Hey everyone its Kiersen :P
i have a different blog now... its kierstenpetersen.blogspot.com just so you guys know! miss everyone!
Friday, November 7, 2008
Friday, September 26, 2008
Wednesday 17 Sept 2008
I got a new work order list this morning. Now I’m getting behind. I had the mechanic shop lights to finish, the warehouse lights to finish, an exhaust fan in the Visitor Center, lights out in the Visitor Center, needing bulbs in three Sites and two apartments, a blockout for the new Brickyard building service, a circuit and three other projects on hold because of parts. I guess I will have to start working more than 4 hours a day.
We were visited by a missionary couple from Joseph City, Arizona, Elder and Sister Smith. Carolin had become good friends with sister Smith over the past three months. They invited us to come down to Elder and Sister Warrs apartment, downstairs from us, so they could sing a song to all of us. Elder Smith is a heavy equipment operator and not the type you would think to write and sing songs, but he wrote one about the Savior he titled “The Carpenters Son”. He sang that song and it was touching. The feeling was special as he sang about the things Christ had done, how the people couldn’t accept him as anything but a carpenter’s son.
It made me think again, how special it is to be here with all these good people. The other day I heard another account of a special experience. One of the Elders was working in the Womens Garden and noticed a single sister missionary, cleaning the statues, just crying and crying. She told him, “she had just talked with Brother Joseph, and he told her he was very pleased with what the Missionaries were doing in Nauvoo”. I don’t know what to make of the many sightings reported by the Missionaries, who serve here. I wonder if Missionaries, serving in other Church History Sites, have similar experiences. I know some of the Missionaries in Martins Cove and Sixth Crossing have. I do know that more happened here than we will ever know, from reading journal entries. Many, many consecrations and covenants were made by those folks and they didn’t follow Brigham Young across Iowa because it was the social thing to do or because everybody else was doing it. A lot of the members, in Nauvoo and the surrounding areas, didn’t cross the river and go to Winter Quarters. They stayed and assimilated into the community where they lived, including Nauvoo. Those who did go, each in their own way, had a relationship with divinity, and that consecration has made these streets and grounds different, because of what happened here, as the Sacred Grove is, because of what happened there. I’m glad to be here, to experience the spirit and good feelings of all who are here, both seen and
unseen.
Thursday 18 Sept 2008
Talked with Barant about the service to the Brickyard, then took a 2” 90 and some pipe to the job and put it in the foundation form. I went over to the Lyon Drug to look at the water heater needing to be wired. I gathered up the material and went back to start the job.
Friday 19 Sept 2008
Back to the Lyon Drug to finish the water heater job.. Took an hour to watch the pour at the Brickyard. I don’t trust those carpenters to make sure my conduit doesn’t come up crooked, when they pour the concrete.
Saturday 20 Sept 2008
Today Carolin and I went to some of the Villages of Van Buren County, in Iowa. We went to Farmington, Bonaparte, Bentonsport, Keosauqua, and Cantril. The villages are billed as “a world untouched by time”. What we saw, had been touched quite heavily by the hand of time. I expected to see something like Gardener Village, Pioneer Village, or Nauvoo. An area, restored and looking new to the period. What we saw, were towns from 1840 to the present, just as they had evolved, with little or no repairs. I found a blacksmith shop in Bentonsport, with a fire in the forge and the Smith making grape leaves, for one of his candle holders. He liked to talk, and I stayed there for two hours. He told me about his business and the school he had in the back. He taught blacksmithing to anyone who was willing, and asked if I had weekends off. He would teach me on Saturday and Sunday if I wanted. I told him I’d have to wait a year or so, the President wouldn’t let me have the time off. Carolin was able to look at a couple of shops, but spent most of the time, resting in the car. I plan to go back to some of the places, and spend more time, now that I know what to expect. Carolin enjoyed Cantril, because of the Amish store they have there. When we drove into town, I saw two buggys, tied to a hitching rack. We found the owners in the store shopping. Just like you would expect, beards, straw hats, long dresses and bonnets. All of the Amish stores we have been in were operated by very friendly and helpful people. They sell books about their beliefs and lifestyle, and talk about most of it, if you ask.
Sunday 21 Sept 2008
Church, this morning, and Sunday School in the Visitor Center, another of the Winter Schedule changes. Today, Carolin and I served in the Browning Gun Shop. Being Sunday, I thought it would be a slow day. We had 105 visitors and didn’t get much of a chance to even sit down. We served with another couple, who we didn’t see much, after the tours started.
After the Sites, we had our District Meeting. We had a dinner and then the missionary discussion, about Joseph Smith being a Prophet. A full day.
Monday 22 Sept 2008
I talked with Elder Swallow for awhile after preparation meeting and then picked up a skill saw needing a new cord. After lunch, Steve found me and asked if I would oversee the assembly of the Tabernacle Choir display, which would be set up in the Visitor Center. We unpacked the crates, took the pieces into the Visitor Center, and took the crates out to the warehouse.
This exhibit has been to the Washington D.C. Temple and to the Kirtland Temple, before coming here. We will have it for at least three months.
Tuesday 23 Sept 2008
I finished up another saw cord, then talked with the President about the location for the Tabernacle Choir display. I moved a freestanding display out of the area and spent the rest of the day looking at the plans and the different pieces of the new display.
Wednesday 24 Sept 2008
I let Conservation know they had pictures to remove, from old displays, so I could put the displays in storage. I got an extension ladder to changed two bulbs in the motion light on our apartment and then went back to the Visitor Center to wait for my help. After lunch, we moved the old displays out to the warehouse, and moved the First Vision statue to the center of the foyer. Now I’m ready to move the new display into the area tomorrow.
I got a new work order list this morning. Now I’m getting behind. I had the mechanic shop lights to finish, the warehouse lights to finish, an exhaust fan in the Visitor Center, lights out in the Visitor Center, needing bulbs in three Sites and two apartments, a blockout for the new Brickyard building service, a circuit and three other projects on hold because of parts. I guess I will have to start working more than 4 hours a day.
We were visited by a missionary couple from Joseph City, Arizona, Elder and Sister Smith. Carolin had become good friends with sister Smith over the past three months. They invited us to come down to Elder and Sister Warrs apartment, downstairs from us, so they could sing a song to all of us. Elder Smith is a heavy equipment operator and not the type you would think to write and sing songs, but he wrote one about the Savior he titled “The Carpenters Son”. He sang that song and it was touching. The feeling was special as he sang about the things Christ had done, how the people couldn’t accept him as anything but a carpenter’s son.
It made me think again, how special it is to be here with all these good people. The other day I heard another account of a special experience. One of the Elders was working in the Womens Garden and noticed a single sister missionary, cleaning the statues, just crying and crying. She told him, “she had just talked with Brother Joseph, and he told her he was very pleased with what the Missionaries were doing in Nauvoo”. I don’t know what to make of the many sightings reported by the Missionaries, who serve here. I wonder if Missionaries, serving in other Church History Sites, have similar experiences. I know some of the Missionaries in Martins Cove and Sixth Crossing have. I do know that more happened here than we will ever know, from reading journal entries. Many, many consecrations and covenants were made by those folks and they didn’t follow Brigham Young across Iowa because it was the social thing to do or because everybody else was doing it. A lot of the members, in Nauvoo and the surrounding areas, didn’t cross the river and go to Winter Quarters. They stayed and assimilated into the community where they lived, including Nauvoo. Those who did go, each in their own way, had a relationship with divinity, and that consecration has made these streets and grounds different, because of what happened here, as the Sacred Grove is, because of what happened there. I’m glad to be here, to experience the spirit and good feelings of all who are here, both seen and
unseen.
Thursday 18 Sept 2008
Talked with Barant about the service to the Brickyard, then took a 2” 90 and some pipe to the job and put it in the foundation form. I went over to the Lyon Drug to look at the water heater needing to be wired. I gathered up the material and went back to start the job.
Friday 19 Sept 2008
Back to the Lyon Drug to finish the water heater job.. Took an hour to watch the pour at the Brickyard. I don’t trust those carpenters to make sure my conduit doesn’t come up crooked, when they pour the concrete.
Saturday 20 Sept 2008
Today Carolin and I went to some of the Villages of Van Buren County, in Iowa. We went to Farmington, Bonaparte, Bentonsport, Keosauqua, and Cantril. The villages are billed as “a world untouched by time”. What we saw, had been touched quite heavily by the hand of time. I expected to see something like Gardener Village, Pioneer Village, or Nauvoo. An area, restored and looking new to the period. What we saw, were towns from 1840 to the present, just as they had evolved, with little or no repairs. I found a blacksmith shop in Bentonsport, with a fire in the forge and the Smith making grape leaves, for one of his candle holders. He liked to talk, and I stayed there for two hours. He told me about his business and the school he had in the back. He taught blacksmithing to anyone who was willing, and asked if I had weekends off. He would teach me on Saturday and Sunday if I wanted. I told him I’d have to wait a year or so, the President wouldn’t let me have the time off. Carolin was able to look at a couple of shops, but spent most of the time, resting in the car. I plan to go back to some of the places, and spend more time, now that I know what to expect. Carolin enjoyed Cantril, because of the Amish store they have there. When we drove into town, I saw two buggys, tied to a hitching rack. We found the owners in the store shopping. Just like you would expect, beards, straw hats, long dresses and bonnets. All of the Amish stores we have been in were operated by very friendly and helpful people. They sell books about their beliefs and lifestyle, and talk about most of it, if you ask.
Sunday 21 Sept 2008
Church, this morning, and Sunday School in the Visitor Center, another of the Winter Schedule changes. Today, Carolin and I served in the Browning Gun Shop. Being Sunday, I thought it would be a slow day. We had 105 visitors and didn’t get much of a chance to even sit down. We served with another couple, who we didn’t see much, after the tours started.
After the Sites, we had our District Meeting. We had a dinner and then the missionary discussion, about Joseph Smith being a Prophet. A full day.
Monday 22 Sept 2008
I talked with Elder Swallow for awhile after preparation meeting and then picked up a skill saw needing a new cord. After lunch, Steve found me and asked if I would oversee the assembly of the Tabernacle Choir display, which would be set up in the Visitor Center. We unpacked the crates, took the pieces into the Visitor Center, and took the crates out to the warehouse.
