July 10, 2015 - Friday in Carthage

After a good nights rest, I was still debating on staying in bed a little bit longer this morning!  Yesterday was as exhausting day, but our morning devotional and walk took priority!  Mom and I were right on target for being at the Visitors Center for our first tour scheduled for 8:45am.  We like to get over to open things up about 30 minutes before the tour begins.  However, this morning, as we looked out the back window of the house, we saw a bus load come into the parking lot at 7:55am.  That made me scramble and get over there a little bit earlier than anticipated!...  We found out the 8:45am group thought they had cleared with the Mission President to come at 8:00am.  Well, we got them in and going in a very timely manner.  Just another day at the missionary office!

We had a busy day today, but nothing quite as busy as yesterday.  I was so happy with the smoothness of yesterday's tours that we adopted the same format today.  I was out greeting the buses and talking with the groups as they prepared for their tours.  As I was involved in this effort, I was happy to greet this precious family;

This is Nate and Gina Henderson.  Some dear friends from Fremont!  Gina was one of Ali's Young Women Leaders whom she loved growing up!  We had a wonderful reunion as best we could with 1,000 visitors today... but mom was able to give them the tour and spend a little more time with them.

During the early afternoon, we had 6 more bus loads scheduled.  The first 3 were set for 1:00pm, 2:00pm and 3:00pm.  They were all from the same stake in Ohio.  However, they never showed up!   That slowed down the afternoon schedule and allowed mom and I to go home earlier than expected.  You will never guess what I did when I got home and discovered I had almost 3 hours to myself...... how did you know I took a nice long nap???  That obvious?

Then, mom and I headed into Nauvoo for our Sunset Play.  On the 30 minute drive to Nauvoo, I practiced the part for the Editor.  It is coming so painfully slow for me!  I guess the driving time is giving us some great rehearsal time,  but I just have such a hard time learning these silly lines.

We had a wonderful surprise when we looked out into the audience tonight.  Back in 2008, when I was called as the Martin's Cove Trek Leader, I became well acquainted with the author of the book, "Tell My Story, Too", Jolene Allphin.  She was here with family to see Nauvoo and support a granddaughter who is one of the Young Performing Missionaries.  It was a treat to see her and her husband and meet members of her family! -

Sister Allphin was such a blessing to our trek!  She did two firesides for me and then in 2014, when Bob Jr. was the trek leader, she came and supported us again.  

I have one story that sticks out in my mind today and I am grateful for these marvelous experiences that I can share with you!

With our huge anticipated crowds, today, Elder Hansen and I divided up the organizational responsibilities.  I had him fill the movie room and coordinate the groups waiting in the History room, and I greeted and briefed the groups as they pulled into the parking lot.  The average size of the groups was about 60 people.  I would gather them around me and fill in the waiting time with stories and special Carthage experiences.  However, I think the best thing I tried to do was help them understand, from these stories and spiritual experiences, that they were on sacred grounds.  For most of the groups I felt impressed to say that when their trip was first introduced, that I was sure that some of them had little desire to come.  So I praised them for coming and putting themselves in a position to have a very special experience.   Well, it was wonderful when one young man, who had been obviously touched by his tour came up to me an hour or so later and thanked me for helping him be prepared.  I was grateful for the young people whose lives were affected in a positive way from coming here to Carthage. 

 It has been a great day and our drive back from Nauvoo after a fun Sunset Play was wonderful.  As we were coming in from the back roads, we captured this wonderful picture:

Thank you for checking in with us tonight!  The wonderful friends coming to see us, coupled with the sacred experiences here in Carthage, are terrific tender mercies for us.  Who would have ever thought that these choice experiences would be ours less that one year ago when mom and I began filling out our missionary papers?  There really is inspired counsel when the Prophets call for senior missionaries to lay aside family, grandchildren and earning a few more dollars, to come out into the mission field and have these kinds of experiences!