God is Good!

God is good! His influence in my life is felt everywhere here, from the beautiful sunsets and wildlife, to dedicated missionaries, powerful temple covenants, and the love that fills every corner of this place.

There are times that I get so wrapped up in all that we are doing here; the planning, scheduling, taking care of missionary health concerns, housing, finances, and the myriad of other things, that I fail to remember the significance of where I am, the compelling stories of the early pioneers, and how Nauvoo can change lives.  I am grateful for visits from friends that put that all back into perspective.  The awe and wonder they experience while here are great reminders to me of what this is all about...the spirit of Nauvoo, which is the spirit of Christ.  

Missionary life for us continues to be very busy.  We thought that once we moved into performances with the fall cast, life would slow down a bit.  Definitely not so! We still have quite a few guests, so we have not cut back on any kind of activities.  And now we are moving into the application season for next year's Nauvoo Performing Missionaries, which adds a whole new dimension to the work.  But with all of that work, comes enormous blessings. We recognize that the little we offer to the Lord, He has magnified the blessings ten-fold. 

My birthday happened to be on Labor Day this year!  It was also our preparation day!  A double bonus.  To make it a triple bonus, I found out that one of my Nauvoo friends and I share a birthday.  Talmage, age 7, and I are Birthday Buddies!  WhooHoo!  His family invited us over for Birthday Breakfast and it was the most terrific way to begin a birthday!  They even made birthday cards that now hang in an honored place on our fridge 😊

Honestly!!?? 
I opened our van door yesterday afternoon and found 
this beauty...between the front and middle seats 🕷😳

We love hanging out with this bunch! Four teamster
couples that served with us in 2018-2019:
Swanson, Richards, Davies, and Flanders.



There was a Coordinating Council meeting held in Nauvoo last week. 
It consisted of about 14 stake presidents and their wives.  They were very good
sports as our Nauvoo Performing Missionaries taught them all the Virginia Reel!

Another Monday morning Preparation Day tour.  This time we went to 

the Stoddard Tin Shop and John Taylor's home.  We love our missionaries

and sharing the history of Nauvoo with them.  As usual, I could not give the tour of

John Taylor's home without gaining a greater testimony of his dedication to the prophet

Joseph Smith, the restored gospel and to our Savior Jesus Christ.  

We had the opportunity to visit Irene Tukuafu in her home.  She is a blessing to everyone 

as she shares her love of music, of the Savior, and of people in general.

A quiet misty morning.



These next few pictures are of our missionaries having lunch down in, what we call the Bistro.  It's in the basement of the Visitors' Center, and since it was torn apart a while ago for remodeling (hopefully completed sometime) there's basically just a cement floor, some tables and chairs, a microwave and two fridges.  Oh yes, it still has a piano!  It's where we hang out together a couple of days a week.

Missionaries: Garner, McGriff, Devey,
Thompson, Jenks, and Salway

Missionaries: Urry, Andersen, Hall, Schultz, and Hart

Missionaries: Atkinson, Hinton, Wheatley,
Hardin, Tibbitts, and Perkins

Missionaries: Holdcraft, Chamberlain,
Olson, and Adams

Fall...it's just beginning!

So, this is Elder Cottam as William Tell with a "mean" little sheriff volunteer, and
Sister Foote, who plays Elder Cottam's "son".  Elder Cottam uses humor and his mad
balloon skills to recount the story of William Tell.

Last preparation day we drove out to Bentonsport, Iowa.
This is the section of the Des Moines River that the refugees
from Nauvoo, led by Brigham Young, crossed in 1846.

After stopping in Bentonsport, we drove to Richardson's Point.  It's 

along the Mormon Pioneer Trail and has a small pioneer cemetery.  

The two people buried here are the first two saints to die in Brigham Young's 

vanguard company, that left Nauvoo in Feb. 1846; Edwin Little and James M. Tanner.  

This is a sacred space and we could feel that as we walked into the clearing where the cemetery was.  

This month we had lots of visitors! Heather, Jared, Rylen & Caysen Andersen came the middle of September, then Annie, Kelly, and Brady Earley were here for a few days, then this past week Dick and Charlotte Hill were able to visit.  We loved having them all here!! Scott is the ultimate Nauvoo missionary and tour guide.  He understands the people who lived here and their stories.  And he loves to share!  

Annie, Kelly, and Brady Earley 💕

Dick & Charlotte Hill 💕

The Andersens provided lunch for our missionaries! 💕

One of missionary performances that the kids just love is 
Be Your Own Hero.  

