God is Good!

God is good! His influence in my life is felt everywhere here, from the beautiful sunsets and wildlife, to dedicated missionaries, powerful temple covenants, and the love that fills every corner of this place.

There are times that I get so wrapped up in all that we are doing here; the planning, scheduling, taking care of missionary health concerns, housing, finances, and the myriad of other things, that I fail to remember the significance of where I am, the compelling stories of the early pioneers, and how Nauvoo can change lives.  I am grateful for visits from friends that put that all back into perspective.  The awe and wonder they experience while here are great reminders to me of what this is all about...the spirit of Nauvoo, which is the spirit of Christ.  

Missionary life for us continues to be very busy.  We thought that once we moved into performances with the fall cast, life would slow down a bit.  Definitely not so! We still have quite a few guests, so we have not cut back on any kind of activities.  And now we are moving into the application season for next year's Nauvoo Performing Missionaries, which adds a whole new dimension to the work.  But with all of that work, comes enormous blessings. We recognize that the little we offer to the Lord, He has magnified the blessings ten-fold. 

My birthday happened to be on Labor Day this year!  It was also our preparation day!  A double bonus.  To make it a triple bonus, I found out that one of my Nauvoo friends and I share a birthday.  Talmage, age 7, and I are Birthday Buddies!  WhooHoo!  His family invited us over for Birthday Breakfast and it was the most terrific way to begin a birthday!  They even made birthday cards that now hang in an honored place on our fridge 😊

Honestly!!?? 
I opened our van door yesterday afternoon and found 
this beauty...between the front and middle seats 🕷😳

We love hanging out with this bunch! Four teamster
couples that served with us in 2018-2019:
Swanson, Richards, Davies, and Flanders.



There was a Coordinating Council meeting held in Nauvoo last week. 
It consisted of about 14 stake presidents and their wives.  They were very good
sports as our Nauvoo Performing Missionaries taught them all the Virginia Reel!

Another Monday morning Preparation Day tour.  This time we went to 

the Stoddard Tin Shop and John Taylor's home.  We love our missionaries

and sharing the history of Nauvoo with them.  As usual, I could not give the tour of

John Taylor's home without gaining a greater testimony of his dedication to the prophet

Joseph Smith, the restored gospel and to our Savior Jesus Christ.  

We had the opportunity to visit Irene Tukuafu in her home.  She is a blessing to everyone 

as she shares her love of music, of the Savior, and of people in general.

A quiet misty morning.



These next few pictures are of our missionaries having lunch down in, what we call the Bistro.  It's in the basement of the Visitors' Center, and since it was torn apart a while ago for remodeling (hopefully completed sometime) there's basically just a cement floor, some tables and chairs, a microwave and two fridges.  Oh yes, it still has a piano!  It's where we hang out together a couple of days a week.

Missionaries: Garner, McGriff, Devey,
Thompson, Jenks, and Salway

Missionaries: Urry, Andersen, Hall, Schultz, and Hart

Missionaries: Atkinson, Hinton, Wheatley,
Hardin, Tibbitts, and Perkins

Missionaries: Holdcraft, Chamberlain,
Olson, and Adams

Fall...it's just beginning!

So, this is Elder Cottam as William Tell with a "mean" little sheriff volunteer, and
Sister Foote, who plays Elder Cottam's "son".  Elder Cottam uses humor and his mad
balloon skills to recount the story of William Tell.

Last preparation day we drove out to Bentonsport, Iowa.
This is the section of the Des Moines River that the refugees
from Nauvoo, led by Brigham Young, crossed in 1846.

After stopping in Bentonsport, we drove to Richardson's Point.  It's 

along the Mormon Pioneer Trail and has a small pioneer cemetery.  

The two people buried here are the first two saints to die in Brigham Young's 

vanguard company, that left Nauvoo in Feb. 1846; Edwin Little and James M. Tanner.  

This is a sacred space and we could feel that as we walked into the clearing where the cemetery was.  

This month we had lots of visitors! Heather, Jared, Rylen & Caysen Andersen came the middle of September, then Annie, Kelly, and Brady Earley were here for a few days, then this past week Dick and Charlotte Hill were able to visit.  We loved having them all here!! Scott is the ultimate Nauvoo missionary and tour guide.  He understands the people who lived here and their stories.  And he loves to share!  

Annie, Kelly, and Brady Earley 💕

Dick & Charlotte Hill 💕

The Andersens provided lunch for our missionaries! 💕

One of missionary performances that the kids just love is 
Be Your Own Hero.  

One of the casts for Be Your Own Hero: Sister Andersen, Elder Hinton,
Sister Schultz, Sister Erickson, Sister McCarthy, Elder Perkins,
Elder Salway, Elder Thompson, and Sister Wheatley.

Sister Foote as Just Plain Anna Amanda
and Elder Perkins as Grandpa

Sister Erickson, Sister Schultz, and 
Sister Foote.

"All things are mine, since I am His.  How can I keep from singing?"
(Photo: Wendy Flanders)