September 24th, 2010
We are busy moving into our apartment for the winter. It’s a nice little place, and will be comfortable this winter. We will be spending our first night here tonight. Dave and his family are coming here on their way to Disney Land, and will stay in our trailer tonight, and again on their way home. It will be good to see them again. We are heading back to Idaho to get our winter supplies and clothing. We will be back in Cove Fort on the second of October.
Yesterday, we had three hundred kids from Richfield here at the fort. They had a great time. At the end of the day, we counted over 500 visitors.
Wed, I had a grandfather, son, and grandson from Las Vegas, stop at the fort. We were super busy, so I started them in the video and went to help some other visitors, and as it turned out, I was the one who took them on the tour. I taught them about the gospel as we went on the tour. At the end they commented about the spirit they felt and wanted a copy of the Book of Mormon and some videos. They also wanted the Missionaries to come and teach them. The son said that he had lost faith in Christ, and it was time he got it back. The Grandfather said, “The Lord sent us here today.” He went on to say that he had missed the I-70 exit, and that he had made this trip many times and had never missed it before. Because they missed the turn, the fastest way back was by way of Cove Fort, so they stopped for a tour.
Friday, September 24, 2010
Monday, September 20, 2010
Kanab and the Cowboy Coral (Mike)
Saturday 18th, we traveled to Kanab and attended the funeral of Lynda’s aunt Ramona, who was the last of Grandpa Esplin’s family. As it turned out, in her later years, she had married the father in Law of Carol Graff, a girl that I dated in Collage for quite a while. She was one of the speakers in the funeral. It was good to see her again. We took Karl and Sue with us, and had a good time traveling with them.
We returned to Cove Fort just in time to leave again and go to Elsinore for dinner at the cowboy Corral, They serve a steak dinner for ten bucks with live entertainment and dancing. They had such a large crowd that they moved the entertainment onto the sidewalk and the dancing was in a coned off section of the street. It was a fun evening. All of the missionaries went over for the last time. Many of them are heading home today....the summer season is over. We’ll miss them.
As we were finishing our shift yesterday, we took a tour out that consisted of a young couple that had just been to St. George and had been to all of the historic sites there. They had already filled out referral cards there, so my streak of tours with cards ended with fifteen.
After finishing that tour, I saw some people in the parking lot, and went over to talk to them. It turned out to be Mary Kay and Richard Cody, the singers. They had their spouses with them and had just been playing some engagements in California. I had never met Richard....he is my cousin from Heber City. I talked to them about coming to Cove Fort Days next year. They didn’t commit yet, but I told them I would be sending them an invitation.
We returned to Cove Fort just in time to leave again and go to Elsinore for dinner at the cowboy Corral, They serve a steak dinner for ten bucks with live entertainment and dancing. They had such a large crowd that they moved the entertainment onto the sidewalk and the dancing was in a coned off section of the street. It was a fun evening. All of the missionaries went over for the last time. Many of them are heading home today....the summer season is over. We’ll miss them.
As we were finishing our shift yesterday, we took a tour out that consisted of a young couple that had just been to St. George and had been to all of the historic sites there. They had already filled out referral cards there, so my streak of tours with cards ended with fifteen.
After finishing that tour, I saw some people in the parking lot, and went over to talk to them. It turned out to be Mary Kay and Richard Cody, the singers. They had their spouses with them and had just been playing some engagements in California. I had never met Richard....he is my cousin from Heber City. I talked to them about coming to Cove Fort Days next year. They didn’t commit yet, but I told them I would be sending them an invitation.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Twitchell Canyon Fire (Mike)
There is a controlled burn supposedly being watched over by the Forest Service. It has been going on all summer. They were trying to burn out insect killed trees and underbrush. The wind came up yesterday and things got out of control. We are hoping the wind doesn't change and send it our way. They now have many men and pieces of equipment including helicopters, trying to contain it before the wind returns this week end. They had to close I-70 yesterday, and overnight becaust of poor visibility.
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We took an excursion out west of Kanosh to see the Warm Springs, and I was surprised to see how things have developed since I was a boy swimming out there fifty plus years ago. We used to ride horses there for a nice swim in the old days, and later in cars. The water is nice and warm in the main spring, and they have even added a diving platform. The other spring has been cleaned up and is good for soaking the joints in good hot water......even though all we can soak now are our feet , these guys in the picture are enjoying it.
Tours at the fort are still going great. Ten more couples are heading home this week end. That will leave us a bit short handed for a while until the tourist season drops of for the winter. I still have my string of fifteen tours in a row that produced a referral card.....that's unheard of, I don't suppose the string will last much longer.
