Joyfully engaged in the service of our Lord

Christmas Day has now passed us by.  We spent Monday through Wednesday morning with our daughter, Kristy and her family.  On Tuesday, we went with Kristy and their daughter, Katie, to see “Frozen”.  Then on Wednesday morning, after gifts had been opened and breakfast had been devoured, we said our good-byes and headed back to Nauvoo, arriving here with some time to spare before the Christmas dinner and program that had been planned for the temple and site missionaries.  We enjoyed the day.  One of the items on the program was a song sung by the temple choir, conducted by Becky.  It is fun to be such an integral part of what is going on around here.

The temple had been closed this last week, until after Christmas.  But we did serve there, starting on Thursday morning.  Friday was our day to be the coordinators.  While that day was indeed challenging, it was also a lot of fun.  We had three couples come in to get married.  Three people came in to be endowed prior to entering the mission field.  Another sister came in to be sealed to her deceased parents.  In addition to these living ordinances, all of our sessions that day were well attended.  In all, we needed to designate eleven of our workers to be guides.  That is a big percentage of those missionaries and temple workers that we have to work with.  So we were pretty thinly spread.  I guess that is what makes it so much fun.  While trying to maintain an atmosphere of peace and tranquility, we are, at the same time, running around, trying to ensure that everyone’s needs are being met. But when the last patron had left the temple that night, and we sighed a deep breath of relief, we were happy that we had succeeded and that all had gone so smoothly.  We knew that all had worked out so well, not because of our meager efforts, but because we had frequently felt the Lord helping us along the way.  I counted at least three times through the course of the day, where workers would come to me, stating that they had just got done with their current assignments and were wondering what they could then to be of most help.  Each of these had come at critical moments when I was wondering where I could find the people needed to work with patrons wanting to do an initiatory or sealing session and none were currently staffed.  We know and testify that the Lord is in his holy temples and is guiding the work that is done there.  He is in charge.  And when we are in tune, and follow the promptings that he gives us, all goes so well.

Today is Sunday.  In our Sacrament Meeting, we were reminded of how powerful the Book of Mormon is.  And how it can, seemingly, by itself, work miracles in the lives of those who read it.  I am sure that there are many, even within our own family that are currently in need of miracles in their lives.  I hope that all of my family are taking the time to read from that book on a daily basis.  I promise all that read this blog, in the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ, that if you will start making the Book of Mormon a part of your daily routine, it will make a change for the better in each of your lives.  Testimonies will be strengthened.  Relationships will improve, both between husbands and wives and between parents and their children.  Answers to personal concerns will be found.   I wouldn’t even be surprised if your health would improve, at least spiritually, if not physically as well.  There are other things that can also contribute to your happiness (such as prayer and frequent temple worship), but please do not neglect this great gift that our Savior has orchestrated so carefully to provide for each of us.

We are happily engaged in a wonderful work.  We are so thankful to be a part of it.  We are kept busy.  We are the happiest when we are in His service. 

Birthday Memories

Becky's birthday was on the 15th.  We went to a nice Mexican restaurant down in Hamilton on the 17th to celebrate both of our birthdays.

The temple attendance has slowed, but at the same time, we have cut back on the hours that we are open.   As a result we only have 6 shifts a week instead of the twelve that we had during the summer.  But we still work 5 shifts a week.  As shift coordinators, we find ourselves busier now than ever.  We get to coordinate the efforts on Fridays.  Next Friday promises to be extra busy with 3 weddings, 3 missionaries coming in to be endowed, and a chapel session for the Quincy Ward. 

 On Christmas Day we will be joining with the site missionaries for a Christmas program and dinner.  But as the temple will be closed for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, we will take off tomorrow and go to Kansas City for a few days.  There we will spend time with Kristy and her family.  We need to be back for a Christmas program here in Nauvoo, so we will come back on Christmas morning.

We got our third big snow storm of the season last night.  It was preceded with several hours of freezing rain – laying close to 1/8 inch of ice on the roads, and on our windshield, etc.  This is a new experience for us.  Temperatures have been below freezing for some time now – sometimes down to single digits.  Tomorrow it is supposed to get down to -5.  How exciting.  I guess we are earning the title of "Winter Warriors" that is given to us missionaries that are here in Nauvoo through the winter.

I am gearing up to teach a Spanish class to the temple workers once a week thru the month of January so they can perform the ordinances in Spanish. 

We also have the special blessing of having George Durrant and his wife Susan Easton Black Durrant here as temple missionaries as well.  She is also providing a free on-going lecture series for all the site missionaries, temple missionaries and anyone else that wants to attend.  Following the curriculum she used for a BYU class, we are learning all about Joseph Smith and Church History two nights a week.  It’s great.  But it isn't leaving much time to do anything else!

Last week, I got to work for a little while in the baptistery.  A young lady came in with her parents to do baptisms.  It was on her 12th birthday.  Her parents took her out of school to bring her here on her first possible day to be in the temple.  They also brought over 50 family file cards to keep both her and her mother busy in the font.  It is a tradition the parents hope to continue with their three sons when each of them, in turn, turn 12.  Certainly it will be a day long remembered by these kids as they look back on the day they became eligible to go to the temple.

Family home evenings with other other temple and site missionaries

Today is Becky’s birthday.  We enjoyed it, going to Church.  The temple choir sang for Sacrament Meeting today.  It was the first performance that Becky was able to direct, since she was called to be the choir director.  From the comments that I got, it went well.  I wouldn’t know, since I was supporting her in the tenor section.

During the last week, we got another six inches of snow and lots of sub-freezing weather.

We attended a “family home evening” last Monday with the other temple missionaries.  There, Pres. McArthur, the new temple president, challenged each of us to research out at least one name to take to the temple before Christmas.  Also, to submit a picture and a story to Family Tree as well.  So… yesterday, we went to the family history center here and got help finding names that we could take to the temple.  We were successful and now need to hurry back to the temple to do the work.

We bought ourselves a little 3’ Christmas tree to adorn our apartment.  It isn’t a whole lot, not like we are used to when not on a mission, but it is helpful in reminding us that it is the Christmas season.  Tonight we went to a sociable which was intended to be a “family home evening” with President Gilliland, president of the Nauvoo Mission.  There we enjoyed pop-corn while watching “Mr. Kruger’s Christmas” followed by several of the site missionaries presenting the “Christmas in Old Nauvoo” activities that we missed a week ago, when we couldn’t leave the temple ‘til late.  Some presented the story of how several of the favorite Christmas carols came to be followed by a live nativity scene.  We went away, having enjoyed a very delightful evening. 

Like a Fire is Burning

Finally, today, we saw snow here for the first time. We knew it was coming, but we just didn’t know when. Not a lot, but enough to let us know that we are not exempt. We have enjoyed the same chill in the air that has affected the rest of this country. Once in a while we see temperatures climb up out of the freezing variety, but usually it has been right around 10-25 degrees all day long, every day. Beautiful boughs and big red bows adorn many of the sites and white picket fences here on the flats. Here is a picture of the nativity scene displayed on the temple grounds here.

This week has been a relatively quiet week at the temple as well. People just aren’t anxious to venture far from the comfort of their own homes when the temperatures dip the way they have recently done. It’s easy to cover our bases when the temple is quiet. We could just about send each of the ordinance workers on a session every day as a patron and still have others sitting around wondering what they could do to be more productive. Then a day will pop up when we get real busy – you just never know.

