What a blessing and privilege it was for Mike and I to be called as a "Ma and Pa" for our Stake Trek. It was also overwhelming and stressful. There were many meetings to attend, materials to gather, things to prepare, and lots of prayers. But when all was said and done both Mike and I agree that Trek was one of the best experiences we've ever had and we loved every minute of it! 
We chose to call our family the "Happy Harkers." We focused on the scripture in 1 Nephi 4:6-7 which says, "And I was led by the spirit, not knowing beforehand the things which I should do. Nevertheless, I went forth..." We wanted to get across the fact that even though Nephi faced some tough challenges, that at times seemed almost impossible, he still went forward with faith and with a good attitude. (Unlike his brothers who were always murmuring.) We talked about how you can choose your own attitude in all situations and decide how you will respond to challenges.
(Thomas, Kevin, Boomer, Bishop Kemp, Me, Mike, Kimmy,Whitney, Erica, Keven, and Uncle T.J.)
This is our Trek family on day one. We had just gotten off the bus after a 5 hour bus ride. We were all excited and ready to go.
I really feel like Heavenly Father picked the perfect family for Mike and I. I loved all their personalities. They were all so willing to do everything and pitch in and help. They also played all our silly games with us and even taught us some new ones. Every one of them wanted to be there and I think all of them got something out of Trek. They were also fun to talk to and hang out with. I would be honored if my boys turned out like these teenagers!
I bragged that I had never been beaten at stick pull. Because of that I was challenged by some pretty fierce competitors and was beaten several times. This is the Stake YW president, Jackie Standing, and luckily I was able to beat her.
Mike and I are standing at the actual place they call Martin's Cove. This is where they stayed for five days until the rescuers came and where many of them died and were layed to rest in the snow. We were all asked to be very quiet and respectful here and all the men removed their hats. The spirit was strong here and we all knew we were on hallowed ground.
Later, several of the members of our company "died" and Mike was one of them. I also lost one of my daughters and our uncle was the one taking people away. So when all was said and done, I only had 8 people of my family left to help pull and push the cart for a while. Having Mike "dead" wasn't too emotional for me this time because for some reason he also "died" on our last trek and I knew he would be coming back in just a little while.
Statues have been put up to honor the four men who helped the people cross the freezing Sweetwater river. The river normally is only five feet across but because the people were already half frozen to death, crossing that small river seemed impossible. Four men are given credit for helping hundreds to cross. We also crossed the river, but it felt wonderful to us since it was hot that day. I don't know how those pioneers did that in the freezing temperatures.
We didn't really have to walk very far during our Trek. I think in the three days, we did a total of 13 miles or so. It wasn't very physically demanding, but because of the place we were and what took place here, it was emotionally demanding. The spirit was very strong here and I was able to feel such amazing gratitude and a connection to the pioneers here.
I was sad to see Trek end. I loved our family and felt like we were able to bond and have fun together. I am grateful that Mike and I got to experience all of it together. Doing things like this strengthens our relationship and marriage and makes us appreciate each other more. We are so blessed to be members of this church. We owe so much to these faithful pioneers who gave everything they had so that we could have the lives we have. I am grateful that I got to strengthen my testimony while on Trek. It was an experience I will always cherish and never forget!
