Saturday, June 25, 2016
Trek to a Better Me
Don and I had the amazing privilege to be called as a Trek Ma and Pa for our Stake's Trek this year. It was so perfect as this year both Jordan and Jacie would be participating and I absolutely, unequivocally love the youth of our ward. We were so excited to learn we'd be serving with two other amazing couples as Trek parents and get ready for this incredible event. We had fun preparing. We got the necessary items for our Parr family and our Trek family. Don set us up with a lantern that casts a glow of noon day and me with a headlamp because I can't see in the dark. We bought tarps, rope, bug spray, Benadryl, Ibuprofen, a shovel. You name it - we were prepared! Don's prior experience as serving as a Scout master really helped.
Our Stake took a different approach this year and didn't trek as far as in previous years. I think the total was around 13 miles. They incorporated reenactments of various experiences the pioneers had and planned some amazing experiences. Yesterday they even built a replica of the Nauvoo Temple! I was so looking forward to this experience. However, my trek ended much differently than I had anticipated. Although it ended with some disappointment, I have already seen the hand of the Lord in the things that transpired. I would be completely ungrateful and stubborn if I did not see the blessings that came out of this experience. I'll explain shortly.
The first day was great. We met at the Stake Center and they reenacted Moroni hiding up the plates. Then they did a reenactment of the First Vision and Moroni's visit to Joseph Smith. We then all got in cars and were driven to the Trek site. We unloaded everything and got assigned our Trek Family. Don and I were assigned 11 amazing kids: Shawn Evans, Adam Roylance, Jonah Lewis, Zach Staples, Calvin Albertsen, Matt Barlow, Allie Mills, Bryni Howell, Jessica Petersen, Melissa Wagstaff and Camryn Paul. We named ourselves the "Don or Parrty". I already knew and loved 9 of them, but I got to meet two new youth that moved in to our ward and immediately loved them and could see their amazing potential. They said the most important thing we could do as Trek parents would be to love these youth. That was the easiest thing in the world for me. It really was my privilege and honor to be their Trek Ma. After we "met" our family, we had a sack lunch, loaded up the handcarts and began our initial day of trekking. We stopped midway and participated in a tug of war challenge and had various rest stops. We even had to pay a toll to some hard hearted "Missourians" to pass on their land. We then arrived at our first camp. We set up, played some games, visited, had dinner and we were just preparing to go to reenactments. It wasn't even dark yet, but with my tunnel vision I didn't see a rope that was staking our Shade tarp up and tripped over it. I fell to the side and landed on my arm and right side on a 5 gallon bucket. It knocked the wind out of me, but I thought that was the extent of it and figured I'd be a little sore the next day. We walked up to the vignettes and I was still having a hard time catching a breath so my amazing Don walked me down to the medical tent to have a look. I had a big old bruise and the doctor thought I had most likely bruised a rib. He was so sweet and compassionate. I have two friends who I have always loved and thought the world of serving as Trek nurses - Kirsten Zesiger and Shannon Carter. They provided the most tender care and compassion. The Doctor, Bishop Richardson listened to my lung to make sure I hadn't possibly punctured it, they gave me some ibuprofen and we went back to camp. We had a sweet fireside where Bishop Barlow spoke to us about why we were doing Trek and what was to be an experience to strengthen the testimonies of these youth and unite us all in unity. I never imagined the strength I got from the unity of our Stake Family. We then turned in for the night and I was very sore and somewhat short of breath and figured I would be because I did not fall at all gracefully. I felt like I went down like a ton of bricks.
