Alaska Anchorage Mission

        I have been called to the Alaska Anchorage Mission! It's a massive mission containing the whole state of Alaska and the Yukon Territory in Canada.

My mission president is Jon Beesley. This is the bio I got from him:

"Jon Beesley and Evona Beesley, six children, (Alaska Anchorage Mission); Burleson Ward, Fort Worth Texas Stake. President Beesley is a former stake president, high councilor, bishop, counselor in a bishopric, ward Young Men president, and elders quorum president. Retired Experimental Test Pilot, Lockheed Martin Aero. Born in Rexburg, Idaho, to Charles Emer and Shirley Arvilla Beesley. Sister Beesley is a former stake activities committee member, seminary teacher, ward Primary president, ward Primary chorister, ward nursery leader, ward Primary teacher, ward Young Women chorister, and member of a ward activities committee. Born in Burley, Idaho, to Martell Wilburn and Cleo Marchant Christensen." 

My mission president was a Test Pilot! I think we are going to get along.

I go into the MTC May 29th, and I'm very excited! I only spend 12 days in there and leave for Alaska on June 10th.

I am so exited to see some of this!

And this...

 And even some of this!

I am told that I will either start out being trained in Anchorage or Fairbanks. 

Anchorage

Fairbanks

I'll have the chance to experience The Midnight Sun.

 

And even do some fishing.

But the real reason I am going up to Alaska is to teach people the gospel. That is what I am most excited for. My sister Shannon has even gotten three people to accept the lessons from me when I get up there! I just can't wait until I go.

For all of those that missed my talk here it is

"I’ve also been asked to talk about “The Lord’s Way” by Elder Ellis of the Seventy.  I really like the idea that the Lord has given us “a way.”

             Over the past few years I’ve been able to spend my summers interacting with people who are not of our faith. It’s been educational to watch how they live their lives and discuss their beliefs, as I have shared mine with them. As we worked together and I got to know them better, it was pretty obvious many of them lacked a sense that there is more to this life than simply earning “stuff.”

            Up to this point, one of my favorite summer activities has been interning at the NASA – Ames Research Center in Northern California (for the next 2 years, I think that I’m going to have an even better experiences as a missionary in the Anchorage Alaska Mission.) 

            Working at Ames was amazing!  One of the reasons was so few people get a chance to even see the stuff that I was working on, much less to be part of it. Before I was even accepted for the NASA internship, I had to undergo a background check.  Once I arrive at Ames, my identity was checked again, my fingerprints were taken, and I received security training for several hours. Once I got through that process, it was time to check out my working space in the Aeromechanics Branch. The building I worked in didn’t even have a name… it only had a number. In order to enter the building, I had to show my ID again.

           

            The space I mostly used for my research was simply incredible!  Imagine walking into a lab that was a little over five-stories-high, 100-feet-wide and 150-feet-long.  Sitting in the center of the room is the Vertical Motion Simulator, made up of a box attached to a huge steel beam.  Running along the beam are bundles of cables which are attached to a control booth located halfway up the wall.  The VMS is the largest and most expensive flight simulator in the world, and I got to play with it! I was in heaven being allowed to even touch the thing. My job was to help test pilots prepare to use the simulator and to collect data. 

            NASA pulled in the most experienced test pilots that they could find to “fly” the experimental aircraft that was being simulated for the study.  Since it was my job to help get the test pilots ready for the simulator, I got to talk (a lot) with them.  Each of the pilots who I worked with had thousands of hours of flight time… These guys were experts at what they did.  I was kinda surprised to see that as these experienced pilots got into the simulated cockpit, the first thing they did, after securing themselves to the flight seat, was start going through a flight checklist. When I asked one of them why they did this (I mean, after all… it was just a simulator… what could go wrong?), they told me that in order to become an old test pilot, you used a checklist every time. On a few occasions when the simulator wasn’t in use, the interns were allowed to “fly” it.  The first time I was allowed to fly, I picked a 747.  I know that I wouldn’t have any trouble…after all, I had flown my radio controlled airplane at home lots of times.  True, my plane was able to meet many of the trees in the park during this process, but I had learned a lot since then, so I know that I had no worries.

Things went well with my flight until I tried to land.  It’s amazing what can happen when you try to land a 747 without putting down the landing gear first.  I was enjoying my flight so much that I just kinda’ forgot about that little detail.  This taught me a valuable lesson.  If we want to safely arrive at our final destination, we need to know and follow the right process.  We need to follow the checklist.

