Our little white house, located on Young Street, is right across from the Visitor's Center where we attend Mission Training, the second half of our Sunday meetings, and work occasionally. Our home is also right down the hill from the temple, about a block away.
Sister J., looking out our back door, has a perfect view of the temple .... at least she did before the trees had any leaves.
Here is the amazing & beautiful Nauvoo Temple. Elder J. ran up the hill as fast as he could to take this picture in the evening light. We go to the temple as often as time permits, usually once a week.
Sunset viewed from the stairs of the temple looking west toward the Mississippi. Statue of Joseph & Hyrum in the foreground.
Our first week was spent in training, preparing us to conduct tours of all the sites in Nauvoo. As part of our training, we were privileged to take a wagon ride through the town. The blue skies and our happy faces belie the fact that our smiles were frozen in place! We are not accustomed to cold AND humidity.
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| Our wagon was pulled by these magnificent Percheron horses. Sister J. rewarded the gentle giants with a kiss. |
We also did the oxen ride which is much shorter than the wagon ride. There is a very good reason for the length of time spent in a wagon being pulled by oxen. When you visit and take an oxen ride, you will discover why pioneer children sang as they WALKED and WALKED and WALKED and WALKED and WALKED.....and preferred walking!
We began giving tours at the restored 1840's homes and business here in Nauvoo, describing (and occasionally demonstrating) to our guests what happened or who lived & worked here.
Sister and Elder J. at the brickyard, proudly displaying their "made in Nauvoo" bricks. We, of course, had no intention of doing anything other than showing what fine bricks they were.
This is a picture of an actual Prairie Wildfire!! How cool is that. It was started by the Nauvoo Fire Department, who we thought only put out fires, but who do this every spring as a demonstration of how quickly a wildfire on the prairie spreads. Most of the town, many of the missionaries, and all the fire trucks and firemen enjoyed hot dogs, chips and drinks. The hot dogs were grilled - not roasted in the flames. It was an exciting event, but the fire went so quickly that it was over way too soon.
Sister J. at the Scovil Bakery. Brother Scovil owned and operated the business, but was not an actual baker. He contracted the baking, providing work for some of the women in Nauvoo. We hand out cookies made from an old 1840's recipe. They are really good, but quite small. Some of the younger guests were disappointed they didn't get a huge grandma-sized cookie, but hey, they're free.
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| Sister J. in the very small Scovil Bakery |
We brought our bikes with us and love riding around in a town with lots of hills.....much different from our flat Hooper!
On a ride one morning through the Community of Christ property on River Road, Sister J. discovered the original 1840's home of her great, great grandfather Jonathon Caulkins Wright. It is currently being used as a private residence, so we assume there will be no offers to donate it to one of his ancestors.
Here are some pictures of the Women's Garden. The spot came alive in the wet spring when the bulbs began blooming. This is right across the street from our little home on Young Street, so we passed through the garden on our way to and from the Visitor Center (which is next to the Garden) for church, mission training, and occasionally working there. The statuary was also very nice, but you know, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed .....
The man who designed and created the gardens was born and raised in Hooper, Utah. This comes as no surprise to those of us who come from Hooper. We have many, many famous people from our little town. It is, in fact, one of the cultural centers of the West.
The Facilities Management Missionaries plant and take care of the gardens. They look beautiful in spite of the constant battle with the deer (who like to pull up the tulips) and the moles and other critters. Also the storms which were pretty constant this spring.
Sister J. worked in the Family Living Center where the craft of the 1840's everyday living is demonstrated. She was able to make bread in an old fashioned brick oven. The fire is set, and burns until the oven reaches a temperature over 600 degrees. The coals are then removed, the oven cooled to 420 degrees, and the bread baked 20 minutes. Elder J. can neither confirm nor deny whether he ate several slices of said bread, with butter and honey. But rumor has it that the bread was pretty darn good.
Elder J. has spent a lot of time at the Jonathan Browning home. Jonathan was the famous inventor of the first repeating rifle, and father to John M. Browning - the inventor of the semi-auto rifle, shotgun, pistol, etc., etc. etc. Elder J. expected to get a sample gun, since they were giving away sample cookies and bread and such at the different sites. In this he was sorely disappointed. He didn't get so much as an empty shell casing. But no matter. He enjoyed showing people through the home and drooling at the guns in the cases there.
Sister J. was privileged to participate in the reenactment of the original organization of
the Relief Society at the Red Brick Store where it actually happened!
We work with some of the best people in the world! Our Hooper neighbors, Elder Steve & Sister Debbie Jensen, are also serving here. We see them quite a bit, and often work together in the same sites.
We love all the different trees and flowers here. The magnolia were so beautiful this spring.
We are working very hard, staying very busy, and loving every minute of this sweet and amazing mission experience. The spirit in and of this town is tangible; and we feel so blessed to remember and honor the wonderful saints who lived, loved, and left their beloved city over 173 years ago. We are honored to share their lives of courage, faith, determination, and sacrifice as they built a "covenant community".
Stay tuned for the next installment of our blog ..... which will hopefully be coming your way soon! LOVE YOU ALL!