That night some of our kids went to sleep really quick (I could hear them breathing). I had a very hard time getting comfortable and falling asleep. I thought I was the only one awake, but come to find out I think more people than not had difficulty sleeping. I did manage a few hours, but they were interrupted. I would wake up, turn on the light on my watch and see that only 30 minutes had passed that I was asleep, so I'd lay there for an hour or so more, then sleep for another short spell. This went on all night and again the following morning I realized I could have had company as most of our group experienced the same thing. I did have a most sweet experience, anyway. I laid there and the stars were bright and beautiful. We heard coyotes barking and howling in the distance. At one point I woke up fairly uncomfortable and said a silent prayer. I immediately had the words of the hymn "Abide with Me, Tis Eventide" come into my mind. "Oh Savior, stay this night with me, behold tis eventide." As I went over those words in my mind, the tears rolled down as I felt His love for me and for all of us at that Camp. I rolled over to see a beautiful bright moon shining and I could not deny that tender feeling of our Savior abiding with me.
The next morning came and I woke up extremely sore, still having a hard time breathing. Don walked me back over to medical and Shannon wrapped my ribs with an Ace Bandage. It did lend some comfort and support. I had planned to start out the Trek with my "Don or Parrty" family then step to the side if I was still uncomfortable and wait for the "sag wagon." Just walking back from medical was tough so Don said he thought it was a bad idea for me to trek. I really wanted to try, but I knew he was right so he arranged for me to ride in one of the trucks. Well, that turned into a wonderful experience in and of itself for me.
I was assigned to ride with President and Sister Squires. He was in our Stake Presidency 9 or 10 years ago. After he was released, he was called as Mission President of the Sierra Leone Freetown Mission in Africa. Riding with us was a girl from our Stake who had sustained a concussion a few weeks before Trek. Small world thing - she went to preschool with Jordan, her mom served in Marty's mission, and went to high school with Trav and Nancy! I knew her mom from Marty and always liked her. This girl was a sharp gal and I enjoyed being with her. President Squires told us some of the most amazing experiences from his time as mission president. The spirit I felt while he shared these experiences gave me that twinge of excitement I feel every time I think about serving as a couple missionary with Don when we get older. I loved being with him and Sister Squires, hearing of their experiences. They are those amazing, good, salt of the earth kind of people. I also enjoyed visiting with Megan and being her temporary Trek ma for awhile.
We didn't take the same path the trekkers were taking - we had to go out and around so by the time we neared the next camp you could see the lines of people pushing and pulling their handcarts. It was an awesome sight and I'm not going to lie, put a hard lump in my throat. Our ward was at the end and as I drove by I was so touched to see the faces of our group. They weren't laughing or smiling ear to ear, but every single one of them I saw had a look of pleasant determination. Their spirits were good and their countenances shown. I had to laugh, as we drove by, both Jordan and Jacie (who were not right next to each other) put out their thumbs to hitchhike a ride. That cracked me up - have I taught them to be hitchhikers? When there was about 3/4 mile left we had to stop so President and Sister Squires could adjust their trailer. A sweet young gentleman of 74 years came over and asked Megan and I if there was an extra seat. His hips were bothering him. We said there was so he jumped in. Come to find out he now lives in the same cul-de-sac Don and I lived in when we were first married. He and his wife were a Trek ma and pa!
We finished the last stretch and arrived in Nauvoo. They had make scenery with buildings from Nauvoo. While we realize this was not chronologically accurate, the idea behind it was amazing. We set up camp, had lunch, then they had a "ground breaking" ceremony for the Nauvoo Temple. Then the youth built a replica of the Temple! During the ceremony they had two men portray Joseph and Hyrum Smith. As they gave the speech it ended with them saying, "Nothing is too good for our Lord." The tears started to flow as I looked out at the youth and the adults and saw what went into this to strengthen these valuable young men and women and their testimonies. So many people had put so much into this and it was overwhelming.
