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