31 August 2018 - Friday

31 August 2018 - Friday

Well, we did it!  We had a great morning in Casper celebrating two senior missionary's birthdays!  This was an exciting, and much anticipated activity.  We were scheduled at the Visitors' Center from 4:00pm until 9:00pm today, and we did not want to sit around the trailer all morning, and early afternoon.  So we planned our duel birthday celebration, and got quite a few things done in Casper!

The first thing we did after leaving the Missionary Village, and arriving in Casper, was to stop by the Honda Dealership to schedule an appointment for a service.  Our light started flashing on the dashboard about a week ago, so we have been thinking about getting it done before heading for home.  What was neat about this effort was they could take us today, and perform the service!  Check that one off the list of what needs to be done before returning home!

Along with the service, we got a coupon for a car wash at a local Shell station.  The car really needed the wash after so many trips down the dusty roads!  Then we went to Sam's and got our supplies.  Since our P-day changes to Monday's on the next schedule, we needed so shop for 10 days worth of food.  That is always fun to shop for food!  

We were in and out of Sam's within an hour, and then got a few more things at Wal-Mart.  By then it was 10:45am and Red Lobster opened at 11:00am.  That gave us a few minutes to stop by the cookie shop and get some fresh cookies for a missionary who will celebrate her birthday Sunday, the day before mom's.  

Now the whole push to come to Casper on the Friday preceding Labor Day weekend was to avoid the notorious traffic that holiday weekends generate.  We had two cars heading to Casper this morning with us and maybe a dozen leaving the Casper area.  At 8:30am in the morning, we felt blessed to have the road pretty much to ourselves!  And then to have had the car serviced, the shopping done at Sam's and at Wal-Mart, and the stop at the cookie place before Red Lobster opened for business was the absolute best use of our time today!

We were the first customers of the day!

We then arrived at Red Lobster at 10:58am and they had the doors opened for the employees.  They checked to make sure all was ready in the restaurant for customers, and we were seated by 11:00am.  Such great timing, and the food was just as we had expected.  Great Happy Birthday date for these two senior missionaries!

After our meal, we were back on the road for home by 12:00 noon.  We got back to the trailer and unloaded our goodies.  That gave me a good hour for a much needed nap!  Then we delivered the birthday cookies, and arrived at our assignment fifteen minutes early.  It was so quiet, at the Visitors' Center, that we sent the volunteer couple, who live in Casper, home a half hour early.  

Mom and I were then able to visit with just a handful of guests before 8:30pm.  It was dark by then and we had the area secured for the 9:00pm closing.  What a great day and we get to look forward to having the entire day off tomorrow, and having just the correlation meeting to attend at 8:30am.

I can't get over the beauty of the clouds!

This picture is the beginning of the sun setting over the VC

Look at Split Rock just in front of the sunset!

I put on my flash and caught some hungry deer 

I don't usually get the sun setting pictures!  And the wildlife animals get a lot more friendly after the sun sets.  Perhaps the closing shift at the Martin's Cove Visitors' Center has some silver lining after-all!  However, it was so dark walking back to the car that I had to use my phone flashlight so we could see the pathway to the car.  I am grateful that we don't have anymore closing shifts here that I am aware of!  We have had a great day!  And mom's birthday is still coming!

30 August 2018 - Thursday

30 August 2018 - Wednesday

It was a big work day for us today!  We were assigned to be on the work crew, and wondered what our assignment might be.  As you know, we love getting up early and reading and Scriptures together, and having our prayers together.  However, the Wyoming sun has decided to sleep in on us more and more each day!  

Today the sunrise was around 6:20am.  That cuts short our time to walk out to the 220 highway so in the interest of time, we made it a little over half way and came back to get ready for the day.  But what great pictures were waiting for us with the pending sunrise and the clear skies;

This was taken a good 30 minutes before the sunrise!

This one was taken about 10 minutes later

This one was taken another 10 minutes later with still no sunrise!

I took this picture right after correlation meeting at around 9:00am

Another picture taken after correlation at around 9:10am

The correlation meeting this morning was well attended with fewer missionaries needed at the Visitors' Center.  It appears that the work assignments are getting more urgent to complete with the first couples leaving next week.  Mom and I were assigned to work at the Cherry Creek campground where all twelve vault toilets are being painted.  Both the walls and the floors are getting at least two coats of paint.  

