Week 7 Hegsted Mission

  4-September-2022 Sunday:

Because we opened the site at 11 am, we attended the S. Royalton ward today and enjoyed their fast and testimony meeting as well as Sunday school, before leaving a few minutes early to open the site by 11 am.  I sincerely believed that we would have a slow day, but by 11:03, we had three different groups waiting for tours with a fourth group coming shortly thereafter and it remained busy throughout the day.

Dede combined two groups of members and I took two young men who did not appear to be members on a separate tour.  As we became acquainted I learned that they are both from Croatia and both members of the Community of Christ, probably the only two members in Croatia.  One had formerly been a member of our church but separated from it.  We could agree upon Joseph being a prophet of God and so we did the tour based on our commonality rather than our differences.  They were both so interested in the birthplace site and took many pictures before they left.  It is so wonderful to know that there are people outside of our faith group that have a strong affinity for Joseph Smith.

I also took through a group of four that were interesting.  The man was quite belligerent and wanted to know why the church would waste money on a monument and a site.  When I told him that we revered him as a prophet he told me I was a fool.  When I said that was possible, but that I was willing to back up that foolishness, by spending two years of my life here at my expense, he stormed off and refused to speak further. I am grateful for my testimony of the gospel and the peace it brings me, but I think of this man often as I ponder the work here.

We had a number of families, some quite large come through today.  One group had many small children who went out to play while I toured some of the older.  They started eating on the hill so Dede went up to tell the story of the creation of the monument.  The grandfather of the group had taught seminary and institute in Pocatello, Aberdeen and American Falls and knows President Campbell well, so we got a picture and sent it to President Campbell.

5-August-2022 Monday

A day of continual rain.  Not the hard stuff we drove through the other night, but continual.  It makes it fun for the young people who come to the site and get to use umbrellas to visit the home site and the monument.  I have not seen a youth who does not like an umbrella.

President Ewer shared thoughts on John 4 and the woman at the well.  It is apparently one of his favorite stories and he taught it well.  I am grateful for our Savior and specifically John's view of His Christology.  Since it was raining we came home and I worked on the video of the building of the monument which I call 1905.  It is close enough that I showed it to the Ewers and will leave it behind while I work on other items.  At 1 pm we had a hamburger feast at the Ewers to celebrate Labor Day.  I ate quickly so that the Buswells could come over and enjoy dinner before others left as they had the early shift and were still on shift when we began eating.

Despite the rain, we were busy at the site until 5:30.  We had a number of families who had planned to come as well as other families that were driving through the area, saw the sign and decided to stop.  Most visitors for us were members.  We had several who had small children and again I just enjoy watching Dede interact with these children.  She is a story teller extraordinary.  We had one couple with a baby come through from Utah.  Since it was raining and the baby was doing well, we tried using the 1905 video to show how the monument was built.  I want to do this several times so that I can understand how it might be used, if we decide to use it.

We have the most interesting colored salamanders all around the JSB site.  They are easy to catch as they do not run from people and so are a favorite of kids.  I am not sure how they survive with their bright color.

6-September-2022 Tuesday:

Being the day after the Labor Day Weekend and being a rainy day, Dede and expected a very slow morning at the site.  We were therefore surprised with the number of people who came to see the site.  We had a family of four come in who are moving from Utah to Vermont where he will work as a forensic computer person for the state police.  When we came to the restoration room, I asked them if there was anything on the wall they wanted to share with their children.  At the point, they said, we no longer belong the church, but our children sometimes attend with their grandparents.  I was so impressed that they had brought their children to the site.  We invited them to return for the Christmas lights and since they will miss the lights at temple square they said they would.  God is moving people to see the site.  It is surprising the number of people who are still traveling since they are not bound by school.  

