January 31, 2016 - Sunday in Nauvoo

The last day of January was overcast and a little warmer.  We were able to walk to our church meetings.  After preparing for the Sabbath Day with our morning devotional and prayers we left the house for the Visitors Center.  We had the Sunday School lesson and I wanted to make sure we had everything that we had set up yesterday still in tact.  

Our Sacrament meeting was uplifting, and I had the opportunity to help pass the Sacrament.  I could not help but think of Zac being ordained a Deacon here and having him help pass the Sacrament!  I know summer schedules are really tight in Idaho with work and the cost of travel, but it was fun to think about the possibility!   Each of the speakers were assigned the topic of forgiveness and they did a good job in covering their assignment.

We went to the Visitors Center after our Sacrament meeting in the Stake Center, and made the final arrangements for our lesson.  I enjoyed giving the lesson with mom, and we were able to make our point and stay within the time allotted.  Each missionary couple will teach one Priesthood/Relief Society meeting during their mission here, one Sunday School class and one Sacrament talk.  We have completed two out of three so far!

Mom and I broke our fast with our breakfast for lunch menu and shared it with our friends, Elder and Sister Ramsey.  We sure enjoyed our time together for lunch and for discussion.  Elder Ramsey got me started on knitting hats.  He has a goal of knitting 100 hats and I think he might reach that goal before March of this year.  I have completed 9 so far and have started my 10th hat this afternoon.  He helped me get some yarn untangled this afternoon, as I documented in the following picture;

Elder and Sister Ramsey

It has been fun getting to know them.  They are also in our cast in Rendezvous, so many of our family might recognize them, or will get to meet them, this spring and summer.

Sometimes we get weighed down with the cares of the world.  It is easy to get sucked into various scenarios and experiences that can be overwhelming to the heart and soul..., I think about Lehi being a Prophet of God.  He was pretty strong and powerful as a Prophet and was able to follow the Lord, and keep His commandments, at least most of the time.  He did become discouraged when Nephi broke his bow and they could not obtain food.  Remember how he murmured against the Lord along with the rest of his family, except Nephi?

How was Nephi able to stay so positive with his, "I will!", attitude?  What a contrast to see a Prophet murmur and a faithful son stay faithful and obedient to the Lord.  I have pondered this throughout the day today.  Sometimes missionaries have challenging days!  Then I thought about this example as it came up in this lesson today.  Under such challenging circumstances in Lehi's time, and in such challenging times as we face today, isn't it wonderful to have the example of Nephi and his always righteous ways?  

It just shows me that maintaining a positive attitude, and a righteous disposition, over all challenges that are given to us, will best serve us in strengthening us and helping us.  We need to be able to take on more responsibilities in helping to build His Kingdom!  The Lord needs strong and capable disciples to carry His work forward in these last days.  The Adversary knows that his time is very short, and he is doing all that he can to get us off the track.  For me, that just means that I need to work harder and stay strong in the service of Him who will assist us in every challenging detail of our lives.  I needed to know, and ponder, about Lehi's slip so that I could better appreciate Nephi's strength.

January 30, 2016 - Saturday in Nauvoo

Another beautiful day in Nauvoo!  This was our last Saturday assignment to clean the Stake Center.  Our Zone has had the assignment all month and we have had to sacrifice our morning walks to be there by 7:00am.  But it was all worth it to work with 20 plus missionaries in cleaning the Lords House!  We left our home at a few minutes before 7:00am after we had our morning devotional and prayers, and had showered and got ready for the day.  Here is what greeted us this morning;

The Nauvoo Morning sky this morning!

We tried to capture the pink sky over the temple this morning!

We were assigned to the Visitors Center for the early shift today.  We walked there after the cleaning assignment and were open and ready to receive guests by 8:45am.  We had a few visitors this morning and we even had two wagon rides on this beautiful day!  We walked back home after our shift and began our weekly fast.  We get to teach the Sunday School lesson tomorrow taken from 1 Nephi 16 through 22, so the fast will help us as we team teach together.

As I read this lesson I was especially impressed with some additional insights.  First of all, in my simple math, we will have over 100 senior missionaries at this Sunday School class.  Each senior missionary, I would estimate, has been a member of the Church, on the average, about 40 years.  So that gives us, as a body of Latter-day Saints, a rough total of 4,000 years of experience in the Church!  That's 4 millennia of church experience!  

Another insight was the fact that Nephi consistently said "I will", to the commandments.  He never said; "I don't want to", or "I'll think about it", or, "I'll try".  He said; "I will!"  Imagine what that would be like if we all had that reaction to callings and impressions and counsel from inspired leaders!

And one other thought I had was in the course of building the ship.  It is like he did not even hesitate!    He simply asked where he could find ore with which to make tools to build the ship.... Now, to me, that was quite an insight.  The ship was something he had never been involved in building but he was willing to be taught because the Lord said that it would be built, "after the manner in which I will show thee".  He broke down the assignment to finding ore to make the tools.  The project was manageable for him and with the Lord's instruction and counsel and teachings, he was able to accomplish some "great things"!

He was so willing to follow His counsel and teachings!  And one verse that has been inspirational to me was in 1 Nephi 18:3 where Nephi taught us that he, "went into the mount oft, and did "pray oft unto the Lord", "wherefore the Lord did show unto me great things".  I don't think the Lord was just teaching Nephi to just build a ship.... Nephi was able to build the ship, but he was also being taught "great things" to help him fulfill his earthly mission and assignments that would be coming to him the rest of his life, and perhaps, through the eternities!

Tonight we had rendezvous and had 8 people in the audience.  The show went well and mom and I had fun doing our parts.  We should be ready to perform when our precious families and friends come and see us!  We have such a great cast!  It is so fun to be in a position to see our cast in action!  As the Editor, I can sit in the theater and see most of the vignettes and watch the talent flow from these wonderful missionaries.

January 29, 2016 - Friday in Nauvoo

Happy 7th Birthday Maddie! You are such a precious girl and we hope you had a great day today!  We got to talk to our Maddie this morning to wish her a happy birthday and she was looking forward to her birthday party this evening with her cousin girls and girl friends.  We found out that the boys had a nachos and Monopoly party at Bob and Mary's! 

Mom and I were up early this morning.  It was a beautiful morning with no wind.  The temperature was in the high 20's, and it was a very comfortable morning walk for us.  We had our morning prayers and devotional and we were on our walk by 6:15am.  The moon was lighting up our path this morning and it appears that it is getting lighter earlier in the morning.  What a great way to start each day!  

Mom was asked to be a narrator on the wagons for this summer.  She is pretty excited about the prospect and I will get lots of pictures of her in action!  She will tell the stories of Nauvoo and the brief history of many of the historic sites.  She had asked to be considered for this a few months ago.