At one point in time, we had a small group arrive at the temple to do baptisms. They arrived later than what was scheduled, and the brethren we had scheduled to help out there were now needed elsewhere and had to leave. We were now lacking the needed priesthood to complete the ordinances and I was scrambling to find others that I could send to the baptistery when another group of people just walked in, also wanting to do baptisms. Included among them were the needed priesthood. This group had come all the way from Perth, Australia to visit us and other Church sites here in America. I felt that the Lord had sent them more than half-way around the world just to help us in our need.

Friday evening, the site missionaries put on a special Christmas event. Unfortunately the temple missionaries could not join in until it was almost over. In the historic cultural hall, they has set up a live nativity scene. I understand they had missionaries dressed up in appropriate costumes and took the part of Mary, Joseph, angels, wise men and shepherds, while others provided music, narrations, etc. In the Family Living Center, there were eats, dancing, etc. – quite a party. Along with it all, if one got cold, they could stand next to one of the fire-barrels provided here and there. One of the dear sisters evidently got too close to one of these barrels and not realizing it, had allowed her dress to catch fire. Before she knew it, one of the Elders had knocked her down and was rolling her on the ground with the intent of extinguishing the flames. She was air-lifted to a burn center in a nearby town, and as I understand it, she is now doing okay but she and her husband are being released from their mission so that they can return home and give her the needed recovery there. We think they may have been close to the end of their mission anyway. Previously, while on this mission, she had suffered a broken ankle, had caught pneumonia three times, and now this. She is trying to determine, what they were supposed to have learned from this mission experience.

Thanksgiving in Nauvoo

December has arrived. We have enjoyed some very crisp days with temperatures dipping down to the single digits. But the locals are telling us to be aware. Things are likely to get a lot colder yet. But today, we are basking in warmth as we are at the moment a little above freezing. In contrast to where we have been, this almost feels like a warm summer day. Since we have been here, we have seen a few snowflakes blowing around. But no accumulation yet. Just plenty of frost on the windshield. This last week we enjoyed Thanksgiving in Nauvoo. The temple closed down for Wednesday and Thursday, allowing workers the ability to spend with their families. We chose to stay here and prepare for the temple days that would follow. Thursday afternoon we joined with the other missionaries that stayed here for the holiday, about 220 to 230 of them. Together we all sat down to a scrumptious meal at the Stake Center, followed by a short program put on by some of the site missionaries. Our day at the temple on “Black Friday” was indeed a busy one. We found ourselves running all over the place making sure that there were workers where they needed to be to help meet the needs of all who came. Two came for their own endowments. Two came to be sealed to their (deceased) parents. We had an extra session that evening as the Quincy Ward came. They had their own endowment session (the largest session of the day) and they also brought their youth which kept the baptistery busy for a couple of hours. We went home that evening tired but rejoicing to be a part of that busy day. We recognized the fact that the Lord was definitely in charge and that we were only there to help carry out his will. There is no other way to explain how we were able to complete all that happened with the small number of workers that were there to do all the work. We definitely felt his Spirit as it prompted us with the solutions needed at every turn.

We’ve moved

Now that so many of the other missionaries have been released, we desired to be in a different apartment, giving us more room. So we moved. We now live on Parley Street. That was the street that the early pioneers left Nauvoo by, to go down to the river to start their trek across the plains to go to Utah. The new apartment did not come without a few quirks. When we got here, we had no hot water. After making a phone call, it was turned on for us. But the next day, I was still surprised to step into a cold shower. It didn’t take too long to figure out that the shower valve was installed backwards so that when you set it for hot you get cold and visa-versa. Now that we got that figured out, things are a lot better. We still haven’t seen any snow. But the temperature has dropped significantly. Today we got up to note that the thermostat was reading all of 9 degrees Fahrenheit. We are told that it is known to drop to as low as 25 below. And when the wind starts blowing that even feels worse than it sounds. I suppose that I can pray for a mild winter and that the Lord will help me endure whatever comes. We are now back in full swing at the temple. While there are only 6 shifts at the temple now instead of the 12 that occur during the summer, it still seems like the same for us, since we still work 5 of the six shifts, the same as we did when there were 12 shifts. We are still shift coordinators, but now our shifts have fewer workers on them, making it more challenging to make ends meet. But we do note that somewhere, sometimes out of nowhere, the workers show up just when they are needed. The Lord is indeed helping us out and we always return home knowing that He is in charge and it is His work that we are doing. Today, Becky assumed her role as the director of the temple choir. We had our first rehearsal this morning. She enjoyed the experience as did the two dozen temple workers that showed up to be in the choir.

Back in the saddle

As planned, we arrived back in Nauvoo yesterday. We had a delightful trip back, enjoying our visits with our daughters: Heather, MaeLyn and Kristy and their families along with good weather the whole way. As we drew close to Nauvoo, the streets were wet, indicating that it had recently rained, but we were spared from the storm that had passed through earlier. Today, we have enjoyed attending church, sheltered from the gale-force winds that started blowing while we were in church but again subsided by the time that we were ready to return home. Again, as we left the chapel, we saw the streets were wet, and we were again spared from having to be out in it. The winds seem to be coming out of the south today and are warm – how delightful! As we unpacked our bags last night, we watched the tail end of the BYU – Idaho State football game on TV. I was somewhat surprised to see that it had been snowing there in Utah, where we had just left. All the while that we were there, it was beautiful clear weather. We left before the storm moved in and we were able to stay clear of that storm as well. I hear that it snowed here in Nauvoo as well, while we gone. But there is nothing here to remind us of that fact as all is again colorful. But the trees are drab as many of them seem to have lost their leaves in our absence. We can again see the temple from our apartment as the leaves are no longer on the trees where they had blocked our view all summer long. We left Heidi in Utah. We will miss seeing her when we go to visit the Browns in Kansas City area when we go there for Christmas but we are confident that she will be happy as she re-establishes herself in her now post-mission state of existence. Our service here will begin anew when the temple opens its doors on Tuesday. We are anxious to be back serving as we have been called to do. It is time to turn our attention from the weather to the things that matter. Soon we will be performing the ordinances that bring exaltation within reach for those that desire it. Soon we will be helping those that come to the temple to be endowed or to be married or to be sealed to their parents. It is humbling to know that we are there assisting our Savior in the vicarious work that he initiated when he atoned for us in Gethsemane and at Calvary. It is indeed an honor to serve him and to perform that most sacred work that is done within the walls of each temple.

At home in Orem

We arrived in Orem on Wednesday as planned. Although we did take a bit of a detour to get there. After leaving April’s house in Green River, WY, we headed south through Vernal, UT and on to Neola where we visited for a few minutes with Becky’s sister that lives there. We had good weather the whole distance although there was a bit of snow still on the road in Wyoming. Our car needed a good washing when we got home. Since we have been here, we have had wonderful opportunity to visit with several of our children and siblings that live in the area. Today we had thirty-four of our family here – all except for sixteen. Of those sixteen we visited with twelve of them during our drive here. It has been a very relaxing and enjoyable time spent with family and friends. Today, Heidi reported to the High Council and both she and I spoke in Sacrament Meeting later on. Now that those commitments are over, we now need to turn our attention to preparing for the trip back to Nauvoo. Tomorrow, we plan to get our car inspected (fixed if needed) and registered while we are here. We plan on leaving on Wednesday and travel through Los Alamos, NM on our way to see the home that our daughter Heather and her family live in there. We expect to be back in Nauvoo by Saturday.