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Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Beaver Mountain (Lynda's Birthday) (Mike)
September 8th, 2010
Had a fun day on the 6th. Started with Laundry! Yuck, Then the road trip began. Up Beaver canyon to Puffers Lake, and Lake Lebaron. I had memories of camping at Lebaron Lake with Dennis, and my mom and dad when I was about seven or eight years old. It is a beautiful place. We tried to fish…. fish weren't biting. A man asked me where we were from, I turned and he saw my missionary badge. He said oh you’re missionaries. I didn’t know missionaries could go fishing. I said oh, we can go fishing, we just aren’t allowed to catch any. The Scenery was spectacular and we saw about twenty head of deer, and many more deer hunter camps. Got to Richfield about 9:30. Wendy's drive in gave us a pretty good hamburger….nothing else was open at that hour. It was a fun day with my best friend. It was her birthday.
I took my ten mile bike ride this morning as the sun was rising. Fall is in the air and the birds are flocking….thousands of swallows are lining the power lines getting ready to go south. I saw a flock of blue jays as they flew and flashed brilliant blue in the rising sun.
Things are slowing down in the fort….only about a hundred people a day now. I noticed that I have gotten at least one referral….. member and non-member.... for my last ten tours in a row. So tours are still as productive as when we having hundreds of people visit. We can spend more time and be more personal with them.
Had a fun day on the 6th. Started with Laundry! Yuck, Then the road trip began. Up Beaver canyon to Puffers Lake, and Lake Lebaron. I had memories of camping at Lebaron Lake with Dennis, and my mom and dad when I was about seven or eight years old. It is a beautiful place. We tried to fish…. fish weren't biting. A man asked me where we were from, I turned and he saw my missionary badge. He said oh you’re missionaries. I didn’t know missionaries could go fishing. I said oh, we can go fishing, we just aren’t allowed to catch any. The Scenery was spectacular and we saw about twenty head of deer, and many more deer hunter camps. Got to Richfield about 9:30. Wendy's drive in gave us a pretty good hamburger….nothing else was open at that hour. It was a fun day with my best friend. It was her birthday.
I took my ten mile bike ride this morning as the sun was rising. Fall is in the air and the birds are flocking….thousands of swallows are lining the power lines getting ready to go south. I saw a flock of blue jays as they flew and flashed brilliant blue in the rising sun.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Awesome End of the Night Tour - Lynda
Today was another great day at Cove Fort. There were not very many vistors only 78, but some awesome experiences. I sat on the chair for two hours. This means that I watch for cars and assign missionaries to go meet the car and take them on tours of the Fort. I got assigned the last tour of the night. It was three gentlemen from Bakersfield California. They have been working on the geothermal drilling going on just south of the Fort. They were leaving to go back to Bakersfield tomorrow and wanted a tour before they left. It was an awesome tour. None of the men were members of the Church. One had never even heard anything about the Mormon Church or Joseph Smith. As we worked our way around the Fort we talked about families, mine and theirs. One was married and had children and a grandchild on the way. Another was single and going to college there in Bakersfield. The third man was married and had a little boy his wife is expecting twins. I bore my testimony in the "Best Room" about families and I told them that I was so grateful that I have my family forever. That I am married for eternity and not just for time. I love my family and am so glad that I know that I will be with my children and grandchildren forever. I also told them about the Book of Mormon. Well when we finished the tour I offered them all a copy of the Book of Mormon and a video. Two of them declined. But the man with the one boy and twins said "Yes" I would like to know more. So he filled out a white card and now the Missionaries will be able to share the Gospel with him and he can have the same happiness that the Gospel brings to my life.
The director challenged the Missionaries yesterday to work on their buff cards and white card referrals. They did and hit a new record. They got 30 referrals in one day. The record last year was 21. Cove Fort Missionaries rock!!!
The director challenged the Missionaries yesterday to work on their buff cards and white card referrals. They did and hit a new record. They got 30 referrals in one day. The record last year was 21. Cove Fort Missionaries rock!!!
Kimberly Ghost Town and Cedar City Fam. (Mike)
The other day, I took a young guy from Nebraska on a fort tour. He had been in California and was returning home toward evening. He liked the tour and the history, and gave me a white card so he could receive a Book of Mormon and a video of the restoration to learn more . He said he had been passing by for years, and today the thought he would stop and check it out.
All the missionaries were invited to Frank Thomas’ house in Holden for a Dutch oven dinner. He has a real nice place, and we had an enjoyable evening with great food. For our P day, we traveled to Cedar City, and last night we went to Rusty’s Restaurant up Cedar Canyon for dinner. We were joined by Lynda’s brothers and sister for a birthday dinner for Sharon and anniversary dinner for Karl and Sue.
