Elder and Sister Schindler's Mission: April 12th Update!

Finally I am taking the time to write as I should. I am missing my computer. I have it out to repair and sharing a computer is not so good. We have had so many experiences since I last wrote but I will try the highlights. We traveled to Ketchikan to visit their seminary. They have 20 students. What a refreshing experience. The teacher was fabulous. The kids are doing well and it is a great program. No need for the Schindler’s except to buoy them up. We had the opportunity to attend Church at their building and it is a magnificent log cabin design of cedar. It smells wonderful when you enter. I loved the ward. They are really working gain exaltation. They have a beautiful display of pamphlets and missionary things to do missionary work, Primary had a bulletin board of a treasure hunt to find a person in the scriptures and they got new clues each week and had to read to get the clue. Awesome. Lucky missionaries in that ward. We had an opportunity to have dinner with the seminary teacher and her family. She has a mentally challenged young adult and a physically, and blind handicapped seminary student (very intelligent). What a life she has and still teaches and does a fantastic job. We then went to Sitka and there met a Seminary teacher who had two students both girls. She starts her Day with welcome ladies. Imagine! It was a good seminary too. It was like she was starved for someone to talk too so we were cared for every minute. No breathing room. The two parents wouldn’t let us go back to the hotel and made us come to see out of one of their houses the view of the ocean. Wonderful. But we had the opportunity of seeing the herring run and catch. We got in their car and took binoculars with a hand held marine radio so we could listen to the boats. It was an amazing thing. There were about 50 boats in a very small area that the coast guard tells the longitude and latitude and then counts down. Starts about an hour before and they send out boats to take a sampling of the female (for eggs) and how many they pull up in a net. That day it was approx. 52% female so they had a run. They did not tell the time limit that I heard but often it is 10 minutes and maybe only one in a year. They put down their nets when the CC says—5, 4, 3, 2, 1, go. And the scramble as fast as they can for each sq. inch of water sometimes bumping each other and causing damage. Then the CC calls again and stops the nets. They must have them completely closed by the word stop. There are planes circling around look for the fish and little boats working the nets. Some times there are 35 planes circling and they say they are so concerned they will hit each other. They fish these fish for their eggs because Japan uses them and their waters are fished out. The fish they get after they get the eggs are used for animal food. The fisherman can make as much as $400,000 to $1,000,000 in that one catch depending on the market. There is a youtube video that you can see of a ship that got such a large catch it tipped him over. Watch it. It is fun. So our experience was a good one there too. That building is a cedar log also but the effort of programs to build is not as great. The missionaries are struggling. I think the missionary work will close in that city and my guess it is lack of membership and leadership support. It was a great visit. So we then returned and I received counsel that it was okay to move. Those were good words. I probably would have endured (pioneer like) but it was nice to here that it was all right to move. We then began a process of hunting for a place. There are NONE! The only thing we could do is buy a house. The market is so tight that a friend takes an apt before it goes on the market. Our big problem was looking for no stairs. Just not available. So we were going to go live in the Mobil home that the stake set up for the senior missionaries and the sister missionaries. The elders have been living in it. It is divided. The kitchen is great, the bathroom is great. But there is only one bedroom and no space for an office and CES keeps a large office. Packed full of stuff that we ask if we could throw away and they said no. So we are committed to that. Also it has one closest with one rack and they were going to take that out for a washer and dryer (only one launder mat in town and every fisher and hunter uses it. Sick!) The heat in the home was propane (very expensive) so they put in oil but then there is a unit in the living room and no heat in the one bedroom where the office would half to be. So that was not good for Dad. Then the water heater was a 40 gal heater for 4 adults and that was serious. It had a leak and the boys were living there. Your dad had a fit and got that taken care of quickly. So we told them we would do it despite the amount of money we would have to sink into it and then not be comfortable either. But it was better. They called our landlord (in Idaho) and told him we would be moving. CES has rented this apt for 12 years. The apt manager quilts! So a few weeks ago I saw some beautiful quilts in her window and I knocked on her door (didn’t know she was manager) and introduced myself and talked quilts. Now I have to stop here and tell you that this week was a hard week. I did Seminary teaching and Young Adults and on Friday I was not dead tired. In fact, I felt like I had turned a corner. I was surprised at the change but wonderful it is. So Saturday I saw her finished quilts again and knocked again. In our discussion she offered to move upstairs and we could take her down stairs. Amazing! It is freshly painted, Remodeled kitchen (no dishwasher or disposal still, minimal problem) it is light an airy white doors and baseboards. New light fixtures. Exactly like ours but flipped. It was an answer to prayer. Baldur thought I was nuts until he saw it and he made the decision right then and there. So we are moving downstairs. The smells are not as bad, the area is still the same (we had a drunk in the hall sleeping on Saturday night that dad took care of and called the cops) not good but ok. We are close to the Church. In a measurement of 1-10 it is about a 6. Ours is a -2. So that is good news and certainly we feel blessed to be able to find something that will work. With hot water, office, and heat for your Dad. So the missionaries will stay out there. I am sure the stake is not happy as they have wanted the missionaries to go out there but none have been willing to do it. They said it was too long of a drive. We are California people and it was an additional 5 minutes. We could do it. But there were too many problems. Housing solved! Nice huh? Otherwise we are healthy (Blessing) and happy. We hope you are too. We find the Lords watchful care to be amazing. For us? We are so grateful. Enjoy your week, worship Him. Friday is the beginning of the Easter week. Read with your families and listen to the experience of the Savior and his care for us giving us the greatest gift of resurrection. What a week to come. I am looking forward to it.

We love you all. Thank you for your prayers, they are being answered.

Mom, Omi, Dad, Grandpa

It was transfer day yesterday, Sad! We really love those missionaries. We feed them all the time. When they don't have a meal we take them out. We lost two of the missionaries. I will miss them here we are.

We went to the Rapter center with the son of the Seminary teacher. He works there and gave us a private tour. It was great. Gave us a chance to build that son a little he needed help.

Because of that We had a chance to hold the wing and tail of one thus your Dad.

I am loving learning about the Indians and Eskimos. This is one of the Indians home. They are usually underground with just a small door to walk down into. Huge room. 20 people live in them this is a Tinglit home. They have Ravens, Frogs on their polls.

The big chair is for nursing mothers. I missed taking a picture of the High Priest room. You would have liked it. It had a couch and two sutffed chairs plus a few chairs. What ward has a High Priest Room! Fun! I think they sleep. Primary is set up all the time. The neatness and cleanliness of the buildings were amazing. Oh if we could only respect the house of the Lord like that.