Hegsted's Mission Week 78

 21-January-2024-Sunday

Driving to and from Rutland, we experienced bright blue, sunny skies. Again, Amelia picked challenging but fun hymns. She also spoke along with two high counselors.  Primary was fun as the children sang "Hold to the Rod" while acting out the song by holding to a climbing rope and moving forward each time they sang the word "rod."

We had a wonderful lady visit the site today. She is a traveling nurse and just moved to Barre, VT. She told us she had been inactive, but the site's Spirit overwhelmed her. She wants to come back to Church and admits Satan is a powerful adversary. She skipped Church because she was tired but made the effort to come to the site. She took many pictures to show her father. We gave her many details and even more encouragement to continue moving forward. Having an experience like this makes the long periods of inactivity worthwhile. God is kind in many ways to let us peek into the lives of some of His children.

22-January-2024-Monday

We must be 30 days past the shortest day of the year. We are not pitch black when we leave the site, so I must have faith that the daylight portion of the day is lengthening. There are advantages to an early sunset, such as seeing deer at the site, but I would rather drive to and from our shifts in the light. Also, people tend to travel more when the days are longer and warmer.  I cannot complain; we are so blessed, and longer days come every year.

We had good meetings this morning. What can I say? I also had a good attitude, and that makes any meeting better.  

We had Elder Roberts come over for dinner. We had lost power before our shift while Dede was preparing the food, so she cooked at the Buswell's kitchen.  It smelled good to Sister Buswell, so they also joined us. President Buswell is a gifted storyteller, and we spent an enjoyable evening listening to his tales. I was glad Elder Roberts was not alone tonight. 

Today, Dede received a message from Kevin Loveland about the Cooks, who are scheduled to replace us in June. She is his cousin, and they now live in Inkom.  The world is so tiny.

23-January-2024-Tuesday

Today dawned warmer, and the temperature reached 32 degrees. It was warm enough that I adjusted the air in my tires so the warning light would stay off. I then washed my car in the parking lot. It has been too cold to wash my black car, which was almost white from the road salt. At 28 degrees, I washed it off, used my washing stick, and rinsed it again. It is not a professional job, but most of the salt is gone, and my car looks much happier. Before going out, I ironed two shirts. I started on a roll, but it fell off as the day progressed.

Technically, we had three people at the site. They had come to climb Patriarch Hill on skis, but we talked to them in the parking lot. Two members and a friend. They made it back safely, so we called it a successful visit. After the Buswells relieved us (and visited for 45 minutes), we went to Ralph Eddy's house.

Ralph Eddy is a tender mercy in our lives. He is a nonmember whose grandfather ran the Joseph Smith Birthplace farm for 20 years. He loves history and old things. He has collected information on the site and his family history.  Two chapters in the document are based on our conversations. He is 74 years old and sharp as a tack. He showed us his home, which looked like a museum, with his collection of antiques and family photos. But it was clean and orderly. He is not a hoarder.

He showed us more family photos related to the farm and his collection of Anderson photos of the Site and its surrounding area. It was informative, but it was mainly fun to speak with a person with enthusiasm for the things he loves. He said, "I think we have hit it off well." The document will not change much from the discussion, but my love for this good man is more profound. He expressed concern that historians do not write about the farm and his family's involvement because they were not members. I have read that criticism from others writing Church history. It is easy to write from an SLC leader's perspective and forget that many locals created the history. This is similar to my feelings after visiting with Moroni Johnson. 

I still have a few more weeks of work on the document. President Buswell tells me Gary and Aaron expect an electronic copy and asked about it. It would be easy to continue working and adding as I learn more items, but I am ready to finish. I now realize the document was written for me. It has changed my life and allowed me to view what I have learned through the eyes of wonderful people. God fills my life with tender mercies. By the way, Ralph makes delicious molasses cookies.

24-January-2024-Wednesday

We awoke to falling snow. It is warmer, so the snow was much wetter. We had thought of driving 1.5 hours to Bensen and seeing the first church house in Vermont. It was a church, and when most members joined our Church, they took it over. Now, it is a home and has been expanded. However, with the snow, I was reluctant to travel over the passes. I do not know if it was the right choice. I told Dede we would go Sunday after Church as we would be 30 minutes away and save travel time and gas.