After the groundbreaking they divided the families up to build the Temple replica. At this point I had become absolutely miserable. Don found a camp chair and set me up in the shade. I had a wonderful visit with Sharlae Rich from our ward (who is a fellow Trek ma) and a sweet lady from our Stake. As the time went on and the ibuprofen started to wear off, I became a little nervous. I was becoming so uncomfortable almost to where I wasn't feeling well. President Hillyard came up to me and this other gal and asked us if we were ignoring necessary medical attention because we did not want to miss out. I said, "Possibly." I couldn't lie to a member of the Stake Presidency! It was at that point that I knew I needed more help than what was available at Trek. I talked with Don and the medical staff and it was determined that I needed to leave. At this point the tears poured as I was hit with such an overwhelming feeling of disappointment. I didn't want to leave my Trek family or my own family. However, I had an amazing sense of peace come over me that I was doing the right thing.
I laid on a cot with ice on my side while waiting to figure out how Don and I would be transported home. Bishop Richardson asked if I had had a blessing. I hadn't. Don asked Kirsten Zesiger's husband Dee, who is one of the nicest men the world has known to anoint. As he placed his hands on my head the Spirit was so strong that again I was overcome with emotion. Don then gave me tender blessing that I realized immediately. He blessed me with peace that I had make the correct decision to go home and seek medical help. He also said that this experience was to not only strengthen me but others would be blessed as well.
It turned out that Dee (have I mentioned how angelic he and Kirsten are?) drove Don and I home. As Don helped me into the truck and I was feeling the strangest emotion of bitter disappointment, yet incredible peace, my sweet Trek kids came over and bid me goodbye. I gingerly hugged each one out the window of the truck and was overwhelmed by their goodness. We then left. Dee grabbed a Diet Coke out of a cooler. It was manna from heaven! When we arrived home, Don and I took the most welcome showers after two days in the dust, and then Don took me to Instacare. Turns out I broke a couple of ribs. They gave me some stronger pain medication which was very helpful. I still didn't sleep much last night but I can't even imagine what the night would have been like if I stayed.
But the tender mercies haven't stopped. Don got me home, drugged up, and comfortable. He then went to sleep for about 5 hours, woke up at 4 am and went back up to Trek to be there for the last day. Not only was I broken hearted for myself having to leave, but it nearly killed me that he had to as well. When he said he was going back my heart jumped for joy. I intend to get all the details of this last day from him, Jordie and Jace and then I will post it later. But now I want to share what I learned, why this Trek changed my life, and why I am better for it.
From Day One (which started months ago) I was incredibly impressed by the sacrifice, consecration and generosity of the members of our Stake who did so much for these amazing youth. As members of the Lord's Church we make covenants to consecrate and sacrifice for our Savior's Kingdom. As I watched my fellow brothers and sisters in the Stake honor those covenants, my heart has grown and I am forever grateful for their love of our Heavenly Father and Savior and their example to me and my family. You might notice a theme here, but this Trek has really ignited my emotions. I feel that same hard lump and the tears flow as I think of the sacrifices. I will try to put into writing what I mean.
On this Trek we had approximately 300 youth and 260 adults! Almost a one to one ratio! We had people giving up vacation time, sacrificing time with the members of their family not on this trek, people who put countless hours creating an amazing replica of the Nauvoo Temple, Trek parents who spent their own time and money to prepare for this event, people who came to simply cook for nearly 600 people (which included insatiable teenage boys), only to clean and pack up all the equipment to move it again and do it all over again. We had a doctor and angel nurses who gave of their time to come and attend to us wounded and weary with nothing more that a Christlike disposition that was so comforting and peaceful in our times of distress. We had people trekking who were expecting babies, some with difficult morning sickness, people with cancer, people who were Grandparents who would probably much rather be in air conditioning with their grandkids, parents who left young children home. People brought their horses, their cars, their trucks. People even sacrificed a couple of hours out of their day to drive people to trek and will drive them home later today. All of this has touched me so deeply and I have felt of their love for our Heavenly Father and Savior. I have also felt of our Heavenly Father and Savior's love for us. I think of how the collective sacrifices of each one of us involved in trek gave us such unity and a sense of strength. It filled me with awe and respect. I then think of our Savior's infinite and atoning sacrifice and want to treat it with the awe and respect it deserves.
