Sending Stephen Off On His Mission

“Sister Ashcroft,” President Greer turned to look at me, “would you like to bear your testimony for us this evening, before we set Stephen apart for his mission?”

I stood, looked around the room, at my parents, my husband, my children and grandchildren, the Stake President and his councilors, then back at Stephen.

“Thank you, President Greer,” I began, a lump already forming in my throat.

“Stephen, I've been thinking about you leaving all day, and wondering if I've taught you all the things I was supposed to? I'm so proud of you! I'm so proud of your desire to serve a mission for the Lord, for you willingness to give up two years of your life to teach the Gospel to the people in New Hampshire, and for your goodness and the love you have given me all of your life. You've always been my special little boy, and I'm going to miss you.”

I stopped, cleared my throat, then looked around at the people I loved again.

“This morning, when I was reading the scriptures, I came across a passage in the Book of Mormon quoting Isaiah in the Old Testament, where he laments that the people of Israel have not kept the commandments. He says, “if you had kept the commandments, then your peace would have been as a river, and your righteousness as the waves of the sea.” I love the imagery in that scripture. I can see in my mind a river, flowing continually towards the ocean. I would like to have peace like that, flowing on and on and never stopping. And I can see the waves of the ocean, like in Rocky Point, crashing on the beach or up against the rocks, one after another, unceasingly coming one after another forever. I bear you my testimony, that I know the Lord has given us his commandments, not because he likes telling us what to do, or because he enjoys seeing us obey, but because he loves us, and he knows what will make us happy and bring us peace. I want you to have the kind of unending peace and righteousness that Isaiah talks about. I hope I have taught you well enough. I pray every day that the Lord will teach you the things I've missed, and that you can learn to be obedient quickly enough to avoid heart ache and be happy now.”

“I love you, Stephen, and all of you, my family. I know that Heavenly Father loves all of us, too, and so does Jesus Christ. I know that He is my savior, my redeemer, and that this is His church. I know that through the atonement, and by living the gospel and following His commandments, we can learn how to become like Him and can come home to live with Him and Heavenly Father some day. That is what I want, more than anything else in the whole wide world. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.”

Tears were streaming down my face as I found the handles on my chair and sat back down. How could such a happy, spiritual moment, also be so poignant and make me cry?

President Greer called Stephen to come up to the front of the room, then he invited the Moe and dad and the other members of the Priesthood to join him in laying their hands on Stephen's head to set him apart as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He blessed Stephen that if he would be obedient he would have a good mission and make a difference for the people in New Hampshire. He also reminded Stephen that he would be working for the Lord for the next two years, and he warned him that he would be discouraged at times because of the cold and his companions, but that he would be OK if he was obedient.

After being set apart, Stephen came home and finished packing his bags, then went to dinner with his cousin, Nathan, who just recently returned from his own mission. By the time he got home he was starting to feel sick, but hopefully it was just nerves.

The next morning we got up at 4:00 to take Stephen to the airport. We got ready, but Stephen was really feeling sick to his stomach. Moe and Grandpa gave him a blessing, and we packed the last of his stuff, then drove to the airport.

When we got there Stephen was really feeling miserable, but he looked excited and happy. Hopefully, if he had the flue, he wouldn't give it to all the rest of the new missionaries, but there was nothing gonna stop him from getting on that plane.

It was exciting and emotional at the airport. Kami cried, but the rest of us did pretty good until Stephen leaned down to give grandma a quick kiss goodbye. She grabbed hold of him, pulled him in tight, and made him give her a long hug.

“I'll be back before you know it, grandma,” he assured her with tears in his eyes, but I couldn't help wondering if mom was thinking this might be the last time she would see Stephen in this life? If only we had know what the next two years would bring, dad would have made him come back and give him an extra hug, too.

Then Stephen waved goodby, and he and another new missionary walked away through the security check points and headed off down the hall towards the gates and two years service in the New Hampshire Mission. I went home to paint a picture of a river, flowing to the ocean.

Fisherman's Point

 “My Bonnie went over the ocean, My Bonnie went over the sea, My Bonnie went over the ocean, Oh bring back my bonnie to me.  Bring back, bring back, oh bring back my Bonnie to me, to me.  Bring back, bring, back, oh bring back my Bonnie to me.”

