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 !! and is trying to get it all cut up before we leave so that all that has to be done is the painting. He is so driven!!

We said good-bye to Elder / Sister Grigsby from Oklahoma on Wed.  They only have a 6-7 hour drive to get home.  I may be a little jealous!! hahaha!  Ben Bedard is presenting their flag as Jordan was in Missouri checking on the sites there.  The church has and manages the Haun's Mill, Liberty Jail, Far West , and Adam-ondi- Ahman sites and has a visitor's center in Independence.  Jordan oversees these sites as well as Nauvoo.
Tuesday evening surprise !   L-R:  Linda & Lonnie Johnson  then Bonnie & Garth and their son Tyler
Tuesday evening, I was baking cookies and had forgotten that some young single sisters were coming over to practice giving messages and lessons to us.  Pres. Lusvardi has been training these young sisters and preparing them to go "outbound"  He has asked them to make teaching appointments with us senior missionaries and practice.  We are not to assume a nonmember role but to just be ourselves and have a discussion with them that last about 15-20 minutes.  He has also taken them to neighboring towns and dropped them off for a short period of time so that they can do street contacting and door approaches.  Anyway, they had just left our place and we heard a light knock on our door and opened it to find these great people in the front entrance!  Linda & Bonnie are sisters who were raised in Raymond....their mother was a Paxman cousin to Jim's dad.  Their parents were Katherine and Harold Oler.  When Linda married Lonnie, they lived in our ward for a short time and he worked with Jim in the scouting program.  We had a quick, fun visit.  Bonnie & Garth have a mission call to Toronto (Bishop's storehouse) when they get home and will be able to take Tyler with them.  Tyler has served a service mission in Calgary and will be able to help his parents on their mission assignment.  The church does so much to include every circumstance and consideration for senior missionaries.   Our mission president has said that on any given week when the apostles are doing the assignments for missions, that only half of the openings for senior couples are filled.  There are so many different opportunities available now!  
Friday mission dinner

Parade of those that will be leaving the mission at the end of September.  Thank goodness, we did not have to join in on that!  Elder & Sister Childers are leading the young sister missionaries!   It is a fun, crazy thing that they do when there is a mission dinner.  We will slip out before another dinner comes around. Whew!! 
Our time is slipping away and we are getting anxious to see our family again but will be sad to leave our "Nauvoo" family behind.  Many have said that they want to come and visit.  We would be thrilled to have them come and see our little corner of heaven !!  We love you and love serving here.  Our testimonies are strengthened every week by the experiences we have and the people that we associate with.  The sacrifices of the early saints is felt here but the sacrifices of those that are currently here also inspires us.  Each has their own story and their faith strengthens ours.   Next week will probably be my last entry as we will head onto the road after the Sun. afternoon session of General Conference the next week ( my computer will be packed)  But....maybe not.....as I will probably have something to say about our drive home.  Haha!  

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