We are looking forward to seeing many of you on Saturday!

Dearest Family!

     Happy – Happy Birthday to Grandpa Bob on Saturday!  We are looking forward to seeing many of you on Saturday!

    Started out with High School Graduation! Congrats! Whitney!  Congrats! Chalin! One day while eating lunch, we observed 5-6 different kinds of birds, just outside the kitchen window! Black headed Grosbeak, pr of California quail, Casins finch, House finch, Spotted Towhee, Robins, Chickadee’s. It was special to have Darece & Whitney come by one evening!  Friday we were able to  go to Billings to the temple!  We gave hugs to Ryan, Rhonda and Quinn Sat Morning as they left for college in Portand. Rob also spent some time with us on Saturday, he and Dad fly fished the pond after the rain. . . caught a lot of sun fish! 

    There have been some sweet experiences this week!  The Lord inspires, directs, guides this great work!   Had a group of primary Activity Day Girls on Wednesday aft. – a 1 hour meeting & they didn’t want to leave!   I was helping an 8 yr old – & she found a story about an ancestor with curly red hair & a feisty personality!  She had reddish hair, & lots of darling freckles!  She was reading the story to me & I was just watching her & smiling as she described him!  Suddenly she grinned also, from ear to ear! She was excited because they looked alike.  then I said, “but I’m sure you don’t have a feisty personality . . . . .”  She grinned & said she did!  Her Mother reported today in a Sunday School FH class (she’s also their Activity Day leader)  how excited she was & that she had the FHE lesson all planned to teach her brothers all about what she had learned!

    Brother Croft helped one very special elderly sister, as she is writes her personal history she leaves a blank space & then we go & help her insert the pictures!  Every where we go, he is helping someone get the apps downloaded so they can enter stories!    Today as we happened to leave the FHC & go into the cultural hall, we saw Janeen Jolley & an adult grand daughter.   Janeen always comes to Lovell for Memorial Day & this grand daughter asked if she could come with her!   Bro Croft asked if she was recording stories as they traveled & then helped her download the apps so they could do that during the rest of the trip!  She was so-o-o-o- excited! In Billings on Friday, we went to Wendy’s for lunch & ran into Bro Goss leaving. we had met him last year & helped him with entering photos, etc.  He visited with us while we ate lunch & he learned about how he could interest his Cub Scouts in FH  & also about the audio apps.  He is serving as a FM Church Service Missionary in the Billings area, he is a fix-it man in all the meeting houses & loves it. 

    Wednesday am. was our morning in the FHC – & we were busy there.   Sister M J– an elderly sister who visits our FHC from another Stake each week, was there.   She had been trying to set up an LDS for her husband the previous day & had  only problems, even after calling help missionaries!  That was our first challenge! We called the help line & were blessed to get a missionary who got it corrected immediately!   She shared with me another experience, she had dreamed that she should work on her Grandmothers line, one she was stuck on!  We went into the tree & in the Hints was the marriage of these grandparents in Canada.  The record included the parents of both her Grandmother & her Grandfather!  Indexing is so amazing!!!!!!!!

    Our day today was filled with workshops & that is always great!   It seemed in every one today, someone was asking about indexing!  The highlight was a 75 yr plus brother, who grew up in the colonies of Mexico.   He speaks & reads Spanish very well.   Just hasn’t been able to really get into Family Search.  Today he kept mentioning indexing, but didn’t want to do it.    I finally downed loaded a batch of Spanish, handwritten records.   He starts reading this handwriting that looks like chicken scratching to me!   What a gift  & he has so very much to offer!  He was excited when he left – talked to his Ward consultant about getting the program on his computer, etc.  

    It’s been a wonderful day,   We are so very blessed! 

We love you all & CTR 

     Bro & Sis Croft

Another great Sunday! A lesson on Memories!

Dearest Family!   

  

    Have a wonderful Birthday on Wednesday, Symphony! You’re a teenager now!!!  It seems like only yesterday that I was going to the Fike home at Penrose to take care of the rest of the boys when you were born!  Time sure flies!  That is the same way still – each week goes by so quickly!

    Another great Sunday!  A lesson on Memories!  A lesson on submitting names for temple ordinances!   Two lessons on Hints & linking them to people in the tree with the source linker!   The class members were wonderful! Interested – excited  - & wanting to learn!  The challenge today was internet service!  The Stake Center has 25 meg service & we were receiving 5 maybe!  Cowley was just as bad. Dad did tech on both sites trying to improve the service but decided it was coming from the wifi provider.

