The countdown continues

Monday May 22, today was our preparation day, and we spent it with Keith,Sue and Aden Sabin. This is Sister Call's brother and sister-in-law. We rode trails and showed them a lot of the ranch in the side-by-side. They loved it here and was fun for them to get away. It was our turn for family night and we invited Jeff and Carol Kennedy who were missionaries here in 2012, 2014, 2015  Jeff is a great mountain man and has lots of animal pelts and animal skulls, and so many stories about all the animals. Sister Kennedy told about some special experiences of being missionaries here. It was a wonderful night.

Sue and Aiden Sabin 

Keith and Spencer throwing hatches

Keith Sue and Aden Sabin before they leave for home

Sister Kennedy presenting for family night

Brother Kennedy presenting at family night showing antelope skull

Brother Kennedy showing Elk horns

Brother and Sister Kennedy with all their pelts and skulls

Sunsets on the ranch are amazing

Beautiful Sunset as we came out of family night

Tuesday May 23, we had  training in the morning for all the new missionaries on the port-a-johns, and on the water buffalo's and the T-chlor that is put in the water buffalo .We worked on projects of cutting new pull ropes and braiding the ends. Also put new tools boxes on the back of all the farm trucks,Some of the Elder's are still welding new steps on some of the port-a-john trailers. We drove our first route this season with the Wilson's,on trail 29. We had to change trails and let our first group know to change all their plans, this is because some of the trails are still very wet. The trail we changed to has so many flowers.

Barton's demonstrating about the port-a-johns

Sister Barton measuring the ropes for the handcarts

Elder and Sister Wilson redoing the road signs.

A lot of the sisters braiding the ends of the ropes for the handcarts.

Elder Call demonstrating the water buffalo cleaning and filling.

Indian paint brush

Gauge

Larkspur

So many beautiful flowers on the ranch this spring

Wednesday May 24, Elder Ekins and Elder Call demonstrated the pony express mail delivery today. Elder Ekins did Ephraim Hanks, and Elder Call's was more funny one. The youth really love these and they get a lot of great feedback on these presentations.

Elder Ekins demonstrating Ephraim Hanks 

Elder Call demonstrating the pony express delivery on his horse Sliver

We learned how staging works when the trekkers arrive and what we as missionaries are to do. The third handcart was assembled for the season. Elder Call is teaching all of the new missionaries about how to do this. Today was riding trail 23 with the McDowells. We are all learning what we have to do to revise the trail with water crossings.

A very wet Spring and the meadows are really wet.

Tonight the Evanston Stake came to place our new monument that Elder Summerhays donated to the mission. It is beautiful and will last for many years. (Elder Summerhays was the area authority 70 over Deseret Land and Livestock, before Elder Durham,) The Summerhays' are on a mission in New Zealand, they left about a month ago. The Evanston Stake put the wagon wheel behind it. A very nice touch to finish it off. The wind was blowing and a small rain storm came through in the middle of setting everything in place. This Evanston Stake Presidency takes such great care of us on this mission. We had pizza with them, and a nice visit.

Placing the monument

The handcart wheel behind the monument placed in cement 

Elder and Sister Peart, President and Sister Lester, President and Sister Platt, Brother Faust.

Pizza in the Depot after the monument was placed.

Thursday May 25,it  rained most of the night, but the weather today was a lot better. One part of the sky was all blue skies and big puffy clouds, the other side is very overcast. This ranch is so vast about 25 square miles, so it can be raining on one trek and not on another trek. We have found out if you don't like the weather on the ranch wait about 5 minutes because it will change. Projects going oo, two more spools of rope were cut today for pull bar ropes and linseed on the handcart and the room upstairs finishing up some of the sheet rock and muddling and welding and grinding steps. Wilson's are redoing a lot of signs posts on the ranch, and it is fun watching artists at work. Every day in the afternoon is trail riding and since we are the experts on trail 29 we took the Ekins out on this one. We have had three dead calves this Spring, since one was right by the campground we pulled it up the hill with a tow strap and a side-by-side. The circle of life is still in effect on the ranch. It is hard to see these little guys suffer and die. It is quite emotional. Sometimes along the trails we have to have some fun and we find interesting places to explore.

Sister Call by some huge nests.

Elder Call by a cool archway, hole above the nests.

We  get to detour  a little bit looking for deer and elk shed's, this is their antlers. Some snowdrifts still on some hillsides. You can really feel the change in temperature at the sides of the ranch with the snowdrifts on them. We have to bundle up every time we ride because it is still cool here. The elevation is 6,500 to 7,500 feet on this ranch. In Evanston they have the blossoms on the trees that we had about 6 to 7 weeks ago. Their tulips are just finishing up here also.

Elder Call hunting for sheds.

Elder McDowell and Elder Call hunting for sheds

Friday May 26, a cool kind of rainy morning and we had our last route review today with the Bountiful South Stake. This will be our last trek of the season in August. They will be a great stake and it has been so amazing to see all the work and effort that goes into planning these treks.

Bountiful South Stake on their route review.

We worked on putting an axle on the handcart and Sister Call painted another coat of linseed on the handcart and Elder Call cut all the boards for handcart number four of this year. We got the bottom all assembled of the handcart. We needed a break from riding dirty trails for a day. Most of the other missionaries rode the trails. So this was our projects in the afternoon.

Getting another handcart almost finished.

Sister Call sanding the wood for the handcarts.

Saturday May 27, we gave the pioneer story and scripture today. This is always good because it causes us to study and reflect on the pioneers and also the scriptures more. Elder Call talked about Harvey Cluff who was one of the rescuers. He followed the promptings of the Holy Ghost in placing a signboard on the trail the night of October 20, 1856 when they sot shelter in a bunch of willows 3 miles off the trail.  Shortly after he returned to their camp in the willows, Cpt. Willey and Brother Elder rode into camp. They would have passed by the rescuers had it not been for that sign. That one small act saved the Willey Handcart Company.

Sister Call talked about scripture D&C 68: 6." Wherefore be of good cheer, and do not fear, for I the Lord am with you, and will stand by you, and ye shall bear record o me, even Jesus Christ, that I am the Son of the living God that I was, that I am and that I am to come." We received an apostolic blessing this Spring from Elder Durham, he blessed us to have positivity this summer as we trek.

President Monson said, "My beloved brothers and sisters fear not. Be of good cheer. The future is as bright as your faith." None of us make it through this life without problems and challenges. We are here to learn and grow from such events in our lives. We know that there are times when we will suffer, when we will grieve and when we will be saddened. We are told "Adam fell that man might be and men are that they might have joy. How might we have joy in our lives despite all that we may face?  Wherefore be of good cheer, and do not fear, for I the Lord am with you, and will stand by you.

The pioneers in what they faced and struggled with they still remained steadfast and of good cheer as they made the gospel of Jesus Christ the center of their lives. The gospel won't remove our troubles from us but rather enable us to face our challenges to meet them head on and to emerge victorious.

Elder Call presenting the pioneer story.

Today we had some lessons on using different kinds of jacks, and about come-a-longs and while we were out learning this three antelope were on the hill behind the sheering corral's by the Trek Center. This ranch has such awesome animal life. We had our first afternoon of spraying the weeds on some of our support roads.

Elder Peart teaching about come-a-longs.

Elder Moretti, teaching about jacks.

Three antelopes that by our trailers while we out having our demonstrations.

First day of spraying weeds

Sunday May 28, a warm beautiful day and it's always so nice to meet new people in the wards we attend in Evanston. Such a great day to enjoy this ranch and the beauty that the Lord has placed here for us.

Beautiful reflection, the Lord creates such lovely world for us.