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.
What a fun, enlightening, and entertaining two days in St. George, Utah!
More photos on my Facebook pages!