One of the casts for Be Your Own Hero: Sister Andersen, Elder Hinton,
Sister Schultz, Sister Erickson, Sister McCarthy, Elder Perkins,
Elder Salway, Elder Thompson, and Sister Wheatley.

Sister Foote as Just Plain Anna Amanda
and Elder Perkins as Grandpa

Sister Erickson, Sister Schultz, and 
Sister Foote.

"All things are mine, since I am His.  How can I keep from singing?"
(Photo: Wendy Flanders)

Exhaustingly Exhilarating!

I never tire of Nauvoo Sunsets.

Wow! It's almost the end of August... that means we only have two months left to serve here.  It seems that the days are filled to the brim, even overflowing, and the weeks fly by.  Trying to keep up on posting on this blog is a stressful thing for me.  As one can see by the number of posts that I have made, I'm obviously not doing so great.  However, there are so many wonderful experiences we are having and amazing people that we rub shoulders with, that I want to share just a glimpse of it all. 

In the middle of July, the fall cast of Young Performing Missionaries (now referred to as Nauvoo Performing Missionaries) arrived and began the monumental task of learning music, choreography, scripts, and performance blocking.  I am always amazed at how the spirit literally magnifies their talents and makes so much more out of these missionaries than even they can imagine. Rehearsals are grueling.  Some lose their voices, develop painful shin splints and swollen knees, and many are emotionally spent.  Yet our Heavenly Father blesses them to carry on and push through each day.  They lift and serve each other. It is a blessing to be among them.

On Aug. 11th, our summer cast of performing missionaries returned home. I love them all so much, collectively and individually.  They have given their all to this work and I know they will be richly blessed because of it.  I have told them, just like I tell my own children, "You give Heavenly Father your best and He will give you His best."  We can't even begin to comprehend what His best is for them.  It'll be spectacular.

Our purpose here in Nauvoo is very different from our last Nauvoo mission.  This time we spend our days helping the Nauvoo Performing Missionary program run smoothly, taking care of all of the little details for the leaders, the missionaries, and the guests who come.  It's busy, but a blessing to serve.  You know the story of Mary and Martha, when the Savior visits their home.  Martha went about making sure everything was taken care of and Mary sat at the feet of the Savior.  Most people talk about the idea that Mary focused on what was most important, the Savior.  One day, Sister Rasband was looking at the large painting of Mary and Martha that hangs in the Provo MTC.  Others, who were gathered there, commented on this very same idea...we should all be more like Mary, and less like Martha.  I love Sister Rasband's reply at that moment.  She said that sometimes she likes to be Martha, so that others can have a Mary experience.  I have thought a lot about her comment and feel like that is what we do here.  We prepare all of the details so that the missionaries, and those who visit, can feel the love the Savior has for them and have a "Mary" experience.  We love taking care of the missionaries and hope that, somewhere along the way, they understand that the reason we do what we do is because we love Christ and we love them.  We love Nauvoo, this great work we are involved in of gathering, serving, learning and sharing. 

What follows is a very random picture overload...

Summer Cast

Leaders: John & Chante Stutznegger with children Teson and Xander, Cristian Torres,
Dianne Ingram, Debbie & Cory Sackett, Teri & Dennis Crockett,
Desiree & Scott Crump, Stephanie & Mike Cottam, Ruth & Carl Jones
Second Row: Emma Leishman, Ruth Howe, Katie Talbot, Brooke Nielsen, Danna Facer,
Madison Franklin, Pyper Foote, Brante Copling, Abigail Storm,
Angela Whiting, Jenna Urry, MacKenzie Jeppesen, Kate Nysetvold.
Third Row: Lydia Mueller, Makayla Hunter, Sara McGriff, Abby Derrick, Lily Stay, Bethany Fox, Rebecca Miess, Celina Adams, Kassidy Magleby, Dianna Black, Haley Reed,
Rachel Fonseca, Melissa Ault, Sadie Webster, and Emilie Garner. 
Fourth Row: Sam West, Jacob Kropf, Manny Gutierrez, Chance Anderson, Joseph Grooms,
David Chandler, Luke Urry, Nick Peterson, Matt Peterson, James Handy,
Fifth Row: Joseph Isaacson, Joseph Thompson, Braden Eddington, Tanner Perkins,
Michael Ferrier, Josh Fenwick, Scott Young, Kyle Atkinson, Caleb Mousley,
Nathan Holbrook, Tyler McQuiston, and Nate Hart.

                              

It's Polka Dot Thursday!
Debbie Sackett, Teri Crockett, Someone, and Dianne Ingram

Baby Bambi at the Brickyard

...and Thumper at the Temple 🐇

Scott loves to share the history of Nauvoo with the missionaries.
One Sunday, after church, we took time to go to the
Old Pioneer Cemetery.  

