Barrow's Illinois Nauvoo FM Mission: How can it already be Friday?

The surgery was a great success. Dee slept all night for the first time in a month. Now instead of waking me up with his getting in and out of bed to relieve the pain in his hand, his gentle snoring wakes me in the middle of the night. I'm so glad he can sleep again. He can't do his regular work quite yet, but this is progress.
Wednesday we planted over 2000 bulbs. I was so tired I didn't know if I'd get up the next day, but sleep, even interrupted sleep, is great rejuvenation.

This is what 1000 bulbs looks like.

Several mission presidents visited Nauvoo this week for a seminar. Thursday night Elder Neil A. Andersen, his wife, and Elder Carl Cook, and his wife met with all of the missionaries for a brief time. Elder Andersen asked that we all be able to shake hands with them. It took 7 minutes for over a hundred of us to shake his hand and be thanked personally by him for our service.

Elder Andersen's message to us was pretty simple. Joseph Smith proclaimed the divinity of Jesus Christ. The Book of Mormon proclaims the divinity of Jesus Christ. He connected the testimony of one to the other. Then he told us what President Nelson said in Montreal. "I just know Mormon is embarrassed that the church is called after his name, instead of its proper name, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I can just imagine him saying, "How did this happen?"

Elder Andersen left each of the groups there with their own blessing - the senior missionaries, then the young single sister missionaries, then the performing missionaries. The blessing he left with the seniors was that the knowledge of the gospel that we've had for years would burn even deeper into our souls, and our posterity will know that we knew.

Then the performing missionaries performed for us. They were flown in just for this night. These missionaries serve during the summer here. Their performance made me so excited for the summer. They are here from May until mid-August. They not only put on the pageants, but do all sorts of performances during the day. They sang a song they said was one of Emma Smith's favorite hymns. "When restless on my bed I sleep". I've never heard of it, but would like to find it.

FRIDAY - PUMPKIN FEST PREPARATION

So tomorrow is Nauvoo's Pumpkinfest. This is a city celebration, not a church function, but as guests in the city, the missionaries get involved. The Facility Management buildings are turned into pumpkin carving, kettle corn making factories. Dee and I participated in both today. Much more fun than planting bulbs.