Amana Colonies

Sept. 6, Thursday,
Myers asked us to do something with them, since their p-days will be changed to Tuesday after this. We headed out about 9:00 after his meeting (he is now assigned as counselor in the mission presidency) toward Amana. It was a just over two hours drive, with pleasant company. On the way we passed dozens of tractors, on a special trip.


The Amana colonies were originally German towns, and now have lots of tourist shopping, a woolen mill,
furniture and clock factory,
restaurants, and other shops. We didn't find anything we needed to buy, but it was fun to look. We had fun with the BIG rocking chair.
We had a lovely lunch at the Ox Yoke Inn, and later stopped at a bakery and all had a treat. Jane is my kind of girl, she loves rich gooey chocolate/coconut/fudge, etc, desserts, but to make up for that she is a picky eater with not much appetite in Nauvoo. She is fun to be around, and Elder Myers is also very pleasant.
In the evening we were drafted to be "Peter and Abigail" in Y cast, because theirs were out of town. It was different, but we did fine.

Labor Day

Sunday Sept. 5,
Labor Day Weekend is the Grape Festival in the town of Nauvoo. Thousands of people come and there are tons of activities, an auction, dances, car show, 5 K, vendors, carnival, and more. The edge of the festivities were right in back of our house. We heard late night music, and had people parking in front of our house. We have July with Pageant and thousands of people, I guess it is all right if they do it for three days. Greg took over 20 pictures of old cars, so if you want to see more, just ask him.

Sister Ludwig talked at our Zone Conference and reported that we have 2006 grandchildren praying for us on our mission. Her talk was about tender mercies and she told a personal story. They were mission presidents in Denver when Sept. 11 happened and 21 missionaries headed for New York were stranded at the airport. Her job was to pick them up and tend them until flights were resumed. She organized four vans to pick up them and all their luggage, but the luggage from hundreds of stranded passengers was in one basement room. They were allowing a few people at a time to go in and find their bags, but she decided they couldn't take the time to wait for hours to do that, and they would have to come back later. As they were leaving, there was some luggage on just one carousel, and one of the Elders looked, and saw that it was theirs, every bag they needed. She proclaimed that a tender mercy just for them.
Pres. Ludwig gave a great talk about charity. He also said that Nauvoo will have 104 missionaries this winter as opposed to 150 last year. The three casts of Rendezvous will be divided into two casts beginning October 11. This is a new and pioneering effort.

Monday, Sept. 6,
We began as site leaders for the Seventies Hall, with Dicksons as assistant site leaders. We conduct the preparation meetings, and take care of the hall, but our biggest job coming up is the October farewell breakfast with 63 people leaving.
I served at Family Living, and is wasn't too busy, so I cut old clothes into three inch strips for rugs, worked on the loom, and gave demos for candle making,


spinning and weaving, and bread-making.

Sept. 7,
I served in Tickets and Tours, and a couple came in for tickets. They had heavy German accents, and wanted a wagon ride, but when asked, they admitted they "liked to speak German, better than English". And it just so happened that I had found out yesterday, serving with S. Geilmann, that she speaks German! So today, it "so happened" that I knew someone who could come and speak with these lovely people. I called her and she came and went on the wagon ride with them, translating and answering questions. She was thrilled, I was happy, and so were they.

Sept. 8,
I served in the sewing room, and that is very nice and peaceful for a change. It just seems like going home almost. I made two day-caps, an apron, hemmed, and mended dresses.

Stories of Nauvoo

Sept 3, Friday,
In Family Living, after demonstrating bustle ovens to a guest of another faith: He asked, "Why didn't those Mormons stay and fight, instead of leaving again?" A good question. We discussed a few answers with ideas of fear of political unity, search for religious freedom, follow a prophet of the Lord, love of peace and Jesus Christ, and then had him fill out a yellow referral card so he could learn more. See--we do plant seeds.

