RANDOM THOUGHTS AND PICTURES NOW THAT TREKKING IS OVER

D. J. Black, the young man in the center of this picture came here on a pioneer trek 4 years ago as a rebellious teenager, but he was touched by the stories of the pioneers at Martin's Cove and determined to turn his life around.  

He served an honorable mission to Alabama, and was released the day his stake left to come here to trek again this year.  His family drove him all the way up here from Clearfield to meet with his stake president (on the right) and Elder Moench took them all up into Martin's Cove where the stake president released him as a missionary in that sacred place.  Then he joined his stake on their trek.  

It was a tender moment for everyone there, but that's not the end of the story . . .

. . . because there's a connection.  

He saw Elder Moench's nametag and asked him if he was a printer.  He said no, but his cousin Darrell was.  Then Elder Black said that he had lived for a few months in the basement of Jeanine Moench Hansen (Darrell's daughter) in Alabama.  Elder Moench got in touch with Jill Moench and she called Jeanine who phoned us at Martin's Cove to tell us what a wonderful missionary Elder Black had been - one of their very favorites.  She got teary as she told how she still had little notes and things he had written to their family hanging on her refrigerator and what a great influence he had been on her own son, helping him make the decision to serve a mission.  

A coincidence?  No!  There really are NO coincidences!

After being strangely absent for most of the summer, Oscar, the famous Great Pyrennes dog, finally joined us for the last two weeks of trekking.  He is getting older and we have been a little concerned about him, but he likes me and sleeps on our front porch when he's at the Homestead.  We don't know how many more years of trekking he has, but he is somewhat of a legend here, as he picks and chooses which treks to accompany, frequently those with children or handicapped trekkers.

Martin's Cove has turned from green to tan as the tall grasses have gone to seed and the trekking season comes to a close.  

It is still beautiful to me in every season!

The handcarts are empty now and are lined up down by the Trek Center so they can be stored there after our upcoming three weekends of Trek Leader Training in September.

 The handcarts at Sixth Crossing are also ready to put away.

This beautiful painting of Christ that Julie Rogers so kindly donated to us a few weeks ago . . .

 . . . was framed in Salt Lake and then brought here by the Limbergs and the Taylors, missionaries who served here last summer . . .

. . . and we hung it at the front of the Trek Center where we hold our church meetings during the summer months.  Now we have a picture of Christ, the ultimate rescuer, to look at in addition to the many other pictures Julie has painted of handcart pioneers and rescuers.

Wednesday, August 20, 2014, we took a P-Day and drove to Salt Lake so we could join our family at the Salt Lake Temple where little Jacob Thomas Raybould was sealed to his family.  What a sweet and tender experience it was to be in the temple with nearly everyone in our family as well as many dear friends!

  Jacob and James complete this wonderful family!

 Jacob is such a sweetie, and we look forward to getting better acquainted with him when we return from our mission.  Just look at his happy little face!

 We love our beautiful daughters . . .

 . . . and our favorite daughter-in-law!  (Sadly, Doug had to be out of town.)

This giant full moon shines down on us through the trees, and on all of you as well - no matter where you are.  

Come and see us at Martin's Cove!

SWEET AND TENDER MOMENTS

This past Friday through the miracle of Facetime (and the even greater miracle that we were able to connect to it at just the right moment) we sat at the office out here in the middle of nowhere in Wyoming, and watched our oldest grandson Abel Paulsen at the beach in California open his mission call to the Ecuador Guayaquil South Mission.  He will leave December 3 for the MTC in Mexico City, and for a brief time we will be missionaries together!

After coming here for Isaac's baptism our four daughters and their families went to California for a beach vacation together, and while they were there Abe's mission call came in the mail - in SLC.  Kim's husband John needed to return to Utah for several days, and before flying back to the beach he retrieved the large white envelope from Lisa's mailbox and brought it with him so they could all watch Abel open it there in California.  He will be an outstanding missionary!

Baptisms are a highlight for every missionary - even us!  

Because we are more than 60 miles from any kind of civilization we do not have the opportunity as missionaries to teach investigators the discussions and work with them until they are baptized.  However, we DO have wonderful baptisms in one of the most beautiful and meaningful settings anywhere in the church.  

