August 2, 2015 - Sunday in Carthage

After a restful night, we were up early to begin our Sabbath Day of Fasting.  The morning was a little warmer than usual so we expected a humid day.  We had our devotional and prayers and since we were fasting, we started off for Nauvoo and our Sunday Meetings right around 7:00am.  The drive into Nauvoo was quiet and peaceful.  We arrived there at just a little past 7:30am, for the 8:00am scheduled starting time, and enjoyed the preparation time to receive the Sacrament.  We were fasting specifically for our precious daughter who is teaching her first Gospel Doctrine Class today...

I took a wonderful thought away from our Sunday School lesson today.  Elder and Sister Curtis were teaching the lesson on the Resurrection and she told a story about a close friend of hers who was not a member of the Church.  Sister Curtis's son and this woman's son were best friends in high school.  They did everything together.  

While Sister Curtis's son was serving his mission, this friend was diagnosed with cancer and the mother was beside herself.  She asked Sister Curtis to have her son come home early from his mission because her son needed him and he might not live much longer.  Well, Sister Curtis's son elected to stay on his mission and when he came home the son was still alive.  

On many occasions, Sister Curtis had shared with this young man's mother that the Church taught that "families can be together forever".  While the mother did not believe that, she apparently told her son right before he died, that, "families can be together forever,..... because, Mrs. Curtis said so".   

What an impact we have on families and friends we have around us!   The things we say, and the things we do, all have an impact on someone close to us....  Wouldn't it be wonderful if we all believed that?  Well, that was the lesson I walked away with today, to be more positive in my communications and to talk health, happiness and property more often to those I love and those I come in contact with everyday!

When mom and I got back to Carthage this morning at about 11:30am, we already had cars in the parking lot.  Our actual opening time was 12:30pm, so we broke our fast, had our lunch meal, and we headed over to open things up for our visitors.  By the time we got to the Visitors Center at 12:00noon, there were over 200 people waiting for us to open.  By the end of the day we had 1,219 visitors.  

It was a great day, but I was so tired!  We elected not to drive back into Nauvoo tonight for a Young Performing Missionary fireside.  Mom is already sound asleep and I will be joining her in less than 15 minutes!