#47 Preparation for Summer Has Begun

Hello from beautiful and desolate Wyoming.

Monday we met in the barn for our last FHE with just the Winter Missionaries. We had barbeque ribs and invited some of the Sun Family (those that the Church purchased Martin's Cove homestead from).  They do not like big crowds and so we invited them to our small group activity instead of the large neighborhood group we had on Friday.

Elder Crist Playing His Harmonica at FHE.
 Sun Family on the Right

These Sisters worked hard to play the piano for our Sacrament and correlation meetings this Winter.  They were beginner one handed pianist that grew tremendously in their ability over the Winter.

Thank You Piano Cake.
Sister Bowden, Crist, Paul

It was great to welcome the returning missionaries.  These are the missionaries that were here last summer and decided to serve another summer.  Their return more than doubled our numbers.  Sacrament meeting felt like a regular church with so many sitting in the pews.  That will grow next week again, when we welcome some of our new first year missionaries on Wednesday.  Then we will receive more during April.  We will still be working on a skeleton crew.  Last year we were down about 15 couples from the year before and this year we will be down even more. Probably 10 less couples than last year. 

We had a great experience teaching family history in the Saratoga Ward on Wednesday evening.  Saratoga is about 85 miles from us, so it was late when we got home.  We used to think that we lived in the middle of nowhere, but we learned where the middle of nowhere really is.

Below is the only restaurant that we could find open in Saratoga at 5:00 pm before our family history presentation.  Good homemade food.

Firewater Restaurant in Saratoga, Wyoming

Friday all  missionaries were trained for the new season. It got us thinking ahead and getting geared up for the busy, busy summer.

Missionary Training; Sister Smart on 2nd Row

Saturday we invited lots of our neighbors over for dinner.  All the local ranchers, all friends (Baptists) in Alcova and some friends from Sixth Crossing came for a barbeque at the barn.  Lots of fun and good fellowship.

The neighborhood barbeque
Sister Smart is in line to get her share

As Visitors' Center coordinators, we are busily trying to get things in order with the Visitors' Center.  We want to do everything we can to make the Visitors' Center work efficiently with less missionaries.

We love Sundays here at the  homestead.  It is a spiritual uplift every week.  The lessons are so well presented and the spirit is so strong.  It is such a refreshing experience.  We are really blessed to live on sacred ground.  We just hope that we can be living right and still feel this spirit all the time when we return home.

We are anxious for conference this next weekend.  We encourage all to prayerfully prepare for it and watch all sessions.

Happy Birthday this week to Aaron Smart on March 30th.

Love you all,

Grandpa and Grandma, Mom and Dad, Paul and Annie, Elder and Sister Smart

George Albert Smith Monument Overlooking Martin's Cove

Last Week Before Summer Missionaries Start Coming #46

Another week, come and gone.  We continue to do the usual, but more attention has been focused on the returning missionaries.  We call these couples our second year missionaries because they served here last summer, went home, and are soon to be back.

New this week, on Monday, was the Casper  young missionaries who came here to help get our handcarts out of winter storage.

Missionaries Serve

Sister Missionaries Being Fed

This is the usual work that goes on -- scheduling, Sunday programs and a miriad of other office duties. 

Mission Secretary Hard at Work

Tuesday we were invied to have dinner with the Taylor's.  They hail from Soda Springs

Elder & Sister Taylor

Another exciting event this week was the capturing of our 20th mouse.  Sister Smart gets to bait the trap usually with "scrumptuous" peanut butter.  Elder Smart gets to do the dirty work of getting rid of "Mickey".  After 20 of them it's getting easier.

Gloves, Trap & Mickey

We got a little  more snow this week.  Nearly every morning, just in front of our house, seems like there's a gathering of deer.  Lately we've seen a couple dozen.

Deer

Ocassionally we are called to stretch a little.  Sister Smart shares her "musical talents" leading the singing in correlation meeting.  Can anyone believe she is actually doing this?  Miracles happen on missions.

"Waving"

I don't think we mentioned our plumbing problems.  Actually the problem is not our plumbing, but our apartment's plumbing.  Actually our apartment's plumbing is okay, except for our washer's drain.  So the group got together and dug up the plumbing in the front of the house.  That wasn't the problem, so we dug up the side yard.  There was the problem!  

Hole Where Washer Drained - Elder Bowden

Group that Helped Dig

Well that about does it for another week.  Our mission continues to inspire and be a blessing to us. 