By the time we left at 4:00pm this afternoon, eight of the twelve toilet rooms had been worked, on and six are completely finished.  Then we have just one more coat of floor paint on two other ones.  This has been a two week project so far.  The last four restrooms will be finished after our last trek group comes through tomorrow.

How about those paint suits?

Dressed for painting success!

It was a very tiring day for me.  Even though the ceiling was only two steps up on the ladder, I was so tired by the time we put on the finishing touches.  I came home and took a nice shower and then an even nicer nap!  

But tonight, the senior missionaries had another dinner party here at Missionary Village.  It was called an Hawaiian "Hukilau".  It was a traditional celebration of the men going out fishing.  One of the senior missionaries even put on a dance presentation for us and had us participate from our seats.  There was a lot of preparations put in to this activity, and the time is fast approaching where only the winter missionaries will be here.  

But this group of winter missionaries will have a lot of parties with some of the couples who love to party!  Glad we are coming home for our parties!

A luau feast of Hawaiian Haystacks 

Granny and Grandpa socializing at 7:00pm?  Look at that smile!

Elder and Sister Criddle - the life of every missionary party!

Mom and I have had a good day.  We were very much ready for bed long before the party ended, and I think some of the other missionaries are getting ready for their releases.  We have enjoyed our associations with so many wonderful people here in the Wyoming Mormon Trail Mission.  We worked hard today, with four other couples, out at the Cherry Creek campground.  And we felt the aches and pains of using our painting muscles, but it has been a great day!  Thank you for joining us!

29 August 2018 - Wednesday

29 August 2018 - Wednesday

Winter must be closing in on Wyoming!  First we hear about the snow coming at the 9,000 foot elevation, and then we had temperatures in the mid 30's this morning!  I thought that it might be chilly on our walk this morning, but it was refreshing, and cold, at the same time.  The air was very clear and clean, and we could easily see the details in the outlines of the surrounding mountains;

A picture of Split Rock at the entrance to Missionary Village

The sunrise reflection on the west side mountains this morning

Mom and I had the shift at the Visitors' Center from 2:00pm until 7:00pm.  That gave us a very relaxed morning and early afternoon together.  After our walk, we enjoyed breakfast and some nice reading time.  But, as for the reading time, for me, it always leads to nap time.  Why is that?  I love a good nap!

Can you believe we are approaching Labor Day weekend?  It is very interesting how fast the months are passing by!  We got to the Visitors' Center by 1:45pm and there had been less than 20 visitors the entire morning and early afternoon.  I did have an interesting Chinese group come in on a tour van.  It was about 5:30pm and there were nine in their group.  These nine emptied the van and then scattered all around the Homestead in less than two minutes!

Mercedes tour van.  Might be an idea for some growing families!

When the Chinese groups get off the van, they scatter with their cameras!

It took four senior missionaries to track nine Chinese visitors!

Most of the Chinese tourists come to Martin's Cove because of the clean restrooms.  Usually they do not even speak to the missionaries as they are so busy taking pictures.  They are a fun group, though, especially when we can engage them in some kind of discussion!

As we were waiting for visitors, mom and I enjoyed talking to the senior missionary couples serving with us today.  We were with the Hansen's until they left at 4:00pm, and then we were with the Ward's until 6:30pm.  It has been very quiet, so far, as the long weekend approaches.  Mom and I will be the closing missionaries at the Visitors' Center this Friday, after we celebrate our birthday's at Red Lobster.  Here are some fun pictures I got this afternoon;

A fast little hummingbird feasting on the hanging flowers

A hat made entirely out of part of an eight foot rattlesnake

We had another visitor who came in from Casper with the above hat on.  Her cousin found this snake on a hunting for snakes expedition in Texas, and he made this hat out of part of the snakeskin.  I still can't believe that I have this hat on my head!  Perhaps the grandchildren will realize how brave Grandpa really is!!  Right Mary?

