17 May 2018 - Thursday

17 May 2018 - Thursday

Mom and I had a fun and fascinating day today.  It has become our custom to be up and doing by 4:45am each day to get ready for our day.  And we understand that when the trekkers come in, we may need to be up even earlier to meet trek groups at their campgrounds as early as 6:00am.  We can do that!  We had finished our morning routine of praying and reading and taking the morning walk by 6:30am.  And then we were on our way to Martin's Cove and the Homestead by 7:30am for our correlation meeting at 8:30am.

I feel so much better being early!  Mom and I got an assignment to set up the trek room after the floors were painted earlier this week.  As we were wrapping up our assignment at about 9:45am, we were surprised by a school group who did not confirm their arrival in advance.  However, it was so fun to see the missionaries get on their radios and signal where they would cover for the tours.  I went to the blacksmith shop and felt right at home from the Nauvoo experiences.

Blacksmith Pa!

I had so much fun working here in the Blacksmith Shop today.  Elder Lewis gave the presentation on the duties and the history of the Blacksmith and I gave the story and the history of the Prairie Diamond.  That is such a fun story to tell and connected it to the 500,000 emigrants who came through this area in the mid 1800's.  Of course, with the school groups, I could not tell my "Mary's" version, but I had fun telling them that 3 of those 500,000 were boys who wanted to marry this one girl. 

In one of the groups I asked them how could three boys marry one girl??  It was, of course, a rhetorical question.  But this one precious 10 year old girl answered me in the most innocent way.  She said, "well maybe they could take turns?"  That caused the school teacher to blush and try to set the record straight, but that just added to my story!

The boy that got to marry that pioneer girl had to be the most creative of the three, and would not shy away from the challenge to fulfill the father's command that the boy that would marry his daughter had to give her a diamond ring.  I was able to tell them that sometimes they would be asked to do hard things that somehow would seem impossible, but to never give up like the other two boys did!  It was a fun object lesson!

I also asked them if they wanted one of these awesome prairie diamonds....  and the answer was always unanimous in the affirmative.  With their enthusiasm I told them that with each prairie diamond ring, we would offer them FREE lifetime sizing and cleaning when they brought their families back!  (Then we could discuss the Gospel).  In one of the other groups another sweet girl told me, as she stared at my missionary badge, that she just saw a "Sister Lasher"....  Precious kids!

The beautiful spring buds coming out in full today!

By the time the school group was served, it was time for lunch.  I met Granny at the Barn where we have lunch on our work days.  We sat next to the Criddle's who have one of their families living in Amy and Josh's ward in Liberty Lake.  We have really enjoyed getting to know the Criddle's.  And today, he shared a very tender story with us.  

Our friend Elder Criddle

Elder Criddle is the great, great, great grandson of William W. Player.  William W. Player came over from England in 1840 by the request of the Church leaders to work on the Nauvoo Temple.  He was not in the least interested in getting paid, but he wanted to consecrate his time, and his stone cutting talents, and was made the head stone setter for the temple.  In fact, he was one of the few who set the capstone for the original Nauvoo temple as one of the final efforts in completing the temple.  

Then in 2002, when the Criddle's found out that the Nauvoo Temple was going to be dedicated on June 27, 2002, they knew they wanted to be there.  With tears in Elder Criddle's eyes he spoke of the tender mercy that he experienced on that day of dedication.  They got there early in the morning of June 27th and they were sitting in the front row.  As the dedication got started he could not help but think about his great, great, great grandfather William W. Player. He also notice the security guard standing on the front of the stage who soon came over to him, after the program started, and asked him, "what do you want?"

He thought he was going to be arrested!  But the guard asked him again, "I can see you want something, what is it that you want?  Elder Criddle then told him about his great, great, great grandfather who set a similar capstone for the original temple  in 1845.  The guard then escorted him,

and his son, up on the stage and let President Hinckley know who he was.  He was then a participant in the capstone setting for the 2002 Nauvoo Temple. 

I am crying right now thinking about that tender mercy that was so sweetly provided by a sensitive security guard and an all knowing Heavenly Father.  Perhaps William W. Player was also allowed some influence in that remarkable event!

And for our final activity tonight, mom and I took a three mile walk around the Missionary Village.  It is the best time for both of us to be together for this exercise.  I took this picture at the end of our walk;

Our three mile walk this afternoon!

The building right behind mom is the Pavilion.  This is where many of our activities take place here and it is where the land line phone is waiting for us to call home!  Our trailer is at the far left of the picture.  We feel it such a sweet surprise and blessing that we are so close to the meeting room and for the marvelous view we have just outside our kitchen window that overlooks the fields that the handcart pioneers had to pass through after the rescue.  They still had about 350 miles to go until they got to Salt Lake City and there were still a few dozen that would perish on the last leg of their journey.  Sometimes I can see in my minds eye their faithful efforts to continue their journey to Zion.

We love you and thank-you for checking in with us tonight!  It has been another remarkable day!