Week 62 - Hegsted Mission

 1-October-2023-Sunday

Another week and month is in the books.  Today was General Conference, so we did not need to get up and head to Rutland.  At 11 am, the Arbon's came by to say goodbye and drop off keys to Camp Joseph so I can mow lawns.  It has been interesting to have people leave.  We now only have the Buswells left from all the people that were here when we came.  We wish the Arbon's all the best.  They hope to drive 30 hours and make their first stop in N. Dakota on the way home.  I hope they are safe.  He wants to get home as in 7 days they go to bless a baby and then to be with a child who is having a baby.  Good for them.

It was nice to listen to the first session of conference.  We heard the first and last sessions yesterday and listened to two talks from the middle session.  It was busy enough at work that we only saw President Nelson's recorded speech.  I will need to listen again and try to determine what it means to think Celestial in my life.  So wonderful to have 20 temples announced and that Colorado Springs will get a temple.  When Eric was ordained Bishop he was told it was to prepare his ward for a temple and so it is nice to see it announced even though the Larsen's have moved on.

At the end of the day, we had just four cars in the parking lot at the site and all four had Idaho plates, two 1/B. one 4/B and one 8/B.  That has definitely not happened in the past.  We had a mom with 5 kids who have stayed to watch conference here at the site.  They are on a month long tour, and she wants the kids to listen to conference.  Good for her and them.

Life is so good.  We are so blessed.  We listened to Elder Rasband last night.  I agree that Dede and I are closer as a result of our mission and I do feel closer to God.

2-October-2023-Monday

This morning started out with a tender experience.  I awoke several times after 3 pm with the same dream.  In the dream I was trying to get somewhere or accomplish something.  The goal and the people around me always were changing, but the frustration was real as I did not know where I was trying to go, or what I was supposed to accomplish or even whom I was with most of the time.  About thirty minutes before I was supposed to get up, I awoke again.  This time however, I turned closer to Dede and put my hand on her hip and instantly felt calmness.  I could not help but to think about President Nelson's talk and that with my focus on Dede, I was thinking Celestial instead thrashing around senselessly.  It would be nice if I could always turn so easily to thinking Celestial and always have such a clearness of vision as I felt at that moment.  And why not?  Dede is always close by.  Just as importantly, the Savior and the Spirit are also always close by to calm me and allow me to Think Celestial. 

We had good meetings this morning.  The McKnights joined us as they are helping with lights for a few weeks.  We had the Roberts here for the first time who are the new missionaries.  We were however hit with sickness with two of the sisters out ill.  Our prayers are with them.  President Buswell did his normal great job this morning, I am grateful for him.  

Dede and I stayed to do lights on one of the trees.  I had a good start and needed a little bit of time.  However, Dede was soon talking to a Chineses family.  Apparently the man had questions about Joseph Smith and had drug the others along.  There were numerous other visitors and so it was perfect that Dede was there to take this family alone.  We had thought we were there to do lights, and I did lights, but I think we were there for this family.  We left about 11:15 so we could eat and I shower.  We needed to be back by 1 pm.  The Busell's wanted to get out by 1 pm and with Sister Hoopes out, we could not have Elder Hoopes here alone.  I do not think he understood, because he asked me why we came in early and so we reviewed what was going on.  If she is not well tomorrow, we will need to work all day Tuesday instead of only the morning shift.  I hope she is better by Wednesday as I would really like to get to the temple on Wednesday after it was closed for 2 weeks and we had Jon here one week, but we will see.  I would not trade going to the temple for having Jon here.

While I was doing the lights, my heart rate went bananas.  Yes I was working over my head, but it was very abnormal with my heart rate above 120 bpm.  This did not occur when I put up lights again tonight.  I wonder if the heart rate was related to my dreams last night.  Anyway it has returned back to normal and so it will be interesting to track in the future.

The afternoon was steady.  I did put up a few lights on other trees, but for the most part we just gave tours.  The last couple came in at 5:50.  Dede took them while I finished the lights.  It was finally dark enough for me to see what we had missed earlier and so I was able to finish that tree and we got home about 7 pm.  It made for a long day, today, and tomorrow, might be long also.  However, this is why we came and with the Buswell's out with family, we are the only solution.  I am grateful for our health.  In our time here, neither the Buswell's nor us have missed a day due to sickness.  I think people have not felt well, but have been able to answer the bell and meet our assignments.  The Ewers were not as lucky and were sick or hurting often.  However, since they did not need to be on assignment, we were not impacted by their sickness and they were always really to answer the bell for our PDAYs.  With a small mission, we have little room for sickness with the tour providing missionaries.  The FM missionaries often have a spouse out sick, but since there is the other couple or Bob, they can come in alone.  

