You Want Me To Do What?

Okay, so we started this morning at 7:30 AM with a Missionary Meeting at the Visitors Center.  Susan Easton Black was the speaker.  As you all know she is one of the church’s great historians on the Nauvoo area and other church history.
She talked for 50 minutes without taking a breath and not looking at any notes.  Dates, places, names, just rolled off her tongue.  She talked about this area basically being uninhabitable and designated as Half-Breed land.  Land given to settlers that had mixed Indian and white heritage.  So no one wanted it.  It was originally populated by a man who named it Venus and was trying to establish a community, but swamp fever , malaria, or bad air drove people out.  Too many were dying.  That’s why they built two story houses to escape the bad air.
So when Joseph was looking for land after being driven out of Missouri, no one else wanted this land.  I thought that it was interesting that both Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas voted to give Joseph a charter to establish a city.  So many other wonderful facts that I didn’t know.  But she said one of the reasons that people finished the temple and left their homes and city in such an immaculate state was because it was their tribute to the “City of Joseph.”
Leroy Kimball, a cousin of Spencer W. Kimball, descendants of Heber C Kimball, came back in 1950 and bought his great-great grandfathers home here.  11,000 people had knocked on his door and so he decided to try and restore the John Taylor home and the Wilford Woodruff home. They happened to have a rich friend Willard Marriott whom they went to for help.  Spencer W. Kimball was supposed to have dedicated each site they completed, but we know that he became involved with the Lamanite program and then became the prophet.  So he sent Gordon B. Hinckley to dedicate in his stead and then he saw to it that the temple was rebuilt.  The theme here is to always remember the spirit of Joseph.  She says this is my time in Nauvoo, relish every minute.

Today I happened after the meeting and singing practice again, to work my six hour shift in the Brigham Young Home.  This is the above ground root cellar that you are looking at.  Anyway, the mission president’s counselor’s wife was my partner.  She took a tour through and I followed her hanging on every word.  I thought I would get a couple of days like this but oh no.  Next tour she said, “This one is yours!” No, it can’t be, I need more training, just listen to the Spirit and you’ll be fine.  They don’t listen to whining here.  So off I went and did four more tours that afternoon.  I actually really enjoy working with the people, though no one has harassed me yet.

Last night after the show, our friends the Openshaws invited us to their house for ice cream.  Of course, we have an hour, why not.  So we walked down to their palatial home.

Elder Openshaw was in charge of the big performing group at the University of Utah, we won’t hold that against him.  He plays the piano like I have never heard.  Jeanne is my buddy.

Our cross street!  ‘BELIEVE IT OR NOT!”


Our street on the way to the Openshaw’s. We saw deer right here.

SOOOOOOO TIRED.  I HAVE TO HIT THE GROUND RUNNING IN THE MORNING.  NIGHT AND LOVE EVERYONE!