BLOGGING BLITZ!!!!!

It seems as though I have such a long time between entries, I am anxious about forgetting really important stuff!! But I am honestly posting whenever I have a minute, and the summer isn’t time for minutes.  I just returned from serving in the Post Office today and during my 6 hour shift we had over 45 tours!!! The Pageant started last night and so this town is literally inundated with people.  It will be this way until after the second week of August and so onward and upward, or get trampled!!!! It is beautiful in Nauvoo right now, with all of the rain and the temperature, you can honestly see things grow right before your eyes.  That includes the lawns which we mow ourselves and being as we have widows next door, guess what that means……we try and get that done when we return from Sunset at 8:30 at night. I’d like a nap but will go on to my next entry……We had training today by Mark Lusvarde whom I have mentioned before.  He is amazing, speaking with not a note.  He challenged us today to begin our tours with a question and a challenge.  I did it.  We talk in the Post Office about how hard, costly, unreliable, and time consuming it was to try and communicate with one another in the 1800’s, yet how very important it would have been.  I have been homesick again knowing that my family has been together in Kansas City.  I have thought about them a lot and just think if I had been here and left my family, maybe to never communicate with them again!!! With the availability  of Skype, phones, texting, mail, e-mails, etc., we are certainly blessed.  My challenge today is to consider The Person with whom no device is needed to communicate with.  Do I put as much effort and thought and feeling into speaking with Him as one of these hard come by pioneer letters, or am I apt to just send Him a text? I have challenged people all day with this question, and so I give this challenge to myself as well. It is certainly something for me to ponder……………………………………

TELEVISION STARS COME TO NAUVOO!!!!!

So I am working at Tickets and Tours today.  I get to help everyone who comes into the Visitors’ Center by telling them what is happening around town, what all they can do in Nauvoo, and getting them tickets for all of the FREE events.  Two weeks ago the Folk Dancers’ from BYU were here.  They were amazing and I will post pictures of them soon. But last week and this week guess who is here??????? Vocal Point from BYU that competed on the “Sing-Off” on television.  They are darling young men and they sing so well.  We went to  fireside put on by them last night and it was really amazing.  Full of talent from head to toe and their testimonies and spirits are every bit as impressive and uplifting.  One of the young men is 6’10” tall and they have all been wonderful to me.  So, they are in the Visitors’ Center and I ask for a picture with some of them…………………………………………

One more exciting day in Old Nauvoo!!!!! We are doing Sunset tonight and they follow us. 
Mackay Crockett is the director and he is related to Gregg Crockett, a missionary in Kansas City, when Richard was in the mission presidency. Small world. 
On the way home last night the sky was beautiful.  I jumped out of the car and this is what I got……………………………..





A picture is worth a thousand words………………………………………………………….

JACKMAN’S DO NAUVOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

No hidden boxes on the front porch, but so excited to have them here in Nauvoo.  I think that they had a really good time and we sure loved every minute that we got to spend with them.  It was so sweet to be with my children again, and to hear laughter and love all around me.  I think this was the first time that Jamey had been here and of course, he has family that was here in Nauvoo, one of them being Levi Jackman. So we tried to do all of the Nauvoo things, from wagon rides, to Rendezvous, to Sunset, to the sites.  And of course, Jagger had heard about the Geodes from Creed, so that was an adventure that he and his dad just had to take. 



Boy have we been waiting for this wonderful Dad!!! He however, has his hands full, but is always patient and so good with the kids.

Blake in Tylee’s favorite hang out.  What a cute little pioneer girl!


Stick pull between Blakely and Navie………………….ah, who won?

Greer trying her hand at pioneer life..

Hey, it’s our favorite horse, Uncle MIKE!


Whenever I give tours of the Cultural Hall, I always make people dance on the third floor where Joseph and Emma, and Brigham and Mary Ann, would have danced.  What happy times those would have been for them, what happy times we have recreating that joy.  GRATITUDE for a good man to love and take care of my daughter and all of those children. Number 6 for the Jackman’s due November the 8th, 2013!!!!

FACES……

People have told me before that it doesn’t do any good to try to get away with anything, because my facial expressions speak a thousand words. I never could tell a lie and trying to keep a secret is hard for me.  I was not allowed to go into court because people know, I guess, exactly how I am feeling.  Since coming to Nauvoo, I guess my face has really gotten a workout.  Every picture I see looks different and I wonder who in the world could that be.  Or at least, WHAT WAS I THINKING!!!! Not so flattering…………………………….

