Hegsted's Mission Week 97

  2-June-2024-Sunday

I wrote 2 January by mistake.  I am so conflicted about going home.  Excited to see family, but sad to leave, thus I do not want to admit it is June.

The Browns came to the Rutland Branch this morning. I hope they love it as much as we do. I took the new hymns and played many for the prelude. There are wonderful additions. Next week we will sing, "Come Thou Fount."  The Neilsons had three groups and we finished one group by taking them to the foundations. We were then busy the entire shift. It is that time of the year. If we were sitting bored every day it would be easier to leave. As it is, it will be harder.  We had a family from Idaho and New Hampshire. Always good to have Idahoans and the New Hampshire portion are friends with Dave and Stacey in Bow. Another treat.

With Anna here, we are way behind with blogs. We need to check a blog and get it out today to catch up even though we released one two days ago.  Sorry.

3-June-2024-Monday

It was hot (81 degrees), sunny, and muggy today. It was also the day we chose to plant the flowers at the site. Needless to say, it was probably good preparation for going to Disney with my family in July. There were more flowers this year than last. As is always the case, it takes longer to lay out the flowers than plant them. Unless Dede does it and she is fast.  I really like the methodology at the temple. They like to plant in groups of three and ensure there are no lines and no patterns. They expect plants will die and if there are no patterns or lines, it is difficult to see that a plant is missing. The opposite is true if one attempts to have lines and patterns.  Anyway, Dede laid out the monument quickly and then the flowerbeds beside the stairs. She then insisted that the two FM sisters lay out the large bed at the bottom of the drive. This gives them a chance to do a flowerbed as we will not be here for the next planting.  

President fed us hamburgers at lunch and we rehydrated ourselves.  I was dragging, but we finished all but two beds and they look great. Much more filled in than last year.  I think we either bought more flowers or were cheated last year.  Oh well.

Dede and I came home showered and returned to the site at 4 pm to relieve the Neilsons who had planted or manned the site all day. They are great people. They had a rush of people between 2 to 4, but we did not have anyone.

We have enjoyed watching fireflies the last two nights. Sunday night Sister Hoopes came to see them and last night the Roberts. I could not capture them in a photo to add to the blog. They do show up in videos. They must be all over Vermont, but we are lucky to have them next to our apartment.

I was dead after working. Dede never tires. However, we went to Lebanon to shop and ate at Jersey Mike's.  It was nice for Dede not to cook. I slept soundly.  I hope Dede did also.

4-June-2024-Tuesday

We were back at the site at 8 am.  Bob Arnold the FM manager asked Dede to lay out the last two beds so the FM missionaries could plant them this morning. We took the extra plants and distributed them in "holes" we saw around the monument and along the stairs. Also found a few plants that did not get put in the ground. It was a short period, but so humid, I required a shower before returning.

As we walked out the door, Dede handed me a letter from the IRS saying we owed them money. I knew this was wrong, but who wants to deal with the IR? When I did my taxes, I left a digit out of our account number. On April 16, Dede noticed nothing had been pulled from our bank account for taxes. I got online and paid them that morning. Unfortunately, the records were not merged and thus they wanted us to pay the original amount plus penalties.  Knowing all that, I had everything ready.  However, I would call and be told, we are too busy, please call again. (The letter said, we were already a day overdue.) That is frustrating. Twice I made it to on hold and was cut off. More frustration. May I add, that I think the IRS letter is shameful. The letter stated, we have misstated your payment and have reset it and now you owe. If you do not pay today, we will start adding interest. It is vague and threatening. I wonder how many old people like me, just panic and pay when it is a mistake? Calling was fun, they had many options, but it was not clear which option to choose and I tried several and was put on hold and disconnected. I finally found one that called me back and we worked it out. May I say adrenaline rush?  Glad the ordeal is over.

We had a slower morning and Dede took care of most while I sat on the phone. I did visit with a sweet lady at the monument while waiting for my call back. After 1 pm, we had a wonderful family from Rexburg, Idaho come in. The kids were attentive and had great answers. The parents were wonderful. One such visit can make your week, and some days we get multiple families and couples that bring the Spirit to us. Everyone should serve a senior mission if their health and finances allow. Pets and grandchildren would never allow a natural man or woman to go on a mission, but the benefits outweigh the sacrifices.  😀

5-June-2024-Wednesday PDAY

Left at 7 am. Traffic was heavier than normal, but we arrived at the temple by 9:30. I am struggling after planting the flower beds. I am stiff and tired (sleepy).  The sessions were good, but it was difficult to realize this was our last trip to the Boston Temple. We have many things to accomplish (i.e. cleaning and packing) and will not have time to return. We spoke to Dave and Stacy who were in the session. Some of the regular Wednesday attendees and several ordinance workers. We are leaving good friends behind.  

We drove to Saugus Iron Works. The national park runs the restored iron works complex built in what is now the USA. It was a large and technical operation. It ran for two decades and produced 8 tons of iron per day. However, it was never profitable. When it closed many of the workers moved to other locations and opened successful operations. Were they poor managers?  It is hard to say, but within a few years, the USA was producing 1/7th of all the world's iron/steel products.