3-October-2023-Tuesday

We worked a double shift today, so I was wrong about not needing to work another double shift, regardless it was a great day.  We were not as busy as yesterday, but busy enough that I did not find time to hang many Christmas lights after 11 am.  But I know why I am here and am grateful for the chance to visit with people.  I do hope Sister Hoopes recovers quickly.  It is so hard to be sick.  We are planning to attend the temple tomorrow and so told the Hoopes we need to know before 7 am whether or not we will change our plans and stay and work in the morning.

I took the pictures of the McKnights hanging Christmas lights from the lifts.  They are very good at this and the lift they are using has a huge span so they can reach many trees.  There are three trees that cannot be done from the lifts and these as the trees that I am working on at the moment so that they will be done.  I just need time.  I have one done and the other is partially done.  The third can be partially done on one side from the road.  If they get one side done I can work on the other side.  It would make little sense for me to use a lift as I need to be ready to work with our guests.

On top of working on lights and blocking the roads with lifts, they are working on the roof of the visitors' center.  They are cutting and installing a copper gable vent in the ridge line of the roof.  Putting 3 feet of copper along the base of the roof to allow snow to slide better.  This will look nice, but hopefully reduces the raking we did in the past to remove snow from the roof.

I love the people who come in the sight.  Again when we were so busy it is hard to separate them.  I had a couple that always wanted to come and see fall colors and had absolutely no plans.  We visited for a few minutes as I told them things I would do.  Another couple came twice before and after visiting Ben and Jerry's.  They brought us a pie on the second trip back.  We had a group with a former missionary from the area.  It is always special to have former missionaries on our tours.  He knew a local member and that was fun.  It is clear that each person is led here by God for a specific purpose although, we are often unaware of the purpose.  However we can only hope that we teach with the Spirit and teach what will touch the person's heart.  Dede had another nonmember.  She sent him home with a BoM.  May God bless every person who came into the site today.  Unlike me, He will not forget them.

As we were going out the door, the dryer died.  We will report and hopefully eventually get a replacement.  Dede will see if we can get a key to use the dryer at the FM building in the meantime.  The dryer we have now is a replacement and many of the functions did not work when they installed it and now none of them do.

4-October-2023-Wednesday. PDAY

How wonderful to get up early and go to the temple this morning.  I hope Sister Hoopes was well and not suffering as she came in this morning.  It has been three weeks since we were in the temple and I can tell.  It is amazing how quickly I become desensitized.  We will need to be regular again so that I feel like I am getting the full Spirit of the temple again.  One might think it would be just opposite, but I have found for me that the more I go the more I learn each time and the more alert I am to aid my learning.  I almost feel bad about wearing my Pocatello Temple Tie Bar in Boston.  For now, Boston is my temple and many of the workers I consider friends.  That is lovely.

After eating at a chain Italian restaurant and shopping at the nearby Costco, we decided to go to Walden Pond, home for over two years of Henry David Thoreau and where he wrote Walden or Life in the Woods.  I am not sure what I expected and I am not sure how he would react to the site today.  For a non-resident, the parking costs $30.  It is only $8 for a resident and a year pass is $10.  There is a visitors center with information about Thoreau and it was nearly empty despite the fact that the very large parking lot was almost totally full.  We hiked around the pond.  (Note it is similar in size to Weston, or Condie, or other similar Idaho reservoirs.  The hike around it was about 1.7 miles.  The pond is deep, up to 102 feet deep making it the deepest body of water in Mass.  With 82 degree weather and no wind, the place was packed with swimmers and small water craft operators.  I would say 60% of the swimmers were senior citizens.  We were definitely overdressed for the occasion.  We did visit the replica of the author's home as well as the site where the home stood.  At that site is a large pile of stones.  Visitors have for years created this large rock monument in his honor.  However of the 100's of people there swimming and walking the trails, maybe 1 percent were thinking about Thoreau.  

I must admit, I do not know what to think of Mr Thoreau.  He has had an impact on the USA.  He is thought of as the father or early founder of environmentalists and transcendentalists.  On the flip side he is probably thought of as a free-loader and ne'er-do-well.  I am still amazed of the group of progressives that all lived in this small region at the same time and the impact they had despite their isolated location.  I am probably just too lazy to really investigate the good they all did, so I am glad for the places that talk about these people.  But here it was like having someone whisper, something great happened here, while the marching band is marching by blaring their brass horns inviting the world to play in the water or woods.  I think I missed something, but I am glad I went and made the visit.  The pond is beautiful and I understand its attraction to the residents of Boston and its surrounding towns.  I was slightly surprised at the number of single young woman swimming alone there.  They must feel safe and I am glad that so near a large city that people could feel that safety.

Anyway time for pictures of the restored cabin in the first row, the cabin site in the second row, the memorial rock pile in the third row and the pond and the some people there.  I did not get a picture where the people were packed in as they were distractive from the beauty.

