June 8, 2015 - Monday

This was our final day with Tom and Josie and Zac, Hayley, Jack, Mia and Emma.  It has been a wonderful visit as we have played together and attended plays and sites together, and have so enjoyed each others company.

Zac was up early to help mom and I clean the jail and then we took a nice morning walk together.  Mom and I needed to be at the Visitors Center by 8:30am and Josie and Tom got the kids ready for a day in Nauvoo.  We were able to leave the Visitors Center at 1:45pm and quickly caught up with the family in Nauvoo.  We found them in the Print shop and then went to a few other sites including the burial sites for Joseph and Hyrum and Emma.  The Smith Family Cemetery is located  in the Community of Christ area of Nauvoo.  That is just south of Parley Street in the flats.

We then had some dinner together in Nauvoo and attended our Sunset Play together.  The kids have really become attached to the Young Performing Missionaries and the Young Performing Missionaries have adopted our grand-kids.  That has been so much fun to see them interact with each other!  We were able to finally try Anne's Custards tonight and mom liked the lemon custard.  I have to admit it was pretty good!  

What a special treat it has been to have the family here.  It will be very hard to say goodbye for a season, but we will treasure the memories we created together this week.

June 7, 2014 - Sunday

We got off to an early start today with our 8:00am Sacrament Meeting in Nauvoo.  Josie and Tom had all the family ready for our trip into Nauvoo by 7:20am this morning.  We rode in together and arrived at the Stake Center by 7:50am and just as the storm clouds were bursting.  We all got into the building before anyone was seriously soaked!

The fast and testimony meeting was pretty much the standard testimonies and some travel logs.  However, when Zac leaned over and asked me to go up with him to share his testimony, that all changed.  We had about 10 minutes left in the meeting and I was so proud of Zac wanting to share his testimony.  Now, here is the picture; the meeting had over 600 missionaries and visitors.  Zac and I walked up to the stand and sat with 3 waiting folks that wanted to share their testimonies.  What a privilege it was to sit there with my precious grandson Zac.  My heart was racing because this really was a very special opportunity to be there with him in such an historic setting.  

One of the folks waiting to share her testimony is one of our Carthage missionaries.  She was involved with a father and a young daughter who came to Carthage this week.  This daughter was about 11 years old.  As she was walking up the entry sidewalk with her father she paused and told her dad she was feeling the Spirit very strongly.  She then asked him if it was OK to take off her shoes because she thought she was walking on sacred ground.  Another young performing missionary stood and bore a strong testimony about his experience in Carthage when "the Elder" led the tour in the jail and spoke about Joseph and Hyrum.  He said that this Elder taught about Joseph and Hyrum in such a way that changed his life and his perspective about the relationship Joseph and Hyrum had.  That was pretty special because he was talking about me....

But the choice testimony came from my precious grandson, Zac.  He stood in front of over 600 seasoned missionaries and visitors and shared a marvelous testimony of the Gospel.  He was so very mature and complete in his testimony and was the perfect example of how a testimony should be given in a Sacrament Meeting.  If President Monson had been there, he would have marveled at Zac's wonderful testimony.

Since the time was almost over, I had the chance to share a brief testimony and commented how much I treasured the title of "father" and now "grandfather".  Then, Zac and I walked back to our seats near the middle of the cultural hall as the meeting was closed.  I could not have been any more proud of Zac and his wonderful testimony of the Gospel.  What a marvelous opportunity this turned out to be for both of us!!!

Now, June 7th is an interesting date in Church History.  I have included a post here of the importance of this date:

Opposition to the Prophet and the Church

By June 1844, animosity against the Church had greatly intensified. Some citizens in Illinois were discussing driving the Saints from the state, while others were plotting to kill the Prophet. Some of those who were conspiring against the Prophet and the Church were former members of the Church who had apostatized. On June 7, 1844, William Law, who had served as Second Counselor in the First Presidency, and other apostates printed the first issue of a newspaper called the Nauvoo Expositor. In an attempt to inflame the public against the Prophet and the Church, these men used this newspaper to slander Joseph Smith and other Church leaders. Joseph Smith, acting as the mayor of Nauvoo, and the majority of the Nauvoo city council recognized that the inflammatory newspaper would lead to mob violence against the city. They declared the newspaper a public nuisance and ordered that the Nauvoo Expositor press be destroyed.

Joseph and Hyrum Are Falsely Charged

“As a result of the [destruction of the Nauvoo Expositor] by the mayor and city council, Illinois authorities brought an unfounded charge of riot against the Prophet, his brother Hyrum, and other Nauvoo city officials. The governor of Illinois, Thomas Ford, ordered the men to stand trial in Carthage, Illinois, the county seat, and promised them protection. Joseph knew that if he went to Carthage, his life would be in great danger from the mobs who were threatening him.

