January 7, 2016 - Thursday in Nauvoo

I just had a wonderful talk with Hayley tonight.  We spoke about how things were going in her young and precious life and it was fun to hear her voice.  I had the feeling to give her a call and let her know how much we love her and miss her.  Being a grandparent on a two year mission is not the easiest thing I have done in my life!  I also got to talk with Mia and Emma and give them our love as well!

Our morning started off with our devotional and prayers.  Then we got to take our long walk around Nauvoo.  It was in the mid 30's today!  The air was so fresh, and thick with moisture, but we had no rain.  We sure enjoy our morning routine and feel grateful that we can have these experiences here in Nauvoo.

Both mom and I served together in the Visitors Center on the morning shift.  We got there at 8:40am and were off at about 1:30pm.  And, we had a few visitors this morning!  There was a young family on their way to Washington, DC.  They have a very young daughter who painted a picture, and received the top honors nationwide on her picture, and they were traveling from Utah for her to receive her reward and recognition.

We spent the afternoon doing our weekly cleaning chores around the house and then I finished off my second knit cap for the Humanitarian efforts here in the mission.  I have my third hat started, and took a little break to post on my blog.  I am hoping to get the first year of blogging published in the next few months...

This is the week that we have been saying "good bye" to our mission president and his wife.  They leave after they spend two weeks of transition with the new mission president, who is due to arrive next week.  We have enjoyed the kind and gentle administration of President Gibbons and his wife.  They are both precious servants of the Lord, Jesus Christ, and they are without guile.  

It has been such a blessing to see just how kind these wonderful people have been to each missionary.  Regardless of our shortcomings and imperfections as senior missionaries, they treat each of us as if we were perfect disciples.  He has been able to answer any question, or give any counsel, with a signature smile on his face, and I have never heard him using a discouraging word.  

He has set a standard that is to be emulated and followed all the remainder of my days!  It is such a high standard, but one that will bring eternal rewards if I can just incorporate it into my thoughts, and my words, and, ultimately, my actions. Isn't it wonderful to have these kinds of examples in our lives?

January 6, 2016 - Wednesday in Nauvoo

We have arrived at another training day that started at 8:00am in the Visitors Center.  That takes away our early morning walk around Nauvoo, all in the name of training.  And the topic today was time management!  With most of us serving senior missions, I guess "time management" might be a concern....

We were able to leave early enough to walk to the meeting so that was helpful, even though it is only about a mile round trip.  It was in the upper 20's this morning so the elements were friendly enough!  We do enjoy being able to walk all year long, and the weather this winter has been very favorable!

In addition, Wednesday is one of the two days we have access to the laundry facilities that we share with the upstairs neighbors.  Mom was up early and is so good about taking care of this twice weekly chore.  She had most of the wash completed before we needed to leave for the meeting.  During the cycles, we had our morning devotional and prayers and the morning was very productive.

I had the assignment to work at the Browning Gun Shop and mom worked across the street at the John Taylor Home.  Our first tour, (and our last tour), at the gun shop came 5 minutes before closing.  That is generally how it works!  So here is how I spent my time today at the gun shop;

My new developing talent

I am starting my second knitted hat for the Humanitarian projects.  The first hat is on my knee in this picture! Who would have ever thought that they would be exposed to this kind of work coming from me?  I have to admit that in the process of serving this mission, both mom and I are discovering some very very hidden talents.  Most of our family and friends would have never thought that being on stage, singing, memorizing parts, and entertaining audiences would have ever come from either one of us....  And while I am becoming the Knit-master, mom is taking her quilting to a new level!

Actually, it has been a fascinating experience to realize that we can do hard things... at least from the initial impressions, these did seem to be too hard and difficult to embrace.  But with faith and perseverance and with a willingness to explore new options, this has been a great experience!

January 5, 2016 - Tuesday in Nauvoo

Things have really quieted down here in Nauvoo.  We served at the Visitors center this morning from 7:45am to 1:30pm, and we had only two guests come in right before we left!  And the Rendezvous Play was cancelled because there were no tickets handed out.  So here we have around 120 missionaries in over 30 sites waiting for ANYONE to come!  Can you imagine the poor soul that ventures into Nauvoo in January??

Mom and I were up early, ready to begin the day.  We had our morning devotional and prayers and then off on our nice long walk.  I got to review my Editors part and enjoyed a little warmer morning.  The temperatures were in the low 20's, but no wind, and that makes a huge difference!  We got home right at 7:00am and got ready for the day.  We even walked over to the Visitors center for our morning shift.

With the area so quiet, we have taken up going to the temple on Tuesdays at the first available session which is 6:00pm.  There were about 30 missionaries that made that session so it was fun to be there with them.  I had a chance to think about most of the missionaries in that session.  They all come from such varied backgrounds and have had so many different challenges in their lives.  

Some have lost companions to death and some to divorce.  Some are experiencing health challenges and some are watching family members back home make poor choices.  But we all have one thing in common.  We are here in Nauvoo serving this mission with the attitude that Elder Joseph B. Worthlin made popular; "come what may and love it"!   It is pretty special to be surrounded by such good people!  We are not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but we are willing to serve.

