The Big Move

Well, I think mom and dad are settling in to their new digs in Dayton. After three trips with a loaded trailer we borrowed from a friend and two Toyota trucks full of boxes, the old house on Cherry Hill is rather empty. Our last trip was Monday and we had a nice welcoming committee in Dayton to help unload. We had a good time helping organize a few things and getting the bed set up so there was a place for mom and dad to sleep. There's also a nice article in the Sunnyside paper about dad's semi-retirement.

TREK 2008

These are words from a talk given last Sunday in sacrament meeting by Spencer. He and Nate had the wonderful spiritual experience of hiking 21 miles across rugged land south of town on the church farm. There were about 300 youth aged 14-18. They were separated into 3 companies. Each "family" was made up of a Ma and Pa and 6-8 youngens. Each family pulled their own handkarts loaded with supplies for the trip, weighing in around 300 pounds.

Day 1 was up a steep hill that was much more difficult than the people who planned the Trek even expected. Adult "Maws and Paws" were worn to their limits (not to mention the youth). Finally, they all made it up the big hill with inspirational stories of young men running back down the hill to help others make the climb. A wonderful experience for our boys and most of those who participated as they got a small glimpse of what our pioneer progeny went through to make it to Zion:

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"Well, I guess it’s my turn to give you my report on TREK. For me, this is the second TREK I’ve had the opportunity of going on. Four years ago, I went to Ensign Ranch for TREK 2004. It was a good experience, even though I was a youngster among all the older youth. I haven’t grown too much since then, but being older made this Trek a little more meaningful for me. To be honest, I enjoyed this Trek more than the previous one. It was much harder, and gave a better taste of what the pioneers actually went through. At Ensign… there was plenty of shade and nice, gradual, hard roads. This year was the direct opposite, with absolutely no shade, except for the occasional shadow of our handcarts and we were trekking in sand, sagebrush and rock. But, I would much rather have it this way. It helped us know our own strength, and the strength of our families. In my family, I was the oldest… which is again an opposite of my previous Trek family. With that age, it made me feel responsible for my younger brothers and sisters. I just felt that if any were struggling, I should be the one to help them and make sure they were alright. I’m positive this is very similar to the real pioneers as they crossed the plains. The older brother in some families had to take responsibility if the parents passed away or were sick. I know that must have been hard to have that weight on top of the hardship of getting to Zion. In this Trek, the parents were instructed not to help with the pushing of the carts, adding to the difficulty that families had to face. But, unlike the pioneers, if things got too hard our parents would help out. I obtained such a strong testimony of family, and the importance of helping, loving, and supporting each member. Another aspect of the Trek that really showed how the pioneers had to live, was the food available to them. Throughout the week, we cooked and ate our share of corn cakes and beef jerky. The truth is, I was still hungry most days because of the amount of food I was used to back home. Then, one morning, we were gathered together before we set of for that day’s journey. One of the Trek leaders told us a story about times on the Trek where the pioneers only had a little sack of flour to use for their whole day’s rations. What they had to eat, was a doughy paste that was made from kneading water into the dough. As an example, the leader handed each of us a sack to try it out for ourselves. I tried it myself, and for the rest of the day my stomach was angry at me for doing it. More stories were told to us along the Trek, each giving us another chance to live like the pioneers. One of the days we were challenged to go a mile without shoes. My whole family decided to do the challenge, but there were a few who decided to take the challenge a little further. Myself, as well as a few others from my company, decided to go the rest of the day without shoes. It was probably the most challenging and influential thing I’ve ever done. As I was washing my feet at the end of the day, I pondered the pioneers and how my battered feet weren’t at all comparable to those of the pioneers’. When we finally reached the shady and grassy ZION, we were greeted with watermelon, oranges and the smiles of those waiting for us. As I looked among the different companies, the look of accomplishment and happiness was on everyone’s face. High fives to each of our family members was the sign that we did it, and we did it together with everyone’s help. Our baby was in mint condition… maybe in even better condition than when we got it thanks to the care given by mainly the women in our family, and our trusty handcart pulled through unlike some other families. Reflecting back on the week, there was so much that gave me strength and improved my testimony. Every night, my two brothers and I read scriptures together and said our personal prayers, before falling asleep to talk about girls and jokes. I had the opportunity to meet new people, which laughed with me when things were fun and pushed with me when things were hard. I’m thankful that I had this opportunity to live a few days like the pioneers, and prove to me yet again the strength and faith our forefathers had."