I was serving in the Bakery with a new sister the other day and I didn’t realize it but she was taking my picture.  My audience was a captive group of young children.  When you give kids a cookie they will follow you a mile.

Between these shots and the ones I see from being Agatha, I think it’s time for me to go home! At least the shot of Lucius Scovil on the back wall looks a littler scarier than I do but not by much………………….

WHAT WILL I TAKE AWAY?

Just a few reflections as I sit here on this Father’s Day. First of all, how very grateful I am for my own father.  My sweet Daddy, who has always been my hero, my protector, my champion, my support and especially now, my example of faith, obedience,  and sacrifice. Because of him and how much I know that he loves me, and my love for him, I can only imagine the love that my Father in Heaven has for me. I love my Daddy. Spending time with them when I am through here is a great anticipation for me. He and my Mother have continued to  support and sustain me through my whole mission.  I hope in some small way, I am saying thank you to them by trying to remember all of the goodness they have taught me and to help them know that they are part of this experience and who I am trying to become.

We had the opportunity tonight, after Sacrament Meeting, Sunday School, Relief Society, Zone Leader Council, District Meeting and so forth to go to a fireside by Susan Easton Black Durrant. She is an expert author, professor at BYU, and many other titles that I don’t know, on the Nauvoo era, the Prophet Joseph Smith and this time period.  She and her husband have actually been called to serve a mission here in the Nauvoo Temple starting in August. The mission president had actually asked her to speak on the Quorums of the Seventy here in old Nauvoo.  I have given many tours in the Seventies Hall. It was built by the Seventies here along with all of the other building they were doing.  Joseph Young, Brigham’s older brother, was actually the President of all the Seventies.  They wanted to build the Seventies Hall as a tribute of honor to God. Seventies are explained in Luke 10:1. They were to be sent out two by two to all the world during the time of Christ.  So it was with these men here.   She told us some very interesting information about that first quorum.  Each man that was selected to be a Seventy, had been part of Zion’s Camp.  During the march, these men suffered greatly, deprivations of all kinds, lack of food, illness, and oddly enough did not fulfill what they thought was their original purpose in going.  It was actually a “refiner’s fire” experience.  Because of this event, the men who were continually obedient, who sacrificed their all, and did not murmur, were the ones who remained faithful to the Gospel.  They were the ones who made up this first quorum.  The average age of this quorum was 25! Unbelievable, these were the future leaders of the church.  So much sacrifice by them and their families.  She said something that I hope is true, that part of their blessings for their sacrifice can be found in the posterity that is on the earth today. 14 million strong. What a legacy which I hope they can see, I am sure of it.  There are so many times that we as missionaries are helped here in sharing the Gospel. You can almost “feel” the help. I have been able to do things that I thought a few years ago, would have been impossible for me to do. There is a very definite “spirit” here in this sacred place.

Sister Black’s emphasis tonight was Obedience and Sacrifice.  The Lord will have a tried people.  It talks about it all through the scriptures. So the question to myself; what will I take home form this opportunity that is priceless. Will it change my life and who I am? I certainly hope so in many ways, but as I think about it, the Gospel already has.  I look back over my life and I have certainly been through some “Zion Camp,” experiences myself.  I hope that at the last day I will be able to face my Father in Heaven and tell Him that I was obedient, and I did sacrifice to the best of my ability.  Of course, the Atonement, if used, will make up the difference, but my heart is in the right place. 

The greatest blessings however, I see in the life and faith of my children.  We have had some extremely rough years.  We have been through trials I hope to never face again. We have suffered both body and spirit and are still trying to the best of our ability.  We will live with consequence of choices made for a very long time. Although situations have been unbearable at times, long in length and in patience and understanding, my children are strong and faithful and I can see the Gospel of Jesus Christ at work in their lives and in their hearts.  

Janae is pregnant…..We will be having another little girl in November.  We had quite a scare this last month.  Because she is 35, she is  considered “high risk.” Some of her blood work came back too high.  The result of these tests could be, Spina Bifida, placenta dying, or Janae developing pre-eclampsia, all very terrifying.  We cried, we prayed, we struggled and ultimately turned it over to the Lord.  My Daddy gave her a blessing that he describes as an experience he will never forget, and then they came on out to Nauvoo.  They could feel the spirit of these people, their strength and faith. They loved to be in the Nauvoo Temple, it is like no other I have seen and the feeling inside is pretty sweet.  So upon returning home, Janae had another ultrasound and our prayers, once again have been heard.  The baby looks perfect  in every way.  Miracle. Promoter of faith, answer to prayer. We will probably continue to be tried, to have opportunities to exercise our agency, but oh how I pray, that just like the Zion Camp members, we remain obedient, we are able to sacrifice for the Lord and His cause, we will be numbered among the faithful and honest of heart.

