July 17, 2015 - Friday in Carthage

Here I am at the end of another busy day in Carthage.  We just got back from our Sunset Play in Nauvoo and mom has already gone to bed.  It is always interesting to sit and reflect on our days activities.  Our day was full of these various activities and I catch myself wondering what were the lessons I learned along the way.  And perhaps what lessons may have been learned as a result of our service here...

Well, mom and I were up early and had our morning devotional and prayers and started off on our morning walk.  We were out the door by 6:10am this morning so that we could get a nice long walk in.  I thrive on these walks as it gives me an opportunity to think about the events ahead of me today and digest the events of previous days.  I even catch myself thinking about the plays and how I can improve the parts I play, like my role as "Pa".  Go figure!  We are even getting more early morning drivers to wave to us.... first!

But I think the significant experiences are always centered around the tours we give here in Carthage.  I think about Joseph Smith and all those associated with him, and how they blessed Joseph's life.  Not all the men and women who were close to Joseph and loved and supported him, are very familiar names.  I have had to study the backgrounds of people like Dan Jones, and Stephen Markham, and John Fulmer, and recognize the contributions they made to the Prophets life and his teachings.  I get so excited about sharing these things about the men and women who surrounded Joseph and Hyrum on those last few days, with the youth who come here hungry for this information.

As I was standing outside today on a hot and humid summer afternoon in Carthage, I was observing the looks and the body languages and the expressions of the visitors.  I could hear their conversations about the important things in their lives as they came out of the tour, and it is always rewarding to see them walking quietly back to the parking lot with tears in their eyes.  The Spirit was able to touch them because they had prepared themselves.  Once in a while, I will have a guest come up to me and thank me, or ask a great question, or just let me know how grateful they were to have been to Carthage.

Those are the guests that we have prayed for, and fasted for and have shed tears with from this wonderful and sacred experience in Carthage.  Today was one of those days where I had two Mutual aged youth come up to me on the brick-way and extend their hand to me and thank me.  So two lessons were learned today.  If you have a special experience with someone and you have been fortunate enough to "catch" them doing something right, tell them "thank you"!  

And the other lesson was special experiences take special preparation.  We cannot be "weary" in doing good.  If fact, giving our best efforts into those things that will bring us eternal happiness will cause us, every day, to be better and to do better.  That's what is needed in the world right now, and I want to stand and be counted as having done this each day as I reflect on what I have done and what I plan on doing.  

Also, this afternoon, mom and I had a wonderful conversation with Elder Bradfield, one of the Young Performing Missionaries.  He plays the banjo for those of you who have seen "Sunset By the Mississippi".  He is a former missionary in the Pocatello Mission and ate a few times at our Gandolfo's Deli with his companion.  He even told us that he taught an investigator there at the deli on one occasion!  Taking care of the missionaries at the deli is one effort I will not ever regret doing....!