We arrived in Nauvoo, Illinois, on April 23, 2011. The new temple missionaries reported to the Arrival Center, where we were greeted by the temple presidency and the "winter warriors"--temple missionaries who had stayed through the winter--who helped orient us to our responsibilities and took us to our apartments. After orientation, we had our first shopping experience to "Wally World" where most of the missionaries do their bulk shopping to get settled in.
Our ward is like stake conference. We are combined with the site missionaries, who leave after sacrament meeting to be at the various sites for visitors. We stay for Sunday School and Priesthood/Relief Society. The Sunday after our arrival was Easter and we were invited to President and Sister Smith's home (counselor in the temple presidency) for dinner with two other couples. We thoroughly felt at home and found that we had known one of the couples in Northern California! Small world!! We even met the couple who replaced as CES missionaries in Guyana!
