Wow! Here it is Sunday again. So much happens every day and we go
home thoroughly exhausted. There is just a lot to learn about the history of
Nauvoo and the information about the sites we serve in. But it's all good :0)
Monday we were in the Family Living Center. It’s a barnlike
building where someone can learn all about skills that the pioneers used when
they were here in Nauvoo. We teach about spinning yarn, baking
bread, dipping candles, weaving, making rope, pottery and barrel
making. That particular Monday I made bread that we baked in a brick
bustle oven. Scott was one of the ones who helped build the
fire. It took forever to mix up and knead that much
dough. But in the end I had 8 pretty nice looking loaves of great
tasting bread. It’s just such a long process. I can’t imagine being
a pioneer mom and doing that a couple of times a week. I also taught
about spinning wool and candle making. This is why we have so much to
learn!
Our Pday is on Wednesday right now and it's really like a Saturday
at home. It's the day we try to get caught up on life. This week
though we drove down to Quincy and went to the History Museum and learned
about how the Quincy residents took in the Mormon refugees as they were fleeing
Missouri in 1839-1840. They provided food, shelter, clothing and often
times jobs to the saints. The town of 1600 people took in over 6,000
people in a three month period. It's a fascinating story and heart
warming to learn about the people who took care of the saints instead of
persecuting them.
On Wednesday night we had Mission Training Meeting. Pres.
Lusvardi is an amazing man. He has a way of teaching that pulls everyone
in and leaves everyone wanting more. He told us about his recent meeting
in Salt Lake with members of the Twelve and how there’s just such a sense of
urgency and positive energy for the future. He wanted to convey to us
that there is so much that we need to be doing and the temple should play a
major role in that. There will be fewer churches built and more temples,
and changes that will allow us more time in the temple.
I spent a little bit of time over at Pioneer Pastimes this
week. It’s a place that has about 15 different pioneer games for the
kids to try out. Kids just come and go as they like and can do the
activities in any order. Scott and I were assigned to be the
assistant site coordinators so I thought I’d better learn a bit about
it. It’s actually just like a big cub scout pack meeting on steroids
:0)
I've thought a bit about what I've already learned here in two
weeks and the things that I always want to remember:
- The beauty of
the Nauvoo Temple, at sunrise and sunset especially. It has been closed
since we arrived but will open back up this week so we are excited to go.
- The kindness and
helpfulness of the other missionaries is amazing.
- Everyone has a
life story to tell; some heartbreak and lots of triumphs.
- I need to
repent, be more humble and step up my game.
- The spring
flowers are beautiful, especially the white and pink magnolia trees.
- On my walk
through Nauvoo State park I have seen squirrels, raccoons, rabbits, red
cardinals and woodpeckers.
- The spirit of
Nauvoo is hard to put into words, but touches my heart.
Have a grateful day!
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| The white magnolia tree outside our back door. |
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| It's not hard to see the temple from anywhere in Nauvoo right now since the trees haven't leafed out yet. |
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| Scott's practicing his barrel making skills at the Family Living Center. |
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| Preparing to make rope. |
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| Getting ready to make 8 loaves of bread in a massive bowl... yes, wearing gloves and a beautiful hair net :0) |
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| The fireplace with the side brick oven where I baked the bread. |
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| The bread was actually edible. |
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| The wagon ride around old Nauvoo. |
