TREK

Emile survived Trek! AND... she had a great time. She had tons to tell us about. What a great experience she had. For those of you who may not be familiar with Trek, it's a program where the youth of our church (ages 14-18) reenact the Mormon Pioneer journey to the Salt Lake Valley. Our group left last Thursday.

"Ma and Pa Bushey"

After being assigned a family, the youth began their journey hiking 14 miles the first day! The pushed and pulled handcarts weighing over 1000 pounds. Needless to say they were very sore and tired and looking forward to a delicious meal by the end of the day. They were served..... ready.... chicken broth and biscuits. YUMMY!! Friday morning they had cornmeal mush with biscuits before beginning the next leg of the journey. They only had to cover about 5 miles that day before stopping for a lunch of beef jerky, an orange and a little bit of trail mix, followed by pioneer activities (slaughter of chickens, learning about powder-muzzle guns, fire making, cooking in dutch ovens, making taffy, games, etc.). For dinner that night they had beef stew with homemade rolls (the youth prepared the meal themselves). After dinner there was a hoedown followed by a devotional. Saturday morning began with breaking camp followed by 2 hours of quiet time spent reading letters from mail call, reading scriptures, praying, etc. When the time was up the entire group had a testimony meeting. I'm sure it was pretty spiritual since they had been fasting since the night before. After testimony meeting they headed "home."

When the kids came down off the mountain, there was an eruption of cheers and "atta-boys" as they passed us! You could see some tears being shed... but for the most part there was so much excitement. One can only imagine how excited the pioneers were when they reached the Valley. After taking the handcarts apart, each family was dismissed by their Ma's and Pa's... and returned to us.

The first thing Emile did was run to the waterhose and rinse off. She was so hot and sweaty. Next she got a hug from Lesa.....

AND FINALLY... A HUG FOR MOM!!!!

It was wonderful to finally have Emile back. Her face was so red! You could tell she was really hot, as were all the other "trekkers." There was a big lunch ready for everyone... pulled pork sandwiches, potato and macaroni salads, baked beans, chips, pickles, pies, cakes, cookies, brownies, etc. Of course there were plenty of beverages!

Anya and Morgan enjoying the festivities.

What a great opportunity for our youth. I love the gospel! I love the programs that are designed to teach and strengthen the young people (and us older ones, too). How inspired this great Trek is. Emile accomplished something I'd have a very difficult time doing. She came home appreciating the modern conveniences she has. I know her love for the gospel grew too. That's what it's all about.

Well done Emile. Thanks so much for setting such a great example for Brie. I know she's looking forward to going on trek in 4 years because of you. She's nervous about it... as were you... but she saw how much you loved the experience and will follow in your footsteps. You're a great kid... don't ever forget that.