We have the water. Where is Noah?

Greetings Family & Friends--

Angel Moroni on Anchorage AK temple thru fog.

Farrell writing. This warm Anchorage weather we have been having is too good (distracting, although enjoyable) -- makes me want to start working in the yard and gardening. It's been in the mid 40's most days. We understand it's warmer here than in Utah. The last few days have been full of high winds (70mph gusts) and lots of rain. Six inches of rain in some parts of Alaska. I think we are somewhere around three inches in Anchorage. Being a desert boy, this is a lot of rain. All that is about to change. The storms will pass, the skies will clear, and temperatures drop into the negative range -- forecast is -6F on Wednesday. Strangest thing is the ground here. Even after a couple of weeks of warm temperatures and all the snow and ice melted by the rain and wind the ground can be very slippery. We stepped out onto a sloped black driveway tonight, that at one point had melted off, but was now covered in a thin film of very slick ice -- air temperature 45F. No outside planting yet, I guess😉

Been in this pond before. Turned around.

We had success this week getting our Visitors' Center reset on stands after blowing off a couple of weeks ago. It was not easy but we now feel much better with the ability to welcome people and enjoy the cozy work space it is. We cleaned up and moved back in on Friday. Yet to come is an ADA ramp on the front.

We wander the construction site daily with our handy Sony camera. It was a beehive of activity early in the week especially in the Utility Bldg. There were seven people on the roof roofing, eight people inside installing hangers for pipe and conduit, two people outside applying a roll-on water membrane and the brick masons all staged for covering the building in split concrete block. We will have to see tomorrow how much of the plastic surrounding the block work and roof has survived the latest wind attack.

Sunset.

The staging area around the temple has changed dramatically. We received a
truckload of very large air handling units. There is very little steel still sitting on the ground. That means it has been installed. Big bundles of metal corrugated decking have been swinging into place. They seem to manage it in between the wind gusts. They weld it down and crimp the edges together. That will be the roof for awhile and provide some shelter inside. With a temporary poly cover it might even get warm and have an "inside".

We rely on drone pictures -- by far the best for an overview at this stage in the construction. Drones don't fly well or at all in windy or snowy conditions. The drone used here can handle up to about 20mph and even that is rough. So none this week. We have added rendering photos on to our repertoire. What that means is that the architect team has "created" pictures that are designed to look like the final building. We have outside renderings and renderings of individual rooms. They include the paint, carpets, furniture, artwork, millwork, stone etc. The intent is to make the final construction look identical to the rendering. Colors are the most difficult. So now we go to the spot in the construction that matches the location of the rendering view to take weekly/monthly photos. It takes a little doing to identify the location, angle, height, etc. We may need to get a different camera lens when things get framed in more and we don't have the ability to stand anywhere we want.

For our devotional this past week, I used an Elder Bednar post about the California fires.

"My heart aches for the thousands of people who are suffering unimaginable challenges caused by the devastating wildfires in Southern California. I am also humbled by and grateful for all who are assisting the individuals and families who have been affected by this tragedy. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is providing resources and working with multiple local organizations to help assess both the short- and long-term needs.
But much more than temporal resources are required to heal from such overwhelming losses. Please know that we are not, and never need be, alone. You can press forward with heavenly help.
The Lord Jesus Christ perfectly knows and understands, for He has felt and borne our individual burdens. He has perfect empathy and can extend to us His arm of mercy. He can reach out, succor, heal, and strengthen us to do that which we could never do relying on our own limited capacity.
This is a true principle for the people of Southern California and for anyone experiencing pain or disappointment anywhere in the world.
As families recover and communities rebuild, I pray that you will rely on the Savior to bless you with peace, courage, hope, strength, and healing."

We heard about Elder Bednar's visit to Seattle to meet with all the West Area Stake and Mission Presidents. This subject came up there. He was quoted by both our Mission President and Stake President recently.

We are so grateful to realize that the Savior is who He said he is and that he loves each of us. We can look the other way for awhile, but the time will come when we will all know who he is and will feel his overwhelming love. I have felt some of that love. It is real. It is warm. It penetrates to your very center. It stays with you for days after you feel it.

What a wonderful time to be alive. Life is an adventure and all of us are in the middle of it. Enjoy! #Think Celestial

All our love,

Farrell and Kitty

Elder & Sister Badger

Miracles and Temples

Dear Friends and Family,

Kitty writing this week. It's been a pretty uneventful week since the windstorm. After we secured the trailer last Monday, Farrell brought my computer stuff over so we could work from home. We still attend meetings and take pictures, but we do our reports and Zoom calls while watching the temple progress out our family room window. 

