Church Activities, a Big Wind and a Fire

The most of the next three days were spent at the Pebble Creek Big Springs Campground near Lava Hot Springs for our Skyline Ward summer camp out. It is always good to get to know your fellow community and church friends in an informal setting. We camped next to the group site with our good friends, Tim and Leta Shaffer, next door.

We did some dune buggy riding with the Shaffers,

 

hiked the short distance to the spring

and enjoyed a pot luck dinner Friday and delicious breakfast Saturday.

 

I struggled with an assignment to talk in our Sacrament Meeting at church on June 24th. Both Dad and I spoke and I, after some misgivings, took Dad’s advice to talk about my youth, religion conflicts in my family, my deep spiritual feelings and eventual conversion and baptism after meeting Dad. Afterwards I received many compliments and Dad was called to join two others as a Gospel Doctrine Teacher. He has no idea how he could have been selected.

The next day we experienced a severe micro burst wind storm such as we had never seen before that took the next two days to clean up after. Thousands of willow limbs up to four inches in diameter were blown down across the entire upper yard over as far as the county road and all over the lawn.

On June 28^th a terrible fire started up Mink Creek just south of Pocatello that in just a few hours burned 1000 acres, 66 homes and 29 outbuildings. The heavy smoke cloud was clearly visible from our home and caused us much concern although our area was never threatened.

Dad’s former boss, Paul Petersen, and my friend, Glenny Weidert’s homes were in the path of the fire but both were essentially unharmed.