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!!