Emerson Darcy Vehrs

We welcome our first Great Grandson!

June 29, 2014

Dearest Family,

    Happy Birthday Ryan on July 1 and Chris on July 3!   Congratulations to Kirena & Micah on the birth of their son, Emerson Darcy on June 25!  We are so excited for them & welcome our first Great Grandson!

    It was great to have Allen, Amber & Family here Friday night & Saturday.  It was Allen’s 20th class reunion! Our new water line installation was completed on Thursday morning and turned on in the house. We will enjoy this plus we kept our well in service  so we have two water sources. Al took his pigeons home too.

    We are all so very blessed!  We witness the Lord’s hand each day!  This week has been so very amazing with so very many special experiences. I helped a Sister who had been inspired to get involved by her Home Teacher. At times she has done of family history, but had put it aside for a while. She couldn’t open her PAF data files & hadn’t used FamilySearch.org yet.   She has many amazing photos & stories. She was so excited to start adding them to FS.  We are visiting her in her home to  check out things with her printer/scanner.   She has a great home teacher who knows the way to help people feel the spirit.

    A Sister who had a very busy week being involved in the organizing of Mustang Days told about doing indexing & that she found it relaxing!  the spirit does that!!    Brownie’s doing great with his indexing – he enjoys contribuing by doing this great work!

    Today was great!  In each ward people had experiences. A brother in the FHC today found the maiden name of one of his great-grandmothers on a birth certificate of one of her children!   It had been one of his road blocks for some time.     A young couple was visiting the husband’s family & came to open library!  They got their trees all connected to their deceased ancestors & she is excited to be able to work on it at home.  A young man who had been home from his mission for about a year was so excited about the Portrait Pedigree & all the photos!

    Saturday morning we received an exciting email for the Johnsons our Area FH Advisors. Family Search had selected some high performance Family History stakes and the LWS youth have been doing a lot of their own names in the temple. Over 16 percent of our youth have taken family names in the past 12 months. (the church average is 2.5 percent) The Johnson's had called Pres Caldwell to invite our stake and he had accepted the challenge . Tonight at the final TREK fireside the Stake YW Pres told the youth and explained the worldwide “Youth Temple Challenge” that will begin on July 1. Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Twelve in a youth Family History fireside in February extended this challenge:     ”Set a personal goal to help prepare as many names for the temple as baptisms you perform in the Temple. As you seek to contribute to this sacred work, both by finding those needing ordinances and then beginning their work in the temple, your own knowledge and faith in the Savior will increase.....”

    We are excited for the coming weeks as we continue to ”Hasten the work” There is much to do as we prepare, just this week we’ll be busy with several training meetings.

 Happy 4th of July & CTR! 

We love you all. . . . . .Love Bro & Sis Croft

 

Success!!!!

June 22, 2014

Dearest Family,

    Success!!!!  At last the drillers were able to bore under the highway!  There were many prayers sent heavenward in their behalf & we are so grateful for their success.  There is now a black pipe sticking up on the west side of the road & the other end is in the greenhouse. We think the water company will come this week to complete all the connections to the water line!

    We attended two sacrament meetings today, our regular one & Rob & Michelle’s, they were speaking, both did great !  There were 4 workshops today with brothers & sisters there whom we could help, SM & I scanned in some photos, one was of his Grandpa & Great Grandmother.  It was a 60’s colored photo & the colored had really changed.  It was amazing how the software balanced the color so that it was almost back to normal. He also knows someone who can touch it up & remove the crack in it!   I hope so!  Our lesson today was on adding photos, several added a photo today & another sister had written several short stories since being challenged on Wednesday A.M.  Our evening was super,  3 HS age young ladies came in, each wanting to do something different – Ancestry.com, Puzzilla.com & learning abt finding names for the temple.  What special young ladies they are!  Two sister Missionaries are attending the temple with other missionaries next week & came in to have us help them. They enjoy doing their own names on these excursions.  Bro Croft also helped a HP group leader with some scanning!  What an amazing day!

    Janet was my comp/helper in the Public Library on Monday!  It was great to have 3-4 patrons there!  Also stopped to help Brother Brown with indexing, he is excited to do obituaries. Wednesday was our morning in the FHC. It was great to have several patrons there. Bro Croft had a very spiritual time with a young man, 22ish, whom the sisters are trying to reactivate. He had planned to meet them there, but there was some confusion, any way, Bro Croft helped him. He had lost his father in the Vietnam war when he was 2.  He talked of stories his mother had told him & was very excited to write a story.  Completed it & now plans to put some pictures in.

