Barrow's Illinois Nauvoo FM Mission: Happy New Year!

We've received a new assignment for the New Year - we will go to Burlington Ward from now on for church. I will miss the missionary branch. We sing in the choir under the most amazing choir director, Sister Flanders. The sacrament meeting talks are note taking worthy, and the lessons are well prepared and the comments are so insightful. But we are excited to go and be part of a family ward again. Today was our first time and guess what, the testimonies were wonderful, and the comments in Sunday School were worth taking notes on. And this ward has a primary, which the missionary branch does not. Burlington looks like a strong ward, and four senior missionary couples are assigned here. Two are temple couples. One couple know Joel and Elana. The wife of the other couple is from York, England, where Grandma Violet Barrow was from. The third couple is FM missionaries, who we already know. I know we are going to love serving here.

Burlington's Snake Alley. This is the most interesting road.

Going back to the beginning of the week. Monday we only worked until 2:00 because we had to get ready for our big party. Sister Bramwell was in the Family Living Center with me. She spins, so she helped me remember how to drop spin. I also wove two feet on the loom. Very productive day.

Drop spinning in my new pioneer dress that I sewed.

Our spinster, Sister Bramwell

We were in charge of the drinks for the NYE party. We made homemade root beer and Crystal Light lemonade. The root beer was a hit. With the clock set on Buenos Aires time, we enjoyed cowboy poetry recitations, dulcimers, fiddles, and a wonderful poem written by Sister Whiting about Nauvoo. Then we walked through square dancing steps, circled danced, and ended with dancing to the oldies. Some chose Bingo instead of dancing. Elder Barrow and I are not that old! Shortly before midnight, Buenos Aires time, noise makers were handed out, and bubble wrap rolled out on the floor. At "midnight" all made merry, and we cleaned up and went home. We were home by 9:30 - Nauvoo time.

Root beer maker and me.

Elders provided drinks for a NYE toast.

Tuesday we enjoyed the quiet, the Rose Bowl parade, and every bowl game available.

Wednesday I served in the Visitor's Center. I loved it. So far my favorite site, because each group that came in needed something different and there were so many things to choose from. A few people just wanted to look around by themselves. Others wanted me to tell them anything I could. One pair just wanted to talk about their life. 32 people came through the door. I think I gave pretty good overviews of the Visitor's Center. I've learned a lot about Nauvoo in 3 1/2 months and it was sort of like a test to see how many of their questions I could answer.

Wagon display in Visitor's Center

Relief diorama map of Nauvoo

Thursday I was back at Lucy Mack Smith's house. We had no visitors.

Mother Smith, aka Sister Archibald, wasn't home, but this is what she looks like when she is.

Friday I served with my old ground's crew friend, Sister Grigsby. We gave three tours. Because the John Taylor house includes the Post Office and the Printing shop, each tour takes awhile. We shared the tours and had a lot of fun.

Saturday the weather was around 50 degrees and sunny, so we rode our bikes down to the old Stone Bridge, which was built around 1850 to go over the canal the Saints built to drain the peninsula. Then we rode around the Community of Christ part of town, reading the signs. We did this after we first got here, but now I can put the information into more context than I had back then.