Three hours of our pDay at Crooked Creek Bay in Big Horn Lake

A fun time on the water!
We caught these large 4 lb plus Sauger and several small Catfish in our 3hr trip!

We had a great visit with Chris via Skype on Thursday!

August 31, 2014

Dearest Family,   

    Happy Birthday to Aunt Gaye today, Sunday, August 31, & to Darece on Thursday, September 4!   Hope your day is or was great!  Welcome home Chris!

   

    I enjoyed working with J Q on our Public Library day, she has been writing memories of her aunts, uncles, grandparents & adding them to the tree!  We have also scanned in lots of photos, we have added lots & still have lots to go!  We are making progress!  She doesn’t have a computer so we just work on each Monday!    It was quiet for Bro Croft this week!  Indexed with our sister this week, had several cancellations!  

    Our Day in Cowley was great!   The two elders came in, they are having a conference in Billings next week & will get to go to the temple – they are always so excited for this!  Both found a name to do the endowment for & a brother who was also there working on FH volunteered to do the Baptism & initatory  on the names so that the names will be ready next week!  That was so sweet of him!  Aren’t people just the greatest! We have had several new bishops in the stake in the last several months & this week we were able to meet with one of them!  It was a special time of feeling & sharing the spirit of  this great work.

    We had a great visit with Chris via Skype on Thursday!  It was super to see & talk to him– he was reporting his mission today!

    Marlene & Valyn flew in on Thursday & Bill & Kathy came up from Riverton!   We got together with them Thursday afternoon & evening. Marlene, Kathy & I did some indexing of obituaries – they are so fun, but a little tricky! Sure enjoyed visiting!  Marlene, Valyn, Gaye’s family all went to the Big Horns on Friday!  Bill, Kathy, Dad & I went to Billings to the temple!  All of us had a great time! Again on Saturday we were able to get together again! Looking at photos on Family Search.org does wonders to inspire stories & memories!!!  It was a slower Sunday, with classes small because of the holiday, but there was walk in traffic which is great!   Had more youth into the FHC tonight & also in two wards there were new Youth Consultants were sustained! I am forwarding a FS newsletter to all or you which includes the links to setting up accounts with the Partner Sites, Ancestry, My Heritage, & Find My Past. Let me know if it does not work!

    Quite a wet week everyday some rain, making the hay harvesting stop just like on the first cutting. We are seeing a few deer as we are moving around in our work, even a 2 pt wt tail buck eating apples in the orchard most every day. Dad and I each have 2 deer licenses this fall that we can use from Oct  1 to Dec 31. We almost got one before the season opened on Thursday night when we came home.

    With schools now in session we will have fewer apt cancellations as families will be staying home. We will still attend some of the sporting events to support all the youth we work with in FH!  Plus we always pick up apts with families at these games.

 

Love you all, CTR

Bro & Sister Croft   

Our week was a busy one with lots of variety.

August 24, 2014

Dearest Family! 

  Happy birthday to Mr Micah on  Tuesday & to Uncle Bill!  Hope you each have a great day!

    Another great Week!  It was a privilege to work at the Election!  I enjoy it so much even tho it is a long day – 6:00 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. It was fun to see friends! Most of all it was wonderful to live in this country! Even with it’s problems, It is a great place! It was also very special to have a Sister share her sacred experience which she had had in the Temple that day! Dad went out fishing in the morning then helped Bob S. at the New Horizons Living Center in the afternoon add photos and stories to his tree.

    Our week was a busy one with lots of variety. Covered the FHC one morning.  Had a great group of 20 youth from Rob’s ward in the FHC on Wednesday evening!  Some were able to find names for a temple excursion on Friday! Others worked really hard without success – maybe next time! McKinzea came over to the house one day for FH help, then shared with us on Saturday that she had been able to find more names during the week! Again this Sunday, we had a great evening in the FHC.  This past month, our patrons on Sunday evening have been the youth of the stake, 3-8 of them each week, sometimes bringing parents. Their spirit is so contagious – & they have the vision of the work!  We love it! Bro Croft was also able to help a couple. The brother had just been baptized in the last month & he & his wife were going to the temple last Saturday to do baptisms!  Taught them the basics so they could do baptisms for some of his ancestors!  What a great way to retain converts!

