Cowboys Are Alive, Well and Living in Montana.

Warning: Picture overload ( but some neat pictures, in my opinion)

      This last week we devoted it to service, helping those in the Branch. As I may have mentioned we have two Church-owned Ranch's  in our Branch area. The Muir Ranch has 25,000 acres and the Winnecook has 50,000 acres, at branding time they help each other. It is a busy few weeks. They invited us to come and watch and to help a little, mainly to watch (Jack helped and I watched). We were excited to be able to do this.  We met the wives at the Muir Ranch and drove north of town  for aways then on a dirt road for a while , then across some fields with no roads. Glad we has someone to follow. Everyone was glad to see us as we brought the food.

 Travis Jacobson is the manager of the Muir Ranch and 1st Councilor in the Branch.

 What they were there for. They look happy here.

Brian Power who is the general manager over both Ranches.

Ropers bringing in the calf. 

Branding, shots, ears marking, and castration. 

Melanie is the one who did all the castration and yes she is only 10. She loves everything to do with ranching and get right in to help any way she can.

On a mission you are called on to do many things.

Elder Brooks' job was to keep the calves and cows in the corral.

 John Power, he did all the ear marking. Our only deacon in the Branch.

They did 322 calves that day and this was only one day out of 4.

 They start them young, love his chaps. (Casey is 2)

 

      At the beginning of the week Dale Mager ask Elder Brooks to come help him also. He has a small ranch and only needed 18 calved  and 18 cows branded. It was a whole different operation. They herded the calves into a chute and turned it on it side and did all that needed done in the chute. The pictures tell the story.

 They used a electric branding iron.

 My service this week was to make a quilt top for our humanitarian  project. See I did need to bring my sewing machine. I also made cookies to take around to the active members of the Branch. We need to know them better and for them to know us.

They Call The Wind Maria

The last two months I have gained a greater appreciation for the pioneer women who helped settle this land. I don't know if you can tell by these two pictures taken seconds apart of the bush by our house how hard the wind was blowing, but it was hard. The wind has blown almost every day since we have been here and from what they tell me it does blow almost everyday.

  As I was setting in the Jeep the other day and the wind was whistling through it it made me think of the women who first settled here and anywhere on the plains. How lonely the wind sounded!!! As the song says "Maria makes the mountains sound like folks were up here dying....heard her wail and whinin.... There ain't no word but lonely." Can you imagine what it was like to live a 100 miles (there are some Ranches that are almost that remote here) from your nearest neighbor and having to hear the wind all day whistling through the crakes of your home and across the plains? It took strong women to make it out here.What a lonely life they had. I have a deeper respect and appreciation for them. 

Thank You!!!!

Hold to the Rod

At Zone Conference our Mission President showed this cement block with the rebar in it. He talked about how if you built a house without the rebar the cement will crack and fall apart. If the earth shakes the building it will fall apart. The rebar holds it together. He likened the cement and the rebar to our life.   Christ (the Gospel) being the rebar, holding it together. The cement being our lives, the church, faith, prayer, testimonies, others opinions , not understanding doctrine, etc. It we let the outside world shake us we will crack and fall apart. We need to have a firm foundation in Christ so that when the anti-Christ (whatever they may be) try to shake us we will stand firm in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This is our prayer for all of our family, everyone of you.

Zone Conference

June the 5th was our first Zone Conference, what a great experience that was. The young missionaries are so full of enthusiasm and the spirit. We enjoyed every minute of it, and that was a lot as it went from 9am to about 5pm. They used the film "17 Miracles" to teach and apply the rescue to missionary work. We were differentially spiritually lifted.

 Getting ready for a great lunch.

 President Gardner speaking before lunch. (I know a bad picture)

 Nothing a missionary likes better than a good lunch with a lot of food.

 Couple at the end of the table are CES missionaries, they are over all the Seminaries in the area, I think they said a 100 mile radius plus Institutes.

 Elder Brooks visiting with the couple that work on the Church owed ranch outside of Roundup. He is 78 and still going strong.

 Getting ready for Zone pictures.

President Gardner teaching door approach. And yes we did do the role playing. Elder Brooks favorite thing. NOT!!!

Home Teaching Montana Style

President Swickard asked Elder Brooks and I if we would find a member of the Branch that is inactive. He is on our Home Teaching route. So far no one has been able to contact him. That is what we are here for so Saturday we took off to do this. First 20 miles to Judith Gap, then headed west out of town,  20 miles on a paved road. Then the adventure begins.

 This is not what we found at the end of the road, but I liked the shot, and when I sew this cabin I told Elder Brooks that was where we were headed.

 View of the valley below.

We went another 8 miles on a gravel road which turned into a dirt road.

 Which went up and up.

 And sometimes a little muddy. With a sign that said do not trespass. Being the law abiding citizens we are we drove right ahead. (I did ask Jack how fast he could run, if the guy had a shotgun.)

 Finally our destination and the end of the road. A nice home with 2 big German Shepherd dogs. They were very nice and Elder Brooks won them over right way. Not as fast with the gentleman, he was a little cool but not hostile. That gave us hope, he didn't invite us in but did talk to us.  He grew up in Salt Lake, I am sure there is a story there and I am dyeing to find out about it. When asked if we could come back to Home Teach him he said "I do like my privacy." No kidding!!!!

 View from his front yard. I think Elder Brooks fell in love with the place.

 We did see some beautiful spring flower along the way.

 Now we know why we ended up bringing our Jeep,

to get us over roads like this.

WE ARE SO THANKFUL FOR THEIR SERVICE

      On Memorial Day we took some time to remember those who have serviced our country now and in the past. We would not be free if they had not been willing to fight for us. We are forever grateful  for their sacrifice, some gave all even their life. In the Book of Mormon we read about this land being a "land of promise, a land which is choice above all other lands ....... a land of liberty." I hope we never take that for granted. 

       I am glad that we take time at least once year to remember all those that went before us and the sacrifice they made in settleing this land. Even though I was not able to go to Wayne Co. this year it was nice to go to the cemetery here and see all the decorated graves to think about the ones who have passed and the good memoirs we have of them.

(picture Mitch took while he was in Washington DC. Horace C Mitchell Jr. (3rd from top) who Mitch was named after, a good friend of Jack who gave his all.)