hauling - doubling the number of trucks needed. The controller for the company doing the civil work is the Anchorage Stake Patriarch. I see him at church often -- an amazing man with an amazing wife. He had a mountain bike accident before he moved to Anchorage that put him permanently in a wheelchair as a paraplegic. He has eight kids.

We had Stake Conference here this weekend. Sometimes here in Anchorage, they call Utah the Motherland or sometimes they call Anchorage, Northern Utah because many here have their roots in Utah -- at least church members. But that is not always true. We find Anchorage is a melting pot of many cultures. It seems to be easy to fly in and out of most places. There were some very special experiences shared in the Saturday evening session of Stake Conference. One woman, who spoke with a strong accent, told some of her story. She is from Ukraine. She arrived in Anchorage 6-7 months ago partially because of the ongoing war. This good sister, joined the church in Ukraine about 25 years ago. About a year after that, she served a mission for the church in Russia. One of her mission companions there was from Anchorage, thus the opportunity for her to move here. She never married until four months ago when she made a new friend here. Although she didn't go into the details, she did say life was not easy for her over the years. What she had learned was that she could always trust the influence of the Savior in the worst of circumstances. She mentioned that the Kiev Ukraine Temple was closed when the current war escalated. It remained that way until last fall when it was opened to continue ordinance work. Only Ukrainians attend or officiate. When an air raid siren sounds, they suspend the operation. Then everyone retreats to a shelter (she didn't say where that was) until the clearance is given at which time they return and complete the ordinances. Because of the circumstances, I'm sure they are guarded about talking about any details. For those of you who go to the temple, can you imagine doing that? Sounds a little like what happened in Nauvoo in the mid-1800s. What faith! 

Another member from here moved to Bosnia and found and married his wife there. She was one of only 17 active members there at the time. Unfortunately, by his own admission, he was not living a good life at the time. After they were married, both remained inactive for over 20 years. They had two children. After coming back to Anchorage the kids wanted to go to church. He emphatically stated that he would take them but would have nothing to do with encouraging them. The daughter eventually ended up going on a mission -- to Russia. In spite of his personal condition, he was very proud of her. She was a dedicated missionary, full of faith. A few months into her mission, her mother was diagnosed with cancer. She decided to remain on her mission. Events progressed until the daughter, several months later after much prayer, had the impression that she finally needed to go home. She left a week before all the borders closed due to COVID. The timing was right and when both parents had made the necessary life changes, her family was all sealed together in the Anchorage Temple.  Her mother passed away a few months later. About a year later, her father met and married a local church member who is now serving as the Stake Relief Society President. Both of these stories are witnesses of Our Heavenly Father being in the details of our lives.

We have noticed the sweet prayers of members opening or closing a meeting. They now frequently pray for the progress of the temple and look forward to its use in a future day. 

"There would be no Christmas if there had not been Easter. The babe Jesus of Bethlehem would be but another baby without the redeeming Christ of Gethsemane and Calvary, and the triumphant fact of the Resurrection." President Gordon B. Hinckley

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/2000/12/the-wondrous-and-true-story-of-christmas?lang=eng

Have a wondrous Easter week! We love you all. 

Elder & Sister Badger

Spring is Coming (Sometime)

Hi All,

We hear that the locals consider it Spring here between mid-March and the end of April. I go completely by temperature. So when we come out of below-freezing temperatures during the day and at night, then it is Spring. Looks like that will be at the end of April.  Actually when the 6" of ice melts off the road in front of our house and I can see asphalt then it is Spring.

Still beautiful.

We hit a milestone on Thursday with the arrival of the trailer that will become our Visitors' Center. We were pretty excited. They expected a 40' unit and instead received a 60' unit. Because of the size change, they couldn't maneuver it into the spot they had cleared off for it so they placed it in an alternate position -- even better because you can look out the side windows right into the construction area. It is a better close-up view.

We were intending to empty our garage of the furnishings we have for it but that got nixed by Kitty -- just too cold. I am willing to work in the cold but she is more sensitive to unfavorable conditions. It is warmer outside than inside the trailer because the sun peaks through the clouds occasionally. We will have to wait for the power connection so we have heat. I tried my best to sell Kitty on just buying a Mr. Buddy propane heater so we could get started -- I'm like that -- but we are waiting until the end of next week for the power. We were quite pleased with the trailer because it did come with reasonably nice carpet and wallpaper. The contractor's trailer is a grade lower with vinyl floor and wood paneling. We went with one of the contractor's folks (because he had a pickup and the credit card) to the new business Costco to pick up several of the niceties like a hot/cold water dispenser, mini fridge, and mini microwave. This is definitely not a third-world country.