“Believing that the mobs wanted only them, Joseph and Hyrum decided to leave for the West to preserve their lives. On June 23, they crossed the Mississippi River, but later that day, brethren from Nauvoo found the Prophet and told him that troops would invade the city if he did not surrender to the authorities in Carthage. This the Prophet agreed to do, hoping to appease both government officials and the mobs. On June 24, Joseph and Hyrum Smith bade farewell to their families and rode with other Nauvoo city officials toward Carthage, voluntarily surrendering themselves to county officials in Carthage the next day. After the brothers had been released on bail for the initial charge, they were falsely charged with treason against the state of Illinois, arrested, and imprisoned in Carthage Jail to await a hearing. Elders John Taylor and Willard Richards, the only members of the Twelve who were not then serving missions, voluntarily joined them” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith [2007], 529–30).

We then left the Sacrament Meeting and headed back to Carthage.  The rain had stopped and we got to take some pictures of the Nauvoo Temple.  Then we went back to the Visitors Center in Carthage and got there about 90 minutes before we were scheduled to open, since we left right after Sacrament.  Mom and I were then able to give our family one more tour of the jail and spent about 30 minutes in the martyrdom room and discussed the gratitude we all have for Joseph and his role as the Prophet of the Restoration.  It was such a special opportunity for us.

Then we got to go back to our home here in Carthage and break our fast together.  And the meal we broke our fast with was one of my very favorite meals!  We had hash browns, pancakes and eggs... and, of course, those pancakes were properly dressed with peanut butter, syrup and whipped cream!!

I have such a deep respect and feeling of gratitude for Joseph and Hyrum!

June 6, 2015 - Saturday

Needless to say, we have been busy since Tom and Josie arrived Wednesday at midnight.  I had just dozed off about 11:00pm on the couch when I heard the phone ringing.  I had been in touch with them on this last 12 hour leg of their journey and now they were approaching Carthage!  What a joyful reunion for a homesick missionary couple!  We got lots of hugs in, and then helped them unload the van and get everyone settled. 

Mom and I got up at our usual time Thursday Morning and went to the Visitors Center by 8:30am to get the day started while  everyone slept in except Zac and Mia.  They came over and helped us open up the jail and we got ready for a busy day.  

We had almost 400 guests today and most were from the morning tours.  That gave us the opportunity to spend the afternoon with the Sathre's.  I gave a tour for the BYU Ambassadors this afternoon.  There were 40 in their group and the Sathre Family came along with them.  What an inspiring group of young single adults!  After a very emotional presentation in the martyrdom room, one young man, with unbelievably controlled emotion, sang the last 2 verses of "A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief".  He hit every note with perfect pitch.  And then they all sang "God Be With You 'till We Meet Again".  The spirit in that building was so overwhelming!

After we were able to leave the shift, we had our dinner, and then we were all off to the "Sunset" play and the late performance of the BYU Ambassadors.  They put on such a powerful performance, and the family got a kick out of Granny and grandpa doing "our thing" on the Sunset stage...We got back to Carthage around 10:30pm.  

Then on Friday we spent the morning in the Visitors Center and Hayley and Jack took turns helping us meet and greet the guests as they came in.  It was another busy day on Friday and by 2:00pm we had over 350 guests come in.  However, they were very easy to handle and mom and I were able to leave earlier so that Tom and Josie could attend the 4:00pm temple session in Nauvoo. They were asked to be the witness couple, and mom and I got to be with the grandchildren.  It is so amazing to us that we can have this time with our family.....

At just a little past 6:00pm we meet back up with Josie and Tom at the Historic Nauvoo Cultural Hall where the Rendezvous Play was set to begin at 7:00pm.  They got to see mom and I at the 7:00pm play and again at the 8:15pm play where I got to do my "Pa Robbins" part for them.  As only my precious grandson, Jack, could express about my performance, he said;  "Grandpa, you did good... you only messed up really bad one time!

So goes the day in the life of two senior missionaries!  

Now, on this Saturday, mom and I are off from the missionary duties and we will get to spend the entire day with the Sathre's.  Oh happy day!

June 4, 2015 - Thursday

We spent a good part of this afternoon with Josie and Tom and Zac and Hayley and Jack and Mia and Emma.  Our fellow missionaries are making sure we have time off with them.  I will add more details as I have the time!

This is a fun picture I saw this morning;  Five grandchildren on the floor of our Carthage home!

"Pa" Robbins and Jimmie working together to enhance the ultimate in audience appreciation.  Elder Rosenberg plays Jimmie and just received his mission call to Rome, Italy.  He leaves for the MTC in Provo about 10 days after he gets home from this Young Performing Mission.  He is a lot of fun to work with.







What a welcomed sight to see Tom and Josie's Van outside our front door this morning!   We are so very grateful they took the time to drive this long 20 hour distance to see us and be here with us for this next few days!










This visit has already helped mom and I.  We have missed seeing and holding and hugging our family!  So we are trying to store up these hugs - every day they are here!

