Christmas Week...

It has been a great Christmas week!  What a wonderful time to celebrate our Savior and REMEMBER Him!  

Missing family on Christmas is a bit rough, but with Facetime it makes it easier.  I think Facetime was created for senior missionaries :0)  Christmas morning Scott and I went to Mass at the Cathedral here in Nauvoo .  The sermon that was given was very nice and gave me a lot to think about in regards to where, when and how I am able to feel the Savior's love.  Later in the morning we were able to Facetime the kids before they headed off to various family gatherings.  It was so awesome just to see them all together.  Made this mom heart happy!

All of the Historic Sites were closed on Christmas Day so Scott did a little private tour of the Blacksmith Shop and Brickyard for the family of one of our missionary friends, the Robisons.  He loves doing stuff like that, sharing the stories of the pioneers and demonstrating the skills they had.  Later, we went to the Robison’s home for Christmas dinner with their family and another couple, the Mensels.  Sharing the time with friends made missing family less painful. 

Earlier in the week, on Sunday, President and Sister Lusvardi had a Mission Christmas Open House so they could share some time with the missionaries.  Each zone had a window of time to visit. It was fun to be with missionary friends in a warm, relaxing atmosphere.

Because of the holidays, we have had quite a few more visitors than usual.  It is great to have people visit in the off season and feel the peace and serenity that’s here. The summer can be crazy busy, but now there’s time to slow down and soak it all in. 

Reading the story this week of the first Nativity,  I've thought a bit about gifts; gifts we receive and gifts we give.  I can't adequately describe how full my heart is when I think of all that I have received from my Heavenly Father.  He blesses me each day with so many tender mercies.  I could make a very long list of the gifts I have received, but here are just a few; the love of our Savior and the Atonement that goes hand in hand with it, the opportunity to serve Him as His missionary, the blessing of being a wife and mother, a testimony of prophets, both past and present, and a heart full of gratitude for all of these gifts.  And what about the gifts I give?  Two questions I want to ask myself every day...Do I give my love freely and hold nothing back?  Do I give willingly of my time to bless others and lighten their burdens just a bit?  I want to do better at giving, giving as our Savior gave. 

Here are just a few pictures from this Christmas week...

At the Christmas Open House

President Lusvardi loves to play the piano,
and we love it when he does :0)

Some of the women in our zone...
L to R (back) Davies, Jensen, Flanders, Lusvardi, Whiting, Schmitt, Mensel
(front) Williams, Crump, Christensen, Thacker

President and Sister Lusvardi

Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral in Nauvoo
where we attended Christmas morning Mass.

The cathedral has some beautiful stained glass.

A Quick Trip North

This week was much different than our regular missionary weeks.  On Tuesday morning we drove up to Minneapolis so that Scott could get new hearing aids to replace the ones that got crushed.  On Wednesday he met with the people at the Starkey Center of Excellence (I spent an hour at the Mall of America), and we attended the St. Paul, Minnesota Temple in the evening.  What a blessing it is to feel the peace that the temple provides.  We have missed it so much since the Nauvoo Temple closed for three months beginning in September. Our drive up to Minneapolis and back took us by way of Waterloo, Iowa so we stopped on the way up to see the Sullivan Brothers Iowa Veterans Museum.  It was a fascinating look at WWII and the impact the war had on families, in particular the five Sullivan brothers who were all killed on a ship in the Pacific.  They were known as the "Fighting Sullivans".  The museum gave me more of an appreciation for the dedication and sacrifice of those who served during that time.  Then, on our way back home, we stopped again in Waterloo for a bit to see the John Deere Tractor and Engine Museum.  There is just so much to learn every single day.

The Monday before we left for Minneapolis we had a special Mission Training with Elder Steven E. Snow.  He is the Church Historian and Recorder.  He had some fascinating things to say about the direction the Church is going, the constant inspiration that President Nelson receives, the blessing of having the Joseph Smith Papers and the book Saints, and the significance of Nauvoo in Church history.  Here are a few thoughts that I felt were particularly important:

• This is an inspired work.
• The changes are guided by the hand of the Lord and He will not let it fail.
• The Church is mindful of these sacred places.
• People come to Nauvoo and their hearts are changed.
• Joseph Smith indeed was THE prophet of the Restoration. Sacred ordinances were restored here and that is significant.
• Elder Snow recounted a story of Charles Brown, son of Hugh B. Brown.  I think he said that Charles was a new bishop at the time and wanted to meet with the young couples to give them some counsel.  He thought he'd give his dad a call and see what profound things he had to share.  When Charles asked his father what he thought the most important thing was he should tell these young people, Hugh B. Brown said two things...Tell them it's true and tell them it's worth it.

The whole meeting was uplifting, but to me, Elder Brown's counsel was the best.

Sunday morning I finished reading the Book of Mormon like President Nelson asked us to do back in October, marking every reference to the Savior.  I am grateful for that invitation from the prophet.  It has helped me recognize the Savior every day, everywhere, in every circumstance, and to try to be more like Him. I am grateful for the constant power of the Book of Mormon in my life.  I am grateful that our Heavenly Father loves us so much that He gave us the Book of Mormon as a daily aid to help us return to Him.  I know it’s all true.  And I know it’s worth it :0)

A few pictures from the week:

Special Mission Training - President Lusvardi introduces our guests.

Elder Steven E. Snow - Church Historian and Recorder

Ben Pykles - Historic Sites Curator

Gary Boatright - Operations Manager Historic Sites

Sullivan Brothers Iowa Veterans' Museum,
Waterloo, Iowa

The "Fighting Sullivans" at the Iowa Veterans' Museum.

Learning more about the events of WWII.

For my children's sake, I couldn't resist taking a picture at
the Lego store at the Mall of America.

What a blessing to be able to go to the St. Paul Temple!

At the John Deere Tractor and Engine Museum, Waterloo, Iowa.
John Deere stuff is everywhere in the mid-west :0)

The whole reason we went to Minneapolis...so Scott could get his new
hearing aids at the Starkey Center of Excellence.

I received some beautiful Christmas flowers
from an awesome friend!!