tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14700417706099574932024-02-21T03:25:59.189-08:00Rober Nauvoo MissionLarry and Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10793186105538713403noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1470041770609957493.post-71269441598820265982017-08-29T11:21:00.000-07:002017-08-29T11:21:36.841-07:00July/August 2017 - More Family Visits, End of Pageants, Sunset Show and Our Nauvoo Mission<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Farewell Nauvoo</td></tr>
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We can't believe our mission is over. It is hard to write this post and to try to summarize the last month of our busy summer and the end of our mission. It has been life changing, a spiritual high for 18 months, growth in our knowledge of the Saints who lived and walked the streets of Nauvoo and so wonderful to have the kids and grand kids come and experience the Spirit of Nauvoo. The summer was busy and hard but so fun and worth every minute. Many days we would be be up at 6:30 am, non stop all day at the sites, the Sunset Stage at 5:30 and then off to the Pageant with the family and home at 10:30 pm. We found the energy to make it happen and will forever treasure our Nauvoo memories and especially the final summer. We can't figure out what happened to time in the last six months. It went by so fast and was like a blink.</div>
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Our final family visit found Lisa and John and Mark and Lisa visiting us the last week of July. The previous week when Brian and Kate were in town the temperatures were over one hundred degrees on a heat index basis. The last week of July was 85-90 on a heat index basis and quite comfortable. The locals were commenting that it never gets to that temperature in July. We had a wonderful visit and the rumor has it that Grandpa and Grandma totally wore everyone out as we tried to take advantage of every minute for visiting the sites and shows and put them on the Nauvoo Senior Missionary July schedule.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Post Show Family Picture</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Carthage Jail Visit with Mark and Lisa.</td></tr>
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We had such wonderful visits to the Carthage Jail Site with both families. We planned our day to arrive first thing and were blessed that there were no tour buses or other visitors so early. It was unusual to have a private tour of the jail in July and feel the special Spirit at the Site as a family. The tour concludes in the very room that Joseph and Hyrum Smith were martyred and sealed their testimony with their blood. It is amazing to me how even the little children become quiet in the room and can feel there is something special about the place.</div>
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The Sunset by the Mississippi Show was a unique opportunity for Sister Rober and I to interface with every missionary in the mission twice each week for the nightly shows. Three casts of Senior Missionaries perform beautifully twice weekly in the Sunset and Rendezvous Shows It will forever be a high light memory. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dancing grandma's honored our Senior Missionaries in "Sunset's" "Grandma's Feather Bed"--- a real crowd pleaser!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Senior Missionary Emma Hale Cast</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b>"What a dance, did we do!" </b></i>Sunset Show with the Young Performing Missionaries and Seniors!</td></tr>
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The Nauvoo Pageants are so incredible. They tell the story of Nauvoo and the missionaries who traveled to the British Isles to preach the Gospel in the 1840's. They had tremendous success in their efforts which resulted in so many people coming to Nauvoo to help complete the construction of the temple and build a beautiful city on the bank of the Mississippi. I recommend to everyone to plan a trip to Nauvoo during the four weeks of the Pageants. I promise you will not be disappointed.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Senior Missionaries Singing <i><b>"Called To Serve"</b></i> in the Finale of the British Pageant</td></tr>
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As we conclude this final post it is with loving feelings in our hearts for our Nauvoo Mission. We made many new dear friends with our fellow senior missionaries. We will also remember the great people who live in the Midwest and and opportunity to live for a short time in that part of our great country. It is was such a little bubble to live in Nauvoo and be somewhat insulated from the world for a short time. Cell phones hardly work there. We pretty much missed the whole election process. We are excited to be coming home and have the opportunity to be with the family more often. We will always be inspired by the faith and obedience of the people who lived in Nauvoo. They did hard things in their lives. We have to do different but hard things in our lives too. We will forever remember their example and the streets of old Nauvoo!</div>
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We close now with the words of John Taylor, the Third President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. He was an eye witness to the martyrdom of Joseph Smith:<br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><b>"Joseph Smith, the Prophet and Seer of the Lord, has done more, save Jesus only, for the salvation of men in this world, than any other man that ever lived in it. In the short space of twenty years, he has brought forth the Book of Mormon, which he translated by the gift and power of God, and has been the means of publishing it on two continents; has sent the fullness of the everlasting gospel, which it contained, to the four quarters of the earth; has brought forth the revelations and commandments which compose this book of Doctrine and Covenants, and many other wise documents and instructions for the benefit of the children of men; gathered many thousands of the Latter-day Saints, founded a great city, and left a fame and name that cannot be slain. He lived great, and he died great in the eyes of God and his people; and like most of the Lord’s anointed in ancient times, has sealed his mission and his works with his own blood; and so has his brother Hyrum. In life they were not divided, and in death they were not separated!"</b></i></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Joseph and Hyrum Smith Statue at Carthage Jail Site</td></tr>
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Larry and Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10793186105538713403noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1470041770609957493.post-74222108055702604912017-07-24T06:10:00.000-07:002017-07-24T06:10:05.749-07:00July 2017 - Family and Friend Visits<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Never Get Tired of Sunset Pictures by the Mississippi</td></tr>
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July is almost over. The Nauvoo Pageants have been running for two weeks and two weeks remain on their schedule. The weather in June and early July was warm with hardly any days above 90 degrees. Mid July was the hottest weather of the summer with some days over 95 with high humidity resulting in heat indexes up to 115. The Sunset by the Mississippi productions have been going very well. Sister Rober and I go there every night to be with each of the three casts. During the hot weather the show was cancelled on two nights due to the excessive heat. Summer is a busy time. We start in the sites at 9 am. Sunset is over around 8 pm. If we go right to the pageant from Sunset that means the days end around 10:30 pm. It can be tiring but it is so fun and spiritual.<br />
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Our family began arriving in July for visits. My sister in law Pam Daut and her daughter Kelly Rogers were the first to arrive. They were just passing through and could only spend a few hours but is was fun to see them and Kelly's beautiful daughters Savannah and Avery.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pioneer Girls Avery and Savannah</td></tr>
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Our next visitors were the Scott and Cori Allan and Kim and Carson Day families. Cori and Kim are our daughters. They were able to be here at the same time along with eight grand kids. We had a wonderful time together. We attended shows, saw the Nauvoo Pageant, played games, took wagon rides and caught up on family news. Ammon and Bailey were able to receive their Patriarchal Blessing while in Nauvoo since they are currently living in Japan where the blessing would have been in Japanese. It was a very special experience for everyone. Kim and Carson are in the process of moving from Merced to Corona. We were able to meet Hyrum David Day our nineteenth and newest grand child during their visit.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Allan Family</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(L to R) Scott, Cori, Bailey, Patriarch Kim Cameron, Ammon, Leah, Larry</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRhXe4nh0Tx1yFeHeKuLM0qqs4mmc5b6LaczcxTgXqCGLeMF8sjP4iVL10t0LY3HH0GrA0P3K_vTidWr0egwTe4XwdywULMvDqUxZaSVpQ1OBqdE8A4aAHCBQ5cjaPLQCDO4pt-THSuYY/s1600/FullSizeRender3.jpg.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRhXe4nh0Tx1yFeHeKuLM0qqs4mmc5b6LaczcxTgXqCGLeMF8sjP4iVL10t0LY3HH0GrA0P3K_vTidWr0egwTe4XwdywULMvDqUxZaSVpQ1OBqdE8A4aAHCBQ5cjaPLQCDO4pt-THSuYY/s640/FullSizeRender3.jpg.jpeg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Day Family at the Brickyard<br />(L to R) Vivienne, Eve, Kim, Hyrum, Carson, Fielding</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwPTYNu9jDiDo8qIJwPMh6aP5b6IGaVeN_Q3W2gc5JzW49rIWlwWAgieqoSD0yYNUQ4EoB6Vc-k65zVoenwI_q86YZw0dWhMCnw2jLf2Gq0n1xl8eYHOqL2eWva4HaY6Hux4TFzDDXiu8/s1600/FullSizeRender1.jpg.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwPTYNu9jDiDo8qIJwPMh6aP5b6IGaVeN_Q3W2gc5JzW49rIWlwWAgieqoSD0yYNUQ4EoB6Vc-k65zVoenwI_q86YZw0dWhMCnw2jLf2Gq0n1xl8eYHOqL2eWva4HaY6Hux4TFzDDXiu8/s640/FullSizeRender1.jpg.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grand Kid Reunion<br />(L to R) Beau, Eve, Vivienne, Fielding</td></tr>
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Our next visitors were the Kizerians and the Pugmires from our home ward Yorba Linda 4. We had some great times catching up on all of the ward news from home. We were able to attend both pageants and they visited many of the special Nauvoo historic sites. One morning we watched the horses run down the river road from their pasture to the barn where morning oats were waiting.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjncY2Wzs01e5_vw1VD2OaROg6NApqGlQXAO3m93tUXMWit-OzQX2PxrSGHiLLBgaM13fG2uazHEzjWFALE1CGpyrAYT85ulzEDstWdsgQWLuucLuDPS5XtvHd0_JdIoAgD-tjNcW_35x8/s1600/IMG_1640.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjncY2Wzs01e5_vw1VD2OaROg6NApqGlQXAO3m93tUXMWit-OzQX2PxrSGHiLLBgaM13fG2uazHEzjWFALE1CGpyrAYT85ulzEDstWdsgQWLuucLuDPS5XtvHd0_JdIoAgD-tjNcW_35x8/s640/IMG_1640.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pugmires and Kizerians Visiting Mission Horses at Barn</td></tr>
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Our next visitors were Brian and Kate Rober. Brian is our son from Utah. Their family has just moved in to their new house in Mapleton Utah. They were on the tail end of a fantastic trip to the East Coast. On our visit to the Carthage Jail Site we were able to arrive at a quiet time and had a private tour of the jail where Joseph and Hyrum Smith sealed their testimony of the restored gospel with their blood. Their visit was during the heat week but since all of the sites are air conditioned and the pageants start at 8:30 it wasn't too bad.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg58wOnBrX-EytODV5WI_Uh4LD1F7GeQ9BFgvMN76v5zYs3OXZLlfjHRRcaCf1ZbTQeZF7HFaumnSCamuijn2kC7HCh7-iwX3tFzeYtNW9FFz6YuFF1iFhZixaoLnXeYrDMlYwZGc4uqHw/s1600/IMG_1604.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg58wOnBrX-EytODV5WI_Uh4LD1F7GeQ9BFgvMN76v5zYs3OXZLlfjHRRcaCf1ZbTQeZF7HFaumnSCamuijn2kC7HCh7-iwX3tFzeYtNW9FFz6YuFF1iFhZixaoLnXeYrDMlYwZGc4uqHw/s640/IMG_1604.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rober Family at Carthage Jail<br />(L to R) Briggs, Kate, Brian, Ashlynn, Ty, Larry, Leah</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVt0dxR2E1XoXnJdnC-aobzXxSf3XPdMUhqW6MAM5lUxXbBcV71iAEPNsGQJ49eE4FWhyphenhyphenljZKNoKMxXoPMvwzR-f_fyiVWKuEWEBA7PK9fReA65HeUhU19X_dMrM1pDHJUcsgfUNz252k/s1600/IMG_1624+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="929" data-original-width="697" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVt0dxR2E1XoXnJdnC-aobzXxSf3XPdMUhqW6MAM5lUxXbBcV71iAEPNsGQJ49eE4FWhyphenhyphenljZKNoKMxXoPMvwzR-f_fyiVWKuEWEBA7PK9fReA65HeUhU19X_dMrM1pDHJUcsgfUNz252k/s640/IMG_1624+%25282%2529.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grandpa with Briggs and Ashlynn after Temple Baptisms</td></tr>
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What a great month July has been and it is not over yet. Lisa and John and Mark and Lisa will be here the last week of July. It has been so good to see family again and share with them the Spirit of Nauvoo and all of the history here.<br />
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Meanwhile, the Sunset by the Mississippi Show goes on every night. Here are a few new pictures from the show.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4ipwZIOTljpUhjKoCw-PERIUkykZsmF2S3HM7yROeZTWywLT1TB1KRrFMEJWszPAhELzn2VzZN9QaRNc8_HstT-PTnEEgO_4hMmlSll4nvDM4Cqqm8H__g07e25OiebQPk4X8_MHWV0Y/s1600/IMG_1646.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4ipwZIOTljpUhjKoCw-PERIUkykZsmF2S3HM7yROeZTWywLT1TB1KRrFMEJWszPAhELzn2VzZN9QaRNc8_HstT-PTnEEgO_4hMmlSll4nvDM4Cqqm8H__g07e25OiebQPk4X8_MHWV0Y/s640/IMG_1646.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sister Rober as a Dancing Grandma in Grandmas's Feather Bed</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK-elTUZDAz0lGmTpAkJs2eYKLylcrZmICoyheXGTKOoRsU3oGt5nOmXlLVBRtpivowCgkMNlG3L5w0Ecuo8kpvPyPObxtnl2eDIRNZ-WOlO9e7cLiNuwkKPRwZR0DT-e2XGKfErUzZDw/s1600/IMG_1651.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK-elTUZDAz0lGmTpAkJs2eYKLylcrZmICoyheXGTKOoRsU3oGt5nOmXlLVBRtpivowCgkMNlG3L5w0Ecuo8kpvPyPObxtnl2eDIRNZ-WOlO9e7cLiNuwkKPRwZR0DT-e2XGKfErUzZDw/s640/IMG_1651.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mississippi Mud - Sunset by the Mississippi</td></tr>