This exhibit has been to the Washington D.C. Temple and to the Kirtland Temple, before coming here. We will have it for at least three months.
Tuesday 23 Sept 2008
I finished up another saw cord, then talked with the President about the location for the Tabernacle Choir display. I moved a freestanding display out of the area and spent the rest of the day looking at the plans and the different pieces of the new display.
Wednesday 24 Sept 2008
I let Conservation know they had pictures to remove, from old displays, so I could put the displays in storage. I got an extension ladder to changed two bulbs in the motion light on our apartment and then went back to the Visitor Center to wait for my help. After lunch, we moved the old displays out to the warehouse, and moved the First Vision statue to the center of the foyer. Now I’m ready to move the new display into the area tomorrow.
Saturday 6 Sept. 2008
Carolin went to Keokuk today and when she got back she didnʼt feel good. Maybe getting a cold. I couldnʼt handle anymore shopping, so I went out to the NRI compound and put an outlet in the plumbers office, so he could plug in his computer without an extension cord. I had Dr. Welch phone in a new prescription for blood pressure medication, which I hope will let me get rid of this blasted cough.. I donʼt get much rest with all the coughing.
Sunday 7 Sept 2008
A cold it is. She didnʼt go to Church, just slept. We were scheduled to serve at the Land and Records today but had to cancel. A dinner for the Sister Missionaries was scheduled for 5:PM. She cooked her part of the meal but couldnʼt attend. A fireside was held in the Visitor Center ; I went but she stayed home. It was a good fireside. One of the Missionaries, Elder Powers, was asked to make replicas of the door keys for the original Nauvoo Temple , which were being held by some agency in Quincy . That was 14 years ago, on his first mission to Nauvoo. He has since, made keys for the Kirtland Temple , the Carthage Jail and others I canʼt remember.
Monday, Carolin will start on her new assignment as the NRI secretary. She feels inadequate but I know she will do fine. We have discovered the Lords help in all we have been asked to do, with memorizing the Site scripts to learning the parts and songs in the shows.
Monday 8 Sept 2008
Carolin still doesnʼt feel good and stayed home. I started adding light fixtures to the warehouse stock room.
Tuesday 9 Sept 2008
This morning, Elder Swallow and I went to Carthage . I helped him trade a good dryer for a bad one, in one of the missionary houses, then met with a sales rep, to solve a problem I am having with ballasts in the outside light fixtures, at the Carthage Visitor Center . We picked up a battery at the John Deere store, for the mechanic, and headed back. After lunch, I hung two more lights in the warehouse and heated them up. I got a call from the power company telling me they had set the transformer for the tank panels, so I went up to the site and finished terminating the panels and turned them on. 4:30 now so I went home. Carolin is still not feeling well. Tonight, we asked the Mission Dr . , Elder Smith, to come over and look at her. While he was here, we gave her a blessing. The Dr. suggested, she stay home all week, no shows or NRI. She needs to rest and let her body recover.
Wednesday 10 Sept 2008
I finished half the warehouse lights and hooked up the 3-way switch. After lunch, I was feeling a bit tired, so I went over to the Brickyard and Lyon Drug to see how they were coming on those projects, then went out to the shop. I helped Elder Beazer load his Amish wagon on a trailer, to haul it back to Canada . He lives in Canada and needs an operation on his hand, so he will be gone 2-3 weeks. I was still feeling tired, so I headed for the house.
I was afraid it would happen. I got Carolinʼs cold. I had a bad night.
Thursday 11 Sept 2008
I stayed home today and rested, in between coughs. Another bad night.
Friday 12 Sept 2008
Today was better. Half way through the night my cough got easier and I was able to sleep some. I have been more comfortable today. I went down to the garage to fix the garage, door this after noon, and when I finished, I took a nap.. Still not 100% yet.
Carolin went to Keokuk today and got the shopping done, so we wonʼt have to go tomorrow.
I spent the afternoon cleaning out my E-mail.
Saturday 13 Sept 2008
I got a call around 10:30 this morning from Elder Swallow, asking if I knew where he could get a panel. One of the missionary trailers had lost a phase on their service and was out of power. I went over to see if I could help him and Elder McKissick was there, so the three of us made a real mess of it. The trailer had a GFI main breaker, which kept tripping. Elder McKissick had gotten another breaker from the warehouse, but it was a used one. When the replacement breaker also tripped, he thought the panel was bad, because it is an old fuse panel, we had trouble with before. They found a small panel and had mounted it, extended the branch wires, and were hooking it up when I got there. The replacement GFI tripped with the new panel. Now what do we do. We decided, because the trailer was so old and in bad shape, we might have a small leak to ground, and with the rain we have had the past three days, everything was wet. We got a 50 amp. Two pole, standard breaker and plugged it in. It held. The couple in the trailer will be going home in two weeks, so then we will have to replace our mess with a new breaker or set fire to the trailer and forget it.
After all that I had to come back to our apartment and take a nap. I wasnʼt as better as I thought.
This evening we got a visit from Sister Francom from the Utah South Area Family History Training Center . Carolin and I had taken a week long class, on the New Family Search program, from her some time ago. Carolin had been calling her for more information, since we have been here, and she was coming to Nauvoo for family activities, so she brought us a disc of some of the improvements.
Sunday 14 Sept 2008
The last day of this imprisonment. I stayed home from Church because of my cough and we didnʼt go to the Site today. I called Jim to find out what he knew about the Werner line and to get the latest information on their family. Then I called Deb, between the two of them I talked most of the afternoon.
Tomorrow, Carolin and I will both go to NRI. She will train with the secretary and I will go back to the warehouse lights.
Carolin went to Keokuk today and when she got back she didnʼt feel good. Maybe getting a cold. I couldnʼt handle anymore shopping, so I went out to the NRI compound and put an outlet in the plumbers office, so he could plug in his computer without an extension cord. I had Dr. Welch phone in a new prescription for blood pressure medication, which I hope will let me get rid of this blasted cough.. I donʼt get much rest with all the coughing.
Sunday 7 Sept 2008
A cold it is. She didnʼt go to Church, just slept. We were scheduled to serve at the Land and Records today but had to cancel. A dinner for the Sister Missionaries was scheduled for 5:PM. She cooked her part of the meal but couldnʼt attend. A fireside was held in the Visitor Center ; I went but she stayed home. It was a good fireside. One of the Missionaries, Elder Powers, was asked to make replicas of the door keys for the original Nauvoo Temple , which were being held by some agency in Quincy . That was 14 years ago, on his first mission to Nauvoo. He has since, made keys for the Kirtland Temple , the Carthage Jail and others I canʼt remember.
Monday, Carolin will start on her new assignment as the NRI secretary. She feels inadequate but I know she will do fine. We have discovered the Lords help in all we have been asked to do, with memorizing the Site scripts to learning the parts and songs in the shows.
Monday 8 Sept 2008
Carolin still doesnʼt feel good and stayed home. I started adding light fixtures to the warehouse stock room.
Tuesday 9 Sept 2008
This morning, Elder Swallow and I went to Carthage . I helped him trade a good dryer for a bad one, in one of the missionary houses, then met with a sales rep, to solve a problem I am having with ballasts in the outside light fixtures, at the Carthage Visitor Center . We picked up a battery at the John Deere store, for the mechanic, and headed back. After lunch, I hung two more lights in the warehouse and heated them up. I got a call from the power company telling me they had set the transformer for the tank panels, so I went up to the site and finished terminating the panels and turned them on. 4:30 now so I went home. Carolin is still not feeling well. Tonight, we asked the Mission Dr . , Elder Smith, to come over and look at her. While he was here, we gave her a blessing. The Dr. suggested, she stay home all week, no shows or NRI. She needs to rest and let her body recover.
Wednesday 10 Sept 2008
I finished half the warehouse lights and hooked up the 3-way switch. After lunch, I was feeling a bit tired, so I went over to the Brickyard and Lyon Drug to see how they were coming on those projects, then went out to the shop. I helped Elder Beazer load his Amish wagon on a trailer, to haul it back to Canada . He lives in Canada and needs an operation on his hand, so he will be gone 2-3 weeks. I was still feeling tired, so I headed for the house.
I was afraid it would happen. I got Carolinʼs cold. I had a bad night.
Thursday 11 Sept 2008
I stayed home today and rested, in between coughs. Another bad night.
Friday 12 Sept 2008
Today was better. Half way through the night my cough got easier and I was able to sleep some. I have been more comfortable today. I went down to the garage to fix the garage, door this after noon, and when I finished, I took a nap.. Still not 100% yet.
Carolin went to Keokuk today and got the shopping done, so we wonʼt have to go tomorrow.
I spent the afternoon cleaning out my E-mail.
Saturday 13 Sept 2008
I got a call around 10:30 this morning from Elder Swallow, asking if I knew where he could get a panel. One of the missionary trailers had lost a phase on their service and was out of power. I went over to see if I could help him and Elder McKissick was there, so the three of us made a real mess of it. The trailer had a GFI main breaker, which kept tripping. Elder McKissick had gotten another breaker from the warehouse, but it was a used one. When the replacement breaker also tripped, he thought the panel was bad, because it is an old fuse panel, we had trouble with before. They found a small panel and had mounted it, extended the branch wires, and were hooking it up when I got there. The replacement GFI tripped with the new panel. Now what do we do. We decided, because the trailer was so old and in bad shape, we might have a small leak to ground, and with the rain we have had the past three days, everything was wet. We got a 50 amp. Two pole, standard breaker and plugged it in. It held. The couple in the trailer will be going home in two weeks, so then we will have to replace our mess with a new breaker or set fire to the trailer and forget it.
After all that I had to come back to our apartment and take a nap. I wasnʼt as better as I thought.
This evening we got a visit from Sister Francom from the Utah South Area Family History Training Center . Carolin and I had taken a week long class, on the New Family Search program, from her some time ago. Carolin had been calling her for more information, since we have been here, and she was coming to Nauvoo for family activities, so she brought us a disc of some of the improvements.
