One more time...

Here is a recent email that Mom wanted help posting. Most of you have probably already read this but comments are ordered.

Take a look at the great picture!

Tuesday morning, when we got up, it had snowed some more, but warmed up a little so we waited til after lunch to head to Anchorage and arrived safely. The mission home was filled with some pretty impressive senior couples and I was feeling kind of intimidated. The new Assistant to the President, Elder Long whose father was killed in an auto accident not long after he entered the mission, sat next to me and shared something that really touched me - in fact it makes me weep every time I think about it. Do you remember when we told you about the preemie twins whose mother was flown to Anchorage from Kenai to be put on bed rest til they were at least 30 weeks? Elder Long was one of the elders who came to the hospital to administer to them after they were born - He and Elder Watt from Arizona each put a finger on each tiny boy and blessed them that they each had a mission to fulfill in this life and that they would survive.We got to see them in the NICU not long after that ( don't know why this is all underlining) and right next to those tiny little scraps of humanity was a whopping 9 lb. + baby boy that I had no idea why he was in the NICU. His mother recognized us from the few times we attended her ward in Anchorage. Her husband is in the military and their name is Beagley. We have visited the twins - Aiden and Alexander = who live in KIenai since we have lived here in Soldotna and they are thriving.

Back to the Beagleys - Just before we left Anchorage to move here, we did some last minute shopping at Costco and as we were leaving Sister Beagley walked up and asked if we remembered her and she was also anxious for us to see her baby. As I looked at him, the picture of health, I knew why he had been in the NICU. I wanted to come right out and ask and to make a comment, but didn't want to offend in any way, but I also felt such overwhelming feelings of tenderness - so, I swallowed my timidness and simply said "I perceive that this little boy is Downs, a Celestial being, and oh what a privilege and an honor it is that you have him in your life." I spoke of some I have known in our lives, and also commented that he looked like he was obviously loved. I told her of holding a Down's baby belonging to a very young unwed mother in Mona, and how alert he was and how as I looked into his eyes, it was like looking into eternity. We told her that we were glad to see her again and then left.

Back to Elder Long: He asked me if I remembered Sister Beagley and I had to think for a minute til he reminded of her baby in the NICU. He told me that he heard her speak in sacrament meeting recently and she told of meeting us in Costco and the things I had been prompted to say to her. She told how she had been struggling with her feelings about having a Down's baby, but that the things the Lord prompted me to say to her had brought comfort and peace to her. You cannot possibly have any idea how much it meant to me to have Elder Long share that with me. I keep praying that the Lord will help me speak the words He would have me speak

Since living here in Soldotna, a couple of the elders here have shared with me what a difference it made to them when I recognized them when they were newly arrived in the mission home, deeply stressed at being so far from home, in a cold strange place (one of them had even had a bloody nose while President Lewis was orienting them, how I made them feel welcome really made a difference. Both of these elders come from broken families and one of them had a brother call me in the office the day before to see how he could have a letter or a message there for him when he arrived. I suggested he send a fax, which he did, when I told this elder that I had something special I would give him the next morning from someone at home who loved him very much. Elder Taylor remembered everything I said to him that night and he was so comforted and it really made a difference to him. I love these missionaries so much and I really miss being in the office just for those kinds of experiences.

The senior couples conference yesterday was so uplifting. There were ten couples counting President and Sister Lewis, plus Pres. counselor and his wife (brother and sister Miles), (Tysen's seminary teacher), and three Assistants to the president, who gave us some instruction. We had a wonderful dinner and a great visit with some incredible people. Several of the senior missionaries are converts including the newest ones (Elder and Sister Noel) who was the mission president in Charlotte, North Carolina from 2003-2006. He was a professional baseball player and coached at BYU for 20 years. He is now a missionary and is flying to Dutch Harbor to the branch president until he can train some new leadership; there.

We slept downstairs in the missionary dorm for two nights and came back to Soldotna today. Our trip back took about three hours, but the couple who came from Fairbanks have a 7-9 hour drive back in much worse weather conditions and going back to 40 below zero weather. One couple flew from Juneau, one couple from NakNek, and the rest were from the Anchorage area. We had a most marvelous time. The weather here has warmed to 20 degrees above.

President Lewis is getting forgetful like the rest of us and asked your dad to say the prayers the first night we were there before we all went to bed and asked him again this morning to say the prayer. President Lewis did promise me that your dad would soon love doing proselyting as much as I do. It is happening, and in fact he has to nudge me a little.

The group of ladies who take turns feeding us on Mondays are so fun and we love them all. They also in their group, Natasha who is from Moldova, a Russian Jew. She is not a member of the church but lives next door to the Soldotna elders, and just loves all of the missionaries.

After Natasha played the piano and entertained us. I would have given anything for Sharon and Cory to have heard her. She played some Russian gypsy music and sang. She would gesture with one hand, play the piano with the other and sing from the guttural to the high notes - oh what a delightful performance. I wondered if she was a professional entertainer, but she teaches music and is extraordinary. She played the organ in the Sterling ward when the regular organist was gone for awhile and sometimes accompanies the missionaries and anyone else who asks. Her brother Grigorii also lives in Alaska and teaches Spanish. I wish you could all meet her. One she came here 8 years ago, she spoke not a work of English. One of the sisters in the Soldotna just took under wing and is her "angel sister." Her only son lives in Magadan which is located on the eastern end of Siberia. She cannot to visit him and the direct flight from here is no longer available, so she sends him money instead. She has changed her mind about what the communists used to teach her about Americans, and she knows that she lives a much better here.

This mission is definitely fulfilling in so many ways and I am so grateful for the opportunity to serve. I know that I will feel lost when we get home. We love you all Sorry about writing a book, but there is so much I would like to share, but it would take days. Love Mom