    We have been busy preparing for the Stake meeting of the ward mission leaders which was Thursday.  This meeting was to prepare them for using the My Family booklet for missionary and reactivation work thru out the church with the Full Time Missionaries. Bro Croft had a 9 yr old girl come,  add some photos she had already scanned & tell about why she is adding photos! “I want my children & grandchildren to know what it was like when I was a little girl” Truly inspiring. . . . 

    Another young lady, 17, who is a youth consultant talked about how it has helped her family, her father is returning to activity & a Priest-Laurels temple trip which they had. One Priest was preparing for his mission & was endowed so could do some of the baptising.  They had a spiritual experience. 

    We so enjoyed having Allen & Amber & family here on Friday night & part of Saturday.  The boys came for the two day Cub Scout Day Camp at Bighorn Canyon Nat Rec Area.  They enjoyed the Day camp and we enjoyed having them here.  We are excited to have them back next week when Allen comes to his 20 year class reunion!  Doesn’t seem possible, does it!

    It was a warm week 90’s with almost an inch of rain over the week. Thursday evening we drove to Deaver to get the pigeons for Al and Dad. It was dark so very easy to just pick up the birds off the roost and put them into the carriers. Al will take his home next weekend to his new pigeon loft.

We love you all & CTR   Bro & Sis Croft 

Talk given in the Lovell 5th Ward by Rena

June 8, 2014 Talk given in the Lovell 5^th Ward by Rena A Croft

Why should we get to know our ancestors? The obvious answer is to provide temple ordinances, the sealing of eternal families – but there is much, much more.

Some answeres might include: “Everyone needs to know where they came from.....

“Sense of belonging”

“To find a connection to a part of something bigger:

“a part of history”

Most important President Monson said: “We discover something about ourselves when we learn about our ancestors.”

Today I would like you to think about a tree. A tree with beautiful green branches, a strong trunk – a big bushy tree & even tho, we can't see them, we know there are just as many or more roots under the ground supporting the tree.

THE ROOTS - are our ancestors – their lives, their experiences, trials, successes, joys – they nourish the tree.

THE TRUNK - is the present – each of you!

THE BRANCHES - are the future generations including our little children of this generation.

What do I learn from my roots - My grandfather, Frank, came from Denmark at the age of 17 – in 1877. he was not a mormon pioneer but he desired land, America was a land of opportunity. My Father sayes he crosses the ocean three times. Why – he was working on the ships so he would have money when he got here. He was a hard worker. He homesteaded land, rocky land. My father remembers one of his childhood chores was to pick rocks in the fields. They were piled under the buck rail fences. The ranch is gone but even today one can tell where the fence lines were by the rocks. I know by the things he did that he was an educated man. He & his wife had 5 children, 4 grew to be adults. He loved his wife & children.

When my mother – his future daughter-in-law first visited the ranch he ask her name. She replied “Hilda Jones” He said, “are you any relation to Josh Jones? He had hauled freight with him. My mother replied “yes, he is my grandfather” He grabbed her & danced her around the room saying, “any relative of Josh Jones is good enough for me!”

He was fun loving & exuberant. He passed away at the age of 69, several months before my parents were married. I am excited to meet him some day & thank him for his courage, his life & maybe even dance with him.

One day we were helping a young man, about 12-13 hears old. He was quite slender, reddish hair & freckles. He wanted so much to be involved in sports, but was small for his age. We searched for records & found a Draft Registration Form which his Great Grand father had filled out prior to World War I. On the back of it was a brief description of him. He was short, slender built, and had a ruddy complexion. The boy perked up, grinned, & said “Maybe I look like him”

Do we learn something about ourselves – that we are okay – Graeat Grandpa made it – even if we are small freckled & red headed!

Another ancestor of Bro. Croft's, Archibald Sinclair & his wife had 13 children. In 12 days they lost 4 child children to diptheria.

Henry & Susanna Heaps were my great-great Grandparents, They amaze me. They embraced the gospel in England. Henry had two brothers who also joined the church. They didn't have enough money for all of them to come to America together. Henry's brother Thomas & his wife came first, bringing with them their three children & two of Henry & Susanna's children, Lorenzo, age 7 & Alice, age 5. They loved them as their own. It was 7 years before Henry & his wife were reunited with Lorenzo now 14 & Alice, 12 & the rest of the family.

