Wilford Woodruff Papers Foundation

Each time an article is written for the Wilford Woodruff Papers Foundation, the article is linked on their Instagram and also a video is made using the article as the script. Here are some of the screenshots of those Instagram entries.

I have more articles coming out in the summer.

Wilford Woodruff Papers Foundation - Volunteer Spotlight

I was spotlighted in April as a volunteer for the Wilford Woodruff Papers Foundation. They wrote an article about me and sent me a thank you card and a medal. 

This is the article about me from their website.

Giving Time, Gaining Testimony

by Lyndie Jackson

Apr 11, 2024

“It’s amazing the experiences Wilford Woodruff had and the Spirit I can feel just by reading his journals,” said Michelle Pack, a volunteer on the Wilford Woodruff Papers Project. She continued, “I have enjoyed having that Spirit with me.”

Michelle found out about the Wilford Woodruff Papers through a Missionary Moms Facebook group, and after submitting a list of her talents, she was put to work writing articles, including finding quotes and stories from Wilford Woodruff’s writings.

“I have known who Wilford Woodruff was and I have studied his teachings before, but I haven't gotten into his life,” Michelle said. “I have enjoyed the opportunity to go through his Papers and journals to find experiences to include in the articles I am writing.”

Currently a grad student at Utah Tech University working on a master’s degree in technical writing and digital rhetoric, Michelle is well suited to the task of article writing. She also worked with co-founder of the Wilford Woodruff Papers, Jennifer Ann Mackley, to update a new digital edition of Wilford Woodruff’s Witness: The Development of Temple Doctrine that includes direct links to the online documents now available at wilfordwoodruffpapers.org.

Michelle noted that her work for the Project has allowed her to express her testimony of the gospel through writing. “This was an opportunity to combine two things I love—the gospel and writing—and maybe make a difference by helping others learn more about President Woodruff’s exemplary life,” Michelle said. “I was drawn to the opportunity to express my testimony using his experiences and words.”

In addition to expressing her testimony, she has also strengthened it. She said, “In writing the Come, Follow Me articles, my testimony has been strengthened. Writing these articles has given me another time in my day when I can think of the gospel with a focused purpose and with others in mind.”

Michelle has had special experiences while researching for her articles that have strengthened her faith. For example, she recently found a story from one of Wilford Woodruff’s missions in England in which he and the entire congregation were moved to tears. Michelle was touched to see the Spirit work on Wilford Woodruff and to read his record of that day.

When asked what she would share with someone who was considering volunteering for the Wilford Woodruff Papers Project, Michelle said, “It’s a great Foundation full of individuals who know the value of connecting the lessons learned in history. They want others to gain a testimony of the gospel through the teachings of Wilford Woodruff.”

If you are interested in strengthening your own testimony of the restored gospel and helping others gain a better understanding of the Restoration, consider volunteering with or exploring the Wilford Woodruff Papers Project. Send an email to contact@wilfordwoodruffpapers.org or visit wilfordwoodruffpapers.org/get-involved to learn more.

Ivins City Attorney

Guess what happened in Bryan's life! Bryan saw the job opening for the Ivins City Attorney on their website. This has been the goal all along but Mesquite was settled and he wasn't sure if he should make the move. Bryan applied for it and, after an interview and a lot of prayer, he was offered the job and took it. On April 4th at the City Council meeting, Bryan was presented for vote of the City Council. They approved his appointment unanimously, which wasn't a surprise. I didn't go up with Bryan because we didn't know how long the meeting was going to be, but I watched it online. 

Now Bryan begins a transition from Mesquite to Ivins. The City of Mesquite is without a City Manager right now so this is tough for them to lose a City Manager and City Attorney at the same time. Bryan talked to them and told them he would be happy to continue on, remotely, until the end of July. They took him up on the offer so he will begin at Ivins on April 8th and continue with Mesquite until July 26. It will be crazy but Bryan has Mesquite automated so well that he thinks it won't be too difficult, just some long nights when he has both Ivins and Mesquite work to do. But Ivins has been very accommodating and will allow him to go to Mesquite when he needs to.

We are excited for this new adventure and I'm excited that he will be able to come home for lunch and is only 5 minutes away!

Funeral

The wife of one of Bryan's good friends growing up passed away so we had a funeral in California. It was really sad because she passed from pancreatic cancer but she fought hard and lived longer than the odds for her type of cancer. The funeral was beautiful and focused on her legacy and the remarkable person she was. 

Many of the San Ramon people came so Bryan was able to see many friends and parents of friends. It was good for all of them to be there for Jason and his kids. It was a sad trip but it was good to see everyone and be able to support Jason.

Manti Temple open house

We got tickets to go to the Manti Temple open house and I was so excited. This is where I went for baptisms when I was a teenager, where I had my endowment when I was preparing for my mission, and where Bryan and I were married. My ancestors helped build the temple and my grandparents were called as temple workers there in the 1970s. So I have a lot of history with the temple and was excited to see it.

