The End.......

                                .....and the Beginning

     It is now the end of 2016 and the beginning of 2017.  It seems like so long ago that the spark of inspiration ignited a desire to serve a mission.  Nauvoo became the dream.  Patience became a virtue.  August became the reality that it would happen.  December 28th marks our first hundred days as missionaries.  We have passed the sadness and loneliness of being away from our families and missing the many traditions we have established in the past and yet at the same time we rejoice at our being here in this sacred place surrounded by new friends and fellow missionaries.  In December we lost our titles as "Newbies" as a new couple, the Jones' arrived on December 4th.  Hardly "Newbies", however.  They had served here fifteen months ago and were back for another round.  The official "Newbies" arrived on December 21 when the Duvall's and Daine's arrived. I wonder if we looked that shell shocked? 

     We are in a lull right as no more new missionaries will arrive until March....and then the annual deluge begins anew.  By May we will have added some 40 new couples, several single sisters, the nine young sisters who were assigned to outbound missions, and soon thereafter, the young performing missionaries, who carry the entertainment load for the summer will arrive.  Our assignments will increase as we will not only perform in Rendezvous but also Sunset on the Mississippi...two performances a night at least four nights a week.  All this with the cold temperatures of Winter giving way to the humid heat of Summer..... Sounds fun!

     We are involved in our assignments at FM daily and just like anything else here in Nauvoo you never know exactly what to expect.  We are extremely grateful to be here amongst our fellow missionaries and we learn so much from them that strengthens our testimonies.  It is not a "Pollyanna" world where every thing is roses but there is a special feeling that exists and we feel blessed to be here.  It is indeed Joseph's City and you cannot go far without feeling his influence or presence.  He was indeed a prophet who restored the gospel and plan of happiness that is the way for us to return to his divine presence.  Learning of his life, sacrifices, and testimony as well as his fellow Saints is a strength to us.  Sharing the blessings of the restored gospel with those who come is truly a blessing and a challenge. 

Partners in Grime.........

                                   .....Having a Good Time

     The Noah Packard (aka Schenk and "The Doctors") house appears to be a monumental endeavor of gi-hugeous proportions that often screams "What are you thinking.....why are you doing this?"  Each day I learn a new facet that elicits a "really?!!!" comment from me.  The construction techniques and "fixes" are things I have never seen or imagined....or would even personally consider doing...but around here the by-word phrase is "Willingly...because we have to!"  Our efforts succeed because of my new friend and work partner, Elder Sims.  He was in our MTC group and hails from Furth, Idaho.  It was his request that took me from the cabinetry/carpentry shop into the world of carpentry.  This is his third mission to Nauvoo and he knows pretty much all of the current FM employees and is often referred to as "Bob" rather than Elder Sims.  He was a self employed  HVAC contractor and ran a very successful operation in Furth and was respected and trusted by all.  This allowed him to sell his business and retire at 50 and work on rental units and other construction projects helping his friends there. 

     The Packard house is a perfect fit for his creative skills in shoring up old dilapidated and fire charred timbers and structure repairs that appear to be questionable at best.  If there is a way he is usually the one who finds it and leads us on.  His faith in the project far outweighs my skepticism but once the solution is decided we dive in and complete the task.  One of our "dirty" tasks was removing lath and nails from the charred timbers in the cellar and shoring them with new lumber and putting 6x6 timbers and metal supports underneath in order to keep the structure sound.

     After the cellar project we moved on to creating a new ceiling in the existing additions while working around parts of the existing roof that we were told not to tear out.  This went great until it was discovered that part of the existing roof line with 100 year old 2x6's (really 2" by 6")  hung below the new dimensional lumber (2x6 is now 1 1/2x 5 1/2).  There was not enough space to safely use a circular saw to cut the old out so I tried several other types of saws that were not effective in the extremely hard and dry lumber.  In the end I resorted to a claw hammer and chipped away for over a day at cutting them down to size. 