Their testimony was great. Their faith was great & they loved the gospel. They were willing to do very difficult things – would I be able to send my children to America, so they could worship & enjoy the blessings of the Gospel.

Now for a more modern day story. My son Allen, shared this experience from a family reunion in the fall of 1999. He was home from his mission, in college, probably 23 at the time. Grandpa Croft, Shawn & Allen were out finishing some painting on the brown horse trailer. Somehow they got on the subject of how busy everyone in the world seems to be, thus justifying working on the Sabbath.

I had never heard much about great grandpa Will Croft but the story grandpa told taught me a real principle about the kind of people both he & Grandpa Croft were. He said that great Grandpa Will never worked or required his crew to work on the Sabbath, even though many other neighbors thought they needed to. He always made sure he had everything done by Saturday evening & did not resume work again until Monday. Sometimes this meant working longer hours to get extra things done. Never once did Grandpa Croft remember him getting behind all the other folks who worked on Sunday & he always had what he needed.

Now I try to follow that example to get everything done before Sunday so I can do what's most important on the Sabbath. Those weeks that I seem to be overwhelmed with assignments & don't think I can get everything done things always work out & I remember what Grandpa told us that day while painting the hubcaps of the brown horse trailer. Thanks, Grandpa!!!

But today 15 years later – both Grandpa's are now the roots. Allen is the trunk & his small children & future grandchildren are the branches. Can you see what I'm saying. Our trials, joys, spiritual moments are the experiences that will help our families.

Elder Foster stated: “A knowledge of past generations blesses future generations. That's why even tho Family History is always about the past – It has to be about the present & the future.”

We have a favorite quote - “Life is Family History” It is happening today, right now. As we learn about our ancestors, we understand more about ourselves, we feel the spirit of Elijah.

Russell M Nelson said: “ the spirit of Elijah is a manifestation of the Holy Ghost bearing witness of the divine nature of the family.” The Holy Ghost has great power.

A sister shared with me: I knew I needed to do their work. I had been taken from the home of my biological parents as a 6 year old, along with four younger siblings. I remember abuse. As I learn about them, this work brought peace to my heart. It was a troubled heart – troubled by abuse, contention fear, even hate. I have found peace. I have learned to love them – I have forgiven them.

The Holy Ghost always brings joy, love, & peace to our hearts.

In a Priesthood meeting where we talked of the power of Photos & Stories, Bishop Wolsey, (the bishop of the ward I was speaking in) has a grandfather who died before he was born. He said he always loved him because of the things he was told about him. There was a picture of him in Family Search which we showed in this meeting. He said, “I saw someone I loved for the very first time. It was a very spiritual experience!

Nephi 17:3 Therefore, go ye unto your homes & ponder upon the things which I have said & ask the Father in my name, that ye may understand & prepare your minds . . . . . . . .

May I bear testimony of the power of this great work. I know with all of my heart that by learning of those who have gone before us, we can draw nearer to our Heavenly Father.

Happy Father’s Day to all the great Father’s in our family!

June 15,2014

Dearest Family,  

    Happy Father’s Day to all the great Father’s in our family!  We love & appreciate all of you so.   Happy Birthday to Uncle Charlie & Allen today!   Happy 20th Anniversary to Dak & Joy!

Lots of special days for family members this week! , this one was a slower one with appointments.  Several of our regulars were out of town.   Library time was slower for me.

    Tuesday  evening in the FHC  we expected several people, but life must have got in the way!  We consultants all worked together, learning new things.  Family Search keeps us very busy with all the changes.  Brother Croft was in Powell at a Friends of Big Horn Lake Mtg.

    We had some extra time at home – I was able to get a Big Sky Quilt done, except for the edge!  Dad did lots of yard work & watering.  He also replaced the attic fan which started squealing the other day!   Work on the highway is progressing with sculpturing of the driveway (it is steeper than we like). The fences were replaced in front of the orchard & pasture, also.

   

    Because of all this, I helped one sister by myself on Wednesday & Thursday, so Dad could be here to watch over the projects!   I was sure I needed him on Thursday to help with technical things regarding scanning!  The Sister & I  just worked thru it, reading screens carefully.   I know with all my heart that there was lots of inspiration both days!  We had lots of help finding solutions to lots of little challenges!   We both learned so very much & are grateful for all the help!