Heading out

Heidi, our daughter, is now with us. She dropped in, via an airport in Moline, Il, two hours by car from here, en route home from the mission field. She has been serving in the Iloilo Philippines Mission for the last eighteen months. We will be driving her home by car from here – starting today. Yesterday was our last day to work in the temple as the temple now closes for the next two weeks for one of its semi-annual maintenance closures each year. We need to be back before the 19th of November when it re-opens again. Actually, we didn’t work in the temple yesterday either. Instead we took our turn working in the arrival center across the street. There, people who come a long way to attend the temple can change their closes before going in or they can leave their children, along with baby sisters there while they attend the temple. Non-members are also invited to go to the arrival center where we have various videos that we can show them. This is especially helpful for those that come and would like to have a tour of the temple – and can’t. At least we have the videos and brochures that have pictures taken in the various rooms of the temple so they can get an idea of what it looks like as well as what we do in this grand structure. Friday, this last week, was the first day that our new temple president took over. President McArthur should make a fine president, and we will enjoy working under his direction. He has presided over missions in Japan twice but is unfamiliar with temple work. He will learn quickly. Today we start our way back to Utah, to take Heidi back so she can be released. Today we will get as far as the Kansas City area, where we will spend the night with our daughter, Kristy, and her family. Monday night we will spend with our daughter, MaeLyn, and her family near Denver. Tuesday night we hope to spend with our daughter, April, and her family in Green River, Wy. So, if weather is permitting, we should get back to our home in Orem on Wednesday.

The Last days of October in Nauvoo

Here it is, the last Sunday of October.  With it has come the last day that we would have remained here had we not extended.  Tomorrow 40 of the 60 temple missionary couples leave as they are being released.  Today has been a tearful farewell as we are parting company with so many that we have come to love so very much.  In addition to those missionaries that are going home, we are also losing our temple presidency who is also being released in a few days at the end of the month.  We will be attending a reception in their honor in another few hours.

All the temple missionaries along with the temple presidency and staff held a special testimony meeting in the solemn assembly room at the temple today, giving those that are leaving one last opportunity to bear their testimonies within this sacred temple.  Our meeting lasted about three hours.  But oh what a wonderful three hours it was.  It will remain a special memory for so many throughout the eternities.

Yesterday was Halloween in the City of Nauvoo.  Although I suspect that there will still be some trick-or-treaters on the 31^st.  Here they celebrate Halloween in a rather distinctive manner.  First, the Church’s Facility Maintenance Department here provided around 500 jack-o-lanterns (of which we personally helped hollow out a few) which lined the streets all within a two-block stretch of the main street of town.  Last night around 6 pm candles within most of them were lit and while a few concession stands along the path sold hot dogs and the like, others were distributing caramel pop-corn, hot cider and cookies gratis for - as long as it lasted.  A parade then came by, consisting mostly of probably all the youth and a few of the adults that live here, all decked out in their costumes.  The kids were followed by a long-horned steer that wanted to go any direction but the way the parade was headed.  (The steer won out, and eventually returned to where the parade began.)  A few cars then passed by (including a ghost-busters vehicle) and a horse-drawn wagon carrying Nauvoo’s “Crazy Band” – each member playing their kazoo or whatever crazy instrument they could invent or concoct.  People came from all over to watch the spectacle.  They came from Hamilton, Warsaw, Keokuk, Fort Madison, and who knows from where ever else.  The streets seemed crowded in a carnival-like atmosphere that stretched throughout the whole two blocks that this whole thing occupied.  We afterwards went to the home of one of the local members that served us sandwiches, hot chocolate and other goodies.  It was a fun and enjoyable evening.

Prior to that, while serving in the temple yesterday, I got to be the guide for one of two Hispanic brethren that had come to receive their own endowments and then each of them be sealed to his wife and children.  The sealing ceremonies took longer than usual as each was first performed in English and then re-iterated a second time in Spanish.  These two families ended up being in the temple for over 6 hours.  But it was fun for me to use my Spanish and help these families become forever families.

6 months out

Last week, all who are called to work in the Nauvoo Temple along with their spouses were invited to attend the annual temple devotional.  We held it in the solemn assembly room of the temple, and we filled it to the brim.  At the devotional, we listened to talks given by all the members of the temple presidency and their wives and then the time was given to Elder Reall, an area Seventy.  Having just lost his wife to cancer a few months ago, he spoke to all of us that may have also lost a spouse or who would lose a spouse sometime in the future (which could be any one of us) about the heart ache and the difficulties coping with the loss of a loved one.  He handled the most delicate topic with great sensitivity and love and did a marvelous job.  It was a wonderful meeting.  Oh, between two of the speakers, the temple choir, of which Sister McClellan and I are members, sang.

Autumn is definitely in the air.  The weather is getting cold.  Leaves are starting to turn.  The leaves on the maple trees are red on one side of the tree but still green on the other – most interesting, and pretty.  We find ourselves starting to bundle up with temperatures now dipping down into the mid-30’s in the early morning hours.  We haven’t seen any snow yet, but they tell us it will be coming. It is also said that the temperatures will continue to drop, at times to as cold as -20.  That along with a high humidity level and major winds that blow all winter long, we will be looking for our long-johns and warm coats, scarves, caps, etc.  I hope winter is not six months long.  I like the warmer weather.

Yesterday marked the six-month anniversary of our being here in Nauvoo.  Had we not had the mission extended, we would be getting released at the end of next week.  Of the temple missionaries, there are many that will be going home then.  But prior to their leaving, arrangements were made to do a few things that would be special for them – and us too.  For example, today, after sacrament meeting, we held our Sunday school class in the historic cultural hall down on Main Street, and Priesthood was held in the old Seventies Hall down on Parley Street.  I must admit that the pews were hard but the atmosphere was great.  Sister Susan Easton Black Durrant, who use to teach at BYU and is one of the temple missionaries here, taught our Sunday School class today – and we were learning all sorts of facts about Church history which I am sure went well beyond the lesson manual.  She is such a fountain of Church history knowledge.

In a couple of weeks the temple here will enter into a two-week maintenance closure.  Our daughter, Heidi, who will be coming home off here mission to the Philippines will arrive here on the 30^th, just a few days before the closure begins.  We will then travel with her back to Utah.  We are starting to work out our travel itinerary – but realize that it may be very dependent on the weather.  We look forward to the break, and hope to meet with many of you while we enjoy our “vacation”.

 

Change in the air

 

Today has been a busy day.  We started off with a sacrament meeting at 8:00 am.  At 10:00 we were attending a stake conference.  We aren’t really members of the Nauvoo Stake, but since we meet in the same building, and our Sunday School, Priesthood and Relief Society Meetings would conflict with their overflow areas for Conference, they invited us to join with them instead.  We had choir practice, and then home for a short break before we go back to the temple this evening for a special Temple Devotional and then a farewell for one of our number that has been called to serve in Seattle as a counselor in the temple presidency there.  I suppose that doesn’t seem like all that much, but the time leading up to this sacrament meeting was occupied heavily by our trying to prepare talks since we were asked to be two of the speakers.  We are now glad that it is over, and basking in the thought that we probably won’t get that opportunity again for the rest of our stay here.  Speaking in Sacrament Meeting here use to be like speaking in a stake conference.  But as the autumn has worn on, many of the missionaries have either been transferred or released.  So now it is like speaking to just two combined wards.  Still a lot, but not as many. 

In two more weeks we will be saying good-by to two-thirds of the temple missionaries that are here.  That will definitely reduce the number in attendance.  And many more of the site missionaries will be leaving as well.  At that time we will then go into winter mode.  Instead of twelve shifts at the temple, we will be down to just six.  But that does not mean that we will no longer be needed as shift coordinators – we are among the lucky six couples that get to continue on with that responsibility through the winter.

