Sorry, but it is so beautiful...I just had to share...Enjoy!
Monday, October 26, 2009
A VERY SPECIAL SUNDAY
Yesterday, Sunday, October 25, 2009 was the last Sunday that many of the Temple Missionaries will be in Nauvoo. We are all going home for 2 weeks while the Temple is being cleaned and only 17 couples will be turning. Therefore, that morning we all met together in the Assembly Room of the Temple for a Sacrament meeting and a testimony meeting! It was an awesome experience to sit there in that sacred room (used only by permission from the First Presidency) in that VERY special Temple …the Temple of Joseph, surrounded by so many people that we love so dearly and whom we did not know at all 6 months ago!! It was a beautiful morning and the sun was streaming in the East windows of the Temple- in such a way you could almost envision the Spirit entering the room! The sacrament was blessed and passed by the missionaries who have been here for 18 months. They are all such awesome people, and have been the ones who have trained us. WE ARE GOING TO MISS THEM! I have never heard the Sacrament prayers given in such a reverent and special way. I was moved to tears. There was not a sound in the room as the bread and water were being passed and I felt, as I had never done before, the sacred significance of that ordinance. The Testimonies given were all wonderful and strengthened mine as I listened to them! The Spirit was so strong from the very beginning of the opening song – Our Savior’s Love to the end when we sang Because I Have Been Given Much ! And we HAVE BEEN GIVEN MUCH! It has been such a blessing to be serving here in this Temple this past 6 months, and to be associating with the other couples here who are so outstanding. Our testimonies have been strengthened and our lives have been changed forever because of this experience and these people and this place! We will forever be grateful to the Lord for this blessing and hope and pray we can live worthy of it.
In the evening, we were all invited back to the Temple...this time with all the local ordinance workers too, who come from all over Illinois and Iowa (about 150 of them) to a Temple Devotional. This was also held in the Solemn Assembly Room and Elder William R. Walker who is in the First Quorum of Seventy and the head of the Temple Dept. was the speaker along with President and Sister Walker. It was again a very spiritual experience, and to make it even more special I was able to sing with the Temple Missionary choir who provided the music for the Devotional. We sat in the raised pulpit area in the back of the room and sang two of my favorite songs Consider the Lilies of the Field, and as the closing song In This Very Room!
That song ends with these words... (to hear the music click here) http://www.my.homewithgod.com/heavenlymidis2/veryroom.html
In this very room there's quite enough love for all the world,
And in this very room there's quite enough joy for all the world,
And there's quite enough hope and quite enough power
to chase away any gloom,
For Jesus, Lord Jesus ... is in this very room.
Then we continued standing silently while Sister Hawkes (a local ordinance worker) gave the closing prayer. It was so powerful....we all felt that HE WAS IN THAT VERY ROOM!
Our Temple Missionary Choir, taken on the steps of the Temple after the Devotional
The back of the Temple as it looked yesterday...the leaves are still beautiful.
In the evening, we were all invited back to the Temple...this time with all the local ordinance workers too, who come from all over Illinois and Iowa (about 150 of them) to a Temple Devotional. This was also held in the Solemn Assembly Room and Elder William R. Walker who is in the First Quorum of Seventy and the head of the Temple Dept. was the speaker along with President and Sister Walker. It was again a very spiritual experience, and to make it even more special I was able to sing with the Temple Missionary choir who provided the music for the Devotional. We sat in the raised pulpit area in the back of the room and sang two of my favorite songs Consider the Lilies of the Field, and as the closing song In This Very Room!
That song ends with these words... (to hear the music click here) http://www.my.homewithgod.com/heavenlymidis2/veryroom.html
In this very room there's quite enough love for all the world,
And in this very room there's quite enough joy for all the world,
And there's quite enough hope and quite enough power
to chase away any gloom,
For Jesus, Lord Jesus ... is in this very room.
Then we continued standing silently while Sister Hawkes (a local ordinance worker) gave the closing prayer. It was so powerful....we all felt that HE WAS IN THAT VERY ROOM!