Because of less people here, we now only do one show of Rendezvous each night, but on this day there were nine sad people who couldn't fit into the show, so we offered to do a second show just for them. So after the Relief Society song I quickly went home and did my hair, and picked up my cape and bonnet, so we could do "Peter and Abigail" in the second show. The group was a family bringing home their missionary son after a successful mission in Oklahoma. They were a fun audience and we had a good time doing that for them. The YSMs who were taking tickets went to their home and brought back treats for us for between the shows: drinks, icee pops, dill pickles, and a few yogurts (whatever they could find!). That was very sweet of them, "because we always have treats when we have two shows", they said.


Sept. 4, Saturday,
As I was serving in Tickets and Tours, a young man came up and wanted wagon ride tickets for his group of fifteen, and couldn't believe that they were FREE. He kept trying to pay and we explained over and over. He kept saying that nothing in life is free, I am used to paying my own way, I WILL pay. We explained that we didn't even have a cash register and then finally we just laughed at him. He asked, "Why would you do this all for free?" I said, "Because we want to share love and peace as Jesus taught." What do you think I should have said?

Young Sister Missionaries

We love the Sister Missionaries. They are full of good spirit and cheer.
Sister Reece shared a scripture with me. It was given to her by her grandfather, and it will give a scriptural answer to any question posed by anyone. 1 Nephi 13:22And then another day Sister Pulleyn shared this scripture: 2 Nephi 7:11. We as missionaries kindle fire, and we can walk in the light of that fire, and invite others to do the same.
During the month of September, the sisters have a program called "Angels in the Outfield". They practice on us Senior missionaries, giving lessons, so that they are prepared to go for the winter to another area of the United States. Then they come back here in the spring to help with the summer visitors. We also get to sign up to feed them during this month.
Here are our lasagna-eaters: S/Feltwell, S/Sorenson, S/Johnston, S/Bitter, and E/Anderson. They were fun to have over. And then we get taught every week also by another set of sisters. We are assigned a role to play, and it is hard to be indifferent or inactive around these girls! But we are trying to do our part to prepare them.

Visitors and Letters

Sept. 1, Wednesday,
We have been here over four months. In some ways it seems longer, and my other life seems far away, sometimes. I have learned so much about church history, and the Prophet Joseph. Being here makes it all come alive, and strengthens my testimony. I hope to be like Jacob, chapter five, verse five: "wherefore, I could not be shaken."
We had some visitors the end of August. Mona Prestwich and her two sisters, Carol Lee and Delsa, were in town for a few days, and we got to see them several times in our sites and at Rendezvous. We invited them to dinner at our house on Sunday, and then another morning we met them for breakfast at G'pa John's Cafe.
We also were visited by Bruce and Layne Crockett. It is nice to see people we know and share the spirit of Nauvoo with them.
We love getting letters and mail, so here is a picture of our mail room. Sister Kirkman is posing for me. Another room in the building is the mission DI. Put anything in you don't want or can't use, and take anything that you do. There is always stuff coming and going in this room. I have found a few things to use while I am here!


Lynn Duce and Shari came during the first week in September to visit also. We had them over to dinner on a Sunday also, and then they took us to dinner at the Nauvoo Buffet the night before they left. I don't know why everyone insists on buying us a meal, but they do. We just enjoy spending time with friends.
Shari Duce was thrilled to know that we lived in the Simeon Dunn home, her ancestor. She signed the descendant book that is in our home.

Elder Anderson, A Shining Star

On August 29, Greg and I were asked to sing in church, but since I don't sing so well anymore, he got another Elder to sing, and I would play the piano. But then Elder Myers left town, so Elder Guymon, here with Greg, agreed to help. He is a good "practicer", so that made Greg practice a lot too, and so they did a really good job. They sang He Sent His Son, and had many compliments on how well it sounded. Greg has also been doing more crafts, and really enjoying it. He made an appointment with Betty Printy, from Iron and Lace in Bentonsport, to learn pottery. She was a good teacher, and he made two pots, very nicely done. She will fire them, and we will pick them up in September.