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<br />Larry and Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10793186105538713403noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1470041770609957493.post-7819915620346151892017-06-11T19:33:00.000-07:002017-06-13T13:50:19.006-07:00Sunset by the Mississippi Month<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUeveWKxFCtW8G83KS2Atqma41aLo4eNEIdPnwjKnRRr2Y3Aru9Plh-FH_pG0bsuPnvE66sq0nO6hR-uYTB148rcKz4ZmMx7DBxeYz0bQ3HbT6UlSoHbWvogA2MtXdjLFgNVRGEcEm94w/s1600/18699973_1880935558590679_1607378158885147285_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="719" data-original-width="960" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUeveWKxFCtW8G83KS2Atqma41aLo4eNEIdPnwjKnRRr2Y3Aru9Plh-FH_pG0bsuPnvE66sq0nO6hR-uYTB148rcKz4ZmMx7DBxeYz0bQ3HbT6UlSoHbWvogA2MtXdjLFgNVRGEcEm94w/s640/18699973_1880935558590679_1607378158885147285_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunset by the Mississippi (Photo by David Johnson)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8dOqshE1GuKbYpIHRRDf69eGEunOHOltMzClacT6flWj6oaopiSOe8tDUJmp91q9IPSswvVa5Oa1RhnLBjyLGWy1jSDxnSO_cp42EWXVtOqvcZu4X8RibZNBtcbKgQJQVPsbK-75QULI/s1600/18813251_1893034670714101_778358253539024660_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8dOqshE1GuKbYpIHRRDf69eGEunOHOltMzClacT6flWj6oaopiSOe8tDUJmp91q9IPSswvVa5Oa1RhnLBjyLGWy1jSDxnSO_cp42EWXVtOqvcZu4X8RibZNBtcbKgQJQVPsbK-75QULI/s640/18813251_1893034670714101_778358253539024660_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(Photo by David Johnson)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgucJ_P9R41leFjuITxq3k_emYVkouauDPUJ8yoAdyq7gVMCgqc4dgw_07PYPbRbawMRhxYPE2GYoQkkCJcm_zxp-mFnaVKIJNaweYOQ1hUwqH9uloPr4X725ZZjhZeZ8K3LiDKs8er40s/s1600/18765985_1886097648074470_2240248400261671063_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgucJ_P9R41leFjuITxq3k_emYVkouauDPUJ8yoAdyq7gVMCgqc4dgw_07PYPbRbawMRhxYPE2GYoQkkCJcm_zxp-mFnaVKIJNaweYOQ1hUwqH9uloPr4X725ZZjhZeZ8K3LiDKs8er40s/s640/18765985_1886097648074470_2240248400261671063_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(Photo by David Johnson)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFzgUIIjUohrTVVzY_sSpKrAF24Cs_DfJWTRndzNWH6fxUIAxEwAj2ulbMqQy9uwNg2d55omItFRINqf7dWSStLrcQB_OX8hFSPFt_-6twRwXU-s9bKBKbwbb6vZQ6GCceXMr92IanZq8/s1600/18921734_1893034687380766_2356420765759799277_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFzgUIIjUohrTVVzY_sSpKrAF24Cs_DfJWTRndzNWH6fxUIAxEwAj2ulbMqQy9uwNg2d55omItFRINqf7dWSStLrcQB_OX8hFSPFt_-6twRwXU-s9bKBKbwbb6vZQ6GCceXMr92IanZq8/s640/18921734_1893034687380766_2356420765759799277_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(Photo by David Johnson)</td></tr>
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May brought warmer weather, springtime flowers and more people to Nauvoo. It was exciting to see the change of seasons and feel the anticipation of summer with the arrival of the Young Performing Missionaries and Nauvoo Brass Band. The Sunset by the Mississippi Show opened up on May 27 following two months of practice by three different casts. Sister Rober taught the choreography to all three casts. The show is different this year and it is being received well by the crowds and local people who have seen many shows over the years.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUMT1ObocRFxk_j-JoqfGQ1xyGQ5TbBcCGH5ROOHLZbPyBCQgLVq9b8PdsaCNpuMIBT6AEhEuls563ZtUAyIo_23lKHyxrSUd2ytYL4at88QPGpat_t6BPUjMG2Yg7GlQlBn_jmKht7Ak/s1600/eSunset+2Ju17_00577.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="697" data-original-width="1280" height="348" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUMT1ObocRFxk_j-JoqfGQ1xyGQ5TbBcCGH5ROOHLZbPyBCQgLVq9b8PdsaCNpuMIBT6AEhEuls563ZtUAyIo_23lKHyxrSUd2ytYL4at88QPGpat_t6BPUjMG2Yg7GlQlBn_jmKht7Ak/s640/eSunset+2Ju17_00577.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nauvoo Brass Band (Photo by Don Searle)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sara Granger Cast (Photo by Don Searle)<br />
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Young Performing Missionaries (Photo by Don Searle)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZJaLy63AKkbQK5N3SxXpOii4gswgirFu-qq2Wnxpzzrz00GMkMm0TUdimvcGv0LGXPV38o3uwjiiymOVMiR7TKD1MDe4foGMGv6zoVW9neyO8KEKdsP5uchpS2dgbfkLg4hal_hPCVR4/s1600/IMG_1345.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="font-size: 12.8px; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZJaLy63AKkbQK5N3SxXpOii4gswgirFu-qq2Wnxpzzrz00GMkMm0TUdimvcGv0LGXPV38o3uwjiiymOVMiR7TKD1MDe4foGMGv6zoVW9neyO8KEKdsP5uchpS2dgbfkLg4hal_hPCVR4/s640/IMG_1345.JPG" width="640" /></a><br />
Old performing missionaries (Photo by Don Searle)<br />
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Sister Rober as a dancing Grandma in Grandma's Feather Bed (Photo by Don Searle)</td></tr>
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Over the last three months over 80 missionaries have arrived to replace those who went home last fall. It is so good to have new missionaries to get to know. During our time here I estimate we will have met around three hundred fellow missionaries. They are the best! We are making life time friends with people from all over the country, This is a very unique mission. It is unbelievably quiet in the winter and insanely crazy and busy in the summer. We get to meet every week as a group with our Mission President for training. We live by the calendar. Every week we need to check our schedule for the following week to see if we are making bricks, being a blacksmith or leading tours at over 20 sites. In addition, we need to learn parts and dancing for the Rendezvous Show and Sunset Show. It is a great experience and worth every tired night in the summer. We are missionaries telling the story of this city and testifying of the restored gospel and our Savior Jesus Christs through the messages at our sites and in the shows. The Prophet Joseph Smith is buried here and Carthage Illinois, his death place, is 30 minutes away. Over 200,000 people visit this city over the year. They come to us. They leave inspired by their visits and the faith and obedience of the people who lived here. As we look at the schedule now we are saddened to see our original group as the next missionaries to leave on September 7.</div>
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Last week on our Preparation Day we took a two hour trip to Moline Illinois where the John Deere Company is headquartered. We toured their pavilion and saw the massive size of farm equipment being manufactured today. Illinois is definitely John Deere country. As you pass by homes and farms it seems that everyone has their green and yellow John Deere mower or equipment parked outside. The Combine is quite an amazing piece of equipment. One huge machine is sent through the field to cut the corn or beans, separate the husks or pods and then separate the actual kernels and beans while at the same time disposing of the waste back to the field. A truck moves alongside the Combine to receive the finished product.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Time to mow the grass</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Always wanted a tractor </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpMYBidizuXLTS98vAxs-cgj_t1jitxArT7k50dUlyk04GzQ48SHjcTxiTIS_qvQbldyPmhTZ78VMKCM7R-TEyX6BYW9eTWqqa2p-lhyphenhyphenq6opj4ezRNJWbkLoIbBgBEG3zLdlooPk0PWpc/s1600/IMG_1374.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpMYBidizuXLTS98vAxs-cgj_t1jitxArT7k50dUlyk04GzQ48SHjcTxiTIS_qvQbldyPmhTZ78VMKCM7R-TEyX6BYW9eTWqqa2p-lhyphenhyphenq6opj4ezRNJWbkLoIbBgBEG3zLdlooPk0PWpc/s640/IMG_1374.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Combine machine is massive</td></tr>
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We are really excited for the month of July in anticipation of Carson and Kim, Scott and Cori, Brian and Kate, Mark and Lisa and John and Lisa visiting our mission with 15 grand kids. I know they will feel the spirit of this special city and the Saints who lived here in the 1840's.</div>
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Larry and Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10793186105538713403noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1470041770609957493.post-81873049868617982102017-05-07T18:05:00.001-07:002017-05-07T18:05:15.703-07:00Spring Is Here, AgainAs April began we passed the one year mark and we are starting to see things happen for the second time on our mission - new leaves on trees, warmer weather, larger crowds and the arrival of new missionaries. We can say for sure that our only winter here was a milder one. We have now experienced both one summer and one winter and despite our fears for what those seasons would bring it has actually not been as bad as we both expected. There were many rainy days in April and even some days on the cold side. It was wonderful to see the many tulips planted by our Facilities Maintenance people bloom in the Women's Garden:<br />
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Our days have become busier with the assignment as Sunset by the Mississippi Coordinators for the senior missionaries. Sister Rober is teaching choreography to three different casts of 50-60 missionaries each. I am helping her on the technology and music side. That means we are at rehearsals every night except Sunday until the show opens on May 27th and at every show until August 12. This has been a blessing in that it allows us to be around every missionary in the Mission on a weekly basis. Normally you are with the same cast four nights a week and have two nights off. We are enjoying the challenge and the experience. We are over half way through our rehearsal schedule. There are only three weeks left and the last two will be coordinating with the Young Performing Missionaries who have just arrived in town. The casts are becoming familiar with the show and I can feel an excitement building for opening night.<br />
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During our first year we did not take the opportunity on very many personal days (one per week) to travel around to nearby communities and feel the spirit of the Midwest. We decided in April that we needed to take this opportunity so we took two trips to Iowa for spring festivals. The first was to Kalona which holds a quilt show every year. It is one of the many Amish communities nearby. You know they are serious about their quilting when you see quilt patterns inlaid on the side walks in the city center. Almost all missionaries take home one special item as a remembrance of their mission. We bought a hand quilted bedspread to be our special keepsake.<br />
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Our other trip was to the town of Pella. It is a Dutch community that holds a tulip festival every spring. It was a very festive day. Many of the townspeople dress in authentic clothes. There is a parade, lots of Dutch specialty foods and a tour available of the town windmill. It was a perfect weather day and a fantastic experience.<br />
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The visitors in Nauvoo continued to increase in April. We are called as Missionaries to tell the history of the people who lived here 1839-1846 at the 25 various sites. I am the Site Coordinator for our Brickyard. In the Brickyard we tell about how the bricks were a symbol of permanence and beauty for the Nauvoo saints. We explain how they made bricks and how the bricks are a firm foundation for building a strong house. We relate how our Savior Jesus Christ can be a strong foundation in our personal lives. As missionaries we make miniature souvenir bricks for our visitors. Most of our production takes place in the winter when the crowds are sparse. In the summer, we are very busy with the tours and pass out bricks from our inventory. Here is a picture of our store room. We are going into the busy season with almost 19,000 bricks in inventory.<br />
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We are so excited for many families members who will come and visit this summer and feel the spirit of Nauvoo. We are missing children and grandchildren but know they are being blessed as we serve here a Missionaries.<br />
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<br />Larry and Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10793186105538713403noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1470041770609957493.post-3831243498077902812017-04-04T09:09:00.000-07:002017-04-04T09:09:15.866-07:00March - A Month for Baptisms<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking like the beginnings of spring</td></tr>
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The March weather here in the mission made me think I was back in my childhood in Seattle. Can you say rain? Lots of rain with mild temperatures in the 40's and 50's. Looking forward to seeing some sunshine soon. The trees are starting to leaf out and the tulips are breaking through the ground. The grass is getting greener and the farmers are happy with all the moisture as they prepare to start planting their corn and bean crops for the summer.<br />
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We had two large groups of new senior missionaries arrive from the Provo Missionary Training Center. We have two other large groups arriving in April and May. We started to have larger crowds in March from spring breaks in Utah, Colorado and Texas. It is wonderful to see the earth replenished and bring forth beauty and start to feel the excitement build for the busy summer months. We are going to be down 10-20 missionaries from last summer. There will need to be compromises on how the sites are staffed to get by with our reduced missionary force. It is my understanding that the number of Senior Missionaries serving in the church is down 20 % this year. We are taking our reduction along with all other senior missions in the church. So everyone - turn in those mission papers and begin to receive a great blessing in your life to serve the Lord wherever that service may be needed!<br />
