We've Been Called to Nauvoo

A Dream Come True

From the time we were married Dee and I had always planned to serve a couples mission. Two years ago, when Dee realized he was going to actually retire in a year, he pulled up the mission opportunity website for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.  He found a posting for an air-conditioner contractor needed in Nauvoo.  What could be more perfect?  In our many transcontinental trips between Utah and the East Nauvoo has served as an oasis of quiet and enjoyment for our family.  We'd love to live in Nauvoo for 18 months and help maintain the town for the enjoyment of others. 

      Dee called the number and spoke to Brother Bodily, the Facilities Manager for Nauvoo.  He asked if we could come in March 2017.  Unfortunately Dee wouldn't be retired quite yet.  Over the next year he spoke to Brother Bodily several times.  Finally in October 2017 Dee was retired.  But preparing to go on a mission took several more months. 

Preparing for a mission

First we had to inform Bishop Cooper, so that he could let us into the missionary application.  It warned that filling out this application would take awhile. The actual application does take a little while, but can be done on a Sunday afternoon.  BUT our first delay was getting a medical checkup and Hepatitis shots. If you want to serve a senior mission just go get the shots now.  They take 6 months to complete.  You also need a passport, which we already had, but if you don't that also takes several weeks. Finally everything was filled out and turned in.  Now we waited.  And waited.  Sometimes mission calls don't come in two weeks. 

The Call 

We spent June in Utah and thought the call might come while we were there. It didn't.  We were home, preparing for a family reunion in Canada at the end of July, hoping it would come before we went to Canada.  It came four days before we left.  We gathered the family on Google hang-out and opened the letters.  We could be sent anywhere in the world.  I was prepared to not go to Nauvoo.  It was great relief to open the letter and read the words Illinois Nauvoo Mission. We were to report September 3. There was too much to do to get too excited.  We had lots of material to read over, lists to make, and we hadn't figured out what to do with our house. 

What to do with the house?

We knew we needed to downsize anyway, so in January 2018 the only thing we were sure of was to get rid of anything we no longer needed.  We held several yard sales and made countless things available on Sanford Marketplace. We asked friends who had served missions what people did with their houses while they were gone.  Everyone we knew turned the house over to one of  their children.  None of our children could help us out.  So we decided to sell the house.  At least that was our plan. That wasn't the Lord's plan.  By July, and two price reductions,  we had not even a nibble on our house.  But the Lord sent us a wonderful couple who wanted to rent it.  We knew they would take good care of the house, and in keeping with the tradition of this house they would use it to serve the church members.  Additionally they offered for us to store our things in the bonus room and attics, saving us from having to pay storage.  

The month before we left for our mission was occupied with moving everything upstairs, packing needed clothes, and finishing up our shots.