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When we pulled into our apartment parking lot on Tuesday, February 28th, it was filled with other new missionaries unloading. It felt like the first week at college, except the freshmen were quite a bit older and they all owned side-by-side ATVs!

Our friends the Feinhauer’s helped us unload and a few hours later we were unpacked enough to crawl into our bed for some much needed sleep.

The next day we unpacked and headed 25 miles to Blanding to pick up groceries and supplies. It was fun to drive down the streets where my mom grew up!

On Wednesday we began our orientation week. We listened to presentations from members of the Hole in the Rock Foundation and learned about our new responsibilities at the fort.

We also picked up our missionary tags which was pretty cool. While we were there the volunteer docents who work at the Fort introduced themselves and I met my mom’s first cousin, George Jones. He was backyard neighbors with my Mom’s family and grew up with my cousins. I can’t wait to hear his stories about my Jones family!

Bluff Fort 3/27/23

It’s hard to believe it has been three weeks since I sent out our first mission update. Before we arrived in Bluff I was worried that there might be days when the time would drag just a bit, but I’m happy to report our days are filled with a variety of activities that often stretch from 8:00 in the morning until 6:00 at night. In addition we have evening activities several times a week. Being a missionary at Bluff Fort is exciting. I’m so glad we’ve been blessed with the opportunity to serve here.

The last three weeks were filled with many firsts. Here’s a quick re view of a few of those “firsts”.

First time working in the Visitor’s Center: We spend about 10 hours a week working in the Visitor’s Center at Bluff Fort. We greet people and ask what we can do to make their visit meaningful. We then have a variety of ways we can tell them about the Hole in the Rock expedition including films, displays, and our own narratives. The visitors center is state of the art, and very well organized. It is interesting that many people come in and say they just have a few minutes, but once they hear the story, they stay for much longer!

From the first family I talked to from Nebraska, to the latest couple I spoke with yesterday from Germany, the people have been kind, courteous, and inquisitive. Unlike other church history sites, very few of our visitors are members of the church, and most church members that come know little about the Hole in the Rock expedition so nearly everyone is hearing the story for the first time. Although we spend a short time with our visitors, it is amazing how soon you feel a friendship with them.

Ted and Lisa Hill with canyon behind them and shrubs

Bluff Fort Update 05.01.23

Dear Family and Friends,

When we talked to our good friend Sunny Feinauer about serving at the Fort Bluff Historic Site she emphasized that we would work hard and play hard. Over the past four weeks we have learned that at Bluff Fort you do just that.

Our typical day starts around 8:00 AM and usually finishes around 6:00 PM. Throw in laundry, social activities, exercise and evening meals and we usually fall asleep tired, but happy. I am actually working longer hours than I did working for IBM, but the work is so rewarding that it is not burden at all.

And then we play! Southeastern Utah is full of history, natural beauty and amazing people. On our day off, we take every opportunity to immerse ourselves in our new surroundings. In the short time we’ve been here we’ve already made many lifetime memories! Here are a few examples of our working hard and playing hard.

Working Hard:

Working in the visitor’s center is simply the best. If you want to restore your faith in mankind, spend a day at Bluff Fort talking to our visitors.

We talk to people from all over the world and with very few exceptions they are bright, engaging, and simply delightful people.

The story of the Hole in the Rock pioneers seems to resonate with our visitors as they learn of the dedication, faith, and determination of these amazing pioneers.I’m also grateful that I learned to speak German 44 years ago on my first mission.

I use my second language nearly every time I’m in the visitor’s center. Yesterday on my shift I spoke German more than I spoke English! One highlight took place a few weeks ago when a family from Germany with a six-year-old daughter came in.

We had a wonderful experience together and their daughter was happy I could speak German. I was surprised when I saw them the next day. When I asked them why they came back, they said their daughter loved the Fort and wanted to talk to the German-speaking American cowboy one more time before they headed home!

Yesterday I talked to a couple from Switzerland and they were moved by the story of the pioneers. They only spoke a little English and they were excited they could ask questions about the Hole in the Rock expedition to someone who spoke German.

Towards the end of our visit the husband said, “I know the director of tourism in Switzerland and I’m going to make sure that Bluff Fort is on our country’s list of top American tourist destinations!” When we’re not in the visitors center, Lisa spends time sewing items which are sold in the visitors center, baking amazing cookies and brownies (they are so good) and coordinating the planting and care of the flowers around the Fort.

