Home...sorta!

September 28, 2014

Dear Family and Friends,

This has been a very busy week and for us a very different week. As you know from last week we arrived home and since our home is rented out are staying at the home of our long time and wonderful friends Ken and Sue Larsen. We feel like we are in a luxury hotel as we have our own master suite but it's even better because we get to spend time with great friends.

 Monday morning we started our week at the doctors office. Elder Lindsey was still feeling pretty lousy and our doctor did a lot of blood work so as to get a definitive diagnosis. By Monday afternoon the antibiotic he started taking the previous Friday was beginning to kick in. He still has muscle aches which make it hard to sleep at night and he runs down quickly during the day but the fever is fading and he feels a little better each day so we are on the right path. Keep the prayers coming please. After visiting the family doctor for Elder Lindsey we headed to the chiropractor for me. It felt so good to get my neck and back adjusted. I have missed those monthly treatments.

At noon on Monday and Tuesday we attended Addiction Recovery Meetings. WOW, what a powerful program, the spirit in both meeting was strong as the Atonement was applied in all of our lives as we strived to overcome our weaknesses and become like the Savior. We felt such a strong spirit of love and caring out of everyone in the meetings that it took us by surprise just a little. When I thought about it I realized that the Savior will always be there for anyone who takes the steps needed to turn their life over to him.

Monday evening we got together with our Empty Nesters Family Home Evening group and talked about our mission at Martin's Cove. Elder Lindsey showed one of his videos and it was wonderful to be able to share stories of a place that we love and that will always be in our hearts.

Wednesday we attended our local regions ARP training meetings. Elder and Sister Reed gave us some great training and even gave us materials we will need when we start our local meetings in Rosebud. We attended their correlation meeting and again enjoyed the wonderful spirit and testimonies of the missionaries who serve in the ARP programs here in the valley. We are so grateful that we've been able to attend these meetings and get this hands on training, it certainly gives us a bit more confidence as we prepare to start this program in our new assignment.

Wednesday afternoon I went to the dentist and he was able to make a post and attach the tooth I broke off about three weeks ago. It feels so much better to have my tooth back and not a hole in the side of my mouth! No more Bit O Honey for me.

When we have time between meetings we stop by the house and relax. Tauni has been so good to share it with us this week. She has decorated it so cute. I  love to look around and see that my home is being well cared for and well loved!

Thursday Elder Lindsey spent most of the day at our house doing some small repairs and getting things ready for winter. I went downtown and visited with friends from work and had lunch with my friend Allison. It was fun to see everyone if only for a few minutes. I don't miss working but I do miss my friends.

Some of my crew, love these guys.

Allison and I went to our favorite place at the food court...Great Steak...so good! 

In the afternoon we attended a class that our friend Daniel Smith was recording as an audition tape for education week. It was on the Ancient Temple in Jerusalem. Daniel made the Temple robes from descriptions found on line to show us what the High Priest would have worn in the time of Christ. It was a fascinating class.

Finally we made it to Cafe Rio for dinner. It was just as good as we remembered!

This is one of the few meals Elder Lindsey has been excited about since he got sick!

 In the evening we attended the ARP for Pornography Addiction. Elder Lindsey attended the mens class and I attended the class for spouses. The lesson focused on trust and it broke my heart to see these beautiful daughters of Heavenly Father in such pain but they are strong women and are relying on the Lord and his Atonement to help them heal. 

Friday morning we got an email from our doctor. Elder Lindsey does not have tick fever or West Nile Virus (thank goodness) but he does have an elevated white count (three days after starting antibiotics) and is mildly anemic so he is to continue on the medication and hopefully will soon be better. He is still having a hard time sleeping because of joint pain so please keep the prayers coming.

Friday I got to meet my dear friends Kristina and Pam for an early lunch at Wingers. It was fun to pat Kristina's baby bump and celebrate the up coming arrival of Lily, Pam's first grandbaby!

Later in the afternoon we picked up Ernie and took him for a hamburger before saying goodby. His main concern was how I would be able to get his Christmas presents to him from a place so far away as Rosebud. He also knew the route we would travel to Rosebud and promised to pray for us every day. 