Then our evening ended with an FM appreciation dinner.  The FM folks have an annual dinner to thank all the senior missionaries for their service, on the grounds away from the general public.  They made up some work orders that reflected some of our assignments, this summer, and wrote some personal messages to us.  What a class act!  Mom and I enjoyed the thanksgiving type meal and the notes of appreciation!  The only thing missing from this "thanksgiving" meal was Pumpkin Pie!!

The FM appreciation dinner.

The dinner began at 6:00pm.  Mom and I were at our assignment until about 6:35pm when our co-missionaries arrived back from eating.  After our dinner, mom and I slipped quietly out of the party and headed for home.  I got mom into bed before 7:30pm and got right to work on the blog.  

Grandpa was also treated to some wonderful letters from home for his birthday!  Thank you to all the grandchildren for their love letters to Grandpa!  We love you and are sooooo looking forward to our joyful reunion in October!  Then the "roughing up" will begin, along with the generous flow of whipped cream!!  Get ready!

28 August 2018 - Tuesday - Grandpa's Birthday!

28 August 2018 - Tuesday

My oh my!  I am 68 years old today!  The Wyoming air was clean, and clear, this morning, and mom and I had a great day planned!  It  was wonderful to get so many birthday greetings and videos this morning!  Thank you!  We had our morning prayers and Scripture reading together and then started our morning three mile walk.

As we came out the front door at 5:45am, we saw bright lights and emergency vehicles out on Highway 220.  As we walked down the gravel road we saw a truck coming in to Ranch 66/Missionary Village.  He stopped and asked us if there was a road around the Highway 220, through our village, to get to Casper.  He told us there was a terrible crash on the highway and at least one fatality, and that the road was closed in both directions.

This is what we saw from the front steps

Our resident cowboy, Levi, usually leaves for work at 6:00am, and he was just coming down the road.  He knew a road through the fields that would get him to one of the campgrounds and avoid getting on 220 altogether, until after the crash site.  That made this traveler happy.  Mom and I continued down the road, and, as we got closer, we could see there was a large fire burning on the roadway.  From the traveler, we learned that the truck caught on fire and it was loaded with boxed furniture.

Mom and I only went half way down the road before we turned around.  I was anxious to let the other missionaries know about the road being closed.  After we alerted the mission president, (who told us not to come in until the road was reopened), (and any others who had their radios on at 6:30am), we had our breakfast, and then walked back out to the highway.  The accident happened about a mile from our turn-off between Missionary Village and Martin's Cove.  We later heard that traffic had been stopped at Alcova and at Muddy Gap.  The clean-up lasted over eight hours.

As we got to the main road this second time, we decided to walk up to the area of the accident.  We had gone over half a mile when mom decided to head back home.  I was impressed to keep going.  I am not sure I was impressed to keep going because of curiosity, but I found out why once I caught up to one of the truck drivers stranded because of the accident.  

My new friend, Bruce, who came up on the accident about 5 minutes later

Bruce and I began talking about what had happened.  Apparently around 5:00am this morning, a car attempted to pass another car near the top of the hill.  The passing lane was still a few hundred feet ahead, but he made the attempt.  A car following him sped around him, and for some reason the SUV swerved in front of the 18 wheeler and hit head-on, probably at around 70 mph.  Bruce found the driver of the truck walking in the middle of the road in shock.  Bruce got him calmed down and put him in his truck after he indicated he had just had a head-on crash with an SUV.  Bruce ran up to see if he could help, but the car was completely engulfed in fire.

The truck driver's 18 wheeler was also on fire, and the fuel from the furniture acted as a blow torch for the rest of the vehicle.  As you can imaging, this was an awful scene.  Bruce and I were able to talk for over an hour about life, and how quickly it can be extinguished.  I was able to share with him some of the blessings outlined in the Plan of Salvation.  I told him about the struggles and challenges that the pioneers faced in 1856, and the history of Martin's Cove.  And I was able to let him know that there is a plan for each of us in our lives.  

He was very interested in what I had to say, and I told him how proud I was of him making the effort to rescue the person in the SUV, and then for his efforts in ministering to the truck driver.  It was in a stark contrast with the vehicle who left the scene of the accident that he/she surely knew took place.