            As I read Elder Ellis’ talk “The Lord’s Way,” I could see how using a flight checklist and working to live the Lord’s way were similar. One of the main reasons for using a flight checklist is to ensure you are doing everything the way it’s supposed to be done.  If you follow everything on the checklist, you (and your aircraft) have a much better chance getting back to the ground in one piece.

            The Gospel also gives us the necessary steps that (if followed) will allow us to go back home to our Heavenly Father.  Unfortunately, a lot of people in the world seem to think following a Gospel Checklist makes us give up some of our freedom and identity… Nothing could be further from the truth. We know this is the case because of what the Savior taught us in 2 Nephi 31,21:

And now, behold, my beloved brethren, this is the ^away; and there is ^bnone other way nor ^cname given under heaven whereby man can be saved in the kingdom of God. And now, behold, this is the ^ddoctrine of Christ, and the only and true doctrine of the ^eFather, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, which is ^fone God, without end. Amen.

We’re also taught in Matthew 7: 13-14

Enter ye in at the ^astrait ^bgate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to ^cdestruction, and many there be which go in thereat:

Because ^astrait is the ^bgate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto ^clife, and few there be that find it.

I think that if we look closely at the markers along the Lord’s way, we can recognize the necessary steps that each one of us must take in order to return to our Celestial home. 

Four of the markers include:

FAITH –

The primary has a wonderful song that describes why faith is so important.

            Faith is knowing I lived with God before my mortal birth.

            Faith is knowing I can return and live with Him when my life ends on earth.

            Faith is trust in God above, and, in Christ, who showed me the way.

            Faith strengthens and grows whenever I obey.

REPENTANCE -- 

D & C  58:21

Behold, he who has repented of his sins, the same is forgiven, and I, the Lord, remember them no more.

BAPTISM --

Christ himself showed us the way.  With his divine heritage , he could have gotten a pass on baptism… but he did it as an example and demonstration of fulfilling our commitment to return home to Father

RECEIVING THE HOLY GHOST --

When we are confirmed members of the church, we aren’t advised to receive the Holy Ghost.  Receiving the Holy Ghost isn’t a suggestion.  We are “commanded” to receive the Holy Ghost into our lives. 

Everyone here knows these four markers are along the Lord’s way, but there are more:

PARTAKING THE SACRAMENT –

We partake of the sacrament every week as a reminder of our covenants to Heavenly Father and a reminder of the fact that we are to take the Father’s name upon ourselves, and always remember Him so we may have His spirit to be with us.

TEMPLE WORSHIP  –

D & C 43:16

And ye are to be ^ataught from on high. ^bSanctify yourselves and ye shall be ^cendowed with power, that ye may give even as I have spoken

CHARITY OR SERVICE to our neighbors and others, regardless of their religious affiliation

President Brigham Young once said, “Service in behalf of others in one thing that is required of every soul.  He who is able but will not serve his fellows in some way is not fit to have place among them.”

In 3 Nephi 18: 22 – 24 it says

22 And behold, ye shall ^ameet together oft; and ye shall not forbid any man from coming unto you when ye shall meet together, but suffer them that they may come unto you and forbid them not;

 23 But ye shall ^apray for them, and shall not cast them out; and if it so be that they come unto you oft ye shall pray for them unto the Father, in my name.

 24 Therefore, hold up your ^alight that it may shine unto the world. Behold I am the ^blight which ye shall hold up—that which ye have seen me do. Behold ye see that I have prayed unto the Father, and ye all have witnessed.

Elder Robert Hales taught that by extending our service beyond ourselves and our immediate family, great and marvelous things can happen.  He said:

“Wouldn’t it be pleasing to Jesus if we could let our light so shine that those who followed us would be following the Savior?  There are those search for the light who will gladly pass through the gate of baptism onto the straight and narrow way that leads to eternal life.  Will you be that light that will lead them to a safe harbor?”

I am so excited to be able to teach these important principles over the next few years in Alaska.  I am also grateful to everyone who has helped me learn and grow in the gospel. I am especially grateful to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ who have made it possible to return home by giving us the checklist for this life…The Lord’s Way…to help us follow the strait and narrow path to exaltation so that we can be with our families throughout eternity."