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!