This photo shows a recent Wednesday night New Testament class at the Institute.  Brother Bacon, center, is an effective, inspiring, and popular teacher.  We feel blessed to be able to work with him and these wonderful YSA students.

Elder Hawkins is a wonderful "sous-chef" at the Institute on Fridays when we have "Soup and the Spirit."  Here he is peeling a ton of potatoes for the potato and ham soup we served last Friday to about 30 people. Along with the soup (different each week), we serve homemade bread and brownies.  Along with the meal we are treated to wonderful spiritual messages delivered by a series of specially-chosen local Church members.

These are the two University of Alaska Anchorage athletes who attend Institute.  Teancum  is a guard on the basketball team.  He is from Auburn, WA, and played at Snow College.  In a recent tournament, he was the most valuable player.  Sariaye  is a gymnast.  She is from Las Vegas.  Her favorite event is the uneven parallel bars, but because of a shoulder injury, she is focusing on the balance beam.    Gymnastic competition starts in January.

Each week Elder Hawkins teaches the "Mission Preparation" class at the Institute.  These students either have a mission call or are currently applying to serve full-time missions for the Church.  Here they are practicing sharing Gospel principles with each other.  Since the Church announced a new lower age for missionary service, there has been a upsurge of interest, especially among the young women. 

 Every Friday night we hold "Waffle Night" at the Institute Building.  Kids come to eat waffles, play informal games, and just hang out.  This group got started on this 750-piece puzzle of St George and were so pleased to finish it!


The Regional YSA Halloween dance in Eagle River is an annual highlight.  The costumes were so creative; the YSAs filled the gym with rhythm, laughter, and good fun.  Refreshments included root beer, pudding and Oreo "Dirt," worms, brownie "eyeballs" and other delights.

.

 One of our main CES missionary responsibilities is to conduct the BYU-I Pathway program for a cohort of 26 young adults at the Anchorage Institute.  In this photo part of our group is putting on a skit for class last week.  We meet each Thursday evening for 2 1/2 hours.  We missionaries teach a Book of Mormon class; then the students (directed by a "lead student") review together what they have been learning in their BYU-I online class.  These are dedicated students who are eager to try out college, and we hope to help them feel confident and successful in pursuing their education.

 

 Our tradition is to invite all the Anchorage YSA's to the Institute Building to watch the Saturday sessions of General Conference together.  They start arriving about 7:30 am to eat breakfast cereal before the first session starts at 8:00 am.  Between sessions we serve taco salad.  Here are some of our young men assembling some amazing creations from all the ingredients we have laid out.  There has been an enthusiastic response to the announcement of lowering the age for missionaries.  In the mission preparation class, we had two new 19 year-old young women who had already seen their bishop. 

 Every Friday night we sponsor a "Waffle Night" at the Institute Building. We love visiting with the kids as we bake waffles in the kitchen. The Young Single Adults come to eat, play games, visit, and just hang out.  Here are some who came last night enjoying a game of "reverse Pictionary." Next Friday we'll have a dance along with the waffles.


               

Today a young returned missionary in our YSA ward baptized his best friend from high school.  He chose to have the ordinance performed in a small lake in a city park across the street from the stake center. (You can see from the trees in the background that fall is well underway here.)  We are so impressed with both young men who want so much to serve the Lord and make the most of their lives.  Our YSA ward has a strong missionary spirit; it includes kids just barely graduated from high school, University of Alaska Anchorage students, young working professionals who have completed college degrees, military personnel, and young people who are just trying to decide what they want in life.

 On Tuesday we were blessed to participate in the mission's North Anchorage Zone Conference held in Willow, 75 miles north of Anchorage.  Some of the training was conducted in the Willow chapel, a beautiful wooden building, one of several LDS chapels in Alaska with this unusual design.  The interior is all cedar-lined, so even its aroma is special! The chapel sits on a small, perfectly kept grassy plot in the midst of a dense forest. 

Its effect is that of a cherished spiritual oasis in a dark, confusing world.    Here are the zone's 24 wonderful elders, along with President and Sister Beesley and some office support. After their training, they changed into work clothes and performed service for the local Methodist church and cemetery. Then the elders loved taking a little "trek" in the rain with President and Sister Beesley on the adjoining Church camp property.

Elder Hawkins and I were in charge of the lunch and dinner, so we stayed back in the kitchen.  For dinner we served beef stew, cornbread, and peach cobbler with ice cream.  Our day concluded with a sweet testimony meeting in front of the lodge fireplace. We were so impressed with these remarkable young men who have chosen to put themselves out into an often hostile world to declare the Restored Gospel.  They know what they have to offer is of inestimable worth, and they are learning patience as they study and work so hard to spread the blessings of Christ's Atonement.