Last week of this Summer at Dessert Land and Livestock

Monday August 15. Today we all had interviews with Elder Mark Durham and his wife Mary. He is the Area Authority Seventy over Dessert Land and Livestock. They are the sweetest people and we loved visiting with them. We were asked to come back next summer again and serve.

Elder Mark Durham, wife Mary R. Durham, Sister Call, Elder Call

Most of the day for Sister Call was spent working on the yearbook for the mission. It is hard to believe how many hours goes into making it. We had a very special night with the wonderful Evanston Stake Presidency at President Lester's ranch. We had a wonderful dinner of ribs and all the trimmings. The highlight of the night was what is called "High Speed Bowling." This is shooting bowling balls form a cannon. We had so much fun watching them fly. Some went so far you could not follow them. This is a cannon that was home made.

President Lester, at their Ranch

Lighting the cannon, ready to fire the bowling balls.

We had a beautiful Testimony meeting afterwards. This Stake Presidency has really taken us under their wings this summer. They are so fun to be with.

Enjoying dinner at Lesters Ranch

At Lester's Ranch

Tuesday August 16. Today was our P-day but not for us working on the yearbook all day for the mission. It takes forever to get all the pictures of all the missionaries sorted and loaded. Thank goodness I had all day to work on it.

Wednesday August 17. Today our dear sweet missionary friends Elder and Sister Walker left. It is always sad to say good-bye. A lot of assignments were given up to wrap things up for the winter here. Also lots to set up for Trek Training on Saturday. My assignment was to finish the yearbook and get it ordered. I finished it with the help of some of the other Sister missionaries, Sister Howard and sister Hutchings. They have wonderful ideas and suggestions. We got it ordered by about 3:00 pm. What a big relief to have it finished.

We attended the Evanston 5th Ward end of summer party. Every night this last week it seems like we are partying here. We have come to know and love these people of Evanston.

Before we went we visited Elder and Sister Johnson, who are from Evanston, home. They have a Model A car, They have been so great to serve with this summer at DL&L.

Elder Johnson's Model A car

Thursday August 18. We had the morning to prepare for our parts on Trek Training, that will take place on Saturday. So for a few hours we were working on our power points, or getting all our props together. Our trailer was a busy place with lots of missionaries asking Elder Call to add pictures or find pictures for their presentations.We all get 5 or 10 minutes depending on your subject. Then we all critique each other on what we need to fix to make it better.

We had a nice salmon dinner with the Hutchings. We both had salmon frozen all summer and took no time to cook it. It was nice to relax outside with them and enjoy this nice dinner.

We sure eat  really well on this mission.

Salmon dinner, it was so good.

Sister Hutchings  and Sister Call enjoyed a nice walk, along by the ponds by our trailers, and the moon was so full and beautiful tonight. When we got back we texted the other missionaries to go look at it. You could hear all the doors open to look at it. We got a text back from the Walkers, who left that said, "It is beautiful in Idaho as well!" They are so cute. Sister Hutchings taught me that you can see the dark spots looks like a rabbit. I learned something new.

Beautiful sunset, behind the skunk shed.

Ducks on the pond by our trailers.

Friday August 19. The day before Trek Training. A lot of the food prep was done today for trek training. Elder Call has to teach about the handcarts so set up a tarp to demonstrate shade. More details of the displays to make. More power point presentations to tweak. We took a break in the afternoon to go see the Dairy Barn that is about 10 miles on gravel roads to see the siding that is going on. This barn is where we store a lot of the handcarts, porta johns for the winter. The Evanston Stake was doing this. They are an amazing Stake. They are always willing to volunteer so much time to do projects at the ranch.

The dairy barn, before it has the siding on it.

The other side of the dairy barn with the new siding.

We had a few hours of talking and eating snow cones at Hutchings trailer. Elder Ekins entertained us with showing his knife sharpening abilities. He has so many different kinds of stones.

Then we adventured to the fire pit for a night of cooking hot dogs and visiting  all together for the last time. Elder Ekins not only entertained us with his knife sharpening but with his knowledge of flash lights. Then we all had to show off our flashlights and had a contest for which ones worked the best. We were laughing so hard. It doesn't take a lot to entertain missionaries.

Enjoying our last Friday night at the ranch, love a nice campfire.

Enjoying snow cones at the Hutchings trailer.

Saturday August 20. Trek training day, we had 240 people come to be trained. These are the key people over treks in their wards or stakes who are coming next summer for trek. We start at 9:00 and finish about 12:30 and then feed them lunch. It was so fun to have Bob and Irene Moore come from our home ward. They just returned from their mission in Baltimore Maryland and came to check out this mission. After trek training some took about a mile walk pulling handcarts.

Elder Call presenting at Trek Training

Sister Call presenting at Trek Training

Lot's of clean up afterwards and with 22 people helping it goes quite fast. A few hours later and the trek center was filled with some handcarts, Farm trucks and 4 wheelers.  
     We then had a meeting with the passing of the stick to Elder and Sister Peart the new trek directors, and hearing from the four couples who are finished with their second year and leaving.

