6 August 2018 - Monday

6 August 2018 - Monday

This may sound a little crazy, but mom and I had an assignment today that is one of our favorites.  It was driving Wilma, and cleaning the restrooms.  Only it got better as the morning began.  We were told last night that a group of the restrooms would not need our attention, this morning, and to just do the other work that we normally do.  Then at 4:50am we got a text that we did not need to do another set of the restrooms!  That reduced our workload to about 60% of what we normally did!  It was a great day to do Wilma!  We got to adjust our start time to 7:30am from our regular time of 5:30am.

So we took our time this morning and enjoyed our three mile walk.  That takes us down to the main road, and some great pictures of the Wyoming sunrises.  I just wish I could capture the beautiful colors that are associated with these sunrises!

This picture was taken at about 5:30am

This picture was taken at about 5:45am

And this picture was taken at around 6:00am

Some of you have seen the beautiful colors that the clouds reflect from the rising sun.  The horizon keeps changing, frequently, and it is hard to not stop and take pictures.  Heavenly Father sometimes gives us these types of experiences just for our personal benefit.  I think we each have them, and we just need to stop and appreciate them more, since they are for us to enjoy, and reflect on, as we "enlarge our memories" from these precious experiences!

Our walk was fantastic and our breakfast together was our usual fare of fruit and oatmeal.  We did not shower before our assignment since we can't wait to get home and shower after our Wilma experiences.  I took a picture this morning on our way to the first stop;

We are just reaching the point of the mountain leading to Martin's Cove

The cleaning assignment includes the bridges and the statues.  Mom was especially sensitive to the looks on the statues, that represents the Valley Boys helping the beleaguered Saints across the Sweetwater River.  The artist wanted to dedicate his work to the Aaronic Priesthood, so we naturally think about our two Aaronic Priesthood grandsons, Zac and Isaac.  Next year we will add Bobby, Cody and Jack!

Can you feel the love these precious statues represent?

They have such a feel for the ministering taking place that they represent

I have great joy in the work that this artist has done with these figures.  He knew that there were more than just four or five Valley Boys involved in the 1856 rescue.  And President Nelson is very aware of the need for all of the young men and the young women to "rise up" and be a part of the "Youth Battalion"!  There is a deep sense of respect that comes over me every-time I clean off the bird droppings on these statues, and feel the presence of these pioneers who benefited from their efforts!

They stand as sentinels to all who come to these mission trails of the possibilities that our young men and young women can become fully involved in.  I love thinking about our grandchildren and how much they care for each other and how much they are willing to do for their families in these perilous times!  Granny and I pray for each of you to make those choices that will seal our family together forever!  No empty chairs! 

We got home before noon today and enjoyed the time together.  This afternoon was especially beneficial as mom and I got to share different experiences from our time in the mission field without interruption.  Tomorrow we have another late day of service at the Visitors' Center.  We are scheduled there twice this week and four times on the work crew.  August is moving by pretty fast already!