I really enjoyed attending the existing Anchorage Alaska Temple Tuesday evening. Since the Visitors' Center was closed Farrell arranged to meet those dropping off cookies for Cookie Day in the parking lot outside the trailer. Then I drove over to the temple myself instead of leaving then dropping the car off at the trailer. Serving in the temple is one of the highlights of the week. It is often challenging, but everyone there is so kind, loving, and Christlike. 

Philadelphia Pennsylvania Temple dedicated 2023.

We did have a large group of "visitors" to our home Thursday evening. Sister Holli Card arranged for the youth from our Temple View ward to come over after they did proxy baptisms at the House of the Lord. She also made delicious homemade frosted pumpkin whole wheat sweet rolls. They received permission to use Brother & Sister Spencer's back gate to walk from the temple parking lot, through their yard, and down three houses to where we live. I felt bad as many had wet hair and it was very cold outside. I can't explain why some didn't wear warm coats. It's an Alaska thing, I guess. There were 30 here including youth and leaders. We showed them an inspiring short video clip about the personal experience of the Sikehema's and the Philadelphia Pennsylvania Temple. It's only 8 1/2 minutes long and I highly recommend it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kf4gAMDOvk

Salt Lake Temple reconstruction.

Farrell talked about Joseph Smith and his prayer at the dedication of the Kirkland Temple in 1836. We think Farrell's great great and great grandfather were in Kirkland at that time. The LDS church just reacquired the Kirkland Temple last year. So many miracles happened there.

Then he quoted Brigham Young speaking of the Salt Lake Temple, "I want to see the temple built in a manner that it will endure through the millennium." It's being rebuilt right now to accomplish just that goal. We're excited to be able to attend the open house after our mission here is finished. 

Temple to footbridge 1/3 mile.

There are so many miracles associated with the building of these temples. We experienced a miracle last weekend. The last exterior cement pour of the Styrofoam Insulated Concrete Forms (ICF's) on the temple was on Friday. The storm started Sunday around 11 a.m. and took the roof and chain link fence off the footbridge that spanned the freeway about 1/3 of a mile away. A one way road and the freeway run right by the temple. The construction fence was knocked down, and debris thrown around, but the temple was not damaged and the work continued uninterrupted. We feel very blessed. The Lord knows us all personally and is eager to bless our lives as we actively seek a relationship with him through prayer, studying the scriptures, aligning our lives with His teachings, showing gratitude, and having faith in His promises. Seek the Lord and expect miracles. "There is a glorious miracle awaiting every soul who is prepared to change." Spencer W. Kimball

We went over to the site yesterday to take more pictures since it's safer with no cranes flying steel around and steelworkers grinding or welding with sparks going all over. It's fun to see the progress and feel the Spirit in that sacred space. The ground is dry with ice patches around, but little snow. That is truly another miracle. You can follow the progress at: https://churchofjesuschristtemples.org/anchorage-alaska-temple/photographs/

11 January 2025 Courtesy Jonathan Hughes

18 January 2025 Courtesy Jim Hughes

We enjoyed another game night last night at the Swenson's. They invented the game Alaska Alaska that we gave all our children for Christmas. We often play it at their monthly game night. We enjoy delicious finger food and delightful conversations. After a week at home it was a nice change.

Alvin Smith and others gave uplifting talks at church today. We had a great Sunday School lesson by Brother Light on The First Vision. We always have good class participation. Elder & Sister Kraut were at game night last night and attended our ward today. They are the CES missionaries and over three stakes. They teach institute, substitute for seminary, and visit young single adults and encourage them.

We're looking forward to the presidential inauguration tomorrow. We think the new supports for our trailer arrived and hopefully they can get it set back on the supports, leveled, check out the plumbing, and operating again. We live in exciting times. Have a great week. #ThinkCelestial

Love, Elder & Sister Badger

Mixed Blessings

Hello all,

Sunset over temple spire.

Farrell writing this week. Regular week in Anchorage, except ...for the exceptionally warm temperatures for this time of year. We had one evening that topped out at 50F at 9:00PM after staying near 40F for most of the day. It is a very strange January for here. One member at church today said he is ready to leave the Portland weather behind and get back to Anchorage weather. 

Walkway cover blown onto freeway.