I served at the Brickyard today and mom served at the Log School House.  They are less than a block from each other so I got to walk her to her site.  I had the Brickyard up and running by the time my companion came in.  The Brickyard is always a busy place to be.  I don't have time to read or do anything else while we are at this site, except to make bricks and give tours!  Today I gave 1 tour to two people... our only visitors!  It has been a pretty quiet month of January, and February will be much of the same!

Mom had a missionary and her husband come into the school house today from our mission, Elder and Sister Orme.  We had shown her the precious blog book that we got yesterday while we worked with her at the Visitors Center.  She is determined to do the same thing!  Only they have 6 weeks left on their mission!  But I was grateful to see them inspired to do something similar to our book during the remainder of their time here.

January 28, 2016 - Thursday in Nauvoo

Mom and I had a wonderful morning together.  We shared our morning devotional and prayers and then took our 3.5 mile walk around Nauvoo.  We had the late shift at the Visitors Center today and we had an appointment for the new mission president and his wife to meet with us in our home at 6:20pm.  Normally we would have attended the 10:00am temple session, but I wanted to bake some cookies for some missionaries and for the mission president.  I was glad that I did!

We did our weekly cleaning of the apartment and I baked the cookies.  We were able to relax for about an hour and then enjoyed our meal together at 12 noon.  We left for the Visitors center at 12:30pm and dropped cookies off along the way.  On the way, we stopped at the mail room and to our excited surprise, we had the first volume of our blog, publish in book form, waiting for us!   Bob had gotten the editing done and we now have Volume 1 of the blog from November 1, 2014 until August 31, 2015.  It is a beautiful issue of 10 of the most life changing months of our married life!  Here is a picture of that treasured book;

Ten months of our mission in this volume!

352 Pages of notes, testimonies and treasured experiences!

 When mom and I got to the Visitors center by 12:45pm, our shift started off on a quiet note.  There has been a drought of visitors this past two weeks.  We only had 1 visitor on our shift and she took the first and the only ticket to the Rendezvous Play tonight.  Mom and I decided that we had better go so that she would not be the only audience member.  The cast that had the show tonight has had the last two weeks of canceled shows because of no tickets given.  So this was a blessing to them to have the play!  Here is a picture of the water fall near the barns in Nauvoo;

This was quite a sight today!  All frozen solid!

 Our shift ended at 6:00pm and  we went immediately home to greet our mission president and his wife.  They came about 10 minutes after we got home and right on time.  What a pleasant meeting we had with them as they got a little better acquainted with us.  Before he left he asked if he could leave a blessing on our home!  My thought was how special it was for him and his wife to even come and meet each missionary couple in their home.  And then he comes and leaves a blessing was a very special experience for us.  He indicated that when Elder David A. Bednar set his apart as the Illinois, Nauvoo Mission President, he told him that his call, along with every other missionary's call, was approved by Brother Joseph himself.  Since he holds the keys of the Dispensation of the Fullness of Times,  he has the authority to approve these callings.  What a precious insight that was to mom and me!

President Hall kept to his 20 minute appointment time and we were blessed by their efforts.  We left for the Rendezvous Play and watched it with two other missionary couples.  The one guest that took the ticket did not show up!  Well, that turned out good because the cast did a great job and we were a great audience!

We were home by 8:15pm and mom was sound asleep by 8:30pm!  I think I will go and join her!  Thank you for checking in with us tonight!  It has been a great day!  We have been recharged as we begin the second half of our mission! 

January 27, 2016 - Wednesday in Nauvoo

Our weekly mission training meeting was so refreshing and inspiring!  Our new mission president has streamlined the weekly format to maximize the training time.  He has all the announcements and site changes on a power-point slide and he eliminated about 10 to 15 minutes worth of down time.  He got right into the training and set the tone for his presidency.  I was invigorated and very impressed with his presentation on the summary of the worldwide missionary broadcast last week.  We are looking forward to working with him and this new direction.

Mom and I were up early for our morning prayers and devotional.  Mom always starts her day at least an hour before me.  I spend my quiet preparation time in the evening hours and she spends her time in the early morning hours.  We were both ready to walk to the training meeting by 7:15am this morning, and we were the first ones there at the Visitors Center.  We got things opened up and we were ready, for the missionaries to begin arriving for the 8:00am meeting, by 7:30am.

We then had separate site assignments today.  Mom worked at Lucy Mark Smiths home and I worked at George Riser's Boot Shop.  We had two guests come into the boot shop and they were the only two who came to Rendezvous tonight.  It is very challenging to do Rendezvous for two people, but it can be done!  We have proved that now, on several occasions!  We have had a good day, today.

While I was serving at the boot shop I got a text from Zac, my grandson.  He asked me to give him a call when I had a moment.  He told me that he had mastered the 100 yard swim and now had qualified at a First Class Scout.  He turns 12 in June and will be a great Priesthood holder!  I was so grateful to have him give me that wonderful message!  We are so proud of him and his accomplishment!  Congratulations Zac!!

January 26, 2016 - Tuesday in Nauvoo

Although it was cloudy and windy this morning, the temperatures remained in the high 20's.  After our morning devotional and prayers, we ventured out for our morning constitutional.  We had a great walk around Nauvoo!  

Our site assignment today was the Visitors Center for the early shift.  Our walk there was equally refreshing!  At the Visitors Center we had a very quiet morning with just 2 visitors before we had the Ramsey's come in for the closing shift at 1:00pm.  We did get to visit with Elder and Sister Cox from Idaho Falls and got to know them a little better.  They are serving an 18 month mission here and are scheduled to go home about 2 months before we do.  We also arranged to have the Ramsey's over for breakfast for dinner this coming Sunday as long as we both have it off.  

The afternoon was spent in quiet relaxation.  I got in a short nap and then worked some more on Macie's little knit hat.  We had a wonderful afternoon meal and then got ready for the 6:00pm temple session.  We were, again, invited to be the witness couple.  It is always a special experience to serve in the temple!

Mom and I get to teach the Sunday School lesson #5 this Sunday.  It comes from 1 Nephi 16-22.  Some great chapters including building the ship and following the Liahona.   Two great events in the Book of Mormon!  Mom brought up this insight tonight;  Why did Lehi need the Liahona and the Brother of Jared did not?..... and, Why did Nephi build one kind of ship and Jared and his brother build a different kind?

Here are some ideas;  The family of Lehi had a lot of opposition within the family and Jared did not.  The voice of the Lord was prevalent with Jared and his family, while Lehi had a lot of murmuring to contend with.  Both families had different things to learn and grow from and the Lord knew what they needed to succeed.  They each just had to accept the conditions and the lessons that were being presented.

January 25, 2016 - Monday in Nauvoo

Mom and I have enjoyed another Preparation day together.  We were up early to get a head start on the day with our morning devotional and prayers.  We took our extended walk this morning with temperatures in the high 20's and no wind.  It was a very comfortable walk around Old Nauvoo.  We got ready for the day and headed out the door a little before 9:00am.  

