CATCH UP TIME....

This is the picture of Christ and the two Lamanite children at the foot of the stairs that lead down to the baptistery.  It is very moving.  I have been told that this picture was painted for this temple and is new this year.  The picture itself is about five feet tall, maybe six feet.  The eyes of the Savior and the children follow you around the room.  Great picture.  No I do not know who took the picture or how it - the picture - got out of the temple.

This is a rather poor picture of a really great sunset on the Mississippi.  It was kinda eerie to be honest.  The photo does not do it justice.  The clouds were very strange as they went in front of the sun. 

What does a site missionary do when they do not have any visitors?  They go outside and rest on a park bench and play a guitar.  And it was lovely.  This woman is so very sweet.  Her husband is one of the teamsters here, so she works in the sites with other women.  As there are about 25 teamsters, most of the women do not get to work with their husbands.  [Very different than the Temple Missionaries where we work all the time with our spouse].  She is in front of the Lucy Mack House and we saw this out our kitchen window one morning.  She in about five feet tall herself.   A little firecracker I think.

On Labor Day the town of Nauvoo sponsored a carnival and other things here in town.  The event was called the "Grape Festival".  One of the activities on Saturday morning was a 5-K run through old Nauvoo.  This was in front of our apartment.  Quite a few runners and walkers all morning long. 

On our way to church in Kirksville MO, we go through several small towns.  On one of the towns Patty saw this sign at an old deserted restaurant.  Zelpha's and Johns Burger Bar.  Zelpha was Patty's mothers name. 

No - I do not know what they do at a Mule Festival in Missouri.   No I am not going all the way over there just to find out.  Sorry.   Hee Haw! 

The tree out our front window has these red berries popping out.  Some one said it is a Magnolia Tree?   The berries have been forming in the white pods all summer, then this last week they started popping out.  Now the birds come by the dozens and swallow three or four berries at a time and then fly away.  In two or three minutes they are back and do this again.  I do not know if they are saving them someplace or what.  Quite a sight to see though.  And when 50 or more come to the tree they make a lot of noise.   The birds are all squawking and their wings are fluttering trying to hover like a hummingbird, so it is loud.  Well kinda.

On Labor Day the Temple Missionaries had a pot luck BBQ.  Bring your own meat and bun, the salads and other items were assigned.  Most all of the people came.  Yes - most everyone ate too much.  It doesn't take too much food to overfeed most 70 and 80 year olds.

Two days ago about 100+ geese showed up on the lawns.  They might be on the move south - don't know.  But there sure was a lot of them.  Don't know what they were eating out of the grass either. 

The family got together and bought me these nifty book ends for my birthday.  Aren't they just great!  Patty knew I was looking at them in a local bookstore, so she managed to get the kids to all come together for a family gift.  What a great idea from a great wife.  What great kids to want to participate.  The only disappointing part is we are all apart.  To bad we all live in different parts of the country.  But so great that this still works for the memories from all.  Thanks.

Up to date now.  Several of the Temple Missionaries are starting to leave.  We have about 20 couples that were here for 12 - 18 months and they are going home.  The Nauvoo Temple district does not have enough possible workers - close enough - to be in the temple as shift workers all winter, so the church supplies these 20 couples for longer periods of time.  The six month missionaries, like us, are about 112 workers this year.  Some of the new couples -  that are called to replace them will be arriving soon now too.  A couple of the missionaries have gone home for health reasons.  Two have been called home to serve in new temple presidencies that are being trained starting next month.  One of the missionaries that was leaving said, you can tell when we start getting "trunky".  It is when we start checking the home town news, which no one cared about before now.