Preparing a Harvest in Rural Utah
Photos by Wesley Wright
Runners from Calvary Chapel hand out hot dogs and lemonade at the Pioneer Day parade in Monroe, UT.
Photos by Wesley Wright
“The parade’s starting!” a child yelled.
Ralph Carlos, a leader from Calvary Chapel Monrovia, CA, waved his arms to a group of young men, proclaiming, “Runners, get ready to hand out hot dogs and lemonade.” Then, the parade in Monroe, UT, began. Soon, a truck hauling a parade float rolled down the street. A teenage boy ran up to the float and handed out hot dogs as a 20-year-old man offered lemonade. Next came a vehicle advertising a local construction business. In a flash, the driver and passengers were handed refreshments.
After hundreds of hot dogs and gallons of lemonade were passed out, a firetruck stopped. He pointed to the group of 62 people from CC Monrovia and Monroe’s Little Green Valley Calvary Chapel who prepared the food and drinks. “This is the best stop on the parade route!” a firefighter exclaimed. A few seconds later, he too received a hot dog and a cup of lemonade.
Meeting A Need
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Every July 24, Monroe hosts a morning parade where businesses, marching bands, sports teams, theater groups, and many other local organizations trek down Main Street. This is to celebrate Pioneer Day, a state holiday often called by Utahns “even more important than the Fourth of July.” The holiday was created in remembrance of the Mormon families who settled the Salt Lake Valley in 1847 after escaping religious persecution.
Allen and his wife, Aleacia, moved from California to the small Utah town in 2018. It had been on the couple’s hearts for many years to start a church in rural Utah. The Lord finally answered their prayers on July 12, 2020, when Little Green Valley CC held its first service. A few years later, the church moved to its own building.
Living in Monroe, the Widdows quickly learned about the popularity of Pioneer Day. When the hour-long parade is finished, people go to the fairgrounds or local businesses to continue celebrating. The evening before, part of Main Street gets blocked off for a basketball tournament. Early the next morning—before the parade—the town hosts a marathon. Up in Salt Lake City, there’s a yearly historical reenactment of the Mormon pioneers entering the Salt Lake Valley. The evening of Pioneer Day ends the same way in cities and towns all over Utah—families have barbecues and wait for fireworks to explode over the night sky.
But it wasn’t the popularity of Pioneer Day that led Allen and Aleacia to serve hot dogs and lemonade. It was seeing a visible need. “Back in 2019, we gave out lemonade only. Knowing that people were out there in the heat led us to do this ministry,” Aleacia explained. “Plus, it’s a great way to start conversations with people watching the parade. You just say, ‘Hey. have a lemonade.’”
Allen added, “After the first year of giving away hot dogs too, the city asked if we were going to do it again the next year. It’s basically expected of us now. This year, we handed out 1,000 hot dogs. That’s half of the population of Monroe.” The small fellowship also uses the event as an opportunity to share the Gospel.
As each one has received a gift, minister it one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. 1 Peter 4:10
Hotdogs, Lemonade, & The Gospel
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While Little Green Valley CC typically relies on its small congregation to distribute hot dogs and lemonade on July 24, this year’s event unfolded differently. Calvary Chapel Monrovia—the California church that sent out Allen and Aleacia back in 2018—sent a mission team to help this year. Ralph Carlos is a longtime friend of the Widdows. When he was told to lead a team to Monroe, he quickly responded, “Don’t say anything more. I’m in.”
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Because passing out refreshments during a parade sounds like unusual mission work, Ralph admitted, “As the team and I were preparing everything, I didn’t know what I was doing. But I know I had to allow the Lord to minister to my heart. I prayed and listened to the Holy Spirit.”
“This year, a young lady showed up and asked us, ‘What’s the difference between Mormonism and what you guys believe?’” Allen recalled. “The girl is Mormon but isn’t satisfied by it. She wants to come to our church, but her dad won’t let her.”
At a table filled with Bibles, tracts, a study of the Book of John, and Gospel-centered goodies for kids, Allen, Ralph, and a few others encouraged passersby to take the displayed items. People gladly took Bibles and tracts, and asked questions about Christianity and Jesus.
(ID people) ______ answer questions at the Pioneer Day outreach each year, often asking for them to explain the difference between what they believe and Mormonism.
