Crump Crew in Nauvoo: September 2019

I usually work on our mission blog on Sunday evenings and sometimes I just plain run out of time. So I apologize for missing last week. There are plenty of pictures on this post to make up for it :o)

In thinking about this past week, I realize that if we had not extended our mission a couple of months we would be heading home on Tuesday. That’s a strange thing for me to wrap my head around. We see couples that were in our MTC group who are finishing their missions and it’s bittersweet. But I do know that there is a reason we are staying. Back in March we felt like it was what we were supposed to do and like Elder Holland said, “If it was right when you prayed about it and trusted it and lived for it, it is right now.” And so I have faith and trust in that knowledge.

A couple of things I have learned, or relearned, recently:

I love the temple. I love what it represents. It’s where our Heavenly Father offers us the greatest blessings he has available, his highest hopes for us. In the temple we learn life’s most valuable lessons. We learn about the extent of God’s love and how we can return to him. That is why we feel so close to him when we are in his house. It’s all about his love.

“The true key to happiness is to labor for the happiness of others.” – Sister Irion, Illinois Nauvoo Temple Matron

I love studying the Book of Mormon every day. It brings light to my day and helps me focus on the Savior and my purpose here. Like it says in Preach My Gospel, the Book of Mormon “answers the questions of the soul” and how grateful I am for that personal revelation.

The last two weeks we've had the chance to visit some historic places, which always makes Scott happy :0)

This was an amazing field trip that we took two weeks ago...
The Winston Churchill Museum in Fulton, Missouri.
Winston Churchill gave his famous "Iron Curtain" speech
here at Westminster College on March 5, 1946.

We went with Elder & Sister Flanders. They were just as
interested in the history as Scott was!

"Continuous effort – not strength or intelligence –
is the key to unlocking our potential."– Winston Churchill

A portion of the Berlin Wall stands in the plaza near the
church and museum.

Inside the beautiful Church of St. Mary they Virgin, Aldermanbury.
This church was originally built in 1181 in London, England and later
bombed during WWII. It was later disassembled, transported to Fulton,
Missouri and reconstructed in 1964 as a tribute to Winston Churchill.

Outside the "beautiful" Jefferson City, Missouri capitol Building.
Once it's renovated it will be beautiful.

Now, the INSIDE of the capitol building is amazingly beautiful!

An incredible floor to ceiling mural that recounts the history of the state of Missouri.

A section of that mural depicts the treatment of the "Mormons" in the
late 1830's. The tour guide said that it was a sad part of their state history.
We were amazed that that part of their history was even acknowledged.

District Council meeting with Elder & Sister Kidby and
Elder & Sister Robbins at the Parley Fire Pit.
It was a picture perfect evening.

Dinner with Elder & Sister Childers before they leave for home.
Missionaries come and go and it always tugs at my heartstrings.
Elder & Sister Green joined us as well...Elder Green is taking the picture :0)

Main Street on a foggy Nauvoo morning.

I love this place.

I believe this is Dan & Duke.
Mission companions in the ox yard.

This week we visited the birthplace of Ronald Reagan in
Tampico, Illinois. When you're married to a historian
there are always places to visit.

We had some great traveling companions...
Elder & Sister Thatcher and Elder & Sister Flanders.

I'm feeling a little midget-ish!

Ronald Reagan was born in a small apartment above this First National Bank.
The bank has been restored to what it was like in the early 1900's.
Elder Thatcher is wanting to make a large cash withdrawal :0)

The upstairs apartment where Reagan was born was surprisingly large
and filled with furniture, kitchenware, and pictures of the time.

Next we went on to Dixon, Illinois to visit Reagan's boyhood home.
"The time has come to turn to God and reassert our trust in Him for the healing
of America – our country is in need of and ready for a spiritual renewal."
– Ronald Reagan

I gained a greater appreciation for who Ronald Reagan was
as our President and what he represented.
"All great change in America begins at the dinner table."
– Ronald Reagan

The last stop on our field trip was in Grand Detour, Illinois...
the boyhood home of John Deere.

Scott & John...
two men with vision and drive :0)

The Blacksmith Shop at John Deere's home.

Once again there is beauty all around.
These pictures were taken by Elder Holt.

I hope I never tire of Nauvoo sunsets. They remind me of all that is right and good with the world. They remind me of how much our Heavenly Father loves us. He's even willing to share is artistic talent with us :0)

"Have I done any good in the world today?" We sang that song in church today. Sometimes I think of that question and wonder if I've made much of a difference. It’s easy to overlook the small and simple, the routine and regular, events in my life. In Mission Training this week President Lusvardi spoke about someone he and his companion happened to meet in Argentina when he was a young missionary. They shared a simple lesson taught on the porch of a home. That lesson eventually lead to generations of baptisms, missionary service and temple marriages. Could he have ever foreseen the impact that that one interaction would have? It may have seemed routine and regular to him at the time. But it has changed many lives, including his own.

You never know when someone

Will catch a dream from you.

You never know when a little word,

Or something you may do,

Will open up the window

Of a mind that seeks the light.

The way you live may not matter at all.

But then again, it might.

And just in case it could be

That another’s life, through you,

Might possibly change for the better,

With a broader and brighter view,

It seems it might be worth a try

At pointing the way to what’s right.

Of course, it may not matter at all.

But then again – it might.

I am grateful to have been richly blessed by the lives of others; by their examples of kindhearted service, the tender love and concern they share, and the heartfelt prayers they offer up to heaven. They do all of this without one thought of recognition or reward. They do it because they love the Savior. I so want to be like all of these people when I grow up!!

The six-horse hitch. A sight to behold.

It was fun to ride on the wagon and watch these six horses work as a team, especially as they rounded a corner, pulling together. Hmmm, I'm sure there's an object lesson in that somewhere :0)