Ahhh, we just love this place...

Even though we have only been here in Nauvoo for a little over a month, there are things I hope never become common place to me and I stop noticing them:

·      The constant sounds of birds calling loudly to one another.

·      Squirrels scampering across the grass and up the trees.

·      Orioles, cardinals, blue jays and woodpeckers.

·      Racoons getting into our garbage at night.

·      Spring magnolia trees in full bloom.

·      Fireflies glowing in the evenings.

·      Feeling the cool, humid air in the mornings.

·      The bright, beautiful sunsets on the Mississippi almost every evening.

·      Barges traveling up and down the Mississippi River.

·      Waiting on the Fort Madison swing bridge for a barge to pass through.

·      Living in an 1843 pioneer home.

·      The view of the Nauvoo temple from everywhere in town.

·      The feeling of love from the other senior missionary couples.

·      The peaceful feeling when I walk into the Visitor Canter.

·      Hearing the Nauvoo bell ring every hour.

·      The feeling of amazement at what the Nauvoo saints accomplished, their ingenuity and complete dedication to the gospel and the Savior.

Here in the mission we have the “Opportunity” to receive three Golden Tickets.  Now, initially that may sound like something right out of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and you’d wait anxiously to receive those Golden tickets.  Well, we do wait anxiously to receive them.  But not for the reason you may think.  One ticket is the assignment to speak in Sacrament Meeting, one to teach Sunday School and one to teach Relief Society/Priesthood.  So, Scott and I received our first Golden Ticket this past week and we will be teaching Sunday School next week on the Reign of the Judges :0)  The scary part is that the Sunday School class includes the entire mission, about 220 people! It’s hard to teach a lesson in an auditorium and not make it a lecture.  So, we have our work cut out for us.

This week Scott served for the first time in the Blacksmith shop.  It didn’t take him long to perfect the making of the mini horseshoes they hand out to guests.  He comes home each day covered in black coal and smells like the fire in the forge.  But he’s loving it.  Some people dream of working in the blacksmith shop in Nauvoo and he has the unique opportunity to actually do it.  This coming week he’ll be in the Brickyard learning to make the Nauvoo bricks, so we’ll see how that goes. 

I was at the Lyon Drug Store, Pendleton Log School and at Pioneer Pastimes this week.  I enjoy Pioneer Pastimes for three reasons; I don’t have to wear my slip or apron and I can roll up my sleeves because it’s so hot, I get to hang out with Scott while we serve there, and I love to watch the kids be totally enthralled with the simple pioneer games like stilts, tug-o-war, stick pull and the climbing bears.  No video games here!

When we arrived here in April the Nauvoo Temple had just closed for cleaning so this week we finally had the chance to go do an endowment session.  Can I just say what a blessing it is to be able to sit in the temple and feel the Savior’s love and the peace that His love brings?! I love being in the temple.

What a twist of events this year because our children got to Skype US for Mothers’ Day!  The internet here leaves a lot to be desired, so we had to Skype Zachary separately since he’s in Montana for the summer, but it made my heart happy to see all of their faces and talk to them.  I can add modern technology to my gratitude list :0)

I don’t know about you, but I think a picture really is worth a thousand words.  So I think I’ll share lots of pictures this week.

Where we have Pioneer Pastimes.

In front of the Visitor Center

Next to the Lyon Drug store

The herb garden at Lyon Drug.

More herbs.

Slaving away at the Blacksmith Shop.

Our first visitor!!  Ben Spence was working about two hours away
and decided to come to see Nauvoo with his work buddy. 
While he was driving down the road he saw our van and called
his mom, Jane, to see if we were really here.  It was so
great to spend some time with him!

Here are the pictures from President Nelson’s visit last week!

Elder Ballard, Sister & President Nelson, President & Sister Irion (He is the Nauvoo Temple President and she is President Nelson's daughter), and Sheri Dew.  President & Sister Lusvardi are in the back photobombing their picture.

This is pretty much all of the missionaries in our mission:
Young Sister Missionaries, Young Performing Missionaries
and the Senior Missionaries.  We are in the top right corner (Scott is wearing a
tan-ish shirt and black vest and my head is barely visible to the left of him.)