Three Boys and A Girl: July 2008

I go to church for many reasons but one of the best is for this face. It waits to see me and I get this look when I am spotted. Are the treats that I carry in my bag really necessary? Maybe. Do I care? NO!

For you see... Tyson, Dillon, Jackson and Hunter have all outgrown me. Do they still love me? Sure. But are they willing to sit on my lap and drown me in those wet-slobbery kisses? Definately not! However, they do still like my gum... that's a plus.

So, I will take "Little E" for as long as he is willing. And as for the candy in my bag ... I'm not above bribing for a little LOVE!

FYI: Tyson and Dillon are mine through and through. Jackson is mine too but really belongs to Jeri and Kevin Butler. Hunter and E (a.k.a Easton) belong to Brandon and Kristina Johnson but they are also mine. We are SO LUCKY to have them all in our ward ... oh, how much more fun to go to church!

We have been counting down for months ... We have purchased sunblock, bug spray, walking shoes and endless knee-high nylons (blister preventing secret) ... We have asked you to pray for the youth of our stake ... Now you know why.

Over 200 youth of The Grantsville West Stake walked over 24 miles in honor of those who lived and died at Martin's Cove... we experienced the miracles of THE TREK. We were gone for 3 days and had an AWESOME experience. We witnessed tough young men soften and learn to care for their "sisters" ... we witnessed "sisters" put their troubles aside and worry for their "bothers" ... and we witnessed ALL come closer to Christ. We felt the prayers of those on earth, as well as those in heaven, who desired a change, for the better, for these incredible youth.

Jeff and I were honored to share in this amazing experience. We were the "Ma and Pa" to 8 great kids! It's important to know that the kids were completely split up. Meaning... wards did not stay together, friends did not stay together and biological families did not stay together. Everyone was put into a "family" full of strangers. That is the miracle of it all ... they came out loving each other as biological brothers and sister would... and each one walked away TREK STRONG!

I'm so happy to share our amazing experience with you. Watch the story unfold...

Day One...

It all began Monday morning at 3:00 a.m. - Yes, I did say 3:00 a.m.!! We all met at the church to load on to four chartered buses and one semi-truck. Well, the kids didn't ride in the semi ... just all their stuff. And if you are wondering ... all the kids looked as happy as Tyson does here! It's a little early for teenagers!

This is our new family. Jeff and I with our 8 children ... Angela Linton, Lindsey Dalton, Delci Brown, Kellan Rhoades, David Walters, Aaron Vera, Scott Chamberlain and Delray Velverdi. Notice how clean and well-groomed we all are. This will NOT LAST! There will be a disclaimer later. Please recall this picture when you see it!

Tyson is not in this picture because he was not in our family. His new Ma and Pa were James and Emily Christensen.

After a 6 hour bus ride we were ready to head out on the trail. We are smiling here but it quickly became GRUELING! We walked 6 miles and about 6 hours the first day ... mostly silent. These kids were strangers, tired strangers at that!

Hold on! Hold on! Total confusion in the above picture. Did we not say strangers? ... and is this not Tenille, Tyson's "close friend" ... and is she not from a Stake in Tooele? ... what the heck?! Well, luckily, they were not in the same family or close to each other in the handcart line-up. But the Tooele thing? ... ummmm, don't know how her Aunt and Uncle (another Ma and Pa) pulled it off. She even dared to bring a water bottle that said "Tooele Buff's" on it... oh, the nerve!! (Just kiddin' Tenille) It was fun for Tyson to have her there. She is a good girl... and isn't she cute, even without any make-up.

After we got in for the night, it was Square Dancing Fun! None of the kids wanted to do it at first but all ended up having a ball. "Swing your partner forward and back!"

The first 6 miles took it's toll on Jeff. The Ma's and Pa's weren't suppose to help push or pull the handcarts but Jeff couldn't bare to watch the kids, knowing how tired they were... so he helped them. Well, he paid for it later. Can you say "CHAFFING"? Yes, where you are thinking would be correct. I felt so bad for him! He was a real trooper for the rest of The Trek and the Lord really helped him ... because if you don't know, chaffing does not heal overnight!

Day 2...
DISCLAIMER BELOW ... please remember the picture at the beginning of this post!!

So here I am on Day 2. Give me a break ... there is no power, no running water, no washing machine and enough sweat for your skin to run off, let alone your make-up! So I just gave up and turned into a THUG - a GANGSTER, if you will. It's the "Pioneer Me".
I'm with, my brother, Chad. Unlike me, he showed up gangster. He didn't go to sleep the night before The Trek ... ummmmm, not recommended!

Here is our family heading out for our 16 mile day. We are with our friend, Oscar. He is a, bear size, dog. He lives on the trek trail. They told us that he either adopts groups or shuns them. He seemed to like ours and hung out along our handcart much of the way. The kids loved him... and as much as an animal hater as I am ... I loved him too!