A local story pointed out to us by one of our guests.  During the Revolutionary War, the British offered a bounty for all US males delivered to Canada by the Indians.  One large group attacked Royalton, Sharon and Tunbridge and probably other smaller settlements along the White River under the leadership of a British Lieutenant.  Handy's husband escaped to warn others, but the indians caught her and her children and took her son.  She ended up following them and demanding the return of first her son and then the other young children.  The Lieutenant claimed to have no authority over the Indians and stated that they would be taken to Canada and if they could not keep up the children would be killed.  Handy (or Hendee) shamed the officer by telling him the British Army should not be killing children and the blood of these young souls would be on his hands at the judgment.  Apparently it was easier to appease the Indians than fight with a righteous woman and he let her take the children. This monument to her is in the S, Royalton Commons.

After eating great left overs we then went toward Weyford, Vt, to see their two covered bridges.  On the way we stopped at Texas Falls, which was not planned until I saw a sign along the road.  Due to the rain, there was actually water in the brook.

We then proceeded on to Weyford Vt.  We saw their two bridges and five other on the way home before eating in Brandon Vt, which is a really pretty village.  I will put up pictures of bridges, but we have seen so many wonderful things as we drive, of which I have no pictures.

It is fairly easy to provide pictures of the covered bridges.  What we cannot show is the wonderful villages that we go through, the forests that can feel claustrophobic and then one suddenly drives into open fields and meadows.  The common areas of the towns and the many old churches and town buildings, many of which unfortunately are up for sale or have been repurposed into commercial buildings.  Regardless, it has been fun to plan and find the covered bridges and then see everything around.

7-September-2022 Wednesday

Another P-day is upon us.  Even though it has been cloudy and rainy we decided to drive into NY state and take the boat ride on Lake George.  The village of Lake George is a tourist destination and so I also purchased tickets to the Fort William Henry Museum where we saw a live demonstration/history of the fort.  Being from Idaho, I tend to forget that US history does not begin in the middle or early 1800's.  In this area, things start in the early 1600's.  And so it was with the Lake George region.  I will share three things:

• Father Isaac Jogues (b 1606) was a french Catholic Priest who came among the Huron Indians to covert them to Christianity.  I cannot imagine the courage of these early priests.  Think the sons of Mosiah going among the Laminates.  With him (and other whites) came European diseases that decimated the Indian tribes and in their minds, they were able to put these plagues and Father Jogues together and thus they captured him and tortured him for several years.  They also cut off his thumbs and first two [or one] (index) fingers believing that in his Sacramental gesturing he brought the plagues and this would stop them. He was finally ransomed to some Dutch merchants and given money to return home, until the Church called him back to be an ambassador to the Indians.  There are today many Indians who trace their Catholic roots to this wonderful man of faith.  Sometimes I forget that Christianity without the restored gospel is a driving force because it includes the Savior of the world,  He named Lake George, Lac du Saint Sacrament (Lake of the Blessed Sacrament) believing he should baptize all natives in its ultra pure waters.  The British would rename it Fort George when they gained control of the area.

Sorry for the poor picture of the fort.

•  Fort William Henry was destroyed by the French in 1755 during the French and Indian Wars.  The Fort was built after the British and Provincial Forces defeated the French in a battle near Lake George.  The British were vastly outnumbered by the French and their allies and per our guides this would be remembered by the colonists when they would again go against a super power for freedom.  The French return to a fort manned by 300-500 mostly sick soldiers with an enormous army of perhaps 7000 and siege it for 6 days until the English realize there would be no aid coming from the nearest forts to relieve them.  After surrendering, the fort was razed and burned to the ground and the soldiers and fort followers left unarmed to go to the nearest fort.  The natives feeling they had been promised the spoils of war, captured and/or killed a number of these people feeling the French had not kept their promises.  The number involved was probably less than 200, but that number was inflated as a propaganda tool to recruit more provincials to fight the horrible French and Indians in the war.  Not surprising, building a fort on a swamp, keeping everyone close together, poor sanitation and food resulted in more deaths from disease than ever happened from fighting.  We enjoyed demonstrations of muskets shooting and a 6-inch cannon firing.  The guides explained the musket would hit its target less than 55 percent of the time at 100 yards, thus it was common to line up men in bright uniforms across from each other an shoot volley after volley at each other, never actually aiming and not killing that many.  The cannons were more effective just due to the spread of the shot which went out and the longer killing range.  We were told they did not shoot at the enemy, ratherthey gave fire and received fire.  This sounded much more gentlemanly and proper.  Sadly, the world would figure out how to make war much more deadly with more and more accurate weapons.
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• The ride on Lake George was beautiful.  The lake has been a tourist destination from the 1800's and the rich and famous have built mansions along the lake and continue to do so.  The State has taken over some of the lake shore to put in campgrounds and many of the island campgrounds can be reserved for camping and are only accessible only by boat.  It was fun to wind through the islands and see things closer up

