April 19, 2016 - Tuesday in Nauvoo

It was 14 months ago, today, that we arrived here in the Illinois, Nauvoo Mission.  We had driven from the MTC to a hotel in Nebraska and then made the final 8 hour drive on that Thursday February 19th to the mission office.  We have had some pretty amazing experiences here in this mission field, and most of them are documented in this blog!

We woke up to a steady rain this morning.  We had our morning prayers and devotional and then the rain stopped just minutes before 6:00am, so we could begin our walk.  Mom stayed with me part of the way but elected to cut the walk short and head home.  I continued on the walk and rehearsed my Rendezvous lines in front of a few dozen singing birds.  I hope those birds appreciated the efforts!  I got back to the house by 7:30am and finished getting ready for the day.

I worked a split shift at the Blacksmith shop and mom had the early shift at the Lyon Drug store.  It was pretty quiet in the sites today.  I only had about eight tours all day and mom just had a couple of visitors.  April is a great time to come to Nauvoo and enjoy the Springtime weather and the few guests that venture out this early in the year.  I also got some great pictures today, take a look;

Morning shot near Granger and Kimball

 

Evening shot from the Visitors Center parking lot

We had our Sunset outdoor play practice tonight in the Visitors Center.  We were assigned our places on the stage and reviewed the routines.  On our way home I caught some pictures at the temple looking west through the statues of Joseph and Hyrum on their last ride to Carthage;

Beautiful sunset

The storm clouds add so much to the picture

What a blessing it was for the Saints who lived here during the Nauvoo years, to follow a Prophet.  Joseph was murdered in Carthage and the authority of the Church leadership fell to Brigham Young.  As mom and I have studied the life of the Saints here in Nauvoo, it has been nothing short of amazing as to how they were able to survive.  

The City of Nauvoo was in danger of a civil war with the mob and with the state militias.  They could have easily fought them with their strong Nauvoo Legion, but they chose to follow the Prophet, where leaving the City Beautiful took a lot more courage than staying to fight.

Isn't that the message we have today from Elder Rasband?  To follow a living Prophet as we prepare for these perilous times, gives us such an advantage over those who do not have this kind of leadership and direction.  I have copied the summary of Elder Rasband's talk here as it appeared on the Church website;

Elder Ronald A. Rasband
Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

We need to help each other find Heavenly Father’s answers through the guidance of the Spirit. …

We have sustained leaders today who have, by divine inspiration, been called to teach and guide us and who are calling out to us to beware of the dangers we face each day—from casual Sabbath-day observance, to threats to the family, to assaults on religious freedom, and even to disputing latter-day revelation. Brothers and sisters, are we listening to their counsel? …

As we press forward, choosing to follow the counsel and the warnings of our leaders, we choose to follow the Lord while the world is going another direction. We choose to hold fast to the iron rod, to be Latter-day Saints, to be on the Lord’s errand, and to be filled “with exceedingly great joy” [1 Nephi 8:12].

The growing question of today is clear: are you standing with the leaders of the Church in a darkening world so that you might spread the Light of Christ? …

I pray that we will reach out—reach out and take the Savior’s hand that He is extending to us, often through His divinely called leaders and our family members—and listen for His call to come. 

I am more convinced and appreciative that we have leaders in place who can help us navigate through these troubled times.  The adversary is going crazy and is attacking us on every front.  We can all see the affects of keeping the Sabbath Day holy, protecting our children and our families from the wiles of schools and work place attitudes and beliefs, as well as the direction we see governments heading who do not embrace Jesus Christ. And we can see the benefits of standing together united by a religious belief that is not just a faith, but a way of life.  

We must follow the Prophet and our leaders while the world is going off in a much different direction.  That course of action will help bring us safely home to our Heavenly Parents, and with our precious earthly families!