This is the remains of the SUV

This is what remains of the full sized cab and sleeper of the truck

This is what remains of the trailer full of furniture

After our talk, that lasted over an hour, I shook Bruce's hand and wished him safety as he continued his trip.  It was a sweet experience talking with him about life and death, and connecting for a few minutes here in our earthly existence.  There are so many sobering thoughts about the morning events, today, here in the mission field.  The main one is my appreciation for the Gospel in our lives.  The second one is how much the the Gospel is needed in everyone else's lives.  And the third one is that there are so many "Bruce's" out there who are hungry for the messages, and the promises, and the guidance that the Gospel affords us all. 

As mom and I finished our day, we were very much aware of how temporary our lives are in mortality.  Each day gives us one more opportunity to share the Gospel, repent of our shortcomings and sins, and prepare for the Second Coming of our Savior.  I am convinced that I need to be better and to do better.  And I am so very thankful I was given another day in this effort to improve.  Life's lessons come in so many different formats don't they?

27 August 2018 - Monday

27 August 2018 - Monday

Birthday eve!  It is hard to believe that I will be 68 tomorrow.  What is my world coming to?  I was adding up the number of birthdays I have been in the mission field, and, for both mom and me, it will be three times.  We are both so grateful for your love and support as we have been away!  And we are looking forward to celebrating future birthdays with our family!

One of my favorite traditions in celebrating birthdays was giving my mom a phone call and thanking her for having me!  When you think about the struggles and challenges that bringing a child into this world has on our mothers, I am humbled by her willingness and unconditional love to bear me up during those nine, presumably long and uncomfortable, months.  And then for her to endure the delivery that comes at the end of nine long months, has always generated in me a feeling of great appreciation for my mom!  

The one comment I had sealed in my mind, for my birth on August 28, 1950, was my dad's comment on seeing me for the first time.  He said;"He's a fine looking boy!".  Now, 68 years later, (minus one night), I am working on living up to that accolade both inside and out.

A morning view of the sun trying to break through the clouds

The morning temperatures were in the mid 50's.  Mom and I had the assignment to clean the restrooms at the Homestead.  When we have the assignment of the restrooms or Wilma, we are done for the day after we complete the work.  So mom and I got an early start this morning!  After our morning prayers and Scripture reading, we got ready for our assignment and left for the Homestead at about 6:45am.  We started the job, and attended the correlation meeting, and then completed the assignment by 9:30am!  

Once we got back to the Missionary Village, mom completed the laundry she had started before we left.  I checked out the weather reports and discovered that snow was forecasted above the 9,000 foot elevation.  Here it is, August, and snow is being forecasted!  The temperatures stayed below the high 60's, all day, and the wind was pretty strong throughout the day.  We wanted to make some phone calls to our family but had very limited phone reception.  The wind plays havoc on the dial tone over at the Pavilion.    

Mom and I did receive a nice surprise from the Ramsey's!  They left us with a gift card for Red Lobster!  There is a very nice Red Lobster in Casper that we will use it on.  We found out that our work schedule will change on Friday due to some missionaries who had to leave the mission field for a sick relative.  That gave us the closing shift in the Visitors' Center on Friday.  We decided to drive to Casper, on Friday, and celebrate both birthdays at Red Lobster, and get back in plenty of time for that shift.  Then, on Saturday, we will just spend the P-day hanging around the trailer and doing our weekly cleaning chores.  I so enjoy our time together on these special days!

Mom and dad playing a game?

In the picture above, the Ramsey's introduced us to a fun game.  As you know, we don't play many games, so this one must be a real treat, and it is!  Mom has gotten so good at this game that she let me win two of the five rounds we played!  Look for this fun activity, for up to four people, at the cabin in October!  Can't wait!

The push is on to get the mission ready for a Wyoming winter.  The hours at the Visitors' Center are being changed and fewer missionaries are being assigned to the Visitors' Center.  That gives more of a work force in other areas in the mission to accomplish the closing procedures before missionaries start heading for home.  Over two thirds of the missionaries will be released by September 20th.  All the rest of us will be released by the middle of October, unless it snows at our elevation of 6100 feet.  That will leave seven couples to work through the winter months.  