Sunday 14 Sept 2008
The last day of this imprisonment. I stayed home from Church because of my cough and we didnʼt go to the Site today. I called Jim to find out what he knew about the Werner line and to get the latest information on their family. Then I called Deb, between the two of them I talked most of the afternoon.
Tomorrow, Carolin and I will both go to NRI. She will train with the secretary and I will go back to the warehouse lights.
Monday 25 August 2008
Talked with Elder Swallow for about an hour this morning, after prayer meeting,. Time sure flies. I spent most of the day measuring and making parts, to move the panels from a temporary rack, to the concrete wall. The power company lifted the transformer off the pad and set it on the grass, so I could extend the conduit to the new location.
After I finished with the conduit, I visited Carolin at the Print Shop, and Elder McKissick at the Blacksmith Shop. There aren’t many visitors now, so I was able to make a horseshoe before they closed for the day.
The weather has been quite cool lately. Today the temp. was 75, with a slight breeze, most of the day. The humidity also seems to be down. Maybe we will have an early winter.
Tuesday 26 August 2008
The 26th of May was when we drove into Nauvoo. Today is three months.
I spent the day working on the conduit for out water tank panel project and Carolin served in Land and Records.
Friday 29 August 2008
After work, I went to the Blacksmith Shop and made a branding iron for Elder Land. It was fun to have the forge to heat the iron, instead of using a torch, and the anvil to pound on and shape the brand on the horn and step.
Saturday 30 August
An interesting turn of events today. Saturday is our P-day, Carolin and I go shopping, I get worn out following her around the stores, or dehydrated, waiting for her in the car. Today, we talked about going to the Temple before shopping. I started to get ready but didn’t feel like going, so I suggested she go shopping and I would go over to Carthage, to finish a job needing to be done. I usually have a lot of other things to do on our day off, but I had the thought and it felt good so I changed clothes, rounded up the material needed for the job and left. On the way, I got a call from the NRI director. Carthage was having trouble with their projector, and couldn’t show the film in the Visitor Center. I told him I didn’t know anything about the system but would look at it. I was able to fix the projector, but couldn’t finish my light project because of a bad ballast. I hope someone was helped today, by being able to see the film, and that was why I had the idea to go to Carthage. Now I still have to go back and fix the light.
On the way back to Nauvoo, I saw a car show in Hamilton. I spent an hour looking at nice old roadsters and 3 window coupes. They even had two 57’ Chevys.
Rendezvous tonight. Carolin had her debut with a speaking part in the Ashby boys and I start as Elder Gailey in the Noah chorus. I had to memorize 25 words for that part. We had two shows tonight, because of the tour busses
Sunday 31 August
There are two tour busses in town so our Sacrament Meeting attendance was up today. I helped bless the Sacrament, we had 10 Elders in the Chapel, and 8 in the Cultural Hall.
Listening to one of the speakers, I had a thought about the special feeling, mentioned so often, by those visiting Nauvoo. The feeling is usually attributed to those saints who built the town and sacrificed so much for the Lord, and I believe that to be true. I think, in addition, the spirit here is due to the great number of Missionaries, assembled in this small area, who have dedicated this time of their lives to our Father in Heaven, and serving others. All that goodness has got to be felt by those who visit, from the world..
Carolin and I are on call today, so we need to be by the phone.
Monday 1 Sept.- 5 Sept. 2008
This week has been much the same. Worked a little on the tank panels, replaced lights in the Visitor Center, Carolin locked herself out of the house and car Tuesday so I took the key to her at the Land & Records office. She walked to the Site that day.
The more I am involved with ordering material and trying to get work done, I see how the process can be improved. Suggestions are listened to and then I get a response, different each time, but with the same message. “The missionaries are only here for 18 months and we have to live with whatever we do from now on”. Also they say; “we have been working with this for 8 years, you don’t understand”.. I may not understand all that they have to deal with, but it seems obvious that good, accepted, material handling practices, would make their life easier, no matter who was working with it. They asked everyone who drove the trucks, to cut down on the miles because of the gas costs. I asked if I could stock my truck with the material needed to work on the Sites, so I didn’t have to go to the Site, see what was needed, go back to the warehouse for the material, and then back to the Site to do the work, and repeat the process for each work order. I was told, they wanted to control the material at the warehouse level and if I had truck stock they wouldn’t know every time I used some light bulbs. I suggested they have me fill out a work order for each job, listing the material used and the time I spent, so they could track the material by the job instead at the warehouse. It was a new idea and they didn’t know how to work with it so I was told to continue with the established procedure. I continue to burn the gas.
Today, Friday, Carolin had some visitors to the Print Shop, from Highland. Ray and Iris Adams, Leland and Lynn Coleman saw Carolin standing outside the Print Shop and had quite a reunion. They didn’t know we were serving here, so it was a surprise for every one. I came to visit about the same time so I was able to talk for a minute.
Monday, Carolin will start on her new assignment as the NRI secretary. She feels inadequate but I know she will do fine. We have discovered the Lords help in all we have been asked to do, with memorizing the Site scripts to learning the parts and songs in the shows.
Talked with Elder Swallow for about an hour this morning, after prayer meeting,. Time sure flies. I spent most of the day measuring and making parts, to move the panels from a temporary rack, to the concrete wall. The power company lifted the transformer off the pad and set it on the grass, so I could extend the conduit to the new location.
After I finished with the conduit, I visited Carolin at the Print Shop, and Elder McKissick at the Blacksmith Shop. There aren’t many visitors now, so I was able to make a horseshoe before they closed for the day.
The weather has been quite cool lately. Today the temp. was 75, with a slight breeze, most of the day. The humidity also seems to be down. Maybe we will have an early winter.
Tuesday 26 August 2008
The 26th of May was when we drove into Nauvoo. Today is three months.
I spent the day working on the conduit for out water tank panel project and Carolin served in Land and Records.
Friday 29 August 2008
After work, I went to the Blacksmith Shop and made a branding iron for Elder Land. It was fun to have the forge to heat the iron, instead of using a torch, and the anvil to pound on and shape the brand on the horn and step.
Saturday 30 August
An interesting turn of events today. Saturday is our P-day, Carolin and I go shopping, I get worn out following her around the stores, or dehydrated, waiting for her in the car. Today, we talked about going to the Temple before shopping. I started to get ready but didn’t feel like going, so I suggested she go shopping and I would go over to Carthage, to finish a job needing to be done. I usually have a lot of other things to do on our day off, but I had the thought and it felt good so I changed clothes, rounded up the material needed for the job and left. On the way, I got a call from the NRI director. Carthage was having trouble with their projector, and couldn’t show the film in the Visitor Center. I told him I didn’t know anything about the system but would look at it. I was able to fix the projector, but couldn’t finish my light project because of a bad ballast. I hope someone was helped today, by being able to see the film, and that was why I had the idea to go to Carthage. Now I still have to go back and fix the light.
On the way back to Nauvoo, I saw a car show in Hamilton. I spent an hour looking at nice old roadsters and 3 window coupes. They even had two 57’ Chevys.
Rendezvous tonight. Carolin had her debut with a speaking part in the Ashby boys and I start as Elder Gailey in the Noah chorus. I had to memorize 25 words for that part. We had two shows tonight, because of the tour busses
Sunday 31 August
There are two tour busses in town so our Sacrament Meeting attendance was up today. I helped bless the Sacrament, we had 10 Elders in the Chapel, and 8 in the Cultural Hall.
Listening to one of the speakers, I had a thought about the special feeling, mentioned so often, by those visiting Nauvoo. The feeling is usually attributed to those saints who built the town and sacrificed so much for the Lord, and I believe that to be true. I think, in addition, the spirit here is due to the great number of Missionaries, assembled in this small area, who have dedicated this time of their lives to our Father in Heaven, and serving others. All that goodness has got to be felt by those who visit, from the world..
Carolin and I are on call today, so we need to be by the phone.
Monday 1 Sept.- 5 Sept. 2008
This week has been much the same. Worked a little on the tank panels, replaced lights in the Visitor Center, Carolin locked herself out of the house and car Tuesday so I took the key to her at the Land & Records office. She walked to the Site that day.
The more I am involved with ordering material and trying to get work done, I see how the process can be improved. Suggestions are listened to and then I get a response, different each time, but with the same message. “The missionaries are only here for 18 months and we have to live with whatever we do from now on”. Also they say; “we have been working with this for 8 years, you don’t understand”.. I may not understand all that they have to deal with, but it seems obvious that good, accepted, material handling practices, would make their life easier, no matter who was working with it. They asked everyone who drove the trucks, to cut down on the miles because of the gas costs. I asked if I could stock my truck with the material needed to work on the Sites, so I didn’t have to go to the Site, see what was needed, go back to the warehouse for the material, and then back to the Site to do the work, and repeat the process for each work order. I was told, they wanted to control the material at the warehouse level and if I had truck stock they wouldn’t know every time I used some light bulbs. I suggested they have me fill out a work order for each job, listing the material used and the time I spent, so they could track the material by the job instead at the warehouse. It was a new idea and they didn’t know how to work with it so I was told to continue with the established procedure. I continue to burn the gas.
Today, Friday, Carolin had some visitors to the Print Shop, from Highland. Ray and Iris Adams, Leland and Lynn Coleman saw Carolin standing outside the Print Shop and had quite a reunion. They didn’t know we were serving here, so it was a surprise for every one. I came to visit about the same time so I was able to talk for a minute.
Monday, Carolin will start on her new assignment as the NRI secretary. She feels inadequate but I know she will do fine. We have discovered the Lords help in all we have been asked to do, with memorizing the Site scripts to learning the parts and songs in the shows.
Dad's Journal
Friday 15 August 2008
Replaced a few light bulbs and then went to a ceremony at the Old Catholic Cemetery, for Seymour Brunson. I had never heard of him but a lot of nice things were said at the dedication of the head stone. He was one of the Nauvoo Saints who did a lot and sacrificed a lot, for others, but apparently didn’t keep a journal and those who did, didn’t record anything about Seymour. The significant occurrence connected with his funeral was, Joseph Smith revealing the principle of Baptism for Dead, as he spoke at the funeral.