We will also be saying good-bye to our temple president and one of his counselors at the end of the month.  The other counselor has been called to continue on and serve in the new temple presidency as well.  We will miss Pres. Condie.  His shoes will be hard to fill.  But the Lord always seems to be able and find just the right person to do it.  And we look forward to meeting our new president when he arrives.

With so many of the temple missionaries leaving, we will then have the option to move into one of the vacated apartments, if we want to.  And we do.  So in November we will be moving from our current apartment on Kimball Street to one on Parley Street.  The other apartment appears to be quite a bit larger, and will allow us more room for when visitors come to stay with us – and we hope that several of our family and friends will consider doing just that.  It’s too bad that we will still be here on Kimball Street when Heidi gets here at the end of this month.  We could have used the extra space.  But we will manage.

General Conference

Today it is raining.  We sit here absorbing the moisture that comes from Heaven.  We are enjoying both the physical and the spiritual moisture that is falling upon us on this beautiful day here in Nauvoo.  We sit here enjoying the conference sessions that are convening in Salt Lake City.  We are sitting at the feet of the Lord’s anointed as they testify of the Savior and explain the Father’s desires for us in the next period of our lives.  We hear the prophet’s plea for all of us to be missionaries.  It is strange how even when we are wearing the missionary badge we feel that we are shirking our duty, as we are not working with the non-member or even with the less-active.  But we look forward to the time when we can do just that. 

We marvel at the insights that are being poured out in this conference.  Isn’t it interesting that although the talks that are given are on many various topics, the one fact that remains a constant, is the statement that we are children of a loving Heavenly Father?  Because of that one fact, we are given each of the ongoing counsels and directions, all of which we are so much in need.  (Becky and I were both looking for what might be said about us being children of a loving Heavenly Father, since that is the topic given to us to address next week in our Sacrament Meeting.)

Tonight we will attend a “sociable” (fireside) where the speaker will be our beloved temple president, Pres. Spencer P. Condie.  He, and his wife, will soon be released and a new president will take over starting the first of next month.  We will certainly miss him, his humor and his spirituality.  But tonight we will feast upon it while we can.

For any following this blog and recall that Becky was ‘not complaining’ about the problems inherent to her new keyboard, please rest assured that she has somewhat resolved some of the discomfort by having acquired an extension cord for her headset. 

The Holy and the Ivory

Another week has gone by, which like most others, was spent in the temple doing the work to which we have been called.   All is the same - except for …

You might be aware that Becky was asked to be the director of the Temple Choir starting in November.  But, it’s hard to direct a choir when you can’t preview the music and it’s hard to do that if you don’t have access to a piano.  So… we looked at our little keyboard that we brought with us.  It is not a full length keyboard and it kind of sounds like a toy.  So… Becky started to look around … and … found this great offer on a full-length keyboard that sounds just like a real piano.    So…  Yeah, we bought it.  Becky is ecstatic!   She isn’t even complaining about all the items that didn’t come with it.  It didn’t come with a piano bench, or a stand to put it on, or ear-phones so she can play it in the apartment without disturbing the others in our apartment building.  But it did come with a sustain pedal.  It really does sound great.  Isn’t life wonderful?   By the way, we can use the stand that came with our old keyboard, we can use a regular hard-backed chair instead of a bench, and we can use some old ear-phones that we brought with us.    But the old stand is too high (even on its lowest setting) and it provides zero leg-room.  So she sits on two pillows some distance back from the keyboard.  The cord for the head-set is too short to be sitting so far back, so she leans way over and, in short time, her back hurts from the effort.  But she is not complaining; she loves her new keyboard!

Oh, we did have a pair of young sister missionaries come over for dinner the other night.  Their stay here in Nauvoo, is almost over, for a while.  The young missionaries here are now all sister missionaries.  They come on 18-month missions, spending a summer here and then they get transferred to other missions throughout the USA for the winter and then they come back to spend a second summer here in Nauvoo.  One of the two that came for dinner is preparing to go home in another week or two.  Her companion will soon be off to Virginia for the winter.  This is an interesting place for missionaries.  Performing missionaries come in for just 3-months.  The young sister missionaries are here akin to migrating birds.  And senior missionaries come in for 6, 12 or 18 month missions.  Our numbers vary from maybe 60 couples here in the winter to a couple hundred here in the summer - not to mention the young missionaries that join us for the summer months.

Serving in the temple

Last Thursday, our P-day, we were supposed to go to Springfield, Illinois to view museums, memorials, etc.  But we didn’t.  We didn’t feel good about leaving our shift early on Wednesday so we could get there at a reasonable hour.  We feel that other opportunities will make themselves available later on and we should really try to be in the temple when we ought to be – after all, that is why we were called to be here in the first place.

Of the five shifts that we are on each week, each shift coordinator tried to rotate us such that each gets an opportunity to officiate on a session about once a month on their shift.  This last week, we were asked to officiate three times, all on different shifts.  We probably won’t get the opportunity to officiate again for several weeks.  But we did enjoy this week.  The session we officiated on Saturday was filled and several had to be bumped when seats could not be made available for all that wanted to attend.  That was the third session that day to overflow!  I wish we could get a few of those that come on Saturdays to come in on a different day of the week.  The other days really suffer for lack of attendance.

We are the shift coordinators for the Wednesday afternoon shift.  We are starting to get the hang of what we are doing, but we are still novices with the challenges of it all.  Each week we create a new line assignment sheet that we hope will meet the needs of the patrons that come, based on the forecast (a list of the reservations made by patrons that want to attend that day).  For example, we only assign workers to the baptistery when we know patrons will be coming to do baptisms.  We also need to consider the ordinance worker’s individual needs and skills.  Some workers only come once or twice a month.  Illness, health issues, absences, and individual schedules (which change daily) all play into the challenge.  As some ordinance workers are also sealers, we need to be careful to always have one of them semi-available.   Currently we spend several hours a week creating the sheet for the upcoming Wednesday. 

Even after the sheet is distributed, we will then make adjustments as needed as patrons arrive that were not on the forecast [Although reservations are suggested, they are not required so we often get surprises].  Because attendance is generally down during this time of the year, we assign as many of the workers that we can to go as patrons on endowment sessions during the shift.  When doing this, we end up being really thinly spread -- and then we only hope we can still cover all the bases.  There may be times when a sealing session isn't scheduled but our workers are in initiatory instead (or the other way around).  Then, if patrons come to do sealings when we have no session scheduled for them, we can close down an initiatory booth and bring those workers up to be the sealer and witnesses for a sealing session. Or we may ask some workers to cover two (or more) bases so other workers can be made free.  It gets to be a bit of a game we play, but we do enjoy the challenge of it all.  We feel the help of the Holy Spirit directing us in this work, for which we are ever so grateful.

Our Constant Blessings

I was wondering when all that rain that the rest of you got would catch up with us here in the mid-west.  Well, today we finally got a little bit.  Not a lot, mind you, but what we got was much appreciated.  It has been a fairly dry summer, even for us.

Last p-day, we went on another tour.  This one took us along the Mormon pioneer trail in Iowa, through the first county (Lee County) they crossed through.  We started off in Montrose, or actually just north of Montrose where the wagons came up off the ferries (or off the ice) and up the bluff away from the river.  We saw where the miracle of the quail occurred.  We got to hold the “divining rods” that helps the historians today find the tracks of the wagon road, grave sites and foundations of homes built and since destroyed.  By car we climbed over the ridge as we left the Mississippi River and looked back over our shoulders, the same as the early Saints did, to see their last glimpse of the temple as they left.  We stopped and tried to map out the settlement of Zarahemla that housed the Saints on the Iowa side of the river (along with Montrose) during the Nauvoo era.  We followed the path (as close as modern roads would permit) to Sugar Creek, the first encampment along the trail for the Saints.  Then a ways further yet, to a site near where the second encampment would have been. At this time of the year, the land is dry and the terrain would be easy to cross even with horses or oxen and wagons.  The landscape is still green.  It is hard to imagine how it was when the Saints had to work so hard to pull their wagons through deep mud and ever descending rains over those same miles.  We were appalled by the number of graves that have been detected along the way.  Evidently there were a lot more deaths than that which has been reported.  Our guide thought that perhaps many infants may have perished without ever receiving a name – and therefore not becoming a statistic.  It is hard to say for sure.  The day was cause for much reflection as I considered how many of my ancestors may have walked that very “road” that we followed that day.  I am so thankful for them.  (I also appreciate modern transportation.)

