Week 46 - Hegsted Mission

 4-June-2023-Sunday

It is hard to describe the pleasure of attending church in the Rutland Branch of Vermont.  The people are so kind to Dede and I and we feel as much a part of the Branch as is possible without being able to attend many activities.  We had the best Fast and Testimonial Meeting.  All pure born testimonies rather than sermons someone felt their neighbors needed.  How powerful, despite the organ player.

We had the first shift and after a slow start, 10 men came into the site together.  That is rather odd.  They claimed to be friends from W. Lebanon.  There was one inactive member in the group, who wanted to answer questions from his friends and did so well.  We did a short overview having been given a deadline of one hour.  In the restoration room it turned into a free-for-all question period.  I have not had so much fun in a long time.  Some were skeptical while others interested in knowing what we believed, but all were very appropriate in their questions, even if they could not hide their horror that one could have faith in something like religion.  At the end of the hour, some were still asking questions and it was fun!  I suppose I define fun differently than other might.  However, I no longer feel threatened with questions and I am not afraid to say I do not know and do not think anyone knows the answer to your question at this time.  It turns out they are all members of AA and are a support group who do activities on weekends.  Why they chose the site is beyond me, but I was so delighted to speak with these courageous men who are trying to remove addiction from their lives.  I was so glad they told me, so that I could compliment them on their endeavor.  God bless them.

Dede had several groups at the same time and so she would join and leave.

5-June-2023-Monday

Today was flower planting day and what a glorious day.  Last week was so hot and we had a rainy weekend and temperatures today never reached 65 degrees with cloud cover almost the entire day.  What an enjoyable day.  Sister Berger had made a plan for how many flowers and into which beds.  The Hegsteds were given the area around the monument which is a big piece of flower bed although it does not seem it because it is dwarfed by the monument itself.  Dede did a great job laying out the flowers and I went to work planting them.  What a joy to do another job directly with Dede.  God is so kind that I have been given the best companion in the world.  I just wish she were as lucky!  Oh well at least one of us got the best end of the deal.  

All the missionaries were involved although 3 of our 10 have enough health issues that their involvement was kept to a minimum and Sister Ewer was in charge of visitors at the site.  It was a slow morning and the only visitor was Sandy, who is the wife of the FM director who had come to visit the site with her.  She was delightful.  By 3 pm we were finished and I changed into missionary clothes while we gathered together as a group for spaghetti, the sauce having been made by Dede and which slow cooked all morning.  

Just as we were ready to eat a car pulled up with Idaho plates.  Turns out 1/B from Idaho.  I gave a father and son a tour.  He is a High Counselor and lives in Evan's ward.  The Spirit was good and even though they wanted to keep it to 45 minutes we covered everything and they were headed to Rauner Library to handle the 1830 Book of Mormon.  What a treat to get to plant flowers and still give a tour.  The group was also kind enough to leave me food.  (As if there was any doubt!). All in all a great way to spend a day.  Dede went up and talked to the Pocatellan's before they left.  The father said, he felt goose bumps as I bore testimony of Joseph's life.  Isn't the Holy Ghost so Great?  To quote the Savior in this week's come follow Me, we are not left comfortless.

Pictures of the monument where we planted today.  If everything lives, it will be gorgeous in several weeks.

6-June-2023-Tuesday

We had the early shift this morning and there were two couples waiting for us when we got to the site at 9:55 and we were steadily busy until 1:30.  We had several couples and enjoyed each.  We also had a family of 6 from Utah who was so fun.   I enjoyed them at the restoration wall and the father especially was touched with the testimonies.  The family did the tour out of order as others were already started and I had a young woman join us mid through the first room.  She was a nonmember but was so comfortable with the normal tour.  Dede finally finished her tour and was able to take her alone.  She spent about 90 minutes with us.  She has been to every site and Dede said she knew so much including details and dates about the church.  It makes one wonder what is holding her back from joining the church.  I hope her interest in the gospel continues.

Just as our shift was ending another young woman came in.  She was from UVM and her first statement was, I do not know why I am here.  I should have told her why.  But I was having too much fun answering questions for about 30 minutes before I turned her over to the Ewers.  She stayed an hour with them.  So cool to see these young people being attracted to the church.

