June started off really great... We had stake conference, and our vising authority was Elder Richard G. Hinckley. He gave some awesome council. He also spent a little time talking about his dad, President Gordon B. Hinckley. That was so neat. Pres. Hinckley underwent Chemotherapy for 2 years. As a consequence he didn't have much of an appetite. His kids would take turns taking dinner to his house and making sure he ate at least a little bit. On one occasion one of his kids asked him if he thought we would have food in heaven, to which he replied, "I don't know, but if we do I sure hope we don't have to do our own dishes." There you have it... if the prophet can hate dishes, I can too.
We also had visiting Elder Seldon. He's an area authority. He is from Ohio, was the president of the Kirtland Stake for many years. He was funny. He said, "My mother raised 5 sons... She ran a frat house. I had an uncle with 7 daughters... He was an alcoholic." As one of 8 girls (and one boy) I could really appreciate this sentiment. When I shared that with my dad, he just nodded his head and said, "Yep!" It was funny.
The kids did 2 weeks of swimming lessons. They loved it! Natalie is so little that she has a hard time getting her feet out behind her to really kick and go anywhere. I think I am going to have them both repeat the class they did this year when I sign them up next time, just to be sure they are really comfortable with things before they move on.
For Chad and me, much of June was spent preparing to go with the youth in our stake on the Pioneer Trek Youth Conference, which was June 30 thru July 3. Talk about an amazing experience. We were a Ma and Pa, which meant we were primarily responsible for 8 youth for the 4 days. We had the best family... we couldn't have picked a group that was more fun, yet they also knew how to turn off the silliness when it was time to be serious. We always had stray kids--the friends of our kids that would come over and visit. One they named Mowgli (like from the Jungle Book) because he was always in our family. But they were fun kids and we had a BLAST!
(This is our family)
The first day of the trek we met and got to know each other, and then traveled to Sage Creek campground. The second day we pushed and pulled our handcarts for 14 miles. We crossed Rocky Ridge, which is the highest point on the Mormon train. Its also the point in the trail that was fatal for many members of the Willie Handcart company. It was not as difficult as we had expected, quite honestly. But we had perfect weather, and we were well rested, and we were well fed. It was humbling to imagine doing the same thing on an empty stomach when there was 18 inches of snow on the ground, when you were already completely exhausted. We also crossed 7 mud puddles. And when I say mud puddles I mean, 5 feet wide and 2 feet deep, thick black mud. What an adventure that was. I only went through one, and it was tough. We had to take off our shoes, and when I got done my foot was bleeding, still not sure where from. I lost my balance, and almost sat in the mud, but caught myself just in time. The day was long, but it was also fun to sing songs and laugh and joke, but also feel the Spirit. That night we camped in Rock Creek Hollow, where 13 members of the Willie Company were buried in a mass grave. What a neat Spirit was there. We had a great talk with our group that night, just talking about the whole day and the things we were experiencing. I could tell you about it, but even if I did you still wouldn't get how awesome it was.
(Thru the mud)
(Me, post-mud puddle)
(The Common Grave at Rock Creek Hollow)
The next morning we got up, broke camp, and traveled (in cars) to Martins Cove. We re-loaded our handcarts to hike back into the Cove, and then on to our campground. We went about 5 miles that day. It was really, really hot. After lunch we crossed the Sweetwater. The water was really high this year... it came up to my hip. It was so neat to see fathers carrying daughters across, brothers carrying sisters, husbands carrying wives. There was a kid from our ward who has a prosthetic leg, just below his knee. He took off his prosthesis and hopped across that river, with one had on a rope that was strung across, and the other holding on to the arm of a leader from our ward. It was awesome. Shortly after the river crossing the clouds started moving in and the wind picked up. Just as it started raining we stopped and the men were called out to the Mormon Battalion. The women had to pull their own handcarts up this crazily steep, soft, soft, sandy hill. The men were standing at the top, watching, and they were allowed to help or encourage or talk. All they could do was stand there. And watch. As we struggled up this steep hill. In what was not pelting rain. While thunder and lightning are crashing all around us. If you looked up, you would see these 15 and 16 and 17 year-old guys with tears running down their faces. About half way up, our handcart got stuck. Our tarp, which had been haphazardly thrown over the top of our stuff, was way too big and half of it was dragging on the ground. Then some girls who had already reached the top came down and helped up pull it over the boulder we were stuck on and get back up. It was intense. as I'm sitting here typing this, I can feel the stress of it all over again. Once all the girls were to the top, the boys rejoined us, and we went the 2 miles to our campground. Before we had gone a mile, the rain stopped and the sky cleared. That was the only rain the entire day.
That evening I found a tick in my leg. UGH! Fortunately I have my own personal trained medical professional that was able to extract it for me (that would be my husband, for anyone that doesn't know that). Then we had a campfire and stayed up laughing and talking with our kids. Even after we got inside of our tents, they continued talking and laughing and teasing. Chad and I lay in our own tent just laughing because they were so funny. The next day they said, "We heard you guys laughing" and we just had to tell them it was because they were SO FUNNY!! It was so great.
Friday morning we got up, broke camp--again--and headed back to the Visitors Center and had a testimony meeting. It was awesome to see those kids apply their experiences on the trek to their own lives and see how they were affected. There were a few who, the entire week, kind of had this "I'm too cool for this. I am so not into this" attitude, and by the end of the week, they were playing a different tune. They were touched too. It was incredible. After that we had lunch and came home. I wasn't ready for it to be over, although I was ready to put on jeans instead of pioneer clothes, and take a shower (my fingernails were so dirty!) and see my own babies. But life must go on.
If any of you ever get a chance to participate in something like this, I would encourage you to jump at the opportunity. It was so incredible. While my own testimony was strengthened, the best part for me was seeing how the Spirit influenced those kids.
That night we were telling Caleb and Natalie about what we'd been doing. They soaked it in. So we decided to take them back out there the next day. It was neat to try to help them understand what the pioneers went thru. As we were walking, the kids were starting to wear down. So we tried to help them understand how tired the pioneer children must have been. I said, "Imagine having to walk all the way to Granny's house. What would that be like?" There wasn't as much complaining after that.
(This is the family--minus Claire who was sleeping in the stoller--sitting at one of the statues depicting the Sweetwater Crossing rescuers)