    One of the high lights of this week was a very early trip to the temple!  Dad had been doing some searching using the new Puzzilla program along with Family Search and come upon the name of John B Sinclair, the older brother of Archibald Sinclair who’s name had been shared with the temple in early 2011 and never done. So he emailed the lady who had shared it (Nancy Sinclair in southern Utah) she quickly sent a note back excited to have found a new cousin. We have emailed several times since. She unreserved John and Dad took his name to the temple having a wonderful experience doing his work. In the same session was the Mike Fink family whom we have worked with for many years....the couple had been sealed several months ago, then their oldest son, wife and baby just recently were endowed & and now the youngest son was endowed today, then all were sealed as an eternal family. Ryan was Josh’s escort and also joined Dad as  a witness to the sealing. Our cousin Ed Sessions performed the sealing ceremony. What an awesome blessing day for all concerned...many, many years of love, kindness and patience came together in the Temple that day! We never, never want to give up on anyone. . . . just stay close and keep loving them into the Gospel! ! !

    We also enjoyed a few hours at the lake on Friday a.m. we caught some catfish but the BIG one is still there. It got hooked on something coming in and we tried everything we knew to get the line loose.....finally just broke it off and came home. It was a beautiful morning to be out together!

    It has been a great week – today was a busy one with many people in working during open library time.  One ward started a class today,  abt 10 people, first lessons are hectic, but I think it went well even tho we only had 4 consultants in this ward.  We have had a wonderful evening tonight, thanks so much for the Father’s day calls & visits. 

 We love you all! & CTR 

   Bro & Sis Croft

We’ve attached several pictures & my talk on June 8th:    Nest site of the first generation of robins this summer    & lilies at the pond.  Dad put the Lily pictures on the blog!

Croft Pond and its water lilies are awesome now!

These lily pods are a single plant each with over 30 blooms on now. Ours at the house pond are not even leafed out yet. The Bluegill and Green Sunfish fishing has been super too!

This has been an amazing week – with many opportunities for service.

June 8, 2014

Dearest Family, 

 Happy 80th Birthday to Uncle Bruce on Monday!   Happy 15th Birthday to Kaitlyn on Friday!

    This has been an amazing week – with many opportunities for service.   It was our Public Library day & we were both busy!  I worked with Judy – she has become such a great friend, we call ourselves sisters!  Bro Croft had several people whom he helped, great day! He & his friend BL are continuing on their story project!  BL tells a story, Bro Croft records it on his Kindle, then types it.  Each week they record a few & proof read & correct the ones from the week before.

    Some of the highlights of Tues -  Had a great meeting with the NeVilles, it had been a while since we had an unrushed time to just brain storm & visit about all that is going on in Family History!  In the evening, two 11 year old scouts came in, from Ken Grant & Kirk Hopkin’s group. They had expected more, but this was just right.  We were able to help the two boys & also give Kirk & Ken help with their trees.  Come to find out the others had baseball games.

    Wednesday was a quieter day, helping one lady in the afternoon,  making corrections etc.   Had some time to make final preparations for the FH consultant training meeting.  Seemed to go well, hope they learned something that will help them. The video of Elder Fosters was used to train them in using stories/photos, partnerships and Puzzilla.org. We also told them of the new use of the My Family booklet by the FT Miss in contacting, convert retention and reactivation. This will begin in July offically but we are already training the missionaries on it.

    And Thursday turned out to be a day to always remember.   While in Cowley, waiting for people to come, I Googled “How to skype?”   I had received an email from Jane Burkholtz, our cousin in Denmark & she thought that 10-11 a.m. MST would probably be a good time, this would be 6-7 p.m. her time.  I decided it would be good to learn a little about skyping, so I googled “How to Skype”.   While reading, I was prompted to try it as I read along, And much to my surprise, I clicked on something, & there Jane was, and we were visiting!  We had a wonderful visit!  Her English is great!   It is a good thing because I don’t know Danish!  Her husband was making Piazza for their dinner, he just said hello, because he doesn’t speak as much English as she.  Bro Croft joined in & we had an hour plus visit, just getting to know each other!   What an amazing experience it was.  Her Mother, who is 94, is also very excited about the discovery of relatives in America.   Several week ago, Jane & her husband were doing some traveling & took pictures of two churches in Denmark where our family lived. I have included two attachments which gives more information about them.

    We were able to have a fishing trip on Friday morning, It was relaxing, but cold & windy. Since we were out there, the water has risen enough to launch boats now at Horseshoe Bend so we will be getting the boat ready to take out!  Received a call this a.m. from  Judy, that her Daughter-in law, age 50, had passed very suddenly. She had had a heart attack. They had a gathering just for family on Sunday morning at their home & we were invited to come. Bro Croft visited with Judy’s son & they really hit it off. They have many common interests. Their home is just on the very north edge of Lovell & he has fields & river bottom land on three sides & wildlife coming around lots.

