Hegsted's Mission. Week 92
28-April-2024 - Sunday
What a fun day! The roads to Rutland were empty, but the church's parking lot was filled with cars. We had several visitors today. Good meetings. Dede led the music in primary and so we sang and sang and sang. The drive to the site was uneventful, although people were out enjoying the weather. We missed the rain coming and going, but it started again right at the end of our shift.
We arrived at the site 15 minutes early and enjoyed two young women (ages 15 and 16). One is from Sharon, VT, and the other is from Finland. The Finnish girl told her religion teacher that Joseph Smith was born near Sharon; she was in Sharon as an exchange student for two weeks. The teacher asked her to prepare a report on Joseph Smith. What a beautiful start. We could share everything and keep tying it to her assignment. The girls asked great questions and were so attentive. I spoke for 20 minutes, and then Dede came in and provided insight from the woman's perspective. They walked out with three BoMs, one in Finnish and a pamphlet about Joseph Smith. Right before we left, we got a call from the local Elders. The mom of the children wanted to know about the nice couple from Idaho that had given the girls the BoMs. Hope they were not offended. At the end of the tour, we found out the parents had been sitting in the car waiting. I hope the parents were not offended.
Our next group was an Auntie with her four nieces and nephews. Not a member, she believes it is her duty to take these charges to religious sites and to any Church since the parents do not take their children. She is from Texas, but the kids like her. She also bribes with ice cream. At first, they just wanted to look around, and the oldest boy was standoffish. However, the more we talked, the more they were drawn in, especially the young boy, Peter, who wanted to attend any Church with his Auntie and would like to go weekly. We talked to him specifically when the older boy went to the bathroom. By the end, all were involved. The bottom line is that they left with three BoMs (one for the Auntie) and two BoMs and Bibles for the kids. I also gave them two "Joseph Smith Tells His Own Story" pamphlets. I took the group down to the foundations. People seemed to feel the Spirit firmly there, and I was glad we went. The Auntie loved the story about Solomon Mack, the indentured servant who writes his own book about his conversion and shares it with his neighbors. The mom of the children wanted to know about the nice couple from Idaho that had given the girls the BoMs. Hope they were not offended. Dede had a group at the monument (the auntie above) while I spoke with a man who had stopped a week ago.
He wanted to show me that he followed up with the Smith family plaque in Topsfield, and he showed me a picture and then left. He left his card the last time he came, so I texted him a thank you note. God must be moving him. I invited him to return and enjoy the Spirit of the site.
Dede had two women come in. One will be a single-sister missionary in Montreal, Canada. Her friend drove out with her and will fly home. The missionary is from Utah, and the friend is from Texas. That is a sacrifice. Dede gave them the "two dollar tour," which included everything. They were delightful. Dede even took them down in the golf cart.
Meanwhile, four or more cars pulled in, and 15 people headed for the monument. I went to greet them and had the time of my life. They were from all over the USA. They came together for training in a "think tank" group promoting socialism that allows economic growth. They represented many faiths and beliefs. One was an agnostic, another was a Moonie, and another a Wickam. Many were Christians, but one group appeared to be from India. They were spending their "day off," and someone from Bethel suggested they visit the site. It was a wonderful experience to be asked so many questions from such a diverse group.
I had them sit along the walls surrounding the monument and begin to tell them why we know Joseph was a prophet and what he accomplished in his life. (It seemed like an old-fashioned first discussion to me.) They then started to ask questions. Excellent questions about the Church, polygamy, the United Order, Genealogy, Work for the Dead, and why the Church went to Utah. There were many agendas, but all were polite, and many were attentive. There were no confrontations; it was an exchange of knowledge, and I loved it. I have never had my picture taken so many times. One lady who asked many questions told me afterward she bought a home in Moab, Utah. I hope I assured her she would be safe in the "heart of the Church." Another wanted to know if the Church was involved in rendering aid after a crisis. I assured him we were involved, and he plans to contact the Church to see if his Church can join forces with ours. I do not know how long we visited, but it was probably an hour. I then found out about their "mission." In the end, the group from India asked for BoMs and Bibles. Until today, I have never given out a Bible; today, I gave out four.
