"... THEY WILL COME!"

As I sat during sacrament meeting, allowing myself to become engulfed in the whole experience my little family had encountered, I was so very humbled by this unique experience. The scene was quite rustic, beautiful, and even pioneerish. A large congregation of people gathered to worship... in a barn... on a ranch... with the forest as a backdrop. The barn was filled with over 300 plastic chairs, the majority of them occupied by valiant saints that had come to partake of the sacrament. The cool morning breeze tickled our legs and the smell of ranch lingered throughout the barn. We watched the bishopric and speakers slowly shed their jackets throughout the meeting because they were seated in the morning sun. Amongst the voices of the speakers were the neighing of the horses as background music. One couldn't miss the deer that walked across the forested area behind the speakers and the cat that meandered between the chairs. It truly was a setting of old times. Although it was quite different from what we were used to... it was beautiful... and humbling... and spiritual. There is no doubt in my mind that the church is true. And it is the same, no matter where you go. Even if it is in the mountains... on a ranch... in a barn. The spirit was there. We partook of the sacrament. We felt renewed.

With 300+ chairs set up, more than half were filled. And there were many visitors who gladly joined us. After sacrament meeting, some of the men gathered to share in the awe of the experience and the young men took care of the sacrament table.

Our speakers were fantastic and memorable. The topic was fathers. Which was perfect for the month of June. What a better time to think about and thank our Heavenly Father, and the father of our Ward for this experience. These are two FANTASTIC men! Bishop Dillon & Frank Bruneel.

The parking situation: A little bit mayhem, but it worked! And everybody seemed patient.

The primary met in a sheep-herder's tent all together, and used a battery-operated keyboard.

The nursery met in the Bishop's basement.

The Relief Society & Young Women met up at Bishop's parents home. It was quite the hike up the hill, so they used the Porter family's 15-passenger van to shuttle people up/down the hill.

Just a few pictures of the members & visitors & their new "church-ranch" experience!

A few of the boys... enjoying the WHOLE RANCH experience - ditch and all! You could almost imagine what it might have been like in pioneer days. Hmmm... muddy church clothes?

Two old timers who gathered to reminisce about the good old days.



Amy... always serving (shuttling the sisters)... and always a missionary.

My little rowdy bunch.

And my little kids. They thought this was a great experience. When we told them we were going to church at the Jones's, they asked if they could bring their swim suits to swim in the ditch. What? You'll be in your church clothes, and it is Sunday. Silly kids! But, you can where your cowgirl boots if you like! That picture of the two boys crossing the little ditch. Yeah, well my kids weren't quite clean when the day was done. We only met for 2 hours, due to circumstances. But, it was a great two hours. And we are looking forward to next week... to feeling the spirit... to having the experience... and to being so grateful for all that we have been given. MUCH!

In one week, the barn gained modest sides, a second story, and a roof. The rest will come in time. But, for now this will do. We are making it work, and are grateful for this fun opportunity. Bishop was concerned that people might not come given the rustic circumstance and the environment being so drastically different for our meetings. But, there were suits, jeans, high heels, cowboy boots, members, and visitors, and plenty of smiles on faces to share. Ultimately, I thought to myself... "If you build it... they will come!" They want to worship... they want to partake... they want to serve... they want to feel. And they did. We did. I did. It was GREAT!