Trip to Quincy
We FINALLY took a trip to Quincy! This is the town that was so nice to the Mormons when they were driven out of Missouri. There were about 1500 people in Quincy at that time and 4-5 Thousand Mormons...so almost every household took in several people and kept them for weeks and even months until they finally relocated in Nauvoo. Anyway, it is now a thriving town, and we had never been there! Probably the only missionary couple who had not!! The Howards were going there Tuesday afternoon and insisted we come with them. We only had a few hours but "hit" the Salvation Army & found some fun Christmas decorations and an $8.00 suit for Rick!! Fit him perfectly! We ate at a fun Greek Restaurant that they had found on a previous visit, and then went down to the river where the Church had placed a monument thanking the people of Quincy for their help to the Mormons those many years ago!
This was a scene we saw on our way to Quincy. The harvest of soy beans. It is quite amazing to see these big $500,000. machines go into these soy bean fields and corn fields and harvest them!
What is sad, though, is that because of all the rain the farmers have not been able to harvest their crops...they have to be dry...so a lot of the crops are going to be lost!
This was a scene we saw on our way to Quincy. The harvest of soy beans. It is quite amazing to see these big $500,000. machines go into these soy bean fields and corn fields and harvest them!
What is sad, though, is that because of all the rain the farmers have not been able to harvest their crops...they have to be dry...so a lot of the crops are going to be lost!
Brother Howard and Rick deep in conversation about something.
Both Bridges at Quincy...one comes into town and the other is for leaving.
Friday, October 23, 2009
Parties
The "NEIGHBORS"
President & Sister Peterson, Elder & Sister Orr, and President & Sister Rutowski
Doesn't this look like we are on a cruise ship?! Probably the closest we will ever get to a cruise :)
With the Wisesman's...they were here as missionaries last year. They live close by Aunt Carol in Murray. They were just in Nauvoo for a visit and were invited to this party.
President & Sister Standifird
The skit put on by 4 of the "held over" missionaries from last year. Hein, Day, Jespersen, & Evans. It was really funny...not something you would expect from those men...
except maybe Lee Evans :)
Missionary Pictures
Our official missionary picture for the 2009 book It has been an amazing experience, and we are looking forward to the next year here in beautiful Nauvoo.
It has been an amazing experience, and we are looking forward to the next year here in beautiful Nauvoo.Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Trip to Burlington
Yesterday afternoon we went to Burlington with the Howards, another Temple missionary couple here. Most couples have already been here many times, because Burlington has one of the only big "Malls" around this area, but since neither Rick nor I are "into" Mall shopping, we weren't interested. The Howards, however took us to the old part of town which WAS interesting and we had a delightful afternoon. I didn't take many pictures, but I will on our next trip and I will definitely go again! Guess where we shopped? At the Salvation Army store and a great thrift store called HOPED TO BE YOURS! Now that is my kind of shopping!! We also visited a street called Snake Alley which is kind of like Lombard street in San Francisco. We had dinner down by the Mississippi River right by this beautiful cable bridge. As you can see, I was especially impressed with the bridge and took several pictures of it.
The last picture I took of the bridge as we were leaving to go home.
The view of the bridge and the river from our restaurant table.
Elder and Sister Howard....they are from Spokane, and are an amazing couple. He has had a heart transplant and she is a breast cancer survivor. They are the most Christian people I have EVER met. They are ALWAYS thinking of others and have done so much good in this mission for so many people. We feel very blessed to have ever known them. They are not staying and I'm sad about that, but he has several other health issues also, and needs to get home.
Isn't this a beautiful bridge? And look at the sky...it was a perfect day!
At the top of Snake Alley
The history of Snake Alley...double click on this to make it bigger so you can read it. Very interesting.
The last picture I took of the bridge as we were leaving to go home.
The view of the bridge and the river from our restaurant table.
Elder and Sister Howard....they are from Spokane, and are an amazing couple. He has had a heart transplant and she is a breast cancer survivor. They are the most Christian people I have EVER met. They are ALWAYS thinking of others and have done so much good in this mission for so many people. We feel very blessed to have ever known them. They are not staying and I'm sad about that, but he has several other health issues also, and needs to get home.
At the top of Snake Alley
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