We ended the day with a sweet family of 5 who brought in their friend from Spain. The family has been here before. All are members. The friend did not speak English, so I gave abbreviated reports, and the wife translated. He is from Utah, and she is from Spain. Three small children. The middle has suffered from cancer and is finally doing better. He teaches Spanish at a boarding school but needs to find employment that supports his growing family. Teaching them was a tender experience. I took them down below, and as we came up, it began to rain, and as we got inside, it began to pour. Perfect timing.
We have been so blessed this week with people. We do not deserve these bounteous blessings. We can only hope that we are blessing the lives of people who come in, that members will strengthen their testimonies, and that nonmembers will feel the love of the Savior on the dedicated land of the Joseph Smith Birthplace. We are, at best, tools in the hand of the master teacher, our Savior.
During this entire time, our phones were "blowing up" as our children began planning for Brynlee's blessing. What a treat.
29-April-2024-Monday
How grateful I am for repentance. It is Tuesday morning, and I repent that I once again failed to write my blog when I had a chance but used my time doing other activities.
In the morning, Dede and I took the Neilsons and Hoopes on the golf cart and shared items they would not be aware of with them. Hoopes came in October and Neilsons in February, so they had little or no time to explore below. And, incomprehensible to me, some people do not feel a great urge to be down there,
We had a wonderful couple come into the site. They were members and so kind and gracious. They are fulfilling the wife's desire to visit all 50 state capital buildings. Shockingly, Vermont's was closed for security issues. They have the most lax security I have ever seen, but apparently, someone called in a bomb threat to many capitals.
I found an excellent article about Junius F. Wells, who built the monument. This fills the remainder of the day, so you can skip to the next day if you do not care about Junius.
The JOSEPH SMITH MONUMENT at South Royalton
By JUDGE A. G. WHITHAM
In the spring of 1894, the quiet little community of South Royalton, nestling in a right-hand pocket of the beautiful White River valley of Vermont, was electrified by the advent into its midst of a western gentleman of the old school—courteous, kind, courageous, enterprising, educated Junius F. Wells. He had been called by the Authorities of the Church to erect a monument at the birthplace of the Prophet Joseph Smith. This was a mission dear to his heart, and when your heart is in something you wish to do, you do it with all your might to make it a success. That was Junius Wells; he was indefatigable in finding what he wanted to make his life's project successful. He did it.
At first, there was some stir of opposition in Vermont when it became known what Junius Wells had come to do. Some regarded it as a slur on the community. They did not favor erecting such a monument in Vermont, but no one could long entertain hard feelings where Junius Wells was concerned. He won the esteem and outright affection of everyone he approached. On the way to school, children would watch for Junius Wells and run to meet him, glad to be spoken to by him. The remarkable thing was that he seldom forgot the name of any child he met—he knew them all. The boys, as well as the girls, were welcomed by their own first names. It also had to be admitted that Vermont was the original starting point of this religion, which had grown and blossomed in the Salt Lake Valley to such vast proportions. Their second great leader, Brigham Young, came from the little town of Whitingham in the southern part of Vermont.
The old farmhouse where Joseph Smith first saw the light of day was on Dairy Hill. Throughout the spring, Junius, his horse "Old George," and the top buggy were a familiar sight as he drove back and forth from his hotel to Dairy Hill and vicinity. He had a busy time looking up land titles and boundaries. When Joseph Smith was born, the farmhouse was located in Sharon, but it was later discovered that the boundary between Royalton and Sharon had been changed more than once by various surveys made at intervals. As finally established, the town line runs outside the foundations of the old house, close to the old cellar wall which remained standing. The monument's site was determined to be just over the town line in Sharon.
