Handcart Parking

We were stationed at Handcart Parking this past week.  It was a lot of fun. 

This is the entrance to Martin's Cove.  It circles around the sand hill in front of me.

It was mostly families that came pulling and pushing their handcarts up the hill to our little cabin.  We were able to share handcart stories as the people move along the trail.

 In between people I was studying the stories.  I love learning about these handcart pioneers. 

THE ARMY OF MONSON!

We had a group of full time missionaries from the Salt Lake City ??East Mission.  Many of these young men are from other countries and are not familiar with the Mormon Handcart experience, so their Mission President and his wife brought them here for the day! 

"The Shawl" Ann Waddell Stewart

Last week I had the opportunity to take School Groups through the Visitor’s Center and other buildings at the Homestead.  The 4^th grade students in the state of Wyoming study Wyoming history, so at the end of the year many bus loads of children come for tours.  We dress in pioneer clothing on those days.

I was in the Humanitarian building where I was talking about how pioneer women may have used shawls. Every item of clothing was precious to them because they could take so little in their handcarts. (17 pounds per person.)  I explained that shawls had many purposes, maybe to keep warm or perhaps bury the dead in.  I was wearing a shawl that day so I think maybe that is why I shared this story about Ann Waddell Stewart and was so touched by it.

A shawl was one thing most women kept with them.  In the October snow storm, enduring subzero temperatures with relentless winds, Ann strapped her six month old baby to her body with her large paisley shawl. She then put her nearly frozen husband into her handcart, throwing away most of their possessions to make room for him.  Then pulled him this way for seven days until the rescue teams found them and helped her. 

At the rescue site at Rock Creek Hollow, fifteen people died, thirteen buried in a common grave.  Ann’s husband John seemed to be frozen to death.  He was placed with the others on the ground awaiting burial when Ann discovered that he was still breathing.  She dragged him to the fire and with the help of others revived him. 

Ann, John and their two children all made it to Salt Lake City in November 1856.

"Home, Home On the Range"

Spike is our new best friend.  We have seen him right behind our trailer nearly every morning and every night since we have been here. After all we are living in Wyoming “where the deer and the antelope play.” 

We had more trek leader training last week.  No snow this time, so we walked 7 miles, then topped off the evening with square dancing!  Guess who was the Trail Boss?

The only time I actually pulled the handcart was helping with the Women’s Pull. They told us to let those being trained do the hardest work! Whew!

 

 

"WEATHER ON THE RANGE"  If you don’t like the weather here, just wait 15 minutes and it will change. Weather announcement on the radio:  “Yes its Spring in Wyoming, but bring your coat and your flip flops, just in case.”

Happy May Day!

Yes, it **SNOWED** May 1st

  At 1:00 pm it was 28.  We were homebound until then, due to bad roads.  I think, this will be the last snow for at least another month. :) :)

P.S.  Happy May 1st Birthday to my beautiful daughter Brianne....

"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!