He got the urge to make a shawl for his teacher, so borrowed a loom and went to work. I coach him, and help with tricky parts, but he is doing it.
He also bought some wood carving tools, and is trying his hand at that. Maybe he will have some hobbies after all when we get home!

Serving in Carthage

Friday, August 27, 2010
We finally had the opportunity to serve for the day at Carthage. We have been looking forward to being assigned there. Our shift was from 1-7, so we waited all morning to go, and have been studying all week to learn the whole script. We greet the guests and then show an 18 minute movie. As we take those on our tour through the jail, more of the story unfolds, and the spirit grows. We walk through the summer kitchen and then into the jailor's living area. This is where Mrs. Stigall, the jailor's wife, was working when two shots were fired in her direction. She grabbed her two little girls from the bed and ran out the side door to hide.
The debtor's cell is where all ten men, some here to support the Prophet, spent the first night on the floor.
Upstairs is the dungeon room, where Willard Richard hid John Taylor under the straw, thereby saving him from bleeding to death. Finally, we take them into the martyrdom room, where the seven men spent the second night. Here is where Joseph gave his last prophecy to Dan Jones, that he would serve a mission in Wales, which he did, converting 6,000 people. It is also where John Fullmer and Joseph Smith talked about death, and Joseph expressed a desire to speak to his family and the Saints just one last time. After that night, those two men and Stephen Markham were sent away from the jail.
We then play a four minute tape of the events of this room, after which I have a chance to bear my testimony that Joseph and his brother Hyrum did seal their testimonies with their blood. Enemies thought the work would die when Joseph did, but there are now millions who revere him as a prophet. The Saints of Nauvoo did not retaliate, but continued to live the best they could.
The hours serving at Carthage flew by, and it was wonderful to be able to share this story.
Everyone who comes is visibly touched, member or not. We hope to be able to serve here again.

Nauvoo Sights in August

When we take little drives on our Preparation day, we see lots of fun things. Here is one more good barn quilt. Can you believe these flowers? They look like someone just pushed some fake flowers into the ground, but they really grow just like this. I wonder what they are?
The geese just love Nauvoo and they are constantly our companions, but I hear there is great hunting in the fall.
We love going into the Amish and Mennonite stores. This one is Zimmerman's in Rutledge. They are often just little country stores with a little bit of everything in them, and usually very inexpensive. Greg is constantly on the lookout for good pies. He has bought several.
This is Elder Storey and Greg after we had a meal at the Bonaparte Retreat on the Ohio River. They are dizzy from riding on the twirly toys.
And, of course, we can't help but take pictures of the temple. I was assigned to give a thought at preparation meeting about temples, so I talked about the scripture in Mosiah: which way does your tent face? Toward the temple?

Lots of Handwork

After the middle of August, things really slow down around Nauvoo. Sister Funk (left) asked me to show her how to do freezer paper applique, because she saw me working on it and wanted to learn. Several others also asked to join, so we held class on a free evening. There were seven of us, and they all made a sample block. Sister Hanson (center) made raisin filled cookies for the occasion. The fun part was that they were all so HAPPY and excited to learn all the little tricks and tools to make it easy. They all wanted good thread, so we called Dawn and ordered some.
Katie (left) is a young intern working at NRI, then Sisters Smith, Siddoway, and Leonard. And they insisted we needed another class, so we held one a couple of weeks later at Sister Smith's house with more coming as we can fit them in.

During the breaks in Rendezvous, several of the sisters crochet, so I thought I might as well join the crowd. Elder Andrus LOOKS like he is crocheting, but Sister Andrus is the pro.

But the mission knows better than to let all this work go to waste. Starting next month, they will encourage lots of humanitarian work throughout the winter, and boxes full of items will be taken to the church center in St. Louis.