Nauvoo 100: It's Beautiful

I've crossed the Mississippi River before and flown over many times, but never lived along it, touched it or felt its pulse.  Shortly after we arrived, we drove down Parley Street.  This is the street that leads directly to the river and landing in the 1840's where visitors and new converts were welcomed.  It was often that Joseph Smith went out to meet the new arrivals.   Ferries stopped here to sell or buy goods.   Members of the Church were able to establish businesses to support their families here.    Today, tugboats move barges up or down full of coal or corn every day.  Each barge hold 56 semi truckloads of goods.   Often they are pushing fifteen at a time.   There are small parks all along the Illinois River Road making it easy to turn-out and experience it's charm.  On the west side of the river, a train, the Burlington Northern Sante Fe, runs at least a dozen times a day.   We can hear it's whistle from our...

Annually in March this one acre of six foot tall prairie grass, that has been growing here for forty years is burned to help the roots send out new shoots.   When the country was being colonized, prairie grass covered seventy percent of the land.   Now, very little of it exists.   The Church hired a botanist to select the seeds that most resembled the original grasses to plant as a reminder of what it was once like.   Because the roots are so deep and thick, it took several years to grow.    The city fire department is on hand at one corner and they start the fire at the other end.   The towns folk and missionaries come to see.  Consessions are sold, chairs are set out and everyone lines up as if watching a parade. From the first grasses that were started on fire to the last one, it only took about five minutes or less until the entire acre was consumed.   It had been raining all week, so the grass was not that dry.  Fires ...

The pre-show is over.  Now we must begin. It's time to serve in Nauvoo.  We're officially 'IN!" The talks, good-byes and travel are in the bin. We must prove ourselves to all, for the win. The mission president, Mark Lusvardi, has a busy schedule so our appointment was at 8:30 a.m. for thirty minutes.   He is pictured here at the beginning of one of our mission meetings with his wife and counsellors, Elders Gordon and Williams.   A small vibrant man, he has more enthusiasm in his pinkie finger than we both have together.   On his wall are the photos of all missionaries (including ours) in the Illinois Nauvoo Mission.   He knows almost all of them.   Newly arrived in January, he and his wife, Julianne, are from Orem, Utah.   He has worked for the Church for many years helping developing the criteria at Visitor's Centers throughout the world. . Weekly we have a mission training meeting in the theater of the Visitor's Center.  T...

We begin our days at 7am in the Facility Management offices with a prayer meeting.   In this first photo, it's one of the elder's birthday.   We have to put party gear on and everyone sings to us.   Someone gives a spiritual thought and prayer, then we are off to our respective jobs.    FM is a hard job in Nauvoo, but its a blessing to serve the Lord and see the results of our labors.                    Allan was assigned to the Carpentry Department.   He is happy as a kid in a candy store.    The Heber C. Kimball home needs new shutters.   Allan has all the latest tools to make whatever is required.  With 100 homes/apartments there are plenty of projects for these elders to do.      Fifty-five sets of shutters are required for this job.   They are using cypress wood, which will withstand the elements better.  This will take awhile with lots of routing...

Within a few days of arriving I was directed go to the Sewing Room to choose a piece of fabric for my performing period dress.   It was hard to choose from rows of many colors and designs.   The dress selections were horizontal pleated sleeves and/or hem,  piping along the waistline, V shaped lines in the upper bodice, a row of buttons and more.   It was fun to have a dress made to my liking.  It cost $70 and there were several fittings.  I couldn't wait to see the finished product.    I choose green with a small bud, because it is my favorite color.   So far, I have only seen one other sister with the same fabric.   The dress fits perfectly.   I was afraid I might trip while dancing, but the length is perfect.   This is Sister McLeod from Georgia, pinning the hem.   The Sewing Room has about a dozen sisters that alternate in and out to get the dresses made.   They also make the Young Performing Missionary...

March 17th was an exciting event here. The sisters dressed up in period gear. Went on a wagon ride to a place very near. We re-enacted the first meeting.  It was so clear. Shortly after we arrived, I was able to participate in the Relief Society re-enactment.   Horse drawn wagons picked the sisters up and drove them to the red brick store, where the very first meeting took place on the second floor of the building.   It was a chilly, stormy day, but we didn't care important business was about to take place.     Other sisters played the parts of the ladies, Sarah Granger Kimball, Lucy Mack Smith, Eliza R. Snow and more that attended the first meeting.  Singing and opinions were expressed.   I sat on the front row and had the best spot.                     Elder and Sister Slater from Slaterville, Utah, portrayed Joseph and Emma Smith.  Don't they look great?     A gro...

We spent our first day meeting the mission president, the FM managers and moving in.  Believe me our car was packed so solid the cooler in the very back still had ice in it after three days.   It is March. We almost filled the 16' x 22' house, Three floors, 352 square feet, & probably a mouse. A wall of closets, and room for my last blouse. Just need food and my hopes for more stuff, I'll douse.                Our home was built by William Mendenhall in the 1840's.  Some of his posterity have served missions here and even lived in this home.   His picture is on the wall of our living room.  Every home here has a picture of Christ.  We have one on both floors.  It helps us to remember Him and who we represent.    Our homes are furnished and have a full kitchen of standard issue dishes, pans, flatware and such.  All homes have the exact same items, to avoid someone saying they hav...

Welcome to where we will work for two years. It's Facilities Maintenance.  Now give it three cheers. Coming and going through sweat and tears, We'll serve here and love it, or so it appears. This large Church owned area in an out of the way location by the river, includes carpentry, painting, grounds, mechanic shop, plumbing, electrical, housing, green houses, HVAC, conservation and many other things to keep Old Nauvoo running smoothly. We met the managers of the different areas and were given the FM missionary tour.   Elder Schmidt's eyes bulged out when we went through the carpentry shop as he saw all the state of the art saws and such.  Just behind these doors, we met with the lead project managers to tell them what we do best.  Allan, usually the quiet guy, spent some time explaining the variety of areas he has learned.  I was even amazed at the ole' guy.  When it was my turn it took less than a minute to say, "I like to weed aft...