Breaking Ground in Wheatland

As noted on Peter's blog yesterday, we were thrilled to participate in the groundbreaking for the Wheatland chapel. Grandma & I went down to share in the experience with the good Saints of the area. Most may remember that some time ago Uncle Wes & Aunt Lisa lived in Wheatland. As I recall, back then there was no mail delivery, so everyone in town went to the post office to pick up their mail. Some things have changed since then in Wheatland, but not as many as you might think. Here is the artist's rendering of the new building. It is on the road that runs east/west on the north side of the high school, with the front (that you see here) facing south.

Here's Los Tres Amigos, all leaning on their shovels - nice shovels, eh? We are fortunate indeed to be led by these three, Presidents McAllister, Hall, & Johnson.

As you might expect at a function such as this, there was no shortage of cameras, and here is Brother Richins, complete with bluetooth, contemplating his next shot. The crews operating those rigs you can see in the background were there, and just waiting for the festivities to die down to resume their work. They have a deadline of getting all grading down prior to November 1, and you don't even want to know why.
Just for Tyler, and those like him, here is a better shot of the line up of heavy equipment. As you all know, I am usually taking pictures of whatever else is going on away from the main event. Sometimes you get some pretty good photos that way. I was only on the far front end of the land acquisition process, so I do not know the particulars, but given the oblique references Pres. Hall made to the Nichols family in his remarks, and my knowlege of Wheatland, I am assuming that this parcel was once part of the Nichols farm. Whether the Church acquired it from that family or not, I don't know, but it is a fine parcel. This shot is from the south end of the parcel, next to the street, looking north - there will be lots of grassy area behind the building.

And here is a crowd shot. It is the best shot I could get of Grandma. I kept trying, but there always seemed to be someone in the way, or else everybody was looking like we were there to bury someone rather than dig footings. Just to the left of Grandma is Sister Elliott of the Wheatland Ward, one of the finest folks. To the right of Grandma is Caroline Nichols Shumway, one of the descendents of the original. And behind Grandma is one of the Capps family, daughter of the current bishop of the Wheatland Ward.

And here is Dallas Haymore, who should be known to you all. What a delightful (not so young anymore) man. He now resides in the Wheatland Ward, with Dale & Toni (who you can see just at the right edge of the picture. In the foreground are Brother & Sister Aiono, more great Saints of the Wheatland Ward. Each of these families holds special meaning for me from my service.

And speaking of Saints - here are a couple. On the left, Sister Ardeth McDonald and on the right Bishop Irvine Harreld. Words cannot express what I, and all who know them, feel for them. If you ever need a visual of what a Saint as described in the scriptures looks like, here you go.

In support of my next blog (stay tuned) in which I set out to demonstrate that family is not just "something", but everything, here is perhaps the greatest photo of the day - the Grummert Family, all digging in for the chapel. From the parents to the newborn, this is a no.1 family.

Now we're down to the photo op crowd. Here is Pres. Hall, Bishop Takahashi, and Bro. McKee (standing in for Bishop Capps, who was with his family on a trip), all looking good for the camera crowd. It was really nice weather, with a cool little breeze, but obviously suit coats were optional.

Here's a shot of three of my favorites: Pres. Hall, Bishop Bradbury, and Pres. Johnson. Bishop Bradbury was the bishop of the Wheatland Ward during the end of my service, and was released when he decided to return to night school to study law. What a blessing he will be when he gets out. He is among the top of his class at McGeorge. When he moved into our stake (in his 30's) he had already been a bishop in Logan, UT. He followed one of the best bishops we had in the stake, and didn't skip a beat, being a natural for the calling.

And finally, I'll direct you to Peter's blog for the picture of some guy in a really nice Panama talking to Bishop Bradbury. The most important thing in that photo is one Logan Bradbury, who is looking directly into the camera. I had the great opportunity to visit with Logan, who is about 18 months old, while he was being held by his mother (another one of those Saints indeed in Wheatland). This is a special young man.