We enjoyed two wonderful rangers as tour guides and had them alone the majority of the time although one man joined midway.  Thus we asked all our questions. We had time to take pictures and videos.  The site was chosen for the availability of water power, wood, bog iron, and transportation. They still have 7 water wheels, there were once 11 powering the equipment. Equipment included bellows for the furnaces and a 500-pound hammer. Two other wheels supplied power for rollers and splitters to create flat iron and iron nail rods. 

They imported English indentured servants and Scotts who were prisoners from the English Civil War. The ironworkers did not match the Puritans in their beliefs and standards. I wonder if many Puritans did not want them to fail and leave. Hard to say. Regardless it was fun to see some of the equipment function. They were repairing the hammer and two other water wheels. I would highly recommend this free NPS attraction.

6-June-2024-Thursday

We arrived at the site shortly before 11 am anticipating a group of youth on three busses.  They included 155 youths from the Highland area of Utah with their Chaperones and drivers.  Such well-behaved young people at their senior party. They had already been touring for a week but were polite and attentive. Over 50 had mission calls and it was growing as the tour proceeded. This gives me such great hope for the future. The Hoopes had already had a senior bus with 50+ people and several families came in at the same time.

Dede and I took a family to the foundations and gave them a tour, and they seemed happy. We then went home to eat before our 2 pm shift started. When the buses left, people no longer arrived. In the afternoon we had three guests. All were nonmembers. One has a friend on a mission in SLC and she determined she would take a picture at the site for her friend. This is so common. We do not comprehend the impact members have on nonmember friends.

We created one contact. He was preparing to pour a cement pad for a pavilion for picnickers at the site. I was asking about his work and his company.  He wanted to know about our Church.  Not too much, but a little. He has no church affiliation and thus no perceived perceptions. He was very professional in his work and I am glad he was doing the work. I doubt we will see the pavilion finished before we leave. 

The final gentleman is working on the railroad bridge over VT-14. This work started shortly after we arrived. In July, they will stop train traffic for three days and install the new bridge on the buttresses already in place. Currently, the road makes a sharp S-curve and only one car can pass under the bridge because the road is so narrow. No big deal when the bridge was built and horses and wagons were using the road, but bad for a highway today.  He has passed the Joseph Smith sign many times and decided to stop. Missionaries had given him a BoM. He was struggling with the book so we downloaded the BoM app so we could watch the videos that accompany the book. I hope in his spare time, he will use the App and gain a testimony of the BoM.

It rained Wednesday and today and the flowers look so healthy. What perfect timing.  

7-June-2024-Friday

We did not have visitors until after 11 am, but then had three wonderful groups of members.  We were busy the rest of the morning, turning our last couple over to the Hoopes at 2 pm when they came in for their shift.  It was a delightful morning.

I spoke with Bob Arnold and he will bring the carpet cleaner to our apartment, allowing us to move furniture and clean everywhere before we leave. We expect to depart in the morning of the 25th and the Cooks will arrive either that afternoon or the next morning, leaving little time for cleaning the carpet.

We did not have time to eat, so we went home to eat our packed lunch and then went to Lebanon. Dede had two boxes of books to be sent by US Mail as media, which made it cheaper. She also had 4 boxes of misc. boxes to ship home by UPS. That was much more expensive. 

Dede invited the Browns to eat dinner with us. She prepared spaghetti. sauce, and cheese bread along with a fabulous dessert. We downloaded to them the many places we thought they should visit.  If they accomplish our list, they will be busy.  

With leftover cake, we drove to the missionary homes to deliver. It had been raining and a beautiful multi-tiered rainbow appeared. While Dede took the cake to Neilsons, I drove up to take pictures of the monument with the rainbow in the background.  that was rewarding.

8-June-2024-Saturday

Dede was assigned to help the stake primary today in conjunction with their stake campout at Camp Joseph. As is often the case, things were running late, but she talked to the children about things they as children could do now related to the temple and Family History Work. They could read ancestor's stories, look at their pictures, find names for others to take to the temple, cut out the names used by others, and so forth. 

We had a slow afternoon shift. However, we had two groups of nonmembers that are worthy of mentioning.  The first group was from Singapore.  A mother and her two older children. He had a friend in Mass. who had a blog about Mormons. He did not say so, but presumably an anti-mormon blog. He asked reasonable questions, but seemed to already know what he expected to hear and then moved on to the next question. His mom told him he was rude. I had not thought him rude, just opinionated, similar to yours- truly.  He came in after looking at the monument to ask a final question and was off. I would like to know how rich they were. They were not overly dressed, but have been all over the USA and Singapore is a long flight away.  

The next couple were more fun. They were setting up at the monument and I joined them. He is a Catholic and she is a Methodist, but they describe themselves as Humanist Agnostics interested in people's beliefs. They seemed so sad and forlorn. She admitted she could see no purpose in her life or anyone else's and had a motto "Do not be an asshole."  As with many who visit the site, I feel they were looking for something firm to anchor their lives. We talked for 30 minutes, well past closing time and it made my day.