Pioneer Trek

I always say there is nothing better than three days of roughing it in the Oklahoma heat with a bunch of 14 to 18 year olds. Not to mention pushing a handcart with all of our stuff to eat and camp with pretending to be pioneers in a handcart company. Doesn't that sound fun?

Yes, Derrick and I had the opportunity to be a Ma and Pa to 7 youth in our stake on a pioneer trek this past month in Northern Oklahoma on a church owned cattle ranch. Full length pioneer skirts, bonnets and all!Did I mention that we volunteered to do this??? Wow, now that it has been almost four weeks ago that we did this, I can say, it was neat to see and feel on a smaller scale what the pioneers did way back when. I couldn't help but think while I was there about how I still had a home to go to with air conditioning, and how they had been driven from their homes and what was in the cart was all they had literally. We were given a baby doll in our families and we really had to pretend that this was a real baby and have the kids hold them a lot. The last day some of the babies on died and were buried on the trail. Our baby survived, but it was very sad thinking about how if I had been a pioneer, I probably would not have escaped that trial since it happened to so many families. Our family trial we were given was that Ma got typhoid fever and had to rest and get plenty to drink a.k.a. sit in the wagon and get pulled to our next break. That was tough! I felt so bad for these kids pulling and the heat and then I have to make it harder! They were very sweet to their Ma and told me that I actually made the wagon easier to pull and they forgot that I was even in there... They weren't as nice later on our Pa got bit by a rattlesnake and had to be pulled as well. To say we had a great time would not be quite right, however I will say that given the chance to do it again, I would definitely do it. Luckily these opportunities don't come but once every four years. To me that is plenty of time to gear up for another turn. We really enjoyed our family, and that was probably the most fun was getting to know the kids and be in a "family". Here is our family! They were so awesome! Never a complaint, and always wanting to be first in the line of handcarts. They were so fast and eager to just go! I was a proud Ma. I can't wait to see them at stake conference! Below was our camp the first night because it was supposed to rain. We had boys on one side of the handcart, girls on the other side and Derrick and I in the middle under the handcart. I didn't sleep much that first night worried about ticks crawling on me. The second night there was no rain so we slept under the stars and I slept a little better from sheer exaustion as well as the better circulation from no tarp and handcart over me. All my fears were realized when upon returning home I found 8 ticks had decided to jump on for a ride to my house to meet their sure and sudden death. Luckily my mom and dad were here taking care of the kids while we were gone so they could help me with the ticks or I might have truly freaked out. What am I saying, I am still freaked out about it. So if you ever find yourself in a position to decide wheather or not you are going to go on a pioneer trek with your stake, I think you should definitely do it because it is a wonderful experience just make sure you bug spray yourself 2 or 3 times and then get dressed and bug spray your whole self again on your clothes. And if you need pioneer clothes, you can have mine!!

Hurrah for Israel!!!