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During the slow winter months, I spent many hours in the sites working on a church missionary system called the Teaching Center. It is a combination of call center, chat forum and a place for people to request for more information about the church. Senior missionaries here in Nauvoo, young Missionaries on Temple Square and young sister missionaries here in Nauvoo during the summer can participate. We can monitor incoming communications from all over the world that originate on the mormon.org website. This could be people who want to chat about the church. It could be people who want a free bible or Book of Mormon. Our job is to answer the requests and work with the people on the other end. If possible, our goal is to have young missionaries throughout the world go to their homes and deliver a free Bible or Book of Mormon and share a message about Christ and the restored gospel. I communicated with 800 people during the winter months. From these 800, I was able to refer close to 400 people to local missionaries in Africa, Australia, the Philippines, South America, Europe and all over the US. In March, I was blessed to learn that the local missionaries were able to baptize nine people that I had referred. Overall, thirteen people have been baptized by local missionaries during my time using the Teaching Center. It was such a special feeling to receive this news and follow up with either the missionaries or new converts to learn more about their baptisms. The Teaching Center efforts will be a mission highlight memory for sure.<br />
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In March, Sister Rober and I began our assignment of teaching the senior missionaries their song and dance moves for the summer show Sunset by the Mississippi. Make no mistake about it - Sister Rober is doing the teaching. I am background technical and moral support. The show opens on May 27th and runs until August 12th. It is a high energy variety show featuring the very talented Young Performing Missionaries who will be arriving in early May. Our goal is to provide joy through music and entertainment in this show on the outdoor stage every night except Sunday.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sister Rober teaching Sunset show to senior missionaries</td></tr>
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This month I would like to share some pictures of homes that future presidents of the Church lived in while they were in Nauvoo - Brigham Young, John Taylor and Wilford Woodruff. They are still beautiful homes today. They were continuously lived in following the exodus in 1846 until the Nauvoo restoration began in the 1960's. This is the reason they were preserved so well. What you learn on the tours is that the future presidents lived mainly in log cabins and wood homes while they were in Nauvoo and only lived for a short time in these beautiful brick homes before being forced out. I like how the church history department has made it a point to have all the dining room tables set with nice china in each home. This teaches the principle of how important it is to have family dinners together each night especially in today's world.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigFCitTdOfKHiOFL6TreZrwT0UpMMqFOwGGenI99sy6466x4MyTB_Vo2GeQRr1YXHo2mx2uaa9jnbah9YcG_X2tvKkkFiE_ShjP39UqfJ7OwCZaG74GwepFMIZd5DsPT5qu1_ltt4O1UU/s1600/BRIGHAM+YOUNG+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="422" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigFCitTdOfKHiOFL6TreZrwT0UpMMqFOwGGenI99sy6466x4MyTB_Vo2GeQRr1YXHo2mx2uaa9jnbah9YcG_X2tvKkkFiE_ShjP39UqfJ7OwCZaG74GwepFMIZd5DsPT5qu1_ltt4O1UU/s640/BRIGHAM+YOUNG+1.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brigham Young Home</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> Brigham Young Dining Room</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> Brigham Young Council Room where many important meetings took place<br /><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJVaMPJ6hi8EUjfI9g9935_Pj5Qps0VL9EJ1pTLF_LbKU0sJ7B1qSip3SVs96N5M76qJRvTVBNvwC3pfoz7bJlVhE1R0HJiOGiLthelzPLtjIvIZaEhriZFwJ1d5w55pP8luXDJ-8rVtc/s1600/JOHN+TAYLOR+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="422" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJVaMPJ6hi8EUjfI9g9935_Pj5Qps0VL9EJ1pTLF_LbKU0sJ7B1qSip3SVs96N5M76qJRvTVBNvwC3pfoz7bJlVhE1R0HJiOGiLthelzPLtjIvIZaEhriZFwJ1d5w55pP8luXDJ-8rVtc/s640/JOHN+TAYLOR+1.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">John Taylor Home</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">John Taylor Dining Room</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">John Taylor Parlor</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wilford Woodruff Home</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wilford Woodruff Dining Room</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wilford Woodruff Parlor</td></tr>
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Larry and Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10793186105538713403noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1470041770609957493.post-23984839541049427812017-03-04T18:59:00.000-08:002017-03-04T18:59:56.503-08:00February - Is Winter Over?<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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February has come and gone. The weather was quite variable. We actually had two days that were in the 70's and some days that were in the 20-30's. According to the locals, we have been blessed to have a mild winter. Our mission covers two summers and one winter so maybe the cold is behind us. In about 4 months we will be wishing for some winter weather.<br />
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The crowds were small during the month. We were lucky to have two very different horse rides during the quite time. The first was a sleigh ride across snow in the cold weather and the second was a ride on the mission limousine carriage during the warm weather. <br />
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Valentines's Day was on our Preparation Day during the month. We were able to take a day trip to St. Louis for a celebration. St. Louis is a three hour drive from Nauvoo. It was quite shocking to be in a big city for a few hours with freeways and traffic. We both love Thai food and have not had any since we left California. It was a treat to celebrate the day with a Thai food dinner. I have to admit I don't miss the freeways, traffic and big city. It was good to drive back into our little town after the day. Unfortunately there are no In-N-Out burgers here in the Midwest. It looks like that will have to wait until we return home.<br />
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One of the special treats for the month was a large migration of bald eagles along the river. No one ever mentioned to us about the eagles. They were so exciting to watch. It was not uncommon to see 10-20 each trip to town. The town of Keokuk, Iowa which is 20 minutes away, actually has an eagle festival event every February.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPAlY5Ckh14XPJN0Zhyzc2w8j7NtgUamPHbsE29vToSlNIuWrYltylBeC5B985ZbzZGsvI_0FlygppmAVRt0Sg0jCfCzfzCtWME6YKUYcsv-KGhxgvTIQQp6NUc1yGF9sFyBFgWHkINiQ/s1600/Eagle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPAlY5Ckh14XPJN0Zhyzc2w8j7NtgUamPHbsE29vToSlNIuWrYltylBeC5B985ZbzZGsvI_0FlygppmAVRt0Sg0jCfCzfzCtWME6YKUYcsv-KGhxgvTIQQp6NUc1yGF9sFyBFgWHkINiQ/s640/Eagle.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Take Off (Photo, Elder Johnson)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFgr8purJSgYcwiyfWkQiTUMLqSe18lfBv5PQzzpZ5d4f9GFEPY2MNoIg9rchPRNubNfJgR4KJd1D9VFyCZw_W3doZf69BGgnZgIm7goNNvnwNfofUg42FV3R1Q4TI95Ygbp7J-ywBjew/s1600/eagles+on+ice.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFgr8purJSgYcwiyfWkQiTUMLqSe18lfBv5PQzzpZ5d4f9GFEPY2MNoIg9rchPRNubNfJgR4KJd1D9VFyCZw_W3doZf69BGgnZgIm7goNNvnwNfofUg42FV3R1Q4TI95Ygbp7J-ywBjew/s640/eagles+on+ice.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Six Eagles on Frozen River (Photo, Elder Johnson)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcA1Gyh4ZvBbm-f6BtGD2RfvOh_ITuP7smBELVoHpCab_-0WB_nxR4-qDX4epzEyYrhllkUEH6lNfTWMVRFkFflostqjzimJUuUyZLb6VHLyvAhl3RBT7azq9vWQ9RnrQO-zpAPbOQ9Io/s1600/IMG_0955.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcA1Gyh4ZvBbm-f6BtGD2RfvOh_ITuP7smBELVoHpCab_-0WB_nxR4-qDX4epzEyYrhllkUEH6lNfTWMVRFkFflostqjzimJUuUyZLb6VHLyvAhl3RBT7azq9vWQ9RnrQO-zpAPbOQ9Io/s640/IMG_0955.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Snow Geese Arrived for Just a Few Days</td></tr>
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Since other news for the month was quite, I thought it would be good to include a section on the animals we see here in Nauvoo. We are loving the seasons and seeing all of the wild life and mission animals around the grounds of the mission.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9abphnGwcmk_t7Zjwfu1eowRb4aBAoEZz7lXTm-pBW2gri88K17ZJzyhnc25iq1MNqNZF7aqfgpNfhN5km145V197tYfjztEQAaW1_dpwmJzCHfkULdvd3P9xDtjoTWxDutC2N2NHqu0/s1600/draft+horse2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9abphnGwcmk_t7Zjwfu1eowRb4aBAoEZz7lXTm-pBW2gri88K17ZJzyhnc25iq1MNqNZF7aqfgpNfhN5km145V197tYfjztEQAaW1_dpwmJzCHfkULdvd3P9xDtjoTWxDutC2N2NHqu0/s640/draft+horse2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mission Horses</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJWLulYw8b7w45dFMJP9zfMk1kw3kKGqFcsIvOBvgYJ3OUoEOAAFNoJkw_mlTG_o2UWpgO6kIi9Ykhy5s9NUj2KCEGOf9SYAJoL78OjXUBaA-VqiH1c3lruL41-21ViSFnOGqSLGz3WtI/s1600/Nauvoo%2527s+Animals+2015-16+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJWLulYw8b7w45dFMJP9zfMk1kw3kKGqFcsIvOBvgYJ3OUoEOAAFNoJkw_mlTG_o2UWpgO6kIi9Ykhy5s9NUj2KCEGOf9SYAJoL78OjXUBaA-VqiH1c3lruL41-21ViSFnOGqSLGz3WtI/s640/Nauvoo%2527s+Animals+2015-16+%25281%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Turtles on River</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cardinal</td></tr>
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It is starting to feel like spring is right around the corner. Our tulips are coming up, the days are getting longer and the first batch of new senior missionaries has arrived for the year. In three weeks we begin practicing for the summer show Sunset on the Mississippi. We are excited for the summer because 5 of our 8 kids will be visiting during the Pageants in July this year!<br />
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We left home about one year ago. This mission is a special blessing in our life. Come and visit us if you get a chance!!<br />
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Love to everyone<br />
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Elder and Sister Rober<br />
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<br />Larry and Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10793186105538713403noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1470041770609957493.post-78112539279316865082017-02-06T13:14:00.000-08:002017-02-06T19:10:19.590-08:00The Exodus Reenactment<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Preparing for the Exodus Walk Program<br />
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On February 4, 1846 the Mormon people in Nauvoo began lining their wagons up to begin crossing the Mississippi River for the west. Their Prophet, Brigham Young, knew in late 1845 they were going to have to leave their beautiful city to flee for safety and avoid a civil war. After taking an inventory of the people and wagons on hand, he determined they would need to build over 1,000 wagons in a few months time. He asked everyone to help the local blacksmiths, wheelwrights, and wainwrights with this monumental project. This was going to be an exodus unlike any other in United States history. An entire town prepared to leave to find a new home where they could be safe and worship as they desired. At this time the population of Nauvoo had grown to around 12,000 which was very close to the population of Chicago. They had only been in Nauvoo for six years but in that time had made it into a beautiful city which included 350 brick homes. They had just finished construction of their temple on the bluff overlooking the river. It took 5 years to complete just months before they left. Crossing the river was only the beginning. It would take the saints many months to cross Iowa to Winter Quarters (Omaha, Nebraska) where they would stay for the winter of 1846-47 before Brigham Young's Vanguard Company left for the rocky mountains in April of 1847 to arrive in the Salt Lake Valley on July 24, 1847. Can you imagine the faith it would take to walk away from their beautiful city, their homes and the temple? Can you imagine the courage it would take to climb in a wagon in sub freezing temperatures that would continue across Iowa and begin a journey to an unknown location?<br />
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On February 4, 2017 our mission had a reenactment activity to remember the great sacrifice these people made to leave Nauvoo. It will be a memory of our mission that Sister Rober and I will never forget. We walked down Parley Street to the river on a day when the wind chill factor was 18 degrees wearing name tags of ancestors we had who lived in Nauvoo. At the end of Parley Street was a flag ceremony and program honoring the many pioneers who died en route over the approximately 20 years they crossed the plains. We were outside for the walk and program for slightly over one hour. It took a few hours to warm up after that. We felt that when we snuggled in our warm bed that night, the pioneers didn't have that luxury. They endured the bitter cold in their wagons. There were even 9 babies born that first night. It would be months before they would be warm again.<br />
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The Exodus Reenactment will be a highlight mission memory. It was a significant spiritual experience that will change my view of Parley Street forever. We know that the hand of the Lord was with these people on their journey. They could not have done it without the help of the Lord who they put their trust in. They did have great faith and courage. They were obedient to their Prophet who said they must leave for their safety. Brigham Young had seen in a vision the place they were to settle. One and one half years after crossing the Mississippi the pioneer companies began arriving in the Salt Lake valley.<br />