Elder and Sister Call turning over the staff and key box to the new trek directors the Pearts.

Sunday August 21. We attended the farewell for Alex Richens farewell. He is the son of Ryan Richens who took us to Echo Canyon last week. Then to the Young Single Adult Branch to sing for the last time this summer. We are getting quite good at singing in Sacrament meeting.

Sister Barton leading our Missionary Choir.

The last Sunday dinner, and then later Sunday night a fun game night with some of the missionaries.
We are going to miss this summer and we are so thankful we were able to serve here. It has been an amazing mission and we never knew we could learn to love the sage brush and dirt. We heard a saying form one post trek fireside. "Pure dirt don't hurt." We have come to love the dirt on this dedicated land.

So many pretty flowers on the ranch

Some geese on the ranch.

Sunset over the sheering corral.

Dear on the mountain side.

We love being missionaries, we love serving the youth of the church, we love the pioneers that sacrificed so much to come to Zion. We love to provide opportunities to strengthen their testimonies, build unity, help them do family history, and  learn core  gospel principles. This is why we love being missionaries at Dessert Land and Livestock. Until next summer Elder and Sister Call.

Wonderful week of adventures

Sunday night August 7th, we had an amazing post trek fireside with the Maple Mt Stake. This was the first one we have been able to attend and it was great. We love the video they made and seeing so many special people from their trek that we were able to reconnect with. Just a great evening. We returned to the ranch that night and it was so great to be back here in the sage brush and with the other missionaries.

Monday August 8, we had a missionary reunion. This was the first one that they have had and it was great to visit with so many couples that served here and to hear about all the changes that have happened since they served here. They loved seeing the new buildings and the new trek center. Christy Huff Evans came and what a treat for us. She started trekking here at DL&L in the 90's and was an employee here hired to do treks for 12 years. We even have a painting of her in the trek center.

Elder and Sister Call, and Christy Huff Evans

Portrait of Christy Huff, when she was working on the ranch.

We went on a trail ride on trail 9 with the Francom's. They are the missionaries that told us of this mission. It was so fun to see this new trail that the ranch will let us use next summer. They are such dear friends to us.
We had a missionary dinner with all of the past missionaries and heard some of their testimonies and miracles that they had here on Dessert Land and Livestock Ranch.

Dinner at the Missionary Reunion.

More pictures of the Missionary Reunion dinner.

Missionary Reunion Dinner.

Tuesday morning, August 9, Julie Rogers who is an artist and has many pioneer pictures had a morning side with us. We have many pictures of hers in the trek center where we have our preparation meetings. She is the artist for the book "Tell my story Too." We are so spoiled here of having special guests coming and sharing there talents with us. She had a lot of her painting for sale for us.

Artist: Julie Rogers,  Sister and Elder Call.

This week Tuesday was our P-day and so a lot of it was washing all the tablecloths from Adam and Marissa Call's wedding and having them ready for Michael's wedding the end of August, this is the last of Elder Call's eight children. Elder Call fixed mud flaps on the truck and then in the afternoon we went for a 4 wheeler ride out to the home ranch which is over 25 miles away. We had a nice visit with one of the wildlife interns there.

One of the barns at the Home Ranch near Woodruff, Utah.

Another building at the Home Ranch.

This was one of our favorite buildings at the Home Ranch.

Wednesday August 10. We all traveled to Brigham City to tour the Tabernacle. We heard about the history of it and got to go underneath where they had a creek that ran under it and would use this water to power the organ. We hiked up in the tower across a cat walk in the ceiling. So much history in that building. The Brigham City Temple is right across the street, two beautiful buildings.

Elder and Sister Call at the Brigham City Temple.

Brigham City Temple

The steps up to the attic in the Brigham City Tabernacle.

Elder Higgenson at the Brigham City Tabernacle.

The beautiful woodwork in the Tabernacle.

Elder Call coming down the steps from the steeple in the tabernacle.

The Brigham City Temple is closed for cleaning, so we went to the Ogden Temple. On the way we had lunch at Maddox a famous place in Perry Utah. They have great food and lots of it. Temple.

Ogden Temple

The Barton's went with us to our second post trek fireside at Murray South Stake. They gave us a really nice DVD. We just love seeing all these people we trekked with, and catching up on things that are happening in their lives. The videotographer was amazing in the video he took and with a drone he had some amazing shots. He looks a lot like Steven Spielberg. It's nice how they recognize the missionaries and Elder Barton was asked to speak.

Murray South Stake Post Trek Fireside.

Thursday August 11. Another field trip day. Anytime we leave the ranch I call it a field trip day. This day was a private tour of Echo canyon and pioneer history sites. We went with Ryan Richens and he is the seminary teacher in Evanston and grew up in Henefer, Utah and knows this area so well. The one special place for Elder Call was to hike to the battlements that his great-great- grandfather Anson Call built to protect against Johnston's army.

