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.