    Something  very special which we were able to observe today was part of a lesson for the Priest’s Quorum.  The teacher had set up people thru out the building whom the priests could serve. for example we were in the kitchen eating our lunch & a mother holding “would you hold my baby, I got to go to the rest room?  This tall lanky boy, opened his arms, took the 8 month old sleeping baby, looked at him lovingly & said “It’s been a long time since I held one this size”  His youngest siblings are twins, age 9. 

    We have had some great appointments this week also!  We were in a home with an elderly couple, they had celebrated their 61st anniversary this week. We had talked about stories, memories, etc & they just didn’t seem to be catching the vision. I was showing her the pictures we had added & she was beginning to see, but still very insecure about actually telling a story & recording it! Bro Croft said it just popped into his mind to asked the Sister if they had a digital picture frame?  They did!!!!  Several years ago, one of the children had taken all their slides, 400 plus & put them in this frame. Bro Croft downloaded them to her computer & instantly she was telling stories about each one – excited to hook it to their tv so they could view & talk together about each one.    She had never really enjoyed it very much because the pictures went by so quickly & it was hard to talk with her family about them.

    With another sister – we were learning about a place in Norway & while finding the location on a map in Google, we found a wonderful series of pictures. Actually sat at the kitchen table & toured Norway!  What fun!

    At the Public Library, Brother Croft has been teaching our home schooled Deacon, & they have been having a great time.  This young man has been helping in his ward on Sunday in the FH class – he does a great job.  I have another nonmember who has been coming in, both there & several times during the week to the FHC.  We also have several drop-ins each week in there, brothers & sisters who just have a question!

    When entering the FHC the other night, a lady, abt 30, was entering the building, she had been told that one of the Bishops could help her, she was about to become homeless. We walked to his office, he wasn’t there yet, As we walked across the cultural hall something was mentioned about FH. We called the Bishop & while waiting  sat at a computer & we started finding info that she was previously unable to locate!  The spirit touched her & we could see her excitement!  I hope she comes again some time!

    There was nearly 3/4” of rain this week which was really needed! Two of Dad’s male quail got killed this week in freak mishaps with raccoons. He is trying to incubate some of the eggs from one hen. We have a family of cottontail rabbits around this summer and see them every day roaming about!  We have trapped 4 coons already this month but they still keep getting into things. .   We moved some of our raspberries into the fenced garden plot in hopes of keeping some growing. After the 23’ freeze last Monday a lot of things look really sick. the alfalfa fields in the area are all turning yellow brown as are many of our plants and trees here. We know some of the field row crops were damaged also.

    We had a wonderful evening with Rob’s family, It was a graduation party & going away party for Ryan, Rhonda, & Quinn.  What a cutie – we will miss them all even tho we don’t get to see them often.  We appreciate all the facebook photos all of you send, especially of the great’s – that is our only way of seeing them!   Thanks so much!

    CTR & love to each of you

   Bro & Sis Croft

 

Welcome home, Elder Fike!

Dearest Family!

     Welcome home, Elder Fike!   We are counting the days until we get to see you!   Love you so much & grateful for you safe trip home!  P.S. Tchae Skype’s us the 8 this morning so  we were able to talk to him already!   It was so fantastic! 

    Happy 25th Anniversary Rob & Michelle on May 12, Tuesday!   Happy Birthday to Rob next Sunday!   A special Thank you to all of you & my special Sweetheart, for Birthday & Mother’s Day wishes, calls & thoughtful gifts!    We want to say Thank You to all the wonderful Mothers in our family!  The wonderful Mothers of our grandchildren & great Grandchildren!   We love & appreciate each of you for your very special talents.     

    It was a very nice day today!   One class was a Memories Workshop!  We knew of a audio story that one of the class members Mother’s had linked to her deceased husband profile.   We were able to play it – it surely helped create a special spirit in the class.  It seems our lessons & workshops in all the wards are on the same cycle,   Lessons one week & the next week it is workshops – today was a workshop day!  Had an enjoyable day helping in many of the wards.   Our Indexing challenge has reached over 554,000!   That is halfway to a million!    Way to go everyone!!

