Hegsted's Mission Week 80
4-February-2024-Sunday
It was another wonderful Sunday. I do love Fast and Testimony Sunday. Even though I fast daily until noon, it is different on Fast Sunday. The Sacrament is more meaningful. Once again, the testimonies were beautiful. Luckily, the hymns were easier. My hands felt like bricks today, and my feet felt like they were encased in cement overshoes. As I practiced the closing hymn before church, Dede sat by me and read the 4th and 5th verses of "Let's Us All Speak Kind Words." The third verse closes with the person unable to see the mote in another's eye due to his own beam in his eye. The fourth verse says the person tries to remove the beam from their eye with tears but fails. The 5th verse turns the entire thought around when the speaker realizes that the personal eye beam can only be removed by the beam of the Savior's cross. It made the Sacrmanet more meaningful to me. I was glad to share this thought with the branch as my testimony of the Savior.
Today was the Dede show. The primary president and chorister were out, so Dede had everything for 30 minutes. She conducted and led the singing before rushing the kids to class so we could get out the door to open the site at 1 pm. We made it back, and Dede had brought numerous bags of stuff from her kitchen so she could make bar-b-que pork chops and rolls for dinner tonight. We were celebrating "Clean the Freezer" as a group. The Buswells leave Thursday and want to remove as much from the freezer and pantry as possible. As expected, Dede performed marvelously, and one would never know how much pressure was laid upon her. I am married to an extraordinary woman. May God be praised for her being so humble that she does not realize how superior she is to me.
It was remarkable to be together as a group this evening. We laughed and shared spiritual stories. The Lord is so good to us. We work with wonderful people.
5-February-2024-Monday
Today, Busewells conducted their final Monday meeting. I took the opportunity to eulogize them. They did not desire this, but the Hoopes will not be here Tuesday night when we do dessert as a group, so this was the only chance to say something to all the missionaries. I hope I did well. Dede and I will miss them. They were good leaders and kind and gentle people. They were also explorers and have traveled much of Vermont, and we could always count on them to provide ideas of places to visit and eat. I would guess the advantage of a small mission is we do not have people going home every month. The next couple to leave is the Knutesons in early June. By then, we will be past the anguish of losing the Buswells and distracted with cleaning and packing our stuff. Perhaps we can combine our going away parties.
It was a bright but cold day. Dede went into Lebanon to get everything for tomorrow's meal with the Buswells. She makes their favorite dish and then two desserts, a favorite for each. After dinner, the other missionaries will come to our apartment for dessert and laughter. Dede has done this for all the departing missionaries. Hopefully, someone will pick it up for future farewells, but we will not be here, so it does not impact us.
We went until almost 4 p.m. before a woman came for a short tour. Dede did it herself- she is so good at this. I went out and walked. So far, we have had at least one visitor each day of February. I hope the trend continues. I hope Buswells have someone to close out their mission in the next two days by giving a tour. Sister Buswell had two nonmembers on Sunday, but she was alone.
Wouldn't you know it? I moved on from my document and now am seeking information on anyone who helped build or transport the monument. In my search, I found a source that needed to be added to the document. This needs to end!
The more I research, the more I realize history is made up of actual people with actual issues. Some discoveries must be trumpeted to the world as they inspire and uplift. Others should be buried in the dust of history as they merely drag someone's name and reputation into the mud.
6-February-2024-Tuesday
It was good that I ironed three shirts this morning, as we did not have visitors during our shift, and I needed an accomplishment. Luckily, the Buswells did have people come in. We are so grateful that the visitors came in during their shift so they have people before they leave. It is challenging for President Buswell to say goodbye. Sister Buswell is finding last-minute things she wants to do before leaving, but her face is pointed west and toward Zion and her family. I am saying that in a very positive way. This morning, she went to the Tunbridge Town Clerk's office. She was so excited about the things we found, and she wanted the same before she left, and today was the only possible day left for her. Way to go, right to the last moment. Also, she shared almost 100 pictures of deeds from her visit.
Today, we have the Buswells for dinner. We will keep it light and happy for all our sakes, but we will truly miss this wonderful couple. They have been great examples to us. We know they have our backs and would do anything for us. I hope they feel that we would do anything for them in return. We will then have four other missionaries come over for dessert. It will be fun.
We go to the temple tomorrow, and I look forward to it. It will be memorable, as we will seal John and Polly Mudgett.
7-February-2024-Wednesday. PDAY
We traveled to and from the Boston Temple on a bright, clear day. Traffic was not heavy, but Google Maps led us on a different route, and we arrived early. The session was smaller than last week but still had over 20 people. I was still amazed when I arrived at the temple. I met three workers. All know my name and greet me as a friend. Is this a taste of Celestial Living? I felt terrible that I struggled to remain awake during the creation part of the endowment. We tried walking in the parking lot before the session. Unfortunately, that did not help me, although Dede says it helped her.
The sealing session was excellent. We had two brothers who were often in the session with us. However, there were no sisters, so they recruited two ordinance workers. We performed the marriage for John Mudget(t) and Polly (Mary?) Chambers. We feel privileged that this was left for us to do.