At our family reunion in Kanosh, I was talking to my cousin Frank Paxton, and he told me about a book called “Ghosts of Gold Mountain” which gave the history of Kimberly, an old gold mining town, which operated in the late 1800’s. I went on line and found that I could get a copy at the country store in Joseph. A couple of days ago we went to Joseph and I was able to get a copy. As I have been reading it, I found out quite a bit about Great Grandpa Cummings. After the Gold Mountain mining district was formed, William Cummings was the first to file a claim, along with his three partners. The name of the mine was the Snow Girl. It also mentions that he established three more mines called the Cummings group. He sold the Snow Girl to the Kimberly mining company, and the Cummings Group to the Anny Laurie mining Company. He also had a slaughter house located below Kimberly at Cress Creek and provided all of the meat for the town of Kimberly. He also partnered with a Mr. Watcott, and opened the butcher shop on Main Street of Lower Kimberly. I’m still reading, but it seems that grandpa was quite a business man. Now that I have this Info, I’ll have to get with Ross and his Jeep and look for these sites and take some pictures.
This morning I took my ten mile bike ride and about froze my fingers even with gloves on. Fall is definitely in the air. I'll have to bundle up a little better on these cool mornings.
All the missionaries were invited to Frank Thomas’ house in Holden for a Dutch oven dinner. He has a real nice place, and we had an enjoyable evening with great food. For our P day, we traveled to Cedar City, and last night we went to Rusty’s Restaurant up Cedar Canyon for dinner. We were joined by Lynda’s brothers and sister for a birthday dinner for Sharon and anniversary dinner for Karl and Sue.
At our family reunion in Kanosh, I was talking to my cousin Frank Paxton, and he told me about a book called “Ghosts of Gold Mountain” which gave the history of Kimberly, an old gold mining town, which operated in the late 1800’s. I went on line and found that I could get a copy at the country store in Joseph. A couple of days ago we went to Joseph and I was able to get a copy. As I have been reading it, I found out quite a bit about Great Grandpa Cummings. After the Gold Mountain mining district was formed, William Cummings was the first to file a claim, along with his three partners. The name of the mine was the Snow Girl. It also mentions that he established three more mines called the Cummings group. He sold the Snow Girl to the Kimberly mining company, and the Cummings Group to the Anny Laurie mining Company. He also had a slaughter house located below Kimberly at Cress Creek and provided all of the meat for the town of Kimberly. He also partnered with a Mr. Watcott, and opened the butcher shop on Main Street of Lower Kimberly. I’m still reading, but it seems that grandpa was quite a business man. Now that I have this Info, I’ll have to get with Ross and his Jeep and look for these sites and take some pictures.
This morning I took my ten mile bike ride and about froze my fingers even with gloves on. Fall is definitely in the air. I'll have to bundle up a little better on these cool mornings.
Sunday, August 22, 2010
People with Problems
August 16th, 2010
Yesterday, I took a nine year old girl and her grandparents on a tour. As we began I told them to be thinking of a nonmember friend or relative that we might send a copy of the Book of Mormon or a video to. The little girl asked," could we even send one to my mother…she’s in prison." I said that we could and that missionaries are allowed to teach people in prison. She was really smart and asked so many good questions on the tour. As we progressed on the tour I was able to teach her object lessons on how people can change their lives and repent…..(The fort tour has several items or artifacts that lend themselves to good object lessons on the atonement) It was a memorable tour…maybe I do miss teaching kids her age.
We were able to send her request to her mother by way of the mission home in the area, complete with the message of love from the little girl to her mother.
August 22, 2010
Yesterday, I took a man in a wheel chair on a tour, who was accompanied by his son in law and two grandsons. He had been recently released as a Stake President in Mississippi. I found that they were returning from the Mountain Meadows Massacre site where his ancestors had been killed and they wanted to stop at Cove Fort for a more positive experience. We talked a little about what happened at Mountain Meadows and they left me a referral. It did turn out to be a good positive experience for them.
Yesterday, I took a nine year old girl and her grandparents on a tour. As we began I told them to be thinking of a nonmember friend or relative that we might send a copy of the Book of Mormon or a video to. The little girl asked," could we even send one to my mother…she’s in prison." I said that we could and that missionaries are allowed to teach people in prison. She was really smart and asked so many good questions on the tour. As we progressed on the tour I was able to teach her object lessons on how people can change their lives and repent…..(The fort tour has several items or artifacts that lend themselves to good object lessons on the atonement) It was a memorable tour…maybe I do miss teaching kids her age.
We were able to send her request to her mother by way of the mission home in the area, complete with the message of love from the little girl to her mother.
August 22, 2010
Yesterday, I took a man in a wheel chair on a tour, who was accompanied by his son in law and two grandsons. He had been recently released as a Stake President in Mississippi. I found that they were returning from the Mountain Meadows Massacre site where his ancestors had been killed and they wanted to stop at Cove Fort for a more positive experience. We talked a little about what happened at Mountain Meadows and they left me a referral. It did turn out to be a good positive experience for them.
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