Week 5 Highlights

As we left you last week, we were on our way to a fireside where they were going to show photographs taken around Nauvoo in the 1800’s. I guess we were expecting photos taken before and immediately after the time the Saints left for Salt Lake. Instead, the photos were of Nauvoo from the late 1800’s – after the Saints had left. They showed the buildings that had been built in what is now the downtown area of Nauvoo, many of which are still standing. It was very interesting. We also learned about some of the prominent residents of Nauvoo just before and after the turn of the century. It was presented by the Nauvoo historical society in a very old theater behind Grandpa John’s restaurant.

We have been blessed again this week with some wonderful thunderstorms. Very noisy. Then, the next morning, it can be beautiful and sunny. Other times we have been able to wake up to the thunder. It’s easy to see why it is so green here.

We were given a temple cleaning assignment for this past Tuesday night. The assignment was for 8:00pm to 10:00pm and just happened to be on one of the days that we had the early shift, and was followed by the other day that we have the early shift. It made for a particularly long day. But it was very interesting to be in the temple after it is closed and to vacuum and dust and clean when the temple is so quiet. We enjoyed it and will have that same opportunity only one more time before we leave.

This week we took in some more of the historic Nauvoo sites:
- The Heber C. Kimball home – a very nice home which he completed and was able to move in and enjoy with his family for a full four months before they were forced to leave and head west. It really makes you stop and think about what they went through.
- The Carriage ride – This is a very nice trip on a large carriage (about 25 people) that goes out of town and takes you past some of the outlying farms. They tell about the people who lived there and tell of the part they played in Nauvoo. The ride takes you through some beautiful areas that are on the north side of Nauvoo where Joseph loved to ride.
- The Wagon ride – The wagon ride looks very much like the carriage ride, but takes you around the “flats” and shows you a lot of the places that have been restored (and where you can go back and take little tours to go inside and learn about who lived or worked there). It also takes you over to the area that is owned by the Community of Christ church (formerly the Reorganized Church) to drive past the red brick store, the mansion house, the graves of Joseph, Hyrum and Emma and some other very important sites from the Nauvoo era. We haven’t taken the tours of any of those buildings yet, but plan on doing it very soon.

The temple is getting busier almost every day. Earlier in the week we got to help a couple who were from Washington and Iowa who had come to be married, then yesterday, we helped a family who had come to have their children sealed to them. They had twins – a boy and a girl who were 16. It was neat to help them through their time in the temple.

We are really thankful to be able to be here serving in the Nauvoo temple. Some days we are more tired than others, but we’re still thankful to be here.

All is well,

Love,
Mom & Dad / Granny & Grandpa