Yesterday I went to Carthage to see the Young Performing Missionaries and Nauvoo Band. Afterwards I met Lloyd D. Newell, the voice of the Tabernacle Choir program - Music and the Spoken Word! I didn't realize until then that his daughter is serving as a young sister missionary here!!! I didn't know that Sister Newell was his daughter! I was disappointed that I didn't have my camera with me.

But today his family came into the Visitor's Center where I was serving and so I got this picture with him and his wife, Karmel. Too bad I took such a bad picture!!!

Then tonight the Newell family was at our 2nd  Rendezvous Show!

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me, Lloyd Newell, Karmel - his wife, their younger daughter, Sister Sue Brown, and their son. Sister Brown and I gave his wife and daughter our show bonnets to wear for the picture! He said he has been doing the broadcast for 25 years!!!

Also, as a side note, just to illustrate how incredibly busy it is here in Nauvoo right now. I served again today at the Scovil Bakery and we broke the record I mentioned last week. We gave 78 tours to almost 800 people! I hope our cookies hold out! We baked about 50,500 cookies and froze them during last winter and spring in anticipation of the summer visitors. But more people are coming during this Pageant month than anticipated! Yahoo!

This is a picture of the couple playing the part of Joseph Smith, Jr. and his wife Emma Hale Smith.

In my blog, I haven't often expressed some of my deeper feelings about how this Nauvoo experience is affecting me. But for some reason my heart has been drawn out more than usual today for the early members of my faith and my ancestors that lived here in Nauvoo. Maybe this is in part because I was asked to share a story of one of my ancestors with the mission presidency and I have been rereading their stories trying to decide which one I wanted to tell. You see every one of my lines of ancestry on both my mothers and fathers lines (except one that I am not sure about) lived here in Nauvoo and walked the same streets that I now walk. And when I tell the stories of those who lived here in the sites, it is as if I am telling my people's stories. The spirit of love and sacrifice just permeates every part of old historic Nauvoo. There is one black and white photograph in the Seventies Hall of Nauvoo in the 1840s. I wish we had a copy of it in every site to remind us and our visitors that Nauvoo was a heavily populated, thriving city of over 12,000 people. It was the 2nd largest city in Illinois. There were no unused spaces in this city like we see now. 

There is a 20 minute film we show in our Visitor's Center called "Remembering Nauvoo" that I think everyone who comes to Nauvoo should see. I have seen it several times, but after my shift ended at 6pm tonight I went and watched it again and cried most of the way through. I am feeling such intense love right now for those early saints who lived in this beautiful place. I can hardly bear to think of the trials they experienced and the persecution and suffering they endured by those who were not of our faith. Religious persecution is just another example of man's inhumanity to man. I have no patience for it on any level. 

At the end of the film there is a quote by one of the early church leaders, Wilford Woodruff, that talks about the prayer in his heart as he is being forced to leave his beloved Nauvoo and gazing back at the Temple. He asks Father in Heaven to allow their sacrifices to be remembered. My prayer is that I will always remember and be as grateful for their sacrifices as I am right now! What a wonderful blessing in my life to be here. I hope that everyone who reads my blog will desire to come to Nauvoo and feel this incredible spirit!

Later on this week I serve again in the Family Living Center where we bake 6 loaves of homemade bread every day the way the pioneers did it in our "bustle oven". Here are some of the workers enjoying a slice of one of the loaves with butter and jam hot out of the oven! YUM! The Family Living Center has 7 different stations to learn about life in pioneer times - candlemaking, breadmaking, spinning, weaving, rope making, pottery and barrel making. It is a fun place to serve.

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Elders Toomer, Curtis, Fullenbach with Sister Clement and me!

 On the 4th of July I went over to the Schultz's back yard with a few other couples and the Young Sister Missionaries to celebrate with a BBQ and fireworks! Elders Broadhead & Schultz provided the entertainment on the guitar and bass. A fun time was had by all.