Dede had an hair appointment so I hiked Patriarch Hill to take pictures and make sure that the markers for the trail are all in place.  I added 8 markers and moved a few others.  After kneeling all day, my energy was diminished.  I found another spring that did not have a pipe lining, but was rock lined.  This really makes me think it was the original well purchased by Junius Wells.  I am exhausted and ready to go to bed so we can go to the temple tomorrow.  I feel like we have been away way too long going only one time in June.  Not that I would trade having my children visit us over missing a two weeks at the temple.  Especially since we went extra the month before.

We left the site and drove to the Elizabeth Mine.  At one time this was one of the largest copper mines in the nation.  Now it is a reclaimed super fund cleaned up site and the area is used as a solar farm.  The site had great documentation of its history and I was so glad that we went there.  It is within 20 minutes of our home.

7-June-2023-Wednesday  PDAY

We awoke earlier than our usual time and were out the door by 7 am and on our way to the temple.  Normal traffic.  However when we arrived, we could see that the work on the upper gardens (roof of the building below the temple with the distribution center and bathrooms) was finally done and the area opened.  The gardens, all freshly planted, were beautiful and ready for the June wedding pictures.  This work has been going on since we came on our mission and I believe it was being done the last time I came to the temple with work.  Apparently there have been leakage issues.

We did an endowment session.  I struggled to stay awake, but because of that I was really focused on what is being said in the endowment.  I must admit, I am very grateful for the added commentary that has been provided.  It enhances my understanding and it is so much easier to see how the covenants and ordinances we are making relate back to the Savior.  I had an insight about the Law of Sacrifice.  We are taught to sacrifice anything that would distract us from following the Savior.  That is an amazing statement and commitment that we are making, even conventing to do.  What have I not sacrificed in my life?  What habit?  What time waster (i.e. reading the endless news stories).  What moments of anger?  What possessions?  This then brought me to consecration.  I have always considered consecration the hardest commandment to live.  However if I have already sacrificed everything that keeps me away from the Savior, then consecration is very easy.  What I have left is what I can use to magnify my relationship with the Savior and that is easy to consecrate.  When we sacrifice we give up something we have valued.  When we consecrate, we take something we should value and use it to build up the kingdom.  The first is harder than the second.

We did not remain in Boston as tourists as we often do.  Rather we left the temple and headed north, stopping to eat in Hooksett so we could be home to help with two tour buses which was scheduled to come in at 5:30, but which actually arrived a little after 6 pm.  There were 110 newly graduated high schoolers on the bus.  We had them on day 10 of their 14 days and they were exhausted.  The kids were great, but if I were a parent, I would have been so disappointed.  I compare them to a similar tour within the last two weeks also of high schoolers and the difference is obvious.  These kids were taken on a shopping trips in the cities they visited.  They did not walk the Freedom Trail in Boston.  They did not attend a play in NY, they shopped in both cities.  It did not appear they were being taught history along the way from what they told Dede about their experience to date.  There is so much history in the East.  Dede and I have been able to share this history with our kids and grandkids and to think these children did not get all the opportunities available here just saddens me.   However, and there must always be a however after such a statement, my hat is off to the two gentlemen who were willing to take two buses with 110 youth on such a tour.  This is beyond my comprehension.  And they have obviously done this before and came back for more.

I could not resist taking this picture.  It sounds like my family or at least me in my family.  This was at the drive-in where we ate lunch.

8-June-2023-Thursday

Does God use highly specialized software and computers to track his everyday miracle to the exact second?  See more below.

We had the afternoon shift, we decided to travel toward Warren VT and see waterfalls.  We were fortunate to avoid rain.  It would rain as we drove and stop when we walked.  Very kind to us.  How does that happen.  We saw Glenn Moss Falls (2) (there are two falls with this name) and Warren Falls along with a number of small falls that are in the area.  May I say this area is absolutely spectacular.  We met a man name Jim who took a picture of Dede and I in front of the covered bridge which was near his home.  Wonderful, but obviously lonely man.  We ate lunch at the Warren General Store.  This is an artsy village and the prices of sandwiches were somewhat high, but the quality superb.  Pictures are always in order.

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When we arrived at the site, there were 10 people ready for a tour and before we got started 2 more joined the group.  Thus we had a great start to the shift.  Four of these were nonmembers.  Two from Vermont and two were their friends from Wales.  All four were so attentive and kind.  This was the last day for the people from Wales and I was delighted that their friends who had not been to the site brought them today. It was fun to tell the folks from Wales that the Choir at Temple Square started as a Welch choir.  