The music bounced around the car just like us kids as we sang our way to the cabin.  It was one of our favorite songs, until dad changed the words and sang,

“Last night as I lay on my pillow, Last night as I lay on my bed, I stuck my feet out of the window, In the morning my neighbors were dead.   Bring back, bring, back oh bring back my neighbors to me, to me.  Bring back, bring back, oh bring back my neighbors to me.”

We laughed and laughed and thought we had the cleverest dad in the world!

We were on our way to the cabin, and we were having so much fun.  We had already passed Payson and Christopher Creek, and soon we were at the turn off to the cabin.

 Now we were really excited as we bounced along the dusty road.  We sang at the top of our voices, and watched for deer, rabbits, and squirrels under the tall ponderosas on either side of us.  There was a tiny fenced in graveyard on the left side of the road, with three or four headstones, and sometimes plastic flowers someone had left on the graves.  On the hill above we could see an old log cabin through the trees. 

Pretty soon we reached the turn where Chamberlain trail took off to the right.  Now the road was really bumpy and we had to drive slow.  We sang and laughed and watched out the windows as the truck slowly climbed the mountain until we reached the top, and the clearing called Turkey Peak.  Once in a while we would actually see flocks of turkeys in the clearing on the left, but usually we just saw lush pines and fir trees, dark green and cool looking.  Then down the other side of the hill we went, as we sang The Bear Went Over the Mountain, and laughed and pointed at squirrels or the first clumps of Indian paintbrush growing by the side of the road. 

We were in high spirits by the time we got to Fisherman’s point.  There was a small camp ground where the mountain jutted out over a deep valley.  The Forest Service took care of the little camp ground, and they left a garbage can there.  Once we saw two little bear cubs trying to get into the garbage can, but dad wouldn't stop for us to play with them.  "Those cubs have a mama bear somewhere close," he warned us, "and if she thinks we are trying to hurt her babies she will come running!"

Way down, below Fisherman's Point, Haigler Creek flowed through hidden pools and deep fishing holes, tempting adventurous hikers to come and explore.  The point itself ended in huge boulders and rocks, with pine trees growing right out to the edge.  Keith named it ‘Lover’s Leap,’ and it seemed a good name. 

At Fisherman’s Point the road made a 90 degree turn.  Here the singing always stopped, and we held our breath.  The road was cut right out of the mountain, and it hugged the cliff, barely wide enough for one car to pass.  On the left the mountain fell steeply away, thousands of feet down into a deep gorge.  No trees grew along the side of the cliff, there was just open space all the way across till a mountain on the other side of the gorge rose up steep and tall with a big rock slide glaring whitely in the shining sun. 

Mom closed her eyes and clutched the door handle as we drove past fisherman’s point.  Her face turned white, and she didn’t even breath.  Dad, on the other hand, reveled in the beauty of the scene.  When he craned his neck far out his window he could see deep down into the bottom of the gorge and catch a glimpse of Haigler creek shining in the sun.  Usually it looked cool and sparkling clear, but if there had been recent rains it would be muddy brown.

Mom never drove the car or truck to the cabin, probably because she didn’t want to drive over Fisherman’s point.  When she heard that Aunt Cleo had driven over that road by herself once, mom was so amazed she never forgot it.  Aunt Cleo must have been amazed too, because she never did it again.

Once we got past Fisherman’s point the rest of the trip usually only took a few minutes.  Soon we were rounding the bend and dropping down to the crossing, where the truck bounced over rocks in the creek, splashing water high on both side.  We would hold our hands out the open windows, but barely feel the splashes.  Then it was up and out of the creek, around the corner, and soon we would see the gnarled old alligator juniper that looked like a face.  We called it Mad Madam Mim after we saw the movie The Sword in the Stone.  Then we passed the camp ground above the log crossing, dropped down to drive next to the creek for a little bit, turned a corner, and we were there!  Grandpa Russell’s and Uncle Tillis’ cabins stood peacefully in the meadow.  ‘El Rosel’ on the sign told us we were home, and we drove up the hill and turned in the gate to our cabin!