Mission blessings

I’ll close this blog with a scripture I recently found that reflects my feelings as we end our mission.

Ephesians 1:3 -  “Blessed be the God...who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places...”.

Farewell Nauvoo

Such bittersweet feelings fill my heart as we prepare to say goodbye to beautiful beloved Nauvoo....
Sadness at leaving dear celestial people, gratitude for the blessings of having served here, a deeper reverence for temple covenants and blessings, happy memories of doing so many fun things, appreciation and awe for what I’ve learned about the early saints, and of course a greater love for Heavenly Father for giving us this privilege. For me it was never a sacrifice- always a blessing and a joy.  Today I spent my last day in the temple trying to permanently impress upon my mind every beautiful thing - the spiral staircase from basement to 5th floor, the beautiful artwork and lovely murals, the windows and chandeliers,  the many symbolic stars and sun stones inside and out, the pioneer style carpets and furniture. But beyond all that it was a joy to be able to do all the ordinances one last time here. The Nauvoo Temple is filled with the spirit of the pioneer saints as well as the Lord. I’ll remember it always.

Temple Christmas

This has definitely been a different Christmas - a mission Christmas as it should be. No decorations in our little apartment, no shopping and wrapping gifts. We miss the family fun and excitement but there’s something to be said for simplifying. I have loved being in the temple- the most peaceful place on earth. And I’ve loved the quiet hours of reading and thinking that I’ve had these last 6 months. For those of you in the trenches of crazy busy family life - you have these pleasant years to look forward to. They WILL come. But meanwhile we all need to enjoy each day - with whatever moments of peace and joy we can discover in them. Time is a gift - enjoy it!

Winter is here

We have enjoyed pretty mild weather up until now. I’ve walked home from the temple a few times and it has been chilly and brisk but not freezing. I’m kind of glad that we won’t experience the -40 degree wind chill that comes in January and February!  There’s a lovely light snow falling now and this morning on the way to Keokuk for church we could see the grand Mississippi River beginning to freeze over. The geese that have stayed around in large numbers can walk on the ice.  It’s a small reminder of what it was like when the saints left Nauvoo in February 1846.
As our days are numbered now we are trying to absorb every bit of this wonderful place before we leave. I’ve gone back to a few more of the sites to hear once again the stories they tell. Last night I went to the community concert of Handel’s Messiah. It amazed me that a little place like Nauvoo and surrounding communities could put together a 40 piece orchestra and 40 member choir and do a great job.  10 new missionary couples arrived last week to replace the 10 who left. We are next. We spoke in church today and said goodbye to the good people we have served with. Our temple days are almost gone. It is one of those bittersweet times we all experience. How lucky (blessed) we have been to have had this mission!

I took lots of pictures of sunsets but this is a picture of a beautiful Nauvoo sunrise!

Christmas is coming!

Last night was the beginning of Christmas in Nauvoo. We went to a wonderful celebration- started in the visitor center with a huge tree lighting and then watched the new nativity film on the theater big screen, and then a beautiful re-enactment of the Christmas story with amazing costumes and inspiring music.  It was so well done. After that everyone went down to the historic Main Street where they had story telling in 4 different sites, the horse drawn wagons all decorated with lights, and refreshments. It was a delightful beginning to the season.

Thanksgiving week

Tonight (Sunday) I went to an interfaith thanksgiving program. It was very nice - 5 different churches represented, scripture readings and lots of hymn singing (some of ours and some from the other churches.) There was a lovely bell choir too. On my way home I thought about the thanksgiving feelings it created in me - not exactly what they probably had in mind. I am grateful for all the good that is done by people of all faiths. But I came away feeling more grateful than ever for the gospel and the church that we have. The program was nice but not particularly spiritual or inspiring. Scripted prayers and readings - nothing heartfelt and personal, such as we had this morning in our sacrament meeting. The spirit was missing to me. We are so blessed to have the truth and the fullness of the gospel. Joseph Smith restored so many beautiful, comforting, uplifting truths that were so new and different from the religions of the times. No wonder so many people embraced the gospel so readily.  As I drove home past our beautiful temple all lit up I felt such a sense of gratitude for all that it represents. How blessed we are. I am eager to get back there this week.
Tonight (Monday) we had our Thanksgiving dinner with all the missionaries- temple, site missionaries and facilities management missionaries (the real workers!). It made up for whatever was lacking in last nights program. Good dinner but mostly because of Beautiful music performed by so many talented musicians - violin, guitar, vocal. They sang some of my favorites- You’ll fall asleep counting your blessings,  homeward bound,  what a beautiful world, and others, tied together with quotes from prophets about gratitude. And President Lusvardi gave a wonderful introduction telling of the pioneers first thanksgiving in Utah. In some ways it wasn’t so different from last night - mostly music and readings, but somehow it was very different. I felt the spirit and the feelings of a thankful heart. Was it because we all share the gospel?  Was it because we are all serving missions?  I’m not sure, but again I felt such gratitude to have the restored gospel in my life and to be here playing a small part in this glorious work.

On Wednesday we had another thanksgiving dinner with two other couples at the very historic Nauvoo Hotel restaurant. It was a delicious buffet dinner with good company. That was after we made a trip to Quincy to the hospital to get some insight into dads increasing pain. He has been having a lot more difficulty lately.  They did a cat scan and about all we really learned was that they couldn’t find anything needing urgent attention. I’m sure dad is eager to get back to his own doctors. On the real thanksgiving day we had a quiet day at home, a chicken casserole, and lots of time to count our blessings of which we have so many. It’s been a lovely week. 

More vacation

We finished our 2nd week of the temple break - a little quieter and restful for dad which he needed. We went to see the first fort built on the upper Mississippi River - Fort Madison. It acted as a trading post between US and native Americans and was the site of a battle between Chief Blackhawk and US soldiers in the War of 1812. How’s that for a bit of obscure history!

  

Another day we went to the Keokuk Lock and Dam to see a barge go through the lock. The Mississippi River is about 30 feet higher on one side of the dam than the other. So we watched a barge go into the lock and the water fill to raise it to the higher side. It was quite interesting. When it was built in 1913 it was the largest hydro power plant in the world. Thousands of barges go through it every year.