The Caribbean Experience in St. George!
Recently, we had the incredible opportunity to gather with our friends who served in the Caribbean area/Dominican Republic when we served there. Each year, we gather in St. George to see how we are all doing, attend a play or two at Tuacahn, listen to the cowboy poet Lynn Snow, eat more food than we should, attend classes, chat about our lives and the past, visit sites around the area, and just enjoy each other’s company.
This year was no different.
We enjoyed a family history class at the new Family Search Center, near the St. George Temple. We were wowed by the professionalism of the missionaries serving there, and we all learned we still have lots of family history work to do. Probably the best part was that we found out we are all related in some way, even 14th cousins!
Brother and Sister Rappleye wowed us with their historical discussion about founding of the Church in the Dominican Republic and what role they played. Plus, they served as temple president and matron of the Santo Domingo Temple. The whole presentation was fascinating! It seemed that miracle after miracle after miracle abounded in that country for Church to grow and develop as quickly as it did. One of the original families—the Amparo family—who helped organize the church there had been living in LA for many years before they decided they should return to the DR and help the Church. They arrived just two days before the Rappleye family. Together, they initiated the path for the Church to become what it is today. Amazing story!
We also listened to Marty Heaton talk about his excavation and study on what he believes is the Land Bountiful in Yemen. They have been doing research for several years, and he firmly believes he has found the place where Bountiful was. His presentation and research were interesting, and we loved the pictures of where he thinks Bountiful is.
During the same afternoon, we listened to Mary and Stacy from Intermountain Healthcare who came to talk to us about “Advanced Health Care Directives” and what we all need to do to prepare us for any medical challenges that might—or probably will—come upon us during our lifetimes.
Mark Tanner, one of the original DR missionaries and now attorney, also talked to us about trusts, probate, and other related questions. Again, we all discovered we have some work to do to make sure we are up to date on our financial documents, including completing the advanced health care directives.
Intermittently during the two days, Lynn Snow would say, “It’s time for a poem.” Then, he donned his cowboy hat for the authenticity and then launched in a cowboy poem, laced with humor and cowboy rhyme that makes the words chime. We are always delighted to watch Lynn recite cowboy poetry! He has several dozen memorized.
On Wednesday night, we all went to Tuacahn and attended the play “The Count of Monte Cristo.” It was a bit chilly during the play. We enjoyed the singing and the characters. It had been some time since we had read the book and watched the movie.
After we arrived, we went to the Café to visit with Ellen who was my administrative assistant at UVU. It was a great conversation.
The next day, we had breakfast with the group before we headed out to the Pine Valley Chapel and the Mountain Meadow Massacre site. The drive out was absolutely beautiful. We hadn’t driven that way before. The Pine Valley Chapel was nestled among a group of trees and was just peaceful.
The Pine Valley Chapel is a historical meetinghouse of the Church that the settlers built in the valley in 1873. The branch continues to meet in the building each week. During the summer, they sometimes have up to 900 people who attend, inside and outside on the lawn. The uniqueness of the building was fascinating. A local settler and shipbuilder Ebenezer Bryce designed the building, using shipbuilding techniques because he been a shipbuilder in an earlier life.
We enjoyed being there. We listened to Brother and Sister Bergstrom who have lived in Pine Valley for years and are now “guides” groups because the Branch president told the Brethren their little branch would host visits to the building. They were a cute couple who answered all of our questions and gave insights in the various “secrets” within the building like the signature of one of the workers who did the feathering of paint from the old times. When we finished our tour of the Chapel, we took pictures of the group to remember our trip there.
Then, we drove over to the Mountain Meadow Massacre site. The sun was shining, but the wind made it a bit chilly for us. We donned our jackets and sweatshirts and braved the wind. The site had some beautiful plaques. Around the area were plaques and information about each individual who was killed there, including the young people. There were so many youth who were murdered during those tumultuous days. These people were from Arkansas and were passing through. The local militia attacked them and killed them and then blamed the native Americans for doing it. Ultimately, the leader of the militia, a guy named “Lee” was punished by death on the same site he had initiated all of killing. This was one of the darkest days for the Church.
While everyone went back to the cars, I stayed and walked the loop where there were other plaques. One plaque was especially memorable: “Ever Remembered: In honor to those who rest in this field. They were innocent and died in unjust attacks that began on September 7, 1857. They were defending their friends and families who buried them before leaving the protection of their camps. To the other victim of the Mountain Meadows Massacre who lie in unknown graves, rest in peace, and be assured you are remembered.”
I was saddened by this note and stood there, looking out across the large green field, the wind whipping about me. For that brief moment, I felt them and the enormous loss they must have felt when they attempted to fight against these men who had come to harm them. All they wanted was to move on to California for a better life for their families. Instead, they all lay resting in a place that was foreign, killed by men who knew better than to hurt their enemies or friends, and waiting for the day of the resurrection when they can be united again with their families.
After this experience, we met everyone at Marv’s Restaurant in Enterprise. We had called in our orders at the site, but they were not waiting for us. We all sat down on three lengths of tables and chatted until our meals came. The food was very good, and the shakes were divine. I had a chocolate raspberry. My wish was that there had been more raspberry flavoring in the shake.
Soon it was time to go, some back to St. George; some toward home. We all hugged, said our teary goodbyes, and wished everyone well. Our trip home seemed longer than going, but we arrived home, tired, knowing we had just spent two days with some of the greatest people on the face of the planet. Being with such an incredible group of people gave us motivation and support. We sensed their support and kindness throughout the entire time. They are genuine in their praise and wanting to help in every way. That’s just how they roll. We love them and count them as some of our dearest friends.
While we were in St. George, we also were able to see Tyler and Laura Heilbut and little cute Killian. Tyler and Laura served as missionaries in the California Riverside Mission. They are happily married now. Also, we visited with Kerry and Marlene Shirley at their home in St. George who served with us in California. We had such a nice visit with them and ate Sister Shirley’s famous brownies with ice cream.
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