Very busy week...

This week has been so busy in the baptistery.  We have had two large stakes here for Youth Conf.  One is from Fort Walton Beach Florida, the other is from North Houston.  We are bringing the youth in at the rate of 30 per hour, and they are doing about 160 names per hour. A couple of days they opened the Baptistery at 4:00 AM, and the last session is 7:00 PM.  Very well organized and all so supportive.  The group from North Houston chartered 8-buses.  They come every four years, they told us.  It has been so amazing to watch this happen.
     We also have family time reserved for baptisms.  One that really touched me yesterday was a young family, with three teen-age youth.  The first girl in the font was handi-caped.  Probably a little 'down' and some 'palsie' added to her disability to move smoothly.  She went into the water with the help of her older sister, then her father was doing the baptising held her and reassured her.  She looked to her mother for visual support, the smiles were exchanged and she plugged her nose.  She was able to perform five baptisms and her smile was so very large after each one, but not as large as her smile when she completed all five names assigned to her.  I think there was some support and teaching before she arrived here in Nauvoo.  I can almost here the little girl saying how much she wanted to be a part of this experience.  It was very heart warming to see her older sister's concern on her face as this little girl walked down the steps into the font, the father's love and support and the reassuring look from the girl to her mother.  There is a whole sermon in peoples faces here.  At least I think so.
     It has rained so very hard this week - again.  I have never seen this hard of rain even in Seattle.  Some of the youth were walking by our apartment and they were so wet, they gave up on the umbrellas, they just knew they could not be any wetter - so - carry on.  Happy and laughing just to be here.  Great attitudes.
     We - Patty and I - along with all the site missionaries and the temple missionaries are asked to be at the British Pageant at about 10:00 PM to sing Called to Serve with the cast as the closing number of that show.  That is a strange experience for us, people who do not really sing.  But we did it, and it was great.  Lots of missionaries up there.  There are 108 temple missionaries, 210 site missionaries, 20 YMP missionaries, 18 YPM missionaries in the Nauvoo Brass Band, and about 20 temple missionary couples that are here for one year.  No - they were not all there at each British Pageant presentation, but several were.
Stay tuned, more to follow.