I am personally ready to spend the winter months with precious family members!  I am looking forward to working and playing with the grandchildren!  However, I have one major concern.... can I remember how to make Little Bobby's chocolate chip cookies???  Are there any grandchildren that remember the recipe?   Maybe working together we can "piece" together the recipe, and enjoy some pioneer stories from Granny and Grandpa's missions! 

26 August 2018 - Sunday

26 August 2018 - Sunday

Sunday's are some of my favorite days of the week!  Here we are enjoying the Sabbath Day with friends, and missionary friends, here in the Wyoming Mormon Trail Mission.  First, with our friends, Keith and Bev Ramsey, we started off the day together here in the Missionary Village, after a good nights rest.  Mom and I were fasting for our lesson in Sunday school, but had a simple breakfast, for our friends, ready when they were up and going. 

The Ramsey's and the Lasher's!

Mom  and  I rode in  with  the Ramsey's to the  Homestead  for our meetings.   We  left the  trailer at around 8:15am so that we would have time to set up the table settings for the pot luck this afternoon.  Mom also took them  on a tour of the  Visitors' Center, while  I took the programs over to the Trek Center.  Then, Keith and I,  got to bless the Sacrament  for the  senior missionaries  assigned  to the Visitors' Center. (Their shift is during the Sacrament meeting).  Keith and I were also asked to bless the Sacrament together.  Another senior missionary that lives in the Ramsey's home town of Burley, and currently serving here, also joined us in blessing the Sacrament.  That was special.

For our Sacrament meeting talks,  the  speakers  all  focused  on pioneer  stories and trek experiences from this summer.  One of  the  trek  stories  was  shared  by  Elder Moses from  Sixth Crossing.   He related that on one of his  treks  he  was   informed  that  there  was a  young  man in the  back  of the trekking  group who was not happy.  He was throwing rocks and refusing to participate.  Elder Moses went back to speak to him.  As he approached the young man, the  Spirit  took over, and Elder Moses  spoke for several minutes, and the young man responded very positively.  Just as he was finishing up, the  Trek  Leader  from  their  group  told  Elder  Moses  that  he  had  never  heard  such an eloquent discussion  before  with  this  young  man.     Elder  Moses   could  not  remember  a  word  of  that conversation.  All he could say was "it did not come from me, it came through me".  

Our  Sunday school  lesson, on Job,   was tied into the  experiences  of the  pioneers  we  have been teaching about all summer.  We asked all the missionaries last week to read the lesson material and come ready to discuss their Job experiences.    We had some wonderful discussions and many more seemed willing to participate.  That was our final assignment for our mission teaching and speaking responsibilities.  Mom and I are grateful for the opportunities we have had to participate in lessons and be able to tie in these precious pioneer experiences.

The pot luck meal was well attended and there was a lot of food!  Mom and I have had a wonderful visit with the Ramsey's, and they seemed to enjoy the activities we participated in.  They elected to stay with us for Jolene Allphin's fireside, and none of us were disappointed in her presentation.  Sister Allphin is so well versed in all the stories of these precious pioneers.  She spoke of the many experiences she has had with the gathering of this material.  It is now being digitally produced.  She is no longer updating her books so those are becoming collectors items!

The Martin's Cove Choir singing "Hallowed Ground"

Sister Allphin and President Pace

Mom and I got back to the trailer with the Ramsey's at just after 4:00pm.  The Ramsey's changed into their traveling clothes, and were off for their destination tonight by 4:30pm.  There is still a lot of wind blowing here in the Wyoming high plains and that has affected the phone service and the internet.  But we are safely settled in to our trailer and enjoying a relaxing evening here at Missionary Village.  Thank you for checking in with us tonight!  Drive safe Ramsey's!

25 August 2018 - Saturday

25 August 2018 - Saturday

This was a fun day for mom and me as we spent it with the Ramsey's.  We had our p-day, today, and we were not having the daily correlation meeting at the Homestead because of the Trek Leader Training.  So we had a wonderful, un-rushed, morning breakfast together, and then we went down to Martin's Cove for a tour of the trekking trails.  Mom showed them the trekking videos and then we took a mission rover and drove to the key sites along the trails.

This was one of the sunrise pictures that greeted us this morning!