"A NEWS ITEM recently appeared in this paper that William H. Reeder, Jr., president of the New England Mission of the Church of Jesus Christ, Latter-day Saints of America, had effected the purchase of the Lottie J. Salter premises on the Chelsea Road, South Royalton, for a religious center and mission of the Great Salt Lake Church, sometimes called the "Mormon" Church of Utah.
It took Junius some little time to find what he wanted in the way of a stone for the monument. He was looking for a piece of granite large enough to cut to proper form and be thirty-eight and one-half feet long—a foot for each year of the Prophet's life. It is symbolic, perhaps, that the big stone was finally located on the quarry ground of the far-famed Marr and Gordon quarry in Barre, Vermont. It was a stone forty-six feet long from which the main shaft of the monument was cut.
Law graduate in the office of Tarbell and Whitham. He is now advanced in years but remembers.
well, his association with Junius Wells in helping to clear titles and arrange for details of the
Enterprise. Judge Whitham still holds a very high regard for Elder Wells.—J. D."
—Vermont newspaper, Vol. LXXI—No. 52—3749; White River Valley Herald of September
And worked to completion. It is one of the finest [and perhaps the tallest] single shafts of polished granite ever erected.
NOT until the summer of 1905 was the great stone ready to leave the granite sheds of Barre for transportation to Royalton. It required the genius of a man of Wells type and experience to arrange for the transportation of such a large, heavy stone. The elevation at the railway station is six hundred feet above sea level, and the elevation where the monument was to stand atop Dairy Hill was nine hundred feet. The approach was up a rather steep, not too good, dirt highway. The question of the little wooden bridge across the first branch of the White River at South Royalton was overcome in true Western style by the energetic Wells. He got permission from the town authorities to shore up the bridge. This was done by a trestle built under the floor. It was an old covered bridge, so some overhead cross timbers had to be removed to allow passage for some of the large base stones.
The matter of motive power to move such a heavy weight over the then dirt road was a big problem. But like all the other problems, that too was overcome by the ambitious Wells. Eight horses, then twelve, were hitched to the great wagon brought for the purpose. The wagon wheels had tires twenty inches wide, and the axles were eight inches in diameter. Finally, twenty-two horses had to be used. Eventually, a block and tackle or windlass arrangement had to be resorted to before that immense load was finally carried to the top of Dairy Hill.
Some of the way, a gang of young men were kept busy from morning to night laying hardwood planks for the big tires to run on so they wouldn't sink into the soft road. It was a red-letter occasion when that procession of a great wagon with a twenty-two-horse team began its trek down the main road. People came from long distances to witness it. Junius Wells himself was as much of a drawing card as his grand procession. Everyone wanted to see this Western gentleman who could order and direct such a stupendous business. He was agreeable, halting many times amid his busy directing to answer questions popped at him by men and women who had come to witness this remarkable feat.
Some of the questions asked were personal. A great many had to do with the thoughts: "What are these 'Mormons' going to do next?" "Will they try to run this country?" "Who told them they could come here?" The question of plural marriage sometimes came up. Junius Wells never showed the slightest peeve or dudgeon to all such gibes and questioning. Every answer was presaged by a smile or a cheery greeting.
THE grand caravan wound slowly up the stiff grade along the narrow highway with the aid of men, horses, windlass, toil, and sweat until it came to the McIntosh farm. Here, it had to turn off across a meadow before reaching its resting place on the Sharon knoll. Time was running short. It was arranged that the monument's dedication was to take place on December 23, 1905, the anniversary of the birth of the Prophet Joseph Smith, and it was now mid-December. A little swamp hole in the meadow became a severe difficulty. Stones were dumped into the hole. They sank from sight. An effort was made to build a corduroy road across the swamp, but every time it was tried, it went down the quicksand. As Junius said, "My heart sank with it." He was truly disturbed. Not often did you see that courageous spirit so down. His efforts had failed. With all the horses and men at his disposal, he could not cross the diabolical little swamp hole in his path.