5-October-2023-Thursday

Was able to iron shirts that were a little more wrinkly than normal because the dryer died.  However for the shirts, I can live with the results and extra work of ironing.  More worried about pants, but I could always iron them also.  Last night for scripture study I read President Nelson's talk "Think Celestial."  While I acknowledge, I have made a tiny bit of progress in my life, I see this as a huge challenge in my attitude and life.  It is so easy to get lost in the world.  To think that politics, or other news, or sporting events, or <fill in the blank> is important and to let that become my god as stated by President Nelson.  I think this is very much related to charity and having a thankful disposition.  Just not easy.  I want to obtain it myself through discipline of will and claim the prize rather than sacrifice that prideful thought and humbly ask for the Grace needed to obtain this wonderful gift and to have the peace that is promised both here and hereafter when the gift is obtained.  

At 10:45 we were at the site.  I was able to hang a string of lights and the bus showed up.  We had been told to expect a short visit by the bus and then planned to come home and eat.  The bus finally left at 1:50 so we could begin our shift.  In the meantime, people continued to pour into the site and the Buswell kept cranking them out.  I went below with the tour bus, walking, while Dede drove the golf cart.  It was busy all day long, but we let the Buswell's escape with their children and had a great time the rest of the day.  I must admit, though by the end of the day, the bottoms of my feet were absolutely aching.  Need to change shoes tomorrow, but most importantly I need to rub my feet with epson salt lotion.  That usually helps a ton.

I had just sat down for a second, when around the corner walked Dee Packard a member of my ward growing up and a friend of Dede's from school.  What a pleasant surprise.  I wish all of the world was as great as Dee.  So friendly and kind and wanting the best for everyone.  Dede was off with the cart when I met up with Dee.  She was so thrilled to see him and give him a big hug.  

Met other people on the bus tour with whom we had common friends.  One couple knew the Knutesons and so they got to see each other which was also a treat.  God is so good and kind and tries to meet our needs and sometimes our wants as well.  I think I will sleep more than well tonight.  I am exhausted after two 8 hours days with a PDAY of walking in between.  But I am not complaining, just marveling.

6-October-2023-Friday

 We had a tour bus at 9 am so we were at the site by 8:45, but were able to leave after our normal shift ended at 2 pm.  We were busy.  Again so busy, that it is hard to remember people, it just seems like a blur of people.  It was nice today because it was cloudy and a little cooler.  Especially nice when I walked down below with the bus tour.  Yesterday, I was sweaty hot when I got back to the top.  Our next two days are supposed to include rain.  We have a mini-tour tomorrow around 10:30.  It is a group of youth and leaders with only 25 people.  The Buswell's asked us to stay the entire day as they are out of town and it could be insanely busy.  We have worked long hours all week, what is another day?

After our shift, we went into Lebanon.  Dede had to turn in her iPhone, and then we looked for a dryer.  Ours is dead the mission told us to order a new one from Home Depot.  That should come the 19th.  Meanwhile we got a key so Dede can dry clothes at the FM building.  Since we are there all day tomorrow, she should be able to do this before our normal shift begins if it is not too busy.  A little shopping after the dryer and we came home.  Had great left overs and now, I am ready for bed.  But first a shower and then rub my feet again with Epson salt lotion.  I do think it really helps.  Also changed shoes which helps also.  We have two tours on Sunday and three more during the week with four more the following week.  By then the leaves will be gone and things should slow back to normal.  Ironically we have many Utahans here for leave season and Utah is having an amazing leaf season this year.

7-October-2023-Saturday

We close another week with another busy day.  We had a ward's youth scheduled this morning so Dede and I arrived at 10:15.  They were late so we started about 11:15, but oh what a great group of kids.  At first I worried it would be a nightmare, but they settled right down and were so good.  We gave them a full tour and talked about what it might mean to them as young adults.  Perhaps a little long, it was still a good tour.  It rained up to the moment they came and then held off until 5 pm before it started raining again.  At 5, I got out the large blower to clear the parking lot of wet leaves.  If we leave the leaves there, it just tracks into the center and the center was truly a mess tonight and required a great deal of vacuuming before we left.

We had some sisters in who knew one of Dede's friends.  It is always so nice to make connections.  Today was Arizona day, with many from Arizona.  It is always so fun when people make connections with others in their groups and we see them go away friends.  

Interestingly, a tree fell down across the road to the foundations.  We did not have much wind last night, so it must have just been the rain.  It will get removed Monday.  

Again, we were so busy and there long enough, that it is hard to remember individual groups.  We have another 10 days of leaf peeper season and then we will be wondering where all the people went.  With all the tours and with sickness this week we worked some longer hours.  It is interesting how tired one gets standing and performing in front of people.  It is physically but also emotionally exhausting.  Would not change it for the world, but still a wonder.