April 4, 2015

Dear Family,

Since the last letter of March 22^nd we have been so very busy with assignments, projects, and activities.  I will try to list, at least, a sampling of them.  If I can get the printer to cooperate and can figure out how to download photos from the computer, perhaps even some photos can be included.  We have had a little trouble trying to figure out technologies without out kids here to help us out.  The printer we had used at home wasn’t working well and so we determined to buy a new one and have it shipped directly here.  After a day or two of use it went crazy too and so the manufacturer shipped another in its place and just asked us to discard the first.  Finally, I hope, we’re set up again.

On Monday the 23^rd of March Elder Joe J. Christensen arrived.  Much of the week’s activities included time with him and with his wife Barbara.  It was nice to be with them again to renew the association enjoyed earlier in the summer.  Tuesday evening we all gathered for a dinner with them at the work center.  After the meal they both spoke, he speaking mostly of the temple.  The next day we were assigned to provide lunch for them at our apartment.  Again, we enjoyed the time with them, visiting for over an hour and a half.  They are very warm, wonderful people.  Thursday was again spent with them during a trip to the temple in Kansas City.  He had requested we arrive with family names that were in need of sealing ordinances.  A question and answer period followed that was very enlightening.  From the temple, we went to a local restaurant for a late lunch; and the Christensens met with Church leaders at the visitor’s center in Independence and were then off to catch a plane back to Salt Lake City.

Friday we were back at our assignments here on the property.  Wednesday had been a work day for us both - Mom at the indexing center and me with all the newly arrived missionaries and Elder Christensen chopping and stacking firewood.  Friday it was more of the same for me.  Elder Nilson (from Hailey) and I were sent to the woodshed again and had a good morning there.  It has been nice to get acquainted with him and all the other men here.  Friday afternoons and Saturdays are left open for personal needs, shopping, etc..  Our directors (and mentors), the Whipples, have taken us under their wings – showing us around the property and neighboring areas.  Over the weekend they spent several hours helping us in that way.  We washed the car and the truck provided (although by the time we travelled over the dusty roads back to the apartment they looked just like they did before. 

Mom attended the General Women”s meeting in Gallatin Saturday night.  I went fishing in a couple of the ponds on the property with some of the other missionaries while she was away.  I didn’t do any catching, just “line untangling”, but a couple of the men hooked some nice bass.  Sunday we were off to Cameron for our first meetings with the Far West Ward that we have been assigned to.  We were surprised at the size of the ward.  People filled both the chapel and a large overflow.  A new Bishop had been sustained the previous week and so the sacrament meeting was devoted to messages from the newly called and their wives.  The entire block was well attended.  It was nice to meet some of the faithful saints here.  We met people from Osgood and Sunnydale who now live in Missouri.

Monday work projects began again.  Mom is doing really well with her indexing – feeling more comfortable with it every day.  She has been assigned to the flower planting committee and to make cards for birthdays and anniversaries.  She is developing fond relationships with all the ladies.  My schedule has included preparing for the building of a greenhouse, visiting a local tree farm with Elder Whipple to arrange for pickup of some trees needed to replace damaged or dead ones here, and (mostly) removing rotted-off fence posts and replacing them.  We painted and sharpened the new ones and then remove staples, pull the old post, and drive in the new one with a backhoe and finally re-stapling.  It has all gone smoothly, with the exception of yesterday when it was too wet from the rainfall to get close enough to many with the machinery.  Monday and Tuesday are to be drier (we hope) to allow getting back to the project.  I walked another mile and a half of fence line to mark bad posts yesterday, but found just a few bad ones.  All in all, I imagine we will replace about 125 or so.  Next big projects are to pressure wash around 4000 other posts and spray-paint them bright white.  Lawns are really greening up now and so the summer will be full with weekly (or more frequent) mowing.  We were all trained on that but yet don’t know who will be assigned to the mowers and tractors.  Weed spraying (it seems) is going to be my responsibility also. 

Twice during the week (Tuesday and Thursday nights) we gathered for study class.  We are now in the 93^rd Section of the Doctrine and Covenants.  Good instructors and lots of discussion – only 20 verses covered so far, along with supporting teachings from the institute manual.  Very interesting.