Our first stop was to set up reservations at the Nauvoo Condos for Josh and Amy's visit in March.  We are so excited to have family coming again to see us here in Nauvoo! We then drove to Quincy to get our monthly supplies and enjoyed the extended trip together.  We were back in Nauvoo by 1:30pm, and got the supplies unloaded from the van.

As I was finishing unloading those groceries, I decided to go to the facilities management compound to wash the car.  I hate to have the salt and road film on the car for very long and the temperatures were now in the high 30's.  It was a good decision because when I got there, our mission finance person was attempting to wash his car in his suit.  I had on my joggers so it was a no brainer to help him get his car clean. That did not take long and then I was able to get our car scrubbed and vacuumed.  It looked so much better!

When I got back to the house mom had just finished preparing our afternoon meal.  Then I got this urge to bake cookies.  Since we are on a treat fast, the cookies went to site missionaries around the area.  We also stopped by the Pageant offices and shared a bag with them.  It was a good effort because she has been sick for the last two or so weeks and she looked much better today!

I have always enjoyed baking cookies with the children and grandchildren.  But since we have been on this treat fast, I haven't taken the time to do this, and I really missed it!  It was fun to share with some of the site missionaries, and I hoped the cookies tasted good!  After-all, I could not sample them to insure quality control!  

And Hayley, your knitted hat is done!   This is my 8th knitted cap and what a fun project for me to be engaged in for all the grandchildren!  We also got word that Devyn will be here in Nauvoo for EFY in August!!  We are excited to see her and her parents!  Thank you, Jackie, for letting us know, and giving us the opportunity to anticipate this reunion!

January 24, 2016 - Sunday in Nauvoo

This Sabbath day began with our morning devotional and prayers.  As we got ready for our meetings this morning, the skies looked clear and the temperatures were in the mid 20's.  We walked to the Stake Center and it was a very nice walk.  I am enjoying the promise of Spring!  Maybe a little early, but it seems to be coming to this area.  Unlike the 42 inches of snow in the Washington, DC area!

Our Sacrament meeting was the first meeting that the new president was presiding.  He is making the effort to meet all the missionaries in their respective homes.  That will be a monumental effort but it is impressive that he and his wife are making the attempt.  We have not really talked with him even though we have been in the Visitors Center 4 out of the last 7 days.  

We were assigned to work in the Visitors Center today.  We had the early shift from 11:00am until 2:00pm.  We had 3 visitors during this time and 2 out of the 3 took tours and got acquainted with the area.  We then gave them maps and made several suggestions of sites to go and visit.  Our shift ended at 2:00pm when our relief missionaries arrived.  Then we walked back to our little cottage and had our breakfast for dinner meal and spent the afternoon preparing next week's Sunday School lesson.  I also got to work on a few more John Hinkle stories and knitting a few more layers of Hayley's hat. 

It has been a quiet and reflective day.  We think about our precious family members and enjoy our regular communications with them.  Mom keeps in touch with PopPop every week and calls her sister, Julie, on a regular basis.  The family is the most important and basic unit in the Church.  There are no better stewards over the family than the parents.  Evil designs are creeping into the family from every angle and the role of the watchman on the tower is becoming more critical each day.  

Children and many adult family members are being swept away by the Adversary's unrelenting wave of deception.  Good is made to look bad and bad is made to look so enticingly good. We are getting to the point where we need to be ever more vigilant in what the family is being exposed to and influenced by.  Even those institutions we have felt the most confident in seem to be changing colors on us before our eyes.   

We miss being around our family.  Those times that we had discussing current events and happenings in our lives have been somewhat suspended for a season, at least for these two senior missionaries!  Mom and I have spent some time reflecting on our roles as parents over the last few weeks.  We have picked out some of the things that seemed to work for us as parents in getting through the maze of life, and have been sharing those things with our children.  And we know that the things we experienced that worked for us, may need to be put into an even sharper focus for what is being swept down on this new generation.  

We are very thankful for the parents of our grandchildren!  Helping these children through the challenges they have today is a monumental task!  Our love and our prayers are with you every single day.  Our focus as a family is not just in our faith, but how we exercise that faith as we make it our way of life and our preparation as a family for glorious things to come!

January 23, 2016 - Saturday in Nauvoo

Today was a cold day but there was no wind to make it really cold.  So after our prayers and morning devotional, we started our walk around Nauvoo.  We had a commitment to help clean the Stake Center at 7:15am so we walked half of our trail, came home, and had breakfast, and then walked to the Stake Center.  It did not take any distance away from our walk so we were able to get our full exercise and fulfill the service assignment as well.

We got home about 8:30am and had the entire morning to get ready for our site assignment at the Visitors Center.  Our shift started at 1:00pm and we worked until 6:00pm.  We had several families come in today.  We got to show some of the families the movies in the theater, and the kids really had fun.  They could not stay for the Rendezvous Play tonight, but they promised to come back.  They only live about two hours away, and the Nauvoo Temple is in their temple district.

I got to make some progress on Hayley's winter hat this morning.  This is my 8th hat and I am moving along right on track to get all 20 of the hats done before April.  This has been a fun project for me and I get to spend about 6 hours on each hat and just be thinking about that precious grandchild I am making the hat for.  Mom caught me this morning in this picture;

Look at that focus!

Our Rendezvous Play was attended by 2 non member guests.  They were a young couple and I am sure they felt quite overwhelmed by the senior missionaries.  I tried to not super focus on them as the Editor, even though that is part of the process of the Editor.  But I did try to tell the story of Nauvoo, in their terms, so that they might get a feel for the work that was accomplished by the Saints in the 1840's here in Nauvoo.  They did get a Book of Mormon from the missionaries at the Visitors Center before mom and I got there this afternoon.  Let's hope that this was a good experience for them!

January 22, 2016 - Friday in Nauvoo

This was a very quiet day here in Nauvoo.  Mom and I served in separate sites and we both had just one visitor.  Mom was at the Post Office site and I was at Riser Boot.  We both served from 9:45am until 5:00pm.  Both sites are within a city block of each other so we got to walk to our assignments together and then we walked home after we closed.  I was able to start and finish another hat during my time at the Riser Boot Shop.  That makes 7 hats that I have completed for the grandchildren and 4 that I finished for the Humanitarian projects.

Our morning began with our morning prayers and devotional.  And then we took our morning walk.  The temperatures were in the low 20's but we were very warm and comfortable.  After 3.5 miles, I am actually feeling a little cold from the sweat!  But it is so invigorating to keep up our routine each morning that we can!

We got home at about 5:15pm and spent a quiet evening here at home.  I started Hayley's hat and I think that she will like these colors.  I finished Bobby's hat and will start Callie and Courtney's hats next.  I think that things will get a little crazy here in Nauvoo after March, so time is of the essence!

