July 15, 2015 – July 22, 2015 – Week 19, in Nauvoo

July 22, 2015

We started out this day with a Training meeting at 7:30 this morning.  We were honored by an address given by one of the new Seventy’s, Elder Tim B. Clark, which was very interesting and inspiring.  Afterwards, since it is our P-day, we went to breakfast at Grandpa John’s here in Nauvoo, and then went to Keokuk, Iowa for a haircut for Elder Ray, and to get a few groceries, and we put gas in the car just over the border in Missouri.  We also bought a painting and afghan in Nauvoo, Illinois, so we have been spreading our money around in three states today. 

We came home for lunch, and a haircut for Sister Barbara in Nauvoo.  Afterwards we went to a historic site that Elder Ray had not been to yet, the Lyon Drug Store.  Then we toured the Community of Christ (formerly called the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) sites in a tour they provide of Joseph and Emma’s homestead, 

the "Red Brick Store.......

 - The Relief Society was organized in the room upstairs, and the Prophet Joseph Smith and other leaders of the Church met there too....

 

and the Mansion House where Emma lived the rest of her life. 

Our guide was LDS however, and he is attending the University in Logan, Utah. 

We took pictures along the                   Mississippi.... 

....the beautiful clouds and green trees....

       and of the beautiful wild Tiger Lilies that are blooming in abundance right now.

Elder Ray serves a lot in the Blacksmith shop,and it is a very popular and busy place - and we took pictures of people going in and out for tours. 

He nearly had heat stroke last week making horse shoes by the blacksmith forge.

On Monday night we were able to go to the British Pageant after our Sunset show – It was wonderfully done even though it was just a dress rehearsal.  We did get rained on a little and had to walk through some mud to get to it, but worth it all.  If any of you are planning on coming to visit us next year, do try to come in July when the pageants are in production.  This year the Nauvoo Pageant is on Tuesday’s, Thursday’s, and Saturday’s, and the British Pageant is on Wednesday’s and Friday’s.  During the last song of the British Pageant, all of the Nauvoo Missionaries that are available, walk onto the stage dressed in white shirts and dark pants and skirts – very moving.  

I think I have told you before, but to learn about the pageants go to: http://www.historicnauvoo.net/#!shows-/c24qu

July 8, 2015 – July 15, 2015 – Week 18, in Nauvoo

July 15, 2015

Our cast dinner Saturday night with the Amish Family of John and Marie Bontrager was interesting and fun.   It rained hard all day, but stopped just in time for us to gather at the Nauvoo Visitors Center to car pool out to the Sunrise Bakery near Bonapart, Iowa.   It is about a 45 minute drive from here.   Marie cooked  a very nice meal for us - need I remind you that they live without the convenience of electricity, so she had to cook for about 60 people in her kerosene stove and brick oven.  Everything was delicious, especially her pies! We were enchanted by their six children which includes two sets of twins. 

Sunday we were “On Call” again so we rested after church and then our MTC group gathered at Elder Keith and Sister Beverly Ramsay’s home for a pot-luck dinner and visiting. 

Monday I served at the Lands and Records again as I usually do on Monday’s, and had the opportunity of helping make up a package for Elder Jeffrey Holland and his wife Patricia with the information we have in our files for their ancestors that were in Nauvoo.  It was an honor and very interesting.   Elder Holland is on a trip visiting Church History sites with 19 members of his family.  He honored us with an address in a special Missionary meeting Tuesday evening.    There are a lot of missionaries in Nauvoo right now, especially with all the people performing in the pageants.  The chapel was full as well as about a third of the Cultural Hall. With all the visitors also for Church on Sunday even the Cultural Hall was full to overflowing. 

Today, Wednesday and our off day, Elder Ray and I went to Springfield, Illinois – it took us about 2 and ½ hours to get there.   We visited the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum and it was a wonderful experience.   When we were in the “funeral” room, I thought of my great-grandparents, James  and Rachel (King) Strait, who attended his funeral.  We were there for 2-3 hours.  We walked a couple of blocks to have lunch at The Feed Store.  After lunch we went to the Lincoln home for a movie and tour. 

We visited Lincoln’s Tomb and then drove back to Keokuk where we had dinner and bought a few groceries before coming home to get a little rest!

This is another statue in the Women's garden at the Visitor's Center called, Woman and Her Talents.  

This a Sun-stone from the original Nauvoo Temple - photo taken in 1963  when our family visited Nauvoo.

This is the same Sun-stone that now resides in the present Nauvoo Visitors Center. 

July 1, 2015 – July 8, 2015 – Week 17, in Nauvoo

July 8, 2015

As you know our mission call said we would be serving as Illinois, Nauvoo Visitors Center missionaries.  This coming Saturday, the 11^th, is the first time we have been scheduled in the Visitors Center – our hours were to be 5:00-9:00 p.m.   Well our cast made plans to go to dinner that night in Bonnepart, Iowa with an Amish family that specializes in serving dinner to groups.  So Sister Stroud, who does the scheduling, managed to get two Young Single Missionaries to work for us.  We are now rescheduled to work day hours on Saturday.  Hopefully we get an opportunity to serve in the Visitors Center soon.

Last Sunday we went out to Carthage to take pictures of the Jail and Visitors Center there. 

Elder Couch, one of our Senior Missionaries helped put on a new roof on the Jail, and he saved the old original timbers that had to be taken down, and made picture frames for all of us.  We decided we needed a special photo to put in it.






Elder Ray and Sister Barbara by the Statues of Joseph and Hyrum Smith in Carthage - the jail is behind us.

Above is the jail with part of the Visitors Center showing on the left.

This is the shaded entrance to the Carthage Visitors Center.....

We travel a portion of the Great River Road along the Mississippi every time we go to Keokuk, Cathage, or Quincy.  This time we stopped and took a picture of the Arched Stone Brige - below...

Here is a new picture of our home on Knight Street with the lawn and trees green.   To the right you can see the sign we have in our front window designating this as the home of Elder and Sister Doying.....

June 24 – July 1, 2015 – Week 16, in Nauvoo

July 1, 2015

All the sites closed at 3:00 the afternoon of the 27^th so we could all go to the Martyrdom Commemoration at at 5:00 p.m. at the Historic Carthage Jail Visitors Center.  Joseph and Hiram Smith were killed in Carthage Jail on June 27, 1844.  They had a wonderful program of music and remarks that touched our hearts and brought tears to our eyes more than once.

We are still getting lots of rain with lightning and thunder, but so far no damages here - only some outdoor plays have had to be moved from the outdoor stage into the Visitors Center theaters.  We did have a tornado warning one night which had us all on edge as we were doing one of our plays.  The hardest rain went around us and we had a pretty rainbow and a colorful sunset.   

The firefly’s are out in abundance now, along with the chiggers and mosquitoes! 

The Historic Nauvoo Visitors Center....

The Gardeners (Facilities Managers) have put out lots of pots of flowers as well as beautiful gardens filled to overflowing.  One of the flower beds above and one of the large pots in the Visitors Center Parking lot to the right.....

There are many colors and varieties of day lilies blooming everywhere.  Here are a couple by the Family Living Center...

Nauvoo is a beautiful place to serve, and the Spirit of Joy accompanies all our activities.  We are so happy to be serving the Lord and wish we could convey to you the Spirit of Nauvoo!  Just come and find out for yourselves!