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Several faith promoting stories of ancestors in Nauvoo were shared at a Mission Exodus Fireside. Nahum Curtis, great great grandfather of Sister Rober had an amazing conversion story. In 1833, in Michigan, after Nahum and his wife, Millissant Waite, had head the missionaries, they were laying in their bed conversing about principles they had heard for the first time, when they noticed their room began to get light. It got lighter and lighter until it was as bright as noonday. They then heard a voice say: <i>"Nahum, the Book of Mormon is a true record of the ancient people who lived on this continent." </i>Their whole family was then baptized and they joined the Saints in Kirtland, Ohio. Later, in Nauvoo at the time of the Exodus, Nahum and his family packed their wagon and walked through the difficult, muddy streets to leave Nauvoo. His family camped for 2 weeks while Nahum went back and forth to and from Nauvoo helping others cross the Mississippi. He wore himself out helping others then died in Nauvoo in March, 1846 before he, too, could leave with the saints. He is buried in the Old Pioneer Cemetery in Nauvoo.<br />
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Exodus Reenactment activities:<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sister Rober Sharing About Nahum Curtis at the Fireside<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Staging for Walk<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Parley Street, Flags from Ancestor Countries</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Program at the River<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Nauvoo Legion</td></tr>
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Elder Lowe Facing West Playing Taps to Honor the Memory of Those Lost on the Plains</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">End of a Remarkable Day in the Nauvoo Mission</td></tr>
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Larry and Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10793186105538713403noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1470041770609957493.post-22968851318269472002017-01-07T20:37:00.001-08:002017-01-07T20:37:27.425-08:00Farewell 2016<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It seems hard to believe that 2016 has come and gone. We left home March 1st for the Missionary Training Center. It has been a wonderful experience and continues to be a blessing in our life to serve the Lord as missionaries in the Illinois Nauvoo Mission. It was different and difficult to spend Christmas away from home. We definitely missed our families, There were many mission activities associated with Christmas and New Years that made it a fun and spiritual holiday here with our fellow missionary family. We did have our son Kirk visit from California for Christmas. It was definitely a climate shock for his California blood. We took him to Hannibal, Missouri (1.5 hour drive) on one of the days to visit the Mark Twain museum and sites. It was a fun day.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mark Twain Home, Hannibal</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kirk and Mom on Main Street, Nauvoo</td></tr>
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<br />December was the coldest weather so far of the mission. We had one night that got down to -8 F with a wind chill factor of -25 F. There was one good snow associated with that storm but within a few weeks it was all melted. The crowds are sparse this time of year. There are many days where no one comes to the sites. In our production sites this time of year it is a time to work on building our inventory of bricks at the Brickyard, horse shoes at the Blacksmith Shop and ropes at the Family Living Center. Our goal is to have 20,000 bricks, 4,000 horse shoes and 3,500 ropes. In the summer when the crowds are so large we spend all of the time giving our tours and handing out items from inventory. In the non-production sites, I am spending most of the spare time I can on the Teaching Center doing missionary work with people who call in from all over the world. Other missionaries are spending time making quilts, hats and scarfs for humanitarian projects.<br />
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December was filled with many holiday activities for the missionaries. In last months posts I covered the Christmas Walk and Live Nativity Production. Other December activities included a holiday open house at the mission home, carols in Carthage, a cast Christmas Party at Elder and Sister Wilsons, a mission Christmas dinner on Christmas eve and a mission New Years Eve Party at the Pageant Building. We also found time for a Preparation Day trip to a Swedish town called Bishop Hill which is north of Nauvoo (2 hour drive) in Illinois.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sister Winegar, Sister Bowler and Sister Rober at Mision Home Open House</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">President and Sister Hall at Carthage Christmas Carol Activity<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Emma Hale Cast Christmas Party</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elder Wilson, Elder Rober and Mark Rober Christmas Sweater</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBX6J2u93HpvNxwkPsRgtaEmZ3ARVd-XPsHm-XTMfe0emX6coPxNrIqrgAFZxULpT__7oat50Dav5p-pudn-LYLtf2kZRN98lR2C1jHyyE2dYeUenmKjK1yaISgq_epgmvsNeM0GqNXHc/s1600/IMG_0748.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBX6J2u93HpvNxwkPsRgtaEmZ3ARVd-XPsHm-XTMfe0emX6coPxNrIqrgAFZxULpT__7oat50Dav5p-pudn-LYLtf2kZRN98lR2C1jHyyE2dYeUenmKjK1yaISgq_epgmvsNeM0GqNXHc/s400/IMG_0748.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elder and Sister Leemaster at Mission Christmas Dinner</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Preparation Day lunch in Bishop Hill</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Games at New Years Eve Party</td></tr>
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<br />It's onward to 2017 with anticipation of family visits, the return of the Sunset by the Mississippi Show and the Pageants. We wish everyone a very happy, healthy and prosperous new year!<br />
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All our love,<br />
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Elder and Sister Rober<br />
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<br />Larry and Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10793186105538713403noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1470041770609957493.post-37083023120647892012016-12-08T14:00:00.000-08:002016-12-08T14:00:05.863-08:00Holiday Season Begins<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fall leaves outside of the Browning Gun Shop</td></tr>
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Holiday Greetings from Nauvoo. The weather in the month of November was quite pleasant. As can be seen from the above picture, there were still pretty leaves early in the month. That ended quite abruptly on December 4 when the first snow of the year arrived and temperatures are now in the 10-30 degree range - welcome winter! The picture below is our little Nauvoo house in the first storm.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">December 4 Snow Storm</td></tr>
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I was thinking that winter was going to be a easier time here with the crowds being much smaller. What I didn't consider is that with the missionary force down from 200 to 100 people it is necessary that we work 9:30 - 5:00 every day. In the busy summer months there are three schedules. We either start at 12, end at 3 or have a 12-3 break in the middle of the day. We are finding that there just doesn't seem to be as much free time in a day to take care of business around the house or in town for shopping. During our shifts now it is not uncommon to have no visitors in a day. All of the sites have wi-fi and good furnaces so we use our computers, read books and/or work on the many Humanitarian projects the mission is doing, like quilts, knitted caps, stuffed bears, among others. I spend time on a computer program called the Teaching Center where I can chat and e-mail people all over the world who express an interest in receiving a free bible, Book of Mormon or have questions about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. This is a great blessing to our mission.<br />
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The mission had a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner. This time of year we miss the holidays with our families but it is a time to share the holidays here with our mission family. The food was fantastic and the company amazing. We truly love our missionary friends.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sitting by Elder and Sister Beecher</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Temple Missionaries joined in for the dinner</td></tr>
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On the night of December 2nd, the mission hosted a community Christmas activity that included a tree lighting, live nativity production, wagon rides, food and caroling.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyoHnJ5qf8tgB26-JM4R9elpEcbmTtoKhcCmIGC7xMv915QbxdeFlU0DD2P3qkmPanizafFwmhDexWzFoVcrPlh0boOxES9U9yfGaF4ZuJ-pcYSUYPifoRC_F7jph3-iQl_vID0QqBZ5s/s1600/IMG_0652.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyoHnJ5qf8tgB26-JM4R9elpEcbmTtoKhcCmIGC7xMv915QbxdeFlU0DD2P3qkmPanizafFwmhDexWzFoVcrPlh0boOxES9U9yfGaF4ZuJ-pcYSUYPifoRC_F7jph3-iQl_vID0QqBZ5s/s640/IMG_0652.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Visitor Center Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony (every ornament represents a site)</td></tr>
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Sister Rober was the Director of the Live Nativity production with Elder Rober doing lights and sound. She and Sister Melody Van Horn had lots of fun creating the amazing new costumes to make the evening even more memorable for the cast and audience. The spirit was felt by all as we testified of our Savior, Jesus Christ's birth and mission. We performed the 15 minute program three times that night with a repeat performance Sunday evening for missionaries who had assignments outside the visitor center and could not attend. Here are some pictures of the nativity production. You can view the production at the following link: https://youtu.be/WdRmmoRzki0<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBsuoBScrbD6-ULnboC0r8nFvVxVFlKGBXzLkKajG7uDR2L4KDn0IKsJWecYv8781aCurnd3UKrWo8TUCCyyumgSI0M-7H5hUy_VLRQ6viBbygMxuDm2_j-4-uu-HMsx_ixk3ieEJDhgI/s1600/IMG_0650.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBsuoBScrbD6-ULnboC0r8nFvVxVFlKGBXzLkKajG7uDR2L4KDn0IKsJWecYv8781aCurnd3UKrWo8TUCCyyumgSI0M-7H5hUy_VLRQ6viBbygMxuDm2_j-4-uu-HMsx_ixk3ieEJDhgI/s640/IMG_0650.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I was in charge of sound and lights. This is the lighting control panel in the booth.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-6g1qHvwNVCnJDe9LwOkne7j1SzrLG2kr0ADZ0kj22J3K4kMq2FDKBTjcYdldEweRIAQ-xptH-Wi7vZ3lPKkbYF1aWGTP1R8uns36fRbDlzd0PMIpJ-jRkbkZl0S3wKkcSgWSIlL3XkM/s1600/IMG_0673.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-6g1qHvwNVCnJDe9LwOkne7j1SzrLG2kr0ADZ0kj22J3K4kMq2FDKBTjcYdldEweRIAQ-xptH-Wi7vZ3lPKkbYF1aWGTP1R8uns36fRbDlzd0PMIpJ-jRkbkZl0S3wKkcSgWSIlL3XkM/s640/IMG_0673.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our amazing cast of missionaries. The production was a spiritual experience for everyone depicting the events of the birth of our Savior.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieW9p-C4WoXyuz-r4N1GmNvPL2tJwtlNEpHPyvo3uUJn0uibi1cgZJJyojSW9Sd5fXgFoDyh7T4sLAHOWKR1AYhYqFWXyECo8Oznz0Z4lfyZqno1b5APpQcB5kSWDARokYACyeO3wPL10/s1600/IMG_0632.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieW9p-C4WoXyuz-r4N1GmNvPL2tJwtlNEpHPyvo3uUJn0uibi1cgZJJyojSW9Sd5fXgFoDyh7T4sLAHOWKR1AYhYqFWXyECo8Oznz0Z4lfyZqno1b5APpQcB5kSWDARokYACyeO3wPL10/s640/IMG_0632.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Technician with the Director.</td></tr>
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The sites are all decorated for Christmas which makes the area very festive and beautiful for the Christmas season. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBAcgs-jiG-8-G1Yflx89g4mftD3ZW9ECfYQnslm1kN9TscZBNh1Rr_1fzCKB4qgppNNEspTmjTWg2eqo96TzGfqJpOFrY9noRkSz3wbdLy4Dx7PcSb2qaztnY42VMOZH6d6g1D-ty-5c/s1600/IMG_0686.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBAcgs-jiG-8-G1Yflx89g4mftD3ZW9ECfYQnslm1kN9TscZBNh1Rr_1fzCKB4qgppNNEspTmjTWg2eqo96TzGfqJpOFrY9noRkSz3wbdLy4Dx7PcSb2qaztnY42VMOZH6d6g1D-ty-5c/s640/IMG_0686.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brigham Young home decorated for Christmas</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibzuPILERSvoADsYpJaVrj1g8XvpF7bCnO4DKeE6co2MGJjgQ6zE87BUKzgyTune8o6fiNWcpYRaysAzIbOP3m83tn_0uRYILtRa5EJvW0FmqPXwBaTxJw64cjRviqBAJ6Z5eU2-oDDwI/s1600/IMG_0547.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibzuPILERSvoADsYpJaVrj1g8XvpF7bCnO4DKeE6co2MGJjgQ6zE87BUKzgyTune8o6fiNWcpYRaysAzIbOP3m83tn_0uRYILtRa5EJvW0FmqPXwBaTxJw64cjRviqBAJ6Z5eU2-oDDwI/s640/IMG_0547.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nutcracker helping make horse shoes at the Blacksmith Shop</td></tr>
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As of this week we are passing the half way point of our mission. We can't believe how fast the time goes by. It continues to be a wonderful opportunity to serve the Lord in such a historic and spiritual city. We look forward to our 2017 mission experiences.</div>
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We wish everyone a joyous Christmas and Happy New Year! </div>
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Love</div>
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Elder and Sister Rober</div>
