Getting Ready

Dear Family and Friends,

My title this week is reflective of what we do here at Martin's Cove for the first couple of months. Everything is geared to getting ready for the trekking season.

Monday we had RRA and when we finished the restroom cleaning we decided to paint the main entrance door to the barn. It was white and showing its age. We painted it a nice dark green to match the trim. We let it dry overnight then did a quick second coat Tuesday morning before heading out to Missionary Village to help with the cleanup of the campgrounds.

We cleaned up tree limbs large and small.

The work is hard but always fun when we work as a team.

We filled this trailer twice plus a smaller trailer three times and there is still a lot more to do...

See all that blue sky and sunshine in those pictures...well on Wednesday it disappeared and winter came back with a vengeance. 

This is what our yard looked like by noon on Wednesday.

Since Wednesday was our preparation day we stayed home and did laundry and housework (Sister Lindsey) and general maintenance things (Elder Lindsey) around the motorhome. In the afternoon we went to Elder and Sister Stimpsons and watched the movie Interstellar. We enjoyed the movie and the dinner of popcorn, chips with queso dip and ice cream pie for dessert!

We call this storage shed the North Pole. I'm not sure why but on Thursday morning the name seemed particularly appropriate.

Because of the weather Thursday it was decided to hold correlation meeting at Missionary Village. Elder Bushman did missionary training until 2:00pm then Elder Lindsey and I went into the Homestead to get the things we needed for the welcome dinner for new missionaries we do on Thursday evening. Four of our couples made the dinner while two waited and came in on Friday. It wasn't perfect weather for any of them and we were all relieved when they arrived safely.

Friday it was still snowing so after correlation Elder Bushman did more training. After lunch he took everyone to the Trek Center and showed the two films we show the trekkers. One before they head out to trek and one at the end of their treks. They are both short films but they set the stage for what they will and what they have experienced.

This is Pete Creek...the place where most of our treks start by crossing the creek just has the Martin Handcart company did in 1856 on their way up into Martin's Cove. 

After training we did our Friday cleaning assignment with Elder and Sister Layton and cleaned the Trek Center. When we were done I finished up a sewing project in the sewing center while Elder Lindsey worked on a project in the woodshop. When we got back to Missionary Village we welcomed our new neighbors and after dinner went to Elder and Sister Stimpsons for another movie. This time we watched Dejavous. We loved it.

Our baptismal font on the Sweetwater River looking across to Veil Crossing Bridge. Can you imagine crossing that river in the snow. That's what the Martin Handcart company did on November 4, 1856. The temperature was 11 degrees below zero.

Saturday we served in the Visitors Center with the Christensens. It was a slow day but we did get a couple people who came because they had to detour their routes back to Salt Lake City because of accidents on I 80. Both families remarked at the end of their tours that the Lord had blessed them in bringing them to Martin's Cove.

Sunday morning we headed to the Homestead early to get the kitchen ready for potluck but when we arrived found the power was out. We packed up everything we needed and headed out to Missionary Village where we held all of our meetings followed by a great potluck in the pavillion. 

The weeks seem to fly by. Tonight Ernie told us we were on the downward path and that soon he would be counting just days until we get home...I think someone misses his mom and dad!

Our love and prayers to you all,

Elder and Sister Lindsey

Back to Work

Dear Family and Friends,

Monday we hit the ground running with an eight hour shift in the Visitors' Center. Right now the Visitors' Center is open from nine to four but we arrive at eight to clean then we attend correlation meeting. We had a fairly busy day with people traveling for Spring break. It was fun to find different ways to ask meaningful questions that bring about discussion rather than just giving information.

Monday evening we had FHE. The Layton's put together a nice evening asking each of us to share a spiritual experience that we've had serving here. It was wonderful to hear all the different experiences.

Tuesday Elder Lindsey and I had RRA. Because we have a trek group coming in on Thursday we went out to Cherry Creek campground to open up five of the restrooms out there then we stocked and cleaned the restrooms at the footbridge. After lunch the Sisters had a doll making class with the women from the Interpretive Center in Casper. It was great fun. We each made three dolls; a yarn doll, a corn husk doll and a cloth doll.

Sister Bigler and I with our cloth dolls.

Sisters Grover, Laton, Tippits and Smith with Jody, our instructor.

Three dolls complete!

Wednesday was our preparation day but since we needed supplies for upcoming dinners we took the truck and went to Casper to do the shopping. We did treat ourselves to lunch at Arby's before we came home to do laundry and other housekeeping chores.  

Thursday I had school group and Elder Lindsey had work crew.

I had a great time taking this group of fourth graders to the 7 different areas of the Sun Ranch including the blacksmith shop and the fort and sharing with them the stories of the early pioneers and the Martin Handcart Company.