January 21, 2016 - Thursday in Nauvoo

We had a little warming trend this morning.  The temperatures were in the mid twenties....  That made our walk a little more comfortable!  We left the house about 6:00am after our morning prayers and devotional.  We were excited to get back outside for our 3.5 mile walk, and the air was so fresh with a mild breeze this morning.

It was just past 7:00am when we returned home and got ready for the day.  We left for our assignment at the Visitors Center at 8:25am so that we could be there by 8:45am.  The roads were a little slippery, as I found out on our morning walk.  I slipped and went down by the Blacksmith's Shop but there was no damage done.  I think the road will be OK...  Mom tried to catch me but that wasn't a good thing to do!  I just rolled over to my back and there was this bundled up senior trying to regain his composure!  Thank goodness most seniors stay inside on brisk winter mornings!  (Boy are they missing out!)

The Visitors Center had no visitors today.  In fact the Rendezvous Play was cancelled for the second night in a row.  We got off about 1:10pm and walked back home.  The temperatures were closer to the low 30's so our walk was very nice.  When we got back home we got into our comfortable clothes and enjoyed a quiet afternoon.  We then attended the 6:00pm temple session and were the witness couple again.

I have been sharing some things that I have learned about being a father during the early years, with my children the last few days.  Since there is really no text book on parenting, it has been fun following mom's example of sharing some sweet inspired things we have learned as we have gone through the parenting cycle.  

Here is what I plan on sharing with the kids tomorrow morning.  I have often thought about this effort over the years, that now spans two generations, and I wanted to pay more attention to this wonderful part of my fatherhood with a few more details that I will list here;

It begins; "Once upon a time, a long, long, time ago, there was a boy named Bobby".....  For historical notes, this probably started around 1983, in Fremont, California.  The lightening rod of this almost daily event was made famous by one of my childhood, teenage friends, John Hinckle....  For the most part, the John Hinckle stories started off by telling some of my childhood experiences that involved him.  I must have been 12 or 13 when we first met, and his dad, Vern Hinckle, worked with my step father in building houses in the mountains.  As the years progressed, those stories got better and better.,,, and not always filled with facts!

But, I think the best part of starting up this time and tradition, was that I wanted to spend a few quiet minutes with the children right before bedtime.  They would get ready for bed, and the one that was ready first, and was the quietest, got to be first.  I would bundle them up in their blankets, and we would go to the rocking chair in the living-room, and get comfortable.  The other children would wait quietly in their rooms...

I would always start the stories off the same way;  "Once upon a time, a long, long, time ago, there was a boy named Bobby, and Bobby lived in the mountains.... and Bobby had a friend by the name of John Hinckle.... and John Hinckle was a city boy...."  Oh, I had fun with those stories!  (Still do!)

My goal was to spend those precious few minutes with those precious children.  I would cuddle with them and hold them tight and look at them and tell them these wonderful stories.  My only regrets were that some nights I would not get to one of the children who had fallen asleep in their beds waiting for their turn!  They would be first the next night for sure!

That wonderful tradition continues to the next generation.  However, those evenings, and those memories, I had with our precious children, and being able to look upon them and love them and cuddle with them, are priceless.  My fatherhood advice is love those precious children and make them the center of your lives!

Hopefully my children won't read this bog post tonight!  They will get this in a text in the morning!  Mom and I sure love our family!  Thank you for checking in with us tonight!

January 20, 2016 - Wednesday in Nauvoo

Our day began with our early morning prayers and devotional, as well as a change of plans.  We were given the Wednesday morning training meeting off today, by the former mission president, but our new president reversed that decision and wanted to meet with all of us together.  We met at our usual time of 8:00am.  Then we had our world-wide missionary training at 11:00am, and then off to our site assignments at 1:30pm until 5:00pm.

The meeting with President and Sister Hall was very upbeat and informative.  He was a football coach for several colleges, including BYU, and was most recently an administrator at BYU Rexburg.  The meeting was very good and mom and I had the privilege of saying the opening and closing prayers.  Here is what we saw this morning as we looked out the door;

About 3 inches of new snow!

I went out and did some shoveling this morning in lieu of exercise!

At 11:00am we gathered together at the Stake Center for the world-wide missionary broadcast.  It was under the leadership of the missionary department with several General Authorities leading discussions or giving instruction.  My impression was that it was an outstanding training session for young missionaries, and perhaps their local leaders.  The local leaders would have benefited from knowing what to help their upcoming missionaries prepare for as they near the missionary age.  Other than that, it was not geared for senior missionaries.

Mom had the assignment to work at the Cultural Hall and I went to the Seventies Hall.  I got to work with Elder Horlacher and we talked the entire four and a half hours while I finished another grandchild's knitted hat.  This one is going to be sent to Bobby for his upcoming birthday.  I now have Maddie's, Anna's and Bobby's hats done, along with a little hat for Faith.  I am hoping the grandchildren will want to wear them!

The Rendezvous Play was cancelled tonight and mom and I enjoyed a quiet evening here at home.

January 19, 2016 - Tuesday in Nauvoo

Yea!  The temperature "warmed" up to 11 degrees, so we took our morning walk!  We were grateful that there was no wind to bring in that wind chill factor, so our walk was cold but very welcomed.  Call us crazy, but boy are we getting in good shape.... for senior missionaries!

We were up early this morning and had our devotional and prayers.  I was tired last night and actually got to bed before 9:00pm.  That was unusual for me, but I was grateful for the extra sleep.  Mom was up before 4:00am and I got up a little past 5:00am.  What a great way to begin the day!

Our site assignment today was the Visitors Center and we had the morning shift.  Our only visitors were two senior sister missionaries from their mission in Missouri, who came to Nauvoo on their P-day.  They leave for home in March so the Nauvoo trip was a must see.  

One of these sisters was telling mom about the challenges in obtaining the permits for the Susquehanna Visitors Center  near her home town.    There was a city official who did not like the Mormons and kept sitting on all the permits to build the site.  Well, his brother had a home that was worth over one million dollars that was destroyed by Hurricane Sandy.  Within days, there was a group of Mormon "Helping Hands" who came to help rebuild, after that hurricane, that worked on this brothers home.  Now keep in mind, the Mormon volunteers knew nothing about the permitting problems.... but the Lord knew!  The brother who received the help called his brother to let him know what was happening, and guess what?  Those permits were approved shortly thereafter!  Coincidence?  I don't think so....

After our service at the Visitors center, we came home and got comfortable and cozy.  We read and knitted and blogged this afternoon and tonight and enjoyed a relaxing afternoon and evening.  We have our first meeting with the new mission president and his wife tomorrow as a mission.  Mom and I have been asked to give the opening and closing prayers.  Fun!