June 3, 2015 - Wednesday

Today was our P-day and we started off with a weekly 7:45am training meeting in Nauvoo.  It was a typical one hour training meeting.  We were sitting next to the Rendezvous director and she asked mom and I to come to her office so she could give me the next part to study for.  Currently I have a fun part with the Young Performing missionaries as "Pa".  Jimmie and Marie are in the vignette with me and it is a lot of fun.  It amounts to four pages of dialog and it was challenging to memorize it all. However, with mom's help and patience, I finally got it down.

Now, this next roll is a major role of "Editor".  It has 14 pages of script.  We are usually given seven to eight weeks to get it down.  I had eight weeks with "Pa".  This time she is asking me to put it together by July....  The spirit is willing but this flesh is so very weak.....

We spent the balance of the day in a variety of activities.  We did some initatories in the temple this morning after the meeting.  Then we came back to Carthage and changed our clothes and drove to Quincy for some final shopping for our family visit.  They should be here is just a few hours and I will be waiting up for them.  It will be such a wonderful reunion!

I was also able to detail the van.  The drive to Nauvoo 6 or 7 times each week has taken its toll on the bugs sticking to our front end of the van.  It was quite a project to detail it out and then put a coat of wax on it to hopefully keep the Illinois bugs from sticking so bad!  It sure looks good right now!

And so another P-day has come and gone, but today we did not have to go back to Nauvoo!  That trip takes about an hour round trip and is about 50 miles in distance.  I am hoping Tom can help me get my phone pictures to download again on the blog.  I am stumped as to why that stopped working last week!

June 2, 2015 - Tuesday

Well, here we are one day closer to our visit from our precious family members!  Mom and I were up early for our morning devotional and exercise.  We had a good start to the day and we were at the Visitors Center by 8:30am.  We were busier this morning than we were yesterday.  And yesterday turned out to be a busy day with two big tours late in the afternoon.  

Before I knew it, it was time to head back to our home and prepare for our Rendezvous play tonight. We had two shows and both were almost full houses.  Today also marked the beginning of the Young Ambassador presentation.  That comes right after the Sunset performance on the outdoor open stage. When they say it gets crazy around Nauvoo in the summer, they are not kidding.  I feel like a fish out of water surrounded by so many talented people.

My vignette tonight went well.  Jimmy and Marie always make the performance come alive.  It is fun to be a part of these shows, but if I had my choice, I would take a back stage spot and do my best to support the key players.  I'm afraid they are going to ask me to take on a major role in September and, of course, I can't say no....  What have I gotten myself in to???

Our trip home tonight got us back here around 10:00pm.  We started off at 5:15am and mom was up even earlier.  These days are getting longer and the activities are becoming more complex, but so far, we seem to be hanging in there.

I am so looking forward to hugging family members when they arrive here tomorrow evening.  That will be a shot in the arm for me and my overloaded mind, and I know that mom will have the same lift. We pray for their safe arrival.  We are grateful for the missionaries working with us who have stepped up to cover our shifts so that we can spend most of the time with them while they are here!!  

June 1, 2015 - Monday

Today was a great day in the mission field here in Carthage.  Mom and I were up at the appointed time this morning and we were both ready to hit the ground running.  Even though it is quiet so far this week as far as tours go, we are making some progress with the community.  We are trying to focus on the businesses that we might be able to support by connecting with them and preparing them for the crowds we are anticipating.  Dairy Queen responded by bringing by some coupons for their store and I just missed talking to the manager.  I will make a follow-up call to him later this week.

Mom and I cleaned the jail this morning.  Mom does the inside and I work on the outside walk ways. We enjoy getting up early and having our morning devotionals and then taking our walks in and around the city of Carthage.  The Hansen's joined us this morning.  We have enjoyed getting to know them as we have worked together here in Carthage.  He and his wife are the Assistant Site Leaders. They are from Alberta, Canada.

We were able to get to the Visitors Center by 8:30am this morning and our guests started arriving a few minutes later.  There were just two that came in first thing and the next two hours, we had only six or eight more tours.  However, on Wednesday the tours begin with a flurry, and we have more on Thursday and Friday.  Over 500 booked so far.

But, the best part of our week will be greeting our family members coming for a few days to experience Carthage and Nauvoo with us.  I am hoping to get my phone working properly to again download some pictures.  I had the battery lose its charge on the 26th and I have found that its needs to be recharged twice a day.... and the worst part is that the pictures I have taken, somehow will not download onto this blog.  I just hope we can figure that out, easily, this week.

Tonight was our Sunset play and the weather was near perfect.  The air was cool and that kept away the bugs, and the play went very well.  However, I could not help but picture our family here participating with us Thursday night!!  It will be fun and invigorating for us to have these visits begin.  I can't begin to express how much we miss our precious family members....

Thank you for checking in with us tonight.... I hope I can download some pictures soon.  That full moon over the Mississippi was magnificent tonight on our way home.