    Sister June Wood passed away this week. She was one of my councilors when I was RS President a number of years ago. We have remained close over the years even tho she moved away! I called her every week to visit as I folded clothes....... What a great & giving person she was.   Loved her so!  We were able to attend her funeral on Saturday!

    Dad planted a fall deer food plot at the east end of the corral only 20 x 20 ft. He has wanted to try it for several years and has had the seed since then. The turnips and rape are coming up good, soon the clover and chicory will be too. The rainy week has helped get it growing better!  Went raccoon hunting again with the hounds but did not round up any on our place Friday night.

    We stopped by a couple of homes in Cowley and Lovell that we had given water lily roots to last spring  to see their flowers. They are enjoying them.

    We had a great time with Allen, Amber & family on Saturday.  Allen went with the youth of their ward to the temple & We were blessed to have everyone else in the family here! Sure enjoyed our day with them.  Even tho it was a little rainy Dad & the boys were able to do a few things. Had fun when Amber & I went shopping, in Lovell, & she found a new outfit! Then we all enjoyed Kenny & Rosie’s reception!  Weather was not cooperative, Darece had to move it inside their home from the yard, but it was really nice!

   It’s been a great week, a little cooler than normal, there is a fall shiver in the air! Snow on the mountains the past two mornings! ! ! We love you all & CTR     Bro & Sis Croft

It was the last week of one mission & the beginning of another 2 years! ! !

August 17, 2014

Dearest Family,

    Can you believe this, I just lost 3 paragraphs of the letter I had already written!!!!!! /x#?? sputter, sputter! I’ll try again.    OOPs Happy Anniversary to Ken & Darece on Monday, not Sunday!  Enjoyed a surprise 25th anniversary party for Darece planned by Ken,  after church!  Was nice!  Also Happy Birthday to Camille, she was 2 years old last Wednesday!

    We are fully into the swing of things again after our wonderful vacation & Stake conference last weekend! On Monday Bro Croft had a special experience!  Two couples, the Smith’s, came into the Library. Their grandparents had lived here abt 1905-1922.  They were interested in learning more about their life here & exactly where they lived.  He was able to help, including getting a book about Lovell for them.  After leaving the Library, we talked to several people, & they went to city hall & got maps.  Tuesday at 7:30am  we met them & took them to several places, no houses are left standing, but they were able to get the idea.  It was great!  Fun to meet great people!  We continued on that day with an 8:30 a.m. meeting with the NeVilles in Byron & to help an older sister index at 9:45 in Cowley.  Spent afternoon helping an older brother learn more about his biological family!   Was blessed that there was a cancelation at the Eye Doctors, Dr Jacob Despain  (Carvel and Patty son), (I broke my glasses last Sunday) so have new ones ordered. It sure is an inconvenience when something like this happens!

     We did a wonderful FHE in Byron with a young family for 2 hrs they are trying to do all aspects of FH. Tuesday Evening in the FHC was a training time – our patrons were two consultants who had an ahaa moment with puzzilla!    

    Wednesday - My Sweetheart replaced the kitchen faucet today while I helped a sister! It was a quiet afternoon & I was able to quilt for a while!  It is relaxing!

    Thursday – Congratulations to Kenny & Rosie!   Today was their wedding day for time & all eternity! 

We were busy in Cowley at the church, helping 3 people, was a rewarding morning.  Afternoon was great also helping several others! The spirit is so great – where ever we are – what ever we are doing which relates to FH!

    Friday – finally got the boat in the water, spent the morning at the lake, fishing, some bites but no catching! sure felt great to be out!  Several sisters came over this afternoon & we quilted.  Sure do make progress with more hands.

    Saturday was a work at home day, laundry, cleaning, & sunday Prep.   

    We even went coon hunting with our neighbors here at our house. The coons are destroying our trees and fruit plus digging up the grass.   No pictures, tho, it was dark out! Got one coon near the pond went to bed at 11:30pm. We will do it again, quit a process to see those dogs work and tree a coon. We enjoy this couple and have done FH with them since they are very interested in their families too. They have new puppies over there now and mom enjoys this so we will go to their place soon to see them.

