30 April 2018 - Monday

30 April 2018 - Monday

Well, this was a very interesting Monday for sure!  Mom and I went for a morning walk on the roadway that leads to missionary village.  It is about 1.5 miles to the main road so we walk the 3 miles each morning, except Sunday.  As we were walking this morning at 5:45am we took in some beautiful sights and crisp fresh air.  Here are some morning pictures;

Sunrise coming as we look back on the Martin's Cove area

Then as we were walking back, mom's weak ankle gave her some trouble.  After stumbling once, a few minutes later she fell to the gravel and I could not catch her in time.  I felt so bad as I helped her up and made sure she was not injured.  The ankle hurt, but there was no broken skin, of which I am so grateful.  She went to work and during the course of the day her ankle really hurt.  This is what we found this evening... and she received a Priesthood Blessing.

Is this the look of comfort?  

Mom felt better once she took her hiking boots off, but the swelling was quite apparent.  After soaking in some hot water and Epson's salts, she sat in a chair with her ankle elevated.  Here is how hard she worked this morning;

Sanding some medallions for the summer visitors

Putting up a tent replica that the handcart pioneers would have used

The inside of the tent - sleeps up to 20 handcart people - notice no floor?

A full Rover on the work crew!  The Teuschers and the Lashers

Our work party had several projects today.  We put up this pioneer tent, and worked on the wagon covers that a pioneer wagon would have used.  Today the wind and the rain nearly froze us at temperatures of around 40 degrees and wind speeds around 25 mph.  Imagine the handcart pioneers putting up tents in -11 degree temperatures and winds 30 to 40 mph?  And less that one pound of flour that would make about 4 pancakes for the entire day.  Amazing and sobering for sure...

We got a little treat, right after lunch, as we took a few minutes with our work crew and drove a little way up Rattlesnake Pass.  This is the exact trail that Brigham Young took to Salt Lake City in 1847 and the very same trail that the handcart pioneers took in 1856.  Look at these pictures;

Trail scars from the pioneers in the 1850's

Trail scars going south and west toward Split Rock

A really good picture of the trail scars.  We felt their presence here.

Names carved into the Devil's Gate rocks

More rock markings

An actual grave identified by the Oregon-California Trails Association

Look at the grave surrounded by posts positively identified by the Oregon-California Trails Association.  That rock in the back is the original grave marker from 1860.  We were told that there are several graves along this trail as you can imagine.   Unfortunately, they will not be identified until the Millennium.  We owe so much to these precious pioneers for their faith and commitment to obtain Zion.  And their example shines as a beacon for us to follow!

Fort Seminoe replica

A museum replication of the 20 faithful men who stayed at Fort Seminoe

Fort Seminoe began as a traders post in 1852.  It was a successful operation where furs were traded for various supplies and foodstuffs.  It was never a military fort but a trading post that had success on the wild frontier.  The United States government ordered the trading post closed in 1856 because of the threat of Indian warfare in the area.  

When the Martin Handcart Company arrived in this area, the temperatures were below zero and the Wyoming winds were unrelenting.  This abandoned trading post had room for maybe 75 of the starving, weary and nearly frozen pioneers.  Unfortunately there were nearly 1,000 who needed shelter.  That shelter ended up being what we call today, Martin's Cove, about 3 miles west and across the frigid Sweetwater River.  

The original foundation was discovered around 2001, and the Church has plans to excavate the area.  This replica of that fort gives some vital history and a working model of where the Hunt and Hodgetts  wagon companies unloaded their wagons so that more of the weary and sick handcart pioneers could ride.  We will visit this area when you come!

The Sweetwater baptismal font

Finally, here is a picture of the baptismal font in the flow of the Sweetwater.  For many years the local ward families baptized their family members here.  It became such a burden on the local leadership that the Church discontinued authorizing these services here.  However, missionaries are allowed to have family members perform baptisms while the missionaries are here.  I am sure this would be an exceptionally "cool" experience!  That water today is about 38 to 40 degrees.  Certainly better than cutting a hole in the Mississippi River during the winter months in the 1840's!

29 April 2018 - Sunday

29 April 2018 - Sunday

Our first Sunday here in the Wyoming Mormon Trail Mission!  Mom and I were up at, what is becoming our usual time, 4:45am.  We love the early morning hours that seem to stimulate our Spirits.  We had our morning prayers and read our Scriptures together.  Then we took a morning walk around the missionary village.  The air was crisp and clear and we saw some interesting pictures that I have recorded here;

Look!  Here comes the sun!

