Hegsted's Mission - Week 88
31-March-2024-Sunday. Easter Morning
In my prayers today, I reviewed the resurrection of the Savior. I tried to put myself into the places of those who, since His death, had been mourning. I cannot imagine the decimation they felt as they did not understand His words that He would rise again. I mentally sat by Mary at the tomb and watched the tears fall from her eyes. She had seen angels who testified He lived. But knew not what that meant. Then, that glorious moment came when the resurrected Savior appeared to her and called her by name. They embrace, and she never wants to be separated from Him again, but He breaks the embrace, saying hold Me not..." As suddenly as He appeared, He left her alone again. Now she knows He is risen. He is alive with a glorified body. Yet, He is gone. The BoM talks about the people not wanting Him to leave after He spent a day with them, so I understand Mary and her feelings. I am so grateful that she would see Him again and be comforted. But ultimately, He must leave her, and she must continue to grow and develop with the aid of the Holy Ghost, just like all of us.
I reread D&C 138 and pondered Jesus in the Spirit World. Due to this revelation and other modern revelations, we know so much, yet we are left with many questions. Could Jesus only appear in the Spirit World as a Spirit? Once resurrected, does one move on from preaching in the Spirit World? Were those chosen to preach asked to wait to be resurrected when everyone there was looking forward to it? Do we get to be missionary couples in the Spirit World? How do we find those wanting to hear? Is it trial and error like here on Earth, or are people waiting in line? Are we allowed to teach those for whom we performed proxy temple work? We do not know many things about the next life, helping us focus on the few essential things we know and need to believe.
Church was great. I love playing Easter hymns. However, I botched the Sacrament Song, the easiest hymn I played today. The congregation was so reverent during the prelude. They were well prepared. Two great talks were given, and we were edified.
President Neilson had 2 groups with 11 people before we arrived at 1 p.m. We sat until 3:45 without visitors and ended our shift with 15 people in 4 groups. We had Dave McDowell and his family. What a treat to have our friends come to the site. I was with them for 2/3 of the tour, and then others came in, and I took care of them. It was a blessed day. We have set up to have dinner with them and a tour of Topsfield, Mass., home of the Smith clan.
After our shift, the missionaries gathered at Neilson's house. There was too much good food, for Easter dinner, and it was just fun to be with the group. (Is it possible to have too much good food?)
1-Aprie-2024-Monday
This is no April Fool’s joke. My computer is so slow that I cannot type on my blog. Time to restart. Amazing what a restart can do.
We had a great morning. After training, I came home to create a new schedule for Q2. It took an hour. Glad that happens only once per quarter.
We had a great afternoon after the Hoopes had a great morning. We took over a family, grandma, and three grandsons and spent a delightful hour with them. They were descendants of Hyrum Smith, so at the Restoration Board, I asked them to look for times Hyrum was involved in Joseph's life, as shown on the board. That was fun. Next, a couple came in who had questions and were delightful to answer questions rather than give a tour. Dede took care of a single young lady. We then had two vans and a car pull up. Two different families. One had fifteen, the other 6. Both delightful. I took the smaller group, and Dede entertained the larger group with more kids. So fun. Dede continued working with the larger group, and I finished my group when another delightful family came in. (I actually thought they were part of Dede's large family.) I started giving them a tour when the oldest son looked outside and said, "Is that Tanner?" He ran outside to greet his neighbor, who had been in Dede's group. Such a small world.
We did not get through until 5:30. We have been kept overtime two nights in a row. What a blessing. It will be easy to change to 6 pm on May 1. We did not have time to catch our breaths today. I loved it. I could hope every day would be like this until we leave, but it won't be, and I will be content with what God gives us.
We have made plans to look at waterfalls tomorrow. It is supposed to be a warm day, and I am excited to do this with Dede. Wednesday, we are expecting snow. We plan to go to the temple but might drive home in poor weather.
Next Monday is predicted to be sunny. I hope so. Dede has permission to go north to see a total eclipse while I manage the site. Hope it goes well for her.
