Late Summer

Nauvoo in late summer is quite a different place from June and July. It is still hot but not as humid as it was in late July!! While attending the Country Fair, prior to the Pageant, I was standing watching a granddaughter making a braided head band. Suddenly, I realized that my neck and forehead were lathered!! I usually do not sweat so profusely, but what a shock! Thankfully, temperatures are down in the 80s and mornings are much cooler. The insects are loving it (well, they love any hot weather); you should hear the cicadas. They get so loud sometimes that you can hardly hear!!

The sunsets have been spectacular. There have been a few light rainstorms, but the grasses and trees are suffering from lack of rain. In June and July we had a lot of rain and many thunderstorms, but now we just get some cloudy days, but no rain!
The performing missionaries are gone. (This is us with Elder Rose!!) We miss their energy and enthusiasm. The crowds are dwindling as many families head home to start school. We've heard that tour groups will be coming in September, so that will be fun. It is always so enjoyable when we are busy in the temple.

Last Thursday was our first day serving as shift coordinators. All went well, but that's because our predecessors were shadowing us! This week we have to make up the whole schedule and hope that all runs smoothly as it did last week.

Our p-day activity last week was very interesting and educational. We drove to Iowa City, where we had a tour with the Iowa State Institute of Religion Director, Brother Murdock. He is very spiritual and infomative. We learned a lot about the handcart pioneers and what they went through as they prepared for the trek West. We learned about Governor Lucas, who served at the same time as Governor Boggs, but who treated the Saints with kindness and fairness, rather than hatred and jealousy. He said that they deserved every right as any other citizen of the United States to worship as they wished and to enjoy their rights under the Constitution. After we went to the different sites in connection with the pioneers, we drove to a community called Amana Colonies, settled originally by Germans, wishing to live a communal life style. Today the commune is gone, but the place has been preserved as an historical site.

Continuing On

There was a lot of rain throughout the month of June, and the end of May. When July came, we had very few rain storms which usually brought lots of lightning and thunder because of the heat and humidity. Thankfully, throughout the Nauvoo Pageant, there was only one night when it rained. The opening prayer was offered. The person asked the Lord to temper the elements, and the Lord answered the prayer with a "Yes!" The insects are the annoying problem!! We have to spray or we're "eaten up" by mosquitoes and other biting things!!!

During the Pageant, Tom was able to act as a translator for Spanish speakers for several nights. It was challenging, but fun. The Pageant brought many visitors to Nauvoo, swelling the population. We had many youth groups; i.e., youth conferences, EFY, and family reunions that came to the baptistery. The endowment sessions were often filled to over-flowing! Serving in the temple is a joy every day! Tom says he feels like "a kid in a candy shop," spending 6 to 7 hours a day in the temple with one P-day a week. Then, we are free to attend the sites, plays and musical programs, or visit nearby areas of interest. The spirit of the temple permeates our lives. It fills us with wonder and peace. We are incredibly blessed.

Several BYU performing groups came to Nauvoo during the months of June and August--the Folkdancers, Vocal Point, and Synthesis. They were spectacular! We tried to go to every performance. There is a group that was here from May through August called the Young Performing Missionaries. (They are 18-24 years of age, some are returned missionaries, others are preparing to go on full-time missions.) We fell in love with them. They are so full of energy, enthusiasm, talent and testimony. They did several different performances each day. They presented a special fireside for us, and we provided a breakfast for them. They came to the temple regularly. Today, we had the awesome experience of officiating in an endowment session with these young men and a few of the young sisters present. Their leaders attended, as well as the mission president and his wife and President and Sister Smith of the temple presidency. It was the culmination of their experience here in Nauvoo. We were privileged to have been part of it.
Throughout the summer, Susan Easton Black, a professor from BYU Religion faculty, gave several lectures about Nauvoo and Church history. She is a very entertaining and informative speaker, holding audiences spell-bound. Tom knows her from his association with the BYU Religion Department. We heard about her love of ping pong, so Tom asked her if she would like to play. She readily accepted so they played several games. Tom only won once!!!

Another wonderful highlight was the family members who came to visit. Hailey came in July with some of her friends. She could only stay a couple days, but we loved every minute. She got to do baptisms, with Tom being the baptizer. That was so special. At the end of July Sherilyn and her family came for a few days. We were so happy to have them stop by on their way to Minnesota. In August Tamarin and Jennifer and their families visited. Sadly Brett and Riley could not come because of football, but maybe next year! We had 7 children and 5 adults staying in our apartment. It was crowded, but lots of fun!

We are extending!! We are honored to have been asked to stay for another year. We were recently called to be coordinators of the Thursday morning shift. That is a challenge, but we hope to learn quickly. We will be home for part of November, then back here in Nauvoo!!