Week 55 - Hegsted's Mission
13-August-2023-Sunday
Another week has slipped quietly away. What fond memories are made. I wonder if in the eternities we will once again meet the kind and wonderful people who come into the site and bring such joy to our lives. I hope everyone who comes in the site feels the Savior's love as well as our love for them and walks away somewhat changed for the better.
The river was again high going to Rutland. This has been a summer of rain, making up for last year. If at the end of September last year you would have asked me if A/C would sell in VT, I would have said definitely yes. This year, I would be a definite no as we have lacked the hot days to make one need a central A/C unit. I am sure the reality is somewhere in the middle. We are however, enjoying the most wonderful of summers with cool nights and nice days (especially if you are a duck and like the rain).
We swapped with the Buswells and took the later shift today. He needed to attend the annual HP meeting and then the Priesthood meeting with the VT stake. I assume by special invitation. Allowing the leaders of the stake to know there is a new site leader at the JSB. We were so glad to switch and I was delighted he was going and not me. The primary president and all the teachers were gone today. The music leader asked Dede to also lead the music today. Dede was a one woman (and what a woman) show today. I got to play while she led music. Watching her conduct the meeting and do the introduction things and then she went to teach class while I wandered back into Priesthood meeting. May I say Dede handled all duties flawlessly. I am sure she should have tied one hand behind her back just to make it fair to everyone else watching. I felt like I played well today even though there were two hard hymns chosen for the day. Amelia has been called as music chair and chorister. She is such a cute young lady and daughter of the branch president. She was great.
We were very busy at the site. Lucky to have so many wonderful people come through. I had a family of seven. Six from NH with a prospective new member to the family from Utah. They were so great at the restoration board as they bore testimony of items in Joseph's life. Mom and dad should be so proud. They took fun pictures. They finally rolled out about 6:30. Dede had a group of 10 from three different families. I got to help for a minute before the family above came in. One was a girl from Hawaii. She will play Rugby at Dartmouth and her mom brought her out to VT and NH. There is one other member on the women's team, but wow is she a long way from home. We also had some more YSA people come to the site along with Katie Jo and her, as of yesterday, fiancee. I wish them all the best. Second marriage for both, but they look so happy together. The YSA Senior missionaries were wonderful. I had met the YSA people yesterday when I spoke and it was fun to have them visit. Next week they will do a family history thing at Vermont U. . I suggested they try getting Bob Dunkle to come. I also suggested they contact Dave McDowell about teaching an Institute class.
14-August-2023-Monday
Our first Monday with Buswells in charge. Technically the second, but with Anna here last Monday we skipped out. First change, we met at 9:00 instead of 8:30 and made both meetings 30 minutes in length instead of 45. Elder Buswell has been in charge before and follows an agenda. Might need to go longer in October when we have a new couple and want to discuss training, but we will see. Dede did a wonderful job teaching about using the Spirit when leading a tour. We have had so many examples as a group with the Spirit in the last week, that it was fun. The Buswells have moved into the residence officially although they probably still have things in their other home. Somehow it just feels better having someone there. As mentioned before, it is so easy to accept the Buswells as the site leaders. We are so blessed to have them as friends and already love them.
Dede left me at the site to explore while she went into Lebanon to shop. The sacrifice for me of not shopping was immense, but somehow I survived. I had a list of things I wanted to explore down below. It was not to find new things, but to get better information on what I already knew. Things that I found lacking as I have been writing; such as a selected pictures, GPS locations, and one compass heading. The items were well spread out, so I got in a number of steps. When following rock walls (which I did) in heavy brush, it can be difficult. Not that one makes that many steps, but the underbrush and fallen timber make hiking hard. When you are heading in a general direction you can take the clearest paths and there are paths that are easier to follow. It is so still down below. Ten yards off the road and it is like a mile from civilization. I took much better notes of what pictures I was taking so that I can use the notes with dates to quickly find them when I get to that section in writing. I will not include any pictures. Although they are important to my review, they do not mean much without context.
Dede came and picked me up at 12:30 and I was so grateful. I fear that I allowed myself to become dehydrated. I forget how much I sweat in this humidity. I carried water, but did not down it all. I was not sure I would make it back up the hill walking, so her call was heavenly to me. I need to spend two hours focused on the area of the Daniel Mack Foundations and the road in that area. I have not made measurements at all on the foundations and the outbuildings and that needs to be done. I have a few pictures of the Old Sharon Road beyond the Daniel Mack home, but I need a few more with GPS locations to finish that section of the review. I hope I am not convicted of attempted manslaughter for asking someone to read the review. It is technical. I.e. boring. However if one loves the subject of the site, it is full of details of history and present locations.
