May 7 – May 13, 2015 – Week 9: in Nauvoo

May 13, 2015

Sorry this is late – the internet has been down in the Mission.  It makes it difficult when we don’t get our messages about where we are supposed to be! 

There are over 200 missionaries here in Nauvoo right now.  That includes the 20 Single Sister Missionaries, 20 Young Performing Missionaries, and 15 Band Missionaries.  The rest are Senior Missionary couples and Single Senior Sister Missionaries. We really fill up the chapel each Sunday.  More will be coming in for the Pageants in July – not sure how many that will be. 

We had a Fireside/Family Home Evening both Sunday and Monday evenings at the Nauvoo Stake Center with Karl Ricks Anderson speaking to us.  He is renowned for his knowledge of the Kirtland Period in Church History.  His most recent book, “The Savior in Kirtland” documents the many accounts of the Savior’s revelations to Church leaders and early Saints and he spoke of the occasions, and was entertaining as well as knowledgeable.  His laughter reminded us of the angel Clarence in “It’s a Wonderful Life”, and we enjoyed the evenings very much.  We had dinner with two missionary couples in one of their homes before the fireside on Sunday. 

Today we went to Quincy to pick up my white tap shoes that we had died black for the Sunset show.  They turned out good, and I am doing better at making them tap-in-rhythm.  Then we went to the

History Museum in Quincy,

where they have a collection of keys to the original Nauvoo Temple.  In the winter of 1838/39, when the saints were forced out of Missouri under threat of extermination, the city of Quincy, Illinois took them in and gave them shelter and food. Their hospitality and kindness saved many lives, and made it possible for the saints to establish Nauvoo about 40 miles up the river.

Some of the people of Quincy joined the church, such as Jonathan Browning that I told you about last week.  The two cities still have a great relationship. 

The Museum has a very nice exhibit of the “Mormons” and has a film about that time in our history.  They also have an excellent exhibit on President Lincoln and the Civil War.  

After our Rendezvous show this evening, one of the cast couples couldn’t start their car, so we took the Sister home while the Elder called AAA and Elder Ray went back to stay with him until they arrived. 

We took lots of photo's of the garden at the Sarah Granger Kimball home.  Here are a couple.

The Peonies are just beginning to bloom, and Elder Ray is enjoying them.

Sarah Granger Kimball's home is very nice and is as gracious as she was.  She was responsible for starting our Relief Society, when she and her seamstress decided to make shirts for the men working on the Nauvoo Temple.  They invited their women friends to help and soon decided to organize a Society and so the process began.   

One can only imaging 15 or so woman sitting around this room and sewing away. 







Have I posted a link for you to check out about Nauvoo?  Here it is: http://www.historicnauvoo.net/ 

Enjoy!