Instead, we drove over to Tunbridge, about 25 minutes away. Due to snow, we did not go to the original Smith Complex in Tunbridge Town but focused on the village with our stop at the Town Clerk's office. She was delightful and bored. We told her we wanted to see Joseph and Lucy's marriage notice. She pulled out a book with pages that were protected with page protectors and marked on the correct pages to see the marriage, the birth of Alvin, and then later Hyrum(spelled Hiram) and Sophronoia's birth notifications.  These are not marriages or birth certificates but entries in the Town ledger. Hyrum and Sophronia are together because people came in when they remembered, which might be days or months later. We searched in vain for a birth/death record of the first son; he died at birth and was not named. However, we found the record of John Mudget's marriage to Polly. John was Stephen Mack's partner who gave Lucy a $500 dowry, which Steven matched.  We also found the record of Daniel G. Mack and his wife. And a record of a child of Steven and Patience Mack. Had we had time, we would have found more Mack records.

We also looked at land deeds. The clerk in Tunbridge had beautiful penmanship. The first deed is for the Daniel G. Mack property. The deeds are more challenging to read due to the legal words used and the length of the document, so one will need to suffice. I have others on my camera roll.

We found the location of a former church north of Tunbridge. This building was used for sacred and secular purposes. Asael Smith led a group of Universalists who did not want to be taxed by the Town to build a Congregationalist Church. He led a compromise allowing all to build the "church" but having it shared by the Town and the two churches.  

From there, we went to Chelsea, about 10 miles north.  Steven owned properties and businesses there, but we do not know where. We stopped at the 110 (named after the road) quick stop for a delicious meal, although they lacked seating inside. The place was hopping with take-out business, but they treated us well, and the food was good. 

We wanted to visit Norwich, VT, the last place the Smiths lived before leaving for Palmyra, NY. The book directed us to a home, which is now expanded. The location of the Smiths' residence is uncertain. The man owned three parcels, but this site has been designated the "best choice, " perhaps because a building remains.  

Since we were in Norwich, we could not miss a chance to wander through Dan and Wit's General Store, whose slogan is "If we don't have it, you don't need it." They carry a little of everything in a conglomeration of cobbled-together buildings. Moving from department to department is more fun as you also change buildings. I bought two mouse traps. They are easier to set and effortless to unload after catching a critter.

We went into nearby Lebanon for a few groceries.  We then returned to Tunbridge and found the cemetery where John Mudget was buried at 29. We did not find the headstone. The snow was too deep for our boots to handle. We will return. We also returned to the mill bridge and the buildings that once housed the mills owned by Stephen Mack. We sat and read from our travel book to understand his business dealings. He was very prosperous. 

It was a great day. I was glad Dede insisted we leave the house and do something. I don't know what we will do tomorrow. On our return, it started raining. If it stays warm, it will melt everything, but it could become an icy mess. We will see. 

25-January-2023-Thursday

We still have snow this morning, but it is no longer fluffy; with the rain from last night, it is very sloppy. So far, I have caught three mice with my new traps. There is a high note for the day! I worked on the document this morning. I thought I found a clever way to insert two more pictures of Ralph Eddy's family, but it did not work, and I have a few hours of work to correct it. Oh well.

I am pasting in something I wrote this morning in the introduction to my document. As I am coming to an end, I am asking myself why? Why did I spend so much time writing this paper? What difference will it make?

"As I finish editing the document, I desire to add personal insight. I was driven to explore the JSB site and write this document from the beginning. I know the Lord has inspired me to accomplish this work. During this process, my motives have changed. When I began, I wanted to fix “all the mistakes” I found in my mission’s first few weeks. It gradually changed to a desire to create a readable document for missionaries to use. I never believed my work would be read beyond a handful of individuals who sufficiently know the JSB site enough to care about these details. Most of this material would not be used in a typical discussion with site visitors. 

