Wyoming Smart's - Third Mission: 3rd Week - Special Place

Happy Mothers' Day to All the Mothers Who Mean so Much to All of Us

Us & Pres and Sis Pace

The weeks seem to absolutely fly bye on this mission. Can’t believe that another one has come and gone.

Let’s start again with last Monday, mostly a stay at home day and do cleaning. The most exciting part of the day was Family Home Evening. Our district was in charge. We had to provide refreshments and to plan an activity. Our activity was to write something about ourselves on a piece of paper and put it in a hat. When it was drawn out everyone got to guess who it was? Sister Smart wrote I coached boys’ soccer for four years. She stumped the whole group and won a small candy bar.

Nearly all the rest of the week was taken up hosting school groups or with work assignments. When school groups come, Sister Smart takes them from station to station and tells them about six of the eight stations. She shows them and teaches them about the Sun Ranch Museum, the wash house, the bunk house, the visitors’ center, the memorials and landmarks and has them pull handcarts around the Prairie Park. The Elders (like Elder Smart) tell stories and show them around at the blacksmith shop and Fort Seminoe. This week Elder Smart worked the Ft. Seminoe.

Roadside cleanup

Where's the spare

As to our work assignments, they are plentiful and almost like being at home. We have cut lawns, ran weed eaters, cleaned out closets, put in sprinklers, changed light bulbs, washed vehicles (not our own), staked new trees and put fencing around them. One day we even got dressed in our work clothes and safety vests and picked up garbage next to the highway. Cars kept honking at us as they drove by. We wondered if they thought we were from a nearby prison.

On Wednesday of this week we spent most of the day being trained by our mission president and his wife. They even fed us breakfast.

Probably our most enjoyable and uplifting assignments/opportunities were the visitors’ center, our visit to Martin’s Cove and our Friday evening fireside. This week we served at the visitors’ center on Saturday from 8 am to 2 pm. It is so uplifting to tell the story of this place, the handcart pioneers, the Church's acquiring the Sun Ranch, the restoration of the gospel which was the catalyst for those that emigrated, their emigration and their experiences of crossing the plains, the story of their rescuers. We would like to suggest that each of our families do a google search for Francis Webster and read what he said about his experience with the Martin Handcart Company.

Oh, by the way, did we mention that Sister Smart gave a copy of the Book of Mormon to a nonmember today?

Martin's Cove Description

Martin’s Cove is probably one of the most sacred and hallowed spots of ground on this earth. It was here that about 900 people gathered in this three sided cove trying to find some protection from the horrendous weather. Just getting there cost them the lives of around 100. In the 5 days that they were at the cove around 50 more of them died.

Martin's Cove

Pres Lorimer

We went to the other visitors’ center on Friday evening at Sixth Crossing. We had to go with another couple because part of the crossing is flooded and it was suggested that our car might not make it. It was worth it though. We were fed and then attended a super fireside where a former stake president from the Riverton Wyoming Stake talked about his love for the area and his efforts to assist the Church in acquiring this special historical site. He was the Stake President that was responsible for the second rescue and saw to it that all the handcart pioneers had their temple work done. Needless to say, the fireside was well worth attending. President Scott Lorimer pretty well kept us spell bound.