Last stop of the day was back to the house where we parked the Toyota, covered it and got the last few things we needed to take with us in the Tahoe. The adventure is about to begin!

Saturday we were on the road early to return to Martin's Cove. We stopped in Rawlins for gas and a few groceries and arrived at Missionary Village just before 2:00pm. It was a very lonely return. Everyone was gone and the antelope looked at us like "what are you doing here?" We spent the afternoon unloading the car and  organizing the motorhome for traveling. I went into the homestead in the evening and joined the other Sisters for the semi annual Womens Conference.

On Sunday morning we moved into the homestead and parked the motorhome and trailer outside the wood shop where we could plug in. We attended church, spoke for a few minutes in Sacrament about our new assignment and attended pot luck in the gathering room. Instead of 100 plus people we had 13 around the big table but the food was still delicious and the company wonderful. Elder Lindsey is still struggling with his health but each day is usually a tiny bit better so we are going in the right direction.

Next week we will be posting from Rosebud.

Love and prayers,
Elder and Sister Lindsey

Goodby Martin's Cove...for now

September 21, 2014

Dear Family and Friends,

It seems absolutely impossible that six months has passed and we are leaving Martin's Cove. Even though we are excited for our transfer and new challenges that lay ahead there is much we will miss. Number one on that list are the thirty seven couples we have served with. When we get to Rosebud it will be just Elder Lindsey and I and I know we will both have moments when we wish we could hop next door or a couple trailers down and visit with our friends.

Monday and Wednesday were regular work days and Tuesday we took our last shift in the Visitors' Center. Tuesday afternoon we drove to Riverton picked up a few groceries then met many of the missionaries from Martin's Cove and Sixth Crossing at the Sundowner Station Restaurant. We had been told they had good food and they sure did. Elder Lindsey and I had the best chicken fried steak we'd ever had. We shared and still couldn't finish. After the early dinner we all headed over to President and Sister Lorimer's home for a fireside. As you remember President Lorimer was President of the Riverton Wyoming Stake when it was discovered the Temple work had not been done for most of the Handcart Pioneers who had perished on the trail. The Riverton Stake finished the year long project completing these ordinances in 1992 (The Second Rescue). President Lorimer also negotiated the purchases of all the Mormon Handcart Historic Sites under the direction of President Hinckley. As you can imagine he is a wealth of knowledge and has many wonderful experiences to share. We have heard him speak three times and he has never repeated himself!

President Lorimer. We met at his home in his beautiful yard.

Relaxing while we waited for the fireside to begin. Elder Ormsby is especially relaxed!

Wednesday evening was our farewell dinner and it was wonderful. Pork Loin with mushroom sauce, baked potatoes, steamed carrots with butter and dill, garlic breadsticks and bread pudding for dessert. After dinner we had entertainment and a slide show of a few of the 70,000 pictures Sister Moench has taken over the last 18 months.

It was a dressy affair.

Elder and Sister Paulsen shared our table.

Everyone had formal pictures taken with Elder and Sister Moench.

To end the evening we had a performance of almost original music from the "Poison Spider" Boy Band.

I'd like to share what I wrote for this years Remember Book which tells some of my memories of serving at this wonderful sacred place.

I Will Remember

I will remember being on work crew one day and having the strong impression that the physical work we do here at Martin’s Cove is very important to the Lord and those we honor here so I have felt it a privilege to help maintain these sacred grounds.

I will remember walking on a trek with the mother of a severely autistic boy and of sharing our shared experiences raising these special but sometimes challenging children.

I will remember silently watching a river crossing where six Aaronic Priesthood holders carried one of their leaders over the river in a rickshaw.

I will remember bearing my testimony to a young girl in the Visitors’ Center and watching the tears run down her cheeks as I asked her to always remember how much Heavenly Father and Jesus loves her.

I will remember a mother turning around as her family was leaving, throwing her arms around me and thanking me for my testimony of the Gospel.