That night, some friends gathered to console him. They asked, "What will you do about it now, Mr. Wells?" Junius never showed ostentation about his religion or tried at any of his views on others, but he was of a profoundly religious nature, time to force h there can be no doubt. After thanking them cordially for their evident kind interest, he quietly said, "Gentlemen, do you.
believe in answers to prayer?" Some allowed, maybe they did; some snickered a little, and others looked ashamed and said nothing. Junius wished them all a good night and said, "I am going to pray about it." He did. His great heart burst forth its petition to the Unseen. In all sincerity and truth, he asked meekly and humbly for the help of the great Forgiver and Lover of humanity. For some time, the neighbors congratulated Junius on the fine "Mormon weather" he had brought. Day after day was sunny, warm, and pleasant—ideal for outdoor work. During the night that his friends had left him on his knees in fervent prayer to the God in whom he so devoutly believed, the thermometer dropped thirty or more degrees. When Junius arrived at the swamp hole the following day, it was frozen solid. The horses neighed, the whips cracked, and without further ado, the great wagon with its load rode over the hole without a hitch.
When the foundation for the base of the monument was laid, an aperture of about two feet square was left in the center of the base before the upper base stone was laid over it. Then, Mr. Wells called on his clerical help and had them issue an invitation to all the local celebrities, judiciary, lawyers, doctors, merchants, and rank and file, bidding them to meet him at his hotel for a party. Everyone was requested to bring articles such as a Bible, photographs of their families, trinkets, books, or old newspapers. Before taking leave of the party, all lined up single file to pass by the table in the center of the room whereon sat a shiny copper box. As each guest passed by, he or she dropped the souvenir or article brought with him into the box; these, together with copies of the affidavits showing the site of the birthplace of the Prophet and a statement concerning the erection of the monument, were dropped into the box. It was then soldered shut. In the morning, Junius laid the box gently and reverently in the aperture at the base of the great monument. It was then cemented in and covered for all time with the extensive base and monument above. It was a great thought of a great personality. Some of the boys called him "Genius Wells."
30-April-2024-Tuesday
The month of April has escaped us. It flew by too swiftly.
After a busy weekend, Dede and I have been slow at the site. We had one member who came in for the second consecutive Tuesday. She has had hip and knee replacements and has not attended Church for some time. She loves the feeling at the site, and who would not want to be around Dede.
After our shift and gabbing with the Neilsons, we walked Queeche Gorge. We have not been there since the floods of last July closed the trail. It is open, but the damage and the level of flooding is impressive. It must have been 15 to 20 feet above the current level. Trees are down everywhere. It was a marvelous walk. With many trees removed, it is easier to see the Gorge.
We went to the dams and falls in the area. The water was high, and the falls were spectacular, including the one by the Taftsville-covered bridge.
Some pictures:
1-May-2024-Wednesday
Beautiful May Day! Boston is two weeks ahead of Vermont, and the trees are blooming, and the leaves are beginning to burst forth. It was a joy to be in Boston today. The drive down was uneventful. The sessions built up my Spirit again. I was grateful to tell Dede that the creation story had six full days this week. Last week, I missed two days when I fell asleep.
Most importantly, today, our miracle grandson Kal turned two years old. What a joy to our family, as are all our grandchildren.
We went to Costco for the last prescriptions in Boston. We will have enough to get us home and reestablish ourselves at the Pocatello, Costco. We also ate lunch at a nearby Italian chain restaurant. Afterward, we walked along the Charles River in Waltham. Waltham appears to be an old city. The river supplied water for mills, although the drop is not significant. For this reason, people left Waltham and moved to Lowell, where the river drops about 30 feet over a quarter mile, providing more power for mills. We enjoyed the walk.
We headed home, and as we approached NH, Dede asked, "Are you avoiding stopping for ice cream?" I had totally forgotten. Luckily, she is the navigator and corrected course to take us to eat homemade Puritan Ice Cream. Made the day better.