Our "baptismal font" is the Sweetwater River.  

This is the river where rescuers known as the "Valley Boys" spent a snowy, freezing day carrying the beleaguered pioneers from the Martin Handcart Company across the ice-filled waters so they could take refuge from the wind in what is now known as Martin's Cove.   

More current information from journals and letters sheds more light on that experience:  there were five young men whose names we know, and many others whose names were not recorded, and contrary to a popular story that continues to float around in the church, none of those young men died that day.  Nonetheless, their great act of sacrifice and charity will always be honored and remembered.

Today when baptisms take place in the Sweetwater River the conditions are not at all what they were when the Martin Company crossed during the November snows of 1856.  These days are warm and green and beautiful, and the children who come here to be baptized are from all over the country as well as from wards in Wyoming. 

It is especially meaningful when the baptisms are part of a ward or family trek.  The participants gather along the banks of the Sweetwater in their pioneer clothing to watch. 

Whenever a new member of the church is baptized it is a sweet and tender moment, and we are grateful to have been privileged to participate in so many of them.

WE WAITED ALL SUMMER FOR VALLEY VIEW !!

 Finally -  our very own Salt Lake Valley View Stake came to Martin's Cove!  They have been trekking every four years since 1982, but they have never come here - to where those events actually took place.

In order for them to be able to trek on Rocky Ridge they had to do it their very first day, and it was long, and hot, and hard!

 But they did it!

And it was great to watch them pull their handcarts into Rock Creek Hollow with Elder Moench having trekked with them the entire 16 miles.

 What a treat it was to see GG coming along the trail on one of our rickshaws!

He was happy to leave it, however, and sit in a regular chair 

after that day long trek across the mountain!

 A delicious dinner was waiting for them all . . .

 . . . and there were smiling faces all around!

Even though the journey was much more difficult than any had thought it would be . . . 

. . . they were stronger for having done hard things! 

That evening they listened to the sweet music of talented youth as they all gathered in the amphitheater for their evening devotional.

The devotional was wonderful, and at the end they asked us both to say a few words.

Elder Moench told them how just 6 days ago the BLM notified us that they had scheduled a road closure into Sage Campground on the very day our stake needed to be there.  After two days of negotiations and many prayers the construction schedule was changed until after all trekking finished in August.   It was a miracle that they had been able to trek.  The Lord had truly answered Elder Moench's prayers and softened hearts.

Then I spoke for a few minutes and showed them how the trail comes right down to where we were sitting and then heads out across the creek to the west.  I told them about the Memorial Area and those who were buried there.   

 I reminded them that even though they had just survived crossing Rocky Ridge, there would be many other rocky ridges thrown into their lives, and they could survive those too by relying on the Savior just like the pioneers did.

As we finished speaking they gave us a wonderful and completely unexpected gift:  

a beautiful Log Cabin quilt made by my dear friends Karen Ericson, Cindy Dial, Ami Neff, Emma Kemp Jann Elieson, and quilted by Susie Tollstrup.  

As we stood there, the sun set and the temperature immediately dropped.  I was freezing, so I wrapped that beautiful quilt around me . . . 

. . . grateful that no one could see the tears in my eyes.

The following day they packed up and boarded buses to Martin's Cove, but along the way one bus broke down, causing a delay of several hours.  Sadly, breakdowns happen to many trek groups.

After a quick visit to Fort Seminoe . . .

. . . and an orientation by Elder Moench . . .

. . . they were able to trek at Martin's Cove. 

But the delay caused them to miss a trip to Independence Rock, so they walked out to Devil's Gate . . . 

. . . and cooled off in the Sweetwater River that flows through it there.  

That evening I called square dancing for them, and again they were late and it was getting dark . . . 

. . . but they had lots of fun and had a pioneer express and a devotional right there while we were with them.

The following day they trekked back in from their camp at Cherry Creek. 

Trek families had truly bonded. . . 

. . . and there were hugs . . . 

. . . and smiles . . .

. . . and laughter . . .

. . . and sharing of stories . . . 

. . . and experiences . . .

and testimonies . . .

. . . and love for one another.

 

 Then they boarded their buses and they were off!

What a gift it was for us to have our own stake come to these sacred sites while we were here!