I will remember a five year old boy wondering if perhaps I might have been here when the Handcart Companies came through.

I will remember wonderful spirit filled Sacrament meetings and strong and powerful testimonies.

I will remember lively and fun Sunday school classes and Spirit filled Relief Society meetings.

I will remember the best neighbors anyone could wish for, ones that loved like the Savior loved.

I will remember great food and lively conversation.

I will remember beautiful music, wonderful art and Firesides that were a spiritual feast.

I will remember the peace I felt every time I was privileged to trek into Martin’s Cove whether with a trek or with my eternal companion.

I will remember leaders who led by the spirit, and were kind and loving to everyone.

I will remember the spirit that could be felt by everyone who drove through the front gate and which I was privileged to feel every day.

 I will remember the angles round about…

Thursday afternoon our friends Dave and Jan Harris along with their friends Ronda and Paul arrived on their motorcycles. We were their first stop on a motorcycle trip to the Black Hills. We had dinner in the pavilion then because Elder Lindsey was sick he went home and crashed and I took them on a tour of Martin's Cove, the Visitors Center and the buildings of the homestead. On Friday morning we had waffles, sausage, eggs and bacon in the pavilion and were joined by Elder Paulsen who helped cook and then did the major part of the clean up!

Paul, Ronda, Elder Lindsey and I with Dave and Jan

After breakfast the bikes took off for parts east and Elder Lindsey and I with help from our friends finished loading the car and after many good byes and hugs we took off for Salt Lake City. Since Elder Lindsey had all the signs of Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever (tick fever) and was miserable our first stop in Salt Lake was the Instacare connected to our doctors office. After ruling out other possibilities the doctor decided to go ahead and treat him for tick fever. I am happy to report that he finally got a good nights sleep Friday night and that he was feeling much better on Saturday. Prayers and medication work every time!

We stopped at the house and unloaded the car then headed to Ken and Sue's, our home for the week. We are so grateful for good friends who love and support us. It was fun to spend the evening together, share a good meal and just enjoy each others company.

Saturday our first stop was to get the car washed! It's nice to be able to wash it and not drive down a dirt road right after. It might actually stay clean for a few days. We took the Tahoe to our mechanic for the safety inspection and licensing and to have the heater thermostat repaired and will pick it up on Monday. Elder Lindsey replaced the motor on the swamp cooler then was able to take a nice long nap while Tauni and I ran a few errands. 

We are experiencing a bit of cultural shock...traffic...we don't like it and we are missing our beautiful clean clear air. Friday night we showed Ken and Sue part of the DVD Elder Lindsey made and it made me homesick for beautiful Martin's Cove.

Sunday we were blessed to attend the Rededication of the Ogden Temple. It is always a sweet experience to attend a temple dedication and today was no exception.

After the dedication we went and picked up Ernie and went "home" for a lovely Sunday afternoon of relaxing and enjoying a delicious dinner of turkey and all the trimmings.

A Lindsey family portrait.

Elder Lindsey is still not feeling in top form so it will be nice to see our regular family doctor tomorrow.

Our love and prayers are with you,

Elder and Sister Lindsey

Happy Anniversary

Dear Family and Friends,
This week we celebrated our 21st wedding anniversary on Wednesday, September 10th. It is also the anniversary of moving into our home in Salt Lake. We've had so many wonderful times along with some hard times, and some just plain fun times but these last six months spent serving the Lord have truly been the best times.

Elder and Sister Paulsen brought us yellow roses to help us celebrate. We are sure going to miss not having them right next door...we sure love the Paulsens! Aka Val and Kathryn.

On Tuesday Elder Lindsey and I were on the chinking crew. This time we are putting on the last 1872 authentic coat. It is a mixture of Portland Cement, local sand and dirt, chopped up straw and water and we apply it with gloved hands. It is a lot like playing in the mud. Some of us Sisters have to resist the urge to make it look too perfect.

Elder Lindsey perfecting his chinking skills.

In the afternoon many of the Sisters and a couple of the husbands attended a pie making class. Elder Ames our resident cook makes wonderful pies so Sister Black talked him into doing the class. We had a great time and many pies were made and taken home. I made a coconut cream, my favorite. 

