So Much More Than Enough

Looking at this photo of our grandson, Conner, I glimpsed his spirit. He is bold, strong, knowing and SO grateful to be given the opportunity to come to earth in his own new body. He is very excited to figure out how everything works! What he has is all he needs to accomplish his mission.

Our one bedroom, one bathroom home in Nauvoo is perfect. I loved it as soon as I stepped inside. It suits the needs that we have on our mission perfectly. We do not need to be encumbered by extra rooms we won’t use, or a garden to tend that would take time and focus away from our purpose here, which is to help those who come to Nauvoo feel closer to the Lord. 

We are happy here...even if Elder and Sister A have a dishwasher and we don’t. Even if Elder and Sister B have three bedrooms and two bathrooms and we don’t. Even if Elder and Sister C have space for a garden and have planted tomatoes and we don’t...and haven’t.

None of those things will help us fulfill our mission. Like Conner, we have exactly what we need and we really are pretty thrilled about it.

Pictures From the Week

Sorry about the formatting mess. I tried to post using my iPad, without much success. I will fix it with my computer tomorrow. Come back!

We got about 25 sheep in Nauvoo this week. This half acre + or - has 5 ewes and seven lambs. 

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A Little Bit of This and a Whole Lot of Lincoln

Bruce and I received training and served in the Pioneer Pastimes Site last week. This is a children's venue with lots of pioneer toys, games and dress-up gear. It is outside, under a canvas-covered shelter. Well, no one came for our four-hour shift, so we had lots of time to talk (and play with the toys. Bruce might have even snuck off a few times to take pictures). It was slow in the other sites too so we received visits from several missionaries.

Sister Hayhurst saw a robin fly up on to one of the beams of the shelter and noticed that she stayed there, with her tail feather sticking out. When we moved closer she flew away. There was a nice little nest on that beam. I stood on a bench and reached my phone up as high as I could. It took two tries, but I got the picture below. We will try to keep the traffic near that beam to a minimum for the next couple of weeks.

We are still experiencing flooding on the Mississippi. Nauvoo has not been impacted too much, but the water is higher than we have seen since we arrived in September. The west end of Parley Street, where it turns into Water Street is completely under water. Keokuk and Fort Madison have more significant flooding. They say the biggest problem will be cleaning up all the debris when the water recedes. There is a LOT of junk in the Mississippi River (yuck!)
 

For our P-day yesterday we decided to go to Springfield, Illinois and visit the Abraham Lincoln Home National Historic Site and Lincoln Museum (and Library...which was closed). Wow! There was so much to take in! First we went on a tour of the Home Historic Site, which is actually Lincoln's whole neighborhood. The homes that still exist have been restored (at least on the outside). Vacant lots have placards and audio narrations (can be called up on your phone) about the neighbors who lived there. It is amazing how socially close all the neighbors were. It is a lovely neighborhood; probably very affluent for the 1850's.

Here are a few photos of the outside, and the neighborhood. The inside was too tight with the gates to keep us away from artifacts and the many people in the home on our tour. You can check out the website for the Historic Site here.

Backyard view: Apparently the yard never looked this nice. The Lincolns were not the best housekeepers and also let the yard go. A good neighbor friend would come plant flowers and tend the yard, probably to keep the property values up :)

Looking south towards the Lincoln home (down the street on the left)

Next we went to the Lincoln Museum which was so fantastic and well done. There are two theaters where they have shows that were produced by Disney people. Go to this link for information and a virtual tour of the Museum. The whole place is like and Epcot exhibit. Here are a few shots I took:

Back Row (L-R): Robert, Abraham, Bruce; Front Row: Tad, Mary, Willie

It was nice of the Lincoln's to pose with us. Robert is the only son to survive to significant adulthood. The Lincoln's had already lost a three-year-old son, Eddie, in the Springfield home by this time. Willie passed away in the White House, just two weeks after the Inaugural Ball, at the age of 11. Tad died at the age of 18, seven years after his father was assassinated. It is no wonder Mary Lincoln was institutionalized by her son Robert for a time!

