August 27, 2016 - Saturday in Nauvoo

Looks like mom and I are down to the "last" of the experiences here in Nauvoo.  Today was our last walk around the Old Nauvoo township.  We had our morning devotional and prayers, and then left our cozy little cottage, and began our final four mile walk.  Along the path, we walked down Parley Street, where, on February 4, 1846, the Saints set out from Nauvoo to find a place in the west where they could plow their fields as they saw fit, worship as they wanted, and live life as they had a mind to!  We pondered about their faith, and their willingness to follow a Prophet of God, as we approached the crossing point of the river.  We are indebted to these precious Saints who gave so much so that we could have the Gospel in our lives.

You see, west was just a direction and not a destination.  They had to cross a partially frozen Mississippi River.  They had to experience the coldness of a minus 14 degrees on that day.  They had to leave behind so many personal treasures because there was just no room for them.  Ultimately, they endured hardships along the way with illnesses, diseases and untimely deaths.  All to faithfully follow a Prophet... and even more significant, many of them did not murmur or complaint when the struggles and the opposition increased.  These examples of faith and determination are an inspiration to us.

That is just a part of what we have learned here in Nauvoo and Carthage over the last 18 months.  I marvel to think about the many wonderful and often sacred experiences we have had during the precious time here in Nauvoo.  But we also know that it is time to return to our marvelous family.  We have served here every day and have tried to improve on our best efforts each of those days.  And now we are being "transferred" to our new area of service!!  Back to being with our loved ones!

We worked at the Family Living Center as extras from our scheduled assignment at the Handcart Station.  With that handcart site closed, we defaulted to the Family Living Center.  However, the schedulers did not reduce the missionary force, to make room for two more missionaries, so we had nothing to do.  The site coordinators finally sent us home at 11:30am!  We were grateful for the extra time this afternoon to clean and pack and load the van for our early Monday morning departure!!  Yeah!  Here we come!  And here are some "parting" shots from our assignment today;

Mom.... sewing?  No.... can't be...

The master Cooper - anyone know what a Cooper does?

Sister Webb and mom cutting fabric strips

Mom preparing fabric strips for the Weaver

Elder Brown and the piano music

First selfie as we are leaving - FLC is in the background!

A final picture of the wonderful residence of E/S Lasher!

I had to include a picture of Elder Brown at the piano.  He is one of several new Editors I have had the privilege of working with.  He will perform in a different cast, but I got to work with him over at the Cultural Hall this morning as we blocked his scenes.  

Mom and I feel so grateful for the opportunity we have had to serve this mission together.  There are no regrets or even sad feelings.  We just feel that our Heavenly Father has approved of our service and has been pleased with our efforts.  Our ultimate goal was to serve this mission together and share the message of the Restored Gospel, and we feel that has been accomplished.  

That is all we need to know as we return home with lots of stories and happy experiences to share!  We hope our precious grandchildren are ready!  We sure are!

And now my closing thought;

What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals.   -  Zig Ziglar

Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/z/zigziglar120890.html?src=t_motivational