2/3 Friday
This morning was another
"Farewell" breakfast.
 |
| Sister Mary Cluff, Elder & Sister Stroud |
Linda played the background music
for their farewell skit ....
a reader's theater .... reflecting their testimonies &
the spirit of Nauvoo
that they have shared with visitor's during their
service here in Nauvoo.
It was very touching and a nice change from
the silly skits we typically love and enjoy
at these gatherings.
Following their skit Linda played the traditional
"Farewell Nauvoo" song as everyone
sang along bidding these wonderful missionaries adieu.
Today after work we drove into town
(all of about 3 minutes away)
and purchased this little bronze statue of ....
Joseph & Hyrum Smith as a souvenir for
the time we will be serving in Carthage.
It is a replica of the statue that
stands outside the
Carthage Visitor's Center and Jail and is entitled ....
"The Martyrs"
2/4 Saturday
171 years ago today the Nauvoo Exodus began.
Today was the re-enactment of
that occasion.
Steve walked as part of the
Nauvoo Legion
The temperature was cold with a
"feels like" temperature of 16 degrees.
This is the only time we have seen our
Mission President wearing
Rendezvous clothes so we just had to
take his picture.
(He looks pretty good .... don't ya think?)
The Re-enactment is for the entire community. We served
a light continental breakfast and had a short
program with about 300 people in attendance.
Linda was a flag bearer, carrying a flag from
Germany in honor of her German heritage.
The Nauvoo Legion led the way.
We began to get an even greater appreciation
of the sacrifices these pioneers made
and the faith they had as they were once again
driven from their homes.
President Hall, representing the Leaders of the
church in 1846, followed the Legion
in this beautiful horse drawn surrey.
Next came the flag bearers, Re-enactment walkers and
Horses, Wagons, & Oxcart.
Once we had walked all the way down Main Street
to Parley Street, then all the way down
Parley Street .... singing ....
"Come Come Ye Saints" as we walked along,
the wagons were parked and ....
The Legion lined up, next to the Memorial,
and there they conducted a nice flag ceremony
After a short talk by President Trythall,
Elder Lowe stood on the banks of the Mississippi
River and played Taps ..... beautifully.
Every person that walked the Exodus Trail wore
a name tag with a Pioneer's name on it.
Steve walked, as a Legion Member, for two
of our ancestor's that were in the
Nauvoo Legion.
He also walked for these eight ancestors
that lived here in Nauvoo and were
part of the Exodus.
Linda walked for ten of her ancestors that
lived in Nauvoo and were part of the
Nauvoo Exodus and ...
also for her Gr Gr Grandmother, Charlotte and
her baby son that were not in Nauvoo
but made the trek across the plains
early in the 1860's.
She died giving birth to a son, Joseph, who also
died. They were buried along the trail in
Pacific Springs, Sweetwater, Wyoming
This was an amazing experience for us.
As we began to walk the same streets
our ancestors had walked so many years ago,
tears of love and appreciation came
to our eyes.
We could imagine in our minds eye and in our hearts
those ancestors, whose names we bore,
walking in the bitter cold, looking back at their homes,
their beautiful City, Nauvoo, and their Temple.
Wilford Woodruff prayed, the last time he was in Nauvoo,
that the sacrifices and faith of the saints would
not be forgotten.
Today that prayer was answered, once again, as
we honored them and their lives here
in Nauvoo.
Sunday 2/5
Tonight was the last event of the
Exodus Commemoration.
Ugo Perego, A Bishop from Rome Italy addressed the
mission and community at the Visitor's Center.
He has a PHD in Genetics & Biomolecular Sciences,
is a Seminary & Institute Coordinator in Italy and
owner of GeneticGenealogyConsultant.com.
He spoke about DNA and the Book of Mormon.
His presentation was very interesting
however, scientifically way over our heads.
Bottom line was that DNA changes so much over time
that it can neither prove nor disprove the authenticity of
the Book of Mormon.
Thursday 2/9
Today we were busily serving at the FLC when
Elder Norman, a Teamster, walks in and
says to us:
"President Hall said to close down your site and come up
to the barn for a sleigh ride"
So we did just that !
With the team of Nephi & Lehi leading the way
Elders Nelson & Hunter drove .....
this crazy sleigh full of Missionaries!
Front to Back:
The drivers
(Elder Nelson completely blocked out
our veterinarian Elder Hunter)
The Waite's, Rober's
Sister's Miller & Haynes & the Aina's.
