Bloom Where You're Planted

Nov. 1, 2020

Hello dear friends and family!

A few weeks ago in Sacrament Meeting, the speaker told of the FM (Facility Management) sisters digging up the tulip bulbs after the spring blooms were finished. For those who don't know about tulip bulbs, they are round on one end and pointed on the other. To plant a bulb, you go down about 6 inches and plant it pointed end up. This sister told of a bulb that she dug up that  was buried a lot deeper than the 6 inches and was also planted sideways. She said that the tulip stem had wrapped around the bulb and back to the point before it started its journey upward. She then compared that to us and how, often, in our search for light, we need to keep trying and trying until we make it to where we can find the sunshine again. That we need to keep enduring! Sometimes, we just need to bloom where we are planted, no matter how different that looks from what we imagined!

That was my week! I really had to figure out how to "bloom where I was planted". When we received our mission call, I was excited to be serving in Nauvoo and had ideas of what I would be doing - working with other FM Sisters in gardening, sewing, conservation, etc. Instead, Monday morning, Elder Burns and I were given our assignments and we were placed in ... the Auto Mechanic and Welding Department. I was pretty sure that Elder Burns would be placed there but that's one of the last places that I wanted to be! Well, the thought of "bloom where you're planted" came pretty quickly to my mind and I decided to do just that!

While Elder Burns has been doing welding and loving it, I've been collecting odometer readings on all the FM vehicles which wasn't bad except that it was cold and my hands were freezing by the time I located the keys on the huge keychain, opened the cars, recorded the reading and moved on to the next one. There were several that I had to drive around to find. If you know me well, you know I hate driving large trucks and avoid driving our own truck - a dodge 3500 dually. Well, we were assigned a truck to drive and as I was looking for one of those trucks, I saw them driving down the road so I started following them. Little did I know that I would end up going up a narrow winding road with very few places to turn around. I ended up having one of the Elder FM workers turn it around for me. Then, I was assigned to take the trucks to Carthage for inspections. I'm getting more comfortable in the trucks as I go. I also cleaned up a big oil spill (not of my doing!),  crushed oil filters, etc. Not what I thought I'd be doing but I'm finding joy in the journey! 

Due to the increase in the Covid outbreak, we can no longer gather for church and restaurants are closed to indoor seating again. I'm thankful for Zoom technology that still allows us to gather for meetings and thankful for a husband who can administer the Sacrament in our home.

Saturday we were able to join with a few other FM couples to drive the Martyrdom Trail, the trail that Joseph and Hyrum took from Nauvoo to Carthage. As we drove it, I thought of them, as they rode on horseback to Carthage, Joseph knowing that he would not return home alive. I wondered what they talked about and how they felt. After we made it to Carthage, we were privileged to have a tour of the jail that Joseph and Hyrum were martyred in. I've been there several times and I'm always humbled to stand in the room where Joseph spent his last hours. I know that Joseph was a prophet of God and that, through him, the true gospel of Jesus Christ was restored to this earth. I am so grateful for the sacrifices that he made, so that I can be a member of this church today. I'm grateful for my ancestors who also sacrificed much so I can have this gospel in my life. I'm excited to learn more about them as I serve here in Nauvoo. 

There is so much more that I would like to share, but I fear I've already written a novel. 

I'm thankful to be here serving in this sacred area and on these sacred grounds.

Love to all,

Sister Burns 

If you'd like to participate in a virtual tour, please visit nauvootours.as.me

The start of the Martyrdom Trail. 

The half-way stop on the Martyrdom Trail

The back of Carthage Jail. Joseph landed by the well after being shot in the upper bedroom of the jail and then falling from the above window.

A beautiful eagle that I saw on my trip down the narrow winding road. 

The large oil spill that I had to clean up. This was after part of it was already cleaned up. Sawdust is my new friend. 

This is a sneak peak of my pioneer dresses. One will be used for doing site tours and the other one will be for performing in "Sunset by the Mississippi". We're praying things open again so we can do "Sunset" this summer.