 We have started the busy member season.  The rest of our visitors were members.  There were several notable items to share about our members today.  We had a mom and daughter touring before the daughter starts her mission in August to Colorado Springs.  She will be the first missionary in her family.  They were spending quality time before the mission.  Mom and dad were both converts to the church.  A family of 5 (three boys) had a son with a call to Brazil.  This was exciting.  So fun to see this family at the restoration board talking about the gospel.  We had a single man (married but traveling for work) come in.  He is a geologist and brought an interesting perspective to the site.  By 4:15 the site was empty and remained so until 5 when things warmed up again.  First the man mentioned above came in.  He was quickly joined with a family.  Dede took them down to the foundations.  At about 5:40 a group of four single sisters came in.  They were sisters in the gospel as well as one pair of mortal sisters.  And they were absolutely delightful.  We gave them a very comprehensive tour including a trip to the foundations.  Since it was well after 6 pm when we went below, Dede closed up the visitors' center and went with me below.  This is the first time we were able to go below with a group together in our mission since someone must always must remain at the site.  As we were getting ready to load into the cart, we showed these four sisters one of the orange salamanders that was walking along the side walk.  They were so delighted, they all had to hold it and talk to it.  We then took them below.  On the golf cart, one of the women said, "we feel like we are getting the VIP tour with the golf cart."  I hope everyone feels this way.  We ended the tour and talked for a few minutes before leaving.  Dede asked me to wait until they were in their car and heading out of the site, which I gladly did.  This is where it gets interesting and we will reference back to the opening statement of this day's blog.

As we got to the bottom of LDS Lane (the Lane up to the monument) we noticed a car turning up and as it got past us I could see they had Utah plates.  We turned back up the lane and followed them up and gave them a shorter (30 minute) tour.  They were great people from the Cache Valley in Utah and it was so delightful to be able to serve them regardless of the time.  But how does God do this?  Had the young woman not stopped and played with the salamander, we would have been gone and missed this car.  Likewise had we not stopped and talked to them before they left, we would have missed the car.  God is so kind in His tender mercies and can time things to the second to insure that His children are blessed.  The blessing was dual.  We loved the opportunity to serve them and to get to know them.  They were amazed that anyone was around to give them a tour.  This is the first salamander related miracles with which I have been involved.

9-June-2023-Friday

We had the early shift this morning.  It was not as busy as yesterday, but we still enjoyed 13 people who came into the site.  I was especially impressed with two groups.  The first was a family with twin sisters who had just returned from missions.  One daughter served for a time in the Manchester Mission before going to Taiwan.  They were delightful.  The second were three people, originally from the Philippines.  He had been a Bishop in the Philippines and is now living in Texas.  So often we have pioneer stock from Utah, Idaho and Arizona, but it is fun to meet people who joined the church in the far flung areas of the world and to feel their testimonies.  

I did spend some time looking for pictures at the office.  I wanted to find pictures of the Memorial Farm and managed to find a few, plus other pictures that I either did not have or which I had, but not of the quality I found today.  This is always a blessing.

We spent a short time at home and I even worked for a few minutes on the review before going into Lebanon to shop.  Dede was very efficient and at 6:15 we were at the restaurant for dinner as a missionary group.  This Wednesday, the Bergers will end their mission and head away.  I wanted to say home, but they sold their home and so they will head down south and slowly make their way West.  They will visit family along the way.  I had requested from President Ewer that I be allowed to pay tribute to them and I have really made it a matter of prayer and pondering.  It is like a funeral address, you only get one chance.  I felt like the Spirit led me to say kind things about kind and wonderful people without taking too long.  I am so grateful for the Spirit of God.  I am so overwhelmed to know people like the Bergers and to consider how they have blessed my life in such a short time.

10-June-2023-Saturday

Another great day in the books.  We stayed home in the morning and I worked on my review.  May I say I am glad I am not writing a dissertation.  It is hard to focus this long.  But I continue to muddle through.  First finding material and then realizing what I "knew" needs to change with what I now "know."

Had an interesting day at the site.  Everyone who came in was from Vermont or New Hampshire.  This is weird.  Often people with Vermont plates, merely drive through, but people today stopped and visited.  I also talked to a man from Idaho for 20 minutes, but he had already been on a tour.  With that many locals, we had a number of nonmembers.  People who just came to learn.  Not to be proselyted,  but to understand.  I love such people and their questions.  My favorite couple were friends and retired school teachers.  As educators they love to learn and to share.  They did both.