"Our 1st Trek"

Neither rain nor hail nor snow nor sleet will stop our trekkers.  We had Stake, Ward and Family Leaders that came for Trek Leader Training and off we went!

The picture shows the Sweetwater River, with the ice in it.  This would be much like when the pioneers had to make this crossing in October of 1856, only with much colder temperatures.  Grown men dropped to their knees and said they just couldn't go on, remembering the last crossing of the Platte River a few weeks before, where 14 people had died.  Somewhere in the area of this picture, many Aaronic Priesthood holders from the Martin Handcart Company carried people across this river multiple times.  These Priesthood boys didn't wait to be asked or assigned, they just saw a need and did it.  Along the trail, there are some beautiful sculptures depicting this event.

We made it!

This is me in the blue helping on the women's pull.  

 There were many women who traveled to Salt Lake without men to help them.  This women's' pull is done so both the men watching and the women pushing and pulling can reflect on how we as modern women have to trek back to our Heavenly Father.  Sometimes we need to follow the example of those handcart pioneers and see what we can do to lighten our load as we struggle to pull our own handcarts in this life.  Sometimes we have so many good things in our earthly handcart that pulling is harder than it needs to be.

This pull is done silently and reverently as the men pay tribute to the women to the women in their lives.

"I Looked Out the Window & What Did I See!"

Most of last week we had SNOW!

And with SNOW it got really cold. Frozen waterlines, frozen sewer lines, frozen Nevada bodies!  Bob had to fix and fix.  Thanks to our next door missionary neighbor, we are in working order again.

We had to drive to Casper  to buy a heated water hose.  This was the view.

The last few days have been warmer, like 40's.  Today April 22nd more ***SNOW***

Two of the 65,634 Missionaries..

We forgot to get pictures when we were set apart as missionaries.  BUT, we stopped as we were headed home and had our picture taken by some beautiful wild flower fields behind the Stake Center.  We had a wonderful experience with President Messer, Don, Raegan and Brandon.

We spent some Pre-Missionary Training Center days celebrating Easter with the Huebner’s

Always fun to watch the new missionaries arriving at the MTC on Wednesday’s. The new missionaries have a RED DOT on their badges and some have a deer-in-the- headlights kind of look, yet full of enthusiasm, ready to go to work!

This is our MTC District.  These Senior Couples will be serving in the Asia Area, Sacrament, Los Angeles (Hollywood), Hong Kong, and Martins Cove, Wyoming.  The entire 124 senior missionaries at the MTC this week is the largest group of seniors ever. 

There are 3000 missionaries at the MTC this past week.  Normally there are about 2200 missionaries and by July they are expecting 7000. 

Currently there are 65,634 missionaries serving throughout the world, 20,000 have received their calls but are not yet in the MTC, with an additional 6000 in the interview process.  It is so wonderful to be a part of the work of inviting others to come unto Christ.

We watched some of conference on TV in a tent at the Huebner’s.  Isn’t that what King Benjamin told us to do (Mosiah 2:1, 5-6) 

The Senior MTC housing is full so we HAVE to stay at the Marriott Hotel!

(Tough life of a missionary)

Three more days at the MTC, then on to WYOMING!