The Week Numbers are Getting Larger....
Our Weeks are getting Shorter
and We're Number 1!!
A reception was held to honor President and Sister Hall as they will leave this week and return to their home in Idaho. Under their leadership we have seen some remarkable changes and there will undoubtedly be more to come under the leadership of President and Sister Lusvardi. His final message to us was simple: "What I have learned and what I will miss". Gone was the fanfare that was so prevalent in the past from departing missionaries. It was a simple meeting honoring the Halls and allowing them time to share their testimonies. It was a privilege for us to be there but as I sat there I also remembered those missionaries who have faithfully served here and were not present. They too were influenced, affected, and learned from them during their time here. Gone was the raucous celebrations we first experienced in the departing missionaries when we arrived. There was no "Farewell Nauvoo" but rather "God be with you till we meet again". What a change....what a blessing. We are so grateful to have been here and support President Hall as his inspirations and changes have taken the mission to a new and higher level.
God be with you President and Sister Hall..you have been amazing!
We usually don't give much thought to our leaving yet as there are so many projects going on and things for us to do that thinking about, let alone planning for March, really isn't a priority yet. It must be for everyone else as they keep reminding us of the ticking clock. That being said this will add a little fuel to the fire. The mission publishes a chronological list of all the missionaries; the future ones coming and the older ones going. It is updated as new ones come and the old ones go. Guess who's now #1 on the leaving list?
God be with you President and Sister Hall..you have been amazing!
We usually don't give much thought to our leaving yet as there are so many projects going on and things for us to do that thinking about, let alone planning for March, really isn't a priority yet. It must be for everyone else as they keep reminding us of the ticking clock. That being said this will add a little fuel to the fire. The mission publishes a chronological list of all the missionaries; the future ones coming and the older ones going. It is updated as new ones come and the old ones go. Guess who's now #1 on the leaving list?
Our New Mission President Arrives....
He Teaches of Prophetic Succession &
"Oh, and Yes...The Horses are Coming Back!
With President and Sister Hall on their way back to Idaho, the next big calendar event was the potluck dinner on Thursday night to meet and greet President and Sister Lusvardi. There were those who were overly anxious for the event. After all change always brings a little anxiety to the "old folks" here and the rumors are always abundant. Sister Lusvardi spoke first and talked about their family, his career that allowed him to "temporarily" retire at forty one, and all of their travels related to his church assignments and of course her testimony of the blessings the gospel brings.
In his opening remarks President Lusvardi talked about the thrill of visiting the sites on Thursday. They just wanted to do it without fanfare or announcement...just to feel again the spirit of Nauvoo before they really got into their assignments. After the first visit it became apparent that the surprise was over as the word had spread in rapid succession that the Lusvardi's were "on the prowl" and be prepared. "The text is quicker than the word"
President and Sister Lusvardi bring with them a vast amount of knowledge through their church service. He spoke of the remarkable week we had just experienced and reviewed some amazing experiences he had serving with President Hinckley and President Nelson. He reviewed with us the way prophetic succession works and how the Lord prepares the prophet as well as we discussed some of the highlights of the press conference where President Nelson fielded unique questions from the press core....ya gotta love the press...always looking for new angle or story. So of course the age old question of age came up.."How can a bunch of old men be in touch with the youth of today?" I think it's important to remember, as has been pointed out, there is a seasoning and maturity with age and grandpa's are the smartest people on earth according to grandkids. Parents don't know a thing until they get old....like grandparents.
He went on....Our message is not based on popular trends or ideas. It is an eternal message, brought to earth by the Son of God and transcends time. So the message from our Prophet is the same as it has been. Jesus Christ is the Son of God and he leads and guides this church through revelation. He has such a sweet spirit and gentleness about him that seems to draw us closer to what we should be doing.
We were all enthralled as President Lusvardi addressed us and were thoroughly enjoying his remarks when he subtly threw in "and Oh yes...the horses are coming back". A brief pause...and the room went crazy with cheers....and tears. With that one statement he had become the hero of every missionary in the Nauvoo Mission! The horses were ready to roll and hitched to the wagons the next day. Let the rides begin again!!
He went on....Our message is not based on popular trends or ideas. It is an eternal message, brought to earth by the Son of God and transcends time. So the message from our Prophet is the same as it has been. Jesus Christ is the Son of God and he leads and guides this church through revelation. He has such a sweet spirit and gentleness about him that seems to draw us closer to what we should be doing.
