One Amazing Week Down

Last Saturday was our first day serving a Cove Fort.  We were serving with 7 other couples giving tours through the fort.  We wait in a room along with the other couples until it it our turn to go out and greet visitors.  We spend a few moments getting aquainted and then take them to a site for a 14 min. film about the Fort.  Then we take them down to the Fort.  The history and the spirit felt in the Fort are so amazing each time we do a tour.  Dan and I went together on the first tour and escorted a couple from Australia who were here with their daughter and her 4 children.  They were a delight.   I was a bit nervous with anticipation about my first tour but Heavenly Father heard my prayers and sent us this wonderful couple who put us right at ease.  Each day this week has brought a wonderful experience. We've met members and non members from Salt Lake, Provo, Salem,OR ( Dan had a couple from Salem that know Jason, Dana, and Sonja and were with another couple from Salem that just ended their 10 years of singing with the Tabernacle Choir). Shortly after Dan's tour, I had the Wertz family from Salem, OR composed of Dad and Mom with married son and wife, engaged daughter with fiance.  Both the son and daughter had just graduated from BYU. Dan gave a tour with a sweet family orginally from Rumania now living in Bolder, Co.
Guests come from all over the world and have facinating stories. 
We are loving this mission and look forward to every new day and what it brings to us.  We know Heavenly Father prepares his children to hear the gospel and sends them our way.  We are so greatful for the opportunity to share and feel His guiding spirit.
I have included a little taste of the outside of the Fort.  I hope to get some of the inside pictures to share soon.  There is much to see and much to tell.  Looking forward to our family and friends coming to Cove Fort to see and hear the wonderous stories for yourselves!

This is the front of the fort.  Built of lava rock and limestone morter collected w/4 mi. radius.  The East opening that you see is 14x14 ft. with 8' thick doors.   They first filled the doors with sand for extra protection but because it became to heavy they emptied the sand and replaced it with cotton.

 This view is of the north side of the Fort.  We have service missionaries that care for the grounds as well as plant  huge gardens on the North and South end of the Fort.  We will get to reap the results of these beautiful gardens.  Yumm!

 This is the Blacksmiths shop behind the Fort where Ira Hinckley (Pres. Godon B. HInckley's grandfather was a very skilled blacksmith who made horseshoes, wagon wheels, and oxen shoes and repaired wagons of those thousands of travelers, and ponie mail carriers and stage coaches that came through for relief and protection.

 Sample of oxen shoes.

 Horse shoes...many different sizes

 Tools in the Blacksmith shop.  There is also a huge leather billows that was the original billows that Ira uses.

This funky looking contraption is called an ox lift.  This was used to lift the oxen up to shoe the ox.  Oxen cannot stand on three feet so they designed this lift.  Note the two thick leather strapes hanging down that would go around the oxen's bellies and the two logs with ropes that would hoist the ox up.  Pretty amazing, hugh?

MTC..Provo UT/Provo Temple

We're back at Cove Fort after reporting into the MTC (Missionary Training Center, Provo,UT) on April 9,2012. It was an amazing experience of training, role playing, spiritual stories and firesides with instruction from Elder Ballard, seeing and quick greetings and smiles from David Archuleta (who was preparing for his mssion to Chile) plus and being awed sitting 10 rows way as he sang at our Sunday Fireside.  We are so grateful to be a part of this great service.  We are loving Cove Fort and feel a special spirit here.  It is humbling to learn of the dedication, obedience, commitment, service and charity of our pioneers in this area.  We are looking forward to sharing their great history and more importantly their testimonies along with ours of their love our Savior, Jesus Christ.  I know that our Heavenly Father loves all of us so much that he sent his son, Jesus Christ to provide the way to be forgiven through his sacrafice and our opportunity to live again with our Heavenly Father through the Savior's resurrection.

Here are some pictures from the MTC and the Provo Temple which is right across from the MTC.

We have had 2 days of training here at the Fort and tomorrow we are "ON THE JOB".  Yikes!  Lots to learn and lots of wonderful experiences await us.

Friday surprise

This is after the morning surprise in the early afternoon.


Nice mix of sun and snow.

This is the laundry and shower facility. It contains 4 complete bathrooms w/showers. Extra nice and accomodating. Did our first laundry today.....there are 4 Maytag washers and 4 Maytag dryers...works like a charm...nice and clean.

Snowy and chilly for a short time. Fun!

We wake up every morning to the beautiful song of the birds. Snow didn't make any difference. The sound is so welcoming.

1st week in our new home at Cove Fort

Our new home. We have a lovely view of the mountains from our living room.

Dan was able to get computer up and running the first day. Very nice desk area.

Big double door frig. and lots of cupboard space.

Elder Jenkens (one of the missionaries here) gave us our first tour. It was facinating and spiritual. Lots to learn about this amazing little fort!

This week has gone by so quickly. So thankful for the extra settling in time. We love our new place....took our first tour of Cove Fort yesterday followed by a potlock dinner held at the cultural hall/chapel at the Fort. Met some new missionary couples we will be working with. I believe there are 17 couples that will be here with the hope of a few more to come. It's been peaceful, loving, spiritual, welcoming and ever windy (Thursday up to 50 mph) and Friday morning surprise....3" to 4" of snow on the ground but gone by early afternoon. Sunny today with some wind and 50 ish. Pics of our place and Cove Fort.

More trip pics

These sun iluminated trees reminded my of Lehi's vision of the tree of life. It reminded me of Heavenly Father's great love for us.

Finally...Utah. beautiful day.

Downtown Salt Lake...Salt Lake temple in the middle of all those tall buildings

Mountains covered with snow on Sunday morning (April 1st) before conference

Thanks to Mary Jackson (Dawn's friend) we had wonderful digs to stay in from Sat. night thru Sunday.

The trip to Salt Lake and Cove Fort

Scenes from the wind generators to mountains of eastern Oregon and my birth place of Ontario.

We are here! The trip was wonderful, beautiful, spiritual and welcoming. More to come!

Get Ready - Set - Go

It's offical....Thurday, March 29, 2012 We were set apart by President Carlile at the Lebanon Stake Center in Alban

Thanks to good neighbors who take good care of us. Thanks Tony and Marcia

There was no more room in the Inn for my crockpot or anything else! But found out we didn't need the other two or three boxes we had to leave behind. Yeah!!!

Dan is in front of the car a few minutes before we left. He was selling his bike. Craig's list is the best.

Alice was such a good helper. She selected the final meal in our home for the next year and a half

Carter was lovin' the air mattress bed. It was just his size to crawl onto.

Master Ian was a super helper loading the car. Thanks Ian...we'll miss ya!
Dawn came on our last night after we got home from the Stake Center where we were set apart as Missionaries of the Utah St. George Cove Fort Mission.

Dan spent hours doin' the finalizing of the changes of address and office stuff and packing the office. Sure proud of him.

Little out of sequence....but clean and pack....grateful for the month of March to prepare. It took every day to prepare house for storage and the move. But it was worth it!

Thanks to son Jared who helped set up our blog. Also thanks to Jared, Lydia, Dawn, Ian, Alice and Carter for helping with the packing and loading!! Love ya