As I've been typing this, my loyal dog has been lying at my feet. If I get up, he gets up, if I change rooms, he comes with me. I want to be loyal like that to my Savior and put His will before mine. I learned that so many of my brothers and sisters in this incredible Stake have done just that. I am a better person for these experiences. I am a better person because of their example. I'm grateful for the kindnesses that were shown me. I'm filled with an even deeper that I thought possible love and admiration for Don. He has been a rock. He has taken the most tender care of me and has shown me what true goodness is. I'm not sure how I lucked out and got him but my gratitude for him is even more poignant after this experience and I'm eternally grateful to have him by my side. I've caused him more craziness than he deserves yet he remains patient, tender, and WONDERFUL. Watching my daughters participate made my heart burst with joy. As a parent, there is no better feeling in the world than watching your kids make good choices. I'm so grateful for all those leaders past and present who continue to teach them and lift them and help them continue to make these choices. I will strive to make my Heavenly Father pleased with my choices and this experience has strengthened my resolve to do so.
My family should be returning from Trek in approximately 5 hours from now. I can't wait to see what their experiences of the last day of Trek were. I'm grateful we were all able to experience some of this together as a family. Not only the Parr Family, the Don or Parrty Family, the Davis Creek 2nd Ward, but as a family of the Farmington Utah South Stake. I'm still awestruck at this blessing that has been afforded me. God, our Father, lives! His Son, our Savior Jesus Christ lives! For all of this I am so thankful.
Our Stake took a different approach this year and didn't trek as far as in previous years. I think the total was around 13 miles. They incorporated reenactments of various experiences the pioneers had and planned some amazing experiences. Yesterday they even built a replica of the Nauvoo Temple! I was so looking forward to this experience. However, my trek ended much differently than I had anticipated. Although it ended with some disappointment, I have already seen the hand of the Lord in the things that transpired. I would be completely ungrateful and stubborn if I did not see the blessings that came out of this experience. I'll explain shortly.
That night some of our kids went to sleep really quick (I could hear them breathing). I had a very hard time getting comfortable and falling asleep. I thought I was the only one awake, but come to find out I think more people than not had difficulty sleeping. I did manage a few hours, but they were interrupted. I would wake up, turn on the light on my watch and see that only 30 minutes had passed that I was asleep, so I'd lay there for an hour or so more, then sleep for another short spell. This went on all night and again the following morning I realized I could have had company as most of our group experienced the same thing. I did have a most sweet experience, anyway. I laid there and the stars were bright and beautiful. We heard coyotes barking and howling in the distance. At one point I woke up fairly uncomfortable and said a silent prayer. I immediately had the words of the hymn "Abide with Me, Tis Eventide" come into my mind. "Oh Savior, stay this night with me, behold tis eventide." As I went over those words in my mind, the tears rolled down as I felt His love for me and for all of us at that Camp. I rolled over to see a beautiful bright moon shining and I could not deny that tender feeling of our Savior abiding with me.
The next morning came and I woke up extremely sore, still having a hard time breathing. Don walked me back over to medical and Shannon wrapped my ribs with an Ace Bandage. It did lend some comfort and support. I had planned to start out the Trek with my "Don or Parrty" family then step to the side if I was still uncomfortable and wait for the "sag wagon." Just walking back from medical was tough so Don said he thought it was a bad idea for me to trek. I really wanted to try, but I knew he was right so he arranged for me to ride in one of the trucks. Well, that turned into a wonderful experience in and of itself for me.