We were all enthralled as President Lusvardi addressed us and were thoroughly enjoying his remarks when he subtly threw in "and Oh yes...the horses are coming back". A brief pause...and the room went crazy with cheers....and tears. With that one statement he had become the hero of every missionary in the Nauvoo Mission! The horses were ready to roll and hitched to the wagons the next day. Let the rides begin again!!
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| Picture by Sister D. Eppich |
President Monson Passes On...
It wasn't a big surprise a couple of weeks ago when I awoke to the news that President Thomas S. Monson had passed away. He had been in failing health for some time. In a way it was a sweet gift for someone that had done so much for so many so long to be able to return to the place where it all began and where he could be reunited with his wife and other family members. That's the way it should be. I will miss him. I miss President Hinckley. I never knew Joseph Smith but his presence is felt every day because of his simple prayer. I miss him....he inspires me. The prophets have been our leaders. Their message is of hope and inspiration.
What I will miss most about President Monson will be his stories. They were always filled with humor and a deep message. How can you forget it Prophet that would tell a story about himself and being able to wiggle his ears to confound a young boy who was mimicking him in a church meetings. His story about burning a field near Vivian Park was a classic and it reminded me of a couple of experiences I had with field fires and I also remember vividly my son Eric trying to burn our patio up with gasoline. What about all those widows he cared for at an age when most young men are just thinking about marriage let alone taking care of some 85 sisters who had lost their husbands. That's what you call and example!
We will miss you President and we will never forget you!
Sheetrock Isn't all that Exciting....
So We Find Humor Where we Can!
We were told by Marcus some time ago that he thought it would be great if we could get the "mansion" sheet rocked in the basement by the time we started on the presidents home remodel. My comment reflected my optimism: "It will never happen.....Jason won't have the HVAC installed until the end of January". He scoffed and said it wouldn't take that long. " Oh ye of little faith" I proclaim.
We have plowed along every day....dragging sheetrock down the stairs.....waiting for more sheetrock to come....and hanging it as fast as the HVAC is put in the ceiling. Now it's not the literal end of the month...but it's getting close. We start the president's house Monday. Let's look at the situation:
The sheetrock is hung....as far as we can go. What are we waiting for? The HVAC...now that is a surprise. We are also waiting for the electrical panel.....seems there is a little problem with a hole that doesn't work..and a line that won't stay connected. This too will pass and we will move along.
Elder Pollock is back and painting and seems to be doing well, although I am sure there is still an awful lot of grief and some mourning to go. He is such a wonderful guy and a quiet inspiration to me. Elder Hawkins dropped by for a visit.....I am pretty sure this hallway wasn't designed for a guy who is 6'8". At least Elder Hall fits well.
A Checkup Leads to a Checkout.....
Our Dear Friends The Beecher's Head Home!!
It started a little over a week ago when Elder Beecher visited Dr. Smith in Keokuk for a quick visit to get his meds renewed. Dr. Smith, being a thorough physician did the routine stethoscope check. He detected murmur in the heart was detected. Just to be sure of the extent he ran over to the local hospital for a further test. The following day he was in the hospital at Quincy for further tests which revealed three valves were defective. A triple valve replacement is serious business but that diagnosis as nothing compared to what was coming. The next day he was transported to St. Louis for a specialist to perform the operation. Standard procedure dictated a lung x-ray to make sure the patient can tolerate the anesthesia. A large mass was detected in one lung things got gloomy pretty quick. Then an MRI revealed a spot on the liver.
First things first dictated a biopsy of the lung mass. In the middle of the procedure he went into cardiac arrest and the procedure was abruptly halted and heart rhythm was returned to normal. Turns out not only did he have damaged valves but his electrical system "was hanging by a thread" The following day a pacemaker was installed to stabilize his heart. the following day the procedure was performed but results won't be known for a while. At this point there was some clear writing on the wall. Some hard choices had to be made and the mission field in Nauvoo isn't the place to do it. The hard decision was made to leave their mission early and return to Utah to get the care and support of family.
Elder Beecher left Sunday for Utah. President and Sister Lusvardi traveled to St. Louis on Sunday morning to accompany Sister Beecher back to Nauvoo. Family is coming to help her pack and drive the cars back. This is a sad time for us. They have been a part of our mission experience since the MTC and we have had so many fun times with them. They have been instrumental in so many things here that they will be sorely missed.