Sister Susan Easton Black attended the dedication of the monument and spoke to us for a few minutes about the details of the funeral. She told us, there were so many dying in 1840, it was decided to only have funerals on Thursday and Monday of each week, which would mean, many caskets in each funeral procession. Those days were chosen because Thursday is the traditional day Moses went up on Mt. Sinai and Monday is the day he came down. Included in the many being buried that day, was a young man, 9 years of age, who had not been baptized. When his mother heard the Prophet Joseph explain the principle of Baptism for the Dead she was excited, and immediately after the funeral, requested one of the nearby Elders to baptize her for her dead son. Another sister overheard and asked if she could watch. Together, they headed for the Mississippi River. The grieving mother, the Elder, and the interested sister went out into the water, the interested sister riding her horse because the water was cold. The baptism was accomplished, and later, the Prophet was asked if it would be acceptable. Brother Joseph said, it was done by the Priesthood, and there were two witnesses, the sister and her horse, so it would stand as the first baptism for the dead in this dispensation.
A lot of speculation could be raised about the importance of gender in ordinances and the agency of the spirits of animals, but Sister Black ended the story there.
Not much happened the rest of the day and we quit work at noon because of lack of work. I got a call about 4:00, from the carpenters. They had excavated for footings on a side hill and exposed conduit and sprinkler control wires. We will take care of that Monday.
Saturday 16 August 2008
I got a haircut this morning, then Carolin and I went to Keokuk to get the weeks supplies. I spent the afternoon deleting pictures off my hard drive. Elder McKissick had given me all his discs with Elder Lyons Nauvoo pictures on them. They contained, over 2100 pictures, and with the two DVD, 1 hours shows I loaded, my computer slowed way down. I took off a lot of flower pictures and other shots which had no meaning, beyond nice.
Our cast had a pot luck dinner this afternoon, just before Rendezvous. When we put on 4 shows a week with this group, they become like family, and it was nice to get together and talk.
One performance of Rendezvous tonight, because of the farewell social for the young people, but we still only had 60 people in the audience. The numbers are down in the Sites also. A sign of the pending winter season, when we go days without a tour, in some of the Sites.
The farewell social was a good activity. It gave everyone a chance to exchange addresses and E-mails, with the YPM.
Sunday 17 August 2008
Attendance was way down at Sacrament meeting this morning. Another indication of the tourist season ending. Tomorrow, 80 people will leave the mission. September will see 17 more leave, with 16 in October, and 13 in November. The Temple Missionaries leave in October but I don’t know how many.
Carolin and I are scheduled to serve in the Bakery today, but the smell, which closed the Site Saturday, is still there, so we get the day off.
Monday 18 August 2008
Mostly engineering today. The carpenters are putting a retaining wall around three sides of a transformer and some panels. They want to move the panels to the new retaining wall, but aren’t sure how it should look. Everyone over the age of 60 years, has an opinion, and expects an agreement from all concerned. I am amazed anything gets done here. When the new NRI building was constructed, a draftsman was hired to draw the plans. Changes started the day after construction began. Someone wanted a wall moved so their office would be bigger, another thought a door should be added and the stairs were in the wrong place. Walls were framed, conduit installed and wire pulled, and they still moved it. This project with the retaining wall is the same. We are going to talk it to death before anything is decided. I did get some sleeves cut and tapped, for the blockouts.
Tonight, we heard Susan Easton Black talk about the Savior and events leading up to his birth. She explained Jewish custom relating to betrothal and divorce, and told us about what “no room at the inn” might have meant. 1- It was the custom, for people who had room for visitors in their house, to hang a banner on their door, so those coming to the village would know where to stay. When Joseph and Mary got into town, all the banners were taken in. 2- The traditional meaning is that the establishments in the business of providing rooms were full. 3- In some areas, a stockade was provided for travelers, which gave them protection and a place for their animals. These stockades were usually along roads frequented by the Roman solders, who like to torment travelers and their animals. As darkness would descend, the gates on the stockade were closed, locked, and not opened until morning. If someone would knock, a person inside would call out, “there is no room in the inn”, and refuse to open the gate.
Tuesday 19 August 2008
A typical day. Replaced a switch at the Morley apartment, visited with Elder McKissick at the Blacksmith shop, checked the outside lights at the Seventy’s Hall, adjusted the time clock, checked the exhaust fan at the Family Living Center, went to Carthage to fix flag pole lights. The screw on one of the ground lights wouldn’t come out, so I sprayed it with WD-40 and left it until tomorrow.
Saturday 23 August 2008
This morning, in a preparation meeting, Elder Russell M. Nelson’s wife and Sherry Dew, spoke to us. Sister Nelson told us about her experiences leading up to and including her engagement to Elder Nelson. Sister Dew spoke about Prophets and how important they are. One of her quotes was from Elder Holland. “We live our lives as though we were always going to be here. We aren’t, we can’t and we won’t be.” She went on to explain how we can prepare for the life, which will go on forever, and not spend so much time in pursuits, which will end when we move on.
Carolin and I went to Burlington to shop and to get me a pair of boots, to go over my leather boots, to keep me out of the mud.
Rendezvous tonight, and we only had 2/3 of a house. There were two sister missionaries, waiting for the second show, and when they found out they were the only two, they said, “forget it, we aren’t going to have you put a show on just for us,” and they left.
Sunday 24 August 2008
Church attendance was down again today. We now pass all the sacrament from the front table, although we used 12 brethren to pass, it is still less than the 26-28 we had two weeks ago. The weather is cooling off and we have had a nice breeze for the last couple of days.
Carolin & I served in the Brigham Young home today. We had 4 tours with a total of 10 people in the 2 ½ hours we were there. We talked to a couple who were in the Pendleton School, they didn’t have anybody stop in. A sign of things to come.
We had our MTC group dinner this evening, at the Beazers home. They are a couple from southern Alberta, Canada. Sister Memmott was having trouble with her knee, so we gave her a blessing. These five couples are a fun group to be with.
Replaced a few light bulbs and then went to a ceremony at the Old Catholic Cemetery, for Seymour Brunson. I had never heard of him but a lot of nice things were said at the dedication of the head stone. He was one of the Nauvoo Saints who did a lot and sacrificed a lot, for others, but apparently didn’t keep a journal and those who did, didn’t record anything about Seymour. The significant occurrence connected with his funeral was, Joseph Smith revealing the principle of Baptism for Dead, as he spoke at the funeral.
Sister Susan Easton Black attended the dedication of the monument and spoke to us for a few minutes about the details of the funeral. She told us, there were so many dying in 1840, it was decided to only have funerals on Thursday and Monday of each week, which would mean, many caskets in each funeral procession. Those days were chosen because Thursday is the traditional day Moses went up on Mt. Sinai and Monday is the day he came down. Included in the many being buried that day, was a young man, 9 years of age, who had not been baptized. When his mother heard the Prophet Joseph explain the principle of Baptism for the Dead she was excited, and immediately after the funeral, requested one of the nearby Elders to baptize her for her dead son. Another sister overheard and asked if she could watch. Together, they headed for the Mississippi River. The grieving mother, the Elder, and the interested sister went out into the water, the interested sister riding her horse because the water was cold. The baptism was accomplished, and later, the Prophet was asked if it would be acceptable. Brother Joseph said, it was done by the Priesthood, and there were two witnesses, the sister and her horse, so it would stand as the first baptism for the dead in this dispensation.
A lot of speculation could be raised about the importance of gender in ordinances and the agency of the spirits of animals, but Sister Black ended the story there.
Not much happened the rest of the day and we quit work at noon because of lack of work. I got a call about 4:00, from the carpenters. They had excavated for footings on a side hill and exposed conduit and sprinkler control wires. We will take care of that Monday.
Saturday 16 August 2008
I got a haircut this morning, then Carolin and I went to Keokuk to get the weeks supplies. I spent the afternoon deleting pictures off my hard drive. Elder McKissick had given me all his discs with Elder Lyons Nauvoo pictures on them. They contained, over 2100 pictures, and with the two DVD, 1 hours shows I loaded, my computer slowed way down. I took off a lot of flower pictures and other shots which had no meaning, beyond nice.
Our cast had a pot luck dinner this afternoon, just before Rendezvous. When we put on 4 shows a week with this group, they become like family, and it was nice to get together and talk.
One performance of Rendezvous tonight, because of the farewell social for the young people, but we still only had 60 people in the audience. The numbers are down in the Sites also. A sign of the pending winter season, when we go days without a tour, in some of the Sites.
The farewell social was a good activity. It gave everyone a chance to exchange addresses and E-mails, with the YPM.
Sunday 17 August 2008
Attendance was way down at Sacrament meeting this morning. Another indication of the tourist season ending. Tomorrow, 80 people will leave the mission. September will see 17 more leave, with 16 in October, and 13 in November. The Temple Missionaries leave in October but I don’t know how many.
Carolin and I are scheduled to serve in the Bakery today, but the smell, which closed the Site Saturday, is still there, so we get the day off.
Monday 18 August 2008
Mostly engineering today. The carpenters are putting a retaining wall around three sides of a transformer and some panels. They want to move the panels to the new retaining wall, but aren’t sure how it should look. Everyone over the age of 60 years, has an opinion, and expects an agreement from all concerned. I am amazed anything gets done here. When the new NRI building was constructed, a draftsman was hired to draw the plans. Changes started the day after construction began. Someone wanted a wall moved so their office would be bigger, another thought a door should be added and the stairs were in the wrong place. Walls were framed, conduit installed and wire pulled, and they still moved it. This project with the retaining wall is the same. We are going to talk it to death before anything is decided. I did get some sleeves cut and tapped, for the blockouts.
Tonight, we heard Susan Easton Black talk about the Savior and events leading up to his birth. She explained Jewish custom relating to betrothal and divorce, and told us about what “no room at the inn” might have meant. 1- It was the custom, for people who had room for visitors in their house, to hang a banner on their door, so those coming to the village would know where to stay. When Joseph and Mary got into town, all the banners were taken in. 2- The traditional meaning is that the establishments in the business of providing rooms were full. 3- In some areas, a stockade was provided for travelers, which gave them protection and a place for their animals. These stockades were usually along roads frequented by the Roman solders, who like to torment travelers and their animals. As darkness would descend, the gates on the stockade were closed, locked, and not opened until morning. If someone would knock, a person inside would call out, “there is no room in the inn”, and refuse to open the gate.