Eagles Soar and Ice Packs Roar......

     Marilyn and Sister Lee Master were down by the river where they discovered massive ice chunks that had been driven ashore by the winds as the ice on the Mississippi and Lake Cooper began to break up during a thaw.  It was impressive to say the least to see the size and thickness of the blocks of ice.  Then there was sighting of the bald eagles that are now appearing in more numbers along the shores of the river.  It is an annual occurrence that will have many of the large majestic birds dotting the shoreline.  I don't know what the birds thought but she sure looks appetizing to me!!

It's the Annual Counting of the Artifacts....

     At the beginning of the new year the annual inventorying and counting of the artifacts in Nauvoo begins.  This responsibility falls to the lovely ladies of conservation and so Marilyn and Sister Lee Master  begin visiting the sites with their log books and computers and are assigned the responsibility of finding and cleaning them.  An artifact is a rather loose term used to denote anything of older and historical value.  So many of the things that are on display and in the sites in Nauvoo are not from Nauvoo but are of the Nauvoo period.  They are valuable and so they need to be checked on and cleaned.  While some may be touched and handled by the missionaries there are a few that can also be handled by the general public.  There are also those which cannot be touch by anyone except the conservation people who have been taught and trained on how to deal with them.  They are to only be touched with "white gloves" on and very carefully at that.  It scares Sister Gibson to even think about it.  She is the perfect person for the job.  While doing the inventory of the Heber C. Kimball home she took opportunity to stand next to his portrait.  During the Nauvoo years there were many, many sisters that were under the impression that it was necessary to be sealed to one of the church leaders in order to attain the Celestial Kingdom.  There are many, many women sealed to him....and I am not sure he is aware of all of them.  I sure hope he doesn't have his eye on mine.

New Years in Old Nauvoo......

     New Years Eve is a missionary extravaganza that starts at 7:00 and ends at 9:30....WoooooopTeeeeeeDo.  Sister Gibson had the assignment of getting the tables and chairs set up so we were there at 5:00.  The assignment took 30 minutes.  Rather than sit around we retreated to the apartment....waited  a while......drove around and took I-phone pictures of a couple of the more spectacular sights in Nauvoo then went back to the missionary gala at the pageant site and waited thirty minutes for it to start.  Almost all the missionaries showed up....now that's a surprise....what else is there to do in Nauvoo on New Years Eve???  We had a great time with plenty....and I mean....plenty to eat.  There was a program with lots of laughs and the whole shebang ended with the three casts (Emma Hale, Lucy Mack, and Sara Granger) competing "Minute to Win It".....we didn't.
We were in bed and crashed by 10:30........HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

The Lyon Drug Will Deliver a Treat.....

                   ....But None Were Delivered Today

     New Years Day was, of course, on Sunday but that didn't deter the zeal of the missionaries to serve in their sites,  While it may not have been our choice...we did it "Willingly...because we want to"  (Actually we were assigned ).  We had never served in the Lyon Drug so we were excited to see what the history and purpose of the drug store was.  Windsor Lyon and his Wife Sylvia Sessions were the proprietors.  He was a botanical druggist and used herbs and botanicals for the purpose of healing.  There are so many different things to see (but not touch).  The druggist was also able to pull teeth so there is a tooth extractor.  A pill maker was also of great interest.  The main message of the store is to bear testimony of the strength of eternal bonds and the knowledge, through a prophet (Joseph Smith) that little children are indeed special and if they pass away early in their lives their is a celestial place for them.  Perhaps it is because they did some valiant act in the pre-existence and their only need was to gain a body.  Such was the case with the Lyon's as they lost three children while they lived and served in Nauvoo.

     Looking at the pictures you can see the monumental task ahead of Sister's Gibson and Lee Master.  Every one of those bottles and trinkets has to be taken down, turned over to find the correlating number to the catalog, dusted and returned to the EXACT spot it was on the shelf....Talk about "micro-management."   Who needs sheep when you have the Lyon Drug to count??