We also prepared the dinner for the arriving missionaries this week. I made sirloin tips with mushrooms and we served it over bowtie pasta with mixed vegetables, garden salad, rolls and for dessert we had Sister Bushman's brownies and ice cream.

Friday we were again assigned to the Visitors Center. 

We always ask people who come to the Visitors Center if they'd like us to take a picture of them by this handcart to remember their visit to Martin's Cove.

It was a much slower day but we enjoyed the families who did stop by. We had an extra cleaning assignment on Friday afternoon with Elder and Sister Morris we cleaned the Barn. 

Elder Lindsey found a skirt on the give away table he thought would look good with his vest.

Saturday we were assigned work crew. We spent the morning working in the kitchen of the barn. After we got everything in order we did the prep work on meatloaf and mashed potatoes for Sunday's potluck dinner. 

Sunday's at Martin's Cove are wonderful. The Sacrament talks were meaningful and heartfelt and the Sunday School, Priesthood and Relief Society lessons were (as always) well prepared with good participation from the class. We  always learn something from the teachings of our fellow missionaries. Sister Lindsey has to admit though that her lap was lonely with not one little one to hold and she really missed the warm hugs she received every Sunday from the Primary children as they arrived at church each week in Rosebud. 

Our love and prayers are with each of you,

Elder and Sister Lindsey

Hello Martin's Cove

Dear Family and Friends,

We left Rosebud about 8:00am Monday morning. The school bus was just picking up the children and they all waved goodbye as we pulled out of the church parking lot. The first part of our trip brought back some great memories of a motorhome trip we took with the Hendriksen family many years ago as we stopped at Chimney Rock and Scotts Bluff.

Chimney Rock

I remember being totally freaked out by these signs on that long ago trip and Brian Hendriksen laughed at me. After a season at Martin's Cove I take snakes much more in stride. Not sure that's a good thing.

We had lunch in a picnic area at Scotts Bluff. It was a beautiful day to travel, warm, sunny with a bit of wind.

Next stop on the Oregon Trail was Ft Laramie. The sign Elder Lindsey is pointing to says this is also the Mormon trail.

Barracks at Ft Laramie

More Barracks at Ft Laramie

Our last stop on the Oregon Trail was the Guernsey Ruts. These are the actual ruts made by the wagons of the pioneers. Elder Lindsey is standing on the road his great grandfather would have walked pulling his handcart in 1859.

Since it was still early afternoon (we gained an hour) we decided to drive on into Casper so we'd only have to set up and take down the motorhome once. We arrived around 6:00pm and after setting up had dinner and spent a much needed lazy evening.

Tuesday was spent shopping, getting a haircut (Sister Lindsey...just a trim) and having lunch at our favorite Mexican restaurant. Wednesday we headed out early for Martin's Cove and except for a tiny bump the trip was uneventful. We had decided that I would pull the trailer with the Tahoe on this leg of the trip so Elder Lindsey pulled the motor home out and I backed the Tahoe to the trailer and Elder hooked it up and we were off. Just outside the RV park we stayed at was a set of railroad tracks and as I went over them the trailer hitch came off the receiver. I wasn't going very fast and was able to radio Elder Lindsey and pull off the side of the road quickly. Thankfully there was no damage to either trailer or Tahoe and I had pulled into the lot of a business whose people came out and offered a forklift to connect the trailer to the hitch. Tender mercies.

These guys were very kind to help us...they said we were the third people this week to have this same issue....once is enough for us!

We arrived at the homestead shortly after 9:30am and were greeted with hugs all around by our friends. It was so good to see everyone. 

Sister Grover served us a very special April Fool's Day breakfast of bacon, eggs, brown E's and juice!

We then headed to Missionary Village to get set up. Elder Lindsey worked on hooking up the electrical, water and sewer and I put the inside back together and did laundry. We invited Elder and Sister Mellor to join us for lunch and had a great time catching up with them. The Mellors served an 18 month mission several years ago on the Reservation at Eagle Butte, South Dakota so we now know many of the same people.

When we went to the Homestead for correlation meeting Thursday morning we witnessed a miracle and I knew I needed to take this picture...for a few hours we had absolutely no wind. That's our wind sock in a position that is almost never seen!

Elder Lindsey and I will be in charge of the kitchen this year so after correlation we spent a little bit of time checking things out. Our first big dinner is on April 24th so we need to hit the ground running. We then headed back to missionary village to tackle the trailer. We emptied it out, found the things we need while serving here then repacked it. It was very cold and we even worked in some snow flurries but we persevered and got the job done. At 6:00pm we got together at the Pavillion and had a fun dinner served by the winter missionaries. 

They tied yellow ribbons around the old oak tree.

Sister Mellor and Sister Jensen sang their version of the song "Tie a Yellow Ribbon". All of us returning missionaries felt VERY wanted and loved. We are still 14 couples short for the season which made those of us returning for a second year even more appreciated.