Our people interaction was minor this week -- mostly during trips (1-2 minute commute) to the operating temple. I am surprised at the number of people who come up to us there, somehow recognizing our connection to the new temple. We are constantly answering questions about it. During the sealing session, the officiator stopped at one point and asked me (Farrell) to give everyone an update on how the project was progressing. We had about 17 people there which felt like way too many. We couldn't help but think how nice it would have been to be able to split the group in two and do twice the ordinances. The new temple will accommodate that.

The demo work on the meetinghouse continues. It is all a pile of rubble now with a constant flow of trucks hauling it off. Farrell was curious and decided to follow one of the trucks so we could document the whole haul-off cycle. Unknown to us, it was a 50-minute drive to their landfill site up by Palmer. In the meantime, the civil contractor, the one who digs the foundation hole and trenches for pipelines, has began to mobilize by dropping off one of their BIG track hoes.

We have become good friends with the general contractor's crew (4 leads) and associate with most of them every day. In the picture to the right, the Project Manager (Josh Foote) is in orange with the Assistant Site Superintendent (Dalton Mayfield). On some temple projects that is not the case. Usually, the primary interaction is with the church's project managers, but in our case, it has worked out differently. We do have to be careful not to overstep our bounds and interfere with what they are doing. Luckily they have invited us over the last many months to attend their weekly coordination meeting. They are also now in charge of the OAC (owner, architect, contractor) meeting which we attend. That is the directing body which makes all the decisions.

We have started to feel the need to get our act together in preparation for hosting visitors. We want to have pre-thought-out answers/responses to questions we expect to get from visitors, church members, and friends alike. Fortunately, the church has wonderful resources (videos, Q&As, etc.) on their website that help tremendously. The MTC was a long time ago for us.

After much effort, we ironed out the kinks in preparing our weekly reports that go to SLC (Project Manager, Coordinating Missionaries, and Head of the Special Projects Department). We expect to get the time required to do the compilation down to a few hours a week. It requires much more time on-site gathering the information. We are both getting much better at using the camera (that is getting good pictures). I have also been running full-time lapse video segments from the camera hung outside our bedroom window. We have a full view of the Visitors' Center in the alternate location from the same window which we wouldn't have had if it had been placed behind the existing temple. We will put a phone number on the door so they can call us if we are on-site or at home.

President Larsen, the Anchorage Alaska Mission President, asked us to give an update on the new temple to all the missionaries. He has a weekly Zoom call on Sunday evenings. It really is quite amazing to be able to have the gathering since distances are so vast. One set of Elders in Barrow tune in from the church building there (yes, a double-wide trailer). I assume because it is the only place with an internet connection. On the other side (940 miles by air) is the Yukon where there is a Sr. Couple and a set of Elders. Google can't find a way between those two points because part of it is only an ice road. Farrell put together a PowerPoint which he hopes will do the job. Will let you know how it goes.

Well, that is enough. We love you all. Happy St. Patrick's Day.

Elder & Sister Badger

Sunsets and Snow

Dear Friends & Family,

We started our mission six months ago tomorrow. We entered the MTC on Sept. 11, 2023. We attended uplifting classes & meetings for 2 weeks and met wonderful people there. Afterward, we drove up to beautiful Anchorage, Alaska. It has been an incredible adventure full of growing experiences. We were in the MTC with two other couples serving here - Cox's & Kuerth's. We were able to have dinner with them Friday night at a Mexican Restaurant. One of the best parts of our mission has been our association with other senior missionaries.

When Farrell asked me where I would like to serve a mission I listed: London, England Temple, Washington D.C. Visitor's Center, and Rome, Italy MLS (Member Leader Support). I grew up Catholic, so I thought that one would be a perfect fit. All of these would be places where I could meet people and dress up. I realized we would be able to do all of those here. I have the opportunity to attend the temple twice a week. We will soon have a visitor's center, and we just finished the MLS portion of our mission before demolition began. I requested not to be called anywhere excessively hot or humid. Farrell didn't want to wear a suit and tie. The Lord really has answered our prayers. 

