Joe V. Hickey

WE had a very interesting fireside tonight. Joe V Hickey is a antiques collector of guns, pioneer artifacts etc.
Elder Petersen was very interested in all of it. He told about the Indians in this area and what a sophisticated culture they had. It was great!!!!

                                         These are broad axes from 1867

                                            Elder Petersen and Joe V Hickey
I asked him how many guns he had and he wouldn't tell me. He said to ask a cowboy from Wyoming how many guns they have is like asking a woman how much she weighs!!!

                                                            Elder Petersen in his glory!!!

Sunday drive to Star Valley, Wyoming/ beautiful place!

                                   found this Ranch in Star Valley,  It says  Dad's Ranch on it.

 This is the site for the Temple in Star Valley, Wyoming.   It has a small trailer set up for a visitors center already!  beautiful country!

 This is Afton, Wyoming. the Temple is just right down the road from here. Look at the horns across the whole street.  so cool

Last day of our third trek!!!

Here's a few more pictures of our 3rd trek,  We are now 1/3 of the way through.
it was a very hot day!!!!  Our air conditioner in our trailer is not working well, so we will  probably go buy one on Monday. I am outside at the moment cooling down.  Next week, our trek starts on Tuesday, so we will be finished by Friday, in time for the 4th or July.

                                   
                                           This is the last leg of this trek for this group.

                             One last word from the Stake President before heading out for home.

 They took their time this last morning to break up the camp. All I could hear from the girls is how excited they were for a shower. and then I think of those  pioneers that would go weeks and weeks without bathing, just waiting for a river or stream to get relief.  Such strong strong people,

3rd day on the 3rd trek!

Today was such a good day!   I drove the 4x4 along with the truck leading the support team. Elder Petersen walked the last 3 miles and was very tired and hot afterwards. We left before dinner so he could recoup before tomorrow.  Please keep him in your prayers, this is a hard mission but we love it. Nothing like those poor pioneers. They couldn't get out of the weather until they hit Salt Lake. They would bathe in the Platt River after many weeks of trekking.,  I can't even imagine the strength of these people and it is such a blessing to be able to learn about them.

I am still not able to walk very far. But am happy to be here and do what I can. I so wish I had not fallen off that ladder and been more careful.  It's funny how your life can change in an instant. I am very grateful for this mission and for being able to feel the spirit every day testify of these wonderful stalwart members of the church~~~ I know this is the true church!

                        This is a shot of the lasr leg of today's trek.  It was was very hot~

 This is Elder Jensen playing the part of the mailman. He is driving a little Japanese vehicle and we call it the Pot Gut Express. Pot Guts are really Gophers, but they call them Pot Guts and they aren food for the badgers.

                                  This is Sister Peart with Brigham Young  !  ha ha.

                              Elder Petersen and Sister Petersen with Brigham Young   wink wink!

 This is a picture of the empty carts that the girls parked on the side of the road. They are in a grove having a devotional before the woman's pull.  It was so inspirational. The speaker was a young woman who had had such a hard life. and she talked about a pan of boiling water. If you throw an egg in the boiling water it will get hard. If you throw a carrott in the boiling water, it gets soft. She was trying to become soft after putting so many bricks around her in her life. Anyway. the girls made it up the steepest woman's pull on the ranch.

2nd day of Trek!

It was very hot today, but fun!  They had so many games for the youth and then had them set up camp. They thought they were done for the day, but right in the middle of them setting up, a "mob" came and drove them out. This is what really happened so many times, to these poor pioneers!  They were driven from their homes in the dead of winter and told if they didn't leave they would ben killed.
Today is then woman's pull, which is so emotional for all of us. I really can't imagine what these poor people went through, but there were so many miracles in their lives and we are hearing about them daily.
it is amazing what they went through.  These people had such strong testimonies that they were willing to go through anything to get to Zion and be free to worship like they wanted.
I stand all amazed!


Here are some pictures from the day two.

We found Jason's playground!

This first picture reminds us so much of Jason that we think of him alot because they are all over the ranch. When we went to visit Tinille and Jason, there  were these rock designs all over their property.
the first picture is man made, and the second rock design is Heavenly made.
we love them!

Firsr day of Trek Three!

                                                             Getting ready to move out!

                                                          Elder Petersen led em out.

                                This is what it looks like during staging. Organized Chaos!

                                                                       Having Dinner

Poor Sister Jensen- June 23, 2015

June 23, 2015

Sister Jensen was taken by ambulance last night around 3am to the hospital. She was getting up to go to the restroom and twisted wrong and blew out her back. She was screaming so bad because of the pain,
It looks like she and Elder Jensen will be going home for this year. She tore some of her back muscles.
She is still in alot of pain and is on morphine.  She is probably not going to finish her mission and is so sad.
We will all miss her and will have to do without the Jensens!  They will be going home to St George Saturday.