8-September-2022 Thursday:  
After playing for two days, it is time to stay home and work on videos.  I am hoping that I can soon have a Chritmas light assignment that I can work on, but we are waiting for Bob to decide when and where to start.  First we need to do the mums (take out current annuals and replace them with fall mums) which is scheduled to start on Monday, but should only take two days to complete.

After spending the morning working on videos and may I say this is slow work, we took a short walk to our nearby cemetery.  We both needed a break from the house.  I am looking back toward our apartment hidden by the trees.  If we could walk right out our back door and through the woods, we would be in this cemetery.  It is quite large and has room for many more.  New England is full of cemeteries.  People have been dying here for many years.  But this seems to be an active cemetery with room to invite more to not only visit, but to make a long term commitment and stay.

We worked the afternoon shift and had one couple.  They were from Germany on their ninth trip to the states.  They have a good Mormon friend, a former Bishop who is her piano teacher.  When they realized that Joseph Smith was born here, they decided to stop for pictures to send home to him.  To say that my German is rusty would be an understatement.  However to recognize that God brought them here when I was here is a tender mercy.  Thank you Dede for reminding me that even though I could only mourn my poor German, God directed them to the only German speaker in the group.  

The best news.  They put lights in the back room, so I can start decorating the visitors' center and the president's residence.  Life is good.

9-September-2022 Friday:

As I write this entry on Saturday morning, I am bemoaning my sore arm.  I have one arm muscle that hurt all evening.  I was able to begin working on Christmas lights and needed to install hooks from which to install the lights.  I obviously have one point muscle that has not been used for some time and is barking at me for the pressure of turning those screw hooks.  Being a wimp is so hard.  

We enjoyed a number of people on the early shift.  Dede had a couple who spent up to two hours at the site first with an extended tour and then coming back to carefully study everything written at the site.  I had mostly nonmembers who had come to get a picture and wanted very little information.  Both are good and if we meet their needs we can hope that both go away with a good feeling for the place and for the church which Joseph Smith restored.

I failed to take a picture of the VC last night which I left lighted so I could check out the design I used, but I did take this picture of the monument as it is lighted by night.  I thought it was fun so I will share it with you and get a picture by night of the VC when it is finished.

11-September-2022 - Saturday

Started the day with a run to Lebanon to the Home Depot for cup hooks and other sundry items.  A little work on the videos and then we were at the site.  It was surprisingly a busy day.  The weather is beautiful and the trend is to have nonmembers or member couples and not families.  Dede had a couple of nonmember couples to whom she was able to bear her testimony.  I had a group who wanted to just look, but then started asking questions and stayed for 30 minutes.  They loved the history, but could not believe that angel part.

At 6 pm we closed up shop and went up to Camp Joseph for the S. Royalton Ward pig roast, ward party.  They had a good turnout, but still had way more pig than could be eaten.  Interesting to watch a ward, where we know so few people and the interactions and lack of interactions by the various peoples and groups.  We witnessed a beautiful sunset at the camp.