We are learning the nuances of MS (Microsoft) Publisher. We have had many training sessions, but all the difficulties pop up as you're actually doing it. After watching dozens of online tutorials, we were finally able to submit our first weekly report to the church. Another one is due right on its heels, so it's been a steep learning curve. Farrell has been very patient with my countless questions and maybe some complaints. I would like all the computer programs to be easy to use but perform intricate tasks. It's impossible to have both. I realized whenever our computers have problems I expect Farrell to solve them as though he invented computers and the internet. He did introduce them to our family and his workplace back in the day, so it's ingrained. It's really a back-handed compliment to his genius. 

The Brayton Stake Center demo continues. Alaska Demolition separates out the metal for recycling in dump trucks and hauls off semi after semi of all the rest. It's been interesting to watch, but kind of sad, especially at night when the site is completely dark over there. We are looking forward to the start of the new Anchorage Temple.

We had another 2 1/2 inches of snow last night. That brings our total this winter to somewhere around 120". We are not included in the National Weather Service snow totals:) It truly is a winter wonderland. The snow-covered mountains remind us of Utah and we love the clean air. If I lived here permanently I would have to get a home gym. The driveways and sidewalks are rarely dry and snow/ice-free unless they are heated. We walk inside the local mall for exercise and lift weights etc. at the gym. I usually listen to Follow Him or catch up on the news with my daughters. We are really looking forward to the weather getting nicer with no ice so we can exercise outside and enjoy nature. 

We discussed a recent General Conference talk in Relief Society this afternoon at church. Elder Stevenson suggested four ways to seek the promptings of the Spirit: Stand in Holy Places, Stand with Holy People, Testify of Holy Truths, & Listen to the Holy Spirit.  

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2023/10/25stevenson?lang=eng

He quoted President Russell M. Nelson, “In coming days, it will not be possible to survive spiritually without the guiding, directing, comforting, and constant influence of the Holy Ghost.” I testify that there is a prophet on the earth today and we can pray to know the will of Heavenly Father for ourselves. We are all His children and our Savior Jesus Christ made it possible for families to be together forever.

We love you all. Have a wonderful week. #Think Celestial

Elder & Sister Badger

The Iditarod & The Demo

Dear Friends and Family,

The counselor in the mission presidency in charge of service lined us up on Saturday to volunteer at the Ceremonial Start of the 2024 Iditarod race. This famous Alaskan dogsled race, roughly 1000 miles from Willow to Nome, Alaska, has a rather complex history. What is the same is dogs are the power and mushers are the brave souls who encounter weather, animals, and danger on the trek. 

We were stationed along the trail to keep sightseers 10' back from the trail. The picturesque Cambell Airstrip was at the end of a Ceremonial Route which allowed more people to see it and generated a ton of PR$$. All the teams who compete in the real race a day later have to do the Ceremonial race, but just for show. There were 42 teams each with 12 dogs, a musher, and a few riders spaced about 5 minutes apart. For this leg, the dogs pull two sleds so that those who pay for the privilege can ride along. We are still amazed at how quiet they go swishing by (snow sound). 

As they came into the marshaling area we were able to get right in the middle of it and see how the dogs were handled and loaded onto their trucks to move to the official race start location the next day. They are a group of well-cared-for dogs. Food (chunks of frozen fish), vitamins (saw vitamin E), and rubdowns were the norm. One lady musher had an all-woman team helping her. She was getting multiple autograph requests. Not sure who she was but they had their act together. Anyway, quite a unique experience. It was a bit nippy at 9°F but a beautiful sunny day.

We made it home from the race in the early afternoon, just in time to see the steeple of the church building that was being demolished come down. We scrambled for our cameras but couldn't get them on soon enough. Luckily I had a time-lapse running and others have pictures we will request. The demo started ahead of schedule Wednesday morning and we have been recording the demo of the building all week. 

Only a small amount is still standing after four days of work with one track hoe. They separate what metal they can as they go along. It can't be put in the same landfill and we assume they recycle it, especially the copper pipe. Every couple of days they bring in big trucks to load up debris for haul off. The building may be down soon but they will have a lot of cleanup and many many more truckloads to haul off. They will remove all the concrete and just leave a hole in the ground for the beginning of the temple building. This part is interesting, but we don't particularly like it. Building is better than tearing down. Sometimes to get to where you want to be you have to go through this kind of work. 