This is what it said in Anson Call's  journal: "In December Vasco, Chester, and myself went to meet the enemy. Chester and myself went to Echo Canyon at the principle fortification and labored on them. Vasco went to Bridge and Green River on the borders of the enemy to watch their movements. He was absent 7 week. I was 4 weeks. The winter very mild, but little snow. The enemy st still in camp in Green River County. We have not heard but little from them this winter. There has been a constant guard kept up at the mouth of  Echo Canyon of 10 men. Colonel Kane arrived in Great Salt Lake City March 10th, 1858 from Washington. Started to visit the United States Army in company with 20 of the Saints with him for guard the 7th instant."

Ryan Richens taking us on tour of Echo Canyon.

Elder Peart and Elder Call at the battlements that Anson Call his great-great grandfather helped build. 

We went to Big Mt and saw where the pioneers had to go down into the Salt Lake Valley.

DL&L Missionaries at the place called heart break hill, before the pioneers went down to the Salt Lake Valley.

Elder and Sister Call at the top of Big Mt, where the pioneers came down into Salt Lake Valley.

Since we were so close we went with the Hutchings to,"This is the Place Heritage Park." We wanted to see the statue of Anson Call. He settled many place in the western United States. We looked up some of them and one is above Brigham City and one is where Lake Mead in Nevada is. We walked around the grounds and saw a lot of the monuments outside the part. We walked around the gift shop.

Anson Call statue at "This is the Place Heritage Park" Elder Call's great-great grandfather.

Dinner that night with Hutchings at Taggarts grill in Morgan on the way back to the ranch. Elder Hutchings and Elder Call discovered they were both in the Mission Home in Salt Lake on the same day  August 19, 1972. As we have a saying on the mission, "What are the chances? 100%".

Elder Call and Elder Hutchings. Both on there first and second missions together.

Friday July 12. Today was a work day and we took some of the porta johns to the dairy barn for storage. Most of the 150 handcarts were put away there the week before when we were gone. We rode a new road on the far east of the ranch where a new trail might go in sometime and scouted out what we though would be the best woman's pull. Since I am on the yearbook committee and I take most of the pictures I found out it needs done by next week so spent some hours getting the info out to the missionaries about a biography to put in it. Also got some old wood from the sheering barn that will probably be torn down soon. There is so much history in it. I was thinking what if these walls could talk.

Saturday July 13. This weekend is Family trek weekend. Most missionaries had family come and stay for a few nights. The depot had tents all over the lawns, and a lot of trailers were brought up. It was fun to have kids all over playing games and laughing and enjoying it here. At 9:00 am we went and pulled handcarts for a few miles with all the kids. This is the first we got to wear pioneer clothes. Some of the sister missionaries got to pull a handcart on a hill, and it made us appreciate the youth and leaders who pull the carts up the woman's pull.

Sister Call ready to go pull handcarts at the family camp weekend.

Elder and Sister Barton, Elder Higgenson, Elder Call at family camp, ready to pull the handcart.

We had such a fun day pulling the handcart at family camp.

Sharley, Sister Call's daughter and two sons Chase and Blake came up about 10:00 and our good friends from Spanish Fork the Parker's came up just after them to spend the day with us. We had lunch with them and pulled handcarts, played pickleball, went on a 4 wheeler ride and watched them catch fish in the ponds. We got so dusty on the ride, but the boys loved it all. They played pioneer game, shot the buffalo's with bow and arrows, and Chase loves to dance and  he danced with his grandma Sister Call at a hoedown. We saw lots of antelope on the ranch, They left for home after 9:00 pm they were having so much fun.

Ray and Robyn Parker, our good friends came up for the day of family camp.

Chase and Blake Bonnett's (grandchildren, playing at family camp)

Sister Call's daughter Sharley Bonnett and grand kids, Chase and Blake.

Chase and Blake enjoying the games at family camp.

Blake and Sister Call enjoying a hoedown.

This is what Sharley Bonnett texted me the next day. "The boys wore their antler necklaces to church on Sunday, played all day with their bullet casings, snail shells and little handcarts, Now they are playing Legos and the guys are going on a mission. I guess the boys will think all missions are like this

Sunday August 14, another day of singing in church. This time it was in Randolph, Utah. Elder Howard said we are getting so good that we even go on tour. The church building is an old historical building right on main street. Afterwards we had dinner with Geo Peart who is related to Elder and Sister Peart form our mission. They have an amazing old house filled with many antiques. We ate at his table and learned so much about Randolph and the history of the area. Dinner was beef brisket and so delicious, we all brought salads and desserts. We have been spoiled this last week with lots of tours and lots of great food. The rest of the day was spent sorting pictures for the yearbook into files for each missionary couple.

All 22 missionaries. What a great group we got to serve with this summer.

Geo Pearts home in Randolph Utah.

Geo Pearts home Randolph, Utah.