The Nauvoo

Has it only been 18 months?

2010-08-08T16:48:00.003-05:00

It’s Sunday August 8, 2010. We have been serving an 18 month mission here in Nauvoo and our release date is August 16, 2010. Wow! This has been an amazing, wonderful, frustrating, incredible, hard, fun, funny, educational, inspirational, exhausting, exhilarating experience. This summer has gone so fast. We’ve had a great time with our assignment as directors of “Sunset by the Mississippi”
We had more wonderful family members visit us: My parents and two of my siblings, Elise and Phil Richins and Dave and Chris Foote and their two darling daughters, Lisa and Kim. It was so wonderful to have them here for a few days.
The Pageant is over now so there are fewer visitors in town. It’s been great having so many guests come to Nauvoo since that’s why we’re here. It’s fun and crazy to serve in the sites when it’s back to back tours. I was serving in the Scovil Bakery a couple of weeks ago and it was a zoo. I was tempted to take a basket of cookies outside to those lined up and offer a cookie to those who were just coming for a cookie but didn’t want the tour. But, I didn’t. The last few weeks I’ve also been assigned to the Tickets and Tours desk a couple of days a week and that’s been a lot of fun. So, now I have been lucky enough to have served in every place possible in this mission except for the sewing room (and that would have just been silly since I don’t posses the excellent skills required – those ladies are incredible!).
So, our summer schedule has gone something like this: Every morning we leave at 8:20 for Preparation meeting and then we're off to our sites. Ron serves in the Browning Gun Shop from 9:00 til 11:00 or so, and then he takes care of the mission mail until somewhere between 2:00 and 2:30 depending on how much mail there is. Then about 4:00 he goes to the Sunset Stage to make sure it’s clean and set up the benches onstage and set up the sound system etc, etc and get things ready for the nights performance. Sometimes that involves mopping up after a rainstorm, which is a pain.
I get to serve in a variety of sites but I’m always on an A shift which means from 9:00 to 3:00. After my shift, I spend a few minutes getting my notes etc. ready for that night’s Sunset then I’m off until about 5:30 when we get ready and head back to the Sunset Stage and set up the props and microphones etc. I have had one “show” day a week (Wednesdays) when I’m in the production office from 9:00 to 3:00 instead of a regular site. Every night at 6:30 we meet on the outdoor Sunset Stage and have prayer and announcements with the cast assigned to perform that night, then the show starts at 7:00. It’s a fun time to be with each cast and also the Young Performing Missionaries. We are finished with the show at 8:00 and have things cleaned up and we’re ready to go home by 8:20 or so. (This happens 6 nights a week)
This time next week we will be on the road heading to a few church history sites then on our way to Utah. We are excited to get back to our real lives and our family but it is really bitter sweet. It’s been amazing to be so closely linked to the wonderful people serving here. No matter what our individual assignments are, we all have the same goal and that is to do the best we can and have the best attitude we can so that every guest who comes to Nauvoo will have a wonderful experience and hopefully feel the spirit of old Nauvoo and the early saints and especially the spirit of Jesus Christ. Hopefully, individual testimonies of the Savior are strengthened and for those who are not yet believers in Jesus Christ hopefully they will come away with a desire to find out for themselves that the Savior loves them and has a plan for them. That is the purpose of all the work that goes on here. It has been wonderful to be part of this team. We will miss it, but it is time to go home.

We will miss seeing the Nauvoo Temple every day.

2010-08-08T15:40:00.008-05:00

Here are some of my favorite photos of the beautiful Nauvoo Temple.

A few parting shots...

2010-08-08T13:42:00.006-05:00

Cooling off before the show

The stage for "Sunset by the Mississippi"

Ron as "Snerdley Sly" in the melodrama. We never know what is going to happen when he is onstage. My parents, Elise and Phil, Dave and Chris, Lisa and Kim were here for his first show and it was memorable!

Ron, Ken and Jane doing the "Nauvoo Exercise"

Singing "Grandma's Feather Bed"

Taking Melvin for a ride. He loves it and he's wearing his new shirt that says "Tuff Guy"

My shoes are worn out, guess it's time to go home.

A visit from Mike and Gwen Smith

2010-07-11T17:46:00.003-05:00

It's fun to have a visit from family!!! Thanks for coming Mike and Gwen, it was great to see you!!

We finally get to meet Hailey Kelly

2010-07-11T11:16:00.006-05:00

Shanan and Becky and baby Hailey came to visit us! Hurray! We miss the other four Kelly children and we're excited to see them next month when we go home (!) (Yikes! Next Month!!)
It was so fun having them here and finally getting to play with Hailey. What a sweetheart she is!!
Now, all 5 of our children have been to Nauvoo and it has been so great to see all of them. Also we're glad they made the effort to come because now when we tell them our mission stories they will know what we're talking about.
We had a wonderful time with Shanan and Becky and Hailey. Thank you for coming!!!

I love this picture!

Ellis and Myers Families visit Nauvoo

2010-06-27T12:47:00.007-05:00

On May 31 Christy and Jason and their families arrive in Nauvoo. It was so great to have them here. Warner and Josie weren't too sure about us at first but by the time they left they had decided that we are ok. Hopefully they'll still remember us in a couple of months when we go home.
We haven't been very homesick, probably because we've been too busy, but now we're getting excited to return to our real lives. It's often hard for us to remember that there is a world outside of Nauvoo.
Thank you for coming Ellis and Myers families! We loved your visit!!!!!!