Tuesday 19 August 2008
A typical day. Replaced a switch at the Morley apartment, visited with Elder McKissick at the Blacksmith shop, checked the outside lights at the Seventy’s Hall, adjusted the time clock, checked the exhaust fan at the Family Living Center, went to Carthage to fix flag pole lights. The screw on one of the ground lights wouldn’t come out, so I sprayed it with WD-40 and left it until tomorrow.
Saturday 23 August 2008
This morning, in a preparation meeting, Elder Russell M. Nelson’s wife and Sherry Dew, spoke to us. Sister Nelson told us about her experiences leading up to and including her engagement to Elder Nelson. Sister Dew spoke about Prophets and how important they are. One of her quotes was from Elder Holland. “We live our lives as though we were always going to be here. We aren’t, we can’t and we won’t be.” She went on to explain how we can prepare for the life, which will go on forever, and not spend so much time in pursuits, which will end when we move on.
Carolin and I went to Burlington to shop and to get me a pair of boots, to go over my leather boots, to keep me out of the mud.
Rendezvous tonight, and we only had 2/3 of a house. There were two sister missionaries, waiting for the second show, and when they found out they were the only two, they said, “forget it, we aren’t going to have you put a show on just for us,” and they left.
Sunday 24 August 2008
Church attendance was down again today. We now pass all the sacrament from the front table, although we used 12 brethren to pass, it is still less than the 26-28 we had two weeks ago. The weather is cooling off and we have had a nice breeze for the last couple of days.
Carolin & I served in the Brigham Young home today. We had 4 tours with a total of 10 people in the 2 ½ hours we were there. We talked to a couple who were in the Pendleton School, they didn’t have anybody stop in. A sign of things to come.
We had our MTC group dinner this evening, at the Beazers home. They are a couple from southern Alberta, Canada. Sister Memmott was having trouble with her knee, so we gave her a blessing. These five couples are a fun group to be with.
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Family Photos from Mom & Dad's Farewell
Entire Horan Family ( minus Cody, Scott's oldest son who is serving on a mission in The Dominican Republic)
Scott & Denae's Family
Mike & Jerilyn's Family 
Angie & Jeff's Family
Mike and Suzette's Family
Scott & Denae's FamilyMike & Jerilyn's FamilyAngie & Jeff's Family
Mike and Suzette's Family
Matt & Teresa's Family
Natalie & McKade's Family
Friday, August 15, 2008
A Great Video For Everyone.
I couldn't get the video to show up so I am attaching the link. We'll see how this works.
Excellent advice from Elder Busche in 1996
Suz
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snAjZ8mfoYw
Excellent advice from Elder Busche in 1996
Suz
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snAjZ8mfoYw
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Saturday 2 August 2008
P-Day again and we went to Burlington to pick up my boots. After shopping, we went to the Blacksmith Shop, so Carolin could go on a tour. We serve there, together, tomorrow. Rendezvous tonight and the men really messed it up. Near the end of the show, all the men sing “Willingly”, a song about leaving Nauvoo, willingly, because we have to. As we sing the last verse, the house lights come up, and we march down the isles, to finish the song. Some how, we skipped two of the verses, all of us, and finished the song on the stage. We never did walk down the isle. When the song ended, everybody just stood there and somebody said “that was good, now what”, so we just walked out. All the cast was laughing, but the audience didn’t know what was going on. Another fine performance by the Nauvoo Seniors.
Sunday 3 August 2008
Testimony meeting and most of the testimonies were those leaving in the next two weeks. When Carolin and I were in the MTC, we were told by many people; leaving our Mission would be harder then leaving home to go on our Mission, and those were the sentiments of most of those speaking.
After the meeting, we changed and went to the Blacksmith Shop. Another couple, Elder and Sister Duke, served with us. They both had been at that Site a number of times before and told us, the Sisters just sit in the waiting room, while the Elders conduct the tours. I asked Carolin to be with me, so she could mention the items I might forget. She does such a great job of including the children, it helped me, because she would suggest things like having one of the little boys turn the wagon wheel, to oil the spokes, after it was made. The parents wanted pictures and the little boy seemed proud to be helping. She would also mention some things I hadn’t told the people in the tour, so I was able to do a better job. It was an enjoyable morning. I liked giving tours in the Blacksmith Shop because I have been there so many times, I know all the information. We have a wooden horse foot and oxen foot to demonstrate shoeing. I told the kids, we had cut the a foot off a horse and cow, so to be looking for a three footed horse and cow, as they walked around the fields. Most of the kids just thought I was being dumb, but one little boy looked very concerned, so I had to assure him I was kidding. Being Sunday, they don’t want us to light a fire in the forge and make horseshoes. I would have liked to do that, but it was still all right.
We had Zone Conference at 7:00 tonight. The Young Performing Missionaries sang, President and Sister Ludwig, spoke. It was a good meeting.
Monday 4 August 2008
Back to work. We changed a light bulb on the picture of Christ, in the Visitor Center, put some PVC underground, for a service change, and fixed the feed to a sump pump. Not bad for 6 hours. It was hot today. 94 degrees and 90% humidity. The heat index was 107 and they put the horses away at noon. The horses can’t work when the index is above 103, but it is all right for us old folks to be out in it, we don’t get hurt, we know where the cool places are.
Tuesday 5 August 2008
Today, Carolin and I saw David Price, a young man who was our Elders Quorum President in the singles ward, when we first served there. He was only there for a short time before he got married. Now he has a two year old daughter.
Wednesday 6 August 2008
Changed a few lights in the Visitor Center, and talked with Elder Swallow for a couple of hours. We had a lot of world problems to solve. Elder Pace called from Carthage, saying his power was out. We started for his place and got to Hamilton, when he called and said a guy across the street had dug up the line and would have it fixed in an hour, so we came back to Nauvoo, just in time to quit for the day. Another hard day at NRI.
Tonight at Rendezvous, we talked with Peggy Webb. She is the daughter of Dave and Gayle Garrick. I never imagined, we would see so many people here, we knew.
Friday 8 August 2008
After work, I went to an area where the Kimball boat landing had been, in 1844. The landing belonged to Hiram Kimball, husband of Sarah Granger Kimball, who had a store West of their house. The landing appears to have been West and North of the house, where the ground slopes down to the water. The books indicate the river bank, all along the Nauvoo side, dropped sharply down to the river, so the landings were located where the ground sloped naturally, as it does at the end of Parley Street. The landing at the end of Main Street, by the Nauvoo House, was probably the steepest climb of the four landing in Nauvoo. Journals tell of the climb up from the dock to the Prophets home.
Saturday 9 August 2008
We went to the largest Flea Market in Missouri today. Got up early and left by 8:00. The drive was an hour and a half; through hollers, over hills, around and around bends, until I didn’t know which direction I was going. We wondered how anybody could find the largest Flea Market on all these country roads. We made it. Two dollars to park, another two dollars to rent a 4-wheeler, if you wanted one. That was the first indication of how big the largest Flea Market really was. The second, was a sign indicating the parking areas; North area, central parking, and overflow parking. We decided to decline the 4-wheeler and started walking. Carolin had an umbrella, because of the sun, so she made out alright that way, but after two hours, and much looking at tools, farm implements, and picture frames, which had been left laying around for way too long, we called it quits. Two hours didn’t get us to very many of the vendors who were there, so I guess it could really be the largest Flea Marker in Missouri.
Sunday 10 August 2008
Normal sacrament meeting. I was assigned to help prepare the sacrament and clean up after the meeting. Carolin and I served in the Brick Yard, with the McKissicks, in the afternoon. It was a nice experience but we only had 4 tours. Sundays are slow.
This evening was a fireside given by the great, great grandson of Parley Pratt, Paul Debry. He talked about the five Pratt brothers. He gave a lot of information on the Pratt family.
Monday 11 August 2008
The Young Performing Missionaries will be leaving soon and tonight was their talent show. We are exposed to professional performers, in the movies and television, and come to expect that level of ability, in all the show we see. Quite often, the shows of amatures are a disappointment, but tonight we saw talent as good as any, available anywhere. It is hard to imagine, this much talent in one small group of young people, but they did have to audition, and they came from all over the country. One girl came from Anchorage, Alaska, one from Texas, and all in between.
Tuesday 12 August 2008
I was told this morning, Elder McKissick will be going back to the Sites. Next week I will be the Lone Ranger. We finished the outlets in the Webb house, put batteries in two apartments smoke detectors, fixed the walk lights in front of our apartment, drove a ground rod for another house, and prepared the area around a water tank for the service to the pumps.
Tonight we have Sunset. One more show on Friday and we will be through with Sunset until next summer. The Sites have changed to winter hours, but NRI will still start at 7:00 and quit at 2:00, until the weather gets cold and the days are shorter.
P-Day again and we went to Burlington to pick up my boots. After shopping, we went to the Blacksmith Shop, so Carolin could go on a tour. We serve there, together, tomorrow. Rendezvous tonight and the men really messed it up. Near the end of the show, all the men sing “Willingly”, a song about leaving Nauvoo, willingly, because we have to. As we sing the last verse, the house lights come up, and we march down the isles, to finish the song. Some how, we skipped two of the verses, all of us, and finished the song on the stage. We never did walk down the isle. When the song ended, everybody just stood there and somebody said “that was good, now what”, so we just walked out. All the cast was laughing, but the audience didn’t know what was going on. Another fine performance by the Nauvoo Seniors.
Sunday 3 August 2008
Testimony meeting and most of the testimonies were those leaving in the next two weeks. When Carolin and I were in the MTC, we were told by many people; leaving our Mission would be harder then leaving home to go on our Mission, and those were the sentiments of most of those speaking.
