i'm in Anchorage cuz Sister Pete-pete is getting transferred! Everyone comes together for transfers who is getting transferred, we meet our new comps, those who are going home or who are going back out to the bush (the distant places in Alaska) go to the temple. Sister Pete is getting transferred to MY last area and is gonna serve in Colony ward with a sister who just got done training. WOO.
I am staying in Petersburg for at least one more transfer, Sister Hatfield is gonna be my new companion, she just got done getting trained up in Fairbanks and she is escaping the coldest part of Alaska just in time for winter and coming to the southeast where it hardly gets cold at all, it gets down to about 10 degrees I've heard. Not that bad, I was used to negative degrees almost all throughout January up where Sis Pete is going.
I can't write too long cuz everything is crazy, but funny story, haha, we were gonna fly out Saturday and come up to Anchorage early, we were so excited, though Sis Pete is very sad to leave our lil island. We watched the first session of general conference---so cool they lowered the ages! Pres Beesley says we won't see too much change with the elders but we will see a LOT more sisters---and then went to the lil airport to check our bags. BUT, it was foggy,they told us it would be an hour delay cuz the plane is still in Wrangell wondering if it should take off or not. Wrangell is a town on a nearby island, we have got elders there. So we went to the hospital to see if the lil ol Tiny Thing, the elderly lady we visit who is a member, wanted to watch Conference, but she'd been given some sleepy meds and wasn't up to it. Back to the airport, just in time to hear our flight get cancelled. My heck, what do we do now? It WAS very foggy, we had to admit. Looking out across the water you couldn't even see the other side. I wouldn't want a plane to try and land here either.
We called Pres Beesley and told him the two options---we could fly to Seatlle, cuz the afternoon plane goes south, and fly to Anchorage tonight (it's a goal of like every south-east Alaska missionary to end up going to Seattle and outta the mision boundaries hahah) or we could fly to Anchorage Sunday morning. He was like, "Go tomorrow." SIGH.
So we had to bring our minds, which had already flown to Anchorage themselves, back to Petersburg and work the rest of the day---hhha it was lovely though, Sis Pete got to say goodbye to a few more people, we met with Puerto Rican mommy, oh my heck she is so ready for the gospel. She struggles with her ADHD 12-year-old son. She struggles with her husband working so much and wondering if she even knows him anymore, he sometimes feels like he doesn't even belong at home. I LOVE this family, and want them to be oh so happy and I know that the gospel can strengthen them.
General conference was so good. One of the tech elders (AKA Sister Beesley's computer slaves) said basically General Conf was about getting rid of distractions and increasing discipleship.
Sunday morning---sooo foggy. We watched the first sesh of general conf praying in our minds that the fog would clear up, halfway through I realized I needed to stop praying for what I wanted and take the advice i ;was being given and pray 'Thy will be done, O Lord."
We got outta conf and went to the airport--airplane was delayed, wasn't even gonna land in Wrangell, but was coming to Petersburg. We successfully boarded and went to Juneau--the plane always stops there before proceeding onward. And were told there had been a computer glitch and we needed to get off the plane with our boarding passes and reboard.
Oh my heck, "You woulda thought they were asking everybody to break their own legs," Sister Pete said to me. People groaned and yelled and acted like a whole bunch of three-year-olds.There were a few other members on the plane, and it struck me how quickly we accepted the orders and submitted, unlike some of the others, not everybody threw a fit but plenty of people (once we got BACK on the plane an HOUR LATER) asked for liquor instead of ginger ale---they'd just been through a traumatic event, apparently.
While we waited in the airport terminal (turns out the computer erased the names of everybody who hadn't boarded in Juneau) the members on the flight pulled up conference on their iphone and we huddled around and listened to Elder Bednar talk about conversion and testimony. While we sat there peacefully, one man cupped his hands over his mouth and shouted, "WHAT'S THE HOLD UP?" and complained loudly of how unfair it was to wait so long.
When things we don't want or expect happen in our life, what is our first reaction? Anger, frustration, lashing out? Or do we turn to the words and teachings of the holy prophets?
A lovely lesson in the airport.
I know this gospel has been restored, that it is Christ's gospel, and I know it is led by men who were called of God and given authority. I love being a missionary. I love my family. Don't worry Mom I will try not to worry about your new medical issues. And everyone else in the family who is struggling. I will pray for you and love you.
LOOOOVE,
Sister Ashbrook
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