Ron's friend, Rascal a.k.a. Melvin

2010-06-27T11:45:00.007-05:00

Well, aside from the spiritual goals that Ron set for himself on this mission, he had a couple of other goals. They were set after we arrived and he realized what a great place Nauvoo is for wildlife.

*Catch a baby squirrel and tame it. Check

*Catch a baby raccoon and tame it. Check

The day we found him.

Bambi and Feline

2010-05-26T17:21:00.004-05:00

Sister Saville called Ron this morning to report that there was a baby deer in her yard and she didn't see the mother anywhere. When Ron got there he found Sister Saville holding a darling fawn. They found another one and Ron brought them both home. There were huge mowers in the Saville's yard and they think that the mother got scared away, they were also worried that the the babies would get hit by the mowers. Sister Saville called again and had found a third fawn! Ron took them to Ken and Jane's garage until the mowers were finished. So we played with them and tried to feed them. After the mowers were gone Ron took them back to the Saville's yard in hopes that their mother will find them. When he checked later they were gone. Hopefully the family was reunited and they will live happily ever after.

Ron's Friend, Oscar

2010-05-26T17:04:00.002-05:00

Random pictures of fun Nauvoo

2010-05-20T09:30:00.006-05:00

The Browns came to visit Nauvoo and we were glad they took the time to track us down.

Flowers and cookies from Pres. & Sis. Ludwig for Mother's Day.

When we miss Grandma Kit I make Jane put on this outfit that I found in the mission DI.

This is Oscar.

This sunset was even more amazing in real.

This beautiful pond is tucked away just a few blocks from the temple.

A day out of Nauvoo

2010-05-02T15:15:00.006-05:00

A couple of P days ago, my friend, Sister Judy Sandstrom, and I left at 6:00 am and drove to St. Louis, MO. We had a wonderful day. It was strange to be so far from Nauvoo. First we attended a session at the beautiful St. Louis temple. The flowers were gorgeous. We had lunch in a cute little pub, then we walked to the arch and took the tram to the observation area at the top. What a great day! We were home by 6:00 pm so that S/Sandstrom could perform in "Rendezvous in Old Nauvoo" that night.

I love Kindergarten

2010-05-02T15:05:00.006-05:00

On Friday afternoons at 2:15 I've started going to Mrs. Haas' kindergarten class to help out. I love it! Last week Miranda colored and cut out a heart for me. Mrs. Haas is an amazing teacher and it's fun to see her in action. Here are pictures of the igloo they made out of milk jugs. This would be so fun. Start saving those jugs! I don't know how many jugs it took or how many sticks of hot glue! The kids have been having reading time in there. I look forward to Friday afternoons.

A new baby???

2010-05-02T12:00:00.007-05:00

The most exciting news of last week is that we have a new granddaughter. This is especially "exciting" because we didn't know she was coming. At all... Last Friday evening (April 23) Becky and Shanan called us on Skype. When the picture came on the computer there was Becky in a hospital bed holding a newborn. What!!!!???????!!!!!!! Becky was pregnant!!!????????

It really still hasn't completely registered. We have always wanted our children to be close and a support to each other. We rejoice that they are friends and that they enjoy each other's company and love each others children.....We didn't expect them to gang up on us! Wow! I told them that I wasn't sure whether to be mad or really really impressed that they were able to pull it off. Becky said, "for the record, Jannie was against it" So, Jannie was trying to look out for her mother, but being the good sister she is she kept quiet with the rest of them. I was cheated out months of good worrying! And the anticipation. Becky says that even if we were mad it's still a good story. (We weren't really mad, just boggled) Yes, she's right. It's a good story and we've had some great reactions here as we've told it. Usually the reaction is something like: well, they're obviously your kids, what did you expect.

Welcome little Hailey, we can't wait to meet you! Thankfully, Becky, Shanan and Hailey are coming to visit in about 6 weeks!

We've doubled the Myers in Nauvoo

2010-05-02T11:28:00.004-05:00

The most exciting news this week is that Ken and Jane Myers arrived in Nauvoo on Wednesday to begin their mission! We are now officially known as Elder and Sister R. Myers and Elder and Sister K. Myers. It is so fun being here with them!!! I actually got to serve in the Brigham Young home yesterday with Jane for 3 hours. (This is one of the last, or maybe even the last time I will serve in a site). Jane gave her first tour and did a great job. She had a memorable first tour. The guy and girl on her tour were very interesting. The guy (might have been a girl, we weren't sure) said he used to be an athiest but now he's a muslim. As Jane pointed out the bustle oven, the guy (who looked like he is in his early 20's) started telling Jane about how he used to make pizzas in an oven just like that when he did work for the mafia. (!) Here's part of the conversation after that...

Sister Myers: Do you still work for the mafia?

Guy: No

Girl to guy: But you still have their cat.

I don't why that struck me as hilarious but I've been chuckling about it ever since Jane told me about it after her tour. It's probably not at all funny when you just read it. Try it again, "I don't work for the mafia but I still have their cat" That's funny right?

Anyway, hurray for getting to serve a mission with family!!!!! We are so happy they're here!!!!

March in Nauvoo

2010-03-28T16:00:00.005-05:00

There are signs that Spring may actually come. Some of the daffodils are coming up and we've had a few warm days. But, the last couple of days have been cold again.