And that's not all...Winds reached up to 132mph last night. I would hear a thump once in awhile but slept through most of it. We went to church in the dark and rain this morning but didn't realize the extent of the damage until we drove home. A pedestrian walkway over the freeway south a few hundred yards from where we live lost its heavy cover and chain link fence. It all ended up on the freeway and took about 6 hours to get off the roadway. We are grateful no one was hurt as there is an Elementary School nearby. 

Flooding on Lake Otis Parkway.

Several large trees broke off at the trunk level and fell into streets. One missed a house by mere inches. Going to church we noticed quite a bit of water on the road. I was worried about hydroplaning, but we made it. Coming home we drove through and passed a stalled car on one of the side streets in a large puddle. As we looked back, it didn't appear occupied. Probably shouldn't have done that -- our car was not too happy with water to the top of the tires. We will drive home another way until the water is gone.

Debris from walkway on side of freeway.

All of the power in Anchorage is out. Luckily, the owners of the place we live left a nice big generator in the garage with a cord that plugs into a transfer switch at the back of the house -- wouldn't live here without it. This outage is likely to be long because it is so widespread. Wouldn't surprise me to see it extend for a week or so. (It only lasted until 12:30 a.m. Monday morning. Some homes are still without power.)

Blue insulated concrete forms blown onto Brayton Dr.

We were getting calls regarding the temple site -- stuff blowing all over. We brought it to the attention of the General Contractor as we left church as he's in our ward. I was worried it was the big sheets of heavy corrugated steel the they use for decking over the structural steel. On inspection, turns out they were bundled together and didn't move at all. Only a few loose ones were on the side of the road that we saw. There were big ICF foam blocks blown down the street some distance. 

Items knocked over inside trailer.

Our Visitors' Center didn't fare so well. One set of metal entry stairs dislodged and blew over -- not the ones we use. The trailer is now sitting in a puddle about a foot deep and one end has moved a good 4-5 feet over and down a bit on one end. It is a miracle the wind didn't turn the whole thing over. They will have to set it back on the original spot with an extendable forklift. Then they will have to reset all of the frame stands underneath to level it up. That's after they pump the water away. We haven't looked inside but there is a pretty good chance things are stirred up a bit with some minor broken glass. All the plumbing to holding tanks also will need to be checked out. It doesn't look like any of this interfered with any of the construction activity -- just some time to put staged materials back in place. The temple is generally closed on Mondays so there was time to put the fence back up before the parking lot was filled up with patrons or necessitating cancelling sessions. (Folding chairs, hot/cold water cooler, storage cabinet, and shelf items knocked over. Only minor damage inside and no broken glass. Kitty spent time clearing off the shelves and computer table, then putting the storage unit back to rights. Then she had to go home. Walking inside the trailer while having it so off balance was making her nauseous.) 

Fence down & our Visitor's Center (far left) off blocks.

The construction team has been working on putting up the ICF perimeter walls for several months. Friday they completed the last section with a final concrete pour. That is not all the concrete but just that used on the exterior wall. This is a real milestone. The wall has steel plates embedded in it which provides part of the footing for the overhead structural steel. Through some agile sequencing, they have been able to put up most of the steel while they continued to put up the wall. After about a week for the concrete to cure, they can then mount the steel in the last area. Then they will move on to placing decking and concrete on the rest of the building.

Kitty has been meticulously going back over the last 46 weekly reports we have produced to correct any minor format flaws along with minor upgrades. As we get better we look back and see weaknesses in our earlier attempts. We have been here for 67 weeks but the temple building didn't start until 21 weeks after we arrived. I am proud of her tenaciousness and skills. So glad to have her company. I have been putting together lists and charts of everyone in the organization who has worked on this project. That includes the Church, the General Contractor, the architect firm, and any subcontractors. What is amazing in putting this together is the snapshot of what has been accomplished. I am also working with the architect interior designer to put together the design elements of the temple. That will take some time to develop. Time flies when you are having fun.

What has changed is that there are now five different places on site you can duck into to get warm. A couple are just warm enough to take the chill off while the others are actually very warm. One is in the basement area by the font, where they are marking out all the overhead plumbing lines on the floor. Most of the contractors use tablets to reference the plans. Then they use a laser to transpose lines to the ceiling where they install screw in anchors. These hold all-thread for pipe bands. It is a pretty neat way to do it. So much easier than trying to do it all overhead. Thank goodness for lasers. I can't imagine doing any of this without them. I'm amazed at what the pioneers did with their early tools.