When we left the dinner we found that the snow had started in earnest and there was about 1/2 inch on the ground. It was beautiful and very cold! 

This was the view of the sunrise on Friday morning. This picture was taken outside the door of the motorhome. We are still marveling at our peaceful surroundings.

We started Friday with an 8:00am meeting for a little tweaking on our training as second year missionaries. We learned some new ways to interact with visitors in the Visitor's Center as we testify of Christ in all we do. We are so excited for all that lays ahead and feel these changes will only improve our missionary experience...if thats possible.

After our meeting we packed a lunch and headed over to the Homestead to work in the kitchen. While Elder Lindsey got the ice maker working I worked on wiping out all the drawers and cupboards and washing everything in them. We are not completely finished but we got a good start on getting things in order. Before we headed back to Missionary Village for dinner we stopped off at the Visitor's Center and ended up taking a couple on a tour and talking to two other couples. We are getting twice as many visitors this year than last and that is very exciting.

Friday evening is date night so several couples met at the Pavillion and we watched the movie "The Ultimate Gift." If you haven't seen it we highly recommend it. Next week we will be watching the sequel; "The Ultimate Life."

Saturday was spent watching General Conference with the other missionaries. Between the sessions Elder Lindsey made three pies for tomorrows Easter dinner potluck. After the second session I mixed up the roll dough and put it in the fridge until morning. We baked a pizza and enjoyed dinner and a visit with Elder Stimpson. After dinner I headed back to Missionary Village while the men went to priesthood meeting. 

Maybe it is because of all the years of working Conference,(an experience which I really loved) but being able to sit and listen to Conference now is a sweet experience...a tender mercy even. 

I looked out the window just as I finished writing and this was what I saw. I opened the door and took this picture from inside the motor home. Tender mercies and beautiful things are all around us.

Happy Easter everyone. How blessed we were today to listen to the Lord's chosen servants as we celebrated the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It was a wonderful day. The missionaries from Sixth Crossing came over and we had potluck between sessions. We had delicious food and wonderful company as we celebrated being together again. 

We have some very creative Sisters here...and yes it tasted as good (or even better) than it looks.

We pray that your day was filled with the Spirit as you celebrated Him this Easter Sunday. Our love and prayers are with you always,

Elder and Sister Lindsey

Goodbye Rosebud

Dear Family and Friends,

This week has been mostly one of preparation. Or maybe I should say unpreparation because most of what we did was undo everything we did last fall so we enjoyed a warm comfortable winter.

First step take down the plastic skirting from around the motorhome. The toughest part was removing the huge 18 inch nails out of the wood that had swelled when it got wet. We were very tired at days end and we slept very  well Monday night!

Tuesday while I did laundry Elder Lindsey worked on packing the trailer making room for the wood and the stairs. We have a lot of stuff but it sure does make living in such a small place so much easier. Tuesday evening was Relief Society. We celebrated the 173rd birthday of Relief Society with lots of great food and a movie. We watched the film "Emma Smith, My Story". If you haven't seen it you should make it a point to watch it. She truly was an "elect lady". Before the movie I gave a short presentation on the beginnings of the Relief Society. We have many more non members who attend our Enrichment nights than members so it was a chance to teach them a little about the organization they love participating in.

Thursday afternoon I spent several hours in the church cleaning. I've used the kitchen as my own these last six months so I wanted to leave it spic and span. It has been a tender mercy to be able to use the church kitchen. It has made living in the motorhome so much easier.

Friday we decided to treat ourselves to lunch out in Valentine...Mexican of course. We invited Patty Bush to come with us and we had a delightful time. We love Sister Bush and look forward to times together when she visits family in Salt Lake City. 

Saturday was moving day. By that I mean moving the motorhome off its space on the lawn and onto the parking lot.

First all the hoses and lines had to be unhooked and the blocks under the levelers and tires removed and the trailer moved out of its winter home.

Next we backed up so we could come off the lawn by going over the sidewalk and off the curb.

After hooking up the trailer Elder Lindsey backed it into our temporary home in the parking lot.

You might wonder why I post some of these pictures which could be considered a bit lame. Truth is this blog is our mission journal and someday when we get really old we will look at these pictures and they will help us remember the details of our mission life.

While Elder Lindsey worked on things that need to be done before we hit the road on Monday like washing the car and the windows of the motorhome and checking the awnings I baked a cake for a wake on Sunday for an elderly Sister from our Branch who passed away this week in a care center, and cooked a dish and made rolls for the potluck we were having after church on Sunday. In the afternoon I went over to Barker's to do a quick load of laundry. I will miss my Tuesday's with Laura (and the kids). I have loved having "girl time" once a week and will treasure the time we spent together in my heart always. It is wonderful to know the Barkers have family in Salt Lake also so we will be able to maintain our friendship with more than just the internet.