Another view of the sunrise

A full moon setting over our precious families in Idaho and Washington

I love the invigorating mornings that help us prepare for the day.  We got ready for our 10:00am meetings and left for Martin's Cove at 9:15am.  We met together, as a mission, at the Chapel in Martin's Cove.  It holds about 125 or so comfortably.  Beginning Memorial Day weekend we will begin to meet at the Trek Center where the capacity grows to about 350.

The Sacrament was ready and I was asked to assist another Elder to pass to the congregation.  That was a great way to see more of the missionaries.  Our speakers were inspiring and I was especially grateful for this story;

The Elder went into business training horses and then selling them.  He acquired this one mare who was very skittish and nervous around humans due to the fact it was abused by a previous owner.  It was a beautiful horse, and this Elder took time, even months, to get the horse to not be spooked by his touch and he was finally able to ride it.  

One day a prospective buyer came by to look at his horses and fell in love with the mare.  The buyer wanted to get a horse for his wife to ride and he really wanted this one.  But the Elder was very up-front with him and told him this would not be a good choice for his purposes.  The man was quite firm and wanted this particular horse.  The Elder thought to himself that he was in the business to sell horses, but he made this buyer sign a release of liability when he made the purchase.

Several months later he was driving to see his uncle and noticed this horse in the uncle's pasture.  He asked him how he got the horse, and the uncle said he bought it from a guy that was selling it because the horse bucked off his wife.  He said they were going to put the horse down but the uncle bought it because it was so beautiful.  

Of course this Elder wanted to go and see the horse but the uncle cautioned him that the horse was crazy.  As the Elder went to the pasture and attempted to go through the fence, the horse stiffened and its ears went back and its eyes went wild.  The Elder walked slowly to the horse and spoke softly and offered the horse some oats.  The horse was very skittish, but when the Elder turned to walk away, the horse followed him and then ate from the bucket, and let the Elder pet him.  The ears went back and the eyes were relaxed, and the uncle was amazed!

The story is that the way we treat each other is so important!  The Elder knew this horse and how it would respond with his touch and kindness, so does the Savior know each of us!  He ended his message with this;

'Twas battered and scarred,
And the auctioneer thought it
hardly worth his while
To waste his time on the old violin,
but he held it up with a smile.

"What am I bid, good people", he cried,
"Who starts the bidding for me?"
"One dollar, one dollar, Do I hear two?"
"Two dollars, who makes it three?"
"Three dollars once, three dollars twice, going for three,"

But, No,
From the room far back a gray bearded man
Came forward and picked up the bow,
Then wiping the dust from the old violin
And tightening up the strings,
He played a melody, pure and sweet
As sweet as the angel sings.

The music ceased and the auctioneer
With a voice that was quiet and low,
Said "What now am I bid for this old violin?"
As he held it aloft with its' bow.

"One thousand, one thousand, Do I hear two?"
"Two thousand, Who makes it three?"
"Three thousand once, three thousand twice,
Going and gone", said he.

The audience cheered,
But some of them cried,
"We just don't understand."
"What changed its' worth?"
Swift came the reply.
"The Touch of the Masters Hand."

"And many a man with life out of tune
All battered and bruised with hardship
Is auctioned cheap to a thoughtless crowd
Much like that old violin

A mess of pottage, a glass of wine,
A game and he travels on.
He is going once, he is going twice,
He is going and almost gone.

But the Master comes,
And the foolish crowd never can quite understand,
The worth of a soul and the change that is wrought
By the Touch of the Masters' Hand.

- Myra Brooks Welch

What a powerful message on how well the Savior knows each of us and who knows our abilities and the contributions we can each make in this sojourn we call mortality. The touch of the Master's Hand!  It is so important for each of us to "stay on the covenant path", and follow the living Prophet, President Russell M. Nelson!  Isn't it wonderful to have him helping us to realize our worth and the blessing it is to have him help us travel this pathway home?  

Here are some additional pictures!

Split Rock - another pioneer landmark

A potential unmarked pioneer grave near us

Mom and I also had the privilege of meeting the Rogers'.  He was in our Priesthood meeting and introduced himself and mentioned that he and his wife Julie Rogers were on their was to Casper to be a part of a show to display her current work.  That was such a treat to meet him and shake his hand.

The rest of our day was spent in our trailer reading and pondering the blessings of the Sabbath Day.  I even was able to slip in a nap!  We are so looking forward to having you come and visit!  

In addition, we were told this morning that we will be in Rock Creek from Thursday August 2nd through Thursday August 9th.  Every senior missionary has the opportunity to spend a week in this sacred place.  We are excited to serve there in August!