There were some nice events and happenings in March. Elder Richard Hinckley from the Missionary Dept. was here for a mission tour. Monday March 8th he spoke to us for an hour and a half or so and we didn't want him to stop. He was really great, and funny. About halfway into the meeting he had us all stand and stretch. When we sat back down he said that we sounded like a bowl of Rice Krispies! He spoke of the need for senior missionaries, especially couples. There are 3900 senior missionaries serving right now and 6500 are needed so that's a shortage of 2600! He said, "When you go home, even if you had a terrible time, tell your friends that it was great!" He asked for suggestions and comments from the missionaries as to how to simplify the process. We discussed the difficulty of the medical forms, then he said, that basically "if you have a pulse and can recognize yourself in the mirror, we want you to serve a mission". We all enjoyed his visit.

Then Elder Jeffrey Holland and his wife were in town for a Stake Conference March 14. We were instructed in no uncertain terms NOT to try and attend Stake Conf. because there wasn't room. So, Elder Holland spoke to us that Sunday evening. Again, it was a great event and we could have listened to him for another hour or so. He told us of his experience when he was called as an Apostle, he answered questions and then told us the Book of Mormon story of the Savior's visit to the Nephites. He talked about how the Lord was ready to leave and he saw the tears of the people so he stayed and healed the sick and blessed the children. He said that we can have what we want if we pray in faith. He said that we believe in vicarious righteousness. It's what we do in the Temple and we can do it for our family. He said that missionary work is a legacy to leave the grandchildren and will reach to the 10th generations. He gave us all a blessing and told that the righteous desires of our hearts will surely be ours. As he said those words I felt a warmth fill me and I knew that it was true. It was a very spiritual, wonderful evening.

March 17th was the Relief Society Commemoration meeting in the upstairs room of Joseph Smith's Red Brick Store. There were 3 sessions to accommodate everyone. The Temple missionary sisters went in the morning and there were 2 evening sessions for the rest of us. The ladies who were in charge of this event did am amazing job. It was perfect. We met at the Visitor's Center in our pioneer dresses and had a carriage ride to the store. The meeting was wonderful and the Spirit was very strong. It was very easy to imaging those early sisters being there. We each received a beautiful program and a crocheted handkerchief.

And there's more exciting news: Ken and Jane Myers will be joining us here in Nauvoo on April 23. They are coming on a 6 months service mission. We're really excited about this! Woohoo! Party in Nauvoo!!

The Exodus from Nauvoo

2010-02-21T13:53:00.005-06:00

Thursday February 4th was the anniversary of the beginning of the Exodus when the Saints were forced by the mobs to leave Nauvoo in 1846. Every year there is a reenactment. The site missionaries were joined by the temple missionaries, some townspeople, and missionaries from the Peoria Illinois Mission, I think.

We actually began the Sunday before with the Exodus Sociable (fireside). We heard beautiful music from the mission choir and heard great pioneer stories from some of the site and temple missionaries as they told of their ancestors who lived in and then left Nauvoo. Ron was assigned to take pictures and I had hoped we would still have snow on the ground but it snowed the next day instead. It was cold but everyone was bundled up as you can see. It gave us all a great appreciation for those who left their homes in the freezing winter time and headed out leaving most of their belongings behind. What faith they had in a prophet of God! It was a great day, an emotional day, a day of appreciation and remembering.

We were able to wear the names of our ancestors who were here then, or any of the pioneers, as we walked down Main Street to Parley Street and then on to the edge of the Mississippi River. As you can see by the picture Sister Lauralee Foote and I chose the same name. She's a temple missionary here with her husband, Derrell Foote. Does that name sound familiar!! They are wonderful and it's been so fun to be here with them. Derrell is my second cousin.

A year's worth of cookies

2010-01-20T14:59:00.003-06:00

Yesterday was my last day to bake Gingerbread cookies for the Scovil Bakery. Since August 8th I've been assigned 1 or 2 days a week to bake cookies in the basement kitchen in the Visitors' Center. I've always had a helper and we've had a GREAT time in the kitchen. It's been so much fun. We kept track of how many we've baked each day. Our goal was to fill all three large chest freezers. Which we did. We figured that would be enough for the guests who come this year. We don't know how many cookies we actually have in Nauvoo right now because, of course, there have been many guests since August, but the total we've baked is - drum roll please ............... 59,613. (one at a time) In case you're wondering, these are good cookies but, they are even better after they're frozen and thawed. So, anyone coming to Nauvoo this year, please stop at the Scovil Bakery and know that a lot of love and fun went into each gingerbread cookie. (And if you get one that you think is a duck, it's not, it's Sunbonnet Sue)

