Anticipation...trek, day1

Tonight I attended the General Women's Broadcast.  I was inspired and uplifted and reminded.  A couple of the speakers referenced our pioneer ancestors and their trek.  It got me reflecting on the trek that Mark and I were invited to participate in this summer.  For four days and three nights Mark and I would be assigned as the ma and pa to 4 amazing young men and 4 equally amazing & delightful young woman.  As a "family" we would pull a handcart filled with our provisions over gravel roads for several miles each day, we would cook many of our meals in dutch ovens and we would share experiences that would build our faith in our Father in Heaven and in our Savior Jesus Christ, we would enjoy nature and the wonders that this world provides.  We would be traveling alongside nearly 200 other youth and adult leaders, we would be assigned into three companies each with a trail boss that was a member of our Stake Presidency.  President Opdahl was assigned to travel with our family.  We were excited!  To best describe the days and months proceeding our departure I believe one word sums up my feelings...ANTICIPATION. 
Were we ready both physically, spiritually, emotionally and temporally?!  Like most things in life you do your best and hope for the best.  The day before trek was when the trek actually began for us.  Sure we had had a bit of training here and there, we had purchased and gathered to provide for our needs, we had studied so that we could teach, but the day before was when it really got started.  Mark, who was/is assigned as the high counselor over the young men and the young men's president Brother Endicott took on the task of assembling the 18 handcarts.  Not an easy task!  I repeat...NOT AN EASY TASK! They began at 9am and finished with the help of two fellow trek pa's, a father in law and brother Endicott's daughter at about 7pm.  It was a day filled with faith...on several occasions the words "it will just work out" were said and felt. 

At 8pm Mark and I kissed our "real kids" goodbye, turned them over to aunt Ginger for a few days and headed this precarious caravan of three trailers to Washougal, WA where we would get a good nights sleep in a local hotel before heading up to the trek site to finish handcart assembly at 6am. 

 

Lesson learned:  Sacrifices both great and small are swallowed up in the joys and experiences of the journey. 

Sweet Spots:  Watching the hard carts come together.  Additional help arriving.  Safety.  Ability.  Faith.  Safeway at 11pm to get lunch for the next day.  Hot showers and flushing toilets.  A good nights sleep.  Being with Mark.