We are going down the street tonight if the power comes back on to visit with the neighbors and other company as we have an informal presentation from the Kiddle's. They recently returned from a one year mission in Cypress. (The power didn't come back on, but the Spencer's have a generator and a nice wood stove. There were about a dozen of us and we enjoyed the company.)

We had a good visit with our mission leaders, President & Sister Larsen, after sacrament meeting today. They are so busy and usually on the road. They just arrived back from an annual training session in Seattle with Elder Bednar and the Area Presidency. An interesting comment they picked up. The "temple" is a building. The "House of the Lord" is a better way to refer to it. The Area President, Elder Bragg, has been busy lately. He's a General Authority Seventy and covers the West, including California. As far as they know, no church buildings have been lost in CA. One LDS chapel had everything around it burn. Thirty plus members of our church and their families have lost their homes with another 1000 members evacuated. Water is the supply most needed. Wish we could send them some of ours.

There was an announcement of new mission leaders recently. Our current ones (Evan & Mindy Larsen) will leave the end of June. The new ones are James & Melody Ledesma. He is currently a church employee managing the self-reliance program. They are coming from the Philippines. One of our ward members works at Costco in the meat department. He says most of the workers are Pilipino in that department. We also have wards and missionaries serving that group. So, I'm sure his call here is inspired.

We hope all of you are doing well. Keep in touch. We so enjoy hearing from you. #Think Celestial

Love, Elder and Sister Badger

Happy New Year 2025!

Dear Family and Friends,

Christmas decor with flowers.

Kitty writing this week. We had an enjoyable restful week. We were kindly invited to dinner by the Smith family for New Year's Eve. We always appreciate the social invites. The dinners are great, but we really enjoy their company. We thought about going to the fireworks at 8 p.m., but it was pretty cold. If there isn't much snow again next year we might drive up to Flattop if we can sit in the car to warm up. It's hard to believe it's 2025! I plan on leaving the Christmas tree and decorations up until the snow melts, if no one objects:) 

On New Year's Day Farrell built a fire in the fireplace and made pork ribs on the grill. We are grateful to have all of the comforts of home, including great food. We feel blessed to have a Costco nearby and that Amazon will mail most things this far north. 

Farrell smoking pork ribs.

We spent some time organizing, cleaning, and planning. We are trying to put our health as a bigger priority. We like to walk the mall or go to the local gym. If the weather is too icy I put on an exercise video on the main computer screen and listen to Follow Him with Hank Smith and John Bytheway on the another. I still miss my yoga class and buddies there. I thought I would be out on the back porch all summer long before it became too hot and go thru my yoga routine. It was more like cool spring weather, then fall weather with lots of rain. 

We were able to attend the temple Thursday evening. I  missed the special spirit there over the holidays. It feels like according to several old Jewish traditions, the earthly temple was a copy, counterpart, or mirror image of the heavenly temple. It feels a bit like entering heaven to attend the temple. The only thing that would make it perfect would be to see all the loved ones who are on the other side of the veil. I look forward to that someday. Right now, I am happy serving with wonderful people and making new friends here. It was great to visit most of our family over the holidays and I get homesick sometimes for family, friends, and places. We've already been on our mission for 16 months and time is flying by. 

Parking lot at existing Anchorage Alaska Temple.

The days are getting longer, and we have had unusually warmer weather here in Anchorage. While some are bemoaning that there isn't enough snow to use their "snow machines", we feel it is an answer to prayer. We called them snowmobiles growing up:) It reached 48° yesterday followed by rain and 16 mph wind all night long. It melted the little snow we had on site but left the parking lots looking like a springtime ice rink. 

Icy Sue's Way.

Our new cleats for our boots work well, but we are glad we don't have to travel far. We stocked up at Costco, washed the car, and put in our Amazon orders:) Our street on Sue's Way looks like an ice hill. The days are getting longer. Our trailer mounted camera cable came undone during the windstorm, so a kind worker helped Farrell by climbing a ladder and plugging it back in.

Everyone is getting back from vacation and the magnificent work on the temple continues. The steelworkers have been here everyday except Sundays and New Year's. Their work is very skilled, dangerous, and complicated. The welding makes the prettiest bright pick color. The ICF workers from Lindon UT are back this week and should be finishing up soon. The right side of the utility building is sheathed in wood and taking shape. Check out the Anchorage Alaska Temple progress at:  https://churchofjesuschristtemples.org/anchorage-alaska-temple/photographs/

Well, you can tell it's been a pretty quiet week. Wishing you a wonderful year filled with peace, joy, and excellent health. #Think Celestial

Love, Elder & Sister Badger