Old Apple Tree Park by the Columbia River, Vancouver, Washington

This week went great. We got things all lined up for Friday where we have our two baptisms. That is really exciting for us. Elder Hardy gets to baptize Stephanie and Brother Brown is going to baptize Crystal so it an awesome opportunity for everyone.

We had three investigators drop us this week. It seemed that each of them had talked to a friend and they told them something. They were all really nice telling us not to come back again. Things like we believe in a different Jesus or we only believe in half of a God and Jesus was their mix up. One the investigators, about two hours after dropping us, gave us a call. She expressed how horrible she felt for rejecting us. She said she saw the love we had for the scriptures and how we were like Christ going to the people and visiting them. She also said that someone at her church had told her not to meet with us. She didn’t agree with that and said as she was reading her scriptures she felt she should call us. She apologized and then invited us back, not to share much about our religion, but to share the love we have for God. So we will let the Spirit work with her for a bit longer and stop by.

So as I was writing this email another person called me and said she wanted to discontinue meeting with us. I said we’d give her some time and perhaps stop by later when she figures things out. She accepted and we look forward to still meeting with her.

It has been a testimony to me the opposition that is towards this work, but also how much the Spirit actually does. I know we are servants to spread the message of the Restoration of the Gospel and that we can truly know for ourselves that it’s true. We help others find out for themselves whether or not they want to act on the message we share. I know its true and that’s why I am here sharing it.

Love, Elder Willoughby

Photo Credit: Sheryl Todd

Elder Daniel Willoughby is serving in the Washington Kennewick Mission. If you want to communicate with Daniel, write in the comments or use one of these addresses.

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In the photograph above Connie illustrates what the canyon looks like by the pictographs. Not that it helps much I admit. There is a Forest Service marker at one point that warns you not to touch the rock art. We looked at the rock, and even took pictures, but we could not see any art in it at all. Mark went further up the canyon, climbed around some rocks, and found the pictographs.

Mike told us that it is best to come up in the Spring when the pictographs are freshly painted.

Related posts:

1. Parrish Canyon Fremont Pictographs
2. City Creek Canyon Trail
3. The View From The Living Room

At the trailhead: Mark, Connie, Kent, Melissa, Jill, Rick(ety), Mike, and Paul. Susan is on camera duty.

On Labor Day at 8 am nine adventurous souls set off to find the Parrish Canyon Fremont pictographs. The pictographs are not very far up the canyon. It was a little cold and Mark loaned Jill his coat. I am told it is a thirty minute hike but I didn’t time it. According to the minutes of the Centerville City Trails Committee meeting held Thursday, April 10, 2008, the pictographs had been damaged:

Mark Day reported he hiked to the Fremont pictographs in Parrish Canyon, and he said they have been vandalized. He said some of the pictographs have been scratched, and others have been rubbed out. (Trails Committee Meeting Minutes)

So we set off to see if we could take some pictograph photographs. I will show you first the path we took to the pictographs and then in the next post the pictographs themselves.

We set off on the trail. We got lost. Asked directions. Continued.

When you get to the bridge, cross it and turn right.

Take a picture of the waterfall and continue.

Follow the creek just like Connie and Susan are doing here.

At this point in a normal blog you would see the pictographs. But there are too many photographs already so the pictographs are in the next post.

Paul and Mike continued onward and upward. I followed. I wish I hadn't.

We got back before the others and met Merrill on Red.

Red is an Arabian Paint and his real name is in Russian which I can't pronounce much less spell.

Related posts:

1. Parrish Canyon Fremont Pictograph Photographs
2. City Creek Canyon Trail
3. The View From The Living Room

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Paul weighs anchor

Paul and Jake tell me that yesterday they launched from the south and sailed to the east on Causey Reservoir. They camped there and then sailed back to the south today. It was windy and they were blown into the bank. These photographs are by Sean and the video by Paul. See all of Sean’s Large and on Barge photographs on Facebook. I took a final picture of what looks like the shipwreck of the Good Raft Paul on my front lawn.