January 4, 2016 - Monday in Nauvoo

Today, mom and I are expanding our talents!  The sisters were putting on a training session at the Family Living Center involving quilt making, and mom went down early to see the demonstration.  I was a few minutes behind, and one of two Elders in attendance.  Elder and Sister Ramsey were there and so was our friend Sister Skinner and several other sisters.

We have enjoyed getting to know the Ramsey's and the Skinner's who are both involved in learning and teaching new skills.  In fact, Elder Ramsey has gotten to know the weaving art since he has been here, and now is talking about purchasing a weaving loom to continue his new found interest!  Mom is very anxious to increase her knowledge of quilt making, and Sister Skinner and Sister Ramsey are willing to help!  I am trying to figure out how I can best help the Humanitarian effort in the mission....  there must be something I can do!

It was a chilly cold Monday morning and mom and I were up at the usual time.  We had our morning prayers and devotional, and then our brisk walk around Nauvoo.  In fact, we went partially around again later this afternoon!  We went to the Family Living Center for about 45 minutes and then we were off to Keokuk for our weekly shopping and P-day.  We got back about 1:00pm and settled in for lunch and some companion study time.  And then we took our second walk I just mentioned.

For the past 3 months we have embraced the concept of ponderizing our Scriptures.  Mom has been especially focused on this concept of internalizing the Scriptures in this manner, and I am trying to keep up with her.  This past week we decided to review the various Scriptures we had selected each week since the October General Conference.  Now, this week, we are back on track and have selected 2 Nephi 2:24 as our ponderizing Scripture;

2 Nephi 2:24 - But behold, all things have been done in the wisdom of him who knoweth all things.

This is the verse right before my favorite Scripture 2 Nephi 2:25!  Where we are taught that ..."men are that they might have joy".  Joy - that word has taken on such a distinct meaning for me!  Webster defines joy as:

The passion or emotion excited by the acquisition or expectation of good; pleasurable feelings or emotions caused by success, good fortune, and the like, or by a rational prospect of possessing what we love or desire; gladness; exhilaration of spirits; delight.

I want that kind of joy!  But, as for the verse before my "joy" Scripture, I understand that in 2 Nephi 2:24, we have a bold statement concerning our mortal experience.  "All things are done in wisdom by Him..."  I am confident that the Lord knows each of us, and He uses His wisdom in helping us to learn the things we need to learn. 

So often I find myself saying something like, "I should have known", but, in reality, I totally missed the point!  That is how He is teaching us.  When we recognize a missed opportunity, and really study and ponder the affects of what we have missed, and pray to know how we can be better next time, we greatly benefit knowing that it is all part of our learning experience! 

We can beat ourselves for missing the particular point this specific time, as I have done too many times, or we can rejoice that we have been given that experience to help make us more prepared for the next experience.... 

Just the fact that we have that insight given to us to know how to be better and do better is part of achieving that "joy" spoken of in the next verse!  Of course, we are taught that "He never said it would be easy, but He did say it would be worth it"!  So we just need to - Carry on!  Carry on!

January 3, 2016 - Sunday in Nauvoo

Mom and I had an enjoyable Sabbath Day, today.  We walked to our meetings this morning at the Stake Center.  Boy were we bundled up!  It was in the high teens this morning, and it appeared that there were no clouds.  By the end of our meetings there was overcast and it was a chilly walk back home!  Good thing it was less than 6 blocks!  Our warm little cottage sure felt good as we came inside!

We started off our morning with our prayers and devotional together.  This was a day of fasting, and we were grateful to focus on this new year and the promises, and experiences, that are just ahead of us!  We also had the day off from site assignments, so we really enjoyed the afternoon together.  We had some fun later this afternoon taking some treats out to some site missionaries who were assigned and scheduled today.  That was fun!

Then, tonight, we had our Zone Conference and that was interesting.  We had a group "exit interview" with the mission president.  There were some interesting things he said. He kept the open interview very positive, as is his trademark, and encouraged us to stretch ourselves this year 2016.  Mom and I have discussed this as one of our resolutions for 2016, and have agreed to be the best we can and make some adjustments.  It was fun to hear his counsel, tonight, and know that we had already made that decision!

Also, on January 20th, we have a worldwide missionary broadcast that will be for all missionaries.  It will be a two hour presentation, probably originating from Salt Lake, and all full time missionaries will be asked to set everything aside and attend the broadcast.  Our sites will not be opened until 30 minutes after the broadcast, that day, so that will be a busy day for us.  There are about 20 hours of preparation they have asked us to review, before the broadcast, so mom and I will be kept pretty focused in getting ready for this event.

Thank you for checking in with us tonight!  We love you and appreciate your support!

January 2, 2016 - Saturday in Nauvoo

It is hard to believe that we are in the middle of the winter season here in Nauvoo!  Today we had temperatures in the low 20's.  This morning, the stars were shining, and later today, the sun came out strong.  The temperatures reached into the higher 30's and is was a gorgeous day!