My daughters decided to adopt the "thug look" with me. We quickly became the "thug family". We ditched the bonnets (to hot) and just gangstered it out all week!

After 6 miles we arrived at Martin's Cove. The missionaries and our Stake President gave moving accounts of what happened there. They then said, "We will now take a silent walk through The Cove." So we are all thinking it's right around the corner ... NOT! Four miles UPHILL!! We didn't see it coming ... Oh how we didn't see it coming! But, then again, neither did the Martin Company.

This was the only chance Jeff and I had to really be by ourselves. The youth moved through The Cove at a much faster rate than we did. We tried to really reflect on the heartache that happened there. Here we are trying to take a picture of ourselves since no one else was around.

By the time we got out of The Cove, we were starving. It was there that Brother Anderson handed each youth 1/2 cup of flour. It represented what each member of The Martin Company received for an ENTIRE DAY. It was a sobering lesson.

Next was The Sweetwater. The above picture is large because this was our most spiritual experience. Pres. Nelson had everyone sit by the banks of the river and then he told the account of what happened there.

The pioneers came to the river and it was full of ice. The strongest of men dropped to their knees in the deep snow and sobbed... crying to the Lord that they could not do this thing, they could not cross this river after all they had endured. At that moment, four young men ... four "Rescuers" came forward and carried the 500 people across the icy water. They stayed in the water all day as the ice cut deep gashes into their legs. When they arrived in the Salt Lake Valley, Pres. Brigham Young proclaimed that these 4 young men had secured their place in the Celestial Kingdom with this single act.

Then Pres. Nelson said, "Rescuers, please arise."

Tears ran down my cheeks as my Tyson arose as one of those Rescuers. He helped carry the young women across the river. I realized at that moment that those 4 brave young men were no older than my own son. It is a moment I will never forget... and one that I will forever thank my Father in Heaven for letting me experience.

The tears continued with our next experience. We knew it was coming ... kind of. Pres. Rupp stood, dressed in his military uniform, and explained that all the men were needed to fight in the army. He then took them all and they marched away from us, up the mountain... we knew this would happen, as we were all familiar with "The Mormon Battalion". Then Sis. Wilder explained to us that this really happened, that the women were left alone to push the handcarts... we knew this would happen and that we would need to push the carts alone. Then they took all the Ma's... we did not know this would happen!! We all gasped and started to sob looking at our daughters and the huge, sand covered hill ahead of them ... and the 21 handcarts behind them.

It was a tough thing to watch, not only for us, but for the young men but the girls did it! They were in tears when they were finished and so were some of the boys. The young men didn't let the young women pull the handcarts for the rest of the day.

We then began our six miles back to camp. As you can see in this picture, one member of our family was on "injure reserve". We carried her in the handcart for a while. Then she was taken back to camp in a truck.

Somehow our family ended up LAST in the lineup. We really don't know how it happened but we decided we liked it. So we let ourselves linger far behind the rest... not even being able to see anyone in front of us. We laughed at our fate, realizing that we would roll into camp far later than anyone else. It was then that we took the spirit of The Martin Handcart Company to heart. We talked of how we had left late in the season and that certain hardship faced us. When we met up with some stake leaders waiting to check on us, we explained that we wanted to truly represent "The Martin's" ... and that when we finally made it to Zion (a.k.a. camp) we hoped that the whole stake would cheer for us, much like the Saints welcomed The Martin Company when they arrived in Utah. They agreed it was deserved.

Our hearts sank we went over a hill to see that the rest of the stake had stopped to wait for us to catch up. However, we took upon ourselves the name of "The Martin's" from then on.

By the time we arrived back at camp we were in PAIN ... and I am not kidding. Our backs, our feet, our whole bodies ached. Just the night before, I had teased with my Uncle Loren because he is in the Stake. All he seemed to do is sit in a "lounge chair" (a folding chair that reclined and had a foot rest) and mock the rest of us as we worked (ummm, he didn't walk ... he was the driver of the injury truck, apparently). Well anyway, this night he spotted me walk into camp and felt my pain. He got our of his chair and let me sit there. It LITERALLY saved my life as it eased the pains of the day. I sat there for about an hour, entirely ignoring my family ... Jeff brought me dinner ... then I was good as gold! I don't have a picture of the event because no one had the energy to walk back and get the camera, but here is Loren (The Hero) and the love of my life (and dinner hero) Jeff.

Next the injuries were assessed... there were many. Some had blisters, some had new chaffing (Jeff was doing okay, by the way). I had a HUGE, mysterious bruise below the knee. This is Tyson's toe ... he had 2 ingrown toenails. They really hurt him but they didn't stop or slow him down. His Ma and Pa told us that he saved their family with his brute strength!