We were slower at the site than the past few weeks. I had a nonmember traveling nurse from Texas. Her husband (who stayed at home) is a member so she stopped to take pictures. Although she was in a hurry to leave, we spent 15 minutes talking after our 15 minute tour about why she was not a member of our church. She has some valid thought out answers and so she was not afraid of having the conversation. Dede was conducting two wonderful woman, but I was not feeling well (dehydration) so I went and sat down outside and thus had the opportunity to visit with her for 15 more minutes. So evident that God is in charge. Almost hate to admit it, but I finally bought a coke to settle my stomach and fill me with liquids and I feel much better. I am guessing the sugar rush also helped me.
Tomorrow will be an 8 hour day at the site. It will be interesting to see if we are as busy as last Tuesday. Today was much like last Monday. Danielle's kids start school on the 17th. This seems early to me, but others seems to be starting at the same time and so we will probably see the number of Utah/Idaho/Colorado/Arizona families drop off significantly this week and next.
May I add to this journal. I have come to love the family of Joseph Smith. God gave him the best parents possible for him to become a prophet. And yet they were just everyday people doing the best they could despite faults. If God can use the Smiths and the Macks, perhaps there is hope for me.
15-August-2023. Tuesday
We had an 8 hour shift today but it seemed much easier than last week. Probably because we had a few breaks and I was not thinking about driving to Boston tonight. That drive can wait until tomorrow when we attend the temple.
Actually we did not have anyone come in until noon. We watched the rain fall and I worked on the review after walking in the rain with an umbrella. Is it not magical to walk in the rain with an umbrella? We then had three different groups come in at once. Feast or famine. But oh how fun!
We had a wonderful family: grandparents, father and three children. We spent two hours with them as they absorbed everything about the site. I was surprised at some of their questions. They knew so much detail but seemed to have missed some of the basics and the overview. Perhaps because they were so willing to ask questions I thought this. We had two woman come in and we combined them for the trip to the foundations. The women came back up but since they wanted to walk Patriarch Hill we sent them in their car to do so while it was not raining. (It actually held off raining all afternoon.) They were gone two hours and came back to finish the tour as another family came in. (Dede actually texted them to be sure they were okay.) We started all together but then Dede separated them from the others and rushed the end of the tour for them so they could go to Dartmouth to see the 1830 Book of Mormon. They were so "into learning and experiencing everything". How nice. They texted Dede to tell her how much they loved the BoM.
Overall a great day. Thanks be to God. Dede is making clam chowder for tonight. It will not be too hot and clam chowder is so fitting in New England. Did I mention how grateful I am for Dede and her kindness to me.
16-August-2023-Wednesday PDAY
Monday Dede and I both felt "flat". We were discussing what to do on PDAY and since we had been to the temple the week prior we thought about things to see. However wise Dede mentioned that if we were both "flat" we probably needed the temple and so we left at 7 am for Boston. I hope when I return home never to forget how wonderful it is to have a temple within minutes of my house. After traveling 5 hours to and from the temple and spending 3 hours to do an endowment and sealing session, I look forward to being home and having an opportunity to go daily if I desire with little travel time. Also, I hope I will not be quite a sleepy as I am after driving several hours through traffic to get to the temple.
Last week the session was half full with over 25 people. Today it was almost empty with only 9 of us. Made us even more glad to have attended. It is so fun to ponder about the person whose work is being performed. Have they heard the gospel? If so were they excited about their work being done? On the way to the temple, Dede and I discussed at length Sacrifice and Consecration. What beautiful laws that seem to overlap and yet are different. The blessings from both are wonderful, but sometimes in the moment of sacrifice, hard to realize. Especially for a mom and grandmother. God seemed to bless me with oblivion so I do not sense the keen loss in being away from home.
The sealer did not show up today, so the counselor in the presidency ran the sealing session. He is very slow and methodical insuring each word is said correctly and carefully. He loves to share the experiences he has had in the sealing rooms of the temple and the people he has sensed filling the rooms as sealing as performed. He brought a great deal of joy to our session.
After the session (and eating our lunch) we drove into Concord MA to visit the Orchard house which is the home of "Little Women." They had a great movie introducing the home and then we had a great docent guide us through the home. I was the lone man and she could not refrain from teasing me for not having read the book "Little Women" by Louisa May Allcott. She probably failed in her attempt to shame me into reading the book. I love to read, but made a decision years ago to give up reading novels so I could focus on the many church books I desire to read. I know the brethren would disagree with my position, but it works for me.
Louisa's dad was an idealistic person. He was a transcendentalist and an abolitionist. Two great things, but in his idealism he raised his children in poverty. If not for a friend (Emerson) who basically bought their home, they would not have had anything. However he raised very strong daughters who broke the trends of the day and became artists and writers of renown. Louisa after becoming a successful writer would pay off all their debts and hire a house lady for her mom so she would no longer need to toil. May, her sister would begin the training for Daniel Chester French who would as a young lad create the minuteman statue at the North Bridge and then create the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC. He would get other training, but she would remain his inspiration. The area was also surrounded with other authors, Hawthorne, Emerson, and Thoreau were all neighbors of the Alcott's and frequent guests of the family. It is amazing to me how God brought these artists together so inspire one another. They truly brought artistry to America.