Our new assignments and random thoughts

2010-01-17T15:51:00.004-06:00

I'm moving the list of places we've served to a post. We have now been lucky enough to serve almost everywhere in Nauvoo! What an experience. I even got to make a couple of horseshoes. Of course I've never seen the horse that could wear them! It would be a sad horse. But it was fun making the shoes.
It's now time to begin practices for "Sunset by the Mississippi". We began last week and everyone has been great. This is going to be a fun, interesting calling. Ron is still in the sites during the days and helping me with practices at night. My days are now spent in the Nauvoo Productions office finding and copying music and working out schedules and other "to be determined duties". We're in charge of the annual mission talent show which will be Monday Jan. 25. Elder and Sister Camp, the new Directors of Nauvoo Productions. will be here for the talent show/auditions for Sunset and then they're staying for 2 weeks. I'm so excited for them to get here. We'll be able to go over the Sunset show and decide which numbers should be in it this summer. We've been practicing the ones we know are staying in the line up.
So, my days are very different now. This week I will have 2 more days of baking gingerbread cookies then we will be cleaning up the kitchen and putting away the surghum. And no more sites for me and also, now I have a bigger decision to make in the morning, since I will no longer be wearing site dresses. Before it was "Hmmmmmmmm, blue one or brown one? White apron or colored apron" Now I have to think about what to wear. Also, I will miss my apron, I love the pockets! It was like having 2 mini purses with me at all times. Aprons are an underused gem! Another change is that our days perfoming in "Rendezvous" are about over since our evenings will be spent with Sunset. I guess this means I could cut my hair if I want to. It's longer than it's been since about Jr. High. On the nights we do Rendezvous I have to put it in a bun so I've let it grow. I had a scary moment the other day. I was wearing my blue site dress with my white bib apron and a little white collar. I was running out the door and caught sight of myself in a mirror. It was terrible. I thought, "If I had a head band I would look like a dumpy, chubby, REALLY over the hill Alice in Wonderland!!!
...and it's time for District Meetings ... I'd hate to be late for a very important date! That's all for tonight.

*Blacksmith/Wainwright Shop - Ron & Bren
*Brickyard - Ron & Bren
*Browning Home & Gun Shop - Ron & Brenda
*Carriage Ride - Ron
*Carthage Jail & Visitor's Center - Ron & Bren
*Cultural Hall - Brenda & Ron
*John Taylor Home - Brenda & Ron
*Lucy Mack Smith Home - Brenda & Ron
*Lyon Drug & Variety Store - Brenda & Ron
*Nauvoo on the Road - Ron & Bren
*Nauvoo Restoration Inc (NRI)(working in the greenhouse & in the gardens)Brenda
*Nauvoo Visitor's Center - Ron & Brenda
*NRI Building walls and painting a wagon - Ron
*NRI raking and raking and raking - Brenda & Ron
*Oxen Ride - Ron
*Pendleton Log School - Brenda & Ron
*Pioneer Pastimes - Ron & Bren
*Print Shop - Brenda & Ron
*Riser Boot Shop - Ron & Brenda
*Sarah Granger Kimball - Bren
*Seventies Hall - Ron
*Stoddard Home & Tin Shop - Ron & Bren
*The Family Living Center - Ron & Brenda
*Trapping & relocating distructive wildlife - Ron
*Wagon Tour of "Old Nauvoo" - Brenda
*Wilford Woodruff Home - Bren

More Photos

2010-01-17T15:30:00.003-06:00

Christmas in Nauvoo

2010-01-17T15:12:00.006-06:00

December was an eventfull month in Nauvoo. We began decorating just before Thanksgiving and the town looked beautiful and festive. The shops along Mulholland Drive all had Christmas trees out front and their windows were decorated. It was great. I went crazy taking pictures inside every site and outside all over town. The first Saturday in December (I think) was the Christmas Walk. We had a tree lighting ceremony at the Visitors' Center and there was a band and then chorus from the High School. The Mayor spoke, and President Ludwig then they lit the tree. Horse drawn wagons took people to Main Street where they could go to the Cultural Hall for a live Nativity and short program with wonderful music, then to several other sites for Chrismtas stories. The evening ended with a stop at the Family Living Center for refreshments. It was a really neat event.

On Christmas Eve we gathered with the Temple Missionaries on the Temple Steps and sang Christmas Carols. It was cold and raining but nice. Christmas Day we closed our sites early and met at the Stake Center for a delicious dinner with the Temple Missionaries.

A Silly Squirrel Story

2009-11-15T06:35:00.002-06:00

Ron has really enjoyed the plentiful wildlife here in Nauvoo. We see raccoons, possums, deer, squirrels and lots of kinds of birds, every day. Last week Ron saw a squirrel that was being attacked by a cat. He rushed over and scared the cat away and brought the squirrel home. It had been bitten in the neck pretty badly and it didn’t look good. Ron put the squirrel in a cage in the basement and it made it through the night and next day but the second morning Ron went down to feed it and check on it and came upstairs holding it by the tail. It would be a shame to waste a perfectly good dead squirrel so he put it out on the squirrel feeder hanging in the tree just outside our side door.
Later that afternoon Sister Saville came over and she didn’t notice the squirrel on her way in but then she spotted it out the window and got very excited. She said, “There’s a squirrel in your tree!!!” she grabbed her ever ready camera and ran to the door. (The tree is only about 4 feet from the door.) The squirrel was facing the other way so she tapped on the glass and said, “Come on little fellow, turn around so I can take your picture”. I was biting my cheeks not to laugh and I suggested she go outside to try and get her shot. She was afraid it would run away, but then since he wouldn’t turn around for her she went outside. She kept talking to it as she carefully circled the tree. Finally she stopped and her whole expression changed and she looked at me and said “Is he dead?” I burst out laughing and then we were both laughing our heads off. Just then Ron arrived home and we were all cracking up when our neighbors, the Thompsons, came hurrying over from across the street with their new camera hoping for shot of the squirrel they had spotted in our yard before we all scared it away! Yes, a good time was had by all!
PS We named him Morty. That's short for rigamortis (sp?) Yeah, I know, it’s sick.