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Larry and Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10793186105538713403noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1470041770609957493.post-17983170325279374572016-11-05T18:32:00.000-07:002016-11-05T18:32:12.064-07:00October<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxEF9UgYdl76wKNGz-oryMqhMWJnU6RzVIQt2zReTM6z2yio-i78NLTxPUau1yvAAX-tdG_XrukUIHsRTNNYYCQgAd2jp93vbj94yDeb0uHfv3YjW1P-zdqDFen25AKQviQthyphenhyphenT3KCbuo/s1600/Nauvoo+Fall+10-6-15+%252813%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="422" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxEF9UgYdl76wKNGz-oryMqhMWJnU6RzVIQt2zReTM6z2yio-i78NLTxPUau1yvAAX-tdG_XrukUIHsRTNNYYCQgAd2jp93vbj94yDeb0uHfv3YjW1P-zdqDFen25AKQviQthyphenhyphenT3KCbuo/s640/Nauvoo+Fall+10-6-15+%252813%2529.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Joseph and Emma Smith, Nauvoo Women's Garden (Photo by Pickle Barrel)</td></tr>
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October was an interesting month in the mission. I was thinking the crowds would continue to diminish but that was not the case. There were many bus tours and visitors in October making the sites more crowded than September. They were mainly people wanting to see the leaves turning but also people hoping for that perfect weather month - not too hot or too cold. They were not disappointed on that front. The weather was actually above average levels. In fact for the city Halloween activity it was 80 degrees and it was pleasant because the humidity is gone. We did have one morning where we had to scrape ice of the windshield to remind us of what is on the way.<br />
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Almost all of the corn and soy beans have been harvested from the fields. The fall colors are quite spectacular. Here are some examples near some of the famous historical sites.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5m7LD-a2o7rqD2S3nifHfbZ7b4Ozd8WMcWfgngSvz5a6aib39rHUWIbZYwcra3zpy0XkAd_JuLh-NmtCp7IcieQp_oNias1cKwqv4boBpksHnhVmfslya3uZS2MgWogBHjli92UNNgbY/s1600/IMG_0486.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5m7LD-a2o7rqD2S3nifHfbZ7b4Ozd8WMcWfgngSvz5a6aib39rHUWIbZYwcra3zpy0XkAd_JuLh-NmtCp7IcieQp_oNias1cKwqv4boBpksHnhVmfslya3uZS2MgWogBHjli92UNNgbY/s400/IMG_0486.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Red Brick Store</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVaS4_VARJp4-STf54sWZMoC75VWDeJr33Vhr65BibawVXHDTcdqiF9CfwUJKsOL1UZdYqHhQooV1wYCrVlyccmymxXlOs7JQsgsqp0dPDkWTNikzNtCsZCqIR4cWtSoNYnU4FM0J1_fQ/s1600/Nauvoo+Fall+10-6-15+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVaS4_VARJp4-STf54sWZMoC75VWDeJr33Vhr65BibawVXHDTcdqiF9CfwUJKsOL1UZdYqHhQooV1wYCrVlyccmymxXlOs7JQsgsqp0dPDkWTNikzNtCsZCqIR4cWtSoNYnU4FM0J1_fQ/s400/Nauvoo+Fall+10-6-15+%25281%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Joseph Smith Homestead (Photo by Pickle Barrel)</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5hmwdhWyO3B5CioS_IApRweGBQYYE3Opmhyphenhyphenwtbfi-28YSkeRPM2WyWeBf5VW_5X5D4MVXY25g8p-uuRBpO0ZirNqJQSpiat_nbRVRGrIVg1CYK22RnHALKfYuEnzIvdcHEAd99UY1QmU/s1600/IMG_0482.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5hmwdhWyO3B5CioS_IApRweGBQYYE3Opmhyphenhyphenwtbfi-28YSkeRPM2WyWeBf5VW_5X5D4MVXY25g8p-uuRBpO0ZirNqJQSpiat_nbRVRGrIVg1CYK22RnHALKfYuEnzIvdcHEAd99UY1QmU/s400/IMG_0482.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mansion House</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjETb72MGhASJy3RfOxXCPTkJx-J2GgX56LoYVfpu092rRfUDvIUk-IP3YWQcXSSU5xG9VuXUazo-hItenxoK7KlqnOe5yCGMECqF9hqsCtQqeCbgqL7Fp5P001IUSMn2OY5g-ZQy8FRqE/s1600/IMG_0432.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjETb72MGhASJy3RfOxXCPTkJx-J2GgX56LoYVfpu092rRfUDvIUk-IP3YWQcXSSU5xG9VuXUazo-hItenxoK7KlqnOe5yCGMECqF9hqsCtQqeCbgqL7Fp5P001IUSMn2OY5g-ZQy8FRqE/s400/IMG_0432.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nauvoo Temple</td></tr>
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On Halloween, the City of Nauvoo hosted a Boo-ti-ful Nauvoo Festival. They estimate 5,000 people came to our little 1,000 person town. The missionaries were involved in the activities and parade. The main street was lined with over 500 pumpkins that were carved with great skill by members of the community and missionaries. The high light of the day was an old fashioned Halloween parade open to anyone who wanted to march in their costume. It was a fun night for everyone in attendance and the mission to be a part of the activities.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbVAI65meCASfO-6SIEZCv1ZkhjRZpGzaB9Umy92SEjwN4gWnKDge25LooG51L89dWJNaVdG5GC2kEvRXo35IoR_beoTXPtSKaw1llWyq3MFPmubm3KE2G15iOwcS3kEu1PXdSpjAbeSg/s1600/IMG_0453.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbVAI65meCASfO-6SIEZCv1ZkhjRZpGzaB9Umy92SEjwN4gWnKDge25LooG51L89dWJNaVdG5GC2kEvRXo35IoR_beoTXPtSKaw1llWyq3MFPmubm3KE2G15iOwcS3kEu1PXdSpjAbeSg/s400/IMG_0453.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lots of work carving pumpkins</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZqx5onXIiD4btY4Gi92W4wUKDBm8YJNmGHONHBFhm9JnRZObELng3jmar65Y1uoJHZ56xZII15gRBUlXEaOfpF_bH6x6NRjzAr33HTzqYXw7XJjMmiHRyEBz3grPuLrkQRoGAMHivZJs/s1600/IMG_0470.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZqx5onXIiD4btY4Gi92W4wUKDBm8YJNmGHONHBFhm9JnRZObELng3jmar65Y1uoJHZ56xZII15gRBUlXEaOfpF_bH6x6NRjzAr33HTzqYXw7XJjMmiHRyEBz3grPuLrkQRoGAMHivZJs/s400/IMG_0470.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Very detailed and artistic talents</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaJEcSFs_h4eYlDqF6OA55VhuVhPQHtqOatewApCB6RMeE_huIsZYMAXYnPufU6iRPrLQPj-dPz-XJZ-np8SaqwPgVTtmR_cP65kWsTPvtrdDzzT_pWc585PJoNYtiNOPM17j9Ly0Q2-A/s1600/IMG_0497.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaJEcSFs_h4eYlDqF6OA55VhuVhPQHtqOatewApCB6RMeE_huIsZYMAXYnPufU6iRPrLQPj-dPz-XJZ-np8SaqwPgVTtmR_cP65kWsTPvtrdDzzT_pWc585PJoNYtiNOPM17j9Ly0Q2-A/s400/IMG_0497.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Senior Missionary Halloween wagon with entertainment</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw8xZprv_2xKcoE9bGFQCunyH7r3U0TCZPdgndOnlFuIagG0RaiD_NizpYlzFXvDbltdbeKh8wQgAHDxVxr8vhMI6-nV48b1AT5xLzgR7rMydynt1TzzIzC34fJDxBd5ue3KMRFBgncBI/s1600/IMG_0501.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw8xZprv_2xKcoE9bGFQCunyH7r3U0TCZPdgndOnlFuIagG0RaiD_NizpYlzFXvDbltdbeKh8wQgAHDxVxr8vhMI6-nV48b1AT5xLzgR7rMydynt1TzzIzC34fJDxBd5ue3KMRFBgncBI/s400/IMG_0501.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sister Rober was in charge of music and choreography</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOtRQp5NPbV9FKA__NGRdxeVqbdGoVR0oSH7J13AeOZXX6nBeWbHuZiQYmTne2XpxCkI9f3HYhsGMWqaQ9peGDoYfFU3NuWdNEiDTjzdZjISqyOxIk5VjD6z27NIsupsvsJMlJ0YvKwzg/s1600/IMG_0463.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOtRQp5NPbV9FKA__NGRdxeVqbdGoVR0oSH7J13AeOZXX6nBeWbHuZiQYmTne2XpxCkI9f3HYhsGMWqaQ9peGDoYfFU3NuWdNEiDTjzdZjISqyOxIk5VjD6z27NIsupsvsJMlJ0YvKwzg/s400/IMG_0463.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Costume Parade</td></tr>
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In the winter months there will definitely be more free time in the sites including a few days where no one may come into a site. During this free time the missionaries can study and/or work on humanitarian projects. We are blessed that starting this year our missionaries have received access to the Teaching Center. This is a world wide internet based system where people can call, text, chat and e-mail their questions about the church. The Church also makes free Bibles and Book of Mormons available to those who request them. As a missionary, we can log on and click on people who are routed to the system with their questions and requests. It is amazing to me to see how many people are logged in to mormon.org and send in requests seeking answers to their questions. We can answer their questions and, in cases where they approve, have missionaries deliver the books or make personal visits to further answer their questions. We can stay in touch with the people and become their friends as they meet with the local missionaries. I am participating every minute I can find on the system. I have been in contact with people from Ireland, England, Russia, Nigeria, Brazil and many US States. In our historical mission we don't have many opportunities to meet and know people more as they pass through our site to the next. This is giving those who want to participate a chance to engage in more conventional proselyting work. </div>
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We are enjoying our mission. What a marvelous opportunity to meet so many people who visit and contact the Teaching Center. We are making new friends with our fellow missionaries. We are experiencing a change in seasons and seeing the beauty of the Midwest and the Mississippi River. We are learning so much more about Church history and the church members who lived here between 1939-1846. We are learning about the Midwest and getting to know some of the people who now live here and call it home. We are learning about farming and the big part that it plays in the lives of people living here in America's heartland. We are enjoying our little grandma house in this very small town that receives 250,000 visitors every year who want to learn more about the history and see the spectacular pageants. We are learning of the great joy that comes from being a missionary and testifying about our Savior Jesus Christ and the restored gospel.</div>
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There are Thanksgiving and Christmas activities planned for the community and mission. We look forward to our holidays here in Illinois but we will miss being around our family and friends. Thank goodness for social media and Facetime to see and feel the excitement of the grand kids.</div>
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All our love,</div>
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Elder and Sister Rober</div>
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Larry and Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10793186105538713403noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1470041770609957493.post-30771542902577822652016-10-13T20:15:00.000-07:002016-10-13T20:15:40.823-07:00Fall Has Arrived<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJIQemH804bmeq763wxCzisusgqKKp8n9yJ4CT2_LLvHxKIFOmCR8cVUwa8VG27fGiFY7SBSLqbD5zw9np3Cip0BNVpsav3trINB8UWbh6m-7126g-9gbA480fJGNof6QpPQu_2s0b_OQ/s1600/IMG_0373.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="380" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJIQemH804bmeq763wxCzisusgqKKp8n9yJ4CT2_LLvHxKIFOmCR8cVUwa8VG27fGiFY7SBSLqbD5zw9np3Cip0BNVpsav3trINB8UWbh6m-7126g-9gbA480fJGNof6QpPQu_2s0b_OQ/s640/IMG_0373.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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It's official that colder weather is on the way. This morning we had to use the ice scrapper for the first time on the windshield. The last month has been quite pleasant with temperatures in the 60's, 70's and 80's. The leaves are starting to turn. By our next update there should be many good pictures of colorful trees. The picture above was taken in the flower bed in front of the Browning Gun Shop.<br />
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We were blessed to have Elder Ballard, an Apostle in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, come to the mission since the last update. He talked to all of the site missionaries for about one hour. His message was that the world is changing more everyday to a more difficult place to stand for truth and righteousness. He encouraged all of the missionaries to take time to bear their testimonies of the Gospel to our families back home, especially our grandchildren.<br />
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We are getting close to our winter missionary staffing. There are still a few couples leaving this month and in November. The good news is we received five new couples this week. After that, we should be somewhere near 100 missionaries for the winter. With the reduced winter hours (10-5) we are ending up working the whole shift quite often instead of partial days in the summer 9-6 summer schedule. The crowds slowed down after Labor Day but for the last few weeks we have had several bus tours and other visitors coming through. This last week we have had several nights where two Rendezvous Shows were required because of the crowds. With the ending of the Sunset Show, we definitely feel like we have more time available in the evenings since we now only have two Rendezvous nights a week.<br />
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With a little more time available, Sister Rober and I have taken a few trips on our Preparation Day to interesting museums near here. Our first trip was to Springfield to see the Abraham Lincoln sites. They have restored his home and neighborhood and there is a fantastic museum telling about his life. We learned many things about him in the museum and gained much respect for the difficult time he had to watch over a horrible war in our country's history while at the same time holding out to end slavery and unite a divided country in the aftermath. Springfield is about 2.5 hours from Nauvoo and is worth the side trip for anyone planning a Nauvoo vacation.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA1xF191_dffISAXdwCWMcEyFn0DQn9_M726x2wAtlstUmKzHq92SQDibgHUS1AtN4goIGvN6ohhWlbPHtU1dzKZraDR1tMVXlkwVvin9h8oPGNLIxYxk6JkEJT6YImPGOus34o10ul-Q/s1600/IMG_0243.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA1xF191_dffISAXdwCWMcEyFn0DQn9_M726x2wAtlstUmKzHq92SQDibgHUS1AtN4goIGvN6ohhWlbPHtU1dzKZraDR1tMVXlkwVvin9h8oPGNLIxYxk6JkEJT6YImPGOus34o10ul-Q/s640/IMG_0243.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Our second trip was to Hannibal, Missouri. It is 1.5 hours from here and is the childhood home of Mark Twain. They have a museum and village there also but it is not the scale or quality of the Lincoln sites. He definitely had an interesting life and it is easy to like his style of speaking and writing. We were very lucky that the day we arrived one of the big riverboats docked for the day. That looks like an interesting cruise and way to see the grand old Mississippi River.<br />
