Monday June 12, preparation day, and Elder Call went fishing again with Elder Ekins, who is a great fisherman. He has all the right equipment and they had a wonderful time. After eight fish were caught in just a few minutes time, the counting was lost track of. So many fish. They really enjoyed the time together.
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The Leatherman is 7 inches long so you can see how big this Rainbow Trout was.
It's not just another fish story. |
Sister Call learned TRX with Sister Ekins, this is training that the Navy Seals use. Wow it really works your core muscles. Found out I need this work out. On cleaning this week so the depot was my job with Sister Clark, it's fun to clean here with other Sisters.
We were going to go into Evanston, but it started blowing really bad and then snowing. In the middle of June and we have snow, and sleet. We are grateful that we don't have trekkers today in this crazy weather. We had the Clark's come over to go over our week with them, as we will be on trail 23.
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| The snow and sleet on window, this is in June? |
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| Snow looking out our trailer window |
We had a dinner with all the missionaries for family night of some of the leftovers we had from our treks last week. So a few of the sisters were asked to get it all prepared and tables set. We had a relaxing night after of watching the new movie of "Beauty and the Beast."
Tuesday June 13, after a night of rain, it was still rainy and super cold to start the day. We had the Pioneer Story and Scripture today. This is the last Pioneer story we get to give this year. I chose Patience Loader, age 29. Most of the Saints that came West had hard times in Europe after they joined the church. The Loader family had their share of problems. Her father had worked for 35 years on a estate for a wealthy gentleman Sir Henry Lambert for 35 years and once he was baptized he was fired from his job. What great faith they had. Patience's sister had a baby on the plains and was the longest living member of the Martin Company. Her father died early in the trek. Her mother was a strong woman who protected sustained and cheered her children as well as others without complaining. There were 8 sisters and 4 brothers. Her mother put on all the extra clothing she could carry under her own, so when the children needed dry clothing she had it. Her mother made her 4 ozs of of flour a day into little biscuits so that throughout the day they had a bite or two .
One very cold night Patience's mother could not get her daughters to arise. She got up and danced and sang and the girls laughed and forgot momentarily their frozen toes and snow covered blankets. She fell on an ice patch and the girls all jumped up to help her. She was afraid her girls were going to give out and get discouraged and she said that would never do to give up.
Patience's sister Tamar who was 22 was grieved when she left England because she left her sweetheart. One night she had a dream, that her sweetheart had came and stood beside her and he seemed so real, but he was not alone. Another man was with him...In the dream the sweetheart finally faded away but the other man remained. When Tamar first saw Thomas E Ricks in the rescue party, she took her mother by the arm and said, "Mother, that's the man." She did marry Thomas Ricks, after whom Ricks college, now BYU-Idaho is named.
Elder Call's scripture was D&C 89 and talking about the spiritual blessing we receive from obeying the Word of Wisdom.
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| Elder Call giving the scripture in preparation meeting |
First official port-a-john Tuesday for the Sisters. So cold that a lot of Sisters went to clean them in there snow clothes. I had all my snowmobile clothes on. We brought them last summer and never had to use them. The Elders have their assignments and Elder Call's is repairing handcarts. The middle of May and we got our chance. There is a saying here that Evanston has two seasons, Winter and the 4th of July. Today I believe it.
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| Elder Call and Elder Ekins fixing handcarts at our staging areas. |
Sister Call received a phone call while in the port-a-johns that her youngest daughter Alyson Sabin Tregaskis, who lives in Iowa is going to have another girl. This will be 27 grandchildren for us. 14 boys and 13 girls,
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| Sister Call on are cold morning receiving the phone call that Alyson is having a baby girl. |
Wednesday June 14, Spanish Fork South Stake arrived, 273 people and 22 carts. Alan and Debbie Stevens are the trail bosses. Todd and Jamie Skiba are in charge of support. There theme is: "Do Good," and being a bucket filler. They had an amazing sound system and played music before they were ready to trek, "Hit the Road Jack." There was music to signal dinner was ready. When they had there port-a-john stops, and lunch there was music. When they came into camp there was music. It was really fun.
The camp they stayed at has water on one side, like a lot of our areas this Spring it is wet. They were playing, Red Rover, and one girl broke through the line and fell into the wet grass. She was drenched. Sister Clark took all her clothes, and shoes back to the missionary village and washed them, and returned them the next morning.