After the meeting, we changed and went to the Blacksmith Shop. Another couple, Elder and Sister Duke, served with us. They both had been at that Site a number of times before and told us, the Sisters just sit in the waiting room, while the Elders conduct the tours. I asked Carolin to be with me, so she could mention the items I might forget. She does such a great job of including the children, it helped me, because she would suggest things like having one of the little boys turn the wagon wheel, to oil the spokes, after it was made. The parents wanted pictures and the little boy seemed proud to be helping. She would also mention some things I hadn’t told the people in the tour, so I was able to do a better job. It was an enjoyable morning. I liked giving tours in the Blacksmith Shop because I have been there so many times, I know all the information. We have a wooden horse foot and oxen foot to demonstrate shoeing. I told the kids, we had cut the a foot off a horse and cow, so to be looking for a three footed horse and cow, as they walked around the fields. Most of the kids just thought I was being dumb, but one little boy looked very concerned, so I had to assure him I was kidding. Being Sunday, they don’t want us to light a fire in the forge and make horseshoes. I would have liked to do that, but it was still all right.
We had Zone Conference at 7:00 tonight. The Young Performing Missionaries sang, President and Sister Ludwig, spoke. It was a good meeting.
Monday 4 August 2008
Back to work. We changed a light bulb on the picture of Christ, in the Visitor Center, put some PVC underground, for a service change, and fixed the feed to a sump pump. Not bad for 6 hours. It was hot today. 94 degrees and 90% humidity. The heat index was 107 and they put the horses away at noon. The horses can’t work when the index is above 103, but it is all right for us old folks to be out in it, we don’t get hurt, we know where the cool places are.
Tuesday 5 August 2008
Today, Carolin and I saw David Price, a young man who was our Elders Quorum President in the singles ward, when we first served there. He was only there for a short time before he got married. Now he has a two year old daughter.
Wednesday 6 August 2008
Changed a few lights in the Visitor Center, and talked with Elder Swallow for a couple of hours. We had a lot of world problems to solve. Elder Pace called from Carthage, saying his power was out. We started for his place and got to Hamilton, when he called and said a guy across the street had dug up the line and would have it fixed in an hour, so we came back to Nauvoo, just in time to quit for the day. Another hard day at NRI.
Tonight at Rendezvous, we talked with Peggy Webb. She is the daughter of Dave and Gayle Garrick. I never imagined, we would see so many people here, we knew.
Friday 8 August 2008
After work, I went to an area where the Kimball boat landing had been, in 1844. The landing belonged to Hiram Kimball, husband of Sarah Granger Kimball, who had a store West of their house. The landing appears to have been West and North of the house, where the ground slopes down to the water. The books indicate the river bank, all along the Nauvoo side, dropped sharply down to the river, so the landings were located where the ground sloped naturally, as it does at the end of Parley Street. The landing at the end of Main Street, by the Nauvoo House, was probably the steepest climb of the four landing in Nauvoo. Journals tell of the climb up from the dock to the Prophets home.
Saturday 9 August 2008
We went to the largest Flea Market in Missouri today. Got up early and left by 8:00. The drive was an hour and a half; through hollers, over hills, around and around bends, until I didn’t know which direction I was going. We wondered how anybody could find the largest Flea Market on all these country roads. We made it. Two dollars to park, another two dollars to rent a 4-wheeler, if you wanted one. That was the first indication of how big the largest Flea Market really was. The second, was a sign indicating the parking areas; North area, central parking, and overflow parking. We decided to decline the 4-wheeler and started walking. Carolin had an umbrella, because of the sun, so she made out alright that way, but after two hours, and much looking at tools, farm implements, and picture frames, which had been left laying around for way too long, we called it quits. Two hours didn’t get us to very many of the vendors who were there, so I guess it could really be the largest Flea Marker in Missouri.
Sunday 10 August 2008
Normal sacrament meeting. I was assigned to help prepare the sacrament and clean up after the meeting. Carolin and I served in the Brick Yard, with the McKissicks, in the afternoon. It was a nice experience but we only had 4 tours. Sundays are slow.
This evening was a fireside given by the great, great grandson of Parley Pratt, Paul Debry. He talked about the five Pratt brothers. He gave a lot of information on the Pratt family.
Monday 11 August 2008
The Young Performing Missionaries will be leaving soon and tonight was their talent show. We are exposed to professional performers, in the movies and television, and come to expect that level of ability, in all the show we see. Quite often, the shows of amatures are a disappointment, but tonight we saw talent as good as any, available anywhere. It is hard to imagine, this much talent in one small group of young people, but they did have to audition, and they came from all over the country. One girl came from Anchorage, Alaska, one from Texas, and all in between.
Tuesday 12 August 2008
I was told this morning, Elder McKissick will be going back to the Sites. Next week I will be the Lone Ranger. We finished the outlets in the Webb house, put batteries in two apartments smoke detectors, fixed the walk lights in front of our apartment, drove a ground rod for another house, and prepared the area around a water tank for the service to the pumps.
Tonight we have Sunset. One more show on Friday and we will be through with Sunset until next summer. The Sites have changed to winter hours, but NRI will still start at 7:00 and quit at 2:00, until the weather gets cold and the days are shorter.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Sunday 27 July 2008
The Lyon Drug was a good experience. It was nice to finally serve at a Site with Carolin. I didn’t try to memorize the dates and events of the Lyon family, I just read it from the script. I did have fun showing the kids the ivory handled tooth brushes, and telling them if the people didn’t brush their teeth, the other alternative was to have them pulled. Then I showed the kids the tooth puller. It looks like a plumbers basin wrench. We should be able to be at the Sites every Sunday, from now on.
The Mission had a fireside for us, put on by the Nashville Tribute band, as a tribute to the Prophet Joseph Smith. It was supposed to be outside on the Sunset stage. An hour before start time, the lightning started with the rain right behind. The performance was moved to the Visitor Center, but the rain came down so hard, Carolin couldn’t run 20’, from the car to the doors, without getting soaked. She had a rain coat with a hood, but the rain was driven so hard, by the wind, everything below her coat got it. I had to park and run into the building, and really got wet. With so many wet people in that auditorium, it smelled like a wet dog.
Monday 28 July 2008
We got information, on the lights above the relief map of Nauvoo, in the Visitor Center, this morning, to order replacements. I helped pour more concrete, at the NRI compound, fixed lights at the Family Living Center, and put a few bulbs in the Sites. “Exciting”. We have Sunset tonight.
Sunset was rain out again, tonight. Only 5 more shows, and Sunset will be over for the summer.
Tuesday 29 July 2008
This afternoon, I went over to the site of the “Tomb of Joseph and Emma”. The Church has been buying property in Nauvoo, when ever they can, and in one of the recent purchases, they acquired the tomb, Joseph Smith had constructed, where he and Emma would be interred. After 160 plus years, the stone work is in bad shape and dangerous, so NRI enclosed the area with a chain link fence. We were told, the tomb has three large rooms, but you can’t tell from the outside, it just looks big. The location is grown over with brush and trees now, but the Church has plans to restore it and open for tours. I haven’t heard why it was never used. The local people thought it was a wine cellar, used by the old settlers, who had a winery. The Church found a paper, with the floor plan and location detailed, so they feel confident it is the tomb.
Carolin and I visited Sister Memmott, who has pneumonia. She has been sick for quite a long time but is getting better slowly.
Thursday 31 July 2008
Today, I visited the Nauvoo Historical Society and Museum. It isn’t very large but the people are interested in talking, and they know a lot about the town. I found the location of the Nauvoo Expositor. The building is gone but it is fun to see the spot. I also bought a copy of that one addition of the paper which caused all the trouble.
Friday 1 August 2008
We started the day with a breakfast for all the couples who will be leaving in August. There are 19 couples and 5 single sisters. When they leave, all the young performing missionaries, band members, and young sister missionaries, will also leave. That is the time we will go to winter hours, at the Sites. We will start at 11:00 and close at 5:00. Sunset will be over and Rendezvous will only be one show.. It will be quite a change for those of us still here, but, that schedule will make it possible for me to go to the blacksmith shop, in the morning, and play with the forge and anvil.
Elder McKissick is back with me for awhile. We got some conduit ready for a service change, at one of the missionary homes, changed an exhaust fan, and a few light bulbs.
The Lyon Drug was a good experience. It was nice to finally serve at a Site with Carolin. I didn’t try to memorize the dates and events of the Lyon family, I just read it from the script. I did have fun showing the kids the ivory handled tooth brushes, and telling them if the people didn’t brush their teeth, the other alternative was to have them pulled. Then I showed the kids the tooth puller. It looks like a plumbers basin wrench. We should be able to be at the Sites every Sunday, from now on.
The Mission had a fireside for us, put on by the Nashville Tribute band, as a tribute to the Prophet Joseph Smith. It was supposed to be outside on the Sunset stage. An hour before start time, the lightning started with the rain right behind. The performance was moved to the Visitor Center, but the rain came down so hard, Carolin couldn’t run 20’, from the car to the doors, without getting soaked. She had a rain coat with a hood, but the rain was driven so hard, by the wind, everything below her coat got it. I had to park and run into the building, and really got wet. With so many wet people in that auditorium, it smelled like a wet dog.
Monday 28 July 2008
We got information, on the lights above the relief map of Nauvoo, in the Visitor Center, this morning, to order replacements. I helped pour more concrete, at the NRI compound, fixed lights at the Family Living Center, and put a few bulbs in the Sites. “Exciting”. We have Sunset tonight.
Sunset was rain out again, tonight. Only 5 more shows, and Sunset will be over for the summer.
Tuesday 29 July 2008
This afternoon, I went over to the site of the “Tomb of Joseph and Emma”. The Church has been buying property in Nauvoo, when ever they can, and in one of the recent purchases, they acquired the tomb, Joseph Smith had constructed, where he and Emma would be interred. After 160 plus years, the stone work is in bad shape and dangerous, so NRI enclosed the area with a chain link fence. We were told, the tomb has three large rooms, but you can’t tell from the outside, it just looks big. The location is grown over with brush and trees now, but the Church has plans to restore it and open for tours. I haven’t heard why it was never used. The local people thought it was a wine cellar, used by the old settlers, who had a winery. The Church found a paper, with the floor plan and location detailed, so they feel confident it is the tomb.
Carolin and I visited Sister Memmott, who has pneumonia. She has been sick for quite a long time but is getting better slowly.
Thursday 31 July 2008
Today, I visited the Nauvoo Historical Society and Museum. It isn’t very large but the people are interested in talking, and they know a lot about the town. I found the location of the Nauvoo Expositor. The building is gone but it is fun to see the spot. I also bought a copy of that one addition of the paper which caused all the trouble.