Willie and Tad "destroying" their father's law office on a Sunday afternoon. This was a frequent occurrence. Lincoln's law partner hated it when the "hellions" would come to the office. They were allowed to do whatever they wanted and not made to do anything they didn't want to do.

We loved our day in Springfield! History came alive!

Simplicity

Tis a Gift to Be Simple

Our mission call and assignment in the Illinois Nauvoo Mission has changed me in a way I didn’t expect: Life is so simple. I don’t need much to make me happy, because I already am happy; content. 

We don’t need very much. We live in an old (very old!) one bedroom, one bathroom, furnished home (furnished with everything except linens and food). I forgot what it is like to rent and have someone else worry about maintenance. Though I love being a homeowner, it is liberating to have some time free of the responsibility of the upkeep of a house (thank you, Kerry and Luanne!!). We spend SO much less money than when we are home!

Mission life has taught me more about simplicity. Christ’s earliest missionaries were told to go out and preach the gospel without purse or scrip (money bag or food bag), in other words, exercise faith that your needs will be met, consecrate yourselves and drop every other concern. This has helped me realize that everything I “own” is just being borrowed. I can pretend stuff belongs to me exclusively but I have to “give it back” when I leave. 

We have a mission exchange where missionaries drop off what they don’t need or want anymore and then someone else comes along and picks it up. This is also called the “Missionary DI” and it can get quite a lot of stuff in it when several missionaries go home at the same time. This reminds me of how I used to wish there was a way to store my stuff at someone else’s house, or in a common location where I could get it when I needed it and then have it out of my life, until the next time.  I only use my vacuum once a week (or less), so why do I let it occupy so much space in my house?  Of course, I would always want the item when I needed it and not have to wait until someone else returned it…AND I would want it to be in perfect condition. The flaws in my plan are obvious, I know. When the kids were young I thought it would be fantastic if there was a toy library. When your child got tired of a toy you returned it and got another one (except my kids seemed to play with all their toys at once, crossing genres, with Barbie sitting on a Lego couch, etc.).  Ah, the paradox of simple living and having everything you thing you need!

We were required to watch a few hours’ worth of safety videos as part of our mission training. They were quite entertaining but had very real incidents involving missionaries. Now I am extra sensitive to potentially hazardous situations around me. For example, we live in a very old home (part of it is 176 years old) and as “renters” we don’t have control over electrical, HVAC or plumbing systems, or the quality of the roof and gutters or the leaky foundation, dead animals in the attic, or perhaps even mold. Am I contradicting what I said above? Well, when you give up the responsibility of homeownership, you also give up some measure of security. I am now a bit worried about rodents chewing on wires and some night being awaken by a fire alarm. We have our little tiny windows, which are painted shut, with the emergency ladder nearby (and a chair to break out the window) to allow for our escape. So, in my preparedness and paranoia, I have figured out what I would need to “rebuild” my life if there is a fire in the middle of the night:

•         My husband
•        My purse (with my car keys, wallet and phone inside)
•       Shoes
•        Pants and a shirt (or pajamas)
•        Vital information file (including internet usernames and passwords)
•         External computer hard drive

All these things are within 8 feet of me and can be gathered in less than 30 seconds…well, assuming Bruce wants to come with me, too. After I squeeze out the widow, avoiding shards of broken glass, and shimmy down the emergency ladder, I will have my companion, the ability to drive off and pay for a hotel and food, communicate and be sort of dressed. Pretty simple, eh?

Every time we get a decent rain, water comes in through a patched hole in the basement wall.

Sometimes water even comes through the cellar door. This is 24 hours after the storm.

 Easter Tulips in the Women's Garden

Few words from me. Just enjoy the flowers!

This picture just MUST have a caption!

This is My Beloved Son.

I am captivated by this statue in the Nauvoo Visitor Center. It depicts the event that began the last dispensation of the fullness of times, “Joseph Smith’s First Vision.”

When Joseph prayed to know which church he should join, he received the marvelous manifestation of a visit from God, the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. He described that visit in Joseph Smith-History 1:17, “...I ​​​saw​ two ​​​Personages​, whose brightness and ​​​glory​ defy all description, ​​​standing​ above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other—​This is My ​​​Beloved​ ​​​Son​. Hear Him!”