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| Music on the trail, very powerful as the trekkers walk by |
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| Vignette, so powerful, very well done, |
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| Two minutes of Elder Holland's talk was played, " There are angels around us" very moving. |
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| One of the games played, where you hold hands and have to unwind so all facing opposite direction. |
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| Stake skit about being a bucket filler. There theme about doing good things for others, being a bucket filler. |
Thursday June 15, had to take one young man to the gate to go home. He came with a 102 fever. His dad turned the wrong way when he got off the freeway and so over an hour late picking him up. As missionaries we have to be flexible with our assignments. Sister Call had 3 in the side-by-side. One girl and a Ma and Pa. The Pa had knee replacement and was struggling. We were up on a ridge and so pointed out a lot of the landmarks along the way. With riders you have an hour or so until the next stop to talk and find out about their lives and share experiences with them.
In the middle of dinner a plane buzzed our camp. We told everyone that it was the Hoe Down caller being dropped off. He then flew up and did some tricks and then made a few more low passes.
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| One of the signs leading up to the vignette. |
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| Indians on the ridge for the vignette |
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| The Indian's on the vignette |
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| Square dancing, they always have a wonderful time. |
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| The plane buzzing our camp during dinner |
Friday June 16, Woman's pull today, and this Stake gave out mission calls to all the young men and had them leave. It is always very moving for the young men if done right with not too many young women on the carts. Sister Call walked with them again this week. When you are the lead missionary you get to choose, and she loves to be involved with this and encourage the girls and see how it effects the young men and young women. These girls are strong and will take from this experience that they can do hard things in life. When they get back into the world, one day they will look at this woman's pull and gather strength from it, and know that they can do hard things.
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| The woman coming up the hill on the woman's pull |
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| The young men lining the top of the hill for the woman's pull |
Stayed in Dairy Bowl camp ground. Our favorite camp ground, We were the first ones to use it this year since it has been so wet. The grass was so long up to your knees. It is beautiful there. We said they could play hide and go seek and all they would have to do is everyone just lay down and no one would see them. When the trekkers came into camp they had snow cones for them. A really refreshing treat. One of the kitchen people making them was saying how frozen his hands were. I said it is just like the pioneers they had frozen hands and feet, you are getting a real pioneer experience.
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| Refreshing snow cones when we get to camp |
Elder Call did another pony express delivery today. He has a great routine and they all laugh at his funny way of delivering the mail.
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| Elder Call delivering the mail on Sliver the horse |
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| One of my favorite times on trek, solo time sitting on buckets reading letters from their parents. |
They wanted to have another Hoe Down, last night they had a professional caller, tonight Elder Call did it. Since they knew a lot of the moves already it was easier. We started with the hardest dance, it was a lot like what they did the night before. Then ended with the Virginia Reel. They sure love to dance.
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| Can't get enough of the hoe down, so second night of dancing. |
Saturday June 17,less then 3 miles to trek today, so they stayed in camp and took a lot of fun pictures, one with every handcart family, and one with every ward, and then a group one. The Stake President is Pres Lewis, so we had to have a picture of the Clark's, and the Lewi's together."Lewis and Clark expedition. We got some fun pictures of the kids with some fun hats. They have trivia and jokes every morning and a short pioneer story. Yesterday they asked if anyone was related to Ole Madsen, who was with the Willie company. Brennen Magill raised his hand, he was a great great uncle. We had his DVD and book about him, so we presented it to him.
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Lewis and Clark Expedition
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| Brennen Magill, related to Ole Madsen, who was with the Willie company, presented him a DVD about Ole and a book. |
We have loved this Stake. We will really miss the music on our other treks. We become so close to all these people in four days. It's hard to say good bye. When the Stake President thanks you and says he loves you, you know you have done your best to make a difference in these youths lives.
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| Jensen Mellor, what a fun way to decorate your hat to trek out of camp the last day. |
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| Brother and Sister Holmes, he had a little hat on his big hat for a little bit more shade. |
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| Sister Call and Kaden Davis. Loved his big cowboy hat. |
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| President and Sister Argyle loved our trek baseball hats, so we got them each one. |
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| Debbie and Alan Stevens, trail bosses, Stake President Lewis and his wife, Sister and Elder Call |
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Theme: "And now, verily, verily, I say unto thee,
put your trust in that Spirit which leadeth to
Do Good!
-yea, to do justly, to walk humbly,
to judge righteously; and this is my Spirit."
D&C 11:12 |
Sunday June, 18, we were asked to speak in the Almy ward today along with the Theler's. It's father's day and the topic was on how the Priesthood makes Father's better Fathers. All the missionaries came to hear us. More times during the summer we are asked to speak, so we got our time over. It was a wonderful fathers day with talking to most of our 13 children. We do have special children and it was special to hear from them. They are being blessed from us serving on this mission, we are promised this in the dedicatory prayer and also by the Apostolic blessing given to us by Elder Durham