In the play Rendezvous, there is a line that I deliver that says;  "You need to understand that nearly all the many accomplishments of the Saints who lived here during the Nauvoo years depended on two things: faith in the Almighty and the willingness of the people to pull together.... because of these two things, Nauvoo offered a life that was, for most of the people, harmonious and orderly".  

I have been thinking about that statement a lot.  Some things in this life we can accomplish singularly, and maybe just good enough to get by.  But the Saints accomplished some great and marvelous things here and they really did need to pull together.  Just one of these many accomplishments was building 2,000 wagons for the trek west.  Think about this - 2,000 wagons, 8,000 wheels, 104,000 wheel spokes,  2,000 teams of oxen, and all the supplies to last for four to six months.  And, be able to get this all together in less than four months with mobs threatening and attacking outlying settlements near Nauvoo.  This effort was monumental and it took every available resident of Nauvoo to help while in the process of completing the temple....

Now, let's roll ahead to today.  Since the Prophets and apostles have told us many times that those pioneers would marvel at what we will be able to accomplish in our time, it poses a very sobering scenario!  However, as Nephi said, "I will go and do"!  How refreshing it is to be surrounded by family and friends who love and support one another!  And the attitude is that we can do anything as long as we are on the Lord's errand!  

When the whirlwinds and disasters and heavy rains and earthquakes and many other challenges come our way, we thank Heavenly Father everyday, that we are privileged to be a part of this wonderful family and precious friends both here in Nauvoo and especially back home in Idaho and Utah and California.  I hope and pray that we can all be on board and clinging to that Iron Rod together....

January 18, 2016 - Monday in Nauvoo

We had a marvelous P-day today.  It was very cold this morning, so our walk had to take place late this afternoon.  We were up and enjoying our morning devotional and prayers by 5:30am.  I was able to workout for 30 minutes while mom was getting ready in the bathroom.  We had our breakfast and then we were off to Keokuk for our grocery shopping for the week.

Mom and I left the house at just a little past 8:00am, and the temperature was about 2 degrees.  The skies were somewhat clear as we were leaving, so the hope of the sun coming out was optimistic.  It did come out, and it warmed up to 17 degrees, and that gave us the opportunity for the afternoon walk.

Our shopping trip took less than two hours, so we were able to make the 10:00am temple session today.  The temple had a special Monday opening because of the holiday, so we were excited to go on our P-day.  We were the witness couple today and the session was mostly attended by missionaries from the Iowa, Des Moines Mission.  We were back home by 12:15pm.  And this afternoon was relaxing and we kept warm in the house.

I can't help but get a little excited about these hats I am knitting for the grandchildren.  My first hat left the Nauvoo Post Office last Thursday for Maddie.  She has the first birthday of the year.  Anna is next and Bobby comes right after her.  I have Anna's done and will probably start Bobby's tonight.  

It is amazing to me that this "new found talent" is blossoming.  When we are faced with stretching ourselves here in Nauvoo, we are getting better at giving it a Nephi answer - yes!  I can!  Mom will have some additional training this Wednesday in her quilting interest.  Sister Skinner has taken her under her wing to help her learn some new skills.  

So when the opportunity presents itself to learn something new, take it!  It may be one of the best decisions you will make.  Knitting hats and making quilts not only benefits mom and I in learning new skills, but it will make some precious family heads and bodies a little more cozy!

January 17, 2016 - Sunday in Nauvoo

Today marked the official transition day to our new mission president.  President and Sister Hall have replaced President and Sister Gibbons as the Illinois, Nauvoo Mission President.  The Gibbons were called into service after he was released from the 2nd Quorum of the Seventy and arrived here in Nauvoo in January 2014.  The called mission president became ill in November 2013, and could not fulfill his assignment.  President Gibbons was 74 at the time of this call, and came to Nauvoo with his wife after the brethren determined they needed the replacement.  We have enjoyed President and Sister Gibbons and will always remember their kindness and positive attitudes.

Taking a look at the thermometer this morning, we had a barely positive reading!  It was 2 degrees and very cold.  After our morning devotional and prayers, we left for our Sacrament Meeting at 7:10am.  The meeting began at 7:50am and you all know we love to get there early!  The mission choir was practicing their musical number, and what a great way to prepare to take the Sacrament.  It was almost a Paul Kenny thirty minutes of prelude music experience!  I loved coming into the Chapel and hearing Brother Kenny playing his heart out for all who would come early to hear!

In the Sacrament talks this morning, I had this thought;  We were being taught about the Tree of Life, and the Iron Rod leading up to the tree.  So many times we are taught to never let go of that "Rod of Iron", to avoid being lost and losing our way.  But the speaker brought up two scenarios that I had not thought of.  What do you do when the person in front of you stops.  Do you let go of the iron Rod to pass him?  And another scenario, what if one of you "wayward" children are calling to you from the 'big and spacious building'.  Do you let go of the Iron Rod to go and help them?

Thinking about this today has generated some thoughts.  As for the person stopping right in front of you;  wouldn't it be in our best interest to stay behind them and give them encouragement instead of using the passing lane, (if there is a passing lane.....).  And for the "wayward" child, wouldn't it be in our best interest to stay on the path, clinging to the rod and shouting out encouragement and inviting them to come and join you?

I think that is the way Lehi may have suggested when he saw his family confused and wondering how to get on the path.  He beckoned to them and some found their way!... However, Laman and Lemuel made the decision to not try to get on the path.  Tough choices for a parent and eternal consequences for the child.  Both scenarios are thought provoking.... what would we do?

Mom and I had a quiet and restful afternoon.  We attended our District Meeting tonight and were back in our warm and cozy cottage by 8:00pm.  We have had a refreshing and edifying Sabbath Day.  I got to talk to some family members tonight and even spoke to my Aunt Toni who is 95 years old.  She represents the last connection on my side of the family with that generation.  PopPop, at 92 years, represents the last connection to that generation on mom's side.  There is so much I want to pass on to my grandchildren!

January 16, 2016 - Saturday in Nauvoo

This has been a non-stop day for us.  We began early with our morning devotional and prayers.  I was able to fit in a somewhat revised workout.  And then the day got pretty hectic.  It went by rather swiftly and we did not have time to even think about our next assignment!

Our first item on the agenda was to help clean the Stake Center.  We got over there at a little past 7:00am.  The wind was blowing and the temperature, with the wind chill, was in the teens.  We gathered as a Zone and blitzed the cleaning assignments, and were done within an hour.  That worked out very well for us since we were very interested in making the 9:00am temple session.

We got to the temple at 8:15am and had a wonderful time sitting in the waiting room for the session to begin.  It was just mom and me until about 8:40am and the session ended up with about 30 patrons.  It is always a lift to be in the temple, but for the month of January, we have been able to be in the temple on the night we have Rendezvous.  That seems to always help me do a better job on my part...

