I thought the Youth Conferences were over....

We had a large group here from one of the Toronto Canada Stakes.  A large group of around 120 kids plus leaders.  They do all the site tours, temple baptisms, and this time the group did a service project.

They brought in beauty bark and put the bark around all the trees in the housing areas. 

One trailer just brought all the yard tools. 

The kids worked for about two hours and did a remarkable amount of work.

It would have taken the senior missionaries days to do what these wonderful kids did and I think the kids had more fun too.



"I looked out the window and what did I see?"

Well - wasn't popcorn popping on the apricot tree.

It was one of the senior missionaries looking in our second story windows.

He was cleaning and caulking around the windows - getting them ready for winter.

We had him pose for the picture.  It was a little alarming to see him out there. 

The Church doesn't waste any money on cheap equipment.  The Church has several of these Genie hysters in all different sizes.  They definitely get the job done.  Safely too I might add. 

Then down the street the senior sister missionaries from the sites were cleaning and barking all the flower beds in Old Nauvoo.  The Site Missionaries do not stop or slow down.  They work like this five and six day a week.  On the weekends right now they are traveling in several vans and pulling a trailer that says "Old Nauvoo on the Road".   They go to all the county fairs and set up a booth and discuss with the fair goers family values, genealogy and things like that.  Many say this has positive results. 



They're gone......

After three months of very intense performing, our wonderful Young Performing Missionaries are gone.  They went home last Tuesday.  It was so sad to have them leave.  They are so tired and exhausted from all the shows.  They never stopped from 9:00 in the morning to 9:00 at night.  Everything from serious and spiritual to cute and witty to downright funny.  Such talent.  They never met each other until they arrived in Nauvoo in June.  It was a three month mission for them.  They came together and performed like they had worked together for years.  Four received their full time mission calls while here.  One young man is going to Rome.  Another young lady is going to Japan.  The other two are going to stay in the USA.  All are just as excited for each other as they can be.

There were 40 performers altogether.  17 in the Nauvoo Brass Band, 20 performing in the dance and doing street shows.  The other three were sound technicians. 

On the last day the performers went around to see what the other half had done with their shows.  I didn't realize that they were divided into two groups for the different street shows, so they were able to see each other on this last day.   

This little girl is from Cosmopolis WA.  She played the trombone, sang and whistled.  She was amazingly good at whistling.  She also was amazingly humble.  Such a sweet heart.  One Sunday we were able to attend their early Sunday morning Sacrament Meeting.  We hardly recognized any of the girls in regular clothes and with their hair down.  For all the shows their hair had to be up. 

This young man was also a trombone player.  He sang with the girl above.  Such harmony.  But when I asked there was not any sparks between them.  Sorry. 

The Sister playing the violin and jumping in the air served her mission in Spokane.  She had just got home and submitted her application for this, and was selected.  Pretty nice. 

All the YPM's could clog and tap dance, sing and some played instruments. 

It's going to be too quiet without these special people.  The bore testimony through song, stories, dance and of course they would share their testimony at the end of many of their performances.

Truly a delight and such a great addition to the Nauvoo experience.

What a joy to discover 40 young people in this day and age that are dedicated to the gospel, know the Lord answers prayers and are not ashamed to tell the world.

THANK YOU!

Half Way



I know at half way through a mission, it was the tradition to burn a tie or a white shirt.  Well that didn't work for me as the only thing that was really worn out was my shoes.  I had a blow out on my right shoe.  Look at this.  Looks like I walked to Nauvoo or something doesn't it.  So...... let the sacrifice begin.

I set my name tag here just for the effect.  I put some paper in the shoes thinking that would burn better than an old piece of leather.  Actually the counselor in the temple presidency lives across the street.  It was his idea to put the name tag on the shoe. 

This is Pres Hanson putting my shoes in the garbage truck right after the picture.  He came over and offered gasoline to really get the fire going.  Talk about finger prints on the weapon.  He is a real sweetheart though.  

Warsaw Illinois



This little town of Warsaw played a very negative part in the death of Joseph Smith.

The Masonic Temple was built in 1892 according to the top of the building.  48 years after the death of Joseph and Hyrum. 

This is the newspaper office of the Warsaw Signal.  The editor was a man names Thomas Sharp.  He was constantly picking on the Saints in Nauvoo, and in particular he was driven to bring down Joseph Smith. 

He ran numerous articles against "Ol Joe" as he called him.  He was obsessed with trying to bring down any good that was being done.  He published many articles against the church. 

On June 27th, 1844 Joseph Smith was informed at 9:40 AM that Capt Dunn of the Carthage Greys were being disbanded by order of Gov Ford.  This left only a small contingent to guard Carthage Jail.   Normally troops are marched home by their commanding officer so they are not disposed to acts of lawless violence where the state could be held liable.  That left the Warsaw Militia  under the command of Levi Williams, who Ford knew was an avowed enemy of Joseph Smith, out on the Warsaw Road who was conforming with orders to rendezvous with the Governor at Golden's Point, a glade of trees just west of the prairie half way between Warsaw and Nauvoo. 