The cloud formation right over the Trek Center this morning

Keith and Beverly Ramsey with mom and me heading out on the trails.

What a great place to ponder on top of the hike at Martin's Cove

The Ramsey's have been here before, but we were able to take them on some of the back trails to get an even closer look at Martin's Cove.  It was also our privilege to share some of the wonderful and sacred stories of the pioneers.  These experiences that the pioneers had here are so precious and significant to our Church history.  What a privilege it is to share these stories, and these experiences, with family members and special friends!

Our time here in at Martin's Cove, with the Ramsey's, took about an hour and a half.  We went to the statues, and drove up to the top of the Cove, and then down along side Dan W. Jones Cove.  There were lot's of stories and experiences to share!  On our way back to the Homestead, we had a quiet and thoughtful ride.  There is so much to understand and digest coming into this sacred area.

The Ramsey's drove their truck and we headed off to Casper by 11:00am.  We went to one of our favorite restaurants, Pizza Ranch.  The food was excellent and we had some great conversations!  The next stop we made was at Sam's Club.  Mom and I always enjoy our shopping trips to Sam's!  But guess what they had on display today?

This bad boy massage chair!

Keith was all smiles when he took this massage chair for a spin.  This chair is so kind to every muscle in the human body!  I did not dare expose my body to this chair today.  It would have been more than I could have handled!  As it was, Keith's exposure almost yielded a purchase!  It was fun to shop this afternoon and walk off the meal we had just shared at Pizza Ranch.

We got back to Missionary Village at around 3:00pm.  The skies were starting to cloud over and we even got some rain on the way home!  When you see the different cloud formations that are constantly on display here in Wyoming, you can't help but know there is a Supreme Being who is in charge of the universe!

The clouds in Casper are reaching for the earth with moisture falling!

Our evening with Keith and Bev was so relaxing and fun.  They shared with us a new numbers game that mom and I picked up rather quickly.  Then, after the game was over, they gave it to us as a present.  It will be fun to play this when we get home.  Tomorrow we have our Sunday school lesson from the book of Job.  Mom and I are excited to share the points of the lesson with our fellow missionaries.  We have asked the mission, through a written invitation, to read the material and join us in discussion tomorrow.  I am looking forward to the response!  

Keith and Bev will stay for our lesson and then for the pot luck luncheon.  They will also stay for a fireside with Jolene Allphin right after our meal.  She will be giving the one hour fireside for the missionaries at 2:00pm.  She is the author of the book, "Tell My Story, Too".

24 August 2018 - Friday

24 August 2018 - Friday

Mom and I had a somewhat busy day, today.  Our first assignment, for today, was to help with the Trek Leader Training registration.  That assignment was at the Outfitting Post and began at 7:30am.  Then we joined the mission choir at the Trek Center at 9:00am to sign the song, "Hallowed Ground".  Our final assignment was to cover the Handcart Parking area for the Trek Leader Training and we got there at 10:00am and left at 4:00pm.  Here are some of those morning pictures;

Mom with Sister Lewis at the trek leader registration

Here we are at the Handcart Parking assignment

Some of our friends dubbed Handcart Parking as "Lasherville" "population 2"

We walked from the Base Cabin to Handcart Parking, this morning, and discovered a new name for Handcart Parking... It had been renamed, "Lasherville", "population 2".  We have been joking this week that we get some of the strangest assignments like being relegated to Handcart Parking.  Our friends kind of turned the tables on us, with this fancy sign, and it seems like the whole mission was involved!   Fun!  (the only problem here is that "Lasherville" is not supported by GPS!)

After the trek leaders left the area, at around 4:00pm, mom and I walked back out to the Base Cabin and headed for home.  Our Nauvoo fellow missionaries, and friends, the Ramsey's, were waiting for us at the trailer.  It has been so good to see them here, and begin to get re-acquainted.  We took them to the spaghetti dinner at the Barn tonight, for the trek leaders, and had a great meal with them.  They also got to see the mission in action, with the preparations being made for next year.

