Another winter week...

This is a picture taken by Elder Cornwell...the barns on the
north end of Partridge Street where the horses are kept.

Weather report: still cold.  It's the "feel like" temperature that's the killer.  The morning temp can be around 16 degrees, but the "feels like" temperature is well below zero.  But it's all good.  It makes me grateful for a heated home and warm coat.  It also adds to my admiration for the saints who lived here in the 1840s...without the luxury of a heated home or warm coat.

This has been a week of changes in the mission presidency.  President Williams was released as the first counselor in the mission presidency and Elder Munns was called to serve as second counselor.  President Thatcher moved from second to first counselor.  President and Sister Williams have been asked to serve in Carthage the last six weeks of their mission.  So there are changes, as always in the church.  But I do know that our mission is guided by inspiration and am excited to be a part of it all.

I have had overwhelming feelings of love this week. Love for my family, friends, our fellow missionaries, and the Savior.  I am so blessed to be a part of our family and I love each one of them so much.  I am grateful that they look out for each other while we are serving here.  I love our friends who do so much to support us and take care of our family while we're gone.   I love the missionaries I serve with.  I look at them and know a little of the hardships they have faced in their lives and they are amazing examples of having continued faithful through their trials.  And I love my Savior.  Each day that I serve Him I come to love Him more.  I see all that He has provided for us because He loves us and wants us to have the opportunity to return to our Heavenly Father.  All that he does for us is because of love.

I have been thinking a lot about the third verse of one of my favorite hymns.  It just has important meaning to me:

Oh, love effulgent, love divine.

What debt of gratitude is mine.

That in His offering I have part,

And hold a place within His heart.

The amazing sisters I work with in the mission office:
Sister Holt, Sister Williams, Sister Cornwell,
Sister Swanson and Sister Robison.

Just a moonlit night.

Giving a tour at Carthage in the room where
Joseph and Hyrum were killed.

A chilly day in Carthage.  But we love serving there.

Game night with the Bramwells and Weldons.
We were all laughing at Scott attempting to take a selfie :0)

One of my favorite places for a picture.

Our Brigham Young District...
The Flanders and Dares.

So much to learn.

Picture by Sister Schmidt

The days in Nauvoo are quiet but it’s a bonus time to learn, study and serve in ways we typically don’t have the opportunity to. I love to learn more about the history of the church here in Nauvoo and the lives of the people.  I continue to stand in awe of their total dedication to God, His plan, His church and His prophet.  There were leaders like Joseph Smith, Brigham Young, John Taylor, and Wilford Woodruff.  But there were others who also had tremendous stories of love for the Lord; saints like Lucius Scovil, William Warner Player,  Jacob Huffman, and Sarah Granger Kimball.  I have tried to learn about each of them and their families.  They really had one focus; to dedicate themselves to creating a Zion society, which included building the temple.  No amount of hardship or hard work could keep them from giving their all.  I feel like there is so much I can learn from their single-mindedness, their spiritual strength and  their sacrifice. Am I willing to give as they gave?  It's a question I ask myself every day.  I know I signed up for this missionary service. But am I holding anything back? 

This week was our Stake Conference and Elder Sexton of the Seventy was our visiting General Authority.  He taught a lot of concepts in the Saturday night meeting and Sunday general meeting, but what stood out most for me was his testimony of who Russell M. Nelson is, the prophet of God on the earth today.  He taught that as a "prophet, seer and revelator" President Nelson sees things that we cannot see and it is crucial that we follow his counsel.  With each invitation to act President Nelson has promised a blessing, even miracles.  He promises that, as we are in the temple on a regular basis and making a study of the Book of Mormon a daily occurrence, we will receive personal revelation and "the Lord will bring miracles He knows you need...".  Do we want miracles in our lives? Study the Book of Mormon and make regular temple attendance a priority.  That sounds simple enough.  It's certainly worth putting it to the test!