Then we came home for lunch and to prepare for our fasting tomorrow.  The temperatures were warming up a little and the wind was not quite as strong.  But it was still pretty chilly outdoors.  Our little home was nice and warm, and we enjoyed our lunch together.  However, our time was short because we had to be at the Visitors Center for our late shift at 12:45pm.  We made it on time, and there were a few dozen guests that came in during our shift.  We were able to talk to several visitors and almost half on them were not members of the Church.

Right at 6:00pm we closed the Visitors Center and raced home to change for Rendezvous.  We got there at the Cultural Hall, where the play is held, about 6:20pm and were still a few minutes early.  The play was attended by around 40 people and the audience was great!  It makes such a big difference when the audience becomes completely engaged in the story-line.  I think that is what I enjoy the most.  It is being able to see them connect to the story-line and enjoy the marvelous efforts of the cast members.

Tonight I will close with a simple line from 1 Nephi 3:7;  7 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, said unto my father: I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them.

I am deeply impressed by Nephi's attitude.  Under some pretty challenging conditions he was willing to "go and do".  There is no mention that he would go and try, or that he would take some time to think about it, or that he would ask some clarifying questions before he made his decision..... He said; "I will go and I will do".

That is the kind of person I want to become, and leave the rest up to the Lord.  He needs anxious and willing and enthusiastic workers right now, and mom and I want to stand and be counted with our precious family and friends as ones whom the Lord can count on!

January 15, 2016 - Friday in Nauvoo

We had the cold temperatures return today.  After our morning devotional and prayers, we started off our walk in 32 degree temperatures.  By the end of the day, the temperatures dropped to 26 degrees and the wind chill took that down another 9 degrees!  Our morning walk was the warmest walk I had today!  Mom served at the Wilford Woodruff Home that is half a block away, and I was down at the Blacksmith Shop that is about 6 blocks away.  We both walked to our site assignments!

Interestingly, mom worked for the first time with Sister Lowe.  Sister Lowe and her family performed in multiple family shows, for the public, and toured around the world.  Some of you may have already googled "Lowe Family" and have seen some of the previews.  Well, Sister Lowe's daughter is David Archuleta's pianist and every other family member is equally talented! 

With this, it is probably no surprise that the Lowe's are well connected.  Elder and Sister Lowe have been asked to head up the Easter Community Program and Sister Lowe was on the phone, today, talking with Janice Knapp Perry about some music ideas.  They go way back, so what do you think about this story;  When Sister Lowe was serving as the Stake Primary President in the 1980's, she need a song to bring together a Stake Primary Musical.  She called Sister Perry and she wrote the words and the music to; "We Will Bring the World His Truth".  Sister Perry handed Sister Lowe the music and told her if it didn't work out to just throw it away and she would try something else....

And, I can't make this kind of stuff up!  It is absolutely amazing the folks we are meeting here.  As for the Lowe's, they are the most down to earth people, and they are so grateful to be serving in Nauvoo.  With Elder Lowe, here is another story;  When Elder Lowe's parents got married in the temple, his father left the temple ceremony and told his new wife that he had had enough religion, and he never returned to Church until the last three months of his life.  His Bishop had told him, at that time,  that they were needed in the mission field, and that motivated his father to start getting his life back in order.  He died three months later.

But here is the rest of the story;  they had seven boys and each one of those boys went hunting with their dad on the weekends..... until they received the Aaronic Priesthood at the age of twelve.  They then each told their dad that they would not miss Sundays because they were now Priesthood holders.  Elder Lowe's mother must have been quite a wonderful sister in Zion to keep her family together and her sons fully engaged in Priesthood service.  And, as for the influence she had on her husband, she finally saw that effort bear fruit when he had begun to make that effort in the last three months of his life.  Such an inspiration!

It is such a blessing to serve with such wonderful people!  It is particularly impressive to meet people who do not flaunt their fame and achievements.  I love serving with Elder Lowe and feeling his strong desire to serve this mission.  Mom was equally impressed with Sister Lowe. 

Elder Lowe found out today that in February he will have a total hip replacement.  The estimates are that he will only be down two or three weeks and will not have to leave the mission.  The Lord really does watch over His missionaries!

January 14, 2016 - Thursday in Nauvoo

I had to do a double take this morning.  The temperature was 32 degrees and the wind was quiet.  That made for a beautiful morning walk.  I had to check the calendar to make sure this wasn't the first day of Spring!  We were up, at our usual time, for our devotional and prayers, and were ready to begin the walk at 5:50am this morning.  What a great formula to start the day!

The morning sunrise over the Mississippi River

We served at the Visitors Center this morning from 8:45am to 1:30pm.  We had a few missionaries coming and going, and only one visitor all morning long.  The day has been absolutely gorgeous outside!  The wagons were running today, without passengers, to help train new sisters who will be giving the history dialog for the rides later this Spring.

Tomorrow the new mission president and his wife are scheduled to arrive.  President and Sister Hall are coming in from the Mission Presidents MTC and they are from Rexburg, Idaho.  We are looking forward to meeting with them when the opportunity comes up.  I can just imagine all the senior missionaries making the effort to get to meet them "first"...  

It goes with our geriatric make-up!  He will inherit two mission counselors and one will be leaving in March.  Things will get interesting, I am sure, and mom and I have a front row seat working at the Visitors Center three or four days each week!  However, it will be fun to meet him at the right time, and have the connection with the Rigby/Rexburg home-base!

Mom and I took separate ways home from the Visitors Center after our shift.  She went home to prepare our meal and I went  to the Post Office to mail off my first birthday hat!  Maddie is celebrating her birthday later this month and I am using her to help me size the other hats.  I get to make at least 20 of them this year!  Wait until you see the yarn colors mom and I have picked out!

Then we closed the day with our Emma Hale Cast going to the 6:00pm temple session.  This was our 40th visit to the Nauvoo Temple.  We had about 20 members of the cast there and some of our favorites as well!  Mom and I were able to serve as the witness couple and that is always a treat.  It was a great way to close out this beautiful day!

January 13, 2016 - Wednesday in Nauvoo

Wednesday is our weekly training meeting at the Visitors Center.  It is also our laundry day and our house cleaning day.  And this month, it is also our Rendezvous night!  Things looked a little hectic as we began this day!  Of course mom was up before 4:00am to begin her day.  She got started on the laundry after her morning prayers and scripture study.  I finally got up around 5:30am and we had our morning devotional and prayers together.  

Since we did not have time for our morning walk, I had a good workout while mom showered and got ready for the day.  After my workout and breakfast and shower, we left for the training meeting.  Mom had a part in the training as she related the experience she had in Carthage with Elder Hansen helping a member get back home.  This young man had been roughly treated by the Carthage police and jail folks when he was trying to make a traffic ticket right.  

