Ramblin' On.......
Rather than wait until the weekend and pull together pictures and fill in the stories I thought I would take a different approach and reflect on some things. Probably the most significant was conference as it is always full of instruction and perspective. It was poignant and thought provoking to watch President Monson give guidance to the church though his body is obviously tiring. Those few words packed power and inspiration and wise counsel. At our mission training on Wednesday we listened as the mission leadership gave their impressions of the messages and how they benefitted them. We were all counseled to go into conference seeking answers to questions we personally might have. It was an interesting introspection of where I am and where I am going. President Tryfal who was released as a counselor said of all the things he had learned recently it was most important to note that repentance is a daily process...examining where we are today and where we want to be tomorrow. For some reason I reflected on one of my most difficult callings as a ward mission leader.
Rather than dwell on that I then moved on to one of my very most rewarding and cherished memories.....eleven year old scouts....The Armadillo's. The pin I still wear gives me ample opportunity to tell the inquirer of the great times and love I have for those boys. I do miss those boys dropping by for visits and talking of their lives and interests!
As noted last week we had the Great Prairie Burn (Smolder). The small turn out resulted in plenty of hotdogs, kettle corn, and chips being left over. So for the first days of this week FM was treated to free lunch....hotdogs...kettle corn....and chips to the point that even the young service elders have had enough.....and that's saying a lot as they are always willing and able to eat anything left over.
Another of the perks of being in Nauvoo is the frequent visits of General Authorities who bring their families here. This week is was Tad Callister, General President of the Sunday School. He brought a large contingent of family with him and was also gracious enough to speak to the missionaries....site and temple. He spoke of the significance of the ordinances of the temple and it was a very spiritual and rewarding meeting.
We are looking forward to next week when Stephanie and her family, along with Jaustin, arrive for a visit. It will be so much fun to see them, get hugs, and be with them for a while.
Cleaning the Cultural Hall.......
.........Quilts and All
While the annual spring cleaning is winding down Sister Gibson is still busily engaged in the handling and preservation, and of course, cleaning the delicate artifacts that are here. Just to give you an idea......the top picture shows here cleaning a quilt on one of the beds in the display at the Cultural Hall. Everyone one of them....on beds and on hangers need to be cleaned and in order to do this they must have a protective screen used. Not only that...when they are re-folded a special paper is inserted in the folds and care is taken to make sure they are not the same folds that existed before. If you take the time to look at all the items in the picture you can see how challenging this is. East item must be carefully handled and the utmost care taken to insure their cleanliness. What trust they place in her and Sister Lee Master to accomplish this....no wonder it takes them so long.
Fortunately the items that are behind glass.....such as the Hair Wreath only get a cleaning on the exterior. It would be hard to imagine cleaning each of those individual hairs. Actually, it's really kind of a bizarre item....I'm sure it must have been a big deal in the day, however.
The Race is On.......
....As the New Doctor Arrives
The doctor and his wife arrived a week ago and Sister Hopkins placed them in temporary quarters pending the completion of the Schenk house......he can only remain there until April 17th as new missionaries will be arriving and his temp residence will become someone's permanent one....THE RACE IS ON!! One day alone we had nine trucks and 13 missionaries working in the confines of the house. It seemed like you couldn't take a step without stepping on someone's tools, fixtures, or toes!!
Elder Sims and I found refuge in the garage hanging and taping the sheetrock....of course it took several hours to clean out all the garbage, tools, and stored items in order to work. Undaunted we plowed forward. I took a selfie of us.....just for giggles! (Yours and mine)
Elders Hacking, Van Horn, Sims, and myself took to putting down the new vinyl composite flooring.....none of us had ever done it but I had seen a lot of it on other projects and Elder Van Horn, being his usual efficient self, had read all the pamphlets the manufacturer could provide as well as the installation instructions. We sanded the floor smooth as the proverbial baby's bottom and Elder Van Horn applied the glue.....Elder Sims could find nothing better to do.....after all he was tired and it was at the end of the day....so he watched the glue dry. After an hour and one half we all jumped in and laid the floor...it went in amazingly well and looks great.
The next day, I blinked and before I knew it, everyone, but me, was a cabinet installer.....imagine that! About the best I could do was hold a cabinet for Elder Daines as he installed it. Never mind it was the middle cabinet in the run.....Seems Lon, the cabinet geru, had precut all the holes so it had to be installed first...never mind his duct hole was 2" bigger that the one installed in the ceiling. Thirty years of ordering, installing, and building cabinets.......and there I was watching in disbelief.....actually comic relief. The Elders did know, for the most part, what they were doing....and so did I.....I moved to the garage and continued to sheet rock. A day and a half later about half the cabinets were installed, more issues that a newspaper had been dealt with and it was calm again....waiting for the rest of the cabinets to be delivered. I hope the doctor and his wife don't expect doors, drawers, or shelves too soon...I don't. I love these guys...... anywhere but the workplace.
We are pretty much done with the interior.....given the cabinets that are yet to be installed. There is a lot of small stuff that will take a lot of time but it looks like we will be moving outside to begin our work on the exterior. Sounds fun!!
Mark Twain Calls........
.....Hannibal Answers
We always keep abreast of the weather forecast.....we were in the midst of a wet, wet cycle
that appeared to have no end. So when the blue sky logo popped up for the weekend we were more that ready to go....somewhere.....anywhere!! Hannibal, Mo. called and we answered. It is about 90 miles from Nauvoo on the Missouri side of the Mississippi. Mark Twain made the place famous with his writings....Tom Sawyer, Huckleberry Finn, Becky, Miss Polly, and Injun Jim. Not to mention all that wit and wisdom he penned. When the Lindeburgs were unable to go we invited the Hackings. It was a delightful day.....the weather was fantastic we had a great time.