A quote from our Relief Society lesson today goes like this, “All difficulties which might and would cross our way must be surmounted.  Though the soul be tried, the heart faint, and the hands hang down, we MUST NOT RETRACE OUR STEPS; THERE MUST BE DECISION OF CHARACTER.”

So when I go home,  will I be a different person?  Hopefully a better example to my children and my family, hopefully with God’s help, the daughter of God that He wants me to be. I am blessed.

NEW FRIENDS, NEW FACES, HAPPY PLACES…………………..

 

Nauvoo comes alive in the summer.  We get all of our young single sister missionaries who return for the last, or first, part of their mission.  It is so much fun to have the sisters back after coming to love them so much last year.  They just add a spirit to Nauvoo that is catching.  They are also so unbelievable, these young girls, early 20’s who are giving up 18 months of their life to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  When so many young people are making bad choices, these young people are a shining example of all that is right with the world.  That includes the young performing missionaries as well.  My heavens, talent just oozes out of them.  They sing, dance, act, and shine through their countenances the “Light of Christ!”  What a blessing they have been to me personally and I just wish that my grandchildren could spend time and see what the consequences of making good choices brings to ones life.

This is Sr. Hall. Her aunt is a friend of Jerianne’s.  I check on her each and every day and get hugs and smiles just like this one. 

These sisters were all with us when we visited Carthage a few weeks ago.  The young sister in the corner is Sr. Kim.  She is from Korea and doing very well here. These sisters are used a lot in the visitors’ center, but they also work in the sites with us every once in awhile.

Sister Zibetti and Sister Mills. Sr. Zibetti is one of the zone leaders for the young sisters and actually gave a training presentation to the whole mission, which consists of 260 of us.  I think to myself that there would have been no way on earth I could have done something like that at her age, but she was amazing.

Here in Nauvoo we have the opportunity for people to make a handcart trek.  It is three miles.  These are the young sisters doing just that.  It was a hot muggy day. Mud all along the way. Some pushing, some pulling.  As I work at Land and Records I get to read a lot of the stories of these pioneers. Sacrifice, faith, trial, obedience………………are just a few of the attributes that they had to have had.  I couldn’t do three miles of this, they did 1200, with so many dying along the way.  What a legacy they have left, and that is what Nauvoo is about.

I didn’t think anyone could beat last years talented kids, but these are every bit as talented, if not more.  I love them all.

Our band is out again strolling the streets of Nauvoo, playing amazing music everywhere.  They play all day, just like the others. Four sisters have gotten their mission calls. Most of the young men are returned missionaries.

So here is to another fun summer in old Nauvoo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Quack!!!

A BLOG? DO I HAVE A BLOG?

So I realized that I have not posted in some time and that is more upsetting to me than to anyone else.  There is so much here to document and to share and to keep in my mind and heart, but so little time. If I ever get one little minute that I am not running to and fro, all I want to do is sleep!!!! Seriously, I was born sleepy, but this is ridiculous! I guess there will be time enough for that when I go home, but it sounds so appealing. We have had a very wet Spring.  I have absolutely loved it.  You know me, thunder and lightning are like music to my ears. I have had to orient new missionaries to the sites and I explain about tornadoes and sirens going off etc.  After the storm in Oklahoma, these people are terrified!!! Needless to say, they pay attention to me with bated breath.

This was one of our beautiful skies.  Then after the rain comes the rainbows, right? How about double delight?



There were actually two rainbows above the temple.  It was stunning.



I just can’t get enough of this river.  I will really miss it when I leave.  It is so beautiful, during each and every season. 

Speaking of which, here comes the Spring.  Birds are everywhere, nests built in all kinds of places, flowers blooming and the ladies working in the gardens all around Nauvoo, so very diligently.  I admire them greatly, because I couldn’t do what they are doing, and they certainly bring a beautiful spirit here.




These creatures are sitting on logs in the river, ten at a time.


This is what all of those tadpoles turn into Jagger!!!! You can hear all sorts of wildlife, (no cars, no noise of the city) just lots of peace and life.

Sisters waxing the statues of Joseph and Hyrum!






Her momma must have told her to lay very still…………………..
So “There Is Beauty All Around!” How grateful I am for eyes to see, ears to hear, and the physical ability that I have to do what has been asked of me.  I am richly blessed indeed.