And more photos

2009-10-22T06:55:00.002-05:00

A few photos

2009-10-20T12:29:00.001-05:00

Nauvoo is gorgeous in the Fall

2009-10-20T11:09:00.004-05:00

The days are busy and sometimes long but the weeks are sure flying by. I am shocked that I haven't added to this blog since the beginning of August!! Some exciting things have happened since then. Allison, Jim and their 5 wonderful children came to visit us Friday Oct. 9. They were here for 4 days and because of the way our schedule worked out we were actually able to spend quite a bit of time with them. It was so great to get to hug those kids! And we finally got to meet Madelinn! She's so perfect. What a nice baby she is. While they were here they had her blessing in the Seventies Hall. It was a wonderful meeting and a great memory for us. Another highlight for the kids was the wildlife. Ron was able to show them a few animals and then chase a few.

Since I last wrote I've baked over 25,000 gingerbread cookies. They are in Ziplocs containing 100 each in the mission freezers. I get to have 2 baking days a week and Sister Saville helps me one day and Sister Meline is there on the other day. I love these ladies and we have a good time in the kitchen. When Allison's family was here I got some help baking from the grandkids! Lots of fun!!

Pioneer Pastimes is now closed for the season. I'm really glad we got to serve there, it was a lot of fun. Now we just need to box everything up and put it away for winter. We've also been released at the site leaders for Nauvoo on the Road. We loved doing it but realized that when we were released we weren't sad, it was time for someone else to get to be in charge.
About 6 weeks ago Ron was called as the mission photographer! This means taking about a million pictures of people, nature, animals etc etc and then putting together a 1/2 hour slide show for Zone Conference each month. He did a great job getting pictures for the first one which was shown Oct. 11. However, putting it into a slide show was a real ordeal! If it wasn't for Holly and Allison we would not have had a slide show! Holly had to get into our computer using gotomypc.com and figure out what I had done and then fix it! We have been lucky in every way possible to have her in our family. Then, Allison spent several hours of her visit here working on it also. Then she and Holly were both working on it! Next month's should be easier. Allison came to see the slide show at Zone Conference and see the reaction of the missionaries. It went well and everyone said nice things. We're now working on the one for November.

Something else amazing happened while Alli and Jim were here. The morning before they came we had a mandatory combined prep meeting. We have prep meeting every morning but we aren't required to go if it's our P day (our day off). We are assigned to one of 3 groups that normally meet in 3 different locations. Well, Oct. 8 we were all together and President Ludwig came in and said, "I got a phone call yesterday and President Monson will be here tomorrow" There was a huge gasp from the audience!! Then he announced that the Z cast would be performing "Rendezvous in Old Nauvoo" for the prophet! There are 3 casts, and we perform every 3rd night. We're in Z cast and the President wanted our cast to do it. It should have been Y cast but they performed for the Mission President's conference a month or so ago. In Rendezvous there are several vignettes and there are 2 couples assigned to each one. We take turns. Ron and I do the "Pickle Barrel" scene as Peter and Abigail. We got to perform it for Pres. Monson and his daughter and granddaughter. It was quite a day. That afternoon we all closed our sites at 3:30 (instead of 5:00) and met at the Visitor's Center and Pres. Monson spoke to us for about 40 minutes. Unfortunately even though Allison's family was there they weren't allowed in - only missionaries "No Exceptions!" But, after the 7:00 show for the prophet and invited guests those waiting for the 8:15 show (including Alli's family) saw him exit the building and wave to us and tell us all that we did a great job and deserved an academy award! Then he called Elder Bill Dove, who has Down's Syndrome and is serving here with his parents, over and congratulated him on a job well done and gave him a hug. It was great. The only sad part was that we were all told to leave our cameras and cell phones home and even though Pres. Monson appeared to be waiting a few minutes in case anyone wanted to take a picture we had all been obedient and were unprepared. Dang!!
The beautiful flowers of summer are mostly gone but the leaves are turning and it's a whole new kind of gorgeous! This is really a beautiful place. There are so many kinds of plants and trees, and wildlife.....and bugs. Yesterday when we returned from our sites our door looked like something from a horror movie. Seriously! There were corn beetles EVERYWHERE!!! They look just like ladybugs except they're a little more orange and we've been told they bite. We couldn't even get into our house without about a hundred swarming in. There were hundreds more between the panes of the windows. They aren't as bad today. One thing that is strange is that they weren't even on the doors and windows of our neighbors who live in the other side of this duplex. Their doors and trims are painted red and ours are white. The same thing happened in the summer with the Mayflies. Our doors and windows were COVERED and theirs weren't. If you ever decide to live here, don't paint your house white!!
I'd better go vacuum up all the bug carcases in the living room. Hopefully I'll add to this sooner than I did this time.