I love this view of the Mississippi River
lined with American Lotus plants.

A Preparation Day field trip to the Lucy Mack Smith home.

And then off to Sarah Granger Kimball's home.  We just love it
when the missionaries are so interested in the history of this
amazing place they are serving in.

On one of our Preparation Days we went to the National Cemetery 
in Keokuk, Iowa.  Some of these headstones date back to the Civil War.
I feel like it really is sacred ground that we are walking on.

That same Preparation Day we took a little Mississippi River boat ride.
It was fun to go through the Keokuk Lock and see how the whole
process works.  We ended up being on the boat with a
"boatload" of other senior missionaries 😉

I only serve as comic relief in the Nauvoo Brass Band.
Sister Jeppesen and Sister Webster are the reason for this photo!

I love this picture from "Grandma's Feather Bed" during
Sunset By the Mississippi.  Sister Leishman is about five feet tall
and Elder Young is six foot something.  This just cracks me up! 😂

Along the Trail of Hope, Elder M. Peterson and
Sister Andersen portray George A. and Bathsheba Smith.
I love both of these missionaries and their willingness to
do all that their Heavenly Father asks of them, and more.

 

Yes.  That's correct;
It's 9:00 at night, the temperature is 84 degrees. 
The humidity is 91%, which makes it feel like it's 99 degrees.

 

It takes a village to prepare smoked brisket for our performing missionaries.
Elder Brown, Elder Bowman, and his brother, Elder Bowman 😉 were so gracious
to help us get ready for our missionary dinner.  These senior missionaries, and their
wives take care of us so amazingly well and we love them!

Just a beautiful evening, out by the barn with the Percherons.

One of Scott's favorite things in the world when we travel to
Ft. Madison...the old swing bridge turns so the barges can
pass underneath and we get "barged".

Another history trip, this time to the Stoddard Tin Shop.

Playing the part 😊

Elders Atkinson, Hart, McQuiston, Peterson, and Chandler 💕

One of the Summer Casts of Be Your Own Hero:
Front: Emma Leishman, Matt Peterson, and Nick Peterson
Back: Brante Copling, Nate Hart, Lily Stay, Nathan Holbrook,
Tanner Perkins, Danna Facer, and Kassidy Magleby

We love this group soooo much! 💕

One thing we love to do is have dinner with the YPM leaders: 
Cory & Debbie Sackett, Dianne Ingram, Teri & Dennis Crockett,
Cristian Torres, Mike & Stephanie Cottam, and Ruth & Carl Jones.
Scott is the one taking the picture 😉

Down in the Bistro of the Visitors' Center, feeding the
missionaries with Elder Crockett and Sister Ingram.

Nothing like dinner in the Bistro.

The FM grounds crew does an amazing job beautifying Nauvoo.

The garden area behind Lyon Drug.

It has been a tender mercy to be able to attend the temple with our
missionaries as they go for the first time to receive their own endowment.

With Elder & Sister Crockett 💖

The most recent tour Scott has given...this one at Browning Gun: 
Sisters (left to right): Hannah Mathews, Abigail Atkinson, Jenna Urry, Allegra
Erickson, Pyper Foote, Hailey McCarthy, Molly Trujillo, Rachel Andelin,
Madisen Andersen, Karli Wheatley, and Karen Schultz.  Elders: Christian Devey, 
Wyatt Halley, Dallin Salway, Luke Urry, Tanner Perkins, and Nick Peterson.

We had a surprise visit from Larry & Karen Dunn.
We loved being their tour guides for an afternoon.
Sharing Nauvoo with friends is one of our favorite 
parts of serving here.  

In front of the restored Orson Hyde home.

Fall Cast

Front Row: Tekoah Chamberlain, Hannah Mathews, Hailey McCarthy, Allegra Erickson,
Pyper Foote, Sarah Olson, Abigail Atkinson, and Rachel Andelin
Second Row: Molly Trujillo, Karli Wheatley, Sara McGriff, Madisen Andersen, Celina Adams,
Emilie Garner, Jenna Urry, Lydia Mueller
Third Row: Lynn Hall, Nick Peterson, Matt Peterson, Luke Urry, Kyle Hardin, Nephi Sorenson,
Dallin Salway, Christian Devey, Garret Hinton
Fourth Row: Caleb Tibbitts, Nate Hart, Nathan Holbrook, Joseph Robinson, Tanner Perkins,
Joseph Thompson, Jacob Kropf, and Wyatt Halley.