The Final Chapter

Here we go…the final chapter of our mission.  It all came to an end on Thursday, Dec. 19^th.  We drove away in the morning and took one last drive along Main Street, down Parley and to the Mississippi River.  Words cannot describe how we felt as we took a final look at our home for the last 20 months.  To say we loved our service in Nauvoo would be a definite understatement.  A piece of our hearts will always remain in there and we will forever be grateful that our Heavenly Father allowed us the gift of serving in Nauvoo. 

The week prior to our departure we tried to take in every opportunity that came our way to serve and spend time with the amazing missionaries in the Illinois Nauvoo Mission. 

Scott's favorite hangout, the Browning Gun Shop.
He spent over a year as the site coordinator.

His last day at Browning was with Elder Kidby, the new site coordinator.

Scott's final day at the Blacksmith Shop was spent with Elder Jensen.

He actually became pretty proficient at making miniature
horseshoes. I remember his first attempt.  It was pretty scary!

And the making of his last bricks at the Brickyard.

The "Drink Man" - Elder Fred Mullins from Muscatine, IA
He's a Nauvoo Temple missionary and every Thursday he would make
a stop at each site in Historic Nauvoo and offer the missionaries drinks
and sometimes he'd have a special treat to share.  The one thing we quickly
learned was that it was not acceptable to tell the Drink Man thank you.  So
we had to find creative ways to express our appreciation.  What a blessing he
has been to the missionaries who serve here.

A final lunch with the sister missionaries I served with in the mission office.
I love each of these women and learned from them what it means to serve
God with your whole heart and soul.  From front left around the table to the right:
Sisters Lusvardi, Munoa, Mecham, Swanson, Jensen Quirl, Robertson and Bingham.

On our last Sunday in Nauvoo we shared the day with members of the
Community of Christ (formerly the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ
of Latter-day Saints). They presented the Nativity and all in attendance were
invited to participate.  I volunteered to be Mary, along with two other women.
So we had three Marys and three Josephs, along with a host of other participants...
angels, donkeys, sheep, cows, and lots of stars.

With Elder Cornwell at the Seventies Hall decked out for Christmas.

We had a wonderful evening with President and Sister Lusvardi at
a delicious Italian restaurant.  It was a blessing to serve under the
leadership of the Lusvardis.  We learned to look at the gospel with new
eyes, sing the hymns of Zion with all our hearts,  give our all to the Lord,
and pay close attention to President Nelson and "prophetic priorities".

I love Nauvoo decorated for Christmas. Makes my heart happy.

Browning Gun

Print Shop, John Taylor, and the Post Office

John Taylor's home

The Nativity scene set up in the Nauvoo Visitors' Center.

It adds to the spirit of Christmas that always seems to 

be present in Nauvoo, year round.

One of our favorite wintertime activities...horse drawn sleigh rides!

With Elder & Sister Scott as sleigh riding partners, 

Elder Swanson and Elder Draney take us for a ride.

 Scott and I had our exit interview with President & Sister Lusvardi
on our last Sunday in the mission. We met with them in his mission office.

Our last morning, Dec. 19, 2019, on the porch of the 

Winslow Farr home that we lived in for our entire mission.

Driving down Parley Street we took one last look back 

at the temple. And to think this was the same view

the early pioneers had as they were driven from Nauvoo,

crossed the Mississippi River and headed west.

 The river had large chunks of ice but the weather was too
warm for it to freeze solid. 

A beautiful last look at the Mississippi River...

 We made it home on the 21st after a long three day drive.
The roads were pretty clear all of the way and no major storms to worry about.

Scott's sister Cindy made our homecoming banner.

There really is "Snow Place Like Home" when we are surrounded by family.
What a blessing they all are!

We arrived home on Saturday the 21^st  and that evening, before returning to Logan, Cami and Judd had a little gift for us.  Well, it was actually a HUGE gift!  Inside the small present was the picture below.  We are going to be first-time grandparents!  Cami is due on July 6^th and we are soooo excited!  It was the best welcome home present ever!

We spoke in church on Dec. 29^th and it was so fun to have young sister missionaries and senior missionary couples that we served with come to support us.  Our ward members couldn’t believe what amazing missionaries we had the chance to spend so much time with, and we couldn’t agree more!

Some of the missionaries who came over to the house after church...
sort of from left to right:
YSMs: Wilson, Dee, Taylor, Bankston & Baldwin
Senior Couples: Pettit, Wayment, Johnson & Johnson,
Jensen, Williams, Thatcher, Lloyd, Cornwell, and Searle

 Scott & Scott Lloyd served in England together and then
had the opportunity to be missionaries again in Nauvoo.
What are the chances??!!

 Henry and Diana Baker's son drove them all the way down from Burley, ID.
The Bakers were excellent examples to us of serving mission after mission
for as long as your body will hold out!

Visiting with some awesome missionaries...
the Williams, Thatchers, and Jensens

 Scott's brother Russ made this replica of the Winslow Farr home in Nauvoo
that we lived in.  It is so awesome! He even added the flowers on the front
porch and the air conditioner on the side of the house.  We love it!

In memory of Elder Craig Meyocks who passed away as a result of a car

accident on Christmas day.  His wife, Sister Brenda Meyocks, was injured

in the accident.  We absolutely love the Meyocks! He was a teamster that 

gave the most heartfelt carriage ride tours and she served with kindness and 

compassion. They both shared powerful testimonies of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

So there you have it…twenty months of wonderful memories and life changing experiences. Scott and I loved being the Lord’s missionaries and hopefully there will be more of those times in the future.