WIM Couples Reunion in St. George

Our long-awaited (for me, at least) West Indies Mission couples reunion was a wonderful and fun experience.  Although we had the potential for about 30 couples, we enjoyed the company of 8 other couples … a total of 18 people here in St. George over the weekend of October 13-16, 2016.  We laughed, we cried, we remembered!  It was so much fun!

Those who attended are:

·               Brad and Marty Summers (Leavenworth, WA)

·               Brent and Marilyn Rasmussen (Twin Falls, ID)

·               Jim and Jan Wheeler (Blackfoot, ID)

·               Bob and Raylene Bush (Pleasant Grove, UT)

·               Michael and Meg Treseder (Queen Creek, AZ)

·               Esplins (Salt Lake City, UT)

·               Bob and Katie Beecher (Lehi, UT)

·               Val and Marsha Cook (LaVerkin, UT)

·               …. and, us, of course!

On Thursday afternoon, we met for dinner at the Pastry Pub (my favorite restaurant in Cedar City and since I was the planner for this event, I decided to make this our dining spot).  After dinner, we drove up to the new LDS temple in Cedar City under construction on a hillside high above the community.  The evening took some of us to see “The Odd Couple” or “Murder for Two” at the new Utah Shakespearean Festival complex.  It was a delightful first event on our agenda.

On Friday morning, we met at the St. George Temple.  Some did endowments while others of us did 25 sealings.  It was a beautiful morning and, for me, a long overdue ordinance performed on behalf of my deceased aunt and uncle – Eloise and Lloyd Elford who have waited many years to be together forever.

Following our time in the temple, we changed clothes (and gears) then headed up to Zion National Park where we hiked and enjoyed a tram ride through this spectacular natural wonder!  It was a glorious day!

Marsha and Val Cook prepared a delicious dinner at their home in LaVerkin.  We ate and talked, talked and ate, once again enjoying the opportunity to relive our time in the Caribbean since this is the only group of people who can understand why we still want to talk about Guyana … even after these many years!

On Saturday morning, we met together at Marsha Cook’s bridal shop (Bell Tower Bridal) before departing for a day of sightseeing and fun.  Our first stop was at the new Washington County Water Conservancy Park.  This stop was specifically selected for Michael Treseder who loves plants, shrubs and trees!!!  From there we went to Grandma Tobler’s for lunch, then drove to the Mountain Meadow Massacre site.  Our next stop was Pine Valley.  As we were coming into the community, we stopped for a picture.  A man driving by determined we must be in distress so he stopped to offer assistance.  When we told him we wanted to take a tour of the Pine Valley LDS Chapel, he informed us tours ended with summer, but he had the key and was in charge of coordinating tours!!! What was even more astounding, this man – Jim Dunn – is the youngest brother of our good friend Vern Dunn and brother-in-law to my dear, dear, deceased friend Mary Dunn.  No coincidences in life … right? 

After Pine Valley, we traveled to Snow Canyon State Park where we enjoyed the beautiful scenery before parting.  The planned evening was the “Hunchback of Notre Dame” at Tuacahn for some … “The Complete Works of Shakespeare (Abridged)” at St. George Musical Theater for others.

On Sunday morning, our wonderful friends left for their various destinations after chit chat over waffles in our kitchen, and hugs and kisses. 

What a delightful weekend!  We love these people with whom we have shared experiences, including a deep love for the gospel of Jesus Christ.  We can only hope we see them again one day.  In short, aside from the effort of keeping everyone going in the same direction ("get in the car, people ... we're behind schedule") it was perfect!!!