Happy Birthday to my sweet daughter Michelle Port

Last Friday was a VERY BUSY day in the Historic Scovil Bakery here in Nauvoo. With the pageant in full swing there are so many people here! Today the 3 of us Sisters serving here gave 71 tours to 594 people! That is in 9 hours - 9-6pm! This is Sister Robison outside the small little bakery! Everyone seems to want to come and get a molasses ginger cookie! We are 2nd busiest site in Nauvoo - second to the blacksmith shop! I am there 2 days a week and I love it!

Opening night at the pageant!

Joseph and Emma Smith in the middle of the scene.

The finale - not a very good photo! But it was wonderful!

This is the man who plays the part of Joseph Smith Jr.

Our Sunday dinner tonight! Thank you Sister Brown for organizing and planning and doing most of the cooking! 

Just before devouring our meal I caught a picture of Sister Walker and Sister Brown! GRRRREAT MEAL! So glad I live with good cooks......hey, family do you recognize my yummy cabbage salad????

One other really great thing happened to me today. I was assigned to go out into an outlying LDS ward in the city of Quincy and start attending the Quincy 1st Ward on a regular basis until further notice. They had the most beautiful stained glass windows behind their choir seats. I felt like I was back in my home Ward in La Canada, CA on Foothill Blvd. It is the only other LDS chapel that I have been in that has stained glass windows behind the choir seats! It was a tender mercy of the Lord. It truly made me feel at home. It was great attending a family ward again! They even asked me to lead the music in Relief Society! Yeah!

There have been so many storms and rain lately that there is a severe river flood warning in effect right now on the Mississippi. Those of you who have been to Nauvoo and gone down Parley Street (The Trail of Hope) will appreciate this more than those who have never seen what this area looks like normally. There are more storms coming too!

Three teenagers are thinking that playing in the river right now is a good idea! Very stupid idea right now with the strong currents if you ask me! But then youth are invincible right?

 This is an example of what the pioneer's wagons were ferried across the river on headed towards Iowa. It looks like it is ready to take off! Normally this display is quite a distance up from the river!

 This picture shows how far up the street the water level already is......

Just last week I was sitting on a bench down by that tall tree on the far right eating a frozen yogurt beside the river!

This memorial statue of Brigham Young and Joseph Smith at the end of Parley Street could have water up to the base by the end of the week. They say the river has not peaked yet!

Sister Allen (from Perth, Australia) and her companion, Sis Peterson also came down by the river to take a look. Sis Peterson didn't want to be in the picture!

Sis Allen & Peterson continued their walk down Water Street. 

This memorial kiosk is directly behind the statue of Brigham Young and Joseph Smith at the end of Parley Street. Inside on the walls are listed the names of those pioneers that died while crossing the plains (that we know of).....

Today I was working in the Lands and Records again and it was raining outside so we were lucky to have some of the young performing missionaries stop by to get out of the rain and gave everyone a short concert! It was this little girl's birthday last week so they sang "happy birthday" to her and posed for a picture! I love it when it rains and they come in and do an impromptu concert!

Happy 4th of July! I started the day off with an early morning flag raising ceremony by the visitor's center. It was a picture perfect morning. I love America! May it ever be free! I miss my family and friends and all the fun times we shared at Sunset Beach on this wonderful holiday....

Elder Worthen gave the patriotic talk

The Nauvoo Brass Band led by Elder Bragge

Our Mission President, Elder Gibbons, beckoning us to move closer

The other morning on my walk I came across the Hyrum Smith farm home on the outskirts of Nauvoo - out where I live. The red brick part is the original home! This home is also used as a bed & breakfast site that visitors can stay in! Across the street was just a beautiful old barn.

 Here is my companion Sister Brown mowing our backyard! Wish the men would do this for us~! The facilities management people come and mow around the outside, but not this back piece inside the fence - oh well! She says she doesn't mind doing it - good thing, cause you won't find me out there in the chigger filled grass!!! She swears they don't bite her!

 The Nauvoo & British Pageants start next week and everything is being prepared for the performances that last all month. The cast is in town rehearsing, the chairs are being set up and we're just waiting for all of you to come to enjoy the shows and sites!

Looking up at the stage and the backdrop is the temple!

This is the view looking down from the temple to the pageant site. It is a cool, beautiful day today! Huge storm last night