Less than 1.5 miles away is the Old North Bridge. We had not had the opportunity go into the visitors' center there. There is not much there, however, I was glad we went, if for nothing else the movie they show. We then attended a Ranger led discussion about the area. The young lady ranger did a marvelous job and entertained my questions along with others. (As a youth, all rangers were men and sometimes boring, so I enjoy the addition of women rangers). I hope I never cease to feel the thrill and be filled with gratitude when I consider the men and women God raised up to create this great country where the gospel could be restored and a young Joseph Smith could have God and Jesus appear to him numerous times. (Did I mention: and where Dede and I could serve at JS's birthplace.). These were men and women of great courage to take on the greatest army in the world at that time and win. I have always loved the heroes like Washington, Knox, Revere etc. But walking the Battle Road, passing by homes that were there during the war and realizing the great sacrifice made by everyday people like me has changed my life and perspective. Will I ever learn to love freedom as these people loved it and not just complain but fight for freedom?
Finally Dede and I are enjoying Paul and his epistles. I love the concept of grace. It is just the Hessad of the Old Testament that our prophet loves to talk about in terms of the covenant path. Grace is God's loving kindness that allows us to get on and stay on that covenant path that leads to exaltation. It is clear to me that Paul saw grace in that manner and taught it well in the Book of Romans.
17-August-2023-Thursday
After sleeping in this morning, we decided to work at home. I know the reader will be surprised that I worked on my review today. Actually I first worked on yesterday's blog since we got home late last night and I did not want to write last night. Again, it was good to have a block of time. Monday, I had gone down in the foundation area and took data, pictures etc. that I needed for the review. Although I worked on the review earlier this week, I had not worked on the sections for which I took Data. Meanwhile Dede cut out a dress for Danielle and began sewing it. She is so talented.
We went to the site at 2 pm and the Buswell's had had about 20 visitors in the morning. We had three visitors right at the beginning of our shift. They were nonmembers who wanted to stop and look, but not necessarily to stop and learn. Thus I spent about 5 minutes with them. That was rather sad. We then sat. I again worked on the review and went down to the foundations to take a few more pieces of data. Finally at 4:45 a family of four from Logan came in; a father and three children. He wanted 15-20 minutes, but his children did so well that we took 30 minutes before taking them down to the foundations. The good news is we had a chance to bear testimony. And then I spent time to walk three laps around the monument. I need to get in more steps as I have not done well this summer.
We work the morning shift tomorrow and will then ride through Lincoln Gap tomorrow. It is supposed to be a beautiful drive which one cannot be done in the winter. Perhaps we should wait until Fall, but there are so many places to go when the leaves change that we will have plenty of places to go.
18-August-2023-Friday
We had the early shift and had only 6 visitors. The first three were from St Johnsbury and have been to the site in the past. Regardless, we had fun answering a few questions, showing them the new pictures of creating the monument and then showing them 3 videos. We then had a cute little family from Arlington MA. She grew up coming to Camp Joseph. We gave them a shorter tour by their request. They had the cutest toddler, so we kept it to 30 minutes for her. Elder Buswell came over and visited and then I went over to show him how to mirror his iPhone to the new TV they put into the office. We then sat and visited and had a great time.
At the end of our shift, we decided to head to Lincoln Gap on the advice of the Buswell's. This is a narrow road between Warren and Bristol. Part of it is dirt road. The paved part (in the middle over the top) is very narrow. Sister Buswell called it a bike path with a double yellow line. It was fun passing cars. Before getting there we could see that Moss Glenn Falls (MGF) and it companion Little MGF were running much higher than at other visits so we stopped and took pictures. See Below. We then headed over the gap and hit heavy rains passing over the top.
Luckily the rain slowed down and we were able to stop and get great pictures of a series of waterfalls and cascades. See below. Again it was obvious that the water was very high in the streams.
In Lincoln, Dede spotted another set of waterfalls, that were raging. There were three parallel water falls. The river was so high, that an island was underwater with trees about 24 inches under water. The parking lot at the city part was partially under water and it was evident that earlier it had been totally under water.
We stopped at Cubbers in Bristol for dinner, both having pizza. It was a fun place. See pictures.
We then headed toward Lake Champlain and followed its coast south. We came to a place called Adams Ferry road. At the water's edge was a sign about Benedict Arnold's battle with the British Navy on Lake Champlain. Benedict is considered a hero in these parts of the USA. He actually self-funded the US Navy without recognition or being paid-back. He was very influential in the USA becoming a country. Unfortunately he made a critical error after all of this service and we will remember him as a traitor and not for his good deeds. At the start of the road, was a fruit stand selling peaches and we stopped and enjoyed.
We continued south and found a commerative lighthouse that we were able to climb which honors Champlain. We also took a quick detour through an old Fort set up to defend Lake Champlain at this narrow point. By then it was 7:30 and so we gave up and headed home about a 90 minute drive.
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