As we stood at the entrance to the cave that Mark Twain had made famous in his writings the guide gave a disclaimer warning about claustrophobia. Elder Hacking and Sister Gibson went pale....
...I mean really pale. Eventually they "sucked it up" and ventured into the cave....fortunately they soon appeared to forget about it and really enjoyed it. It reminded me more of the many slot canyons we had explored in Lake Powell.....sure you couldn't see the sky....but that was also true with many of them. There is a portal there called "The Marriage Chamber" where several ceremonies had been performed. I will be going back to get a picture with Sister Gibson....to see if she is still willing after all these years.....what's your bet?
We then toured the Mark Twain museums and sights stopping along the way to blow the riverboat whistle as well as take a swipe at painting the famous Tom Sawyer fence. This is a great little town to visit and I am sure we will return. After all the River Boat dinner cruise seems like a great idea.
Another of the perks of being in Nauvoo is the frequent visits of General Authorities who bring their families here. This week is was Tad Callister, General President of the Sunday School. He brought a large contingent of family with him and was also gracious enough to speak to the missionaries....site and temple. He spoke of the significance of the ordinances of the temple and it was a very spiritual and rewarding meeting.
We are looking forward to next week when Stephanie and her family, along with Jaustin, arrive for a visit. It will be so much fun to see them, get hugs, and be with them for a while.
Cleaning the Cultural Hall.......
While the annual spring cleaning is winding down Sister Gibson is still busily engaged in the handling and preservation, and of course, cleaning the delicate artifacts that are here. Just to give you an idea......the top picture shows here cleaning a quilt on one of the beds in the display at the Cultural Hall. Everyone one of them....on beds and on hangers need to be cleaned and in order to do this they must have a protective screen used. Not only that...when they are re-folded a special paper is inserted in the folds and care is taken to make sure they are not the same folds that existed before. If you take the time to look at all the items in the picture you can see how challenging this is. East item must be carefully handled and the utmost care taken to insure their cleanliness. What trust they place in her and Sister Lee Master to accomplish this....no wonder it takes them so long.
Fortunately the items that are behind glass.....such as the Hair Wreath only get a cleaning on the exterior. It would be hard to imagine cleaning each of those individual hairs. Actually, it's really kind of a bizarre item....I'm sure it must have been a big deal in the day, however.
The Race is On.......
....As the New Doctor Arrives
Elder Sims and I found refuge in the garage hanging and taping the sheetrock....of course it took several hours to clean out all the garbage, tools, and stored items in order to work. Undaunted we plowed forward. I took a selfie of us.....just for giggles! (Yours and mine)
Elders Hacking, Van Horn, Sims, and myself took to putting down the new vinyl composite flooring.....none of us had ever done it but I had seen a lot of it on other projects and Elder Van Horn, being his usual efficient self, had read all the pamphlets the manufacturer could provide as well as the installation instructions. We sanded the floor smooth as the proverbial baby's bottom and Elder Van Horn applied the glue.....Elder Sims could find nothing better to do.....after all he was tired and it was at the end of the day....so he watched the glue dry. After an hour and one half we all jumped in and laid the floor...it went in amazingly well and looks great.
The next day, I blinked and before I knew it, everyone, but me, was a cabinet installer.....imagine that! About the best I could do was hold a cabinet for Elder Daines as he installed it. Never mind it was the middle cabinet in the run.....Seems Lon, the cabinet geru, had precut all the holes so it had to be installed first...never mind his duct hole was 2" bigger that the one installed in the ceiling. Thirty years of ordering, installing, and building cabinets.......and there I was watching in disbelief.....actually comic relief. The Elders did know, for the most part, what they were doing....and so did I.....I moved to the garage and continued to sheet rock. A day and a half later about half the cabinets were installed, more issues that a newspaper had been dealt with and it was calm again....waiting for the rest of the cabinets to be delivered. I hope the doctor and his wife don't expect doors, drawers, or shelves too soon...I don't. I love these guys...... anywhere but the workplace.
Mark Twain Calls........
We always keep abreast of the weather forecast.....we were in the midst of a wet, wet cycle
that appeared to have no end. So when the blue sky logo popped up for the weekend we were more that ready to go....somewhere.....anywhere!! Hannibal, Mo. called and we answered. It is about 90 miles from Nauvoo on the Missouri side of the Mississippi. Mark Twain made the place famous with his writings....Tom Sawyer, Huckleberry Finn, Becky, Miss Polly, and Injun Jim. Not to mention all that wit and wisdom he penned. When the Lindeburgs were unable to go we invited the Hackings. It was a delightful day.....the weather was fantastic we had a great time.
As we stood at the entrance to the cave that Mark Twain had made famous in his writings the guide gave a disclaimer warning about claustrophobia. Elder Hacking and Sister Gibson went pale....
...I mean really pale. Eventually they "sucked it up" and ventured into the cave....fortunately they soon appeared to forget about it and really enjoyed it. It reminded me more of the many slot canyons we had explored in Lake Powell.....sure you couldn't see the sky....but that was also true with many of them. There is a portal there called "The Marriage Chamber" where several ceremonies had been performed. I will be going back to get a picture with Sister Gibson....to see if she is still willing after all these years.....what's your bet?
We then toured the Mark Twain museums and sights stopping along the way to blow the riverboat whistle as well as take a swipe at painting the famous Tom Sawyer fence. This is a great little town to visit and I am sure we will return. After all the River Boat dinner cruise seems like a great idea.
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