As we got underway the Aina's began singing
Jingle Bells .... in Hawaiian.
We all had a great time on what was for many of us,
our first Sleigh Ride.
Friday & Saturday 2/10 & 11
Steve was working at the Blacksmith Shop when
all of a sudden he notice ....
this little log house rolling down the street.
It was being moved from the
"old" oxen ride location down
Parley Street near the river to .....
It's new location near the Family Living Center.
It will be used as the new Wagon Depot .... yay !
Monday 2/13
It's moving day for Elder & Sister Waite.
We are partially moving from our house in Nauvoo
to our .....
New house in Carthage .... pretty cute, don't ya think !
As you can see, it is right on the same property as
the Carthage Visitor's Center and Jail
Two couples serve at Carthage and these are the
two homes we live in.
Ours is the one in the foreground.
We will still keep our house in Nauvoo so we
didn't have to move everything .... nice.
In June we will return to Nauvoo.
Now for a little tour of our house for the
next four months ....
Steve is entering through the front door into the living room.
The door to Steve's left is the master bedroom
It is nice size with a ....
1/2 bath just beyond the dressers.
opposite the master bedroom
(to Steves Right)
is a nice size office
Room for all our computer & sewing "stuff"
(even room for an air mattress)
Also off the living room is another bedroom ....
AND ....
The guest bathoom.
On the left side there are .....
tons of cabinets !!!
If you Walk through the living room you
will come to the ....
Kitchen
There isn't much storage right in the kitchen,
however, behind the yellow door there is
the furnace room with lots of shelves & a
microwave behind the photographer .... plus
next to the microwave we have a
nice laundry room with shelves for food.
Keep walking .... through the kitchen and
you will find yourself in a large
Dining/family room with a fun
baby grand piano .... Yes!
(the door to the kitchen is down by the dining room table)
The last room in the house is ....
the third bedroom
just off the family room (on the piano end)
We feel very lucky to be living in such a nice place
and so close to the Visitor's Center.
Before we left for Carthage we stopped by the
Family Living Center to say good-bye
Their was an FM crew out working on the
new Depot pad. Not sure if there will be
a foundation or just blocks or what, but it will be
fun to see what they end up doing.
Tuesday 2/14
Besides it being Valentines Day,
it was our first scheduled day of serving at the
Visitor's Center
Also I was able to sit down and practice the
Rendezvous music on the
Baby Grand Piano in our house.
Tonight we went out to dinner with the Brown's.
We ate at a little Italian Restaurant named
Angelini's
in Keokuk, Iowa
Both the food and the company were great !
Wednesday 2/15
Today we looked out the window
and what did we see .....
A beautiful red Cardinal eating
sunflower seeds !
Right in our own front yard.
Thursday 2/16
At our house here in Carthage we have a
cute little squirrel.
we were watching him out our front window as
he picked the left-over sunflower seed up
off the ground under the bird feeder.
All of a sudden ....
he jumped up onto the skinny little
bird feeder pole and ....
up he went ....
when he reached the top he stopped ....
then with one motion,...
jumped right in the middle of the feeder and ....
enjoyed eating the sunflower seeds.
We tapped on the window,...
he looked up at us and ....
made one long jump to the ground and
scampered off.
Crazy little squirrel !
Sunday 2/19
Today, before Stake Conference, we stopped
by the Family Living Center to check
out the progress on the new
Wagon Depot.
It is all in place with just some finish work to
do before it opens .... lookin' good !
Monday 2/20
Today on our P-Day we drove out to the little town of
Milton, Iowa .... a little way past Cantril
We went to a little shop owned by an
Amish man named LeRoy.
His business is the Countryside MFG
where he hand makes horse
collars, harnesses etc.
in his "on site" workshop ... no power tools here !
The store is dark because the Amish don't use
electricity, so no lights. The shop is the brightest
part of the store.
Our purpose for going out there was simple,
we wanted to buy some ....
Sleigh bells
LeRoy makes these decorative bells that
have a beautiful sound !
On our way home we were driving along and passed
this cute farm, as we passed Linda noticed a
sign on the side of the barn,
it read ....
"SPONSELLER"
We turned around and went back to take these pictures
then went up to the house to see if anyone
was home .... but they were not.
Back in Carthage it was such a beautiful evening
that we decided to go for a little walk.