    The Sabbath day is always perfect & today was the same!  Our evening at the center was the greatest. very busy. It kept 4 of us jumping & we could have used more consultants.  We had a Youth FH consultant meeting, 2 families of 4-5 people each, one was Darece, Whitney, Kaitlyn, & Talon.  Four other youth & another sister were there, learning!   One youth did indexing for the first time!  Her goal, to do 500 names in the next six months.   After doing 50 that night, she realized she will probably have 500 done in a month & was so excited.   

    It was the last week of one mission & the beginning of another 2 years.  Yes, today, we were released & set apart by President Caldwell to serve for another 2 years!   What sweet blessings & promises of health & guidance from the spirit! 

We are excited & happy & very blessed!

Thanks to all of you for your love & support! 

             We love you all  CTR        Bro & Sis Croft

Family Reunion at Big Sky Montana

August 10, 2014

Dearest Family,

    Belated Birthday wishes to Frank August 5th! Happy 25th Anniversary to Ken & Darece next Sunday, the 17th.

    It has been a wonderful week with family!  We have done Flower pounding, enjoyed a Talent night, colored quilt blocks, made rockets, biked, watched movies, decorated t-shirts, swam, played in the mud, heard Mom & Dad report on their mission.  We all skyped cousin Jane in Denmark! Unbelievable what Technology can do! We have had wonderful meals, twice a day, sometimes it seems that is all we do!!!  All to soon the week came to an end – how wonderful it was – and now we remember this year & plan for 2015!

    Dad & I came home Friday afternoon to enjoy the Sessions Family Reunion on Saturday in Byron. Saturday Evening we attended a Youth Fireside, broadcast from Billings, Montana. Elder Russell M Nelson & Craig Carden, of the 70 among others were there.  5 youth  from the Billings area asked them questions – was very special! One of your cousins, Colton Conner the 18 yr old grandson of Aunt Lavon Castro (Leo and Berta’s son) from Colstrip was one of the youth. Then on Sunday, we had a 1 1/2 hr special Stake conference here in Lovell with Elder Carden.  another great day! We hardly knew what to do with ourselves, an afternoon at home.

    This P.M. we were back in the FHC from 6–9:00 P.M.   Had a family in, Mom, Dad, & 4 of their family!  11 yr old getting registered & adding pictures, 2 daughters looking for names for the temple, 17 yr old doing a little research & looking for names.  Another couple came in for a Puzzilla.org class.  Bro Croft did that!

It has been a great day & week. 

  We love you all & CTR

   Bro & Sis Croft

Big Sky Family Reunion Photos 2014

August 3, 2014

Dearest Family,

    Happy Birthday to Joy on Friday! 

    As always,   a wonderful week,  with normal activities!  Many are busy with family things, activities, & gardens are starting to come on! It was great to help  young scouts & several leaders this week. We had a fun time helping the Elders in Cowley, one was finding names for his family to do back home & the other traced a line back to Adam & Eve.  It is a great tool for missionary work. With temples so close in Mexico & Tonga, we are sure all of you Elders  in our family will be using it also in your missions!   What a tool it is for activation, convert retention, & finding new people!

    Had wonderful meetings here in the Big Sky Branch today!  There were about 8 members of the branch, presidency, their wives, High Councilor, & a couple who had just been released from branch Pres. there.   The rest were two other family groups & 23 of us this a.m. Probably about 50-60 people.  Grandpa & Rob blessed the sacrament; Ky & Talon passed it!  We love this opportunity to hear the testimonies of all there & are blessed to with the testimonies of our family!  Also enjoyed a wonderful Munch & Mingle afterwards!

     We feel so blessed to be here with all our family!  A new era is beginning,  If all were here we would have 42 this year, which includes Rosie!

    Rob & Michelle, we miss Ryan & Rhonda, (they are moving into a new apartment) Ethan & Bekah (just home from their honeymoon)  & Krysta (just miss you so)

    Vicki, Bryan & family – Micah, Kirena & Emerson,  only missing Chris (He will be home in a three weeks).

    Darece, Ken & family,  Bo & McKenzea, Kenny & Rosie, (to be married on the 14th), just missing Nathan in Tonga!

    Joy & family,  We miss you, Dak & Chalin!   We also miss, Tchae in Mexico City!

    Allen, Amber & family  all present!

   

And Yes!!!! We met our first Great Grandson tonight, Emerson Darcy!   What a sweety he is!  At age 6 weeks – what a cutie!

 

We love you all & CTR     We are so enjoying the week with you!    Love Mother  & Dad