We all got settled into the trailer, this evening, at about 8:30pm.  Mom was so ready for bed!  The Ramsey's had a long drive to get here and they, too, have retired for the evening.  And I am so grateful to be able to report the blog information tonight!  It has been a great day and I had the privilege of speaking to several trek leaders coming next year.  I cannot stress enough the preparation it takes to have a wonderfully spiritual experience with excellent preparation.  The trek leaders I spoke to seemed to be grateful for the conversations we had!

The beginning of the setting sun ablaze over Martin's Cove tonight

Here is a great picture of the sunset here at the Missionary Village

Our antelope friends wanted to be included in the picture!

My final thoughts, tonight, not only reflect great advanced preparation for 2019 treks, but also for this time in our life's journey.  How wonderful it is to have a Living Prophet guiding us in these last days.  I do not consider being a blind follower to President Nelson.  We can all receive confirmation and inspiration with, and from, the things he is teaching us.  But the real blessing is acknowledging that we do have a Living Prophet, and that he is helping us navigate a very challenging time in history.  

He has taught us that in the coming days, we will not be able to survive, spiritually, without the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost.  I have determined that for me to have the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost, I need all the inspired help I can get.  When I think of one of my favorite expressions, "the important thing is to be able, at any moment, to sacrifice who we are for who we can become", right now is that time.  And President Nelson is that Prophet to help me be better, and do better.  That is the wonder, and the blessing of having a Living Prophet helping us get off our "present plateaus of performance", as President Kimball admonished us to do!  This is the right time to magnify our membership in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints!

23 August 2018 - Thursday

23 August 2018 - Thursday

Yesterday, mom and I were asked to fill the Wilma assignment.  This was part of our work crew assignment today.  As we were preparing for the day, this morning, I had the impression that we should start our assignment before the Correlation meeting this morning at 8:30am.  We had just finished our reading of the Scriptures and our prayers, and had just started breakfast.  This was about 6:00am. 

Mom and I caught the sunrise at the Homestead this morning

A view of the sunrise from the corral at the Homestead

This is a view of the sunrise through Rattlesnake Pass

We rushed to finish our morning preparations and were at the Homestead by 6:30am. From there we got Wilma ready and went on to start the assignment.  By 8:15am we had completed over half of our work!  Mom and I had the prayers and the thoughts this morning, at the correlation meeting, and mom shared the message that Neil L. Andersen had on his Facebook page from the time he and his wife had just spent with President Nelson in Canada this past week.  (I put his message on the Blog yesterday).  

What a timely message, from Elder Andersen,  and so precious in our understanding of who President Nelson is!  He is God's living Prophet on the earth today!  How blessed we are to have a living Prophet!  Knowing this and following his counsel will keep us safe in these perilous times!

After the correlation meeting, we found out that Wilma would be needed in a cleaning project at the Cherry Creek campground.  Mom and I only needed to finish our project within the next hour, and then we turned over Wilma to the missionaries assigned that project.  

Isn't it amazing how the simple things we are inspired to do can make a big difference in a work day!  There have been too many days where I haven't followed promptings like I should.  But today I rejoiced that I did!  We pray for these opportunities to follow the promptings of the Holy Ghost, and it is so neat to see the Lord's Hand in doing so!  That made my day!

Part of the cleaning assignment with Wilma

Topping off the water we used this morning

Mom and I had the assignment, with Wilma, to get the trail restrooms, bridges and statues cleaned and ready for the Trek Leader training tomorrow.  It was a sweet experience to get this work done so that others could use the Wilma truck.  Tomorrow we are assigned to be at Handcart Parking for the Trek Leader training, and we took a few minutes and washed all the picnic tables, with our pressure washer, at the Handcart Parking area.

After we turned over the truck, we headed for home.  We spent the balance of the morning and the afternoon getting ready for our friends, Keith and Bev Ramsey.  We served with them in Nauvoo and they are coming to Martin's Cove tomorrow to spend the weekend with us.  We can't wait to get caught up on the news from Nauvoo, and all the missionaries we served with there!

We also got some laundry done, and talked to some family members, and worked on our Sunday School lesson.  We are teaching Lesson #32 on Job this Sunday.  That will be a fun assignment since we have all had "Job" experiences!  This will be an opportunity for each of us to share how we have handled different Job-like challenges in our lives.  Let's see how this turns out!