As we step out our front door we have a nice
view of ....
the Courthouse Square Clock Tower ....
haha .... almost looks like the Angel Moroni on top !
It is not Moroni....it is Lady Justice
Friday 2/24
We don't ever get tired of seeing these beautiful
Cardinals
Sunday 2/26
After Church and back in Carthage, we drove
over to the Courthouse Square and
found this monument on the City Hall grounds.
Amazing .... "Lincoln Spoke Here"
Yes, that is President Abraham Lincoln.
Monday 2/27
On our way from Carthage to Nauvoo
we witnessed a beautiful sky
It's hard to see in the picture but the sun rays
were streaming in lines through the clouds
The Mississippi Valley has gorgeous sunsets
and sunrises nearly every day ....
we will never get tired of seeing them !
Tuesday 2/28
Well, Happy Birthday Linda!
Trudi brought the kids down for the day
which was a terrific b-day surprise.
Morgan before he got "warmed-up" to
Grandma and Grandpa
(it didn't take long before he was happy to see us)
This nice cozy warm "Frozen" lap blanket
was a fun b-day gift from the Lansford's.
(also some cupcakes....yum)
Let's all sing ..... lalalalalala
Happy Birthday dear Grandma......
Happy Birthday to you!
(notice who has all the cupcakes, hahaha)
Tonight our neighbors joined us for dinner
At his local restaurant....We had an enjoyable
time and the food was good.
(we were going to go to Quincy, but due to a
Tornado watch our mission President
asked us not to leave Carthage.)
Since we are now serving & living in Carthage we
thought we'd include a few pictures of
our site in this post ....
Carthage Jail, Carthage Illinois
Where the Prophet, Joseph Smith and
his brother Hyrum were martyred.
The Dining Room where the Jailer and his family
ate, along with the prisoners who had
to pay for their meals.
Next is the "Parlor" where the family lived and
did their cooking in the fireplace.
Hanging in the Parlor are the jail keys
and .... a "rascal beater"
down the hallway is the
Debtor's Cell ....
If you don't pay your debts, you end up here
until they are paid!
Next we go UP the original stairwell to
the DUNGEON Cell at the top of the stairs.
(yes the dungeon is upstairs)
You can see why it is called the dungeon cell.
It was dark & hot, stuffy & miserable in the summer.
The last room we visit on our tour is the
Martyrdom Room
This is the Window that Joseph fell from after he was
shot several times by the mob
This is the original door with the bullet hole
still in it from the shot that killed
Joseph's brother, Hyrum.
This is a picture looking, from the hall way,
through the bullet hole, into
the Martyrdom Room
These next three pictures are not part of the tour
The jailer had 7 children their bedroom was
on the third floor, which has not been restored.
This is the stairway leading to the kids bedroom
very narrow and very steep!
This would have been their room
This is a close-up of the stairs - the original ones.
You can see how they have been bolted together
because the front edge is splitting off.
Now we go back downstairs and out the door
at the bottom of the stairs.
Outside you can see the jail is built with limestone
blocks. The walls are 3' thick at the foundation
and they taper to 2' at the top
Here, Linda is pointing to the window Joseph fell from
when he was shot.
Here you see the "Summer Kitchen" attached to
the side of the Jail.
Very popular during the mid 1800's
This statue is titled
"The Martyr's"
and is a popular backdrop for picture taking.
This is a mom and two little girls that came to
Carthage today.
She had never heard of the Carthage Jail or Nauvoo before.
She said they left Chicago and just ended up here.
She didn't know how or why.
Linda was able to give her a Book of Mormon
and send her name to the Missionaries
in Chicago, near her home.
We have been told about this little phenomenon
that happens here in Carthage at the
Visitor's Center.
If the conditions are just right you can see
a reflection of Joseph standing in the Jail window
and Hyrum standing in the Summer Kitchen doorway.
Well, tonight we had to stay a little late to do a
tour for a family that was traveling
and while they were on tour with Steve I noticed
this Phenomenon taking place.
Can you see it?
Joseph is looking out the jail window
And here is Hyrum
Standing in the Summer Kitchen doorway.
The images are a reflections of two large paintings
of Joseph and Hyrum that hang in the Visitor's Center.
In one of the Visitor Center's
curved windows the reflections are placed in the
window and doorway.
We have been in Carthage for about two weeks now
and we love it ! Our fears and intimidation's
were quickly overcome when we began giving tours
and feeling, (and sharing) the spirit of this
sacred place with others.
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