2-April-2024-Tuesday
Within 15 minutes of arriving at the site, we had a family of nine. They were from Utah. Husband and wife with 4 children, the husband's parents, and her mom. They were so fun to have. The youngest was full of energy but still excellent. The couple have been discussing a senior mission. She is nervous about leaving the grandchildren who live close to her, dominating her current life. He wants to do an 18-month Spanish-speaking mission. She does not speak Spanish. I see that often. The husband wants to repeat his mission and does not think how hard it would be on someone who does not speak the language. I wish them the best.
We hoped this indicated another busy day, but they were our guests for the day. I almost said only guests, but we feel blessed to have had this family. I show my ingratitude when I complain about a lack of people. If God were not perfect, he would have a headache, pounding His head against a celestial wall every time I show my lack of gratitude.
It was a beautiful day. Although primarily sunny, the forecast declared it was cloudy. The temperature was about 50 degrees. Tomorrow, we have a winter storm warning with a prediction of 4.35 inches of wet snow and 6.4 inches on Thursday. We were grateful to have a beautiful afternoon and headed north to see the waterfalls. This is the time of year to do this. The rivers and streams have abundant water, and the trees lack leaves and do not block the view. We traveled back roads, made several hikes, and enjoyed the day thoroughly. We also saw a snapping turtle crossing the road to another pond. Hope he did not get run over.
As we drove, there were signs every 10 miles saying. Solar Eclipse Monday, expect delays. I do not know how many will come to Vermont. The latest prediction is cloudy during the eclipse, whereas it predicted clear skies yesterday. Regardless, if people have made plans, they will surely come. Dede plans to drive north and park in the Church's parking lot. She should be safe, and there should be enough parking for her.
I will share pictures from today.
At bedtime, it started snowing but not sticking. The middle picture above shows the snow at 9 this morning. About 1-2 inches were on the ground and on the car. By 1 p.m., well over a foot of snow was on the vehicle. We came up to the site and shoveled snow. They had shoveled 3 hours earlier. As we shoveled, it would slide off the roof and sometimes bury the sidewalk we had just cleared.
The first photo above shows a poor robin sitting in a tree, trying to stay dry. I felt for it. Highway 14 had been cleared by cars that proceeded us but not plowed. Dairy Hill Road was merely two tracks from two cars. I am unsure what we would have done had we needed to pass a car coming from another direction. We are at the site, but doubting anyone will come. Still, we will leave the sidewalks cleared to be ready for guests tomorrow. I have better internet here than at home, so I will work here for a bit before shoveling again.
We have had two good storms in about two weeks, with over three feet of snow between the two. Had we received these earlier, before it was warm, it would have been an entertaining winter. As it is, we can merely enjoy it for a day or two before it melts away.
Believing no one would come due to snow, I began working on my "monument people." Suddenly, I heard Dede speaking to people, and a wonderful family of three entered. They had been there before, but after closing time, they wanted to have a tour. Obviously, they feared we would be closed due to snow. I was delighted we remained, as Neilson needed to run errands. We were halfway through the tour when a family of four came in. Nonmembers were traveling south on I-89 when they were forced to exit due to an accident and travel on Vt-14. When they saw the Joseph Smith sign, the daughter asked if they could stop as she had just learned about Joseph Smith in school. How can I doubt that God can perform miracles? It is as though He took their hands and led them to us. Will they join the Church? I do not know, but perhaps someday they will get another chance, then another, and they will want to feel the Spirit they felt today every day. How can a puny man ever hope to understand the wisdom of an all-knowing God?
5-April-2024-Friday
I was on Saturday all day today. Sometimes, it is hard to remember the day as there is not much difference between days.
It was warm. However, we awoke to a lack of internet. I am sure this measures up as one of the greatest calamities of all time! We went to the site 30 minutes early to use the internet. Upon arrival, there was snow to remove and walking to be done, but I finished by 10:30, so I utilized the internet on my project.
