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