Elder Hansen stepped in when he showed up at the Carthage Visitors Center and asked for some help.  We saw Elder Hansen act as an angel to this young man when he took him to Keokuk to catch a bus home.  The next bus was the following day so Elder Hansen got him a hotel room and some food.  The clerk at the hotel was very much affected by this act of kindness shown this young man. 

The training meeting was about angels working in our lives.  There were several good and uplifting stories of some of the angels in our midst.    And there were some stories that lacked the angel in us.  The whole point of the training was to be a little kinder and a little more considerate of those you come in contact with.  In addition, the meeting today was President Gibbons and Sister Gibbons last training meeting of their mission.  

Mom served at the Lyon Drug Store from 10:00am until 5:00pm and I had a little shorter shift at the Seventies Hall from 12:00noon until 5:00pm.  I got to get some work done at home and then left for my assignment at 11:45am.  At the end of our shifts, in which we had no visitors at either site, we got an email cancelling Rendezvous.  No tickets were requested, so we had the night off.  It was a welcomed development and I was able to finish a birthday knitted hat for my precious granddaughter. 

The morning sun breaking through

The evening sunset from the Seventies Hall tonight

On my way home from walking mom to her site assignment, I got the morning picture.  The clouds were magnificent!  Then, as I completed my site assignment at the Seventies Hall, I got the evening sunset picture.  The Mississippi appeared to be ablaze of fire!  

It has been a good day.  Thank you for checking in with us tonight.

January 12, 2016 - Tuesday in Nauvoo

We have had a busy day, today, here in the mission field.  Sister Goodman has been working on recording a new CD for the new missionaries entering the Nauvoo Mission for the Rendezvous Play.  Its purpose is to help the new missionaries understand the play and get acquainted with it before arriving here.  There are about two dozen or so missionaries that were invited to participate in the recording.  I was asked to record the parts associated with the Editor where the music was involved.

Sister Goodman has been very involved in major musical productions with her family and she has been wonderful  getting to know.  We could tell she knew what needed to be done.  Elder Apperson was a base guitar singer, and player, associated with the Buffalo Springfield Band in the late 1960's.  He just "happened" to bring his recording instruments with him to the mission field without being asked to. 

My first recording session was at 8:30am this morning, and I met, again, with Sister Goodman and Elder Apperson, at 1:30pm after our shift at the Visitors Center.  Sister Goodman was concerned with the making of the recording and fielding all the "suggestions", that seem to be unending, from some of the 'professional' folks here in the mission.  However, her effort was well received and the recordings went pretty smooth.  I think she was happy with the recording sessions.  Now they need to put it all together and begin the CD recordings.

I just have to note here that the Spirit was so strong in both of my recording sessions.  As we lined up around the microphone and practiced our lines, there were a lot of mistakes made on the speaking parts.  But, when we actually started to record the session, the words were spoken clearly and without error.  Mom and I could "feel" the Hand of the Lord in that recording session.  It appeared that He knew that hundreds of new missionaries coming into His field of labor here in Nauvoo would benefit from this humble effort.

Elder Apperson, seated, with his recording equipment

We are standing around a microphone with our recording ear plugs and scripts

Another group shot at the 8:30am recording session

Sister Goodman giving us some instructions

This was such a choice experience for me!  Working with two artists that have had a powerful impact on the world of music!  And working with fellow missionaries just trying to be the best we can be.  This ranks pretty high on our experience list here in Nauvoo.  Mom got to be here taking pictures and listening to the developing product.  And, it was the Spirit that witnessed to us that this work was acceptable to Him.

Mom and I had a good day at the Visitors Center and we had about 15 guests come in.  The temperatures were so low that the horses were not hitched up for rides today.  But we had some good conversations and mom had an opportunity to talk to one of the guests who may have been a member of the Church but less active.  He had worked here in the area and was being transferred to another facility.  He felt he needed to make a visit to Nauvoo before he left on his new assignment.

To close our day we had dinner with the Mamales'.  They were with us in the MTC and will be leaving next Tuesday.  They were here for just a year and will be returning to Coeur d'Alene, Idaho.  They leave for home next Tuesday.  We were grateful to meet them back in February at the MTC and get to know them here in Nauvoo.  We have such good memories already of the missionaries we are meeting!

January 11, 2016 - Monday in Nauvoo

There was a warming trend today and the morning temperatures were in the high teens and the afternoon temperature reached into the low 30's.  We actually got to take two long walks today.  The morning walk was cold enough to only complete half the distance, while the afternoon walk we were able to cover the entire course.  This was an exercise filled P-day!

After our morning devotional, prayers and walk, we got ready for the day and left for Quincy at 9:00am.  We really got a lot accomplished!  Mom was able to spend her last Christmas discount bucks at the Christopher and Banks store in Quincy and got three new shirts for the price of one.  Then she found another warm top at Sam's!  This one was under $13!!

A warm addition to her wardrobe

We also picked up some additional knitting yarn at the fabric store, and I found some bargain items at Wal-Mart for my knitting tools storage.  And, by the way, gas prices were down to $1.82 per gallon.  We are filling up the van only every three weeks or so.  We have been able to cut way back on our driving by being in the middle of the lower area of Nauvoo, and walking everywhere we can, weather permitting!

This afternoon we spent a very quiet part of our day with having a few things to do.  One of the Elder's called me and needed help tying off a knit hat so I walked down to the Print Shop where he was working and showed him how.... imagine that!  Then we had lunch and our long afternoon walk.  When we got back, we had our Family Home Evening, and then it was time for mom to say good night!  I laid down for a quick nap and have finished up the day with blogging and some reading.  I may even have some time to start a birthday hat for Maddie!

It is incredible the positive influence the missionaries have in this area.  At Wal-Mart this morning, the cashier spoke very highly of the Mormons, although she was not one.  We invited her to come and see us in Nauvoo and marveled at the positive impact she had received from missionaries going through her checkout line.  She even let us know about her upcoming anniversary with her husband... 61 years in August!  We told her to come and celebrate with us!

Then, as I was checking out at Sam's, and mom was talking to Josie on the phone, three precious girls ranging in age from about 9 years to about 12 years came up to me and asked if they could help empty my shopping cart onto to belt.  They were so cute!  They were with their mom and having lunch at Sam's, and saw the "missionaries" and came over to help.  I went over to them afterwards and spoke with the mom and thanked them , again, for their kindness! 

That pretty much explains the P-day in the life of two senior missionaries.  We have enjoyed stocking up for the week ahead, and resting from our labors.  It has been a good day for us and we are grateful for this opportunity to serve this mission together.

January 10, 2016 - Sunday in Nauvoo

Bone chilling temperatures this morning for Church services... The thermometer registered -0- and the wind chill, some say, reached -32.  And the skies were clear and absent of clouds!  It did "warm up" to 11 degrees, but that was later this afternoon.  It was a great day to stay indoors!