In June of 1985, I was at the rededication when they did the last remodel so it was fun to go through again with this remodel. They mainly updated the structural integrity so it would withstand earthquakes and they put in media components to take the temple from live sessions to film sessions. It was beautiful (although I was a bit disappointed because I expected a huge change like the St George temple and it wasn't a huge change) and I really liked being there. 

I had seen posts about long lines and how horrible it was even when you have tickets, so we decided to go first thing in the morning and be there as close to 8 am as we could. We got up really early and drove to Manti, which had SNOW! We got in line and it wasn't a very long one, so we were lucky. There were a lot of people but the stand-by line was the long one at that point. Later in the day, when it was time for our actual tickets, the ticket line was down the hill and around the front of the temple so I am very glad we weren't when we did.

Daily Universe

BYU Geospatial Services lab presents tree coverage study to Provo City Council

universe.byu.edu/2024/03/25/byu-geospatial-services-lab-presents-tree-coverage-study-to-provo-city-council
By Ethan PackMarch 25, 2024

Students from the Geospatial Services lab speak to the Provo City Council about their findings. The students estimate they spent more than a combined 150 hours on their tree coverage analysis. (Ethan Pack)

BYU Geospatial Services lab students presented the results of their months-long analysis of Provo’s tree coverage to Provo City Council on Tuesday, March 20.

Matthew Rowley, Josh Newman, Abbie Crookston, Jacob Bellows and Andrew Miller spoke to the city council about their efforts to analyze how much tree coverage Provo has, a task given to them by the city, according to Teresa Gomez, geospatial data analysis and technology specialist.

Gomez manages the Geospatial Services lab and led the students during their analysis.

“This was not an easy task, right? There’s a lot of information, there was a lot of trial and error … it was a lot of work,” she said. 

The Geospatial Services and Training lab helps students, faculty and staff with map-related projects and needs, according to the information on the Harold B. Lee library website.

The lab received the request from the city council in the summer of 2023, Gomez said. Understanding how much of Provo is covered by trees is an important aspect of the city’s Conservation and Resiliency plan, according to the meeting agenda.

The team used geographic information systems to analyze several maps together. These systems allowed the teams to compare and contrast aerial images with topographical maps in order to better determine tree coverage, Gomez said.

The majority of time spent on the project went toward gathering data from aerial light detection and ranging scans and satellite photos, Matthew Rowley, one of the students who worked on the project, said. 

“It was kind of a start to finish project, which is more than we usually do, where we had to figure out what data we were going to use and how we were going to manipulate the data to get what we wanted to give back to Provo,” he said.

According to the students, 17% of Provo is covered by trees. Along with determining tree coverage, the team developed a land coverage model, led by Andrew Miller, a geography major.

“Tree coverage is just one part of the land cover program. There’s also buildings and asphalt and all this other stuff,” he said.

By running aerial photos and other maps through geographic information systems, Miller made a multipurpose model that shows how much land area things like buildings, grass and asphalt use.

“I made a land cover, which can be used for whatever you want,” he said.

Andrew Miller, Josh Newman, Abbie Crookston, Matthew Rowley and Jacob Bellows were the students who presented their findings to the council on Tuesday, March 20. Teresa Gomez, pictured third from left, is the Geospatial Services lab manager. (Teresa Gomez)

Because of the length of the project, some students who originally began to map tree coverage in Provo weren’t available to present on Tuesday.

“They’re in grad school in another job. So that’s also why it took a little while because we had a little rotation in between, but it’s fun and I think the students feel very rewarded, to see that something that you’re doing is actually so meaningful for the city,” Gomez said.

During their presentation, the students expressed how useful maps are to city development.

“The hope we have is just that (Provo City) uses maps more and that they’re able to see how much they can use (geographic information systems),” Abbie Crookston, a wildlife and wildlands conservation major, said. 

The team said they were grateful for the project, as it gave them the opportunity to give back to the community, Gomez said.

“Contributing to where you call home is something that makes us who we are as BYU students, as a BYU community. We are here to serve. So this is a way that in our own realm of expertise, we can serve by mapping,” she said.

More information about Provo sustainability efforts, of which the Geospatial Services study was a part, can be found at the Provo city website.

Being a fun mom

Courtney mentioned that she hasn't had any of my cake since her birthday in August. So I decided to be a fun mom and send the kids some cakes in a jar for Easter. I heard about this from a missionary mom when Ethan was on his mission but I never tried it. I found the instructions online and tried it. It worked great...until the next morning when I realized that the bottom of the cake had liquified. Ugh. They looked fabulous and the toothpick came out clean when I baked them but the steam that is trapped inside when you seal the jars made the bottom liquid. I tried doing it a second time with another batch but it did the same thing.

I decided to send them anyway and the jars made it through the mail to the kids (except I think they both had one that was broken). I sent frosting too and Ethan mixed the frosting with the liquid cake and said it was good. Courtney and Charlotte ate the tops with the frosting and threw out the liquid part. I don't know if I'll ever do it again but it was fun to try.