Timing is Everything

Denali   https://www.nps.gov/dena/index.htm

Hello All,

Farrell writing this week … We are not sure, but we think spring is coming. We have had hardly any winter in Anchorage. That is, very little snow and mild temperatures. Mild means mid 30°F days with several as high as 50°F. Perfect weather for building a temple in Anchorage in the middle of the winter minus a couple of wind and ice storms mentioned in earlier blogs. After church today we were talking to a ward member. Kitty mentioned that she used to let the kids run through the sprinklers when the temperatures hit the 80's. Here when it hits 60°F it is good enough. 40°F is the time to shed your coat.

We are about to wrap up our first 18 months on our mission March 11. We will be here until the temple is finished. We think the second half will be even better than the first. We even have our 49th wedding anniversary (April) expedition already planned -- thanks to Kitty. I dislike making travel arrangements etc. and am so grateful for her willingness to do that. I think she actually likes doing it. We are staying in the state but going up north a bit in the shadows of Denali (whoops I mean Mt. McKinley).

We have invited our family to come visit. So far, two of our kids, spouses & grandkids have made reservations plus Dianne (Kitty's 1st cousin 1x removed) & her friend Laura (both life long Catholic Nuns and literal angels when our daughter Amy had her first preemie twins in Michigan -- yes there is a rather miraculous story behind that) and Kitty's sister Anne. Looks like a busy summer coming up. We can't handle everyone at once so all invitees are spread out over our the next two summers. Other visits are in the talking phase. We split up some of our mission activities between the two of us, work on them most of the time, but have more scheduling flexibility than most missionaries.

Kitty just took down the Christmas decorations yesterday since we have hardly any snow. She feels like she is burning the candle at both ends. We sent off our weekly report late Tuesday evening after she finished up working at the temple. We use a Microsoft desktop publishing program for part of our work. We have word that it is going away Oct. 2026. I have suggested that they do away with it now to eliminate the need to retrain incoming missionaries. Whatever the case, that will add an additional load. Once the temple is complete we may still need an additional two months to finish a book covering all areas of the temple build. Just the 2024 construction progress entries are already 300 pages.

The construction activity is increasing with more trades on site and more urgency to move the pace along with the longer daylight hours. There have been only minor breaks in the work but it feels busier. The workers who have been here awhile greet us as we walk around -- they feel like old friends. We sometimes even recognize an individual's walk from a far distance. All the structural roof members are in with one concrete pour on the second level (240,000 lbs. of concrete). It is not the final roof, but we are semi-enclosed. We can now access that area which gives us quite a view.

7 March 2025 Jonathan Hughes

I took my drone out Saturday to get some pictures. It is fun to fly but I'm nowhere nearly as good as the General Contractor's "drone man" who can and does fly through open doors, up and around, with wires hanging down everywhere. He does it all from his chair in the construction office. I take off from our back lawn and it takes my full focus to maintain control. His skills come from hours in his earlier days playing video games. This photo is from: 

https://churchofjesuschristtemples.org/anchorage-alaska-temple/photographs/

Who knew this mission was going to be run a visitors center, answer gospel questions, teach groups about the temple, make a historical record of a major construction project, photograph, pilot a drone, comprehend professional architectural drawings, fit in sightseeing in one of the most beautiful parts of the world, and acclimatize to what ever weather is present today. If variety is the spice of life, we certainly have it.

Current Anchorage Alaska Temple on March 3.

I'm always fascinated by time, hence the name of this week's blog. Kitty had a sweet temple experience this week. She had a visitor at our Visitors' Center who told her personal story about joining the church some time ago. We'll call her Sister K. Then as sometimes happens in life, she stopped going and was inactive for 15 years. After some time she longed for that spiritual influence again, leading her to visit various churches. She wasn't happy with any of the churches she attended. One church had especially beautiful music which she loved, then spent time arguing who should be the next pastor. In a casual spontaneous experience, she was telling her neighbor across the street about her search. The sweet neighbor quietly invited her to come to church with her that Sunday, which she did. It was the local ward of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. All of the good feelings she once knew came rushing back and she welcomed the sweet experience. 

Subsequently, Sister K was at the Anchorage Alaska Temple to be sealed eternally to her deceased parents. To perform this ordinance, there is a sealer, (In this case, our friend Brother Swensen), who holds the Melchizedek priesthood, a proxy couple for her parents, and two witnesses. Sister Fisher was in the dressing room getting ready and felt a repeated strong urgency to hurry even though she was early for her appointment. Sister Swenson, the wife of the sealer, then went to the dressing room and told Sister Fisher to hurry. This was all unplanned. They all ended up in the sealing room together where the sealing was performed. The late comers were Sister K's Bishop and his wife, who acted as witnesses. This woman had done many sealings over the years, but being sealed to her own parents was a very special. It turned out to be a very spiritual experience for all involved. Another guest, our mutual friend Sister Hamm, was also there and she was crying with joy. Ten minutes after this dear woman left the Visitor's Center, Sister Fisher, who had been one of the witnesses came in. Kitty said we were just talking about you, and relayed the story about Sister K being sealed to her parents. Sister Fisher repeated the story from her perspective. Kitty was at the temple that evening and saw Brother & Sister Swensen and asked them if they remembered the experience. They did and again retold it from their memory. Again, unplanned. Timing is everything. If we have learned anything on our mission, it's that God is in the details of our lives and that he loves and cares about every individual.

Have a wonderful week. Keep in touch. We love hearing from you. #ThinkCelestial

Love, Elder & Sister Badger