Week 3 of Life as a Missionary in Nauvoo

We have had a great week, in spite of a little illness. We got to serve 4 days in the temple and did our monthly temple cleaning assignment for the first time. Can I tell you how much I love vacuuming in the celestial room?

We were asked to help with a Christmas Eve dinner for the missionaries, and it turned out to be a lot of fun. We love the couples that we worked with, Elder (on left) and Sister Miles from Redding and Elder and Sister Holm from Idaho Falls. Both couples have served multiple missions and are wonderful.

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Christmas Day was relaxing and fun.  The best part was FaceTiming/talking to all of our kids, of course. But the weather was nice (although I did have a secret little dream of a White Christmas) and we took a long walk around Old Nauvoo and other points interesting.

 Here is the Cheap Boot and Shoe Factory Building.  I decided with a name like that, and my penchant for finding things on sale, I belonged out in front.

We decided to support the local economy and check out the Nauvoo Mill and Bakery.  It had the best soups ever, which really hit the spot on a cold day.

I like to walk down Parley St. to the river. The white stuff near the shore is not white caps, but ice.  I would love to see the whole thing frozen over.

As you walk down Parley St. there are signs with quotes from those that left Nauvoo in the Exodus. Patty Sessions is my 4th great grandmother and it was nice to see that she also forgot things and had to send her husband to retrieve them.

As many of you, I took the prophet's challenge and started reading the Book Mormon over again in October.  I got a clean paperback that I could mark up to my heart's content, looking for references to the Savior. I may have gotten carried away and marked other things too, but there are just so many wonderful truths taught in this sacred book. It truly testifies of Jesus Christ, and shows so well how much he loves us as He teaches and helps us through His prophets. I finished it today and am so thankful for this book! It has brought me closer to Him, and what is better than that?

Some outstanding pics on a very cold day. 25 deg. But we came prepared for this kind of weather - and worse - so stayed warm. 

 I know, you're probably getting tired of all the temple photos. But looked pretty cool in the deepening light so I couldn't resist.

 Young Street looking west toward the Mississippi River. Nice twilight.

And yes, for a Cali guy who has been paying $3.60-$3.80 a gallon, this is truly an outstanding sight!

Out for a little walk this afternoon. Not too cold, but oh that wind!

Heber C. Kimball home from its backyard.

Nauvoo Temple as seen from the Mississippi River.

Nauvoo Temple on the right - St. Peter and Paul Catholic Cathedral on the left

Well, we have been missionaries for two weeks.  It seems like two months! And it has been wonderful. We love being in the temple on an almost daily basis. We love the new people we have met. We love our new little home. We love the beauty of the Nauvoo area. We appreciate the mild weather we have had so far.  Salt Lake was the coldest place we've been and the only snow we've seen. We have a little family of deer that we see often in the back of our apartment where we park. They don't seem too bothered by us. We feel right at home with all of the squirrels, only they don't leave us walnuts like our squirrels in Yuba City.

We love wearing our badges and remembering whose name is on them as we do our best to represent Him. 

Our new home on the upper right. The stairs make us feel at home, too

Nauvoo Temple AM

Nauvoo Temple PM

We loved our time in the Salt Lake Temple. I will always remember it as 3 days in heaven.

The Christmas lights made it even more special.

The Platte river from our car on the drive east.

The view from our kitchen window.  You can't see it well in this photo, but the house on the left is Lucy Mack Smith's home.

Our first evening here we got a ride in this covered wagon and sang Christmas carols as part of a community Christmas tree lighting celebration.