The Nauvoo Pageant has come and gone

2009-08-06T16:36:00.003-05:00

Things were very busy here with the Pageant in town. (It ran from July 7 to Aug 1) It was quite exciting. Every Tues-Sat night there were pre-show activities from 7-8:30 then the pageant from 8:30 - 10:30. We could all hear the pageant from pretty much anywhere in town. What a sound system! So, now things have slowed down a bit. Well, there are two Nauvoo "Especially for Youth" programs, one is this week and the other one is next week. Last night was our cast's turn to perform "Sunset by the Mississippi" and the EFY kids were in the audience, all 200+ of them. Wow, too bad they aren't there EVERY night. They screamed and cheered and danced in the aisles and gave us several (about 7) standing ovations. It wasn't so much that we did a great show they were just a great audience. However that much energy is contagious and we all gave our best.
One more thing about the pageant that is fun. There's a website to access that will tell the relationship to any of the characters portrayed in the pageant. For example Joseph Smith is my 5th cousin 6 times removed. How about that for a close relationship!! Anyway, here's the website in case anyone wants to play: NauvooPageantCousins.org

Anyone who has been to Nauvoo knows that one of the must see sites is the Scovil Bakery. Everyone who visits there gets a little gingerbread cookie. In the early Spring I got to help make those cookies. There was a stash of about 40,000 of them in the freezers. President Ludwig called me in again this week and asked me to be in charge of making the cookies for next year. I will need to make sure that we have at least 40,000 cookies tucked away in the freezers before Ron and I really get into our duties with "Sunset" in January. I was told to start in 2 weeks when the Young Performing Missionaries leave, since right now we are using the kitchen for their meals. Then, yesterday, Pres. Edstrom (counselor) came to find me at Pioneer Pastimes and I guess with all the visitors this summer we've got ourselves a cookie crisis! So, my schedule for Saturday has been switched and I will begin baking right away. This mission is so fun! I am so lucky! I just keep getting to do all the fun and interesting jobs! Between this mission and having Ron as my companion there's rarely a dull moment.

There is nothing as constant as change

2009-07-26T13:38:00.003-05:00

Well, it looks like the last half of our mission will be VERY different from the first half. Friday July 17, President Ludwig called us into his office and after a prayer and a brief discussion we were called to be the directors of "Sunset by the Mississippi" for next year! AHHHHH!!!
Elder and Sister Cluff are the current directors and they are going home in September. The final performance for this year is Aug. 15. Before the Cluffs leave we'll meet with them and try and learn all we can about what is involved. Then I think we'll just get to work at the sites etc. like we're doing now until January when Elder and Sister Camp will come to Nauvoo. They have been called from SLC to be over Nauvoo Productions. Sister Pat Davis has done it for 9 years and this is her last year. So, in January the Camps will come and work with us for a couple of weeks and let us know what they want to have happen for next year. Then it will be our job to organize things and teach the songs and dances to the missionaries. Then the Camps will come back next summer to polish it up. Many of the missionaries who are here now will have gone home so we will have a new batch. We will be directing 250 missionaries who will be divided into 3 casts. So, next year Ron will still work in the sites and then do Sunset after hours and we'll spend our evenings having Sunset practices until May when we begin performing Sunset every night except Sunday. (No more nights off next summer) I will have an office in the Visitor's Center and my days will be spent working on Sunset. I don't have any idea what that means yet. President Ludwig said that I might be able to work in a 1/2 day a week working at the sites if I want to. (yes!) This also means that next year Ron and I won't be performing in Rendezvous anymore since we'll be at Sunset every night. I was so stunned when President Ludwig asked us that I just stared at him. As you all know, it's not often that I'm speechless! There are good things about it and then things we will miss. With this calling we will be able to get to know EVERY missionary and not just the ones in our cast. Elder and Sister Camp seem like wonderful people and it will be great to get to work with them. I know we are going to learn a LOT. (huge understatement) It looks like things won't change very much for us until January so for now I guess all there is to do is worry.
Yesterday at Pioneer Pastimes I met a man who directed the Nauvoo Brass Band for many years. The current band leader introduced me to him and told him that I would be directing Sunset next year. He said, "That's wonderful, tell me about your background" I said, "I have a testimony and I said yes". He looked a bit worried, I wonder why!!!

As scared as I am, the more I think about this, the more I realize that this will be a great opportunity and I know that if this is what Heavenly Father wants us to do then we will obviously have His help. I know that Ron is going to be great, he's a natural at this performing stuff, it will be fun to do this together. Pres. Ludwig said that one of the important parts of this calling will be to have fun at the rehearsals. After a long day of working at the sites the missionaries have to go to practices. It needs to be fun. Well, with Ron in charge, I don't think that will be a problem. No matter what assignment he is given on this mission, he does it well and still manages to have fun and help all of us around him have fun. He's a good companion!

Mission Musings and Random Thoughts

2009-06-16T15:36:00.002-05:00

* 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”

Random Photos

2009-06-14T17:23:00.007-05:00

Nauvoo Weather

2009-06-14T15:54:00.003-05:00

Nauvoo is so beautiful right now. EVERYTHING is green. We just keep taking pictures. As my friend, Sarah, from Washington State says, there's a price to be paid for this beauty. It rains here. It rains here a lot. The Cultural Hall, where we perform "Rendezvous", has flooded 5 times since we've been here. And the thunder!! It's called "Rolling Thunder" and it is LOUD!!!!