Today and tomorrow we will be enjoying General Conference sessions.  With the exception of General Priesthood meeting tonight in Gallatin, all other meetings will be transmitted from Salt Lake City to a small chapel here at Adam-ondi-Ahman where we will gather together.  Monday will take us back to a normal week’s schedule.  We will be involved in part of the family home evening as well as providing thoughts in our morning prayer and planning meetings at the work center.  Later in the week we will have a barbeque with the farmers who lease the land.  It will be nice meet them.  And then the next week the other General Authority (Elder Childs) will be here to check up on things and instruct us.  His time here will include a trip back to Kansas City- this time for a tour of Church history sites in that general area.

We are really enjoying this special assignment in a very sacred place.  The spirit is very special here.  A man, originally from Italy but now living in Wales, asked a few questions and then quietly reflected at the overlook of the valley while I was working there.  You could sense the feelings he was experiencing.  Likewise special thoughts came while in the Temple, verifying the truthfulness of the gospel and value of the work proceeding here.

We miss you all a lot, but hope that you are well and happy, and busy in good.  Please keep in touch.  I will try to include a selection of pictures.

Love,

Dad & Mom, Grandpa & Grandma, Kevin & Marilyn

March 22, 2015

Dear Dad and Mom,

We are grateful for telephones and the frequency and convenience of contact they allow.  Thank you for your call earlier today, sorry that we were not here when called and glad that you left a message so that we could return the call when we got home from church.  Ward conference was held at the Gallatin Ward (just 7 miles away) today.  We are in the Liberty, Missouri stake – the stake center being about 70 miles away.  Planning for Sunday activities (and all others) will require much more travel time than we are accustomed to.  I believe we have not only been blessed by the proximity of our church buildings at home but spoiled too.  Considerable sacrifice of time and means are required of the Saints in many other parts of the county and world (just) to faithfully attend their meetings.

We had initially been told that we would attend the Chilcothe branch, then advised we would attend much closer in Gallatin.  Upon arrival here we were informed that the Brethren had reassigned us to the Far West ward, about a half hour away beginning next Sunday.  We are told that we will be given Sunday callings there, and probably home/visiting teaching assignments.  Interestingly, just yesterday, while shopping in Jamesport a man approached us who wondered if we were the travelers with the 8B Idaho plates.  Introductions elicited my first name and his response, “Oh, I know you, we attended junior high together in Idaho Falls”.  His name is Doug Hansen, originally from Osgood; and he has lived her and taught school for many years.  He and his family attend the same ward that we have been assigned to attend.  Small world, isn’t it?

Perhaps a summary of activities, day by day since leaving home, will be in order.  As you know, immediately prior to our staying with you we were set apart for our missions by President Manwaring.  We are grateful for the blessings and promises he made.  Early Monday, following a great time with you (for which we are very grateful) we were on our way, travelling though familiar country – past Palisades reservoir – up the River Road to Hoback Junction- and then through Pinedale – on through Rock Springs –spending the first night in Rawlins. 

Monday we were on the road again for a long ride through pretty desolate terrain on through Wyoming and into Nebraska (where for miles and miles we drove through rolling hills and eventually into pretty flat land).  The wind began to howl and, with the dryness, lots of dust blew along with some smoke later in the afternoon.  Stops were infrequent, as we pushed on to stay that night in Grand Island, Nebraska.  We passed by one sign for Archer and joked with one another that we must have made a wrong turn and were again closer to home.  Monday was the longest travel day (time and miles spent).

On Tuesday we were on the road again, this time crossing into Iowa for a few miles, then heading southeast into Missouri

 and (for a short distance into Kansas (due to a missed     
 missed turn made) and back into Missouri and on to the general Adam-ondi-Ahman area, arriving at the Bed and Breakfast Tuesday afternoon about 4:00.  It was a very pleasant stay.  Some of the people who both owned and managed the facility were from Blackfoot.  They were very pleasant and accommodating. 