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The are 26 Sites here in Nauvoo that we can serve in. Here are some pictures of the Sites I normally serve in:<br />
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Blacksmith Shop</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3zn_jcEFPwI1Xo3ESH0VOFN1nfAfB1RHlx1q56y1pXzBn7FoPHpLL_O0v-HXkYtwmdAH8muHpLBg0uMi1ikr_yIRkUh6ETved_3uyoO7rEaeSxs424W0GyrnfB9VFOehNtEL7cPXKQ3c/s1600/BLACKSMITH+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3zn_jcEFPwI1Xo3ESH0VOFN1nfAfB1RHlx1q56y1pXzBn7FoPHpLL_O0v-HXkYtwmdAH8muHpLBg0uMi1ikr_yIRkUh6ETved_3uyoO7rEaeSxs424W0GyrnfB9VFOehNtEL7cPXKQ3c/s400/BLACKSMITH+1.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Brickyard</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLIVMIZ3JlnSG5XsxMmTdmqaPeOPT_4UxtWidiu4nJu79XNlMZJ8qrHDS4lHHxdeu2Md91Uv9Os71HpQVpo7zs_8-QKdrwqiriWaaQacdngOytKj3LH9FPsKhjT0lbbI2xTJL-eCAgcB0/s1600/BRICKYARD+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLIVMIZ3JlnSG5XsxMmTdmqaPeOPT_4UxtWidiu4nJu79XNlMZJ8qrHDS4lHHxdeu2Md91Uv9Os71HpQVpo7zs_8-QKdrwqiriWaaQacdngOytKj3LH9FPsKhjT0lbbI2xTJL-eCAgcB0/s400/BRICKYARD+1.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Browning Gun Shop</div>
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Riser Boot Shop</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOyNDReOe1LXcqnp-LDWZfw7828qqo6EOirS8Ij6ahiH1tjStjAMqAnSV3eM-Omwc2ft6FcYXGbLBBpiZs1qBCPwz2rrVLlDoLTO72SxKGUHiBwy6a8qxAGUk-yhYHG-zXbu0krBHr4k8/s1600/IMG_9578.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOyNDReOe1LXcqnp-LDWZfw7828qqo6EOirS8Ij6ahiH1tjStjAMqAnSV3eM-Omwc2ft6FcYXGbLBBpiZs1qBCPwz2rrVLlDoLTO72SxKGUHiBwy6a8qxAGUk-yhYHG-zXbu0krBHr4k8/s400/IMG_9578.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Family Living Center</div>
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Sister Rober spends time serving in some of these Sites:<br />
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Cultural Hall (Home of Rendezvous Play)</div>
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Print Shop</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4CN9AE1GiFmjNsXKIOOPGHtxa3Elq-0ZWWpITulcFiVU_5-hX7TrmaHRyMfs_wtWORPBblEixZrFXHKzWoFf6OyRbAbSgLXxE1Jaj7ta81-XR7ywDuw_ZgEjyv62tZSLatfnkf8owaX8/s1600/PRINT+SHOP+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4CN9AE1GiFmjNsXKIOOPGHtxa3Elq-0ZWWpITulcFiVU_5-hX7TrmaHRyMfs_wtWORPBblEixZrFXHKzWoFf6OyRbAbSgLXxE1Jaj7ta81-XR7ywDuw_ZgEjyv62tZSLatfnkf8owaX8/s640/PRINT+SHOP+1.JPG" width="422" /></a></div>
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Brigham Young Home</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNb8SMn5cD9QYlLmMeGc5kD78VC3CMo35RL-oz1o3ljieOxKsDh5Se5GT7oUkYg-bEL3CRLLnY093r43MH0GpDuozA-rY7p9gfFy9CzJOr4fun0TR4gL-mHT5Qr7lDPRJyv5111WRUMIY/s1600/BRIGHAM+YOUNG+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNb8SMn5cD9QYlLmMeGc5kD78VC3CMo35RL-oz1o3ljieOxKsDh5Se5GT7oUkYg-bEL3CRLLnY093r43MH0GpDuozA-rY7p9gfFy9CzJOr4fun0TR4gL-mHT5Qr7lDPRJyv5111WRUMIY/s400/BRIGHAM+YOUNG+1.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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John Taylor Home</div>
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Heber C. Kimball Home</div>
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Sarah Granger Kimball Home</div>
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Wilford Woodruff Home</div>
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I am tempted to write something about each Site in these updates but that would not do them the justice they deserve by making a personal visit. If I told you all of the details you might decide to not visit and that would be a mistake. The reason is that you can not feel the Spirit of this town in a written summary. There is a special feeling to know that you are walking the same streets as the well known pioneers in church history. In the Nauvoo Pageant, the narrator of the performance is Parley P. Pratt. In the show he makes the following statement - "When you are here, we are here with you". I want to affirm that is true. These are special streets and they were special people who lived in this town. As we get the chance to talk about them in our tours we can feel they are indeed here with us.<br />
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I want to give credit in this blog to Elder and Sister Heslop. They have gone home but during the end of their mission time they were assigned to be mission photographers. Many of the pictures in these posts were taken by them, or other missionaries, and they did a great job of compiling and documenting these pictures for all of the missionaries to have great memories of our missions. Thank you Heslops!<br />
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Love from Nauvoo<br />
Elder and Sister Rober<br />
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<br />Larry and Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10793186105538713403noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1470041770609957493.post-72638320591597569022016-09-02T10:50:00.000-07:002016-09-02T14:35:46.353-07:00End of Summer<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This is our MTC (Missionary Training Center) Group. In what seems like a blink of an eye we are now 6 months from the date we entered the MTC. We can't believe how fast the mission is passing by and what a wonderful blessing it is to be called to serve here in Nauvoo. Today was a sad day. We had a breakfast honoring 20 couples who are returning home in September following their 18 month mission. <br />
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In October and November another 20 couples will leave. They are marvelous people who trained us at all our sites and were examples to us in every aspect of the mission. We love them and will miss them. They will be friends for life. The best part of serving in this mission is the people - our fellow missionaries and the guests who come into our sites and see our shows.<br />
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We will be going from around 180 missionaries to 100 for the winter months. There will be occasional days where we may not have anyone visit our site. It will be such a change from the hectic summer months. This is a very unique mission in several ways. The summer/winter effect is definitely one of the major unique aspects. You may ask what will we do to pass the time. In the past our missionaries have worked on humanitarian projects in the sites in addition to reading books and working on family history projects. This winter we will be blessed with another option. We will have access to the Church online Teaching Center. This program has links to the many Church websites that people can request contact with missionaries regarding questions they may have about the Church or receiving a free copy of the Bible or Book of Mormon. It is my understanding that only missionaries at Temple Square and Nauvoo are connected to this program. I have been testing it. It is amazing to see how many people are online and want to receive more information. I have talked to English speaking people in Brazil and Europe. It will give us an opportunity to get more personal with people who have an interest. It will be a different environment than our tours where we testify of Christ and deliver Spiritual messages but only occasionally can talk one on one with the guests. I am excited to make this tool an important part of the winter time.<br />
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With the departure of the stalwart couples in the next few months, the torch is being passed on some leadership callings for next spring and summer. Sister Rober and I have been called to be Directors of the senior missionaries in the Sunset by the Mississippi Show. Our job will be to train them on the music and choreography for all of the numbers involving senior missionaries in the show. Obviously my resume had a small part with us being selected but the mission will be blessed with all of Sister Rober's experience in performances and teaching dance and theater to her students. We are excited to work together on this project. Elder Harry and Sister Nancy Schultz, personal friends of ours, were just called as the Directors of Nauvoo Entertainment and they have responsibility for the Sunset and Rendezvous shows. We are excited to have the chance to work with them on our Sunset assignment. Here is a picture of Sister Rober with Elder and Sister Schultz (on left) and Elder and Sister Lowe. Sister Lowe is the Director of the Rendezvous Show. Everyone one in the picture were members of the BYU Young Ambassador group many years ago.<br />
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We have already started one of our winter projects regarding the show. There is a children's parade in the Sunset Show every night. Before the show, they get to color paper hats that they wear in the parade. Our job is to prepare around 3,000 folded hats for next year's shows. We are distributing the materials to the sites already to have other missionaries help in the production of the hats. I am also taking on the winter project of learning the banjo to be a potential member of the accompaniment band. This may not be a good thing for my companions at the winter sites.<br />
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It is hard not to look back on the fantastic summer experiences and the spirit of the Pageants and other summer shows. I feel I have written enough for this month but do want to share several pictures to help you share in our mission experiences.<br />
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Here are our 2016 cast pictures for the Sunset and Rendezvous shows.<br />
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My favorite summer shows were the BYU Folk Dancers and Vocal Point Group.<br />
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Here are a few additional Pageant pictures. The first is the Young Performing Missionaries dancing in the Nauvoo Pageant. The second is the finale scene of the British Pageant. The Senior Missionaries were invited to the stage to sing in the final number. We did it a few times and it was fun.<br />
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And last but not least, here is a picture of Elder and Sister Rober enjoying serving as companions in this mission. The mission has been an wonderful opportunity to become closer in our lives!<br />
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Love to all!<br />
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Elder and Sister Rober<br />
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<br />Larry and Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10793186105538713403noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1470041770609957493.post-60801184460249522502016-08-02T18:56:00.000-07:002016-08-02T19:15:24.502-07:00Pageant Month<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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July is over. It was amazing! This little town was buzzing with people and activities. Around 55,000 people attended the Pageant performances. Our tours at the Sites were very large every day. Many Stakes brought youth groups to Nauvoo for their youth conferences. Several of the groups had 200 people - I can remember groups from Georgia, Tennessee, Florida, Idaho, Alabama, Utah, Minnesota, Kentucky, Texas (several), Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Colorado and Arizona. The weather was warm (85-95) and moderately humid all month. The heat index, which takes the humidity into account, was over 100 several days. The worst day I remember reached a heat index of 115. We are handling that part OK.<br />
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We are called to be Site Missionaries. As I think back about the experiences, especially at popular Sites like the Blacksmith Shop and Browning Gun, it was not unusual to have days where we led 400 people through the tours. At each Site in addition to telling about the people and their activities we always share a spiritual message regarding the restored gospel relating to Jesus Christ, Christ's atonement, faith, obedience, the temple, families, the Priesthood, modern day prophets, repentance and baptism. What a wonderful opportunity to meet so many people and share our messages. Even though many of the people are members of the Church, I know that they go home more inspired to try a little harder to be better disciples of Christ as they learn about the experience of the Saints in Nauvoo.<br />
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There were two Pageants. The British Pageant is the story of the Mormon missionaries who traveled to England to preach the Gospel. They had tremendous success. The Nauvoo Pageant is the story of building up this city and completing construction of the temple. They are both excellent. We saw them several times as we attended with visiting company. Each time was better than the time before. There is something special about a spiritual message delivered in music and dance. Here is a sample of two of my favorite scenes from the Nauvoo Pageant:<br />
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It was a blessing to have many visitors in July. Our son Clint was here later in the month. The Vaughn's from P2 and the Sy's from YL 4 were in town. Leah's cousins, the Pittard's came for a visit. For a few days there was a reunion of 7 of the 14 original Young Ambassadors who were on a 90 day tour of Asia and the Pacific with Leah 46 years ago.<br />
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We are loving our mission and the opportunity to meet so many people coming on our tours. It seems like every day in July we met someone who was here visiting and had no idea we were here. We are meeting so many outstanding new friends serving with us as missionaries.<br />
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I will close by showing a picture of a famous Nauvoo sunset over the Mississippi River.<br />
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Love to all,<br />