This week on Valentine's Day we got to ride around Nauvoo in the surrey.  After a number of below zero temperature days the weather was beautiful!

Taking a ride on the Valentine Surrey.

Invitations and Blessings...

What a weird weather week it has been.  It was raining at the beginning of the week and then the temperatures plummeted to well below zero.  This caused freezing rain and a layer of ice on almost everything; our front and back stairs, the van, the roads and every walkway. The historic sites were closed off and on throughout the week.  All of this just added to my admiration for the pioneers who endured this kind of weather continuously.

So because we spent more time at home this week than usual and didn't go out and do anything, I had more time to study, learn and do a little pondering.  This week's post is a bit more philosophical than usual.  So for what it's worth, here are my ponderings this week...

On Wednesday night we had Mission Training and President Lusvardi wanted us to learn from the teaching style of President Nelson and other members of the Twelve.  We talked about invitations and promises.  If you go back and read talks given by President Nelson he always invites and promises.  Sometimes he gives a brief personal experience.  But always an invitation and a promise.  We discussed how we can use that same technique as we teach in the historic sites and other places.    So, as a result of that training, everything I read now I think of it in terms of invitations and promises.  Today the Sunday Relief Society lesson was taken from Elder Rasband’s talk from October General Conference, “Be Not Troubled”.  It’s a great talk about walking the covenant path, trusting in the Lord, doing your part, and centering our thoughts on Christ.  All of this to help us "be not troubled."  I made a list of over 20 invitations and promises that Elder Rasband gave.  As I looked at that list I thought, ‘And now what?  That’s a lot of stuff!”  Then I looked at the list again and realized that there was one invitation that he mentioned that really covered all of the rest.  “Center our thoughts on Jesus Christ.”  That’s it.  That’s really the key to everything else.  Now I know that’s not a novel concept.  We are told to “look unto me in every thought, doubt not, fear not.” And “…talk of Christ, rejoice in Christ, preach of Christ…”. But, in reality, if I center my thoughts on Christ, then EVERYTHING else falls into place.  I am in holy places, I have love and charity, and I am serving.  I  am seeking, obedient, humble, believing, and trusting.  So now my next question to myself was ‘How do I do that? How do I center my thoughts on Christ?’ Elder Rasband mentions being in holy places, like the temple and serving.  I also know that if I immerse myself in the scriptures, especially the Book of Mormon, it’s so much easier to think on Christ.  The promises Elder Rasband made to us if we do follow his invitations include surviving spiritually, having fear dispelled, finding answers, feeling God's love, receiving heavenly help, and receiving personal revelation.  Aren't those all blessings  and promises we each are seeking?

This whole idea of invitations and blessings is very intriguing to me.  I think that no matter what I want to enjoy in this life, there is an invitation and a promise for it.  As I sat in sacrament meeting this morning I paid close attention to the hymns we sang.  Yep, there they were, invitations and promises.  I studied my patriarchal blessing, more invitations and promises.  I thought about the temple covenants I have made.  There they were again.  Invitations and promises.  Not to belabor the point but, maybe that’s not just how President Nelson teaches, maybe that’s the pattern of our Heavenly Father.  Not maybe, it is. He wants to bless us so he invites us to follow Him and promises incredibly amazing things if we do.

So, my invitation to you is to pay closer attention to every invitation and promise that comes your way; in Conference talks, scriptures, music, your own patriarchal blessing, Sunday lessons, and other inspired counsel from leaders, then act on those invitations, and as you do the promises that were made will be fulfilled.  I have seen it happen throughout my life.  Those who give God their best receive the best He has to offer.

And that's my rambling for the week :0)

Rain and then temps well below zero created a layer of
ice all over everything, including the van.

The roads look wet but it's actually
a sheet of ice.  This is when I'm
grateful for my ice cleats.

Scott and I had the chance to serve
together at Heber C. Kimball's home. 
He's our next door neighbor :0)