Post Office Assignment

Today was our Sunday to be assigned together at a site. We were assigned to the Post Office. During the four and a half Sunday shift we had only one couple visit our site. They are members from Alberta, Canada. However, there were several families visiting Nauvoo today. The Post Office isn't one of the priority sites when people are on a limited time schedule.

Changing of the Guard (Mission President)

Pres. L& Sister Gilliland with us last Sunday
in their home 

Today was President and Sister Gilliland's last day with us in Nauvoo. They were going to pick up the new president, President Hunter (son of Howard W. Hunter) and his wife, have a brief meeting with the two counselors and then leave.

However, Pres. Gilliland received a call from the missionary department indicating that Pres. Hunter would not be coming for another possibly two weeks due to some back condition which has been improving.

The missionary department indicated that the Gillilands', who's belongings have already been shipped, should still leave. However, the missionary department appointed the mission first councilor to be our acting president until Pres. Hunter and his wife are able to join us.

Harp Lady

Irene keeps most her instruments she  
plays near the center of the home

The Cultural Hall has been closed this week so that the floor can be refinished. Because of that, there are no Rendezvous shows this week. So, we contacted a local member here in Nauvoo who had extended an invitation to visit her home and have her play some of the musical instruments that she makes and plays. We arranged for some of our cast to go to her home on Wednesday (yesterday).

The upstairs is like an open loft (she calls the guest room)
which is above the  whole house except the living room

The stairway leading to the loft

Her name is Irene Tukuafu. She married a Tongan and has lived several places in the south pacific including Tonga and Hawaii. She and her husband have 14 children, all married. They wanted to move to Nauvoo after he retired as a school teacher. 



He says that she built her dream home with the help of a friend. She has given the different supporting logs names. She's quite the lady. The home is a round shape and she has a small shop next to the home where she does her wood working. I provided her some help on a problem she brought to the cabinet shop a few months ago. That's when she extended the invitation.

The whole main floor is made of wood. The design in the
center of the house is a compass. The pointer pointing
toward the bottom of the picture is pointing north.

Irene playing her harp

She took us on a tour of the home then she and her husband provided us with some entertainment. It was very nice.

Irene playing her dulcimer

Irene's husband singing a Tongan
love song

Family Search Center

Being the slower time of year for the mission, the mission presidency has been encouraging  the missionaries to support the Family History Center which is across the street from the temple. There are service missionaries called to serve there for one year. 

Ann and I have wanted to visit there to learn more about the newest "Family Tree" system and to see if we could find any ancestors that need temple work done. With my work schedule, evenings tied up doing shows or other duties, we haven't gotten there. 

However, recently the mission presidency has provided us with a help. They indicated that for those who would like to go to the Family Search Center to learn more about how to use the new system, we could sign up and the mission scheduler would schedule use for a four hour block for that purpose. Those of us assigned to Facilities Management would be allowed to go at the same time our spouse was scheduled. 

Ann was scheduled for this morning, so I got to go with her. It was very productive time. We not only got to learn about the system but were able to find family members for whom we can do temple work. With the help of the missionaries, we found eight men and two women between the two of us who need to have their temple work done. It was a great experience and one we hope we can repeat. My only regret was that I was told that Danish and German lines were very difficult if not nearly impossible to do much with because of lack of records available to the church.

Carthage Assignment and Artic Cold

Flowing water frozen in creek by handcart trail

Yesterday, Ann and I were assigned to serve at the Carthage Visitor Center for the day. It was a very cold and wind blown snowy day. We had about six inches of snow where the wind hadn't blown it away or into drifts across the highway. The temperature was 15 degrees below zero and with the wind chill, it was 30 to 35 below zero. However, following our Sunday block meetings, we drove to Carthage. For about the first hour, we spent the time digging pathways through the snow.

Ann and Fred standing by paintings of
Joseph and Hyrum Smith

Inside the Carthage Visitor Center, there are paintings of Joseph Smith Jr. and his brother Hyrum hanging in the room where you enter the visitor center. There is an interesting phenomenon related to the paintings. On heavy overcast days, when you look out the window of the visitor center toward the jail, you can see what appears to be Joseph standing (life size) inside the jail looking out the window of the "debtor's cell." Hyrum appears to be standing in the doorway of the kitchen of the jail. I took a picture of the jail window with Joseph in the window. However since no visitors came and the wind and snow were blowing, the kitchen door was left closed so I couldn't get a picture of Hyrum standing in the door way.

Reflection of painting of Joseph in
window of Carthage Jail

The Carthage Jail is a very special place where the spirit is very strong. It touches many who come there. Just since we came to Nauvoo on our mission, there was a non member who stopped at the Carthage Visitor Center to see the jail and what it was about. After the tour and sitting in the martyrdom room listening to the recording, she had been touched by the spirit. She had tears in her eyes and said that she knew Joseph Smith was a true prophet and wanted to be baptized.

The Lord has prepared the hearts of many who come to Nauvoo and Carthage. Many, both member and non member, who come aren't sure why they are drawn here. They just feel that they need to come and their hearts are touched. Members have their testimonies strengthened and many non members end up wanting to learn more about the church. 

New Year's Day

New Years day here in Nauvoo was a day like any other, a work day. Ann was assigned to the Family Living Center. For those who have not been here, it is a large room with different stations where demonstrations and explanations are made regarding how crafts and skills were performed in Old Nauvoo.

They have two looms on which the elders weave rugs that are used in all the site homes in Nauvoo. Ann spent most of the day on a sewing machine sewing three inch strips of material end to end. The strips of material are then wound on shuttles which are used to pass the material through the threads on the loom.

I spent the day as usual working in the cabinet shop. One of the projects I completed today was a holder used to hold spools of fabric tape used in the weaving process. It was requested so that the elders wouldn't have to hold the spools while unwinding the fabric tape.

New Years Eve

For the New Years Eve activity, the mission was divided into four groups. Our MTC (Missionary Training Center) Group was one of the four. It is also the largest group with 52 of the 64 still here in Nauvoo. The others completed their six month missions and returned home last September.

The mission presidency asked us to be in charge of our group's New Years Eve activity. We made arrangements to meet in the Facilities Management lunch and meeting room where we have met with MTC group on two previous party occasions.

We had a pot luck dinner. We always have lots of good food. Of course when Fred is the emcee, everyone has come to expect him to provide some topics of humor. He did and they loved it.

Past Summer's Young Performing
 Missionaries Singing 

Young Performing Missionaries

Following dinner we watched our DVD of "Ephraim's Rescue." It is the story of the man who played a major role in the Martin Handcart Company rescue. The movie was made by the same individual who made "Seventeen Miracles." Very few had either seen or heard of it. However, everyone really enjoyed the movie.

Ann with Sister Germer on her right
Sister Pixler on her left

Just as the movie was ending, some of the young performing missionaries who were here this summer showed up and asked if they could sing a song for us. The sang about when two or three meet together in His name He will be there. It went very well with the movie.



At 9 o'clock everyone was invited to go to the Family Living Center for dancing, desserts and snacks and just listening to real good music. Three elders in the mission are very good musicians. One plays the clarinet, one the saxophone and the other the piano as well as sings a lot of the old tunes the senior missionaries know and remember.

Ann with the Thompson's at the dessert
and snack buffet in the Family Living Center

The mission president requested that we wrap up by 10:30 because we had 8:00 a.m. mission training this morning (New Years Day) as well as our various site and work assignments. Actually there aren't too many seniors our age who can make it to midnight any more.