    Tuesday evening was a special night in the FHC – our three patrons were all non-members!  Two people we had worked with at the Public Library & the other one was brought to the Center by her next door neighbor!   Two had also been there that afternoon!  Great Night!   We continue to teach the FHConsultants at our monthly meetings once a month!  One of the things we do most often with groups is recover user names & passwords.  Had them pair up in teams & help each other recover their own usernames & passwords.  Would surely be nice if  we would all remember them, but I guess that is not to be!  Immediately after the class a youth group came in & I was helping a 12 yr old Young man set up his first account.  He needs parent permission so it is a little different & we could not get it to ever go thru – Still don’t know if the email was wrong Or the cell phone number or what – we could not get it validated!   So very frustrating!  We have had some special appointments this week,  Sister Crosby went with us one day – it is so helpful to help people in their own homes!   

    Thursday a.m. in Cowley was indexing & helping several others with research – it is always so great to go to the there & help!     

    Thursday, Fri & Saturday were a little slower, with some cancelations – we made good use of the time at home.   I was able to complete the quilting on Kenny & Rosie’s Quilt & get started with the binding!   I also got started on High School Grad Quilts for Chalin & Whitney.   It is coming up fast!  What an important time for them! Dad and I moved some new raspberry shoots into our fenced garden by the corral to start a new patch. We also cleaned vines from trees and bushes that grow so rapidly every summer!   We have had cooler weather the past week & last night it froze . 23’ last night so there will be crop and garden damage in the area. It will get most of our apples, plums and currents too.  We’ll soon see!

    Thanks again for your wonderful call, Tchae! 

   We love all of you CTR & have a great week 

    Bro & Sis Croft

 

The stake has reached over 500,000 names indexed in 5 months!

Dearest Family!

    Another week is flying by!  It has been great with things to do each day!  Library Day at the library – there were 4 people to help, it kept us each busy.  We also had four on Tuesday – that must be our number this week, then in the evening in the FHC we were busy also!  We are meeting often with the Crosby’s, the new FHC directors!  I guess tonight as I review the week, it was a very normal one with things to do each day!  One afternoon, a sister & I were searching the Wyoming Newspaper Project on line.  It has been so fun to read the 2-3 line articles about her family. the articles range in topic, things like; a young man, 9, first injuring himself while hunting gophers, then 6 months later shouting his first coyote, two young men demonstrating a new washing machine without much success, community dances in the new barn, perfect school attendance & tardiness reports, visits to an aging mother, homesteading claims and being a witness for others doing the same, & much more.  It surely gives one a more realistic view of our families.  Each appt is special because the spirit is always there when people are doing this great work! 

    The weather has been beautiful so Bro Croft was busy outside, he has completed his first irrigation of the field & orchard!  the yard  and everything is beautiful! Apple trees are blooming & the lilacs are beginning also!  He has also been busy repairing the windbreak & feed rack fence in the corral. The winds this spring have pushed over the old posts. Our water lilies that were frozen in the ice all winter are growing great just can’t believe they survived!  Dad enjoys the new canal setup so he doesn’t have to watch all the neighbors trying to get water and flood us  like last year! They now all have their own head gates on east of our farm. The Barrett’s brought 10 sheep on Saturday to get going on the weeds and grass. We even went fishing on Friday out to Horseshoe bend!   No fish but the sunshine was wonderful.  Possibly this week I’ll shout hurray for the quilt will be done!  It is so close!

Orchid with 12 blooms

   

    It was great on Saturday to have Rob & Michelle come out for lunch & a visit. We ended up at the pond in the field & them fishing. Krysta & Josh with their new puppy also stopped by!  So enjoyed them all!

    Sunday, another busy one – 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.  Each class was great – the highlight being a class with the Elders Quorum of the Lovell 4th ward, about 10 brethren!   They each set up their account & we helped them look around & learn a little! The one I helped was totally amazed at what was available & I didn’t even get into the Memory part!!!!  More of the ward consultants are teaching & doing a great job. Our Indexing Challenge ends the May 10th, youth against adults. We have reached over 500,000. After next Sunday, we will keep our charts up & monthly post the new numbers. It will be interesting to see when we reach a Million. It has been just 5 months since we started.  Many new people are starting to index all the time!

       

    It seems tonight my mind is a little blank & mostly exhausted so will close & maybe there will be more to say in the morning!  (Yes, I did add a little this morning) 

 Love you all,   Bro & Sis Croft!