Friday 1 August 2008
We started the day with a breakfast for all the couples who will be leaving in August. There are 19 couples and 5 single sisters. When they leave, all the young performing missionaries, band members, and young sister missionaries, will also leave. That is the time we will go to winter hours, at the Sites. We will start at 11:00 and close at 5:00. Sunset will be over and Rendezvous will only be one show.. It will be quite a change for those of us still here, but, that schedule will make it possible for me to go to the blacksmith shop, in the morning, and play with the forge and anvil.
Elder McKissick is back with me for awhile. We got some conduit ready for a service change, at one of the missionary homes, changed an exhaust fan, and a few light bulbs.
Tuesday 22 July 2008
They split Elder McKissick and I up today. The plumber needed a hand, so McKissick will help him and I will work alone until another plumber comes to the Mission, hopefully soon. I have been quitting at noon, because of the lack of work, and welding in their shop. I have been practicing with the TIG Torch and later I’ll work on the MIG machine. I also go to the Blacksmith Shop and listen to the different presentations of the Elders who serve there.
Tonight, at Rendezvous, I was talking to some of the Missionaries outside the building, and as I turned around, two ladies sitting on the bench said, “you are Jim Horan’s brother”. I was quite surprised. They were Dr. Gunn’s wife and her friend, who also worked in the Doctor’s office, where Doris had worked years ago. They had known Jim and Doris for years.
Thursday 24 July 2008
The 24th isn’t any special day in Illinois. The paid employees at NRI get today and tomorrow off, with pay, but it is just another day for the Missionaries. I spent the day visiting the Sites to replace burned out light bulbs. I had a lot of business. With all the buildings the Church maintains, I’ll bet I could stay busy full time, changing bulbs and fixtures. I did get some “real” electrical work, for next week. The Visitor Center has been having trouble with the power to their computers, so I told them I would find a way to get another circuit to their counter. I’ll look foreword to that; although, when I fix the lights for the Sisters in the Sites, I do get a lot of cookies.
At Sunset tonight, Matt Bishop, from Alpine, came up on the stage after the show. It was good to see him again, with all his family. I’m surprised at how many people we have seen, we know, in the short time we have been here. Last Monday, the 21st, we had been here 8 weeks..
Friday 25 July 2008
Another youth group came from Oklahoma this morning, looking for a service project. We supervised them while they cleaned up some of the areas around the trailer court. They were only scheduled to be in Nauvoo for the day, and I thought they should be seeing the Sites and going on the Wagon Rides. Service projects are good, but can be done in Oklahoma, anytime. Some of those kids will probably never come to Nauvoo again.
Saturday 26 July 2008
P-day today and we slept in, till 6:30. We went to Burlington instead of Keokuk because I had to get heels put on my boots and Burlington was the closest shoemaker. As usual, I got turned around in this flat country, but I had a compass this time, so it wasn’t bad at all. Carolin and I had our first companion Site assignment together today. Our P-day ends at 5:00 PM, so from 5:00 to 7:00, we served in the Nauvoo Visitor Center. Answered a lot of questions about schedules and programs, but nothing monumental happened in those two hours. Maybe next time. Tomorrow, after Church, we will be in the Lyon Drug Site together, from 10:00 to 2:15. That is the, “Lyon Drug,” Site; not the Lyon,”Drug Site”. I think the official name is the Lyon Apothecary and Variety Store but nobody ever calls it that
They split Elder McKissick and I up today. The plumber needed a hand, so McKissick will help him and I will work alone until another plumber comes to the Mission, hopefully soon. I have been quitting at noon, because of the lack of work, and welding in their shop. I have been practicing with the TIG Torch and later I’ll work on the MIG machine. I also go to the Blacksmith Shop and listen to the different presentations of the Elders who serve there.
Tonight, at Rendezvous, I was talking to some of the Missionaries outside the building, and as I turned around, two ladies sitting on the bench said, “you are Jim Horan’s brother”. I was quite surprised. They were Dr. Gunn’s wife and her friend, who also worked in the Doctor’s office, where Doris had worked years ago. They had known Jim and Doris for years.
Thursday 24 July 2008
The 24th isn’t any special day in Illinois. The paid employees at NRI get today and tomorrow off, with pay, but it is just another day for the Missionaries. I spent the day visiting the Sites to replace burned out light bulbs. I had a lot of business. With all the buildings the Church maintains, I’ll bet I could stay busy full time, changing bulbs and fixtures. I did get some “real” electrical work, for next week. The Visitor Center has been having trouble with the power to their computers, so I told them I would find a way to get another circuit to their counter. I’ll look foreword to that; although, when I fix the lights for the Sisters in the Sites, I do get a lot of cookies.
At Sunset tonight, Matt Bishop, from Alpine, came up on the stage after the show. It was good to see him again, with all his family. I’m surprised at how many people we have seen, we know, in the short time we have been here. Last Monday, the 21st, we had been here 8 weeks..
Friday 25 July 2008
Another youth group came from Oklahoma this morning, looking for a service project. We supervised them while they cleaned up some of the areas around the trailer court. They were only scheduled to be in Nauvoo for the day, and I thought they should be seeing the Sites and going on the Wagon Rides. Service projects are good, but can be done in Oklahoma, anytime. Some of those kids will probably never come to Nauvoo again.
Saturday 26 July 2008
P-day today and we slept in, till 6:30. We went to Burlington instead of Keokuk because I had to get heels put on my boots and Burlington was the closest shoemaker. As usual, I got turned around in this flat country, but I had a compass this time, so it wasn’t bad at all. Carolin and I had our first companion Site assignment together today. Our P-day ends at 5:00 PM, so from 5:00 to 7:00, we served in the Nauvoo Visitor Center. Answered a lot of questions about schedules and programs, but nothing monumental happened in those two hours. Maybe next time. Tomorrow, after Church, we will be in the Lyon Drug Site together, from 10:00 to 2:15. That is the, “Lyon Drug,” Site; not the Lyon,”Drug Site”. I think the official name is the Lyon Apothecary and Variety Store but nobody ever calls it that
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Journal Entries From Dad
Monday 13 July 2008
Virgil’s son Von and his family came to Nauvoo and had supper with us tonight. They will be here for awhile tomorrow and then they will have to leave. That’s a short trip.
Wednesday 16 July 2008
Jacob came to town yesterday. He was able to do baptisms at the Temple, first thing in the morning, then Carolin took him to a couple of Sites until she had to report to the Post Office. I was able to leave the project I was working on, so Jacob and I went to the Blacksmiths, Browning Gun Shop and the Heber C. Kimball home. He was afraid of missing the bus so we didn’t visit any more Sites but we drove down Parley street to the Mississippi River and along Water street, past the Red Brick Store, the Homestead and the Mansion House. Jacob learned when Joseph and Hyrum rode away to Carthage for the last time, they left from Joseph’s Mansion House. Now he has seen that house he can better visualize the event. I’m sorry he didn’t have more time, there is so much to see here. I was able to drive him out to see the area where the well King Follett was digging, was located, when he was killed, but it would have been nice if he could have taken the carriage ride, to the other places. It was good to see him.
Thursday 17 July 2008
Elder McKissick and I must work too fast. Our list of jobs was almost empty so our director, Steve Campbell, asked us to supervise a group of young men and their leaders, with a service project cleaning up the drift wood debris, left from the flooding. We got two dump trucks and met the boys by the river. The boys worked hard and filled the trucks 4 times. We dumped the wood at the saw mill site, to be burned. I have been surprised at the lack of environmental concerns for pollution, in Illinois. In Utah, we had to get permits to burn, dispose of fluorescent lamps and ballasts in a certain way, not dump oil or paint, and make sure not to pollute the water. I was told, Illinois has no of those restrictions. The people put oil and paint in the garbage all the time. 65,000 lbs of raw sewage goes into the Mississippi River every year.
Friday 18 July 2008
Picked up a dump truck again today. Drove to Ft. Madison for a load of wood chips and spread them on walkways.. Next time we get a list of work orders for electrical work, we’ll pace ourselves.
Saturday 19 July 2008
This morning, Carolin and I went to a vignette given by some of the Pageant cast, along the Trail of Hope. The Trail of Hope is the name given to Parleys St., from the Seventies Hall to the River. The cast members were stationed at the reader boards, along the path, to give small presentations of different Nauvoo saints and their message of hope for the future, as they left Nauvoo on that cold February day in 1846. It was very impressive to listen to the stories presented by people, not just reading the stories. I could visualize the Saints more, as real people, and as all these experiences we are having here accumulate, I can see in my mind like a movie, Brigham and Heber in the wagon, on their way to England, and all the people struggling with the mud in the streets, as they moved up and down main street, past the Print Shop, Browning Gun Shop and Riser Boot. I now see Nauvoo` almost barren of trees and grass but covered with houses, barns and sheds, and gardens. A lot of smoke in the air from the 48 blacksmiths working, the 7 brick yards burning 60 cords of wood for each 40,000 brick, and the approximately 2500 homes cooking and heating with wood fires. Most of the homes were small, so people would be outside for much of their work and play. As you moved about, many people would be seen, where today we spend most of our time inside with the A.C. and T.V. Yesterday, I was in the Blacksmith Shop listening to the tour, when one of the people on the tour asked the Missionary how the wheelwrights would reduce the circumference of the iron wheel if they made it to big. The Missionary didn’t know, but the man admitted it was a loaded question. This man, was a descendent of one of the Blacksmiths who had operated in Nauvoo and gone west to repair wagons, maybe in Winter Quarters. He told us, his father had been on a tour, in Nauvoo, years ago. While in the Blacksmith Shop, he remembered seeing a “tire shrinker” his grandfather had used to repair wagon wheels. He called home, to Malad, Idaho, and asked his son, the fellow who was telling the story, to go outback and dig around to see if he could find this piece of equipment. The tire shrinker was found and shipped to Nauvoo, where in now sits in the Wainwright shop. I think this guy from Malad, Idaho was a little disappointed that his donation to the shop, wasn’t used in the script. I wonder if anyone even knows it is here, and what it is. Maybe I’ll tell them.
