23rd - 29th

What a fun week. We had two of our Children's Families here. our apartment was full.
we were really packed for family meals. They left on Tuesday and it took all week to get
back to normal.

On Monday we spent all day at the Omaha Zoo. 9:00 am until we got out at 6:00pm.
A fun day. we were all together, the children and parents all had fun. the zoo is one of the
best in the country. it is so big that we were not able to see it all. but there were a lot of
good memories. Tuesday they all went home. and we realize why young  Elders and Sisters
are not allowed to see their family, it is to hard to see our them go home.

The best thing we did together was having all the children at the Tabernacle on Monday
night and was able to teach them and bear testimony of the gospel.

The work here continues and visitors are still increasing in numbers. love serving and doing the
will of the Lord.  

Arthur Parker
July 1, 1856 Somewhere on the overland trail in Nebraska. About noon, six-year-old
Arthur Parker, feverish and ill, sat down to rest by the side of the trail and quickly fell asleep in tall grass. The McArthur Handcart Company pushed on unaware—that is until the onslaught of a violent thunderstorm later that afternoon forced the emigrants to stop and set up camp. Arthur was discovered missing and a search was mounted that lasted all night. Meanwhile “Storm, thunder and lightning raged fearfully all night.” The emigrants lay all night in…wet clothes until morning and awoke with water running under them in streams. The next morning three men, including Captain McArthur went back and searched again for the lost child, but he was nowhere to be found. The Company remained in camp for the day, waiting and drying out. The morning of the third day, July 3, 1856, the Company moved on. Time was precious and food was scarce—they had to go on. Robert Parker determined to go back for his son. Ann, whom Robert had once described as “the most beautiful girl in England, pinned a bright red shawl about his shoulders. If he found him dead, he could use this to bury him, and if he was found alive he could use the shawl to signal them.
Robert turned east and Ann and their three remaining children picked up the handcart and turned west.  The camp moved an incredible and exhausting 25 miles that day. Throughout the day, Ann kept glancing over her shoulder to see if Robert was coming. As camp was made that night, Ann would climb the highest eminence and look off into the east for a sign. Consumed by worry, Ann could not sleep. The danger of wolves was real. Stories of emigrants devoured by wolves was known to all travelers. And Indians—the threat from Indians was constant. What if he had been taken?
On July 4, the camp again moved forward another 22 miles, and once again Ann passed the day vigilant but weary. July 5, the Company remained in camp. Then Sunday morning July 6, 1856, at 8:30 am Ann saw in rays of the rising sun the red shawl and recognized her husband’s familiar gait. It is said “the brave little mother sank in a pitiful heap in the sand and for the first night in six nights—she slept.” Archer Walters witnessed the boy’s return and he recorded. “Great joy throughout the camp. The mother’s joy I cannot describe.”

Arthur had awakened to find himself alone. When the storms hit he took shelter under a tree, spending the night in the open.

The wolves surrounded him and howled but did not harm him. The next morning the lad walked

nine miles to the home of a Dutchman where Robert Parker later found him and the boy was

saved. Thank the Lord for righteously stubborn parents. And by the way, this is the same

Robert Parker who was the grandfather of Robert LeRoy Parker or Burch Cassidy

More next week.