At noon Levi Williams receives a dispatch from the Governor near Golden's Point disbanding the company.  As the men begin to return home Thomas Sharp reels on his Bay Horse and incites as many as will go, to Carthage.  He reminds them that Ford is gone to Nauvoo, all the other companies are disbanded with only a small group of men to guard the jail where J.S. is supposed to be protected.   While thus assembled a second courier arrives with a note from Lt. Frank Worrell who was guard at the jail door.  The letter said the time was at hand for the killing, the jail was guarded by eight Carthage Greys with blanks in their arms, and they would offer only a token resistance.  At 4:30 PM the Warsaw Militia now turned mob stops at a creek just outside of Carthage to conceal their identities by smearing gunpowder on their faces.  At 5:16 the deed was done. 

Interesting sign in the right side of the newspaper office window.  The Alternative.  Yes, there was alternatives, there always is.  What is our alternative? 

Looking inside the old printing shop, there are signs of an old printing press.  I am fairly sure it is not the original press from back in the 1840's, but it is an old press that has fallen through the floor as the building decayed.  The back walls are caved in, the second floor where the living quarters were has fallen in too. 

Do you also find it interesting that the town has not cleaned up this old building and that the town leaves the signage in the front windows still there for anyone to see???  I do.  Almost like a silent message as to what they want to say but are silent right now.  Thomas Sharp had a choice. 

This is a rather nice old door handle next door to the printers office.  It must have been rather elegant in its day wouldn't you say. 

After the murders in Carthage, the mob of about 100 plus came to this establishment - it was a tavern back then.  A well known tavern.  It stayed that way for many years.  Now it has been converted into a home.  It was here they raised there mugs of beer and pronounced success in the death of 'Ol Joe and his brother'.

Certainly no place I want to live. 

Warsaw today is a rusty old little town of about 3100 residents.  The town is in decay.  All this part of Illinois is shrinking.  Warsaw has the only high school here right now.  All the kids high school age are bussed to Warsaw for the school.  It is successful from that standpoint.  Nauvoo seems to have the Jr High age, and there are a couple of grade schools around, but not many. 

No one talks much about the 1840's - but there is a feeling still here.  Not imagined, but real to my bones.  It is a little dark and ominous.  Thomas Sharp was successful in listening to the Dark Side.  It was pleasing to his mind and brought him power.  How different is the gospel which spreads 'light and peace'.

Great weather for flowers



Look at the size of these flowers.  They are just huge, that's the best I can say about them.  They grew to this size in just about 60 days. 

All the flowers and pots are on the entrance to the temple parking garage.  The church built this parking garage and gave it to the city of Nauvoo as part of the peace offering here.  There are about 300 plus pots of flowers all around the city and old Nauvoo.  The church supplies them, waters them when needed and re-plants them with the seasons.  All free to Nauvoo to help keep it looking beautiful.   

Whatever these giant leaves are, they grew in less than 80 days to this size from just a little 3 inch sproutlets.  As you can see the leaves are giants.  So lovely.   

This local grass is planted around all the trees everywhere.  It only grows about six inches tall and does have to be weeded, but it looks so nice.  It is also planted at the base of the trees in the living areas.  Nice touch. 

This is the mighty Mississippi river.  All down the Illinois side of the river are these Lilly pads.  They have gone to blossom now.  A large white flower that looks very delicate.  Some pictures I have seen show the flowers as a yellow color, we will have to see if they turn that color later. 

Of course I don't know what the purple is along the river banks.  But it sure adds a nice touch too. 

That's the vegetation update for today.

Baldwins visit

Austin & Allison and the kids were here in time for Sara's birthday.  She is now five years old.  How about that!  Patty made watermelon cupcakes. 

They stayed at the Willard Richards Inn.  Because they were guests at the Inn, they have bikes for them to get around Nauvoo.  Sara was in the one with the trailer.  It is a great way to get around the town.  Carolyn only learned to ride a bike about two weeks before the trip.  The best part is, here in old Nauvoo,[the area of the missionary apartments], there isn't much traffic to worry about. 

After a carriage ride through the woods, we stopped to talk to our two horse power carriage motors.  They seemed to enjoy  being stroked on the nose by the children.  The teamsters called the horses "Missionary Horses" because this is all they do - all their life.   

We were able to make two shows of "Sunset on the Mississippi".  It is an one hour variety show featuring the senior missionaries and the YPM's that are here for three months.  There are about 40 YPM's ages from 19 to 24 that had to audition for the opportunity to pay their own way here, and pay their own living expenses so they can entertain all the folks that come to Nauvoo between June 1st and August 10th.  Isn't it wonderful that they would want to do something like this.  This is a skit they were performing called the "Audition" where they pretend like they are selecting players for next year's show.  It is a very well put together comedy skit. 

As you can see - the skit was enjoyed by all.  I took this picture by holding out my camera as in a 'selfie', but I couldn't get Carolyn in the picture as she was sitting on my lap.  Plus I just guessed where to hold the camera not being able to use the viewer.  R & R laughed so much and enjoyed this skit the best of the show.  Matter of fact, they played "Audition" in the car on the way home. 

Allison did a great job driving Sara around in her 'Rickshaw" carrier.  The weather held out for the visit, we didn't get any rain for the four days they were here. 

Time to say good-bye.  Short visit but so many memories of Nauvoo.   

Great to see them.  It took all day to drive back to Texas.  Thanks for the visit.