Kodachrome Basin and beyond . . .

We serve our mission in a desert that has tried the faith of many early pioneers.  They came to St. George at the request of the Prophet Brigham Young in 1861 to grow cotton.  309 families were asked to leave the Salt Lake City area and move south to the Cotton Mission.  It was extremely difficult.  They felt isolated and almost starved to death the first three years.  Through their perseverance, faith, and obedience, the early settlers built a community that is now 150 years old.  It is a desirable location for many people who enjoy the sunny weather and outdoor activities all year round.  Nearby national parks with their scenic beauty amaze the many tourists who come here.

                       Hoodoos of Bryce Canyon -- Scott saw a t-shirt that read-- Hoodoo you love?

Two weeks ago we drove to Bryce Canyon and stayed overnight at Ruby's Inn.  We wanted to go to Kodachrome Basin State Park and on to Grosvenor Arch--two places we had never seen.   Grosvenor Arch is one of the biggest arches in Utah but is not located in Arches National Park.  You have to travel 9 miles in and 9 miles back from Kodachrome State Park on a dirt road to get to it.  We were really thankful that our car and tires made the journey without incident.

                                                                 Grosvenor Arch

                                            Chimney Rock at Kodachrome State Park

Over Memorial Day weekend, our cute Rebekah came to see us.  She was a good sport and went to all our historical sites with us.  We also watched the 6 hour version of Pride and Prejudice.  It was great to have her stay with us for a few days especially since we might not get a chance to see her again before college starts.  She will be studying abroad in England fall semester.

                                                                     Rebekah

Roger, Scott's brother, visiting and joking in the annex.  He and Karen came to see us after they went to the St. George Temple.

Scott writes what happened earlier this week--

On Monday morning this week in the St. George Temple annex, I had a very good day.  There were one hundred and thirty visitors, of which, about 75 or 80 were on two bus tours.  One was a group of school kids from Crescent City, Colorado, and the other was a group from Australia. There were about 25 non-members in the smaller groups that came into the annex.    I was able to have gospel conversations with them because it was slow, and they came in groups of 2 or 3 people.  I was able to pass out 8 Books of Mormon and obtain 2 referrals. When we get a referral, we then follow-up by email and try to continue our gospel message, answer questions, and invite them to learn more by leading them to church websites or send the local missionaries to visit them.  The referral that seemed to have the most promise was from a couple from Henderson, Nevada.    He has lived in many countries and has been intrigued by seeing the Mormon missionaries wherever he was.   One of those countries was Hong Kong, China.

The missionary department keeps track of people who are baptized that make first contact at the visitor centers and historical sites.  In the last two months from the St. George Temple Visitors’ Center and historical sites, there have been 13 baptisms.