Elder Ames and I showing off my pie. It was delicious!

They say a picture is worth a thousand words so here's what we did on Wednesday to celebrate our anniversary;

Sister Petersen, Sister Ormsby, me with Elder Lindsey on the ladder. We are "master chinkers".

In the afternoon I did our laundry then we celebrated 21 years of wedded bliss with a steak dinner complete with baked potatoes and corn on the cob. 

Thursday WINTER arrived. The temperature was 37 degrees as we drove into the homestead and since it was supposed to get even colder Thursday night (and it did) the Elders spent the morning trying to get the water lines drained and prepared for winter. The Sisters spent the morning in the sewing center staying warm and working on small projects. Since Elder Lindsey was still working I rode home with Sister Bingham. This is what we saw as we drove into Missionary Village.

I hope Elder and Sister Unch weren't planning on those veggies for dinner!

Friday was the second of three Trek Leader training weekends. The people who came this weekend got a tiny taste of 1856 weather. The overnight temperatures were in the low 30's and it snowed!

This was the early morning view.

Elder Lindsey and I were assigned to Handcart Parking so we dressed warm and put off going to our post until just before the trekkers started on the trail. The day was beautiful, clear blue skies, clean air, and it warmed up to about 50 degrees so it was a nice day to enjoy the beauty that is Martin's Cove one last time this season. We enjoyed a good dinner with the trek leaders and Elder Lindsey filmed the Pony Express presentation Elder Ames does and has made him a DVD so he can share with his family.

Saturday was "P" day and we used it to pack the car with everything we have decided to take back home and store...yea we might have brought a few things we didn't actually need but hey they were fun to have. We did have the most colorful yard in Missionary Village!

Speaking of Missionary Village Elder Lindsey has posted another movie on Vimeo. This one is a tour of Missionary Village. You can watch it on https://vimeo.com/105941912.

Today Elder Lindsey and I spoke in Sacrament meeting. It is hard to believe that this day arrived. Looking back the time seems to have flown by. I talked about some of my favorite memories and the gifts of the spirit that I have been blessed with while serving. I used this quote from President Eyring to talk about how I felt about the FM work we did;"Never underestimate the spiritual power in temporal work." I knew that all the projects we did to make Martin's Cove even more beautiful were appreciated by Heavenly Father and by all the pioneers that traveled these trails. I felt it in my heart.

Elder Lindsey told the story of his great grandfather, Mark Lindsey who traveled to Salt Lake City by handcart with his wife in 1859. He and his wife were rescued as they sat beside their handcart just off the trail, to weak, hungry and sick to continue on. Their rescuers were some young Indian Braves who gave them fresh buffalo meat and encouragement to keep going. Without these rescuers they would have perished. He went on to explain that shortly after we received our new assignment to start the Addiction Recovery Program on the reservation in Rosebud he received the impression that perhaps it was his turn to help rescue our Native American brothers and sisters just as they once rescued his great grandfather.

This week starts our new adventures. Stay tuned for the rest of the story.

Love and prayers to you all,
Elder and Sister Lindsey

Wyoming Wind

September 7, 2014

Dear Family and Friends,

When I told you a couple weeks ago that fall with it's cooler temperatures had arrived I neglected to mention that the wind has returned...with a vengeance! According to the missionaries that served here last year we have had a very unusual summer in that we had very light winds of 10 to 20 mph most days. When summer ended we again started getting the winds we had last spring (really winter they just call it spring) you know the ones where 30 mph feels like a gentle breeze because most of the time it's blowing at 50 plus mph. I've racked my brain trying to think how I could get a picture of the wind then realized all you need to do is go back and look at all the pictures I've posted and if my hair is pulled back you know the wind is blowing and if my hair is down you can see the wind is blowing because my hair is blowing!

Since Elder Lindsey finished his assigned picture taking he can finally have a little fun with his pictures on the computer as seen in this beautiful scene.

This beautiful tree is part of our view from the motorhome. Wyoming has the most beautiful sunsets and we have been so blessed to view them nightly from our living room.

