What do we do in Nauvoo?

Grapevines in Nauvoo

Since not much unusual happened during the week and I didn't take many pictures, this would be  good time to go through a regular week - which is rather uncommon here.  But on Saturday, when I still didn't take any pictures, we had a big day.

Sunday 

 We go to church in Burlington where I play the piano in Primary.  The FM missionaries are sent to units in the stake for church.  Most wards need the help; Burlington functions pretty well without us, except they are short on piano players.
After church we visited with children on Face Time.  Hailey had just gotten her new clarinet which she played for us.  Lots of squeaking. We are looking forward to seeing her improve.
District meeting at the Davis'.  We had a good discussion about improving our teaching skills (chapter 10 in Preach My Gospel)

Monday - Friday

The days all run together if I don't write down what we did, which I didn't this week. Every morning at 6:00 AM we start watering the pots of flowers that are on Mulholland Street, and down Main Street, as well as the annual flower beds on Main, Exodus, Kiosk, Weeks, and the President's house. 

FM prayer meeting is at 7:00.  It starts with announcements and can get quite raucous with comments from the audience.  We say hello to new missionaries, interns, and employees, and good-bye to departing missionaries.  We sing happy birthday when needed, sing a hymn, and someone gives a spiritual message and a prayer.  Then we go to work, except on Monday when we have a grounds crew meeting in the B building. 

The Hayhursts left this week.  Here the FM manager, Jordan, presents the FM flag that all departing FM missionaries receive.  Then they each get to say a few parting words.  It is always a sad time for us to say good-by to people we have worked with. 

We water the green houses, then go do a weeding project, or a stick run, unless we have a greenhouse project.  This week we finished transplanting all of the coleus that were ready to transplant, and we divided the oyster plants.  I'll take a picture next week.

 Lately we've had young sister missionaries join us because they don't need so many site missionaries anymore.  That is a great help. They work hard and say they enjoy the change.  Having them there lightens our load and brightens our day. 

Mulching the diagonal is finished!  This army of YSMs did a great job.  We couldn't have finished without them .

This week we finished weeding the diagonal, then mulched it. Next we moved on to Family Living.  We take a break about 10:15, eat a snack and relax.  Usually there is time to go do some more weeding.  We finish the day by watering the greenhouses again. 

I found this interesting looking creature called a saddle-back caterpillar. He looks like  a little puppy dog, but don't put him on bare skin.  His hairy feet are venomous.  

Our work day ends at noon and the rest of the day is ours, unless there is a meeting in the evening.  On the way home I stop at the mail room and check out the missionary DI for treasures.  At home we have lunch, take a shower, not necessarily in that order.  It depends on how hot and dirty we are.  Dee sometimes comes home around the same time that I do, but not always.  After lunch we might fall asleep. It is frustrating to me to be too tired to do anything but take a nap, but the truth is, some days that is how it is.  I sometimes do yoga to stretch my muscles. We study Come Follow Me, Preach My Gospel, and sometimes even look at the site book.
       Now that we don't work on the sites the site book is a low priority.  I need to read it again, because it doesn't go home with us. Along with the site book, I've read a lot of books about the Nauvoo period.  It is interesting to learn as much as I can about one time period, especially when other missionaries are doing the same thing. I like learning about the more general population here, not just the church leaders.
       There are lots of ways to fill our discretionary time. We go to the temple a few times a month. I tutor reading to a third grader twice a week.   Once a week I've started going to Irene's dulcimer group again.  I was too busy to go this summer .  I've also found a missionary who can show me some new things on the guitar.  At home I read to Gideon on Facetime, work on genealogy,  watercolor, sew.  On Monday we do FHE together.  Mission Training was on Wednesday morning once Sunset practice started, but this week it went back to Wednesday evening.
     This week's training showed us how the young sister missionaries will be coming to our homes to  practice teaching lessons.  They will start going to their 6 month proselyting mission experience by the end of October. Then Nauvoo will really get quiet.

The children I read with wanted to share their discovery with me of a nest of baby bunnies.  Nauvoo is a children's paradise.  They are free range kids. 

So that was our week. And most weeks are like this, except for the surprises that happen almost every week.  This week it was NOR.

Nauvoo on the Road

   

Saturday is usually our p-day, but we were given a surprise chance to do Nauvoo on the Road again, right here in Nauvoo.  I was too busy to take any pictures. This weekend is the Grape Festival.  I don't think the grapes are ripe yet, but I really haven't been paying attention.  The teamsters were offering wagon rides from the state park into historic Nauvoo.  Our job, besides our NOR duties, was to tell them to go take a wagon ride.  The day was a great success. Over 200 people took the ride.  Most of them had no idea there was an historic district to Nauvoo.  We hope they will come back and spend the day "on the flats".
     While Elder Barrow was making ropes with the children,  I interested a lot of people in finding their ancestors.  The Family Search center will work up 4 generations if the visitors will fill out a chart for a deceased ancestor.  I really love doing this.  I ask people if they have an ancestor they would like to know more about.  I've found this is a better question than, "Are you interested in your genealogy?" Most people shrug and say no, or Aunt Sally has already done it.  But when I ask them about a specific ancestor, everyone seems to have someone they want to know more about.  This Saturday there were two men who wanted to know about their fathers who had died when they were young.  They wanted to know about their grandparents, who they knew nothing about. 

     I ended the day talking to a man from Serbia.  He declared, very politely, that he was an atheist.  Growing up in Yugoslavia, I wasn't surprised.  We talked for a long time and I invited him to learn more about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, because he loves the principle of families, and that men make their own choices.
     I've loved all of the NORs that we have done, but this was my favorite.  We are assigned to do one more this year, but maybe we will do another one by surprise!