Elder and Sister Vann

Elk at the Ranch There were so many lessons to plan and teach this week.  We’re teaching two couples the Temple Preparation lessons, the Smith children, a lesson about the priesthood, a message for a non-member couple, and I taught Seminary (sub) on Thursday.  So Monday was major work on lessons and preparing for the week.  We did work at the Senior Center for lunch. It was also a very big service week for us and the young Elders.  On Tuesday, we finally were able to visit and help the Harshbergers.  They have a neighboring ranch to the Bishop.  We had met them a couple of months ago, at the Bishop’s house for dinner.  We’ve been trying to visit them and do something helpful at their ranch.  He is 90 and she is 80 something.  With the winter weather, and then melting snow, it’s been taking awhile.  We took the Elders out there, with the plan of Walt and I talking to the Harshbergers while the Elders worked.  It didn’...

Happy Easter!! I always think of two big things to celebrate at the Easter Season.  First - The Atonement of Jesus Christ.  One of the many things the Savior provided in His suffering is His power to help and heal us.   “The Savior has the power to succor - to help - every mortal pain and affliction.  Sometimes his power heals an infirmity, but the scriptures and our experiences teach that sometimes he succors or helps by giviing us the strength or patience to endure our infirmities.” (Elder Dallin H. Oaks of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles) The second is the Resurrection.  Without this gift, our chance to live with Heavenly Father again would be lost. What a beautiful time of the celebration of life and all that we are blessed with! We’ve been very blessed this week.  Here are a few -  Blessed with some amazing weather!  Friday we experienced 80 degrees while in Billings, MT to work at the temple.  It felt like summe...

Panoramic view of part of the Bishop's ranch Sometimes I think our weeks can’t get more exciting and then I am proven wrong.  This week has been one of those. We’ll start with the more down to earth type of excitement.  On Monday, we finally got to do some ranching.  Walt has been waiting for that for a long time.  We got out to the Bishop’s ranch about 10:30 am (per their request).  The Bishop gets up at 4:30 am, but Becky (his wife) wasn’t going to be there until later.  When we got there the Bishop was on the phone trying to find a spring for his planting tractor.  It’s a monster of a machine. His had come off that morning in the field somewhere.  The closest one was in Sundance, 2 hours away.  Nothing is close to a ranch, except another ranch.  He asked us if we would be willing to take the 4 wheelers and search for the missing spring.  (it’s about a foot long) Planting tractor.  Walt and Bishop are behind rep...