Matt Hall dives from the second story

If you cannot see the video, click here.

Go to Part 1

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1. There is Plenty of Sound in an Empty Barrel: Part 4
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3. There is Plenty of Sound in an Empty Barrel: Part 3

My son Steven went with the crew of the Good Raft Paul to photograph the launch at Causey Reservoir. Now I don’t know what the raft was named, or if indeed it had a name, but I will refer to it as Paul for now (not to be confused with Paul the captain). Steven reports:

It was already dark when we launched so we didn’t have much of a chance to take pictures. I suspect you’ll be able to get some better photos from those that stayed up there. The vessel floated very well, as expected.

I will add any more photographs to this post as they become available. Stay logged on.

Go to Part 6

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The raft was completed yesterday evening. The second story was braced and disassembled for transportation. Some of the barrels around the wheel well of the trailer had to be loosened so that the raft could be stowed level. A truck was needed for towing which was provided by Matt of Fence4U. In Part 5 I will have photographs of the launch at Causey Reservoir. Click on the images to enlarge.

Go to Part 5

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Paul and Jake have all the barrels and the wood they need and this evening are finishing the project. With help from kind friends they were able to complete a portion earlier. If you had no clue what the project was about then the photographs and videos here should make it a little clearer. Click on the images to enlarge.

The following videos capture turning the project from upside down to right side up. The first video is a false start. In the second video Paul shouts, “Mom, get all those 2x4s out of the way!” Jill was filming so she had to move quickly to remove them and return to her video. Hence her, “Gosh.”

If you cannot see the videos, click here.

Go to Part 4

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3. There is Plenty of Sound in an Empty Barrel: Part 1

This framed thing on my lawn is also part of the project. Jake said it was the second story. I’m not sure how this is going to fit in with what I know about the overall construction. Later this evening they are planning on finishing the project.

Go to Part 3

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Daniel (right) and and Elder Hardy with couple

We had yet again another great week. This time its full of exciting things such as baptism! We had one investigator pass an interview and another having her interview this Friday. They should be baptized next weekend.

Stephanie is a investigator that looked up the church online and went to the wrong building and at the wrong time. She remembered going there as a small child and said she enjoyed the services. The bishop there got her information and it was passed to us. I remember her saying on the first phone call she wasn’t interested in converting. I mentioned we would stop by to tell her more about the church so she’d feel comfortable coming and could answer her questions. So she has come to church about four times now and we’ve been meeting with her for that month’s time. We asked her to be baptized a while ago, but since she was living with her boyfriend she didn’t know when she could be. So this week, she is moving out and it opened up the opportunity for her to be baptized. Her boyfriend didn’t treat her with respect so she is relieved to move out. We are so happy that the Lord has helped her to improve her life.

Also we have been working with a less active couple. They had been making their way back to activity and asked us to come over and teach the lessons. We taught them lessons and the Spirit helped them. Now they feel comfortable coming to church. We saw them at the ward BBQ (see picture above).

To top it off four investigators also came to the ward BBQ and they had a great time. We got to play volleyball with them for awhile and they developed friendships with the members.

The weather here has been very dry for about two months now. We hope the rain holds off for a lot longer. It has been nice, but it has had it’s effect on people’s lawns. Since it does rain so much usually they don’t have sprinklers so in the summer it’s common to have a dead lawn. A member’s neighbor wanted to still have green grass so they painted it (see photo below). The member said of the experience, “I went to church in the morning and we both had dead grass, I come home and my neighbor’s grass was green. I thought they don’t go to church and I do, but they get the green grass.” It was funny to hear him talk about it.

All things are well and thanks for all the support. The pictures were great to see, it looks like the festival was fun.

Love, Elder Willoughby

Elder Daniel Willoughby is serving in the Washington Kennewick Mission. If you want to communicate with Daniel, write in the comments or use one of these addresses.

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