After the temple, we ate and picked up medicines at Costco; again, we did exciting things. We then walked the Battle Trail and read my app's signs and NPR information. It is fantastic to realize that we are walking the road where the British Army marched, and the local citizens declared their desire for independence by taking their arms and putting their lives in danger to attack the mightiest army of the time. I did not take pictures, sorry. I was, however, grateful for the brave men and women on both sides of the battle. God, indeed, prepared a people for this work. I did not realize how New England itself was the core of resistance. The British realized early in the war that the effort might fade out if they could divide New England from the other colonies. God did not allow that to happen, and the Bennington battle, fought in nearby New York, kept that division from happening and changed the course of the war. It is unclear whether the men fighting that day realized how dramatic their actions were.
Bob Dunkle gave me ideas for finding Polly Chambers. We were unsuccessful but found a daughter of John and Polly who is not in Family Search. I will add that data today. I still want to find her parents. They should be in the Tunbridge Town Clerk's office. I think she has a sister named Sally who married a man from Royalton. I found this in the Royalton History Book.
8-February-2024-Thursday
It was an exciting day! Dede had a haircut this morning. She made the appointment months before. It is not easy to find a good haircut for curly hair. She likes this lady. I walked to the Town Clerk's office and read a document. It contained the affidavits Junius F. Wells collected about the Joseph Smith Birthplace and other items from the time. The record was fun to read, and I read other things that were just fun. I also talked to the Town Lister to find out his father's and grandfather's names to see if I can link him to John Mudget in Tunbridge. They have the same last names. I really like him, and I asked a few questions about roads in the area. He told me the Church is paying more taxes than they should and explained how to lower them. I passed this on to Bob Arnold, but he was unsure how or if the Church would respond. Just good stuff. It's fun to think I have people who "like" me in Sharon Town. The Clerk would not take money for my pictures. I like her too.
Dede finished, and we drove to the site to say goodbye to the Buswells, who hoped to leave by 11:30. They were not ready, so we ran to S. Royalton for a bite to eat. We returned to the site, let the Hoopes go home early, and helped Sister Buswell pack. The president has a bad back and is not supposed to lift anything. Buswells left at 2:30. I cannot say enough about their faithful service. We then walked for 30 minutes. No one had been in since early morning. It all changed in a flash.
We had 5 missionaries come in for pictures. One was a new Elder from Idaho Falls. He is the grandson of Toby and Diane Harding, Bill and Joyce Kuttler, whom we know and love. He has been out only a week and is waiting for a Peruvian Visa. We told him how great his family is, but I fear we made him homesick.
We then had a wonderful couple come in. She is a close friend of the former Keeley Mickelson, daughter of Cindy Mickelson, Toby's sister. We had fun sending photos to families. Diane sent the picture to Alisha, the Elder's mom, who was glad to see him safe and sound. At least as safe as one can be around Dede and me. At the same time, a couple with his mom came in. We put the two groups together and gave the entire tour. The first couple then left to see the 1830 BoM at Dartmouth and sent Dede a photo of them with it. A lone man walked by the window, and I visited with him. I stayed with him for over an hour. He is visiting the area, had talked to Sister Buswell, and wanted to come back and learn more. He had picked up a book about Joseph written by his mother and then came to the area to work at a local store. He saw the Joseph Smith sign and wanted to learn more. He said he followed the Spirit, and it was fun to testify that the Spirit had brought him to the book about Joseph Smith and into the site today. He was touched and left with a BoM, a pamphlet, and a promise to return if he got back to this area. God is truly in charge and moves in mysterious ways. He lets us see His power. By the way, Dede gave the five people a great tour. Overall, we had 11 for the day, which is great for February.
9-February-2024-Friday
The groundhog's prediction was an underestimation. We have enjoyed beautiful sunny days since he missed his shadow on the 2nd. We still have snow on the ground, but toward the end of the week, the temperatures have reached the 40s.
We had 6 missionaries come to the site. Bless their hearts for their diligent efforts. We gave them a short tour and were thus not skunked for the day. It allowed us to take time and plan a trip for the afternoon. Several days ago, two men from Utah stopped by the site. They had been at Woodstock, NH, ensuring everything was ready for their ice castle display. We had seen literature about this, so Dede decided we should go. When I looked first thing in the morning, the only openings were 3:30-4 and 9:30 to 10. We were unsure what to do, but we headed to the site to gather more information and ponder alternatives. We could go next week, but we want to be here to feed the Nielsons when they come, and their schedule is not final. I went out walking, and when Dede looked at her phone again, tickets were available at 5:30, which was perfect. We bought those and cheered. We realized we were being blessed.
We went to the Little Grille in Littleton, NH, to eat. The food was excellent, as expected, but we were too early to eat at the Brazillian Grill they do after 5 pm on Friday. I still walked away stuffed to the gills, and they even gave us two bacon-wrapped chicken pieces because Dede visited with them as they were cooking. She is amazing. We were 25 minutes from the Ice Castle. The road was jammed with cars trying to get in as we approached. They have adequate parking and staff to help with parking, but with people coming and going, there is not an abundance of parking. Since it was almost 40 degrees when we arrived, the parking lot was a mud bowl.
Once inside, we enjoyed the work they had done. It would have been better had the day not been so warm. It appears ice had fallen from the walls. Still, it was terrific, and I will post a few pictures below. They have light and ice castle shows in New York, Colorado, Utah, and Idaho.
We got home by 8:25, although the fastest way home was down small highways in the middle of nowhere. We did meet a few cars but never fell behind a fellow traveler.
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