28 April 2018 - Saturday

28 April 2018 - Saturday

It was orientation for us today in the Visitors' Center.  Our shift was from 8:00am until 2:00pm.  We had training on driving the Rovers, (4 wheelers), and went in to various buildings surrounding the Visitors' Center.  We will be showing you Ft Seminoe where the pioneers goods were stored to help the struggling members of the Martin Company ride to Salt Lake in the emptied wagons.  They were so destitute from lack of food, shelter and stamina, that they could literally not walk another step outside of where they camped for those 5 days at Martin's Cove.  

There is the Pioneer Museum that you will all enjoy.  The Bunkhouse and the Wash-house that will have some fun stories.  They were both buildings on the Sun Ranch in the late 1800's.  

The Sun Family has such an interesting history.  Tom Sun was well acquainted with George Albert Smith.  It was very apparent that the Church was interested in obtaining this property in the early 1900's.  It wasn't until 1996 that it became a reality.  The Sun Family did not have an interest in joining the Church but the members that came to know this family opened the doors to the Church to acquire this property.  It is interesting to note that the Sun Family owned over one million acres in this area!  The Church owns about 19,000 acres.

The sunrise over Missionary Village

The mama antelope grazing at 5:30am this morning

The 3rd bedroom:  AKA "The Man Cave"

Reporting for duty at the Visitors' Center

There is a Pioneer Park across from the Visitors's Center where visitors can pull a handcart around the trail.  One of our visitors this morning was the Area Medical Doctor and his wife.  He covers 11 missions in 6 states.  He was making his first visit to Martin's Cove.

It so happens that the area doctor is a partner with the doctor we had in Nauvoo in 2016!  We have also made connections with  Elder and Sister Criddle.  Their granddaughter is friends with Cambry in Liberty Lake.  The granddaughter and her parents plan on coming to visit Elder and Sister Criddle in July.  Cambry, hitch a ride with them!  We have plenty of room for you!

The Museum with lots of fun items!

This is a cabin that was located on the Sun Property

The Bunkhouse

The Ranch Wash-house

Some very old wagon wheels!

There are so many stories about the folks who traveled through here, other than the ill-fated Willie and Martin hand-cart companies.  There were over 500,000 travelers that came through this Devils Gate area heading for Oregon to settle homesteads, or to California for the promise of gold, in addition to the 65,000 or so Saints who were seeking the riches of the temple and the promise of Zion.  

It is interesting to take note of the motivations that different groups had.  The worldly goals would be sought after, perhaps obtained, and then lost at death.  

The eternal goals would see the pioneers suffer the most extreme challenges imaginable.  Their subsequent deaths, either here, or at their journeys end, would help them obtain those eternal rewards that will not perish, ever again, because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ.

I wonder what the story is here?

Look who is driving!

Here are two of the modes of transportation that can be seen here!  That buried truck won't get you very far, but that Rover driver can take you for the ride of the lifetime!  You have got to come and experience the thrill of Granny and the Rover!

Tom Sun got tired of this wolf killing his cattle

Hallowed Ground

Bob, Ali, Josie and Tom, did you hear about this song when you came to trek?  It is a song that we are going to sing for the trek leadership meeting and orientation next week.  There is supposed to be around 150 trek leaders from all over the United States coming here for a mandatory orientation before their scheduled trek.  What an absolutely amazing spirit was present as we sang this song this morning.  This is hallowed ground.

The huge and beautiful Wyoming sky

A pioneer grave from the 1860's

The sign you look for when you come to see us!

The grave marker was placed there by a family member a number of years ago. It is not easily apparent, but there is a wooden marker just above the memorial plaque.  There are still deep trails throughout the area of the path that the pioneers traversed.  If the rattlesnakes are not too prevalent, we can explore some of these areas for arrowheads, rocks and other markers set apart by piles of rocks.

Tomorrow is our first Sabbath Day here in the Wyoming Mormon Trail Mission!  We are looking forward to being with fellow missionaries for worship services and then for a pot luck dinner together!  

The weather has been mild with daytime temperatures hitting the high 70's and the nighttime temperatures hitting the low 30's.  Get ready for a wonderful adventure, and a treasured, and sacred experience with us here in the mission field, this year.

27 April 2018 - Jared's 40th!

27 April 2018 - Friday

This was a full day of orientation by the mission presidency.  We heard from the mission president, President Pace, and his wife.  Then we heard from the 1st counselor, President Paul, and then the 2nd counselor, Elder Bowden and his wife.

The meetings began with a light breakfast at 9:00am and a tour of the mission grounds around the Martin's Cove Visitors' Center.  We had a shorter but similar tour on Thursday morning by our district leader so it was a welcomed refresher.  We heard quite a few things about the mission and the leaders and the challenges they have faced.  