After our morning devotional and prayers, we headed out the door to our meetings.  We had a marvelous Sacrament Meeting as we were able to take the Sacrament and renew our covenants.  Then we had some encouraging and inspiring talks from our speakers. We left the Sacrament Meeting at the Stake Center and then had our Sunday School, and Priesthood and Relief Society Meetings, at the Visitors center.

Our site assignment was at the Visitors Center for the 11:00am to 2:00pm shift.  We had a few guests come in at 12:00noon and a few more right before we left at 2:00pm.  We invited Sister Goodman over for breakfast for dinner at 2:30pm and then I had the privilege of giving her a Priesthood Blessing.  She is working on recording a new CD for the Rendezvous Play.  This CD will be the introduction for the new senior missionaries coming into the mission field this year, and she just wanted some additional help.

Then tonight I was able to finish my 4th knitted cap for the Humanitarian projects!  These are hats for the 2 and 3 year old heads.  Take a look!  You probably think these were purchased at Neiman Marcus just for this picture.... don't you?  They will probably win the Nauvoo fashion trend, "product of the year" award...

The knitted hat project

I hope they will serve the purpose that they are intended for!  It was fun to make them and now I am going to start my work of knitting one for each grandchild!  This should make for a very interesting Grandpa project!

Mom and I have been asked to teach Sunday School on January 31st.  It will be Lesson #5 in the Book of Mormon and we are excited to teach together!  Mom was already researching the lesson tonight and making plans for the lesson.  This will be the first time in a long time we have been able to teach a lesson together!  I hope we can keep the senior missionaries awake for 50 minutes!  I plan on having some fun trying!!

January 9, 2016 - Saturday in Nauvoo

Burrrr, it was cold today!  A few snow flakes with a lot of wind brought the temperatures down to the teens.  And, as we got home from Rendezvous, it was 9 degrees.  The temperature should stay positive throughout the night but this is the coldest it has been this year!

Our morning started off with our prayers and devotional.  Then we went to the stake center for our cleaning assignment.  The assignment for our zone is for the entire moth of January.  However, half the zone forgot, so the cleaning took a little longer than last week!

We served in the Visitors Center today and we had a few guests come in.  One family in particular came to experience Nauvoo and wanted to take the noon wagon ride... It was 11 degrees at noon today!  But they came prepared for the cold and they had their 5 year old son, Riley, who was experiencing Nauvoo for the first time.  Riley reminded me of our two 5 year old grandchildren, Landon and Emma.  It was fun to show him around and he was so naturally curious.  

In the course of conversation with his grandmother, Riley shares his custody with his mom and his dad who brought him here today.  His dad did not have him for Christmas and this was their Christmas gift trip for Riley.  They live in St. Louis, so hopefully they will be back this summer.  Here is a picture;

Riley's first visit to Nauvoo with "his" missionary

Riley lives with his mom half the time and with his day the other half.  His mother has separated herself from the Church and Riley only attends when he is with his dad.  I can't imagine how his dad must feel about that.  But his dad was so positive and upbeat and happy to be here in Nauvoo.  I was grateful to show special attention to Riley and then find out about this challenging arrangement.

 

He had about 20 minutes before his wagon ride so I got the show him some displays and two 1 minute movies on sharing.  (Ask me about the "cupcake boys" and the "cupcake girls" when you come to Nauvoo).  Then his dad wanted to take a picture of us and as we were posing for the picture I asked Riley if he wanted to be a missionary.  He looked up at me and said, yes!.... I want to be a missionary just like you!  It made my day.  They later came for Rendezvous, and that was another treat for me because I got to be the Editor and he was sitting wide eyed on the front row!

Elder LeeMaster and Sister Swenson

Elder LeeMaster had the spiritual thought tonight in our Rendezvous Cast, and got really emotional.  He had the closest person, Sister Swenson, read the thought that he had prepared.  His grandson was traveling through Nauvoo, to his temple marriage and sealing in Utah, and stopped to see his grandma and grandpa.  This was the emotional part, this is his first grandchild getting married and all seven of his children came from all over to support this grandson getting married.  

It was a grand reunion without grandpa and grandma.  Then he said this;   "this has been a very hard day." "And as hard as it was to not be there for my grandson's marriage in the temple with all our family, I am so grateful to be here with such wonderful missionaries."  "If  we had not come on this mission, we would not have had the privilege of meeting you and knowing you and serving with you".  Allergies flared up all over the room when he said that...

And the interesting part... was that we ALL felt that same way!  Going though a family centered holiday, or a family centered event, away from family is very hard, but the people you meet as a result of that sacrifice is absolutely priceless.  The experience of doing this really cannot be explained.... it can only be experienced.

January 8, 2016 - Friday in Nauvoo

Today was our official monthly breakfast meeting for saying good bye to our mission president and his wife.  He was called into service, after being released as a member of the Seventy a couple of years earlier, in 2014.  The mission president who had originally been called to serve in Nauvoo in December 2013, got sick and could not fulfill the assignment.  President Gibbons and his wife accepted the call and began their service here in January 2014.  He has been a very popular and genuinely kind president.  Here are some pictures from this mornings breakfast;

Table settings for this mornings breakfast

Elder and Sister Mamales - they were in the MTC with us last year!

President Gibbons

Elder and Sister Ramsey - doing a skit about President & Sister Gibbons

President and Sister Gibbons

What a wonderful tribute to these kind missionaries.  Joining President and Sister Gibbons in their departure from the mission field is Elder and Sister Mamales.  The Mamales's were in the MTC with us last February and arrived here in Nauvoo the day after we arrived here in February 2015.  It is a tradition that missionaries leaving the mission do a final skit for the mission at this breakfast.  

Both couples were hilarious and the Ramsey',s gave a funny tribute to the Gibbons.  Sister Ramsey is the sister to Sister Gibbons.  We have enjoyed working with the Ramsey's in Rendezvous, Carthage, and the Nauvoo Visitors Center, as well as the Family Living Center, where the Ramsey's are the site leaders.  Elder Ramsey is responsible for teaching me the basics of knitting!

After the breakfast, mom and I walked to our site assignments.  I worked at the Blacksmith Shop and mom worked at the Bakery.  I had two tours at the Blacksmith Shop and mom had none!  I worked with Elder Lowe and I got to teach him how to knit the caps;

My first student knitter!  Check out that focus!

 

I am just pulling off my third cap!

Moments later I secured the top and made the tassel!

We had a really good day at the sites and then went to the temple with the Skinner's and the Blacks to do family sealings.  I thought that was a pretty good ending to a really good day.  Then we got Amy's text and found out grandchild #20 with be grandson #9!  That escalated our really good day to an awesomely wonderful day!  Congratulations to the unveiling of this precious grandson!!  We are expecting his entry to be the middle of June 2016!  Ahhh the blessings of serving a senior mission....