Our Days in Old Nauvoo

2009-06-14T15:32:00.006-05:00

We seem to have settled into a nice Summer routine. Our schedules come out on Fridays and for the past month ours have been about the same each week. It's a schedule that we like. We are the assistant site leaders for Pioneer Pastimes so we are assigned there 3 days a week. That is really fun. Ron is NRI (Nauvoo Restoration Inc.) one day a week and that means that he is painting things, or fixing things, or sandblasting things, or build things (like a temporary dressing room for the performing missionaries next to the Visitor's Center). Then he has one day a week as a teamster. Usually he does the oxen rides which he really likes and last week he got to drive the wagon with the Nauvoo Brass Band. The horses pull the wagon all through Old Nauvoo and up into Nauvoo. They stop and play a couple of songs at various places. The band kids are wonderful and he had a great time with them. I have 1 or 2 days a week helping Sister Hardy in the kitchen. She prepares a wonderful lunch for the young performing missionaries and their leaders (50 people) Mon-Fri. I love learning from her and it's fun to be with her and the kids. Every couple of weeks I'm assigned a day in the gardens. This is great also. It's fun to visit with and learn from other sisters as we're pulling weeds and making Nauvoo beautiful. On Sundays we're assigned somewhere together. Today we were at the Brickyard.

We are the site leaders for Nauvoo on the Road and so a couple of times a month we head out. Yesterday we went to an event in Quincy, IL. We had 2 other couples with us and 2 young single missionaries. We had a great time and it was a good day.

Nauvoo on the Road

2009-04-26T19:25:00.013-05:00

There's a great program here called Nauvoo on the Road. Four or five missionary couples are sent out with a van and a trailer to schools and community events. We set up 5 stations and teach about pioneer life and skills. At the schools we set up in their gym or lunch room and the kids are divided into groups and rotate through the stations. We teach them about baking in a bustle oven, candle making, rope making, brick making and pioneer games. When we're at the schools we don't wear our name tags and we call each other Mr. & Mrs. instead of Elder & Sister. The hope is that the kids will have such a great time that they'll bring their families to Nauvoo.

Friday and Saturday (April 24,25) we got to attend the "Battle of Pea Ridge" in Keokuk, Iowa. It's only about 1/2 hour away. Every year they reinact a couple of the Civil War battles. It's a big deal and they take it very seriously. On Friday we were in a big park with 15 other stations and we were spread out. We got to meet Abraham Lincoln and hear some great banjo music and some other neat stuff. On Saturday we were in our own area. Friday was school groups and we saw 898 kids. Saturday was more like a county fair with people wandering up to see what we had to tell them. 718 people visited our stations on Saturday. We met some very interesting people. It was a good day and even though the wind picked up a few times and we had to chase some of our props, it didn't rain hard until we were just loading up the last of our gear into the trailer.

Pioneer Pastimes

2009-04-26T18:15:00.008-05:00

Pioneer Pastimes is a really fun part of summer in Nauvoo! When we go to the summer hours sometime later in May, Pioneer Pastimes will be open 6 days a week from 10am to 4pm. We'll get to serve there 3 days a week. Right now we're just open for school groups. It's really fun. The kids (and adults) love playing old fashioned games. The stilts are a big hit and the climbing bears. We've been warned MANY times that in the summer the heat will be TERRIBLE. We're hoping that we can just ignore that and enjoy this fun site. We've been told that once the weather really gets hot another couple will be added so that we'll only be out in the heat 2 days a week. We're having a great time with this, sometimes we even let the kids play.

Nauvoo Wildlife

2009-04-26T17:45:00.006-05:00

There are a lot of critters we've seen that we couldn't capture with the camera but here are a few we did get. You have to look closely at the picture of a field to see the coyote. On warm days we can see rows of turtles sitting on logs in the river, hopefully we'll be able to get a photo of them. Also the pelicans, eagles, cardinals and red-winged blackbirds. One critter we see a lot is the corn bug or corn beetle. It looks like a ladybug but it isn't. They are EVERYWHERE!

Home Sweet Home

2009-04-09T09:30:00.009-05:00

Here are some photos of our wonderful pioneer home. We live in the Ashby side of the Ashby/Snow duplex. It seems like the Snow side should have been painted white but it isn't. We recently got neighbors in the Snow side. Elder and Sister Drebot from Canada. They are very nice people. We are enjoying our stay in this cute house. There's a nice feeling here, the Ashby's must have been a good family. They had 10 children when they lived in this house! Maybe where we have a kitchen and bathroom they had more bedrooms since they didn't have indoor plumbing! In the nightly performance of Rendezvous there is a whole song about the Ashby's and their 10 children.

Prairie Burn

2009-04-05T08:22:00.009-05:00

Last Monday we had an exciting event. The annual Prairie Burn. There's a one acre section of ground that is allowed to grow prairie grass and every year they do a burn demonstration. It's the type of grass the pioneers dealt with and it burns VERY quickly. It was about 6 ft. high. There were 2 fire trucks on hand in case things got crazy. A couple of qualified elders set it on fire and away it went. It gave of a tremendous amount of heat. (duh!). Look closely at the picture of the ash covered ground and you'll see a skunk that was hot footing it across the field as the smoke cleared. I don't know how he survived the blaze.

Next week for excitement we're going to watch the paint dry on one of the restored homes.

Just kidding, this was actually a fun thing.