Sunday 20 July 2008
Normal meetings today. We had a district meeting tonight at the Anderson’s and were asked to pickup three young sisters who are in the band. The meeting was at 7:00, so to be sure the young ladies would be ready, I went to their apartment at 6:15, knocked on the door, and announced to the sister who answered, “I was there to pickup three sisters for the District Meeting”. I heard shrecks and saw three colored streaks, as they sprang for their rooms. I told the sister at the door, I was kidding and that I would be back at 6:45 to get them. They took it well, laughing about it all the way to the meeting. It would be nice if us older people were as amiable.
Monday 21 July 2008
Elder McKissick stayed home today, to be with his daughter and other family members, as the daughter received her Endowment in the Nauvoo Temple. I spent all day fixing lights in the Visitors Center. Tonight was Sunset. The sky was cloudy, which was nice and cool. A little into the show, the wind picked up and a few rain drops followed. Then a few more. We continued, the wind became stronger, then the rain came harder, and everyone stayed. It was announced that the rain might hurt the electronics and we would have to cancel. The crowd announced their displeasure, so we continued. About five minutes later it just opened up and poured. The crowd scattered, the cast had to put all the props and instruments away, the rain came down so hard it was just like being in the shower. In two minutes we were so soaked, we couldn’t get any wetter, so we did what needed to be done and then went to our cars. I took a picture of Carolin when we got home.
Tuesday 22 July 2008
They split Elder McKissick and I up today. The plumber needed a hand, so McKissick will help him and I will work alone until another plumber comes to the Mission, hopefully soon. I have been quitting at noon, because of the lack of work, and welding in their shop. I have been practicing with the TIG Torch and later I’ll work on the MIG machine. I also go to the Blacksmith Shop and listen to the different presentations of the Elders who serve there.
Virgil’s son Von and his family came to Nauvoo and had supper with us tonight. They will be here for awhile tomorrow and then they will have to leave. That’s a short trip.
Wednesday 16 July 2008
Jacob came to town yesterday. He was able to do baptisms at the Temple, first thing in the morning, then Carolin took him to a couple of Sites until she had to report to the Post Office. I was able to leave the project I was working on, so Jacob and I went to the Blacksmiths, Browning Gun Shop and the Heber C. Kimball home. He was afraid of missing the bus so we didn’t visit any more Sites but we drove down Parley street to the Mississippi River and along Water street, past the Red Brick Store, the Homestead and the Mansion House. Jacob learned when Joseph and Hyrum rode away to Carthage for the last time, they left from Joseph’s Mansion House. Now he has seen that house he can better visualize the event. I’m sorry he didn’t have more time, there is so much to see here. I was able to drive him out to see the area where the well King Follett was digging, was located, when he was killed, but it would have been nice if he could have taken the carriage ride, to the other places. It was good to see him.
Thursday 17 July 2008
Elder McKissick and I must work too fast. Our list of jobs was almost empty so our director, Steve Campbell, asked us to supervise a group of young men and their leaders, with a service project cleaning up the drift wood debris, left from the flooding. We got two dump trucks and met the boys by the river. The boys worked hard and filled the trucks 4 times. We dumped the wood at the saw mill site, to be burned. I have been surprised at the lack of environmental concerns for pollution, in Illinois. In Utah, we had to get permits to burn, dispose of fluorescent lamps and ballasts in a certain way, not dump oil or paint, and make sure not to pollute the water. I was told, Illinois has no of those restrictions. The people put oil and paint in the garbage all the time. 65,000 lbs of raw sewage goes into the Mississippi River every year.
Friday 18 July 2008
Picked up a dump truck again today. Drove to Ft. Madison for a load of wood chips and spread them on walkways.. Next time we get a list of work orders for electrical work, we’ll pace ourselves.
Saturday 19 July 2008
This morning, Carolin and I went to a vignette given by some of the Pageant cast, along the Trail of Hope. The Trail of Hope is the name given to Parleys St., from the Seventies Hall to the River. The cast members were stationed at the reader boards, along the path, to give small presentations of different Nauvoo saints and their message of hope for the future, as they left Nauvoo on that cold February day in 1846. It was very impressive to listen to the stories presented by people, not just reading the stories. I could visualize the Saints more, as real people, and as all these experiences we are having here accumulate, I can see in my mind like a movie, Brigham and Heber in the wagon, on their way to England, and all the people struggling with the mud in the streets, as they moved up and down main street, past the Print Shop, Browning Gun Shop and Riser Boot. I now see Nauvoo` almost barren of trees and grass but covered with houses, barns and sheds, and gardens. A lot of smoke in the air from the 48 blacksmiths working, the 7 brick yards burning 60 cords of wood for each 40,000 brick, and the approximately 2500 homes cooking and heating with wood fires. Most of the homes were small, so people would be outside for much of their work and play. As you moved about, many people would be seen, where today we spend most of our time inside with the A.C. and T.V. Yesterday, I was in the Blacksmith Shop listening to the tour, when one of the people on the tour asked the Missionary how the wheelwrights would reduce the circumference of the iron wheel if they made it to big. The Missionary didn’t know, but the man admitted it was a loaded question. This man, was a descendent of one of the Blacksmiths who had operated in Nauvoo and gone west to repair wagons, maybe in Winter Quarters. He told us, his father had been on a tour, in Nauvoo, years ago. While in the Blacksmith Shop, he remembered seeing a “tire shrinker” his grandfather had used to repair wagon wheels. He called home, to Malad, Idaho, and asked his son, the fellow who was telling the story, to go outback and dig around to see if he could find this piece of equipment. The tire shrinker was found and shipped to Nauvoo, where in now sits in the Wainwright shop. I think this guy from Malad, Idaho was a little disappointed that his donation to the shop, wasn’t used in the script. I wonder if anyone even knows it is here, and what it is. Maybe I’ll tell them.
Sunday 20 July 2008
Normal meetings today. We had a district meeting tonight at the Anderson’s and were asked to pickup three young sisters who are in the band. The meeting was at 7:00, so to be sure the young ladies would be ready, I went to their apartment at 6:15, knocked on the door, and announced to the sister who answered, “I was there to pickup three sisters for the District Meeting”. I heard shrecks and saw three colored streaks, as they sprang for their rooms. I told the sister at the door, I was kidding and that I would be back at 6:45 to get them. They took it well, laughing about it all the way to the meeting. It would be nice if us older people were as amiable.
Monday 21 July 2008
Elder McKissick stayed home today, to be with his daughter and other family members, as the daughter received her Endowment in the Nauvoo Temple. I spent all day fixing lights in the Visitors Center. Tonight was Sunset. The sky was cloudy, which was nice and cool. A little into the show, the wind picked up and a few rain drops followed. Then a few more. We continued, the wind became stronger, then the rain came harder, and everyone stayed. It was announced that the rain might hurt the electronics and we would have to cancel. The crowd announced their displeasure, so we continued. About five minutes later it just opened up and poured. The crowd scattered, the cast had to put all the props and instruments away, the rain came down so hard it was just like being in the shower. In two minutes we were so soaked, we couldn’t get any wetter, so we did what needed to be done and then went to our cars. I took a picture of Carolin when we got home.
Tuesday 22 July 2008
They split Elder McKissick and I up today. The plumber needed a hand, so McKissick will help him and I will work alone until another plumber comes to the Mission, hopefully soon. I have been quitting at noon, because of the lack of work, and welding in their shop. I have been practicing with the TIG Torch and later I’ll work on the MIG machine. I also go to the Blacksmith Shop and listen to the different presentations of the Elders who serve there.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Mom and Dad in Action!!
Here are the latest photos from Mom and Dad. 
How exciting for Jake to be able to visit Mom and Dad while he was there with Heritage Tours.
How exciting for Jake to be able to visit Mom and Dad while he was there with Heritage Tours. Mom or Dad, when you get a chance can you add some comments to these photos?
This was taken when Jake came out of the Navuoo temple after finishing doing baptisms for the dead. Mom said they could only have 35 youth do baptisms and there were three bus loads of kids. They did a lottery and Jake was one of the 35 youth chosen to do baptisms. 
Jake and Dad at the Gun Smith Shop
These photos are of Grandma and Grandpa singing and dancing during the program "Sunset". You can see Grandpa playing the harmonica above grandma to the right. 
I know everyone has busy lifes but if you get a chance please update us on how your family is doing.
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Hey everyone!
This was SOO much fun! I was contacted by Mary Taylor and she asked me to be a spokes model for Taylored View Photography :P so OF COURSE i said yes! we ended up going to Park City for the my first photo shoot :) i took my Best friend kim up with me :D we had so much fun! oh and thanks to Jamie Bastian for doing my hair and some of my make up! YOUR AMAZING
This was SOO much fun! I was contacted by Mary Taylor and she asked me to be a spokes model for Taylored View Photography :P so OF COURSE i said yes! we ended up going to Park City for the my first photo shoot :) i took my Best friend kim up with me :D we had so much fun! oh and thanks to Jamie Bastian for doing my hair and some of my make up! YOUR AMAZING
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
July 4th
Suz, Mike and Kiersten at the Hottub
Amanda and Tori hanging out...
Smile Zac.. we gottcha !!!
Amanda and Tori hanging out...
Smile Zac.. we gottcha !!!
Video from the 4th
Here's a happy hello to Grandma and Grandpa...
July 1st Photo's
Dad standing in the doorway of the Log Schoolhouse... Check out his new Hat !!!
Mom standing in the doorway of the Log Schoolhouse
Here's Dad playing his Harmonica at a cast party
Mom standing in the doorway of the Log Schoolhouse
Here's Dad playing his Harmonica at a cast party
views from their home 
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Hello, Family!!!!
We are so excited to have this new blog created so everyone can go to a central location and find out what is going on in each others lifes. You will be able to add your own information, photos and videos..... whatever you want to share with the family! It is very user friendly and if you need help adding a post you can ask either Angie or Suzie.
I need to have an email address and password for everyone who wants to have an option to add to the blog.
If you have any fun family or individual information to share please add it to the blog and we can have a form of family history to look back on.
I Love You All and hope you are all doing well.
Suzie
Monday, June 23, 2008
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