I must have Covid brain! I wrote this letter last week and forgot to send it. Oops!
Jan. 10, 2021
Hello friends and family,
It's been a few weeks since I've written. I hope that you all had an amazing Christmas and that your New Year has been great so far!
Our Christmas was wonderful! Thanks to Marco Polo and Zoom, we were able to watch a lot of our children and grandchildren celebrate their Christmas day. We were also able to participate in our family Christmas party! Family is what it's all about and I couldn't ask for a better family! I sure love them!
Our mission was hit with Covid but we have been very blessed. I had to go to Carthage for a test. Because I had felt some pressure on my chest, the doctor made me get an EKG. Everything was fine. Doug was going stir crazy from being in quarantine so we took the "scenic" route home. We found the grave of my 4th great-grandmother, Anna Pixley Johnson.
She is the wife of Joel Hills Johnson. The two of them had amazing faith and joined the church in the early days. He also wrote the words to "High on the Mountain Top" and "The Glorious Gospel Light has Shone". When the Saints moved to Nauvoo, they moved to Ramus (now Webster) that was not far from Nauvoo. They were friends of the prophet, Joseph Smith and have left an amazing legacy.
During quarantine, we watched a lot of different "Come Follow Me" video podcasts (is that the word I'm looking for?) We have decided that we really like "Unshaken" and Our Turtle House "follow Him" with John Bytheway and Hank Smith, and Doctrine and Covenants Central. I love these and learn so much from them. Elder Burns and I are so excited to study the D&C this year and learn more about the people that lived here in Nauvoo and the events that lead to the beginnings of the restoration of the Gospel.
Elder Burns wrote a little update that I will include here:
Jill and I are doing well..... sort of. COVID has been going around our mission since Christmas Eve. Jill came down with symptoms and tested positive. I have had no symptoms. Many of the missionaries here have tested positive. Only one was hospitalized. She is home now and gave her testimony during our zoom testimony meeting. Our whole mission is in a “quarantine/isolation” status. We will remain this way for another week.
Jill just had a slight cough and more tired than usual. I am getting tired of not being able to go out the front door. I need to exercise. It has snowed here and one of my responsibilities is to plow the snow. I’m not allowed to do that yet so the parking lots are still full of snow. 3-4 inches.
Jill and I are FM missionaries. We are assigned to the auto mechanics and welding shops, heavy equipment operator, fix what is broken or damaged and create the new items that are needed.
I have created “period” gate latches for the picket fence around some of the sites here. I have built the metal attachments for the oxen yokes, redesigned and built the clean out for the forge at the blacksmiths shop, built signs for the addresses on some of the new sites, put new wear plates on our snow plows, and many odd jobs. It keeps me busy, especially since I am the only welder here.
One of the benefits of Covid is Zoom. It makes it possible to keep up with our family at home as well as our ward/Stake family.
We do try to attend the 10th ward meetings when we can.
We also have a new granddaughter that we were able to see in person as we were coming here to Nauvoo. We were only at their home one day, so it was hard to leave her. Video call has made it less difficult but Jill still yearns to hold her.
Take care,
Jill and I miss you all
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