Nauvoo Week 40 (12 - 18 September 2016)

Nauvoo Week 40 (12 – 18 September 2016)

This was an exciting week with many activities.  On Monday, Sharon and I played golf at the Deer Run Golf Course and had a great time. 

Later that evening we had a Family Home Evening with all of the Temple Missionaries; it was a going home party for five of the couples.  Elder & Sister Fellows (AZ), Elder & Sister Ludwig (WA), Elder & Sister O’Brien (TX), Elder & Sister Russell (ID), and Elder & Sister Segers (CA).  There was a lot of great food and sharing of experiences during their service.  Following the dinner we heard from Robert Wright, author and historian of the Nauvoo area, about the symbols of the Temple (previously reported in a previous blog).

On Tuesday, before our service in the Temple we went to lunch with Elder (Tim) and Sister (Debby) O’Brien.    They are completing their mission about 4 months early as he has been called to be a counselor in the Dallas Temple Presidency beginning 1 November 2016.  They have been a fun couple and have a wonderful conversion story to the gospel.  He was a non-believer (atheist) until he met a member couple (relation to President McArthur) and they befriended them and provided an introduction to the gospel.  They have seen a wonderful change in their lives.

Wednesday, we had our usual scheduled training meeting.  Sister Shurts, a local resident of 35 years) gave a lecture on the history of Steamboats on the Mississippi from about 1850-1880.  It was a very interesting presentation; the life span of a steamboat was only 3-5 years due to onboard fires, boiler explosions or running aground.  She quoted Mark Twain, a riverboat captain and author, as saying “One can never see too many sunrises or sunsets on the Mississippi.”  We then served our shift in the Temple.

On Thursday, we served in the morning and then drove to Burlington, IA with Elder & Sister Curtis (UT) to see the movie “Sully” and then to eat at a new place called “Uncle Ronnie’s.”  The movie was a great story based on the emergency landing of a US Airways flight on the Hudson River immediately following take-off.  All aboard were saved through the actions of the pilot and crew.  He really was a hero.

Friday morning found us in the Temple during the morning hours.  Later that evening we traveled to New London High School to watch a couple of the young men (Corey Jacobs and Dallas Bell) in our Mt Pleasant Branch play on the high school football team.  We saw several members of the branch and they won in the last few seconds of the game.   Dallas caught a pass near the goal line and ran it in for the winning score.  It was great to see a live football game again.  The guys/fans were really excited.  We hope to go to their next home game in a couple of weeks.

On Saturday, we served in the afternoon/evening shift and had some wonderful experiences.  We had cooked some pork roasts and baked some rolls to take to the “pot luck” dinner at the church tomorrow.  The reason for the dinner was a change in the Branch Presidency that happened last week.  Released were Jorge Sanchez-President, Dale Akers-1^st Counselor and Mark Lance-2^nd Counselor.  They served very well in their responsibilities.  As previously mentioned, the Sanchez’s are being transferred to Chicago for his job.

On Sunday, we traveled to Mt Pleasant for church and then ate a wonderful dinner following the meetings.  There were many people there today and the spirit of the proceedings was wonderful.  Everyone pitched in and made it a wonderful event.  The weather was hot, but when there is food, it’s always a good time.  Following the dinner we traveled to East Moline to be in place for Monday when I had an appointment to get a new military ID card; turning 65 in November and needed it updated for Tricare for Life and Medicare.

We are grateful to the Lord for allowing us to serve in this historic place and to learn more of our early ancestors. 

We are grateful for their sacrifices and hardships in creating this wonderful area.  We are proud to be descendants of them and pray that we may bring honor to them by doing our best and becoming more like our Heavenly Father and His Son Jesus Christ.  We love each of you and want you to know that we know what we are doing is the work of the Lord in these latter days.  Thanks for your prayers, love and support.

Love,

Mom & Dad/Nana & Papa/Elder & Sister Shaw