The highlight was the two groups coming in toward the end of our shift. One was a family from Utah. The oldest daughter had married a young man from Mass., and they are fixing up a multi-unit in Plainfield, VT. He is either not a member or very new, but he was willing to hear and share his thoughts. She is firm in the gospel. It was a great visit. We also had a couple who had driven out from Utah. They did not have definite plans for their trip, and we left them in the capable hands of the Hoopes at the end of our shift.
We came home with no internet, so Dede took me back to the site, and she went shopping in Lebanon. The Hoopes have not had power for two days, and Dede invited them to eat at our house. They plan to stay in a motel for a second night. The power outages were massive across the state with the heavy snow. Much worse than the 22 inches of dryer snow last week.
We returned to the site and, on our way home, saw that the Hoopes had power. New York had a 4.8 earthquake. We did not notice it. Not much damage resulted; it is just so unusual for the area.
6-April-2024-Satuday
With a few doubts, because we would be traversing dirt roads after our storms, we headed to Silloway Maple to enjoy a creamee. The roads were okay, and a chocolate creamee was great. I cannot go into this place without leaving with gratitude to see the kindness these people show to everyone who walks in. It reminds me of walking into the Wahlens' homes.
We took Hoopes and Neilsons a chocolate creamee. Hoopes kindly told us to stay home until the end of the first session (2 pm) before coming up. Thus, we saw the entire session. I loved the session. It does not seem like much, but I marveled that this First Presidency allowed the responsibility to roll from their shoulders to the Quorum of the Twelve. I remember once, when President Hinckley was the lone counselor for the second time, he asked the President of the Quorum to conduct a meeting. But this spread it out further.
President Holland was superb. I have been pondering his talk. I thought he was being humorous about not being allowed to speak for several conferences and that there was a trap door with a fragile latch under him as he was speaking. Also, he was the first speaker at the conference. However, when he closed by saying he had weeks, perhaps months, left to serve the Lord, I think he was preparing the Church for his death, which will sadden so many in the Church. We all hope to hear him speak one more time, followed by one more time...
I was saddened President Neilson was not in attendance but happy he attended the afternoon session. President Eyring prepared his speech and recorded it ahead of time. He told stories about his Ricks College days and the Teton Flood that he has shared before, but that touched me. It reminded me of so many talks where he added more details. He learned so much from that experience. On the flood day, we, scouts and adults from the ward, floated the Snake River in canoes. We were on a different branch and safe, but we were shocked to get in the truck and hear on the radio that a wall of water was coming down the Snake River. We had no idea where the Teton Dam was located and thought perhaps our friends and families were in danger. We made it home safely, but the day was in my mind as Eyring spoke.
We arrived at 2 p.m. and enjoyed 30 guests during our shift. With the 13 the Hoopes had, we set another 2024 record with 43. Hopefully, the Hoopes will break the record again tomorrow. Spring break is helping us, but everyone we talked to today was in the Northeast because of the eclipse on Monday. I do not expect Monday to be a busy day for us, perhaps first thing in the morning, but we are not on the path of totality, just 97% darkness, so people will be further north seeking totality.
We had a delightful visit with Neilsons at the end of the day. They will be glad to have us leave and allow them to enjoy their lives without being bothered by our visits. After noting that we had been swamped with people during the afternoon conference, he asked an interesting question: "Why would people who want to attend a Church Site not want to view the General Conference?" I am sure the reasons are many. We are glad to be serving and providing tours. But the question leaves me to ponder what is essential in my life. I have never traveled on Conference Weekend without watching. However, I attended Church on a Sunday morning and continued my vacation. Was this the same? I do not have a good answer. When we finally get everyone together for a vacation, we want to utilize every moment, and I am sure this is the same for others. At Judgment Day, will this be a question I will need to answer? People called the site and asked if we were open during the Conference. They seemed surprised that we were. I would be surprised if we were not. We had the Conference playing in the theater. We did not ask anyone if they wanted to listen instead of touring, but no one asked about it.
This year, Dede and I are lucky. We will only miss one session of the conference. We will listen to that session before Sunday ends. I will be happy to view the next conference in MDT. It seems strange to watch the morning session at noon and have the final session start at 8 pm.
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