Generally, a few spectators are watching from outside the construction fence. A
Mom in the local ward brings her young boys over for a couple hours a day to watch. They get out of the car, swing on the light poles and just have a great time. I was with the construction superintendent, from Westland Construction, talking while he secured the site Friday. There were probably five cars within an hour that came into the construction area out of curiosity. None knew what was going on so concluded they were not members of our church since it has been publicized well there. They all thought the roof had collapsed due to the snow load. After we explained, we invited them to come back to the visitors center when it was up and running so we could give them a full explanation of what was going on. Once construction begins there will be a guard shack, badges, car signs, etc. for security.

This site is only a little over five acres so space is at a premium with the operating Anchorage Temple and a major construction project in the works. Some construction fence adjustments were made to allow the required minimum number of spaces for the active temple. That magic number is 73 spots. With ice & snow covering the parking lot, cars often take up more than one space. They had to use spray paint to mark the spaces to make the parking adequate. We were able to get a picture of all the senior missionaries in the Anchorage area Tuesday afternoon before the demo began. The media missionaries are working on a video post.

We usually attend the contractor meeting at 8 a.m. on Tuesday mornings by video - have been doing this for several months now. The leads of that team have just moved here or flown in for the meeting. They had no place to meet yet so we invited them to our home for a living room meeting. We also fed them quiche, sausage, toast, and fruit for breakfast. It worked well. They have become friends. Most have young families. Usually, construction missionaries don't have that close association with the general contractor but instead work solely through the site manager, a church employee. It has just worked out that way and they seem to enjoy the association. 

We get invited to dinner occasionally by local members and went back today to a previous invite. The Maiseys are quite amazing people -- both from the SLC area and now long-time Anchorage residents. Their children were born in Midway, UT. He wasn't making enough money there as a dentist -- too many in the area so they moved here. We have learned that is common in the medical business -- can make a lot more money here and pay off their school debt faster. For years this family has hosted these Sunday dinners. Apparently, because his Dad was the Branch President for 20+ years in North Dakota, it became a family tradition that they have continued in Anchorage. They invite lots of family & friends. I think about half are not members of the church. We have met some fascinating people. 

Almost without exception and without much directing from us we end up talking across the dinner table about family history and temples. Many are familiar with Ancestry and Family Search, members or not. If you want to see evidence of the Spirit of Elijah, this is it. We invite all to come to the visitor center where we can continue the conversation and introduce them to more of the Gospel message. One couple last night have lived here for years but until recently maintained a winter home in St. George. He is an active participant in the Huntsman Sr. Games (in his 70's) -- baseball and racquetball. Even with that link, he knew nothing about the church. They are moving from Wasilla, an hour from Anchorage, where they also own a home, to Anchorage so he is closer to racquetball courts. They delayed that move because the renters in their Anchorage home ended up with COVID and they didn't want to cause any hardship on them -- kind folks. Another thing we have learned here is that many people are affluent and mobile. Not uncommon to take trips to warmer climes -- Hawaii is common.

This is a very unique mission we are on. Many of the other Sr. Missionaries are interested in our assignment mostly because of the wide variety of things we get involved with. A lot of it is on the physical side -- observing the construction. But it is just so easy to talk about the Savior and the blessings of the Gospel. People are very friendly and genuinely interested. The other seniors are not envious that we will be here for another 2 1/2 years.

"When Lorenzo Snow was the prophet, there were only four temples, and all of them were in Utah. He knew that one day temples would dot the earth. In 1899, he prophesied, "The time will come when there will be Temples established over every portion of the land." Friend July 2002

In a talk, Farrell gave in 2011 to young single adults:

"There are now temples in about 47 countries by my rough count. I have lived long enough (age 58) to see the beginning of that prophecy’s fulfillment. Now if we were to look further to the future, maybe when you are age 58 let’s say, what would be the status then?"

Farrell in 2024 at age 71 says:

"There are temples in 77 countries. Was Lorenzo Snow a prophet? There are now 188 temples in operation, 52 under construction, and 95 more announced. They do indeed dot the earth."

We are amazed at the days we live in -- what a time to be alive. We have so much to be involved with and we couldn't be happier helping with the new Anchorage Alaska Temple. #ThinkCelestial

We love you all.

Elder & Sister Badger