Our Days in Nauvoo  July 13-19, 2014

Dear Family and Friends,

Wow!  Another week already.

Sunday,  July 13 –  Church was good.  Sister Gordy and her daughter were there but we didn’t know it until they announced that she would give the closing prayer in RS, so it was at the end of the last hour.  We did get a chance to visit with her for a few minutes.  I guess she was at church last week too.  We got home about 2:15 and had been invited to Mike and Cathy Garrett’s for lunch at 3:00. They are a couple from FL.  There are all kinds of wonderful people here. She is one who enjoys entertaining and using nice things.  She brought 3 sets of china and all kinds of home decorations.  She made a bedspread and took heirloom doilies and stitched them on the decorator bed pillows (all 18 of them).  We had a Martha Steward lunch.  She had the table set with china and candles, cloth napkins in napkin rings, goblets.  It was beautiful and delicious.  You can definitely tell she likes to entertain.  Jerry is wondering what I will do if  / when we invite them back. So am I.  Taco salad on paper plates?  We had such a fun time.   

Monday, July 14 – Our temple assignment today was the Arrival Center.  We had a really good time there today.  It wasn’t crazy busy but steady with people coming in to change clothes either before or after a session.  We had a few kids that came through for baptisms and a few that came after baptisms waiting for their parents who were doing a session.  One man from Utah had a dad who had a dairy in Burton that Dad remembered going to.  And we also had some really pesky flies that we spent the entire 5 hours trying to get, but never did.  In the afternoon we went and did the Community of Christ (Reorganized LDS church) tour.  They own the Red Brick Store, the Mansion House, The Nauvoo House, Joseph and Emma’s first home and Joseph, Emma and Hyrum’s graves.  The tour was very interesting and it was just Dad and I.  You aren’t allowed to take any pictures inside the homes, only the outside.  We had a darling, young girl who is on an college internship from Grayson University here for the summer.  She did such a great job and was so willing to answer our questions. 

 This is in front of the Mansion House - the home Joseph built for Emma, owned by the reorganized church.

Tuesday, July 15 – We walked this morning and ran into Angela Thornton (from Grant) at the Visitor’s Center.  We saw her and her parents, Ann and Stephen at the temple this afternoon.  We went to the temple thinking we would just have a normal line assignment but they ended up needing us to be the initiatory coordinator for the .  The scheduled coordinators had been called in early to help with a bus of Spanish members and they had been there since early and were needing to go home.  I was sure glad I had done it last week for the first time, without it being sprung on me.  It went really well.  I’m thinking I will have it tomorrow as well.  The sister that trained me, Sister Anderson fell last weekend and cracked her knee.  We didn't get done until a little after 7:00 and I remembered as we were walking out that I had choir at 7:00 so Dad dropped me off.  I got home at 8:20 and we had planned to go to the Nauvoo Pageant for the first time and it started at 8:30 so we hurried over.  We walk to the pageant because we are close - then we don't need to worry about parking.  The Nauvoo Pageant is wonderful!  Both are so professional and beautifully done. 

         

Wednesday, July 16 – We were anxious to hear about the Rexburg flooding and spent some time on the phone this morning trying to find out more about it.  We have a few friends serving here from Rexburg that we were checking with.   I walked this morning with Kathy Crockett. She has quite a good walking route.  Some of it is uphill and then some down.   She walks up and jogs down (which she didn’t tell me before we left).  I'm not very good - but Sheila, maybe I’ll be good to jog a little when we get home.  I will have to do it mostly by myself because our shifts don't match.  I felt a bit bad leaving Dad to walk on his own but he didn’t want to butt in on a girl’s walk.  He told me after that he quite enjoyed a “quiet” walk.  Hmm . . . I must talk too much?  Our shift at the temple was good.  We went thinking we would be over initiatory again but Sister Anderson was there (Yay!!) and so we had regular lines.  We went to the lecture tonight.  She talked about Joseph Smith’s bid for President of the United States.  He had over 1000 political missionaries in all 26 of the United States campaigning for him.  They left Nauvoo in March and he was killed in June but his platform was received with enthusiasm and the talk was that he had a honest chance.  He wanted to free the slaves, have a standard monetary system, give the saints back their land in Missouri, cut the government work force down and pay politicians $2 a day for their work in Washington.  When asked about the low pay he said, “a farmer works hard and makes $2 a day and the only difference is that the farmer is honest.”  Dad translated again and I will leave in about ½ hour to go up to sing in the finale.  

Thursday, July 17 – Shin splints today from the walk / jog yesterday.  We had a great day at the temple today.  Things are starting to get busy.  We followed a session yesterday and today.  I have also had the Celestial Room the last couple of days for an hour.  The big arched windows face east and the colors in the room are yellow and pale green.  When you go in there, with the sun coming in those big, high windows,  it is breathtaking and so incredibly peaceful.  It is my favorite place to be in the temple.  The only place I would rather be is with my family.  It was a wonderful day there.  We went to visit Jan Vasas after we got done today.  She is feeling better but very discouraged. We are trying to figure out how to get her over to see the pageant.  

             

Friday, July 18 – Today is our hump day!!  We have been here 3 months today.  In some ways it seems like we just got here and in another way it seems like we have been here forever.  But it has been good!   Today was our P-Day and we went with 6 other couples to Hannibal MO to see everything about Mark Twain .  We had a great day.  It is about an hour and 15 minutes away.  We took an hour trolley ride around the town and then a riverboat ride on the Mississippi.  We went to a Mark Twain museum and heard an African American storyteller, 70 year old Gladys Coggswell, tell a Mark Twain story of the life of a slave.  We had planned on going through a Tom Sawyer cave but the one there in Hannibal didn't look like more than just looking in an entrance and cost $19 / person.  The better caves were about an hour farther away so decided that we will probably go back over and do a better one. 


Here are a few pictures from our trip to Hannibal.  Tom Sawyer and Becky Thatcher, us on the riverboat with the Rogers and Wilson's behind us and a statue of Mark Twain, Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn.

Saturday, July 19 – We had another busy day at the temple this morning.  We had a young man come today with his parents to receive his endowment before his mission.  He doesn't have his call yet.  They were hoping his call would come, and they checked - it's in the mail.  He really wanted to go through the Nauvoo temple.  His Grandparents are here serving a site mission.  They got permission to go through the temple today and will try to fax the call here.  We came home and have been getting ready for Jeremy’s family.  They left today and will get here Monday!  Can’t wait!!

The church is true and I'm so thankful for all of you.  I'm thankful for temples and the blessings we receive there.  We love all of you and hope you are happy.  Please be good!

Love, Mom and Dad / Grandpa and Grandma / Elder and Sister Hall