September 9, 2015 - Wednesday in Nauvoo

Mom and I enjoyed a unique P-day today!  We were up early to get ready for our day.  We had our morning devotional and prayers before our Wednesday morning training meeting at the Nauvoo Visitors Center.  It was a rather interesting morning with lots of announcements and then training by the young sister missionaries.  It is amazing the information and experiences these young sisters can give to the old missionaries assigned here!  I'm not sure how we will be able to function when we return back home!  I'm taking lot's of notes!  They are full of energy and have a very unique way of training us.

After the meeting, mom and I were able to attend the 9:00am temple session.  We were asked to be the witness couple.  That was a tender mercy because we were doing family names and I was doing a great great uncle, Claude Jones. 

It is interesting to note that today would have been my dads 92nd birthday.  He died on Easter Sunday 1953 at the age of 29.  I was 2 years and 8 months old and my sister, Jackie, was 3 years and 9 months old.  She thinks she has memories of him but I can't remember anything about him except what my mom and grandmother and other relatives have told me about him.  And with all their wonderful stories, I am anxious to meet him and talk with him!  I have always wanted to meet him and that is the impetus that caused me to investigate the true Church of Jesus Christ back in college.  Happy birthday dad!  I love you!

After our session, we went home and I changed into some comfortable P-day missionary clothing and we took a drive to Cantrell, Iowa.  It is a town close to the Mennonites, who run the general store there.  We have heard some good things about the store so we took the two hour drive to find out for ourselves.  Well,  it looks like that will be our only trip out there!  Mom was hoping to find material to make her two newest granddaughters their baby blankets, but the material was not what she wanted.  It was an interesting store, but probably not worth two trips out there.  

The Dutchman Store in Cantrell, Iowa

Since we needed groceries, we went over to Keokuk from this store and we had a wonderful drive together.  We did some shopping and then came back to the house for lunch together.  Mom had been doing laundry this morning before we left for the meeting and then after the temple.  She needed to do the bathroom and the floors and vacuuming so I jumped in to help and we got done about 5:00pm.  

I have not made my debut for the Rendezvous play, yet, so I went down to the play tonight, put on my another cast, and made further observations and notes.  I want to be ready when the nod comes!  I just like to see how the Editor connects with the audiences and how he moves around the theater for each Vignette.  This is the foreign language I am learning here in Nauvoo.... the language of theater!

So, it has been a busy day and yet a nice and relaxing day.  Mom and I are ready to fulfill the next assignments as we have been called to be the assistant site leaders at the Nauvoo Visitors Center.  Bring on the next adventure!  

Charles DuBois made one of my favorite quotes; "The important thing is to be able at any moment to sacrifice who we are for who we can become!"  Maybe they will make a BIG star out of me!.... might even win an Oscar... you can never tell :)