    On Sat we did yard work, prep for Sunday, I worked on my FH talk for the Lovell 5th ward. I may type it up, it has many stories about our family, since it was about “why we should learn about our ancestors”

  We love you all!    Have a great week  & CTR 

   Bro & Sis Croft

This is Løjtofte Church.

This is Løjtofte Church. Peder Jacobsen & Grethe Olsdatter, the parents of Frank Petersen were probably married in this church. The small church is built in 1200-1250. The church has a valuable and characteristic font, which is probably made in Gotland. The altarpiece dates from the time of the Danish king Christian IV (1588-1648).

This is Købelev Church.

This is Købelev Church. This the Luthern Church where Frank L Petersen and some of his siblings was probably christened. It is here where his birth is recorded under the name of Ferdinand Leonhard Pedersen.

Købelev Church was built around 1300 and restored in 1883 and 1970. The chancel gable wall is a beautiful architectural work. The churchs organ is one of the few Gudme company Organs, which are still existing. The altarpiece is a work by the famous church painter Eckersburg from 1841. The interior of the church contains a pew with the name of a smallholder Otto Kulds, engraved upon it. This is dated 1646.

Today a miracle happened!

June 1, 2014

Dearest Family!

    Happy Birthday, Bo!!!

    Today a miracle happened!  In one of our classes, several weeks ago, a Sister was quite distressed & discouraged, left the class early.  She is a convert, from a big family, but somewhat estranged because she joined the church.  Her ancestors are from a part of the world where it very difficult to do research.  I’d been praying about her, today she was back in class after missing a week. We were learning about searching original records.  She found an immigration record which listed the birth place of her great grandfather, not just the country, but the actual place.  She also found references to several other records which might also help!  what a blessing!!!!  She was so excited & filled with the spirit!

    A sweet moment,  today while in the restroom, I spoke to a little girl, an abt 7 yrs old,  who was just bubbly & smiling.  I ask her what made her so happy & she said!   “It’s Sunday!!” She loves the Sabbath day!

    We have had a great week, it has seemed different with a holiday on Monday, Bro Croft typed some stories which he & a Brother had recorded.   We had a wonderful afternoon at Joy & Dak’s & had a yummy dinner!  Each day we had several appointments.  It seemed that at several, not only did we help them with FH, but we were able to share info about ways they could use FH in their callings. For example, with the activity day girls, in Primary sharing time, as a HP group leader, as a leader over missionary work, to name some of them. So many special opportunities! 

    We also met with the eight full time missionaries twice.  They were connecting their trees, adding pictures, doing a little research,  just learning about familysearch.org so they can use it in there work effectively, proselyting, reactivating & retaining converts. They also filled out their “My Family, Stories books” so that they could use them when they are out & about. We enjoyed this time with them so much & they can really see how this can help in the work! The My Family booklet will be in 32 languages soon and will be a focus for the 2014 new mission presidents training this month. It will be the tool for missionary, convert retention and member activation work. We watched a webinar 2 wks ago giving us the details so as FH consultants and FH missionaries we would be ready to do our part. The missions are already ordering a supply of the booklets for their missionaries to use.

    We also helped a 97 year old brother get started again in indexing!  He had indexed before & is now in the Nursing Home because it is difficult to get around.  His mind is extremely sharp & his eyesight is great.  His family brought a computer there, & it was hooked up to the internet.  We spent one morning helping him index his first batch & he did great!  Thinks he wants us to come once more!   He wants to do something where he is contributing, accomplishing something!  He said just reading the paper every day & visiting with those around him isn’t enough! What an example to all of us!

    We enjoyed having Joy, Dak, Ky, Symphony, Kenya & Daeja here Thursday night!  They were off to Powell Friday A.M. for the final day of school & the cleaning of their home, everything was already packed. We are thankful that they arrived Saturday day at noon, & have lots unpacked!  Here’s their phone & address: 

The new home phone number is 460-2732. Dak still has his cell 254-4455 and I have mine 202-1923. Don't count on Dak having his on all the time, tho. Our address is 1659 N. 23rd St., Laramie, WY  82072

Dad had a wonderful birthday on Friday serving the Lord and enjoyed all of your expressions of love that day!

We love you all & appreciate all your good works!    CTR

Bro and Sister Croft