We hope in some small way our serving is blessing you, our family and loved ones.

Grandma and Grandpa, Mom and Dad, Annie and Paul, Sister and Elder Smart

ps Happy Birthday, Spencer, on  the 22nd🎂.  This is a BIG ONE!  Half of our kids are now 40 or older!

 Happy Anniversary, Andrew & Jessilyn on the 19th💒.

#45 A Week of Parties?

Monday we had a fun party for FHE. President and Sister Pace have returned after being gone for weeks of treatment in Salt Lake.  They wanted to say "THANKS" to all of the missionaries for keeping things going while they were gone.  They brought a variety of chicken wings and salads.  We all also received a copy of the book "One by One" by David A Bednar.

Sister Bowden, Sister Paul, and Sister Smart Ready to Eat

Most of the week we had sun but lots of cold and wind.  Friday we celebrated the Relief Society Birthday.  Sister Smart is 1st counselor in the Martin Cove Branch Relief Society.  She was one that helped a lot to make the Birthday celebration a success.  Below is a picture of the program she put together.  Thanks to the tweeking of Elder Smart it looked quite professional.

Sister Smart worked hard to get this singing duet from Casper to come and perform at the party.  One

of the singer's wife played the piano.  She was as awesome as the singers.

Brother and Sister Athey and Lorimer
The Musical Group That Performed

Saturday morning we woke up to snow on our car.  Ii wasn't  much so we still took off for Casper as it was our Prep day.  When we came home the front yard of our apartment was torn to pieces.  Our laundry drain pipe overflows when draining.  There has to be some blockage down the line.  It was predicted that the septic tank was the problem.   Thus the torn up yard.  It wasn't the septic tank.  We still don't know what it is -- yet.

Time to Call in the Heavy Equipment

Elder Honey and Elder Crist
Working on Our Septic Tank

After digging things up and determing what water is going into the septic tank by putting food coloring in the water from each possible drain, it was determined that the washer is the only part of our water system that does not go to the septic tank.  The septic tank works great and is not the problem.  They have yet to determine where the water drains from the washer. The drain will probably have to be scoped to figure it all out.

This morning, Sunday, we woke up to temperatures in the 40's and no wind.  Wow, it is nice!  

Elder Smart Having His Usual Sunday Morning Breakfast

Happy Birthday this week to Kaiden!

We are blessed to be here.  The Lord has taught us a lot and we feel his love and support.  We know that our children are being blessed.  If any of you kids do not think so, just prayerfully analyze the last year and see if you don't feel blessed.

We love you all. 

Grandpa and Grandma, Mom and Dad, Paul and Annie, Elder and Sister Smart

Wk 44 -- Calm Before Big Rush

We have about two more weeks until our second year missionaries return.  These are the ones that were here last year that will begin returning on the 21st.  A week after that, on the 28th the first of our new missionaries will arrive.  So, we think things are still a bit slow.  This was a pretty normal week, except for a few things that impacted the two of us.

On Monday we were responsible for family home evening.  We showed a movie titled, "Suites On the Loose."   Everyone seemed to enjoy it, but the  big thing was the treats.  Check out the counter full of fruits and vegetables.

Treats?

Wednesday we traveled about a hundred miles to a small ward in Hanna.  We had about 16 attend our presentation on family history.   We stopped in Rawlins to pick up a few groceries and finally made it home about 10:45 pm.

Thursday we got the privilege of doing Rah Rah.  It's always such a treat to get to clean the toilets. 😕

Saturday was our P-day.  Sister Smart and a couple of other Sisters went to Casper for a day of shopping.  Elder Smart stayed home and cleaned and watched movies.

Guess that does it for another week.  However before quitting, we thought we'd share a couple of pictures of our snow.  Our winter has been quite mild to what it is most years, but when it snows, it really snows and blows.

Buildings on the Homestead

Frozen Sweetwater River

Baptism Font at Edge of Frozen Sweetwater

We hope this finds you all well and prospering.  We love our mission and hope you are enjoying the blessings of our serving here as much as we do.  We all have a marvelous heritage based, in part, on those who sacrificed so much that we might have what we do today and especially the blessings of the Gospel.

We dearly love you all,

Grandma & Grandpa, Mom & Dad, Annie & Paul, Sister & Elder Smart

Happy Birthday this week to Mikeala.

PS  Elder Smart just emptied the mouse trap with number 17 caught in this apartment.