I was assigned to ride with President and Sister Squires. He was in our Stake Presidency 9 or 10 years ago. After he was released, he was called as Mission President of the Sierra Leone Freetown Mission in Africa. Riding with us was a girl from our Stake who had sustained a concussion a few weeks before Trek. Small world thing - she went to preschool with Jordan, her mom served in Marty's mission, and went to high school with Trav and Nancy! I knew her mom from Marty and always liked her. This girl was a sharp gal and I enjoyed being with her. President Squires told us some of the most amazing experiences from his time as mission president. The spirit I felt while he shared these experiences gave me that twinge of excitement I feel every time I think about serving as a couple missionary with Don when we get older. I loved being with him and Sister Squires, hearing of their experiences. They are those amazing, good, salt of the earth kind of people. I also enjoyed visiting with Megan and being her temporary Trek ma for awhile.
We didn't take the same path the trekkers were taking - we had to go out and around so by the time we neared the next camp you could see the lines of people pushing and pulling their handcarts. It was an awesome sight and I'm not going to lie, put a hard lump in my throat. Our ward was at the end and as I drove by I was so touched to see the faces of our group. They weren't laughing or smiling ear to ear, but every single one of them I saw had a look of pleasant determination. Their spirits were good and their countenances shown. I had to laugh, as we drove by, both Jordan and Jacie (who were not right next to each other) put out their thumbs to hitchhike a ride. That cracked me up - have I taught them to be hitchhikers? When there was about 3/4 mile left we had to stop so President and Sister Squires could adjust their trailer. A sweet young gentleman of 74 years came over and asked Megan and I if there was an extra seat. His hips were bothering him. We said there was so he jumped in. Come to find out he now lives in the same cul-de-sac Don and I lived in when we were first married. He and his wife were a Trek ma and pa!
We finished the last stretch and arrived in Nauvoo. They had make scenery with buildings from Nauvoo. While we realize this was not chronologically accurate, the idea behind it was amazing. We set up camp, had lunch, then they had a "ground breaking" ceremony for the Nauvoo Temple. Then the youth built a replica of the Temple! During the ceremony they had two men portray Joseph and Hyrum Smith. As they gave the speech it ended with them saying, "Nothing is too good for our Lord." The tears started to flow as I looked out at the youth and the adults and saw what went into this to strengthen these valuable young men and women and their testimonies. So many people had put so much into this and it was overwhelming.
After the groundbreaking they divided the families up to build the Temple replica. At this point I had become absolutely miserable. Don found a camp chair and set me up in the shade. I had a wonderful visit with Sharlae Rich from our ward (who is a fellow Trek ma) and a sweet lady from our Stake. As the time went on and the ibuprofen started to wear off, I became a little nervous. I was becoming so uncomfortable almost to where I wasn't feeling well. President Hillyard came up to me and this other gal and asked us if we were ignoring necessary medical attention because we did not want to miss out. I said, "Possibly." I couldn't lie to a member of the Stake Presidency! It was at that point that I knew I needed more help than what was available at Trek. I talked with Don and the medical staff and it was determined that I needed to leave. At this point the tears poured as I was hit with such an overwhelming feeling of disappointment. I didn't want to leave my Trek family or my own family. However, I had an amazing sense of peace come over me that I was doing the right thing.
I laid on a cot with ice on my side while waiting to figure out how Don and I would be transported home. Bishop Richardson asked if I had had a blessing. I hadn't. Don asked Kirsten Zesiger's husband Dee, who is one of the nicest men the world has known to anoint. As he placed his hands on my head the Spirit was so strong that again I was overcome with emotion. Don then gave me tender blessing that I realized immediately. He blessed me with peace that I had make the correct decision to go home and seek medical help. He also said that this experience was to not only strengthen me but others would be blessed as well.
It turned out that Dee (have I mentioned how angelic he and Kirsten are?) drove Don and I home. As Don helped me into the truck and I was feeling the strangest emotion of bitter disappointment, yet incredible peace, my sweet Trek kids came over and bid me goodbye. I gingerly hugged each one out the window of the truck and was overwhelmed by their goodness. We then left. Dee grabbed a Diet Coke out of a cooler. It was manna from heaven! When we arrived home, Don and I took the most welcome showers after two days in the dust, and then Don took me to Instacare. Turns out I broke a couple of ribs. They gave me some stronger pain medication which was very helpful. I still didn't sleep much last night but I can't even imagine what the night would have been like if I stayed.