I’ve been fixing computer and irrigation problems, trimming the 20+ trees at the Fort, and making rolling pins and key chains in the woodshop. When we first arrived at Bluff Fort I wondered how they kept 25 service missionaries busy. Now that I understand a bit about what it takes to run Bluff Fort I can’t believe we do it with just 25 missionaries!

This last week Lisa gave a devotional about her great, great grandfather, Roswell Stevens, who was the oldest member of the Hole in the Rock Expedition. He had an incredible, yet challenging, life. Attached is Roswell’s story that Lisa put together.Playing Hard:On preparation day we have had one amazing adventure after another.

We hiked around the Hoo Doo’s and felt like we were on another planet! Lisa also took a walk “on the wild side”.We mountain biked along Cottonwood Wash and enjoyed the tranquility of our local trails. Well that was except for the Wash itself which was at flood stage!We hiked Fish Creek Canyon where we saw three pristine sets of Indian ruins.

We made a quick trip to Provo, Utah where we went to my brother Jeff’s retirement celebration and were blessed to attend his last college lecture at BYU. We also took care of some Costco shopping for the Fort.We went on an ATV tour to dripping springs where we drove across seven more miles of the original Hole in the Rock Trail.

I still can’t fathom they crossed this terrain with horses and wagons!This last week we visited Natural Bridge National monument and were awestruck by the beauty we saw.Finally, yesterday I went on my first “long” mountain bike ride down Butler Wash with my friend Craig. As I pushed up the last 400-foot hill to the car I saw the wisdom in Craig’s purchase of an e-Bike!There is so much to see and do here.

I’m grateful we have time each week to take it all in.Insights:Respect! Since being here my respect for the Hole in the Rock pioneers as grown. As I’ve learned more about them their examples of faith, determination, humor, ingenuity and courage my life has been blessed and enriched.

My love and respect for our fellow missionaries has also grown. When Lisa and I decided to hike Fish Creek Canyon I was surprised to see that the Bateman brothers, who are in their mid to late 70’s, were going with us. It was going to be a challenging eight-mile hike and I thought it might be just a bit much for our more “senior” missionaries.

Oh how wrong I was!Kyle and Ron kept pace with us and hiked like seasoned veterans. However, during the hike we faced the challenge of crossing Comb Ridge Wash! Typically the wash is dry, but this year with the heavy snow fall it was flowing at maximum capacity. The trail crosses the wash at its narrowest and deepest spot.

There was no bridge, so we had to find a log which we could use to cross the wash. Even though we’d found a log, when I saw the speed at which the wash was flowing I thought it would be best to pass on the hike and return to the car. But the Bateman brothers rose to the occasion and said, “let’s do this”. One by one we made it across the log and experienced an amazing hike.The Bateman Brother’s “undaunted” courage is just one example of why my respect for my fellow missionaries has grown.

Lisa and I are lucky to serve with such inspiring, courageous, bright, spiritual, and loving people.

Love you all…..Elder & Sister Hill

As a young missionary in Germany after I’d been out for about a year I remember the weeks “flying by’. Lisa and I are experiencing that same feeling here in Bluff. It seems like we blink and it is preparation day once again. I’m learning you need to appreciate each day since each day is a gift which only lasts for a short moment.

Highlights of the Week:

Lisa and I had a wonderful experience with a couple from Germany who live near Luxembourg. We met them while we were weeding the roses by the Kumen Jones’ home. He is a policeman and she is retired. They’d been married 43 years, just like Lisa and I! They spoke limited English and really appreciated that I could speak German.

Rainbow

They had incredible memories and remembered nearly everything about the Hole in the Rock documentary film they’d watched in the visitors center. They even remembered the quote at the end of the film by Kumen Jones. When I told them I was Kumen’s great grandson they couldn’t believe it. They said over and over, “That is so cool, we are talking to an actual descendant of Kumen Jones!”

They told us when they were in Salt Lake City, and especially when they saw the tabernacle choir rehearse, that they felt many of our Church’s members had found peace in life. They said most Germans had lost the ability to find that same peace since they were always pursuing worldly things. I told them I knew if they visited one of our Church’s congregations in Germany that they would meet Germans who had found that same peace!

It’s amazing how Lisa and I can simply be working in the rose garden and just a few minutes later be friends with people we’ve never met before. Guess it’s just the miracle of Bluff Fort! Speaking of miracles, after the last thunderstorm we finally saw what is actually at the end of the rainbow.

Notice the flowers

Lisa and I have both been working hard on beautifying the Fort. We’ve cleaned out several neglected flower beds and planted new shrubs. Last week I received several comments from visitors about how beautiful the Fort is, especially the flowers. Lisa has really done an outstanding job creating beautiful memories for our guests!