On Wednesday Elder Lindsey and I helped cover the new sprinkler lines that have been laid behind the area which we refer to as "Staging". It's where the trekkers unload their busses and load their handcarts before heading out on the trails. In addition to replacing the dirt and sod we also used sand to fill in low spots. 

Sister Freeman, Sister Bingham and I drove out to the sand pile loaded the rover then took it to staging and filled the holes. I did this four times, once with Elder Lindsey and I expected to be much stiffer on Thursday than I was. My body must finally be adjusting to the physical labor.

Thursday was our "P" day because we had assignments for trek training on Saturday. We decided to go to Casper and get groceries and a few items we needed for the motorhome for our new assignment in South Dakota. This was our last shopping day in Casper so we had a late lunch at our favorite Mexican restaurant. I'm not sure if we'll find a Mexican restaurant in Rosebud but we did find out that there is a McDonalds in a town just  38 miles from Rosebud!

Friday was the first fall Trek Leader Training. We didn't have an assignment until dinner and square dancing so I cleaned the house and baked chocolate chip cookies and Elder Lindsey worked on a new movie and checked all the tires on the motorhome and trailer to see which ones will need a bit of air when we head to Rosebud. In the morning we used a rover and I drove while Elder Lindsey filmed Missionary Village to put together a shot video for everyone living here. When he gets it finished I'll post the link here.

Speaking of short videos Elder Lindsey created a short video of our missionary trek up Rocky Ridge last May. Here is the link. https:/vimeo.com/104565725

Elder Lindsey was fooling around with my pioneer bonnet so I snapped a picture with two of his missionary buds, Elder Paulsen and Elder Mellor.

Saturday I was participating in the Readers Theatre for trek training which was held at Sixth Crossing. We left home shortly after 7:00am to arrive in time for breakfast, In the Readers Theatre I told the story of Louisa Mellor of the Martin Company who when her mother is too weak and exhausted to go forward on the trail stays behind to watch over her while her father takes the other children and their handcart on to camp. Louisa not knowing how to help her mother knew if she would pray that Heavenly Father would help her. She walked a short distance from her mother and offered a prayer of faith asking that they would be able to get safely into camp and that they would be protected from the wolves. As she was walking back to where her mother was she found a pie on the trail. She took the pie and gave it to her mother and after eating and  resting they were able to continue on the trail. praising God. From that day forward whenever Louisa's mother got discouraged she remembered how the Lord had blessed her and she pushed forward thanking him for his goodness. It is especially important that we remember our blessings because if we will remember how Heavenly Father has blessed our lives, no matter our circumstances, we will never stray from him. You can get Louisa Mellor's full story plus many others from the Willie and Martin Companies in the book "Tell My Story Too" by Jolene Alphin. 

Louisa Mellor and the pie.

Saturday afternoon we went to a "tailgate" party held at Elder and Sister Morris'. They BBQed hamburgers and hot dogs and people brought a great assortment of side dishes and desserts. We had fun eating, visiting and watching the game until the thunder storm arrived and then most of us headed for our own homes. It rained pretty hard for about an hour then the skies cleared and we had another beautiful sunset.

These guys were grazing just in front of our motorhome today. If you look closely you can see more of the herd in the background.

We had a wonderful Sacrament meeting with many heartfelt testimonies born. I will miss the wonderful spirit that is here at Martin's Cove and with the couples we have served so closely with. Today for break the fast instead of breakfast Elder Bingham and I put together a rib dinner. One of our very special couples donated the ribs, five of us who had smokers cooked them and everyone else brought an assortment of side dishes. Everything was delicious!

The cooks, Elder Thomas, Elder Ames, Elder Bingham and myself. The nice thing about smoking ribs is that you can put them on and they practically cook themselves.

When we came out of the pavilion we practically got blown away with the force of the wind, as  a storm was moving across the valley.

Elder Lindsey took this picture Even in the midst of the storm there is beauty. This is very true in our lives also.

We love you all,

Elder and Sister Lindsey