The number of visitors to the temple are few these days.  On Wednesday, we didn’t have a single youth come to be baptized.  The other areas of the temple were pretty quiet as well.  On days like that, we often assign our temple workers to be patrons.  At least that way, a few ordinances are performed making our stay here of some worth.  Saturdays are, by far, the busiest day at the temple.  Yesterday we had two or three families come in from within the temple district to be sealed together for time and all eternity.  One consisted of parents and two teen-age children.  Another of two daughters, one age 26 and the other just 5.   And I thought our family had quite a spread!  This one was even more so.  There is always a special spirit that resides in the temple.  I am so glad to be able to be here and to work in such a sacred environment. 

We have made a lot of wonderful friend amongst the other temple missionaries assigned to be here.  In the short time that we have been here, our lives have been enriched so much through our association with them.  Our ‘family’ here has become quite close-knit.  We often share meals together, family-home-evenings together, tours together, etc.  It has been suggested that we come very close here to living the law of consecration.  Our housing is similar.  We all even sleep under the same rose colored comforters on our beds.  Our dinnerware is identical.  Even the same pictures hang on each of our walls – unless we replace them.  There will be many of the missionaries that we will come to miss when their time to leave arrives at the end of next month.  But in time, others will come to replace them and other associations will be created that will be just as meaningful.  We love the time that we are spending here.  It is so enriching, edifying and enjoyable. 

A Short Diversion

This week has been unusual, at least for couple missionaries like us.  We up and left the mission field.  Of course, we had permission from the temple president, who is our mission president.  We went to the Kansas City area for a couple of days.  We left on Friday and just got back a few minutes ago on this fine Sunday afternoon.  We went there to be with our granddaughter, Katie Brown, on her baptismal day.  Kansas City is about five hours away by car, but as the Browns live on this side of the City, we were able to make the trip in about 4 and ½ hours each way.  We attended Sacrament Meeting there as well before making the return trip back to Nauvoo.

For us it was a nice opportunity to have a quick break from the routine of temple work day in and day out.  We discovered that the chapel where the Browns meet is just across the street from the Kansas City temple.  We didn’t get to go inside, but it was nice to be in its shadow as pictures were taken there on her baptismal day.

This afternoon, we will be entering back into the Nauvoo temple to attend a meeting there.  It is so good to be able to be in the temple business.  There is such a wonderful feeling to be doing the Lord’s work in the sacred environment that exists in those marvelous buildings.

The work continues

Our week has been busy - learning to be the coordinators that they want us to be.  Like anything else it takes practice to learn new responsibilities and to step in and do them well.  We are expected to put out a line assignment sheet each week, juggling positions between the various workers in a way that will keep their work interesting but at the same time within each of their individual capabilities.  All positions need to be covered each hour of the shift.  Some workers need to leave early each day.  Others need frequent breaks.  Some are in training.  Some are needed as sealers.  Slow days, when there are not a lot of patrons, we need to assign the workers to go on sessions.  Creating the assignment sheet is challenging to maintain good coverage and flexibility as well.  This last week, I probably scrapped my efforts three or more times before coming up with something that I thought might work.  I am grateful that the other ordinance workers are patient with our efforts and willing to help in whatever way they can.

Last Monday, I also worked in the Call Center.  There I used the phones provided by the Mission to follow up on referrals made during the pageant.  First I would call the member making the referral.  Now that they are in their homes, they can provide us with the phone numbers of the non-members they want us to visit.  We then call the non-member to see if they are indeed interested in us sending missionaries in their direction and if so, to get their address.  I was asked to do this because the Spanish speaking proselyting missionaries that would normally do this have been transferred to other locations.  I am not much for talking on the phone - even less in Spanish.  But I was willing to give it a try.  There were a lot of "no body home"s  But I was able to get a few phone numbers of non-members and of those I found two at home.  Both were anxious to have the missionaries come by.  So I felt my time was well spent.

On the Run

There are 'up' times and there are 'down' times. There are times when we aren't very busy; and there are times that we don't know how we can manage - needing to be in several places all at the same time. Such is the life of a temple missionary. This last week, we were excited, thrilled and nervous – all at the same time to start our new calling as shift coordinators. Over all, the day went well but we were tired beyond belief when the day was over – knowing that we need to start preparing anew for next Wednesday when we go at it all over again.

Thursday, we went on a four hour tour that took us to Carthage, Warsaw and then back to Nauvoo during which we learned many of the particulars concerning the events surrounding the martyrdom of Joseph and his brother. We drove the road (as close as currently possible) that the martyrs would have traversed when they rode to Carthage so many years ago. In Warsaw, we saw the building which housed the Expositor that was used in efforts to defame Mormonism and its leaders back in the 1840's. In Carthage we saw the creek bed where the mob probably blackened their faces before assaulting the jail, the jail, etc. Along the way, the likely mindset of people involved on both sides of the conflict was unfolded by our guide.

On Saturday, now back at the temple, we were given a different challenge. A couple, along with their four children, came to the temple to be sealed together for eternity. But before that could happen, the parents and the oldest son, en-route to the mission field, needed to be endowed. No big deal? Well, it shouldn't have been, except for the fact that they were from the Congo and spoke French. The skill set of our arsenal of ordinance workers here at Nauvoo is rather thin – so when various skills are sought, they ask us to stretch our abilities, call on the Lord for help and then barrel forward with the assurance that the job will be done to the Lord's satisfaction. I was told that Becky did a beautiful job as she helped perform the initiatory ordinances for the mother – all in French. I, too, was called on to help in the men's initiatories as well as to help at the veil. In all, it was actually fun, but we were concerned that they would not understand us even though we tried our best to bring these ordinances to them in their native language. After the endowment was completed, Pres. Condie, our temple president (and an emeritus member of the Seventy) performed the sealing ordinances – again using the best French he could pull out of the bag.

Today, I was part of a men's ensemble group that sang in Sacrament Meeting.

Although the pageant here is over for the year, the missionaries are still busy following up on the referrals obtained while it was in progress. I was told, just today, that the success rate so far is 72%. I don't know just what that means – perhaps it simply means that 72% of the addresses given actually exist, or that 72% were really interested in hearing more about the Church, or that 72% are actually taking steps to become members of the Church. But at any rate, it is a far higher percentage than that obtained in previous years – which I am told lies around 17%. I tell you all this, because today I was asked to assist the proselyting missionaries follow up on the remaining Hispanic referrals in the area. The Spanish speaking missionaries that were here during the summer have now been reassigned to other areas. I am excited to get involved in that effort – even while serving a temple mission. It just means that I will be that much more 'on the run' than I already am.

Settling in

This last week has been one of just getting down and getting the work done.  The fun and games that live here in Nauvoo during the summer are gone.  The performing missionaries are now gone.  The crowds are pretty much gone.  Except for the pull of a new film introduced this last week in the temple, the session sizes there are decreasing and temple missionaries are frequently found going on sessions as patrons for lack of anything else to do.  With school having started in most places around the country, the temple baptistery is now often idle for hours on end.  Such a difference from what it was just a week or two ago. 