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Elder and Sister RoberLarry and Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10793186105538713403noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1470041770609957493.post-63522554437459759632016-06-26T17:51:00.002-07:002016-06-26T17:51:26.193-07:00Summer Has Arrived<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Judging by the weather, summer has definitely arrived. Most days in the month of June have been over 90 degrees. We are lucky that the humidity has been moderate so it has been bearable. We are in need of rain. Everyone here counts on summer showers to water the lawns and especially their corn fields. Last June was an very wet month. Looking forward to several days in the 80's in next weeks forecast. Working around the forge in the blacksmith is the worst hot day site assignment. They keep close track of the heat index here. If it were to get to 105 (with the humidity effect) all outdoor activities are shut down.</div>
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This month we were in the mode of performing our shows. The Sunset on the Mississippi show takes place at 7 pm every night. There are three casts of senior missionaries. Each cast performs twice per week. Our nights for Sunset in June were Monday/Thursday. That rotates every month so we begin Tuesday/Friday for July this week. Sister Rober and I perform a specialty number as part of the show one time each week. Here is a video of our number.</div>
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I am surprised at how I am being stretched on this mission. I never would have believed that I would ever be able to play the piano in front of an audience. Her partner in the number is one of the Young Performing Missionaries (YPM) that come here every summer to sing and dance in the shows and around town. Here are the YPM's air born in their clogging number in the show.<br />
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This is the Nauvoo Brass Band that accompanies the show.</div>
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The Senior Missionaries do a group polka number. Sister Rober and I are in this shot.<br />
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The excitement level is beginning to build for the Nauvoo Pageants. Beginning on July 5 and running through the month of July, there are performances at 8:30 pm every night except Sunday. There is a Nauvoo Pageant and a British Pageant. The British Pageant is the story of the Mormon missionaries who traveled to England in the 1830's and their efforts to preach the Gospel there. There were many people who accepted their message, were baptized and immigrated to the America. Many of them made their way to Nauvoo. The Nauvoo Pageant is the story of this growth of this beautiful city from arrival in 1839 to the exodus in February of 1846. During the peak period of Nauvoo, there were around 15,000 people living here. It was equal in population to Chicago during this period. <br />
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They have a pretty cool program associated with the pageant. Around 25 families travel here to be extras in the production for a two week period. In their first week they practice. In the second week they are in the show. In the week they perform, another group of families arrive for practice and so it goes for the month. It is a commitment of time but a memory for life for the lucky families that are picked to come here. The Senior Missionaries in our mission have no official parts in the pageant activities. We do have the opportunity on an optional basis to come on the stage at the end of the British Pageant and sing the Mormon Missionary Anthem "Called to Serve" as part of the finale. We are looking forward to doing this a few times.<br />
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Our work in the sites continues to be wonderful experience. As we testify of the stories of the residents of Nauvoo it increases our appreciation of the lessons we can learn from their faith and endurance to make it through difficult times. Our goal is to have people go home from Nauvoo inspired to do hard things in their lives as they remember the examples of those who lived here. Our tours are growing in numbers as the Pageants near. During the year, around 250,000 visitors come to this town which has a population of around 1,000 people. In the month of July during Pageant the visitors number around 50,000. The missionaries who were here last summer are warning us to prepare for a wild month as this little town reaches a fever pitch and our tours can have over twenty visitors every fifteen minutes. One of the fun things that happens is meeting people here that we know from back home and they have no idea we are serving as missionaries. Several times we meet friends of our children who recognize the name on our badges. The summer schedule is physically tiring with six hour shifts in the sites and shows four nights per week. We love the pace and the Spirit that comes with it. It feels good to crash in bed at night totally exhausted. Each week we get one day off - our Preparation Day - to go grocery shopping, clean the house and catch up on the wash.<br />
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The summer sunsets are supposed to be spectacular. Due to our drought and the lack of clouds we are waiting for that experience. Here is my best sunset picture so far. You can see the Mississippi River in the background.<br />
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This is a sculpture of Joseph and Hyrum Smith riding out of town to go to Carthage where they were both murdered by an angry mob on June 27, 1844. They sealed their testimony of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ with their blood on that fateful day.</div>
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The Church does an excellent job of maintaining the grounds in such a beautiful manner. Here are some other interesting pictures of the beautiful grounds and some of our animal friends.</div>
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I have taken to flowers here due to the spirit of the grounds. This is the side entrance to our little home and the extent of my flower garden. It is easy to weed and keep up this small area.</div>
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That is our June report. We are looking forward to the challenges and excitement of July Pageant month.</div>
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Love to all,</div>
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Elder and Sister Rober</div>
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Larry and Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10793186105538713403noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1470041770609957493.post-27828389691815506412016-05-29T20:25:00.000-07:002016-05-29T20:25:26.278-07:00A Month of Preparation and Practice<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The time is going by fast. It is hard to believe it has almost been three months since we left California for our Mission. This past month has been a time to prepare for the crowds that begin building in June, July and August. The weather has been good this month. Most days were in the 60"s and 70's with an occasional 80's. We have had quite a bit of rain, but never for more than a few hours. There have even been a few thunder and lighting storms. They can last for one to two hours straight in this part of our country.<br />
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Beginning this weekend we have gone into our summer site schedules. The sites that we serve in are now open from 9 am to 6 pm Monday through Saturday. On Sunday's the sites are open from 12:30 - 5:00 pm. Each Friday afternoon a schedule is published for the following week on which locations we serve for that week. During May we had school tours from the surrounding area on about half our days. It is a good time for the kids to come and see a few sites and get a wagon ride before the large crowds arrive.<br />
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Serving in the sites is the main purpose we have been called. It is where we get to meet so many different people. Many of them are members of the Church. Our presentations to each group need to be no more than 10 minutes to accommodate the summer crowds. In our presentations we teach the guests about many of the activities of the people in the 1840's - rope making, candle making, bread making, tinsmiths, blacksmiths, weaving, printing, spinning, brick making, boot making and gun smiths. We testify of the trials, faith, hard work and unity of the people in accomplishing difficult tasks. In my previous visits as a guest it was inspiring to hear their stories. It always made me appreciate their sacrifices and want to try a little harder in my life to be more Christlike and have the faith to face my challenges when I returned home from the visit. It is a great blessing to now be called as a missionary to be teaching the guests these events. I am always impressed to see parents bring their families here on spring breaks and now in the summer to give their children an opportunity to hear and feel the Spirit of these historical sites. Sister Rober and I are always reminding ourselves of the sacred nature of the events and streets we get to call home for a short time.<br />
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Our site shifts are now 6 hours. Two nights a week we are in the Senior Missionary Rendezvous Show. We need to be there at 6:30 to prepare for the 7:00 pm show and a repeat show at 8:15. It makes it very tight now if our site shift ends at 6:00 and we need to go home and change into our Rendezvous clothes in 30 minutes - maybe time for a granola bar for dinner. The Rendezvous Show runs year round but with normally only one show per night in the winter months. The show does an excellent job testifying in music the same messages we give at the sites. Sister Rober is playing the piano accompaniment for the Rendezvous Show and has just started accompanying a children's show three days per week for the summer schedule.<br />
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We are now also in two performances per week of the Sunset by the Mississippi Show. These shows begin at 7 pm every night but Sunday during the summer. The Young Performing Missionaries (YPM) and Brass Band are the main performers in this show. In April, Sister Rober talked me into playing a little boogie woogie piano number for the talent show. During the Sunset show each night there are two Senior Missionary specialty numbers. Somehow, the Sunset Directors have asked me to play my number once each week. They also discovered Sister Rober's dance and choreography skills and asked her to add some senior missionaries as swing dancers in the number. They have also provided a YPM dance partner for her to be part of the number. We have been practicing for the show ever since we arrived. Here are some pictures from a few rehearsals.<br />
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Here is a video of the Brass Band. They play from a horse drawn carriage at several locations on the property.<br />
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These are the YPM singers and dancers.<br />
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A blessing of serving here is to be so close to a temple. We can walk there in ten minutes from our house. It has been restored to look exactly like the temple the Saints built with much sacrifice while they were here. They completed the temple in November of 1845 and began their exodus from here on February 4, 1846. It was only used for all of the available ordinances for this short time. It sits on top of the hill above the river and is visible for miles around in this fairly flat country. It is truly a beautiful building. The temple was finished in 2002. The restoration of the other sites we serve in began in the 1960-1970 time period.<br />
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We are enjoying seeing this part of the country. There are farm lands in much of the surrounding area. Corn is king here. They grow a variety that is used to feed animals. I thought I was in for a treat of fresh sweet corn but it looks like that won't happen. When we first arrived, many of the farms were just dirt. We are now starting to see the corn begin to grow. The farms rely totally on rain for moisture. That hasn't been a problem lately. Many of the houses here have very large grass yards. Everyone seems to have their ride-on John Deere mower. The grass grows rapidly with the rain showers followed by sunny times. There are no block walls between properties. You can see the whole neighborhood from your back yard. <br />
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We are seeing many things for the first time. I have now seen my first cardinal. They are one of the prettiest birds I have ever seen.<br />
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I find it interesting also to be on the banks of the Mississippi River. In our wagon tours, the guides teach the guests it is 2340 miles long. There always seems to be something interesting on the river. Many of the crops and other industrial materials and commodities are moved on this river. In the early days of Nauvoo, it was the main way of new converts arriving in town from the missionary work taking place in England and other parts of Europe. It is always "alive" with some kind of activity. Here is an example from a morning bike ride I took a few weeks ago.<br />
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We are excited about the summer season here and know we will find the energy to make it through the longer (and hotter) days and performance schedules. We are loving the work, living in such an historic place and testifying of our Savior Jesus Christ.<br />
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Here are some other photos for the month. The grounds are so beautiful!<br />
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<br />Larry and Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10793186105538713403noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1470041770609957493.post-52484231079382875622016-04-24T12:17:00.002-07:002016-04-26T07:14:45.488-07:00Spring Has ArrivedIt has been quite awhile since I, (Elder Rober), have lived in a location where there were so many trees without leaves in the winter. It has been amazing to witness the coming forth of spring and the beauty associated with the change. The grounds at the Temple and Visitors Center have been spectacular:<br />