Mom and I began our morning with our devotional and prayers.  We had  some time for exercise before breakfast, but this entire month of January, we have the cleaning assignment at the Stake Center at 7:15am.  Our entire Zone participates together, and we had over 40 people helping for our first week in January.  Imagine that in our home wards!  How much time it would take to complete the assignment with that kind of turnout??  We were done within 45 minutes and the Stake Center is a huge building....

Our work assignment had us at the Visitors Center where we welcomed about 30 or so guests.  We worked from 9:00am until 1:00pm and then went to the 2:00pm temple session.  By 4:15pm we were back home and enjoying a quick nap before our Rendezvous Play tonight.  

Even though it was a crisp and clear night, mom and I walked down to the Cultural Hall for Rendezvous.  It is about a three block walk and we arrived about 25 minutes early to get the room warmed up.  I thought the play went very well and mom and I did our big parts tonight.  We both felt good about the show!

I saw this news release last week and thought that I would share this with our cast tonight.  We all take turns to share a spiritual thought and this effort caught my eye and I decided to record it here;

A Savior Is Born’ Video Ranked in Top 10 Holiday Campaigns of the Year

22 DECEMBER 2015 — POSTED BY Jenny Gordon 

 

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' Christmas campaign, “A Savior Is Born,” was ranked ninth most viewed by Advertising Age in the top holiday campaigns for 2015.
“Perhaps the least expected member of the list, in a season dominated by commercial messaging, is a campaign sponsored by the Mormon Church,” said Advertising Age.
The 2015 initiative, “A Savior Is Born,” focuses on finding, knowing and following the teachings of Jesus Christ.
The two-minute video features children in locations around the world, including Israel, Los Angeles, New York and Utah, quoting Isaiah (see Isaiah 9:6 and Handel’s Messiah) and expressing their personal belief in Jesus Christ.
The “A Savior Is Born” video has received more than 45 million views worldwide since its release on November 29. The video received over eight million views this week and was also featured in Advertising Age's weekly viral video chart as the fourth most watched video this week.
While all of the other Christmas campaigns on the list focused on retail, Advertising Age called the Church's video "one bona fide spiritual message."
“We live in a world where the power and influence of God in our daily lives are downplayed and dismissed and where the need for a Savior is ignored and even mocked,” said Elder Dallin H. Oaks of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in the December 2015 issue of the Church’s Ensign and New Era magazines. “For those who are devoted to the Lord Jesus Christ, there has never been a greater need for us to profess our faith in our Savior, privately and publicly.” 

 

For mom and I, we had the privilege of sharing this video in the Visitors Center.  We have probably watched it over 100 times, and I never get tired of seeing it.  And to see how well it was received by this advertising company, was inspiring.  We got to share it and testify of it so many times in December!  In fact, I am still showing the video in January, before each movie we show in the Visitors Center!  

 

I have to repeat Elder Oaks last sentence here;  “For those who are devoted to the Lord Jesus Christ, there has never been a greater need for us to profess our faith in our Savior, privately and publicly.”  It is a Samuel the Lamanite moment, where we need to embrace the true principles of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and be counted as one of His Disciples in these perilous times!  

 

Wherever we are, and whatever we are engaged in doing at this time in our lives, we must stand and be counted!  Our families need it, our friends and folks we come in contact with must see it, and our Savior and our Heavenly Father need to know where we stand as these last days unfold!

January 1, 2016 - Friday in Nauvoo

Ready or not, here we are at the beginning of 2016!  I have been looking forward to this new year and the excitement it brings to us as we serve here in Nauvoo.  Our current mission president, President Gibbons and his wife will be leaving in the next three weeks after serving here for two years.  President Hall and his wife will be coming in the next two weeks to begin their two year calling.  They are coming from Rexburg where he has been serving in the administration of BYU-Idaho.  

Mom and I had separate assignments today.  She served at the Heber C. Kimball Home and I had the nod to serve at the Brickyard.  The Brickyard is a pretty busy place to serve.  There is always something to do and today was no exception.  I had four tours during the seven hour shift.  The first one came right as we opened at 10:00am and the last one walked in as we were scheduled to close at 5:00pm.  

The entire day was spent processing four days worth of brick making.  Usually there are only two and sometimes three days.  But today it was a little different, so I was on my feet for all but about 20 minutes when I took a quick lunch break.    My companion worked very slowly and methodically on the bricks he was processing.  We had 42 trays of bricks to process and he was able to get two of them done.  Yea, that's how my day went, and boy was I ready to head for home!  I caught this picture as we were closing;

The sunset through the trees at the Brickyard

The clouds were a deeper pink than what shows here.  I would have liked to have been closer to the Mississippi River for the sunset!  The temperature was steady at about 25 degrees throughout the day and the sun was shinning throughout most of the day.

By the time I got back to our little cottage two blocks from the Brickyard, mom had dinner ready, and on the table.  What a blessing it is to serve with mom and to become so much better acquainted with each other.  Over the years we have experienced a variety of wonderful and challenging experiences, but we have never spent our time together 24 hours every day and 7 days every week!  

We both have seen tremendous growth and experienced greater appreciation for each other.  More so than we ever thought possible.  It has been such a blessing and such a wonderful opportunity to "test the waters" of the eternities with each other while serving together and growing closer in the process.