Tomorrow is the first day of the third Trek.  We have 300 kids coming from Roy, Utah. It is supposed to be in the high 80's . Please keep us in your prayers, especially Elder Petersen. He will be walking quite a bit.
I will be driving the support groups to porta potty stops and camp.  I will be posting pictures tomorrow when we get home,  Good night, we have to get up at 5am to be ready for this group coming in,
Love
Mom/Gramma/Myrna/Sister Petersen

Elder Petersen leading in this group at the end of the trek.

This is what we do when we are not so tired! Elder and Sister Peart and Brother Jensen.

More pictures from Week two of treks

                                            Elder Petersen and his endless hats!

We took the couch out and have recliners. We are the envy of all the other missionaries!

                                                Missionary selfie!  :):)

This is the Stake President (the one of the left in the plaid shirt. All the Bishop's were very young also. They are all out there dancing.

                                                             Square dancing!~!!

                                                                 
                                                                        Woman's pull.

                                                             Woman's pull!!!!

Last day of Trek number 2!!

Well, Elder Petersen is sleeping. we are through with the second trek!  This group was from Clinton, Utah
This group was under the direction of Elder and Sister Yates.   All the missionaries are in charge of 4 different treks. So next week we work with Elder and Sister Peart. then the next week we will be in charge.
There are 5 different treks running at once. and there are usually 1000-1200 youth here during the week.
You hardly if ever see the other treks going on as the ranch is so massive.
It was great working with Elder and Sister Yates. They are from Virginia. Very fun couple.
Elder Yates and Elder Petersen get along so well and are alot alike! I am so surprised that so many ma's and pa's want to come back here and serve a mission. It is a great mission and very physical. I am so sad that I still can't walk with the kids. So i am either in the support truck or the Ranger 4x4. I would like to be able to walk, but I"m not better. getting that way, but not yet.
I have been thinking of all the things that I have learned. and this week, i have learned that the church is the same wherever you go. It is nice to hear that these kids are hearing and learning the same thing that I hear in our ward and Stake.  I have also learned that these pioneers were very valiant and strong. I feel there presence every day here.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

                                                         

 Elder and Sister Yates. He owns a cab company in Virginia. and owns Wygua cattle.

                                                          Elder and Sister Petersen

More pictures from the 2nd trek

2nd Week, 2nd trek

Today was our second week of treks here. We have 300 in our group. They are divided up into companies.
It was hotter today, but since there was a great breeze, it was still bearable.
funny thing happened. WE were out riding in the 4x4 (Elder Petersen was trying to show me tomorrow's trail)  anyway, we rounded a corner and there was a big 750 gallon water buffalo jack knifed right in the road. Elder Jensen was there with the driver (a woman that was driving and who had never driven a truck pulling a trailer) Elder Petersen got out and was able to get that water buffalo out. He really is the only missionary here that could have gotten that big ol water buffalo out. What a tender mercy.

Here are some pictures from the day. and then I am going to hit the sack.

This is our fearless leader in the hammock!  He is from Virginia. such a cute couple. Brother and Sister Yates. They live very close to Washington, D.C and want us to come out next year after the mission so they can show us around. would be fun!

Julie Rogers and some of her paintings

Julie Rogers fireside

These pictures are of Julie Rogers. She is a beautiful artist and paints a lot of the pioneers.
We had a fireside tonight and she had all these paintings that she showed us. She would tell us the stories of these pioneers and of all her spiritual experience in painting these beautiful renditions. I have never experienced a more spiritual fireside. These pioneers were so valiant because they had strong enough testimonies to take them through hard things. We talked about why the Lord didn't temper the elements for their sakes. she read a quote from James E Faust which is:

On Suffering.
"We wonder why a kind and merciful God did not temper the elements to spare them from their profound agony. I think I have found the answer to my own satisfaction. I may be wrong, but I believe their lives were consecrated to a higher purpose through their suffering and their example. Their love of the Savior was burned deep into their souls and into the souls of their children and their chiildren's children, and it will be so forever. The motivation for their lives came from a true conversion, to the very center of their souls."

I know this to be true. and why the Lord wants us to be here.

I love this church and feel so blessed to be here and experience the spirits of those special pioneers and feel them near me tonight. I hope whoever reads this will go and purchase the book.
"Tell my story too"  and start getting a feel for those valiant members.
I know the Savior of the world died for us and wants us all to come unto him. and he is always beckoning us to follow him. I pray that I can do just that.

Last day/ Elder Petersen leading them into staging and home!

So proud of Elder Petersen. He took them from camp into the staging area they started at!  That was quite a walk and the kids were so excited to get there!  The support team was there to greet them and sang"Come, Come Ye Saints" to them as they passed into the gate!  another amazing and spiritual day! But we are so tired tonight!  But it is a good tired and we met some really neat people this past week!  All in all I must admit that Tyler and Toni were right!  We should have gone with them last year!  We are having a great time!

                                       
                                        Elder Petersen is in the dark blue shirt and tan pants.

This is the Stake President talking to the kids. At this point some of their family has been pulled out and are dead. This was to help the kids feel how the pioneers must have felt when their loved ones died.