A Week of Contrasts
Monday April 24, 2017. Sister Call is finishing up at BYU this week with finals, (She works in the Testing Center) so some back and forth driving. After a early morning day at work she drove back to the ranch to have our interview with Elder and Sister Durham, the Area Authority Seventy over the DL&L Trek Mission. They are such wonderful, sweet, charitable, loving people and we are honored to be under their direction.
Dinner and family night was with them and the Evanston Stake Presidency. One thing about being here is sure eat well. We had turkey breast, baked potatoes, green bean casserole, rolls, salad,
The best family night with introductions from the new missionaries, Sister Durham shared a special story of a pioneer family that was in Utah and was asked by their bishop to donate to the rescue effort. The wife said she had nothing to donate, but then realized she had shoes, and stockings she had knitted, so she donated them. When the group came into the valley she looked for who had on her stockings and shoes. One of the last people to come was her best friend from England and she had her shoes and stockings on. She was so glad that she sacrificed for her.
Elder Durham gave a beautiful Apostolic Blessing to all the missionaries. It was very spiritual, and given by a special servant of the Lord.
We had a wonderful testimony meeting and heard from The Evanston Stake President, president Lester and his wife.
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| Elder Mark Durham |
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| Elder & Sis Durham, Pres & Sis. Lester, Pres & Sis Platt, Elder & Sis Peart Trek Directors |
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| Sign to be mounted at Missionary Village Gate |
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| 2017 DL&L Missionaries, and the Durham's |
Tuesday to Friday April 25- 28, Sister Call returned to Provo for finals in a white out snow storm going by Park City. The missionaries had assignments for the week of moving all the handcarts from about 10 miles away in the Dairy Barn where they were stored for the winter back to the trek center where all the bolts were tightened and checked out for usability. After they were all done then loaded on the trailers and taken to the staging areas. All the water buffalo's are being worked on. All the Port-a-Johns were also brought over and checked out. The eight farm trucks were checked out to see if the oil needed changed. Our pavilion was power washed out and all picnic tables washed and bolts tightened. The upstairs room in the trek center where the furnace is located a mechanical room was built all sheet rocked in and a vented door was hung. Shelves were built in the trek center. The tool shed was cleaned out and cleaned up. The work bench was all cleaned off and inventoried. The water was able to be turned on in our Depot building here in the Missionary Village. This was a very productive week.
We have a group of hard working missionaries here this year, Many hands make light work. Every year the missionaries say what is there to do for next year since we did it all. There is always many new projects to do, and also checking out all the equipment from the year before and making repairs.
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| New shelves in the Trek Center |
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| Handcarts that need repair |
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| New furnace room in the trek center |
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| Handcarts ready to be sent to staging areas |
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| Port-a-Johns ready to be inspected |
Thursday April 27, Elder Call had the Pioneer Story and Scripture. He shared the story of Anson Call who was one of the rescuers of the Martin Company. Anson is Elder Call's great-great-grandfather. A quote from his journal,"Oct 28, 1856 started to meet the handcart company. The weather very cold. Met a company at Bridger. Stormy. The company in a suffering situation. ... Overtook the company at Rocky Ridge 300 miles from the valley. We found them starving and freezing and dying, and the most suffering that I ever saw among human beings, in number about 1000 soles."
For the scripture he shared the scripture D&C 124 about building a house unto the Lord, the Temple. He shared about Sister Call's great-great-grandfather William John Silver who built the oxen for the Salt Lake Temple.
We are both blessed by the sacrifices of these great men and their faith to come to Zion and follow a prophets voice. We are grateful for their sacrifices and strive to convey to the youth this summer of what they sacrificed to come to Zion.
Friday April 28, Michael Joseph Call, Elder Call's 7th child graduated from BYU with his bachelors degree in Computer Science. We had a wonderful morning celebrating with him and his wife Elena. He moved on Saturday into a new apartment in Lehi, and has been interviewing for jobs. Hopefully he will have one soon.
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| Michael receiving his diploma at BYU |
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| Proud moment |
Friday afternoon we returned to the ranch and with BYU's Winter Semester over, Sister Call gets to stay for the summer now and enjoy this full time mission now.
On the way here they had unloaded a truck of sheep and lambs. We so love the many animals on this land. The baby lambs are so adorable.
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| New baby sheep that arrived at the ranch |
As Friday night went on the snow came harder and faster and we had about 3-4 inches of snow in just a few hours. Once the wind stopped it was beautiful and nice. When the sun came up Saturday morning with the sparkle snow looking like diamonds. We were so warm in our trailers and wondered how the pioneers did it. We are so grateful for our many comforts. Warm trailers and plenty of food to eat.
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| You never know what kind of weather you will get on the ranch Saturday April 29, We had a beautiful drive down Echo Canyon with the red rock with the snow on it. We had a special session in the Salt Lake Temple. It was nice to be there with all 22 missionaries. After our session we had lunch in the Temple Cafeteria. We saw part of the new movie Meet the Mormons in the Joseph Smith Building, and then toured the Church History Museum. They had a display of pictures called "Saints at Devil's Gate," Landscape along the Mormon Trail. |
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| 22 missionaries at Salt Lake Temple |
On one of the saying in the museum it was by Ann Agatha Walker Pratt, she was 18, English convert, September 28, 1847. Title "New Beginnings"
" I never shall forget the last day we traveled, and arrived in the Valley... when my eyes rested on the beautiful entrancing sight--the Valley; Oh! how my heart swelled with me, I could have laughed and cried, such a commingling of emotions I cannot describe. My soul was filled with thankfulness to God for bringing us to a place of rest and safety-- a home. No doubt our valley looks astonishingly beautiful to the strangers who come here now, but it cannot evoke the same emotions as it did to us, poor weary tired, worn out, ragged travelers. When I drove into camp, unyoked my cattle, and sat down on the wagon tongue, and began to realize that, in the morning I would not have to hitch up and toil through another day, such a feeling o rest--blessed rest--permeated my whole being that it is impossible to describe, and cannot be realized except by those who have passed through similar scenes."
