Jim & Jolene Paxman in Nauvoo

Sunday, Sept. 29, 2019 Goodbye Quincy As the end draws near for our time & service here in Nauvoo, I have been trying to "soak" up each and every opportunity for memories.  We attended our last meetings in Quincy today.  It was fast and testimony meetings as next week is General Conference.  I fully intended to bear my testimony and say goodbye BUT the meeting really was full with the ward members who were giving the same thoughts as I .  I soaked up strength from their testimonies and bore mine in my heart and to my Father in Heaven.  My testimony has strengthened by our service and I love those that we have come to know in our Quincy 2nd ward.  I love watching the horses do their run each Monday morning from pasture to barn. So here you go....again! Look at the soother hung on the fence post....quircky and odd...haha! We conducted our last zone meeting on Wednesday morning and although I was relieved when it was over, I , also will...

Sunday, Sept. 22, 2019 Autumn Well, the calendar says that fall is here but we have had a weeks worth of hot and humid weather!  Today is a bit cooler and it has rained alot today.  We have even had torrential rain & flash flood warnings today but gratefully, we are not close to the river.  We live up on the bluff.   Jim is working on the gate in front of the John Taylor home.  The hinges were installed with "shiny" lagbolts and the history department wants  more authentic-looking ones.  Therefore, he is reinstalling black ones on all of the historic gates.  Jim had young sister missionaries helping him paint the pickets for the tree surrounds that he does for the grounds crew. Sister Stepper was fascinated with the shower for workers to use for chemical clean-up....she really just HAD to try it out!! Jim has had a whole load of 16 foot board (1" x 3"--cedar) come in.  He has been cutting pickets for days !! a...

Sunday, Sept. 15, 2019 A great week The weeks have been so busy that they are literally flying by.  I will give you a quick review. MONDAY :  we attended our regular prayer meeting at FM compound at 7:00 a.m. where we receive a "thought for the day"  This week's theme is diligence.  I always appreciate these thoughts because it elevates my thoughts for the day beyond the temporal tasks that must be attended to. Immediately after prayer meeting, Jim and I attended a mission leadership council meeting which includes all of the zone leaders and mission staff.  We correlate activities and policies within the mission.    In the evening, a bunch of us missionaries went over to the theater in Keokuk where they were showing a movie entitled "Overcomers"  It is a Christian produced movie similar to Courageous but whose theme was about overcoming adversity and becoming better.  We all enjoyed it!  It was recommended by some fellow missionar...

Sunday, Sept. 8, 2019 Fall is coming!! Well....it has been a great week.  The colors on the trees are beginning to change.  We received a real downpour last night that brought some much needed moisture to the general area.  The third cut of hay behind our place got finished being baled last night and the corn crop is not quite ripe enough so it a good window to get some moisture. We said good-bye to some more great missionaries this week. Elder & Sis. Craner from St. George, Utah.  They served as FM for Carthage.  What an awesome assignment ! Elder Dallon from Washington state....one of service missionaries.  Such a willing young man! Elder Bundy from Champaign Ohio.  On Sunday evening, our young single sister missionaries put on a concert that I told you about last week.  Well, they repeated it on Monday evening.  Usually, we don't attend both, but after supper on Monday, I said, "Let's go" and Jim readily ag...

Sunday, Sept. 1, 2019 Nauvoo Trivia We  have just returned home from a concert that our Young Sister missionaries presented about the love of our Saviour .  It was really an uplifting and enjoyable experience.  These young sisters are really strong in their testimonies and are great ambassadors.  Here, in Nauvoo, we are not allowed to proselyte at all. These young sister missionaries are very knowledgeable and ready to answer any questions that people may ask.  They each leave in Oct. to go to an "outbound" mission within the United States where they will experience the normal missionary work of searching out and teaching people who are interested.  Here, the people come to them in the sites and if the people ask for more than the site tour (history) they will answer doctrinal (religious) questions and share copies of the Book of Mormon or pamphlets then refer them to the missionaries from the mission where the people reside.  They spend their f...