Starting in September, our afternoon shift will start and end an hour later than it has during the summer.  The earlier schedule through the summer allowed us to empty the temple each nigh before the pageant began so that we could turn the lights off and not have the temple detract from the outdoor production.  Now that the pageant is over, we can extend our hours a little more to allow the working class time to come in after work - at least for the last session which will be starting at 6 pm.

The new film that we show in the temple is a little longer, and has caused some minor changes in the schedule for ordinance workers.  We don't have as long between the end of one session and the beginning of another.  That means that workers don't have as long to complete the "veil" before needing to be at their next post.  When a session is late, it can really cause havoc, but on the whole we have been able to just quicken our pace and all has worked out - so far.

As new shift coordinators, we have been trying our hand at devising a new line assignment sheet for the shift, as must be done anew each week, as needs change.  Some have suggested that the effort is much like playing Sudoku, where we plop in assignments such that all have something to do, that all assignments are covered and there are not too many assigned in any one area.  That, and trying to make everyone's line interesting and within the bounds of their individual capabilities.  I am told that this task usually occupies most coordinators in the range of about ten hours each week.  And then, just when you think everything is in place, someone calls in, saying they are not going to be there, and a new effort is then required to fill in the areas that that person would have done.  While some shifts have more assignments to fill that workers to do them, our shift has more workers than we have assignments.  I find myself scheduling many to be endowment patrons just to give them something to do.

Change is in the air

School starts soon; the crowds are gone.   Nauvoo is returning to what it was when we first got here.  Kind of…  When we got here back in April, the tree branches were bare; no leaves and no flowers or fruit.  We have watched as spring sprang into being.  We watched leaf buds open and block our view beyond.  We watched the wild animals as they scurried about everywhere.  We watched the river current as it carried its muddy water downstream.  Today, the leaves are still on the trees, the wildlife is still out there and the river continues to flow down its designated course.  But the leaves aren’t all deep green any more.  A few are starting to turn pale, while others have gone yellow or red.  Not many, mind you, but a few are starting to let us wonder what the autumn is going to look like when it arrives in all its glory here in Nauvoo.  This last week we saw deer about on two different days.  The geese are starting to come back after their summer vacation to the north.  Perhaps they were hiding deep while the people populated the streets so heavily last month.  And the river?  Well, its shoals are lined for hundreds of feet out … with lily pads – all in full bloom.  It is indeed breathtaking to look out over the banks and wonder how Huck Finn could get his raft beyond the array of flowers and pads to get to the flow beyond.

Monday, we went across the river (by car) to Montrose to clean a Church historical site showing to where the Saints crossed when in exodus from Nauvoo.  We were close to where the miracle of the quail occurred in 1846.  We were also close to where the prophet’s red hanky was used to heal so many that were suffering from malaria and the like in the early days of the Saint’s reprieve in 1839.  Such a marvelous view of the temple!  It now stands as a monument of the dedication and hard labor that the Saints exerted to build that font of blessings and strength.  Of course, the temple we see today is not the same building that they built in the 1840’s, but it looks just like it and sits in the very same location. It also provides the same function that the original temple bequeathed years ago.  There on the Iowa side of the river, we saw what the saints would have seen as they turned about to see their beloved temple for the last time before turning their wagons westward to cross to some place somewhere out west where religious freedom could be assured.  Our sympathy for the early Saints increased as we stood where they stood looking beyond the Mississippi River to the house of God where He had endowed his flock with the power, knowledge and understanding that they would need before embarking on their trek westward.  But unlike them, when our work there was done, we could return to Nauvoo, unmolested by the persecutions that drove them out years ago.

Our callings as assistant baptistery coordinators on Tuesday afternoons will be short lived.  We have already been asked to train our replacements.  At the same time, we are being trained for our new callings as shift coordinators on the Wednesday afternoon shift.  That calling may also be short lived since in November, the temple will fall into its winter schedule, cutting back half of its shifts.  We don’t know yet if we will be requested to continue on when the two Wednesday shifts are combined.

As many of you may know, the Church is now providing a new film in the temple.  Because we only start sessions here once every hour, and we progress from room to room, the longer film (by 12 minutes) does not affect the schedule of sessions per se.  But what it does do, is require that our ordinance workers be available to work at the veil later in the hour.  That may cause grief if they can’t get to their next assignments on time - especially if sessions do not start on time.  We will see what happens when we start showing the new film for the first time this coming Tuesday.  What a challenge ... especially for us as we become new shift coordinators at the same time!

'Til we meet again

The pageant is now over. Last night we completed the last performance for the year. And today starts the exodus anew from Nauvoo. The cast members are leaving. Next week the Young Performing Missionaries will be on their way home as well. We will miss their exhuberence and their energy. The crowds here will also diminish now that the pageant is over. That's all right – they may be drifting away now – but they will be back next year, if not them, then others that will appreciate the summer's activities here just as much.

We were told that currently the senior missionaries that are serving here in Nauvoo make up about 20 percent of all senior missionaries throughout the world. But we were also told that that percentage will soon be cut in half. Soon we will only be 10 percent – not because half of us will soon be going home, but rather because the number of senior missionaries throughout the world is about to double. That, for us, is exciting.

The number of senior couple missionaries here in Nauvoo will decrease in the fall, but it will be back up again next spring. Like the birds that migrate, we flock in and out with the seasons. Only each year the group that returns are not the same ones that left the previous year. And like the birds, not all of us leave for the winter. A few will be left around to tend the sites and keep the temple warm and cozy. The temple mssionaries, of which we are a part, have now been divided into three groups: 1) those that were here last winter (and will be released this coming fall), 2) those that came this last spring and will also be going home in the fall (six month missions), and 3) those that will be extending to stay here through the coming winter – not to go home until the fall of 2014. We have been asked to be in that third group and we are indeed excited to be able to stay here and enjoy the spirit here in Nauvoo as long as we can. We will be here when the snow falls and the cold humid winds start to blow. We will be able to stand on the steps of the temple to sing carols during the Christmas season. We will be able to walk down Parley street in the middle of February in commemoration of the saints that did the same back in 1846. We will be here to welcome the new missionaries that come in April and enjoy the summer activities again next year that we were so thrilled to have been a part of this year. And it also means that we get to officiate in the Lord's temple here in Nauvoo, for that much longer.

Last night I again contributed to the pageant performance by being the voice of the prophet Joseph to the hispanic community that came to watch the extravaganza. As I did so, I contemplated the messages that were given, especially those spoken by Joseph Smith. Throughout the performance, Joseph provides his testimony of the many events in his life and of the doctrines that were revealed to him. To, think, I was bearing his testimony! And as I did so, I could feel the Spirit of God bear witness to me that the words that I was speaking are indeed the truth. “I know it. … and I cannot deny it.” I also rejoiced with him as he healed the sick, or joined in with the youth for fun and games, or organized the Relief Society, or passed the keys of the kingdom on to others. It was fun to watch the temple be constructed – right on the stage and then to see and feel the excitement of the saints as they were finally able to enter that building and there receive the blessings that would enable them to endure the hadrships that would soon follow, and to rejoice with the Scottish convert that exclaims that “the temple is the highlands of heaven”. How close these sentiments come to the feelings that reside in my own heart! The doctrines of the Church are from God. Christ stands at the head of this Church. The work that we are performing in the temple is essential in bringing eternal life to those who enter and then continue to keep the covenants they make there.