“This year, a young lady showed up and asked us, ‘What’s the difference between Mormonism and what you guys believe?’” Allen recalled. “The girl is Mormon but isn’t satisfied by it. She wants to come to our church, but her dad won’t let her.”
Toiling in Rough Terrain
Since Utah was founded by Mormon pioneers in the mid-1800s, the statewide predominant religion is Mormonism—also called LDS, which stands for Latter-Day Saints. A vast majority of the residents of Monroe are LDS, but many—like the young lady Allen met on Pioneer Day—question the religion. However, questioning or leaving the Mormon church is heavily discouraged. Allen and Aleacia shared numerous stories with the CC Monrovia team about people they knew who became born-again believers, left the LDS church, and were subsequently disowned by their families.
Some questioning Mormons visit Little Green Valley CC or talk to Allen and Aleacia about their issues with the LDS religion in secret. “As long as this young lady is under her father’s roof, we may never see her,” Allen acknowledged.
“Though Allen has a heart for Mormons, he stresses that being a pastor in a rural Utah town is extremely difficult. Unlike other mission fields, Christians in Utah cannot simply go and knock on doors. ”
Though Allen has a heart for Mormons, he stresses that being a pastor in a rural Utah town is extremely difficult. Unlike other mission fields, Christians in Utah cannot simply go and knock on doors. The LDS believe their faith and the faith of Protestants are the same, with only a few differences.
The work of Little Green Valley CC has greatly influenced the Mormon community. “I’ve made many LDS friends over the years here. So many came up to me during Pioneer Day and thanked us for what we do,” Aleacia said with a huge smile. “One LDS lady said we’re so Christlike.” She continued, “This year, I feel a different level of camaraderie between our church and our LDS friends. People are recognizing that we are different and are doing something in the community. Their eyes are on us more than ever.”
But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. 1 Peter 2:9
Small Size, Big Heart
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Because Little Green Valley CC is a very small church, Allen and Aleacia’s family do most of the church work themselves, with the assistance of a handful of congregants. Every Sunday, either Aleacia or her oldest daughter teaches Sunday school to the children. Allen and his youngest son deal with all the audio and visual elements. Aleacia leads the four-member worship team, but if too many team members can’t make it to the Saturday practice, Sunday’s music selection is led by lyric videos instead of people.
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“Having help this year [from California] meant a lot to us,” Aleacia emphasized. CC Monrovia took the burden off the Widdows and their congregation that weekend. From setting up the hot dogs, lemonade, and Gospel goodies tents to doing worship that Sunday, the mission team accomplished much over the Pioneer Day weekend.
On Friday, Ralph coordinated how everyone was going to help for the parade snack giveaway. Following the parade, a few adults from the mission team set up and ran a free games booth in Monroe’s park. The next day, Ralph and a team of men installed a sink in Little Green Valley CC’s kitchen—an important appliance the church never had. On Sunday, church was held in a local park instead of in the building. The CC Monrovia team set everything up and tore everything down. A few women led Sunday school, and a group led worship, which gave Aleacia a much-needed break.
In addition to manual labor, the CC Monrovia team led worship nights over the Pioneer Day weekend and gave Allen and Aleacia many words of encouragement. During one of the worship nights, both church teams came together and prayed over a pastor from CC Monrovia—Ryan Gucayane—who broke his back right before traveling to Utah.
“I slipped near a sea wall while on a mission trip to the Philippines,” Ryan recounted. “I’m in a lot of pain and have to use a cane. Still, I knew I needed to come on this mission to Monroe.” After praying and laying hands on Ryan, Allen anointed his back with oil. Ryan trusts God will heal him soon.
Overall, Allen and Aleacia are pleased by the help and turnout of this year’s Pioneer Day. They realize their participation in the holiday won’t lead to a massive influx of new believers, but they know God will use their faithfulness to lead others to Him. “After giving away 1,000 hot dogs, I’m exhausted,” Allen said with a chuckle. “But seeds have been planted. And I think at some point, there’ll be a harvest.”
And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. Galatians 6:9
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Thank you for reading! If this story inspired you, we invite you to partner with us in continuing the ministry God started over 27 years ago. We appreciate your prayerful consideration in joining us to reach more souls for Jesus.
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