August 15, 2015 - Saturday in Carthage

We are starting to get the hot and humid weather again here in Carthage.  Mom and I were out for our morning walk at the early hour of 6:00am.  We were both up early and we had finished our morning devotional and prayers and wanted to get an early start on the day.  The temperature was a cool 69 degrees, at 6:00am, but the humidity was already bearing down on us.  I had a great workout just walking our three miles!

Our schedule today was the closing shift.  We had a marvelous morning of practicing together my part as the Editor.  See if you can guess how much I am putting in to this part by these pictures:

The large dining table in the conference room of our home is lined with the pages to the Editor's part.

Another sheet of dialog for the Editor next to the couch.  A great practicing area after mom goes to bed!

Here is another study area in the living-room area.  Review, review and more review!

And of course my favorite place to study and memorize.... in the shower!  Thank you Ali for the idea!

We had a wonderful morning and went to the Visitor's Center at 12:30pm to begin our closing shift.  I had several groups today, but I think my favorite came when an older man confined to a wheelchair was brought into the Visitors Center by a younger friend.  

I met them outside on the brick-way and we talked for a few minutes.  Then I invited them in and we began the tour.  However, while the movie was playing we had several families come in and join the movie in progress.  I had a sister missionary take the families at the end of the movie and I stayed with the two men.  I found out that the man in the wheelchair had a muscle condition that had taken away the strength in his legs.  He had been confined to the wheelchair for about 10 years. 

His friend, who was helping him along, was a former home teaching companion from Virginia, and this friend had moved to the Chicago area a few years back.  It was this friend who had invited him to come to visit him and suggested they take a couple of days to visit Nauvoo and Carthage.  The man in the wheelchair had never been to Carthage before today, and he is a convert to the Church of about 15 years.

I was concerned that the man in the wheelchair might not be up to going to the upstairs Martyrdom room, but his faithful friend encouraged him to go.  He offered to carry him up the stairs!  I cleared an extra 20 minutes for the tour with the other missionaries and we went on the complete tour.  

This man in the wheelchair, when he got to the steep stairway in the jail, declined being carried, but slid out of his chair and literally crawled up the stairs on his bum so that he could experience the Spirit of Carthage in the Martyrdom room.  What a sweet experience that was for me to see this marvelous dedication and focus!  We took an extra long time with going up and down the stairs, but this wonderful brother was willing to crawl up that stairway and then back down, just to connect with the events that Joseph Smith had to endure as the Prophet of the Restoration in sealing his testimony here.  

This was an incredible tour for me to participate in with these two amazing men.  The experiences here in Carthage have been life changing for both mom and me.  We have seen so many wonderful Church members and very humble investigators who marvel at what Joseph was able to accomplish in his short 38 years.

I also had what I think was our oldest guest this afternoon.  She was 102 years old and still very sharp of mind and able to walk around the area with her cane and a friend on her arm.  She was not a member of the Church, but she actually lives close enough to Carthage to shop at the County Market just across the street once a week.  When I asked her how she came to stop by and visit us today, she said she had always wanted to come in, and her friends with her today finally took the time to come with her.  The entire group of 5 people were not members but very curious.

She has lived in her home in a little town about 13 miles away, and she indicated that she had attended the Nauvoo Temple open house in 2002.  She had her oldest son die of cancer at 82 and her only daughter died at 76 of heart failure.  Her surviving son lives about two hours away and is 82 year old.  What an incredible lady!

I could tell she loved her family so I gave her a copy of The Family Proclamation,  and then I asked her if she enjoyed reading.  She said she did as long as the book had chapters in it.  I then asked her if she would like a copy of the Book of Mormon, but she kindly declined.  As she and her friends walked away, I felt a love for them and gave a silent prayer that perhaps a seed had been planted that might grow...