Mission Musings and Random Thoughts

* There’s a huge difference between Mormon Standard Time and Mormon Missionary Standard Time. MST means that if you get to a meeting before they say “Amen” in the opening prayer, you’re on time. MMST means that if you’re not ½ hour to 45 minutes early for any meeting you’re late. Our Sacrament Meetings are at 8:00 am. When we’re assigned as greeters we have to be there at 7:00 am because that’s when the missionaries start arriving. By 7:30 all the soft seats are full and you’re doomed to the hard seats in the back. (There are 500+ people) We’ve decided that we’d rather spend an hour on the hard seats than 2 hours on the soft ones, so we arrive at a tardy 7:45.
* Sister Ludwig, the mission president’s wife, keeps track of how many grandchildren the missionaries have. She reports this number to us at each Zone Conference. She tells us how many grandchildren are praying for the missionaries in Nauvoo. I love this! The last count was 2314 (Since then there have been some missionaries who have gone home and taken their grandchildren’s prayers with them.)
* Our days blend together and we’re never sure what day it is. When we left a friend said, “Have fun on your 540 Sundays!” We had no idea how accurate that is. Not that Sundays are bad mind you; it’s just funny that the days don’t seem different. It’s hard to know what day it is.
* We don’t have a dishwasher which is just fine but I was really not too happy about not having a disposal but in true pioneer spirit I’ve learned to adjust.
* We love to get the Weekly Schedule. Every Friday we check the computer and print out our schedule for the following week. It’s so exciting to see what adventures await us!
* We’ve been taking our turn onstage as “Peter and Abigail” and I’ve learned that I can be terrified and not forget my lines. I’ve learned that I won’t have a heart attack and die, I’ve learned that when we do goof up the world doesn’t come to an end and the stage doesn’t swallow us up. I’ve also learned that the audience finds the mistakes very funny and even seem to feel that they got a little something extra. I’ve also learned that Ron is comfortable onstage and very good at adlibbing and charming the audience. I’m actually starting to have fun with it. Plus, I get to wear a great hat!
* Nauvoo has MANY bugs. Nauvoo has many different kinds of bugs. Most of the bugs here seem to like to fly around and into people’s faces. When we’re performing Sunset by the Mississippi on the outdoor stage in the evenings the bugs are just thick around the huge lights and around the performers. Several people have swallowed them. We’ve started keeping a broom outside our door so that when we arrive home at night we can sweep the hundreds of bugs off the door and doorstep and then rush inside.
* Testimonies can be born in many ways. This is a very unique mission. Is this like being called to Disneyland on a mission? I mean, here we are in a tourist attraction!! Is this a frivolous mission? Sometimes we wonder if we’re doing any good. One of my brothers referred to it as “that dress up gig you call a mission”. Yes, exactly how does singing and dancing help anyone??? Well, as I think about what we’re doing here I’ve decided that for starters it’s sure helping me. I’m learning so much about church history and I’m learning that I can do things I didn’t think I could do. I’m trying to do my best even in the smallest things. I’ve learned that I can bear my testimony of the truthfulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in many circumstances and in many ways. There is a spirit here in Nauvoo and visitors feel it. There must be a lot of good that comes from people’s experiences in Nauvoo or the Church wouldn’t continue the huge expense and man power to keep things going here. I love being part of it even though it’s just a small part. There are so many different assignments and my challenge is to do each one the best I can and feel that I’m contributing whether I’m telling a visitor about one of the sites and bearing my testimony to them or whether I’m spending the day pulling weeds around the Family Living Center or helping to make lunch for the 50+ young (wonderful!) performing missionaries. Each assignment is important to the whole Nauvoo experience. Our friends, the Densleys are serving their mission in Serbia and they are making such a difference in the world. When we spoke to them recently they told us about the hundreds of wheelchairs they took to people in Bosnia. They are doing amazing things there and we’re strengthened and amazed by their reports and experiences. The four of us have laughed that our missions couldn’t be more different! This is where the Lord seems to want us right now and we’re trying to give it all we’ve got. It’s funny about the singing and dancing part…on the nights it’s our turn to perform in the production of “Rendezvous” we see people who are touched by the Spirit as they watch a bunch of amateur old people on stage. They laugh and they cry, and of course I do too.
* Did I mention there are bugs…if you are outside it is best not to chew gum with your mouth open.
* Overheard from a senior elder, “Well, tomorrow is our P day, and you know what that means, I get to put on my suit and go to Walmart”.
* Wearing Vanilla helps keep the bugs away! Crazy but true!
* I’ve learned that after getting home from our shows at 10:00 pm getting to bed by 11:30, Ron actually gets up early for something besides hunting!! I’ve also learned that it’s best not to talk to him for the first hour after he gets up!
* Overheard from one of the young performing elders: “I guess it doesn’t really matter what your wife looks like because by the time they’re 70 they all look the same”