Saturday evening Laura, Savannah, Jennifer and I met at the Church and watched the Women's session of General Conference. What a wonderful meeting it was and I felt especially blessed to share it with two women I love like daughters.

Sunday was Fast Sunday and we were blessed to hear some powerful testimonies of the Gospel born. We are excited to watch the wonderful things that will happen in this area as the people come to know Heavenly Father's plan for them. As a parting gift to us everyone fasted early yesterday so that we could break our fast together and enjoy potluck. 

Patty Bushe made one of wonderful cakes.

Angel, Jacob and Tyllis all had birthdays this week so we celebrated.

Rogan Barker handed me this note in Sacrament meeting and I will treasure it forever. It says For you from Rogan. That's Rogan on the left plus Sister Lindsey equals a happy face. Love this boy.

As our time in Rosebud comes to an end we are eternally grateful for the sweet tender mercies of a loving Heavenly Father for giving us the opportunity to be here and serve the people of the Rosebud Branch in small ways. Our lives have been blessed by each one we have come to know and the friendships we've made are forever.

We love you all,

Elder and Sister Lindsey

Party Time!

Dear Family and Friends,

Our work here in Rosebud is winding down as we prepare to say goodbye to our friends here and head back to Martin's Cove in another week. Monday was a long day as I had committed to myself to finish our blanket project that we (the Relief Society Sisters) started in January. I was able to get 30 newborn size blankets completed and ready to donate to the hospital.

Here is a sample of how we did these blankets. We pieced the tops then used larger pieces for the bottoms. I sewed them together right sides then turned them inside out and top stitched the edges.

30 blankets done.

This project has been filled with sweet tender mercies from the beginning. Starting with my friend Jan Harris being given all this material and her being impressed to contact me to see if we had a need for it here. Then the first night we worked on the quilts and blankets at Relief Society we had 12 non member Sisters join us in making them. Then there was Wanda whose parents are members in Puerto Rico who has graciously done the finish work on all of the quilts we've made. And lastly there will be more than 30 newborn babies who will be wrapped in blankets of love. 

Tuesday to celebrate St Patricks Day I made an Irish dinner of corned beef and cabbage (or a New England boiled dinner).

It was delicious. When the Elders came by later in the evening we shared with them too!

Wednesday we took a road trip to Mitchell SD the home of the only Corn Palace in the world. 

All these pictures are made with corn cobs and they really are beautiful. Every year in August the Palace is redone with new pictures inside and out using new corn cobs.

We enjoyed a fun day visiting Cabela's, having lunch at Red Robin and we even found pellets for our Traeger at a local farm store. On the way home we visited our favorite meat market in Winner and stocked up on a few items for the freezer. We arrived home in time to attend our Cub troops Pinewood Derby and Green Dinner. 

Elder Lindsey enjoying his Green Dinner!

Savannah thinks Elder Lindsey is funny!

Savannah was a big fan of the green cheesecake!

Remember the baby shower in January...meet Greysen Jaden. He came with his beautiful mommy Shannon and his Grandma Maxine to watch his big brother Conner participate in the Pinewood derby.

Saturday Elder Lindsey and I threw a western themed party for our friends here in Rosebud. We wanted to say thank you for all the love and support they gave us while we served here. We served sloppy Joe's, macaroni salad, and baked beans and others brought chips, salad and dessert. After dinner Elder Lindsey showed a short video of our first year on our mission. The kids loved seeing themselves in the movie. After the movie we cleared the tables and taught the square dance Oh Johnny Oh. I could write more but pictures tell the story better.

Elder Lindsey and I waiting for our guests to arrive.

Annette and Angel enjoying dinner.

Grandma (Maxine) with Greyson

Keaton enjoying dinner. Love this guy!

I said "can you give me a smile?" Conner is going to be a heartthrob in a few years!

Jack will turn 3 on Sunday so we had a rousing chorus of Happy Birthday with cake and ice cream for dessert. He was very excited about his tractor cake.

Sunday was another spirit filled day with a great Relief Society lesson, excellent talks in Sacrament meeting plus we had the blessing of sweet baby Greyson and his big brother Conner who will be baptised next year. Elder Lindsey says I'm just getting old and forgetful...aren't we all because I forgot to post this blog last night! Any way I want to close with a couple more pictures that I took on Sunday.

Annette and Angel have been caring for quite a crew recently. Bless them for blessing the lives of these sweet children who have seen way to much heartache and pain in their short lives. Each of these little ones love and adore their Aunties.

In the afternoon Sister Barker and I took the quilts the Relief Society made for Annettes kiddos over to them. Hayden loves his...Hayden is usually the only boy in a house full of women but he manages to keep them on their toes!

Unique snuggling with her new quilt.

Hope all is well with everyone. We love you much,

Elder and Sister Lindsey