From this one event we learn several important things about Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. Among those are facts that were mostly lost over the previous eighteen hundred years: 

-God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, are two separate and distinct beings, resembling each other in features and likeness..

-God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ are glorified physical beings.

-God knows us personally and is aware of our needs and concerns. He called Joseph by name.

I love how the sculptor expresses the Father’s love for His Son. With his arm tenderly around Jesus, he motions to Him with the introduction, “This is my beloved Son. hear Him!”

The scriptures tell of several times when The Father testified of and introduced The Son:

When Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist, Matthew 3:17 “And lo a ​​​voice​ from heaven, saying, This is my ​​​beloved​ ​​​Son​, in whom I am well pleased.”

When Jesus was transfigured before Peter, James and John on the mount, Matthew 17:5 ​“While he yet spake, behold, a bright ​​​cloud​ overshadowed them: and behold a ​​​voice​ out of the cloud, which said, This is my ​​​beloved​ ​​​Son​, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.”

At the coming of the resurrected Jesus to the Nephites on the American continent, 3 Nephi 11:7 ​“Behold my ​​​Beloved Son​, ​​​in​ whom I am well pleased, in whom I have glorified my name—hear ye him.”

I hope you enjoy seeing this statue as much as I enjoy and love seeing it every day as I serve in the mission office in the Nauvoo Visitor Center.

"If It's on the Lord's Mind, It's on the Prophet's Mind"

This street sign in Nauvoo reminds me to choose the right, even if everyone else is turning in a different direction. Stay on the covenant path to Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost will be with you, always. “The Spirit is the most important single element in this work. With the Spirit magnifying your call, you can do miracles for the Lord in the mission field. Without the Spirit, you will never succeed regardless of your talent and ability” (Ezra Taft Benson [address given at the seminar for new mission presidents, June 25, 1986]).

This weekend Bishop W. Christopher Waddell (here is the talk he gave last week in General Conference -Just as He Did-) and the Directors for Temporal Affairs came to Nauvoo for some business that was none of my business, but important nonetheless. On Sunday night, Bishop Waddell spoke to all the missionaries in Nauvoo at a special fireside. He spoke on Priesthood Keys. I have never heard the principles of priesthood, keys and authority discussed so completely and well! I took several pages of notes and then transcribed them quickly to help me remember better. I will give you two tidbits (in addition to the Benson quote above):

1. Since President Nelson became the prophet of The Church, we have heard about the gathering of scattered Israel and preparing the Earth for the Savior’s second coming more than ever before. Why? "If it's on the prophet’s mind, it is on the Lord’s mind."

2.  Because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, keys operate. Because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, we have repentance. Because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, we have baptism. Because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, we have the Gift of the Holy Ghost. Because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, we have temple ordinances. Because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, we have priesthood power, authority and keys. Because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, we have hope.

Scenery

Our favorite evening walk is down Parley Street to the Mississippi River. Frequently we see a colorful sunset. Here is one from last week.

History

Sunday we served in the Seventies Hall. It is a reconstruction on the footprint of the 1844 building. There were 35 quorums of the Seventy (Seventy is a priesthood office in the Melchizedek priesthood of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Traditionally, a member of the Church holding this priesthood office is a "traveling minister" and an "especial witness" of Jesus Christ, charged with the mission of preaching the gospel to the entire world under the direction of the Twelve Apostles.  The Church teaches that the office of seventy was anciently conferred upon the seventy disciples mentioned in the Gospel of Luke 10:1-2. Multiple individuals holding the office of seventy are referred to collectively as seventies.). Many missionaries were called and prepared to serve in this place.

 

Dear Friends Passing Through

Elder and Sister Lichfield (Robert and Jill) completed their missionary service in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. On their way back to Richland, Washington they stopped in Nauvoo for a couple of days. We had hoped they would come through Nauvoo on their way home, but were not certain it would happen. Then we found out that Jill's sister and brother-in-law were coming here to serve a mission. Not only is Sister Draney Jill's sister, but Elder Draney is Robert's first cousin! We were very happy to share the Lichfields with the Draneys!

I hope you enjoyed my mish-mash of experiences...until next week!