Our mission, our service, the pageant and our lives all continue on...

Today it was my turn. I got to stand in front of our Sunday School class and teach the lesson. I didn't get the participation that Becky got last week, but then the topic did not lend itself to a whole lot of participation. But I didn't get any tomatoes, so I get to live to see another day - for which I am grateful. I also got to pass the Sacrament and sing in a special musical number in Sacrament Meeting as well. We do get used. (Note: 12 “priests” and 24 “deacons” are used each week for the sacrament. The attendance in the Stake center overflows all the way to the very back of the cultural hall.)

Friday and Saturday we served in the temple as mentors for a couple that has just been called to serve here in Nauvoo. They are the Speaks from Kirksville, Mo. These good people have previously served in both the St. Louis Temple and in the Kansas City Temple. So our biggest efforts have been in helping them learn their way around the six floors of the Nauvoo Temple as well as how we do things here in Nauvoo. Things are always done just a little differently in every temple, and Nauvoo is no exception. The ordinances are the same, but procedures often vary to compensate for the layout of the building, etc. The Speaks are picking things up quickly.

The pageant continues. We still have one more week. I will be out there, reading the Spanish script on three of the five remaining performances. Last Wednesday, we had a bus load of 60 up from Mexico, and over 40 of them were using headsets to listen to the pageant in Spanish. I don't think I have the lines down quite as well as the cast that are up on stage, but I am getting fairly good at saying my part at the right time and within the same amount of time as the actors are taking and hopefully with the same emotion that they are portraying. Of course, the actors themselves don't always say the exact same words every time nor do they say them in the same way each time, but they're close – and we are becoming more flexible in our ability to keep with them. Each Sunday evening the core cast also puts on a fireside...each week in a different nearby town. Last week they were in Quincy, if I remember correctly. And tonight, they will be doing it on the pageant stage right here in Nauvoo. They entitle it “Our Story Goes On”. We look forward to being there.

Last Thursday I went to the county seat to get the last of the immunizations that were required for us as missionaries. It couldn't be taken until six months after the first of the series had been given. So kind of like the Prophet Joseph and his brother Hyrum, I, too, went to Carthage and got shot. The difference being that I continue to live to tell the tale.

A time to celebrate

Today is our anniversary. Becky and I have now been married for all of 41 years. So far, it has been a great ride, and each day proves to be better than the previous. She has been all that I had ever hoped she would be and a whole world more. She keeps me on my toes, and I pray that she has some coat tails that I can hang onto when it comes to exaltation. She is amazing.

Today was Becky's turn to teach the Sunday School lesson. She did well, she got great participation and then lots of comments afterward. I'm sure that she was feeling a bit uncomfortable considering that we had an emeritus member of the Quorum of Seventy (Spencer P. Condie) in attendance. She can't recall ever teaching priesthood brethren before either. But she did well, in spite of her fears. Her topic was the Oath and Covenant that belongs to the Priesthood.

We went out to dinner last night in Burlington, IA (about 30 minutes to the north of us). We met there along with 11 other couples, all of which were or are currently serving as temple missionaries. It was kind of a missionary reunion for those that were here last year, and we only got invited to join them just because we knew one of the couples that got released last fall and had returned to attend the pageant. The restaurant was perhaps the nicest we have been in since we left home, and was appropriate for our anniversary celebration. But, it all came to a screeching halt for us when we had to hurry back to Nauvoo so I could help with the Spanish translation. We'll need to go back again when we have more time.

While we have been here, we have invested in a little art. On the way here we obtained a landscape painting done by our daughter, Kristy. While here, we have found pictures of the original Nauvoo temple as well as one of the reconstructed temple. Yesterday we purchased a picture of the Savior to adorn our apartment walls as well. After three months, our apartment is starting to feel a little bit more like home.

If we get released here in October, we are close to “hump” day. Six-month missions sure go by fast. It has been such an amazing opportunity to serve here in Nauvoo. We would never refuse the offer to extend for another year, if that turns out to be our fortune. The Spirit of the Lord is so strong here, especially in the temple – and also on the flats. The pageant (going on right now) doesn't hurt either. When I step in to help voice the pageant script in Spanish, one of the parts I present is that of the prophet Joseph. As a result, I get to recite his account of the first vision, and to read his testimony of having seen the Savior in the Kirtland Temple, as well as announce to the world some of the great gospel truths that came through revelations to him. Each time, I feel like I am baring my testimony of the Savior, of the prophet Joseph and of the truthfulness of the gospel. I suppose that with each effort, I am also putting more emotion into it – because others are now noting that they can feel my testimony as I speak, and I am grateful for the opportunity that I have to share in this manner.

Thanks for your visit !

There is nothing like a little company to brighten the heart. And we got just that when our daughter, Lia, and her family arrived here last Sunday night. They spent the next couple of days getting a pretty good taste of things to do while they were here in Nauvoo. They even got to attend the pageant on its opening night. And oh what a night! It was hot and it was muggy. We haven't had another night like it since. They also got to watch a little baby bunny hop down the aisle of the pageant, right in the middle of the performance, and crowds watching it at every turn. We can only assume that it eventually found its way to the rear where it could escape. It was never really in any harm, at least from us. But it was an item of enjoyment, like everything else that surrounds us here.

We went with them to a lot of what they did, at least on Monday, that we were able to get off by trading P-days with another couple at the temple. Lia also joined us in the temple on Tuesday where she was able to perform the baptisms for a few of the people whose names she brought with her.

I have been at the pageant every night this last week. At least at the beginning. I am part of the Spanish Translation team. I begged off from that on Tuesday (opening night) so I could be with family. But on the other nights, I could be found in a tent way off to the left, helping the Hispanics to enjoy the event as well. On Wednesday and Saturday nights, I was positioned at a microphone, reading the script in Spanish. For the first few nights, one of the pageant directors, came to the tent to hand us a new script for one of the scenes that kept changing with every performance. We would need to take the changes home with us, translate them into Spanish, and return the next night with new Spanish scripts to be read. Unfortunately, we were always a night behind - but it was the best we could do under the circumstances. We were happy on Friday and Saturday night when we didn't see the director bring us further changes.

The pageant continues for three more weeks – Tuesdays through Saturdays. At this rate, going to bed at eleven each night and trying to get up at 5 or 5:30 the next morning is already starting to take its toll. We take naps whenever we can work them in. Once the pageant is over, the crowds will diminish and as they leave, so will many of the missionaries that are currently here to work with them. But we will continue to enjoy the sun while it shines and we enjoy the purpose for which we are here as well.

This last week, I had opportunity to receive three sisters at the veil in French that had come from Tahiti. I also got to present a deaf brother at the veil. I am grateful for the training that I have received to be able to help out when needs such as these arise.

Our days of rehearsal are now over

Today, in Sacrament meeting, the group assembled occupied seats filling the entire chapel and recreation hall all the way back to the stage. The full cast for the pageant are here and others are coming as well to be here for the first performance that starts this coming Tuesday evening. Last evening, Main Street, here in Old Nauvoo, was crawling with people. All wanting to see the sites and feel the special spirit that resides here in Nauvoo. Gone are the geese, and deer. Either they have migrated to other climes or are hiding well beyond the view of the casual passer-by. Occasionally we see a rabbit or two on an early morning stroll. I haven't even seen as many squirrels as we used to. I guess summer is here, and with it, the population has shifted from the wild animals to the tame tourist. The wet and coolness that greeted us when we first arrived is now replaced with warm humid days. Fortunately the temple is air-conditioned (as is our apartment). Of course, we spend a lot of our time in the temple. There is no better place in Nauvoo than in the temple. And there are others that must think that as well, for our sessions are starting to fill up. For one session this last week, we had to bring in 16 extra chairs to accommodate everyone. (That is the most that fire marshals will permit, I think.) Those are the kind of problems that we like to deal with.