We are especially amazed at the health challenges of the mission president who fought cancer this past winter and has dealt with that for the last four months.  At one point in his struggles and treatment he was told that his name was on the prayer rolls of the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve in one of their weekly meetings.  Can you imagine how important these mission presidents are in the eyes of Heavenly Father?

We got back to the missionary village from our meetings in Martin's Cove at just a little past 3:15pm, and joined our district meeting in progress.  We have a great support group from our district.  There are 5 districts in the mission at Martin's Cove.  I think we have about 36 hours packed into each day!  Just learning the layout of the area and studying the pioneer stories offer a significant challenge to the mind of these two senior missionaries!

Also, this afternoon, we did a deep cleaning of the trailer and finally got a vacuum cleaner.  There is a practice that missionaries just walk into other missionaries residences so we have taken to locking doors.  I am not sure how that got started, but we will limit the access to our dedicated trailer.  And mom and I still take our shoes off and wear our slippers in the house!

Here is a quick picture I took this afternoon of our antelope friend.  We have a herd of several dozen that claim missionary village as their home, and there are several doe's expecting any time now... this is one of them;

You takin my picture?  Where is the food offering??

Home for the next six months is about 300 yards away

This promises to be a very busy six months for us.  We are being trained tomorrow in the visitors' center that was part of the old Sun Family ranch house.  They have placed the emphasis on teaching the Gospel to all who enter.  We can't wait to show you this area when come to see us!

And Josie, thank you so much for the CD "The Master".  We listen to it every day!  On Wednesday we dedicated this trailer as our living space for the next six months, and we love filling the air with this sacred music!!

We love our precious family and our precious friends!

26 April 2018 - Thursday

26 April 2018 - Thursday

This was our very first preparation day here in the mission.  Our friends here at the missionary village gather at 6:15am each morning except Sunday mornings, and take a two mile walk together.  What a great way to get to know them!  We were able to see the wide open skies of Wyoming and enjoy the beautiful sunrise over Martin's Cove.

Thursday Morning sunrise

The clouds covering the snow-capped surrounding hills

The road from the main highway to missionary village is one mile.  A small group of senior missionaries walk to the main highway and back.  It covers roughly two miles and what a beautiful morning we had!  There was a very slight breeze instead of the usual overpowering wind.  We hope to participate in this walk everyday.  The temperature was in the mid thirties so I will wear another layer tomorrow!

Our first correlation meeting was at 8:30am this morning at Martin's Cove.  It is exactly 8.2 miles from the missionary village.  When you come to visit, our site is called "Village 66", and "Missionary Village", and is very well marked.  It is about 3 miles from Muddy Gap.  Here are some morning pictures we took as we entered Martin's Cove Visitor Center;

View towards Martin's Cove

Entering in the historic site this morning for correlation

A striking picture of Devils Gate.

On the GPS map in the car, Martin's Cove Historic Site popped up.  We are amazed at how beautiful this area is!  Just driving in to the visitors center one can't help but feel how special this place is.  After the correlation meeting, we were taken on a tour of the area prior to when the first group of the season was scheduled to come in;

The wood shop - part of the old Sun Ranch

The corral still used in the active cattle ranching here

The Sweetwater River flowing through the visitor center area

I had to take some preliminary pictures of the first impressions of our walk around the visitor center area.  The Sun Ranch Family worked very closely with the Church in the 1990's with some very faithful church leaders here in Wyoming, in concert with Salt Lake City, to acquire this property.  

Many of the historic buildings from the Sun Family Ranch in the 1870's are restored here, and are a huge part of the history of this sacred area.  The Sweetwater River became a friend, and an enemy, to the 1856 pioneers in the Willie and Martin Handcart Companies.  The fresh water quenched many thirsty travelers,  but the ice floes that came with the winter storms became a bitter enemy.

An eagles nest in Missionary Village!

The community of Missionary Village

A view from Missionary Village towards Martin's Cove

The new missionary couple from Rigby, Idaho!

When we arrived yesterday we did not notice this sign made just for us.  The senior couples do everything they can to make everyone feel so welcomed.  This is close to being a perfect Zion Society!  We even saw an Eagles Nest in the tallest tree.  One of the senior missionaries thought that the nest was taken over by a hawk, but we have yet to see any activity.

As mom and I walked around our little community, after a safe and fun trip to Casper, we could not help but witness the absolute quiet.  It is very hard to explain how quiet it is here, and how peaceful it is.  There is an inspiring calmness and peacefulness that embraces this area of the country.  We can't wait to share these experiences with each of you personally!!