2-May-2024-Thursday
It was a lovely day. I opened the windows upstairs wide to allow the breeze in, as the house was hot last night. We are in between seasons, and the radiator is still running downstairs, and the heat rises to the bedrooms.
I spent a great deal of time on my monument workers' document. I am now editing and resizing everything to separate people into pages that could be distributed if desired. For the most part, I have cut and pasted information, so I am not spending the time editing as I would if it were original work. I still hope to complete it before Anna arrives in mid-May.
Dede involved me in decision-making today. She was preparing to ship things home, and I had to break away and determine if I wanted to keep stuff or ship it home. We have collected too much to fit in a car that was overloaded when we came. Ideally, we can see out the back window when we drive, but I will believe that when I see it.
We had a great phone conversation with Jake today. We were checking up on Dede's vacation fund and our funds in general. Listening to the news, the world is ending, but Jake assured us we still have enough to survive and even take a vacation.
It was slow. We had a delightful couple from St. George, UT. We gave them a full tour with the cart ride. We changed to a 6 p.m. closing yesterday to prepare for summer. The web page has not been updated, although I was able to update Google Maps, which many people use. It will pick up soon.
There is always a bright side. I got in my steps and worked on the document. Tonight, Dede made sweet and sour meatballs from rice. Life is good. It is a time that I would like to freeze so that we never lose the joy we feel right now. However, in two months, I will enter a time when I will want to freeze and never leave when I am with children and grandchildren. Hopefully, we will spend the remainder of our lives living each moment to its fullest.
A few pictures from the site. I love spring:
3-May-2024-Friday
It was hard to write May. My brain is still in April. We had wonderful people at the site today. The first couple are serving at the Priesthood Restoration Site. They were delightful, and it was fun to swap tales. They were at the PRS when one of the missionaries died in the night. Their phones were off, and they did not know the sister was trying to get help. How sad. She went home, and it sounds like she received tremendous support from her home ward and stake.
Meanwhile, the couple had one week in which they were the only missionaries at the site and were on 7-hour shifts each day until another couple came to the site. Even then, they were down one couple from what they usually had, and it was a struggle. They are now fully staffed, so they could take a break and come and visit us.
We had a "couple" from Holland. Not sure of their status. She translates for the Church during General Conference. They had fun things to share. We had 10 young missionaries come in, and several other people came. We were busy enough, and we did not have time to eat.
We took President Neilson to see where Hyrum was born and other things in the Tunbridge area. He was less than impressed and did not want to take Elder Martinez to these sites. I am not surprised. For me, seeing such places makes history feel real. But most sane people see a hole in the ground where a house stood and question why any person would find that interesting.
We came home, ate, changed clothes, and went to Old City Falls. It was technically closed, but we walked down. It is such a lovely place. The waterfalls were running full, and I was grateful to see them again. We met a mother-daughter pair on the way out who asked for directions. The mother was carrying a 15-inch club to fend off bears. I hope she did not see one.
We drove home via back roads, and it was lovely. We realized we did not have enough steps when we arrived home, so we went to the site. We walked over to Camp Joseph to say hi to the Gillespies, who recently became camp hosts. They seem overwhelmed today, but it will all work out. They have no one to talk to about problems. They do not have a list of tasks for opening the camp. They expected help I would not have expected, so they are just trying to figure out their job.
Pictures from the day.
4-May-2024-Saturday
I am ready to call it quits on my monument workers' document. With all of the quotes, Grammarly went crazy. Acceptable grammar in 1911 is unacceptable today; many of my quotes were from this period. I did a final read-through, ensured the page breaks were correct, and printed a copy. I will print several more but do not plan to edit further. This is good, as Anna will soon be here and I need to pay attention to other things.
We had 6 people come in in three different groups. We were busy until nearly 5 pm. We ate lunch, left at 6 pm to pick up the Roberts, and traveled to Legendary for ice cream. They are wonderful people, and becoming further acquainted with them is excellent.
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