The proprietor was from Blackfoot, his wife from New York City.  Upon retirement from a legal practice in the east, they determined to locate halfway between their previous homes and bought 700 acres from an Amish farmer for their new home which was large enough to rent out several suites to travelers.  He is presently a candidate for President of the United States on a minor party platform, a very well versed and experienced man it seemed, but (from my perspective) with little of hope of getting elected, yet anxious to have important substance debated.  We are glad we got to meet him and that we will again, as he and his wife have been invited to a dinner with Elder Christensen soon after he and his wife arrive tomorrow evening.

At the appointed 9:00 hour Wednesday morning we arrived at Adam-ondi-Ahman and were very warmly welcomed. 
Although we had met some of the new missionaries the night before and the director last fall, many others were met for the first time.  All, however, appeared as those whom we had somewhere before known, with friendships now merely renewing.  Those who have been here for a year (and who will be leaving in September) have been very kind to us “new kids”.  They escorted us to our apartments and helped us carry in our belongings.  We were amazed at the volume that somehow had been miraculously crammed into our small car but now had expanded again to fill rooms and help make a house into our temporary home.  Our fridge had some supplies already in it.  We were soon off to the work center for a nice lunch; and, following time to unpack, back for an equally delicious dinner.

We rested well that night, glad to have arrived safely and grateful for the warm welcome.  Thursday morning we were again helped by our mentors as they drove us around (first) the property and then to a shopping center about 30 miles away in Bethany.  I don’t remember ever buying the number of bags of groceries needed to supply the pantry.  And then, the next day or two found us filling in the blanks with additional items.  We took for granted how easily it was to step down a few stairs to restock from our storage.  As a group, we met at a restaurant in Cameron (further south) for dinner.

All of this eating will not continue (we hope) or new, longer belts will soon be needed.  But the times together have been a great means of getting acquainted with wonderful people.  Friday morning saw us back at the work center for a morning devotional and a period of training.  We were cautioned about snakes and ticks and chiggers.  Later we drove to other new and interesting areas: to Hahn’s Mill where the awful massacre took place, to Hamilton for dinner (the home town of J.C. Penney and location of his first store) and to Jamesport, the home of the largest population of Amish people in the state.  It was so interesting to see these people who still move about in horse-drawn buggies and who do not use electricity or many other modern conveniences.  All we met were very kind.

Saturday we were left to ourselves more to get settled and take care of personal needs.   

We explored the property for a couple of hours, seeing some of the sites that were not available (due to the heavy undergrowth) when we were here last fall.  There is a noticeable sweet spirit present.  Tears come easily, as do lumps in the throat.   We will send pictures as we can, with explanations of each.  Later in the day we re-traced some steps to try to find our way around alone before forgetting landmarks.  I dug a little of the garden up, washed some dust and bugs off the car and even went fishing at dusk (but with no luck although another caught a large mouth bass that he shared with us when cleaned and cooked).  Very good.  By then we were ready for bed.

When getting showered and ready for church, Marilyn noticed an unusual mark on her shoulder that she asked I look at.  Sure enough, it was an imbedded tick we had been told would become a concern when it warmed up this spring.  I guess he was warm enough to move and she followed her home.  We got her extracted somewhat as we had been advised to do and identified it as a female (but not one known to transmit Lyme disease).  Then we were off to church where we met many great saints.  The Whipples from Arizona, who are the director and his wife and our mentors, had us over afterwards for dinner.  They have really taken these two new chickens under their watchful wings.  We have very quickly grown to love and appreciate them both.  The surroundings are beautiful and tranquil.  Wildlife abounds.  We have seen coyotes, many deer, (along the way) elk and moose and antelope, rabbits, signs of a large population of raccoons, etc., etc., etc., and one troublesome tick (who is no more).  Judging by the nighttime noise billions of frogs live close by.

Tomorrow the vacation will end and the work begin.  We are very thankful to be involved in a special work at a sacred place.  We look forward to visiting with Elder Christensen Wednesday to learn more of the responsibilities and projects he has in mind for each of us.  Although we miss you both so very much, we are grateful to know of the source of the call and feel privileged to have been permitted this opportunity.  We are prayerful that we can serve faithfully and well.  We hope to have frequent contact.  Please do not hesitate to call or write whenever you can.  Such will be highlights of those days. 

With love, admiration, and appreciation.

Kevin & Marilyn