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We are beginning to settle into our busy schedule. The crowds picked up around Easter as many families came to visit on their spring breaks. We are in a slower mode now but that will change as many school tours will be coming through in the month of May. We have received 50 new missionaries (counting us) since mid-March. Another 25 will arrive in the next three weeks. Our mission will be close to 180 senior missionaries at that point. Most all of the missionaries are on 18 month missions. In September and October around 75 missionaries will go home to lower our numbers in the quiet winter until the next spring buildup. We already hate the think of losing the good friends we are making who are experienced at all of the sites and shows and helping us learn.</div>
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Two weeks ago we received 30 sister missionaries who will be here through September. At that time they are sent on "outbound" missions to other states. About half of the ones we received were here last summer and will now complete their last six months in Nauvoo mainly working in the Visitor Center. We had a fireside last Sunday and they all reported about their outbound experiences in Houston, Washington DC, Montana and Virginia. On May 6th we will be receiving around 40 Young Performing Missionaries. They are very talented in song, dance and instruments. They are called as missionaries for four months each summer. Half of these are in a brass band that plays at the Sunset on the Mississippi Show every night and during the day they play on a horse drawn wagon at many locations. The other half are in day time shows and the nightly Sunset Show. They are unbelievably talented and full of energy. The best time to visit Nauvoo is in June-August when they are here. The busiest month here by far is July when the two Pageants run Monday-Saturday from July 5-30 this year. </div>
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There are around 25 of our senior missionaries who are called as Teamsters to work with the horses and oxen involved in the wagon tours and carriage rides. I am developing a love for these marvelous horses. Every morning at 8 am they are called in from the pastures to the barn. In the barn they each have a slot with their name above it where they have learned to go each day. They have an order they understand on lining up to enter single file and never miss finding their slots. We went for a carriage ride out through the country side last week that was very beautiful and spiritual as the Teamsters told us faith promoting stories about many of the Saints who were in Nauvoo. The animals add a special spirit to the mission.</div>
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Several people have asked me what is my favorite part of the mission. My answer is always the people we meet here. The other senior missionaries are so fun and inspirational to be with at the sites, church and other meetings. They bring many years of faithful service to the mission from all walks of life. The other group of people are those who come to visit from all over the world. It is wonderful to meet them and share the experiences of the sites and the examples of the faithful Saints who lived here from 1839 to 1846. Here is an interesting fact I learned since arriving. When the Saints fled Missouri under the extermination order put out on them, they crossed the Mississippi and were taken care of by the wonderful people of Quincy Illinois (60 miles South of Nauvoo). What I didn't know was that 5500 Saints were taken in by the 1500 people who lived in Quincy at that time. What an act of love and compassion by the Quincy people. One of my favorite conference talks this month was from Elder Kearon who talked about his European assignment and experiences meeting several of the refugees entering Europe from the mid-east turmoil.</div>
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I am so grateful to be here in Nauvoo. We are looking forward to the excitement of the summer season and so glad we were able to arrive in the first group so we can get more confident in our tours and shows, My testimony is growing for the people who lived here and of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, especially for Joseph and Hyrum Smith who sealed their testimony with their blood and to the many saints who died on the trail crossing the plains to the west.</div>
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Sister Rober: Nauvoo is so beautiful here with Spring flowers in full bloom. Being here is truly a dream. We are very busy each day in the sites and in the evenings performing in "Rendezvous In Old Nauvoo" and rehearsing for "Sunset On The Mississippi" which will be up on the stage the end of May. Elder Rober recently performed in the Mission Talent Show by playing his "Nauvoo Boogie" (or "In The Mood" ragtime.) He was a big hit and I was so proud of him. We are meeting amazing people each day who come to visit Nauvoo from all over even as far away as Australia recently. Non-members often comment on "the feeling" here. They feel something very special here, We served at Carthage this past week for a day and had a most remarkable opportunity to feel the spirit there especially in the martydom room. It was truly a gift to be there. We have ancestors who lived here and made the Exodus with the Saints. I am hoping to have more time to do more research here. We are busy all the time with our schedule and soon, the summer schedule will be even busier (and we love it!!) </div>
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Larry and Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10793186105538713403noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1470041770609957493.post-48375326717544456872016-04-05T09:31:00.000-07:002016-04-05T11:58:30.793-07:00Arrival at NauvooWe arrived here on Thursday night March 17, The following day we met with our Mission President, Garth Hall. He is from Idaho and worked as a college football coach for Ricks, Oregon State and a few other teams. He was previously a Mission President in Orlando. He began his service in January and will serve for two years. He will be our mission president for our entire mission. We were assigned as site missionaries. There are 25 sites and a visitor center here in Nauvoo that we staff every day during the week including Sundays from 1-5 pm. After just two weeks we have been assigned to the print shop, bakery, brickyard, blacksmith shop, visitor center, tin shop, seventies hall, Browning gun shop, cultural hall, Lyon Drug Store and Sarah Granger home. We have a site book that has summaries of the history for each site and spiritual messages we can learn from that site. While serving in the sites we wear period clothing. We wear church clothes when serving at the Visitor Center,<br />
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Normally we are assigned separate sites every day. On Sundays we serve together. Here we are at the Print Shop on our first Sunday.<br />
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Leah inside the Print Shop<br />
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Larry at the Blacksmith. Using the forge, hammer and anvil we make a small horseshoe out of a small cylindrical rod.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjILsLPo2MiyJaGUUuF9F9x1hlJ098x6SbTw9gwdNL3dJIY53cTJmixCa_FKnWa_yc9P1AL_wt1pqSoxeExjcZZxGWsIa3qIuyQD71rWkdhEz9HjT6YeXfFxJfUks88amUy9mjn7puDk70/s1600/IMG_9504.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjILsLPo2MiyJaGUUuF9F9x1hlJ098x6SbTw9gwdNL3dJIY53cTJmixCa_FKnWa_yc9P1AL_wt1pqSoxeExjcZZxGWsIa3qIuyQD71rWkdhEz9HjT6YeXfFxJfUks88amUy9mjn7puDk70/s400/IMG_9504.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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Our schedule is very busy. Here is an example of my very first week. In the summer the sites start and end time extends one hour on each end and we do two Rendevous Shows each night. You can see that Susan Easton Black is now in town and she is doing two lectures a week. They begin at 8:30 PM We are so tired at night we are having a hard time staying awake in her awesome presentations.<br />
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The town population is 1100. There is one gas station, one supermarket, one police car and one pharmacy. The closest Walmart is in Keokuk, Iowa which is around 30 minutes away. Nearest Sam's club - one hour in Quicny, Ill and nearest Costco - 1.5 hour in Iowa City. We are totally enjoying the smallness. It is 1 minute to get gasoline, 2 minutes to the temple, 3 minutes to church and 5 minutes down the hill to the sites. Last week on our Preparation Day we visited Amish country in Iowa. Other day trips we can take are to Springfield to see the Lincoln Museum and Hanibal to see a Mark Twain exhibit.<br />
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We are living in our own house that the Church rents from someone. We have a piano for Leah's music, two bedrooms, a dishwasher and a detached two car garage. We are feeling quite at home. Harry and Nancy Schultz who served here and left late last year also lived in the same house. We agree with their assessment that it is like living in your Grandmothers house.<br />
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It is a real blessing to be serving in Nauvoo, Each day we are learning more about the history and trials of the people who lived here between 1839 and 1846. Their stories are so inspirational and as we learn about them it increases our testimony that the Lord's hand was involved in all of the events to advance the church through this time period. We love the Lord, his Son Jesus Christ and being missionaries.<br />
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Love to all - Elder and Sister RoberLarry and Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10793186105538713403noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1470041770609957493.post-76894331607210669372016-04-04T15:47:00.000-07:002017-09-26T20:53:47.145-07:00Travel and MTC<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
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We have set up this blog to share our mission experiences. It has been a busy few months preparing the Shamrock house for our move and rental. Everything went very well. We were blessed to find a good couple to rent to. They have no children and even agreed to babysit Leah's piano while we are gone.</div>
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We left for the Mission Training Center (MTC) in Provo on March 5. There is no question in my mind that the MTC experience will be a key highlight of the mission experience. Our first week of training was on the Preach My Gospel Manual. It was very intensive but we definitely came away better prepared in the techniques and methods to be better missionaries. During our training we taught two lessons to "investigators". They were church members living in the area who play the role of an investigator. They gave our teachers feedback on how we did. Our testimony of the Preach My Gospel Manual grew immensely during this week. I would encourage all church members to utilize this manual more in their lives. Not just for missionary work, but for the wonderful references to scriptures on every gospel topic that can help in lessons and personal study time. In the second week, all senior missionaries receive training specific to their assignment. In our case for Nauvoo, we received Visitor Center training for two days. We spent most of one day at Temple Square learning from the Sister Missionaries and their leaders who serve at that location. </div>
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Here is our MTC map picture:</div>
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During our week there were 140 senior missionaries training. It was the second largest group in history. Of those, 28 were going to Nauvoo. There were around 1500 young missionaries also in training. The facilities were very nice and comfortable. I can't imagine the responsibility of keeping track of everyone coming and going each week and planning all of the meals.</div>
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This is our Nauvoo group:</div>
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We are making new friends for life on our mission. </div>
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During our MTC time we attended multiple devotionals and firesides. They were all so spiritual and inspiring. Every Tuesday a General Authority comes and talks to all the missionaries. We had Elder Pino of the Seventy and Elder Allen who is the head of the entire missionary department. Before every event one of the young missionaries presents a special music number. The talent of these young people is incredible. On Monday nights there are training videos shown in multiple rooms and languages. They are presentations that Apostles and other leaders have given during their Tuesday visits. They were one of the Spiritual highlights of the MTC and can only be viewed at the MTC.</div>
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We left the MTC on March 16 and arrived in Nauvoo on March 18. We drove here on I 80 which almost parallels the path the Saints followed on their pioneer trek. It was hard not to think of their tremendous sacrifice while we moved along at 70 mph in a heated car when it was in the 30-40 degree range outside. We stopped at the new Winters Quarter visitor center and Temple in Omaha on our route. It was good to get a feel for the history of that time period since our Nauvoo tours pretty much end at the crossing of the Mississippi beginning in February of 1846.</div>
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We miss everyone and hope you can feel the Spirit of our mission through this blog.</div>
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Love - Elder and Sister Rober</div>
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<br />Larry and Leahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10793186105538713403noreply@blogger.com2