HVC June 5 to June 27, 2023

 Things have been moving along and changes have been made since my last posting.  Girls arrived on May 30th for the first week of camp - the camp is buzzing with all kinds of activities now.

Our zone went to the traveling tabernacle which was a wonderful experience to learn more of the tabernacle during the time of Moses.

We officially became a "MISSION" on June 4th.  President O'Bryant was really the Branch President of the Heber Valley Camp (Seasonal) and was called to work with Service Missionaries at the camp.  During his time of service, he made great strides to make it a "Mission' and the missionaries be full time missionaries and not service missionaries.   He announced at the end of last summer, that things were progressing very well and it was in the hands of the Quorum of the Twelve, the First Presidency and the Area Seventy.  The photo above was taken at a gathering to thank the O'Bryants, Mahoneys and Cooks for serving HVC.  President Lorry Pitcher was called as the new Mission President along with his wife Patricia, who is serving as chairwoman of HVC YW Committee.  Then President Joseph Huston was called as the Branch President.  Some wonderful new changes!!

   

We were at the camp laundry mat and saw the "twins" from last year at the salt licks.  A bull and cow, missionaries have nicknamed them - Donnie and Marie.  There has been reports of seeing cows with their new little ones.  No sightings of does and fawns yet.

Gary and I did our first presentation of "Feel My Savior's Love" in Hinckley for two separate wards. 

At HVC, they celebrate birthdays and half birthdays (as to cover everyone during the 6 months we are there).  So June 13th was Gary's half birthday, he made out pretty good.  The Taylor's (our ministering couple) brought him danish rolls and a little snowman he made out of aspen wood, Sister Barnes from our zone brought him homemade salsa and chips, he wanted shrimp for his dinner and I made a rhubarb pie from our cabin we picked while home on our Pday.

We decided to make a goal to walk every night around the lake.  The first night we watched a beaver eating on an aspen tree he had cut down. On the second night, we watched a mother duck and her little one swimming. Gary had a hard time capturing me and the babies all in the same picture - but he got it!

Then on the third day ----Thursday----

I fell off three steps on to the ground on my right side.  The fall knocked the wind out of me, bruised my right elbow and hip pretty bad.  Scared us both, Gary radioed in for help and I remember my head bounced when I hit the ground. Several missionaries heard the radio call and rushed over to the maintenance building to help.  I remember looking up and see many looking down at me, I just kept my eyes covered so not to see everyone.  Others were feeling my leg, arm, asking questions, pulling my shoe off, etc.  Gary and others suggested that I go the emergency road to be looked at. Elder McDonald and Gary gave me a blessing, helped get me into a camp truck and headed into Heber.  Got to the hospital and was getting checked in and Gary went outside to move the truck.  It won't start, he was asked at least four times if he could move it.  He called to Elder McDonald to have someone get our 4 runner and bring it down and take back the camp truck.  We think it was an orderly who offered to jump start it with Gary, move it and left it running so when the Schofields came it was able to go back to camp.

The hospital was great - they did a CT scan of my head and x-ray of my hip.  Everything was okay, told to rest and if things were still hurting in a couple of weeks, see a doctor to have new x-rays taken to see if anything was chipped.

Saturday I was rested enough and wanted to get out - so the McDonalds were putting the flags up at the camp entrance - so Gary went down to help and I watched and did a little help.  Well the camp truck, we took to the hospital was supposedly fixed, died again.  This is Elder McDonald looking to see if anything was disconnected.  It won't even jump start this time.  He couldn't find anything and it had to be towed to the maintenance building.

Saturday evening, some of the group went on an ATV ride - I didn't go - too much bouncing was not a great idea!

Gary had a great time and he made it up to Bald Knoll, the highest place just outside of camp.  So he was the first to get there this year from the National Forest side, not from the camp side.

Sunday was Father's Day - and he made out like a bandit again.  He is showing his trip to Bald Knoll on his phone.  Karey sent him a t-shirt "My daughter-in-law is my favorite child".  He got new ties, a game and an omelet, bacon and a mango smoothie for breakfast.  That evening, we spotted a moose at the salt licks out behind our trailer.

Ground Maintenance on Monday after I fell, fixing the steps on all the Conex trailers behind the Maintenance Building.  They are working on the one I fell from.  They brought in gravel to raise the steps, raised the steps to only one steps instead of three.  They did a wonderful job.  We heard later on, that many have tripped going into the trailers and were very thankful that they were being fixed.

 

On Monday, the Challenge Course rented a climbing wall, to see if it was something that might be a new challenge at camp.  It is a HIT!  To assist at the wall, you need to be "certified", and so they needed at least 2 couples to assist at it - leaving some of the Tomahawk and Challenge Course short.

We walked around the lake for the first time since I fell.  I had to stop half way around, and then Gary went a got the side by side and picked me up about 3/4 of the way around.  As we were starting, we came up to the Goose Family coming ashore.  In the water was a mother duck with her babies swimming by.  After Gary left me to get the side by side, I came across a garter snake on the pathway - I could have missed that - but it so nice just to see nature and enjoy the quietness while walking around the lake.

Monday, June 19th
So Elder Black and I got TRANSFERRED to a new zone - Challenge Course and we will be working the Tomahawk Toss at course 1 and 2.  We do not need to be certified to assist at these - so we are no longer serving in Building Maintenance.

We did TT three different times last year when they needed some assistance and we will be able to work closer with the young women more this way.  It has been a wonderful challenge for us, plus we can do more "Feel my Savior's Love" presentations too.

On the evening of the 26th, Gary and I met Gared, Dad and Jackson in Heber to switch cars and I took Jackson back to Springville while the "BOYS" went on their annual fishing trip to Strawberry Reservoir.  It is the 27th anniversary of their "We almost died fishing trip".  They have tried to go every year on Gared's birthday to celebrate and remember his 8th birthday and their fishing trip on the Salt River in Arizona.  We were truly blessed that day and every day after that!

  

They all love to fish!!