An Epic Picture

We also posed for a portrait! I believe this could go viral and become an American classic!

Ancient dwellings

And of course we’ve had another round of amazing preparation day adventures. We hiked to the tower ruins with our friends the Christiansens. We then drove to the top of Comb Ridge which is a 100-mile-long wall of stone! The Hole-in-the-Rock pioneers had to get over Comb Ridge after being on the trail for nearly five months! Unbelievable!

Family in Henderson

Insights from the Week:

Even on a mission, family is the best. We were able to get away for a few days to Henderson and attend our grandson Joseph’s missionary farewell (he’s going to Vitoria, Brazil) and our Grandson Daniel’s baptism. Our daughter Adrienne did an amazing job coordinating meals for extended family and putting on a delicious Father’s Day Dinner, as well as a missionary open house and baptism brunch.. I don’t know how she did it all!

Grandson going on a mission to Vitoria, Brazil.

It was very special to be with Joseph when he was set apart as a missionary and to be with Daniel just after he was baptized. In life, there are many fun, exciting, and adventure-filled experiences. We experience them all the time here in Bluff. But those quiet moments with family during life’s most important events are indeed the best!

Fort Bluff 7/11/23

7/11/23 Update

We’ve learned that there are events on our mission which create lifelong memories but also many more events which are just routine. We’ve experienced both the past few weeks. While we’ll always remember our visits with family and friends, some of the routine events may not make it into Lisa or I’s life histories!

Highlights and Honorable Mentions of the Week:

We had a wonderful visit with our son Sean and his family. We thoroughly enjoyed being grandparents again and loved showing Ruby, Tek, and Lola around the Fort. We especially enjoyed our granddaughter Ruby’s “fancy eggs” which she made us for breakfast!

To top it off we had surprise visits from our friends the Tayrien’s and Leslie Barney!

Last week was also full of national holidays. We celebrated Canada Day on July 1st. Thirty percent of our missionaries are from Canada and they put on a wonderful “Oh Canada” breakfast for us.

We then celebrated the 4th of July Blanding style by attending the local Melodrama (it was hilarious), watching the Blanding 4th of July parade, having an amazing lunch with my mom’s first cousins George and Meryl and their families. Having a missionary BBQ dinner back at the Fort and then traveling up to Blanding one final time to watch fireworks.

Later in the week we got together with Betty Keylon and her husband Harold. Betty is my first cousin who lives in Blanding. Harold has the coolest ’68 Mustang ever which he drove in the Blanding 4th of July parade!

Now for the routine….. Every four weeks Lisa and I care for the ice cream machine at the Fort. This involves making the ice cream mix each morning, ensuring the ice cream mix hoppers are filled during the day, putting the machine to sleep each night, and then breaking down, cleaning, and putting the ice cream machine back together on Saturday night. It isn’t glamourous work, but our visitors love our $2 ice cream cones and we’ve sold over 6,300 cones so far this year!

While many accolades are given for the beautiful flowers at the Fort, Lisa and I spend several hours each week watering, pruning and cleaning leaves and debris from the grounds. I used to think blowing the leaves in our own yard was a big job! Also once a week I have to “round up” the cattle so that our trusty lawn mower Ron can keep the “pasture” looking good.

For the original Hole in the Rock pioneers getting water to the crops was an essential part of their daily lives. In 2023 getting water to the Fort’s trees, shrubs, and flowers is also an important task. Each day I spend an hour or two fixing or enhancing our irrigation system. It is dirty, hot, challenging work, but it sparks joy as I feel the voices of the plants reaching out and saying thanks! A side benefit of this work is being able to talk to visitors while I’m digging in the dirt. Some of my most memorable conversations have taken place while I’m covered with mud!

And of course, no week would be complete without an amazing hike to find an Indian ruin. The Doll House Ruins was the best preserved ruin we’ve seen yet. After exploring the ruin I was on the search for our next adventure with my new Father’s Day binoculars--thanks Lisa

Insights from the Week:

As I read through this email, I’m amazed at how much life Lisa and I fit into each week of our mission. Providing service, exploring Southeast Utah, socializing with new friends, visiting with family and old friends, experiencing small-town America holidays, and reconnecting with my Mom’s family. Oh and I forgot to mention we also talked in Church today!

At times it almost seems as if our pace is just a bit too fast, but the phrase “We may never pass this way again” often comes to mind and we just want to experience as much as we can while we serve at the Fort

Ted & Lisa Hill

Bluff Fort

Meet Beula & Clem (Lisa & Ted)

Bluff Fort Update 3/5/23