Most of the people that come are not from the immediate area. Most of them have traveled hundreds of miles to visit this little out-of-the-way historic site and to sense the special feelings that permeate those that come seeking them. Obviously, in the temple, we don't get a lot of opportunity to bear our testimonies to non-members. But when the pageant is here, we should be able to find many, not of our faith, who will have come to see the “Nauvoo Pageant”. In it, the actors will bare their own testimonies as they recite the testimonies of the people they represent. The words of the characters they represent are the very words that we would say ourselves and our testimonies and theirs become one. I have the opportunity to provide the Spanish for a few of the characters – and with it, that same opportunity becomes mine, to bare my testimony as I bare theirs – as I recite their lines. Perhaps I, more than many of the translators, am appreciative of this blessing since I will be providing the Spanish voice for the Prophet Joseph. I get to tell his (and now my) story of what he experienced in the Sacred Grove or when he saw God in the Kirtland Temple. I hope and pray that I will be able to give, through this “voice”, the Spirit that is needed to carry the proper message to the hearts of those who will be listening to the pageant in Spanish.

On the second of July, we attended a “Night with the Smiths”. Here, in a fireside type environment, we listened to a direct descendant of Joseph and Emma Smith tell the story of the Smith family after the saints left Nauvoo. Her perspective may be unique since she is one of the few of their descendants that are strong members of the Church. Her father is a member of one of the Mormon splinter churches and was quite anti-Mormon. So her conversion was also a story of its own that we enjoyed hearing from her.

The Fourth of July was kind of just another day at the office so to speak. The nearest parade that I was aware of was in Carthage, over 20 miles away. The nearest fireworks were in Keokuk, again several miles away. The temple was open all day, and there was a rehearsal for the pageant in the evening. Site missionaries were busy giving tours at each of the sites. Testimonies were born. The work of reclaiming God's children, both for the living and for the dead, went on at full pace – all day long. But the 4^th, was our “P” day. So we took opportunity to go to Carthage and tour the jail where the Prophet Joseph and his brother, Hyrum, were martyred. For those who remember the Bashaws, Sister Bashaw was our tour guide while we were there.

Nauvoo activities

Last Monday, the temple missionaries had a talent show "sociable" - as they call it here.  It was an assigned pot-luck dinner with a fun talent driven program following.  I participated in a barber shop octet as well as in another number (along with Becky and four other couples) where we sang "getting to know you" along with a little soft shoe, etc.  We are starting to pull together as a close-knit group of missionaries.  Working together in the temple by day, having great "sociable"s a couple of times each month,  attending church together on Sundays and enjoying home evenings and dinners together on a regular basis as well.  It's fun and fulfilling.  We are really enjoying our time here in Nauvoo.

This week, we made it to Carthage.  After all, Thursday was the 27th of June, the day that Joseph Smith was martyred 169 years ago.  We went there to attend a commemoration held in his and Hyrum's honor.  We weren't the only ones there.  We were told to take our own folding chairs.  We assembled on the lawn below the window from which Joseph fell.  Music was provided by the Nauvoo Brass Band (16 of the Young Performing Missionaries) and a choir made up of the other 24 Young Performing Missionaries and another choir consisting of the Young proselyting sister missionaries assigned to Nauvoo and yet another singing group (BYU's Vocal Point singers) which happened to be in town for the occasion.  The Nauvoo Mission President, President Gilliland, gave the oration and President Condie, president of the Nauvoo Temple, gave the benediction.  The whole was short and sweet - only lasting about 45 minutes.  Because of the crowds, that day was not the day to tour the jail - we will return in a week or two to do that.

The core cast (about 20 members) for the pageant arrived last Wednesday. The "family cast" (everyone else that does not have speaking parts) will arrive this week to prepare for the production that begins the following week.  As I understand it, the family cast, some 100-200 people will be replaced every week of the production - giving many a chance to participate,  each group arrive the week before, to see how it is done and to help with the "country fair" that occurs each night prior to the pageant itself.  I have been asked to help with the Spanish translation two or three times each week throughout the 4 weeks that the pageant will be provided.  I will sit under a canopy off to the side and will wear a headset so that I can easily hear what is going on - English in one ear and Spanish in the other.  I will be given a role to read such as Parley Pratt or Joseph Smith.  It will be my duty to read the Spanish equivalent of that role as that actor says his lines on the stage in English.  I, along with the others doing the same for the other roles, will be speaking into microphones, so that those in the audience wearing headsets can hear the presentation in Spanish.  I have been practicing a lot over the last few weeks to learn to sync my words with those spoken on stage.  We were each given a DVD of a previous year's production to help us learn.  I only hope that this years' cast members talk at the same pace.  Sometimes it is really difficult to keep up - especially when two are in excited conversation.  My Spanish is not all that good.  But this is a great building experience.

Rehearsals

The President of the Nauvoo Temple, Spencer Condie, told me one day that he prayed me here. I doubt that it was me in particular that he was praying for, but I am helping to fill some voids that he thought needed filling. As a result, I find myself attending a lot of rehearsals for upcoming events. When I arrived, there was a men's ensemble that I was invited to join. They wanted me to sing tenor. Now I find myself trying to develop my falsetto so I can reach the notes that they expect me to hit. With my lack of rhythm and inability to find the right note, I am surprised that they still want me in the group, but as I am still trying to do my best, they still invite me to the practices. Tomorrow there is a talent show - put on by the temple missionaries - for the temple missionaries, in which we will be performing. This will be my first attempt at barbershop harmony. Then in a different number, they expect me to do some soft shoe while singing (along with several other couples). Have you ever tried to dance while your back is still recuperating from a compressed (almost herniated) disc? The results could be very interesting.

I am also rehearsing for the pageant. The cast will be arriving in another few days. I already have the script in hand and am working to be able to help with the Spanish translation. As the cast members say their lines, I and a few other volunteers are to read the Spanish equivalent to be heard by the Latino community through headsets we provide. The trick is to keep up with the cast and still read it with expression. I don't know that my Spanish is all that good. But I know that the Lord will help fill the gap caused by our weaknesses.

Those of us that were complaining of the cold a few months ago are now basking in the humid warmth for which Nauvoo is famous. Temperatures are climbing up into the 80's and 90's. And so is the humidity. The rain is falling less often – but it still chose to come down a bit today. Fortunately we are usually in the temple or in our apartment, both of which are air-conditioned. So we're not out in the heat for very long at a time. If this is as bad as it gets, I do not complain. I find it quite tolerable actually.

Every once in a while we run into someone that we know or we are approached by those that recognize us – either from our years in California or in Utah. Its always fun to get back in touch with those we have known years ago. On the other hand, it can get a bit embarrassing when they know us and I have no idea who they are. Another difficult moment is when they know us by name and I am really struggling to remember theirs. Oh well.

I often work the recommend desk at the temple. Here, in Nauvoo, more than anywhere else, we get people coming into the temple, wanting a tour. They are not members of the Church – but would like to see what the temple is like on the inside. Non-members are not allowed beyond the recommend desk. But we are missionaries – and have been set apart to do missionary work and this is where it starts for us. Our job is to not dampen their interest, but at the same time, try to direct them across the street to the “arrival center” where they can see videos and talk with the temple missionaries that are assigned to be there so that their questions can be answered more fully. By the way, we have been assigned to be in the arrival center tomorrow. We look forward to that opportunity.