But the tender mercies haven't stopped. Don got me home, drugged up, and comfortable. He then went to sleep for about 5 hours, woke up at 4 am and went back up to Trek to be there for the last day. Not only was I broken hearted for myself having to leave, but it nearly killed me that he had to as well. When he said he was going back my heart jumped for joy. I intend to get all the details of this last day from him, Jordie and Jace and then I will post it later. But now I want to share what I learned, why this Trek changed my life, and why I am better for it.
From Day One (which started months ago) I was incredibly impressed by the sacrifice, consecration and generosity of the members of our Stake who did so much for these amazing youth. As members of the Lord's Church we make covenants to consecrate and sacrifice for our Savior's Kingdom. As I watched my fellow brothers and sisters in the Stake honor those covenants, my heart has grown and I am forever grateful for their love of our Heavenly Father and Savior and their example to me and my family. You might notice a theme here, but this Trek has really ignited my emotions. I feel that same hard lump and the tears flow as I think of the sacrifices. I will try to put into writing what I mean.
On this Trek we had approximately 300 youth and 260 adults! Almost a one to one ratio! We had people giving up vacation time, sacrificing time with the members of their family not on this trek, people who put countless hours creating an amazing replica of the Nauvoo Temple, Trek parents who spent their own time and money to prepare for this event, people who came to simply cook for nearly 600 people (which included insatiable teenage boys), only to clean and pack up all the equipment to move it again and do it all over again. We had a doctor and angel nurses who gave of their time to come and attend to us wounded and weary with nothing more that a Christlike disposition that was so comforting and peaceful in our times of distress. We had people trekking who were expecting babies, some with difficult morning sickness, people with cancer, people who were Grandparents who would probably much rather be in air conditioning with their grandkids, parents who left young children home. People brought their horses, their cars, their trucks. People even sacrificed a couple of hours out of their day to drive people to trek and will drive them home later today. All of this has touched me so deeply and I have felt of their love for our Heavenly Father and Savior. I have also felt of our Heavenly Father and Savior's love for us. I think of how the collective sacrifices of each one of us involved in trek gave us such unity and a sense of strength. It filled me with awe and respect. I then think of our Savior's infinite and atoning sacrifice and want to treat it with the awe and respect it deserves.
As I've been typing this, my loyal dog has been lying at my feet. If I get up, he gets up, if I change rooms, he comes with me. I want to be loyal like that to my Savior and put His will before mine. I learned that so many of my brothers and sisters in this incredible Stake have done just that. I am a better person for these experiences. I am a better person because of their example. I'm grateful for the kindnesses that were shown me. I'm filled with an even deeper that I thought possible love and admiration for Don. He has been a rock. He has taken the most tender care of me and has shown me what true goodness is. I'm not sure how I lucked out and got him but my gratitude for him is even more poignant after this experience and I'm eternally grateful to have him by my side. I've caused him more craziness than he deserves yet he remains patient, tender, and WONDERFUL. Watching my daughters participate made my heart burst with joy. As a parent, there is no better feeling in the world than watching your kids make good choices. I'm so grateful for all those leaders past and present who continue to teach them and lift them and help them continue to make these choices. I will strive to make my Heavenly Father pleased with my choices and this experience has strengthened my resolve to do so.
My family should be returning from Trek in approximately 5 hours from now. I can't wait to see what their experiences of the last day of Trek were. I'm grateful we were all able to experience some of this together as a family. Not only the Parr Family, the Don or Parrty Family, the Davis Creek 2nd Ward, but as a family of the Farmington Utah South Stake. I'm still awestruck at this blessing that has been afforded me. God, our Father, lives! His Son, our Savior Jesus Christ lives! For all of this I am so thankful.
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