Then we witnessed A MIRACLE, literally. We were due to have a program that many of the youth had worked on for months. Lindsey, our new daughter, was one of them (she is so cute above in the pants. She is with her sister). We all gathered to begin and the wind began to blow. It got so bad that we had to cover our faces because of the dust. If you did dare to look up, you couldn't see to far ahead. Tents we blowing down. Jeff sat on ours to keep it from blowing away. The decision was made to cancel the program for now and see what 8:30 brought. We were all to go with our families and pray for the wind to stop. Lindsey was so disappointed. But, as a family, we prayed ... as did all the others. At 8:30 we came together. The wind was still blowing but not quite as bad. As the program began the wind completely stopped and we enjoyed a wonderful, spiritual hour, listening to witnesses and music. When it was over testimony meeting began. Bishop Critchlow came forward to speak. He explained that they had called Salt Lake City to check on the weather. It was then that they learned that we were smack-dab in the middle of a huge storm with high winds and two to three inches of rain. He said, "Look up." ... as we did, we saw a beautiful, clear sky full of stars. He then said, "Remember that, tonight, you have witnessed a miracle." It was awesome!

After the program it was time to hang out and just have fun. After all, it was our last night in the great out-doors. It's amazing how much better you feel after a good meal and a good dosing of The Spirit! Can you believe I look this way ... and that I didn't even care ... and that I am putting it on this blog??!! Wow, The Trek really does remove all pride!

Here is our nephew, Austin. He ripped his pants earlier in the day and it just grew and grew from there. He was more than happy to pose for me, for everyone in the stake witnessed it happened. He was proud. I guess he won't mind me posting it for the world to see? Love ya Aust!

The old pioneer game of "spinning the wooden button on the string" was a hit! These are a few of our new sons trying it out... Scott, David and Aaron.

Here is the bishopric looking their finest! The Bishop learned the next morning that the pants he had on were not his. It was so funny. He put on the pants of the man he was sharing a tent with. Oh, Bishop ... we love you!

Then there was the stunt of the night ... we laughed and laughed and laughed! Our neice, Ally, was prowling around when she was suppose to be in bed. She traveled by our tent and heard the voice of her dad so she thought she'd "drop" in... and that she did!

A picture says a thousand words ... enough said! And yes, that is a HUGE wound below her eye. Tough to explain how it happened, huh Al ... expecially when you were breaking the rules!! But we love you too, Dear.

Ty and Aust ... same ward, same biological family ... and yet so far apart. Good thing for the nights!

Ty and Kyle... same biological family also ... and yet so far apart. Good thing for the nights! Hey wait ... NOT good thing for the nights -- Kyle's tent was next to mine and that kid kept me up ALL night! (Just kidding Kyle, don't call and defend yourself. I know you "claim" it was Travis. I still don't buy it! I know your voice!)

Day 3 ...

And off we go, our last six miles back to the buses. It was hard because this was the hotest day we'd had, but it was very rewarding. I sat back with tears in my eyes as "my children" chatted it up, playing their famous "sentance game". I was sweetly reminded that just 2 days earlier they had treked for 6 miles in silence. Oh, the miracles of The Trek.

Meet my "Trek Feet". Don't let anyone tell you that knee-high nylons and duct tape over socks does not prevent blisters! Just look at me ... and believe me when I say that there is not one blister on those beauties!

We got on the buses with sunburned checks and smiling faces ... and better than when we came.

And then we passed out. This is me ... still "thugin' ".

Before The Trek we had had a family gathering and talked about the importance of being PHYSICALLY, TEMPORALLY, and SPIRITUALLLY prepared for this experience. We talked of the goal to become ONE with each other and with The Lord ... ONE was our motto. We put it on our flag to remind us all day, everyday.

The last night we sat reverently, in the dark, with our family.I gave them each a band that said "ONE" and talked to them about how they had reached their goal. Each one then took the opportunity to share the things they felt and the reasons they were thankful for The Trek. Jeff ended by sharing something very touching and very personal. He told us that he'd always wanted to go on The Trek but when it came down to leaving he didn't know if he was "TREK STRONG" ... but now he knew he was and that we all were. He then reminded us of all we'd accomplished and explained how it would change us all for the better. It was powerful!

As we made our way back that last day. We knew we were TREK STRONG. If someone was down along the path, we would cheer "TREK STRONG" to them. It got us through those last difficult miles. Here we stand at the end ... here we start a new and bright tomorrow ... for each of us know that we are TREK STRONG!

Do you believe changes for the better can happen in 3 days ... in the middle of no where? Compare this picture to the one at the beginning of this post... TREK STRONG!

Grandma Hutch, thanks for taking care of Dill! Thanks for teaching him to play "Take me out to the Ballgame" on the piano and how to play Solitare. He's never been so happy. We love you!

SIDENOTE: Everyone was asked to leave all electronics behind. This would include cell phones and i-pods. As far as I know, ALL complied. Again, the miracles of The Trek.

We had a poll set up on the blog for The Trek. It has since expired but the question was "If you had the opportunity, would you go on The Trek." 85% of those who voted said "YES" ... good choice!