Familar Sights and Saying Goodbye

The Last Month of our Mission

Pictured with us are Laurence and Sidney Pitt on the last Sunday in the Colstrip Ward.  They were the speakers in Sacrament Meeting prior to departing for their mission to serve in the Halifax Nova Scotia Temple.  We became very good friends with them and did help them get all of their household things out and into storage as they plan to sell their home.

We taught early morning Seminary most of the month of January as the regular senior couple was on a cruise.  There are five students, but only three were there for the picture.  They meet in the Primary room of the Colstrip Ward.  L-R Daja and Chalon Bibro (sisters) and McKensie Allred.

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Familiar sights just within a block or two of our home.  The Post Office, and Rosebud Market are just up the street a block.

The Auto Parts store is next to Rosebud Foods.

On The corner behind our house the owners have a large collection of Case Tractors. I don't know what his intents are.

Also a familiar sight from our backyard, The Power Plants (PPL) smoke stakes.

June's Bungalow one of the only restaurants in town,

 a converted house.

CPRD, Colstrip Parks and Rec Department

Here I spent many hours in the six months we lived in Colstrip.  This wonderful facility is free to all residents.  So I took advantage of some of the classes.  I went for Weights and Zumba every Tuesday and Thursday morning.  Sometimes I picked up some other classes like Burn, Functional s and Stretching class.




Here is a front and a back view of CPRD. They have a outdoor pool and slide for summer use.

Pictured is me with my two good friends and Zumba buddies, 

Sue Allred a member and Ingrid Massey a non member.

My last week, I was able to make visits with the Relief Society President Sister Macdonald to some sisters on the Reservation. 

Sister Sue Shotgun, Lame Deer

 Sister Eva Foote at Heritage Homes in Ashland

She is a the Receptions and this Elderly Living Center owned by the Catholic Church

 Sister Lazona Harris, who lives at Heritage Homes.

A wonderful cordial member.

Finally, the results of our Six months of working finding members and recording their addresses or locations.

Our Book complete with lists and maps

28 pages including table of content.

We are hoping this will be a valuable tool for future missionaries and Ward auxiliary leaders and that they will make an effort to get acquainted with some of the many members living on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation.  We were asked to try to find some of them by Bishop Sessions.  Of 170 members we found all but 11.  We are pleased and satisfied with our work.s

Highs and the Lows of Winter

Crater Lake Walk

Temperatures have been so warm that when it reached 60 degrees, we just had to take a walk around Crater Lake

The 2.5 mile walk is around a man made lake that supplies water for the Power Plant.  Unreal for late January.

Gas Prices have been creeping down all winter.  We love it.

Town Pump in Colstrip is 10 cents higher than Cheyenne Depot in Lame Deer

 I took the Face Book Challenge and posted a selfie of me with the Book of Mormon.  I have read it twice in the last year.

 Actually, since I don't have a smart phone, Elder Allsop took the picture for me.

These brothers are twins, Dalton and McKay Connor.  After helping carry heavy boxes for hours helping a family move one Saturday, we invited them to come to our house for Spaghetti and homemade bread sticks.  They did not turn that offer down and still mention to me how yummy it was.

District Meeting has been held a couple of times in Colstrip.  The District Leader asks if it will be OK to hold it here rather than in Hardin 60 miles away.  I think they know that the Allsops will feed them lunch if they come to Colstrip.  And we do.

                                                                                  These are the choir seats in the beautiful chapel.

Left to Right:  Elder Archie new companion to Elder Brewster serving in Forsyth.

Elder Coleman leaving to go home 3 days later on Jan. 31st. with his companion Elder Wilden.

Backyard visitors

Elder Allsop caught this intruder nibbling on the raspberry bushes

A Double Baby Shower --- February 7, 2015

A fun baby shower was held for two moms who had baby boys a week apart.  Sister Taylor had her baby 6 weeks early so he was small at 5 lb. 14 oz, but Sister Varble whet full term and her boy weighed 9 lb. 2 oz.

Patsy Hepner asked for my help to decorate.  She had clever ideas and bought baby clothes to hang from the ceiling.

 Sister Macdonald, Relief Society President made two diaper cakes and diaper shaped nut and candy cups for favors.  Sister Nash made blueberry cheese cake.  About 15 were in attendance.

 Brother and Sister Pitt have spent the whole 5.5 months we have been here preparing for their mission.  They were called to serve a Temple Mission in the Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Sunday February 8, 2015 was there last day in Colstrip.  They have their house up for sale and will not return to live here.  We have helped them pack and take several trips to storage in Lovell, Wyo.

Christmas Eve and Morning 2014

 Our Christmas tree was nice, but bare with little to put on it.  I had a dozen bulbs, and candy canes. We used only 2/3s of the tree stored in the basement of our house because the stand was missing so Elder Allsop secured it to a wooden base.

Because we couldn't get the pre-lite lights to work, Elder Allsop bought a string of little white lights at the local grocery store.

The table was set as best we could with mission dishes, but The Jarvis's fruit basket really made it look nice.  The Elders appreciated having a taste of home. (note the Christmas salad flopped a bit.)

 My gift to Elder Allsop was a set of Lincoln Logs that I heard about on the Colstrip online Garage Sale Facebook page.  I surprised him with it. (a memory from his childhood.)


This was our Christmas day activity.

Elders Weaver and Brewster missionaries serving now in Forsyth, 33 miles to the north.  We have a visit from them occasionally.

Second visit to the Amish

Amish Country on the Reservation

Located north of Ashland several miles is a community of Amish. We went to their little Country Store again, and as I waited in the car I got a few pictures.

Little youngster came riding up fast on his pony, jumped off and checked something then got back on and road back around the barn.  They don't allow pictures to be taken, but I cheated and snapped this as he mounted the horse again.  Cute little feller he was.

This house is near the Country Store.. 

 I enjoyed watching the clean white wash on the clothes line flapping in the breeze.

This barn could probably tell at good many stories.

From all appearances these people have a low stressful life.

Our Missionary Christmas gift.

Our Missionary Gift to Ward Members

 Elder Allsop spent hours burning DVD taken from Mormon.org. 

 The Elders we served with in Poplar took clips from mormon.org, burned them on about 100 dvds and even designed a label.  We had saved all of the information and was able to figure it out, but not without purchasing a newer computer and a dvd writer.  He burned over 100 of them.

We passed out about 30 of them to the families who attended the Ward Christmas party in Colstrip.

For two weeks we traversed the reservation to visit those people who we had been received warmly as we located members these last 3 months.  Each one received a dvd.  Even those not home would find one tucked in their door.

Not only did they get a dvd, but we baked bread too.  Those whom were at home received a loaf of bread.  (thank you to Rhodes co.) We delivered about 50 loaves of bread and even took time to visit active members in Colstrip with our gifts.

These are are typical home we visited.  Yard work is not a priority, but it is made up in the number of dogs they own.

I had to get a picture of the purple painted home.


Also a typical sight are shoes hanging from power lines.  I don't know if there is a significance to these or just kids playing.