FHE at the Smith Farm

On December 17th the missionaries hosted a Family Home Evening at the Smith Farm.  Three stakes were invited to participate and we had over 400 attend on the cold, wintry night.  First stop was the Welcome Center at the Smith Farm where groups of 10 to 20 people were formed and the sister missionaries, wearing Santa Hats, led them to the Smith Log Cabin.  At the cabin a senior missionary couple, dressed in 1800 period clothing, read "The Night Before Christmas" to each group.  Then it was on to the Smith Frame Home where another senior missionary couple, dressed in period clothing, read the nativity story from Luke 2.  Next, it was on to the thrashing barn where the young elders were waiting to show the children, and adults, some of the games children played in the 1800s.  Lastly, the groups were led back down the gravel road to the basement of the Welcome Center where hot chocolate and homemade cookies were waiting and several talented missionaries performed for the visitors.  Here are some pictures of people walking along the road between the stops.  They were all singing Christmas Carols as they walked and it was all very festive. 

Elder Poulson and I had the job of lighting the gravel lane between the Smith Log Home and the Smith Frame Home.  We had restrictions like, no generators and no electrical cords, etc.  Tough assignment, but we did it.  We used an airplane landing light, furnished by one of the senior couples, to light up the gravel lane between the homes.  The light runs on a car battery and so we parked our truck at the end of the lane with our headlights pointing into the threshing barn to provide light there.  Then Elder Poulson attached the landing light to a pole and tied it to our truck.  Like magic, both the barn and the lane were lit up.  We used another missionary's car to shine its lights on the pathway leading to the Welcome Center basement.  Mission accomplished.

Here's a picture of the barn all lit up with people learning the games. 

Here's a picture of Bill as he sat in the truck monitoring the lights, the truck and the safety of the visitors.