2009-03-22T14:41:00.005-05:00

Tuesday evening on March 17 we had our Relief Society commemoration meeting in the upstairs room of Joseph Smith's Red Brick Store, where the Relief Society was started 167 years ago. The ladies who planned this program worked very hard and we had a wonderful evening of music and history.
I found out later that some visitors were walking past the store as we were singing and they stopped an Elder who was outside, to ask about the "beautiful music" coming from the building. It must have been our opening song because the elder ended up answering questions about the Church for almost an hour. They left about the time our meeting ended. We had all been asked to submit an experience we have had with Charity involving Relief Society. A booklet was compiled of our stories and it's really a treasure. It was a wonderful evening and I was glad to be there.

2009-03-19T16:49:00.008-05:00

We took these pictures the day we got to serve at the Carthage Jail and Visitor's center. It's very sobering to be in the room where Joseph and Hyrum Smith were murdered.

Summertime in Nauvoo

2009-03-12T06:41:00.004-05:00

Here's a nice article about what happens in Nauvoo in the summer.

http://www.ldsmag.com/churchupdate/090312summer.html

Views of Nauvoo

2009-03-08T14:29:00.014-05:00

Here are some pictures I took yesterday morning on my walk.

2009-03-06T22:00:00.003-06:00

Our house, we live on the left (the white side). Here's Ron's popsicle break at the MTC.

We're Missionaries

2009-03-06T21:04:00.009-06:00

We are officially missionaries! We are now "Elder and Sister Myers" We spent 8 great days at the Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah. We learned a lot about being missionaries and teaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Of the 45 or 50 Senior Missionaries who were with us at the MTC, there were 19 of us assigned to Nauvoo.

On February 24 we left Provo and drove to Nauvoo, Illinois. We ended the trip in a blinding rain storm. The road was very slick and a little dangerous. It was quite exciting. I learned about hydroplaning on asphalt! There was also a blinding rainstorm inside the car because our kids had written letters for us to read on the way!!

Arriving in Nauvoo

Friday February 27 we reported at the Nauvoo Visitor's Center and met our mission president, President Ludwig. He seems very nice and patient. His wife is very nice also. Actually EVERYONE we've met is nice! And helpful.

Nauvoo is a great place. Right now since it's winter everything is brown and dead but neat and clean. We are right on the Mississippi River. The sunsets have been gorgeous.

Nauvoo is a city that is very important in the history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Even though the early saints only lived here for 6 1/2 years, a lot of important things happened here before the saints were driven out by the mobs. Several homes and shops and business have been rebuilt and restored. As missionaries we get to dress as pioneers in these places and act as tour guides to show visitors how life was here in the 1840's. In addition to these duties everyone is required to sing and dance (!) in the show "Rendezvous" which is put on every night except Sundays year round and "Sunset by the Mississippi" which in put on nightly, except Sundays, from May to Sept. (I think) We've been practicing and it's pretty fun and funny. I guess we're the youngest missionaries here in Nauvoo. There's another lady who is 54 but she's a whole 3 months older than I am, she said that she was turning over the title of mission baby to me. Ron's the only elder in his 50's. (I think that several of these dear people are in their 80's - I don't know where they get their energy!!) Everyone is wonderful and very helpful as we learn the ropes here in our new home.

Our lodging

Speaking of new homes! When we got here we were assigned our living quarters. The only thing we were asked is if we can handle stairs. We said, yes, we're fine with stairs. We were assigned to a wonderful little pioneer house that was built and owned by Nathanial Ashby in 1843. It's on the corner of Parley and Hyde Streets. There are 3 sets of stairs. (But we only use 2 of them) The washer and dryer are in the basement (which is rock with a low ceiling), the main floor has a small living room, a small kitchen and 1/2 bath and the upstairs has the bedroom and bathroom. It's a great place and we're so excited to be in a pioneer home. It has creaky floors and a scary basement and everything! We love it!! It's actually a duplex and the other half was owned by Erastus Snow. No one is in it right now. I love it when we happen to be home and the draft horses pass by our front door pulling a wagon full of visitors. Here I am in a house that is 166 years old and I'm on the internet. The pioneers would be amazed!!

I really just can't believe that we are lucky enough to be here. We are honored to get to share the lives of the early saints with the visitors that come. Right now it's slow and that's good because we need to practice. I guess in the summer it's pretty crazy.

In the mornings I've been walking down Parley Street (The Trail of Hope) down to the edge of the Mississippi River. When I get there I can't help but think of the saints that had to keep going and cross the frozen river and leave their homes and most of their possessions. I, on the other hand, get to turn around and return to a nice home with a hot shower and a fridge!

We've been here one week today and what a week it's been. I spent a day at the print shop. And Ron and I were both at the Visitor's Center today. (Ron's been there 3 days) Tomorrow we get to go to Carthage and serve as guides at the Carthage Jail where Joseph and Hyrum Smith were murdered. It's about a 1/2 hour drive from here. I wonder how long it took the Smith brothers to ride there on their horses.

We begin each morning with an 8:30 prep meeting. Then a show practice at 9:00. Then head to our assigned site. At 5:00 we grab a quick dinner and head to another practice. Then to the evening show or a meeting. I don't know how soon we'll actually be performing. We're busy and happy!

From what I hear this is a great place to visit!! :) Maybe we'll see some of you while we're here.

Our contact information

Elder and Sister Myers

Illinois Nauvoo Mission

PO Box 215

Nauvoo, IL 62354

Home phone 217-453-2897

Ron's cell 435-668-9697

Bren's cell 435-668-9687

brendafmyers@hotmail.com