In all of the chaos we did find a tender mercy, however. We wanted to get together one more time with Sister Beecher before she left and lend her support and our love. Sister Hughes thought they might be more hungry than tired on their way back from St. Louis and asked them if they would like to get together with our MTC group. She was thrilled and we also invited President and Sister Lusvardi. It was a wonderful time for all of us.
During our conversations there was a question of President Lusvardi's Italian heritage. One thing led to another and all of a sudden we were talking about the "How Rare a Possession and the Vicenzo DiFrancesco letter. It was part of President Lusvardi's previous assignment to oversee historical documents that came to the Church's attention. He knew every little detail about the letter I had donated. I marveled as we discussed the importance of it. He made it sound much more important than I had ever imagined and also added that there was a re-cut of the original video that would update it.
It's Time for a Re-Do and so.......
We Turn our Efforts to the President's Home
What I will miss most about President Monson will be his stories. They were always filled with humor and a deep message. How can you forget it Prophet that would tell a story about himself and being able to wiggle his ears to confound a young boy who was mimicking him in a church meetings. His story about burning a field near Vivian Park was a classic and it reminded me of a couple of experiences I had with field fires and I also remember vividly my son Eric trying to burn our patio up with gasoline. What about all those widows he cared for at an age when most young men are just thinking about marriage let alone taking care of some 85 sisters who had lost their husbands. That's what you call and example!
We will miss you President and we will never forget you!
Sheetrock Isn't all that Exciting....
So We Find Humor Where we Can!
We have plowed along every day....dragging sheetrock down the stairs.....waiting for more sheetrock to come....and hanging it as fast as the HVAC is put in the ceiling. Now it's not the literal end of the month...but it's getting close. We start the president's house Monday. Let's look at the situation:
The sheetrock is hung....as far as we can go. What are we waiting for? The HVAC...now that is a surprise. We are also waiting for the electrical panel.....seems there is a little problem with a hole that doesn't work..and a line that won't stay connected. This too will pass and we will move along.
Elder Pollock is back and painting and seems to be doing well, although I am sure there is still an awful lot of grief and some mourning to go. He is such a wonderful guy and a quiet inspiration to me. Elder Hawkins dropped by for a visit.....I am pretty sure this hallway wasn't designed for a guy who is 6'8". At least Elder Hall fits well.
A Checkup Leads to a Checkout.....
Our Dear Friends The Beecher's Head Home!!
First things first dictated a biopsy of the lung mass. In the middle of the procedure he went into cardiac arrest and the procedure was abruptly halted and heart rhythm was returned to normal. Turns out not only did he have damaged valves but his electrical system "was hanging by a thread" The following day a pacemaker was installed to stabilize his heart. the following day the procedure was performed but results won't be known for a while. At this point there was some clear writing on the wall. Some hard choices had to be made and the mission field in Nauvoo isn't the place to do it. The hard decision was made to leave their mission early and return to Utah to get the care and support of family.
Elder Beecher left Sunday for Utah. President and Sister Lusvardi traveled to St. Louis on Sunday morning to accompany Sister Beecher back to Nauvoo. Family is coming to help her pack and drive the cars back. This is a sad time for us. They have been a part of our mission experience since the MTC and we have had so many fun times with them. They have been instrumental in so many things here that they will be sorely missed.
In all of the chaos we did find a tender mercy, however. We wanted to get together one more time with Sister Beecher before she left and lend her support and our love. Sister Hughes thought they might be more hungry than tired on their way back from St. Louis and asked them if they would like to get together with our MTC group. She was thrilled and we also invited President and Sister Lusvardi. It was a wonderful time for all of us.
During our conversations there was a question of President Lusvardi's Italian heritage. One thing led to another and all of a sudden we were talking about the "How Rare a Possession and the Vicenzo DiFrancesco letter. It was part of President Lusvardi's previous assignment to oversee historical documents that came to the Church's attention. He knew every little detail about the letter I had donated. I marveled as we discussed the importance of it. He made it sound much more important than I had ever imagined and also added that there was a re-cut of the original video that would update it.
We Turn our Efforts to the President's Home
As soon as President and Sister Hall were on their way home FM jumped into their vacated home and thus began the awaited renovation. It appeared that every truck in FM was parked in and around the house for Jordan's explanation and direction as to what work was to be done and who was doing it. The first people in were conservation and they started packing everything....and I mean everything in the house for storage. That was followed by Elders, young and old, taking out the furniture and storing it. Monday work begins.....Chaos will reign....and sooner or later the job will get done.
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