Heber Valley Camp April 23, 2013

Mini? MTC

                Training has officially started.  It is called the “Mini MTC”, but after  today, there is nothing “mini” about it.  We had gone to the “Big” MTC several  years ago when we went on our 1^st mission to Argentina.  The spiritual high that we felt as we left our sessions could not be replicated, or so we thought.   Well, I am here to say that I came away from our meetings today with such a desire to be the best  missionary  I can possibly be; with a desire to walk with my Savior as I serve at the camp, and to try my best to be an example and to touch the life of at least one girl as she comes to camp. 

              Our speakers were just what I needed.  They said just the things I needed to hear to change my heart and change my life and priorities.  The meeting  started by singing the camp song, “I Feel My Saviors Love”.  This was the song sang at the start of each lake session, at the end of the two minutes of silence.  It brought such strong feelings to my heart and memories of last year.

               The first speaker was Elder Keech of the Area 70.  He reassured us that we are” serving a real mission”; that we have been called by our Heavenly Father—it is no different than any other senior couples  mission.  He stated we are entitled to all the blessings other full time missionaries receive, especially for blessings for our families while we serve.

              We have two responsibilities at camp: #1—help the girls feel the Spirit of the Lord. And #2—to keep them safe.  We should remind ourselves of these two things in the morning as we start each day.
  The object of our prayers is not to change the will of God.  We should pray, not to be relieved of our burdens, but to understand and learn about the burden and what we are to do with it.

              For the next 5 hours we listened to many speakers  from our own camp management, from the Heber North Stake Presidency, and from the Young  Women’s Committee.  I could feel of their love and their inspiration from above as they delivered their messages.  They assured us that the Lord had prepared us to be here, and that they had prayed us here.  We were encouraged to share our mission with our families.  This is something that I want to do more of this year.  I want my children and grandchildren to know what we are doing and how we are serving.

              We were encouraged to be more kind, and to think “What would the Savior do?” when faced with hard situations.  I promised myself that I would be more kind, more friendly, and to not let opportunities go by to reach out to others.  The encouragement came,  to realize this camp is about doing the Lord’s business.  It is His camp, not ours.  These are His daughters, and they have come here to feel the Spirit.  As I thought back about my service last year, I can hang my head a bit in shame, as I found myself being prideful, and owning the camp, and my job—forgetting the real reason I was here.

              There was much said about the relationship between myself and my companion.  This so needs to be a part of the experience here.  Steve and I are very different in so many ways.  I need to love and accept him for the wonderful person he is with all the talents that he has.  I need to humble myself and realize my shortcomings, and know that I need the Lord to walk beside me.

 

 

 

               

 

 

HOME-TO-COWBOY VILLAGE—April 17, 2013

            Well . . .we hooked up and away we did go—Highway 80 to Park City, then a turn to the right—down the road to Heber City.  As we drove and went over Parleys summit, we ran the gamut of weather; rain, sleet, snow, fog, and even some sunshine.  Steve drove the truck and pulled our 5^th wheel and I followed him in our car. 

 

            We found Cowboy Village (the RV Park where the missionaries stay).  We picked our “perfect” spot.  Pulled in.  Set up!  Here we are in our new home for the next two weeks or so.

 

            Some of the missionaries had started arriving on Monday.  Some pulled in just before us and some after us.  What a collection of RV rigs—big ones, little ones, old ones, new ones.  Some very modest,  others the top of the line.  The missionaries are as diverse as their RV’s—short & tall, fat & thin, and older & younger. Some are very shy, others very outgoing.  Many come from the Wasatch Front area, but quite a number from Idaho, and even one couple from Michigan, one from Canada, and one from Missouri.

 

 

 

 But we are all here for one purpose to start our mission at the Heber Valley Girls Camp

Getting Ready --Again!

     Well, here it is April and we are once again getting ready to head for our service mission at the Heber Valley Girls Camp.  The first big challenge is to get packed.  In order to get packed I must make the decision of what needs to go with us.  Having been there last year, we have a much better idea of things to take, and things to leave home, and things to pick up later if we need them. 
     So the process started several months ago as I started making piles of what to take.  The piles continued to form, and get bigger and bigger.  Now it is down to taking the piles to the 5th wheel and make piles there as we decide what goes where.  We have lots of storage space, it is just a matter of what to store where.  They (the people who make these RV's) must think that everyone is very tall with long arms, as so many of the cupboards are out of my reach.  I guess that is what you have tall husbands for.

   
To complicate the matter, the weather is being fiesty.  One hour it is sunny, the next it is snowing.  So I try to run out in between storms and put as much as I can in the RV.  We hear they have had up to 6 inches of snow in Heber City, where we will be parking our home for the next two weeks.  Needless to say, I am gathering up all the winter clothes that I can find.  Brrr!

WHAT GRANDPA DOES WHEN THE CANOES TIP OVER!

When the campers come to the lake and go out on the paddle boats and canoes, there are two rescue boats that are sent out on the lake, one to pick up the campers when they tip over their boats and bring them to shore, and the other boat picks up the over turned canoe and brings it to shore.  I was able to capture Grandpa rescuing a canoe. 

It is very hard work as you can see, and the men have to do it all by themselves.  Sometimes only a small part of the canoe remains above the water.  I think the canoe loves its ride to shore.  Great job, Grandpa!

A Day at the Lake!

This is what the lake looks like early in the morning when we first arrive. . .so beautiful and serene.  Then the girls start to arrive.  The air becomes filled with squeels and giggles.  We get life vests on everyone and then they sit and we orient them to what to expect on the lake, which boats to choose, and then . . .

they head for the water and the priesthood launch them into their canoes.Often there are really special things that happen.  The girl in the middle here is blind, and she trusts the other two girls that they will take her for a ride on the lake and not tip over.  She was quite an inspiration.  That took alot of courage for her to do that.

We often have deer that just sit and watch what happens at the lake.  We never get tired of seeing the beautiful critters here on the mountain.

Not Always Sunny at Heber Valley Camp!

The sun doesn't always shine up here on the mountain.  We woke to snow on the ground on May 24th. 

Our little ATV's had to be wiped off and dried before we headed down to the Lake.

Here we are today on the Lake.  It was raining, snowing, sleeting, and the wind was blowing.  But we had a family that were crazy enough to want to be out on the lake.  So we had to be there to rescue them if there was a problem.

Here I am at the front of the rescue boat.  Grandpa Steve was driving.  I had at least 5 layers of clothes on to keep warm.