 

Even with Grammarly, the editing process has taken much more time than anticipated, which has blessed me. With the beginning of a new year, the Book of Mormon became the “Come Follow Me” Curriculum. Remarks from Elder Bednar concerning the Book of Mormon impacted my thinking. He and a colleague, with 16 years of combined advanced education, spent two years using computers and the best editing tools to write a 650-page book. Upon receiving the newly published books, he reported: “I opened up the box and thumbed through one of the books. As I did so, I looked out the window of my office and asked myself the question, ‘Why did you write this book?’ When you really think about it, investing so much time and effort in a project that so quickly becomes obsolete is rather foolish. As I posed that question to myself and as I was pondering, the thought came to me, ‘Because now you know by experience that Joseph Smith could not have written the Book of Mormon.’”[i] I have stood at the restoration board with university students and bore testimony of the Book of Mormon with the comment, “Joseph Smith dictated the Book of Mormon in about 65 days. I have edited my 135-page document for months. The Book of Mormon is God's work and not man’s.”

 

Nephi's words also altered my thinking. When discussing the small plates he was commanded to create, he stated, “The Lord hath commanded me to make these plates for a wise purpose in him, which purpose I know not.”[ii] This document’s purpose remains unknown to me.  It may be buried in the Church’s Historic Vault. If the wise purpose of the Lord is to teach me to consecrate something for which I have spent months to accomplish by leaving it on His Altar, then I will cherish that opportunity."

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[i] Elder Bednar, David A. COME UNTO CHRIST, Religion Symposium, January 29, 2000.

[ii] Book of Mormon, 1 Nephi 9:5

Interesting, doing a copy and paste even copied the footnotes.  We did not have visitors today at the site. We walked, and Dede did projects while I worked on the document. Beyond the pictures, I have also included more information on the Eddy family, who managed the Farm for 20 years at the site. I think that chapter will be the best chapter in the document. By the way, Dede's craft project is cute.

26-January-2024-Friday

Our soggy weather continued as we awoke to a freezing drizzle. Our parking lot became a swimming pool until our landlord, with his tractor, plowed out channels for the water to flow away. Starting next week, colder temperatures will return. I would like snow and cold! This is a terrible wish, as the FM group is still short-handed.

I found more to add to the document; this week has been a week of writing and not editing. The document is better, but I need to stop eventually. We did not have visitors during our shift. However, five came to the site at 4:09 this evening (they planned to close at 4:15 for our dinner). This after three days of no visitors. They made an abbreviated visit, but it is so typical.

The mission treated us to a meal- informally, a going-away dinner for the Buswells, who leave in two weeks. However, the meal remained upbeat and did not focus on their going away. That will come the week they leave. They have set an excellent example of enduring to the end for all the missionaries. We will miss their leadership. However, the Nielsons will bring in new leadership, and the change will make our mission experience more complete. 

27-January-2024-Satuday

Today, I salute our oldest daughter, Danielle, whose birthday we celebrate. I am so grateful for all of my children. Talking to her this morning, I was intrigued by this story about her daughter, who is a great mixture of both parents. Hailey and her friends enjoy doing baptisms for the dead but want to be baptized by young men they know. Thus, they set up an appointment with the temple before calling young men to see if they would go and baptize them. That is clever, and she meets numerous young men in the stake and a more extensive area. Danielle was doing well, and they were going to the temple to do baptisms with the girls (Ian will be able to go next year.) and then do a sealing session.

I was researching John Mudget, who gave Lucy $500 as a dowry. He died 5 years later after marrying Polly Chambers. I was able to secure their marriage sealing. The other work has been completed. By the way, John is my third cousin, seven times removed. I am related to many New England people.

On the way home, Dede mentioned I had agreed to attend a game night after I finished my document. Right before her reminder, I realized I had done little editing this week because I was adding new material. Dede accused me of avoiding game night without even knowing it. How dare she? Honesty is always brutal on a guy's ego.

We had a sweet couple in for a tour this afternoon. Both were from El Salvador; he was a convert and returned missionary, and she was a second-generation member. After twenty years in the States, his English was good, and he translated for his companion; both were a pair of lovebirds. She recently came from El Salvador, and her English was lacking. It is tricky for non-native speakers as we use language that is not common on the streets. The Spirit was sweet as he translated. He had visited the site three times but did not understand the chronology. Midway through, he commented that I was helping him with chronology, so we went into the restoration room to use the board to review dates. I think God inspired me in my delivery. Whether I was more careful with dates, I do not know, but he felt like I was.  God is so good to those who come into the site and to those old folks who serve there.