Spring is coming!

Hello everyone!

First off, I'd like to thank everyone for their kind comments and emails last week about our Nauvoo miracle. We are still humbled and grateful for finding the wallet. As much as we would love to see our children and grandchildren, we did not want to leave the mission to travel to get a driver's license, which is what would have happened had we not found the wallet. I didn't realize, when I posted the letter last week, how many others it would impact. We are grateful for the tender mercies this miracle also brought to others.

Monday evening we were able to join with a few other couples for a wonderful dinner together. It's the first time we have been able to do this since Christmas. It was wonderful to meet and visit and get to know the other missionaries better. I have missed the "outside of work" association with the missionaries. 

We are losing another FM couple this week. Elder and Sister Pleshek leave this week for home. I've said it before - one of the hardest parts of the mission are the good-byes. Although I haven't served directly with them, they have been a great example to me of love, service and of testimony. 

Before Covid hit, the FM Missionaries would go outbound on Sundays to wards or branches in the surrounding areas to serve and help. Elder Pleshek talked to us about the love they have for the ward they were in and how they hope that we get to experience the outbound service. I hope and pray that we get to do that also! 

Speaking of prayers, we have been asked by our Mission President to diligently pray for Nauvoo to be able to open up again. I love that we weren't asked to just pray, but to diligently pray. I love this from "Preach My Gospel" - it says, "Diligence is steady, consistent, earnest, and energetic effort, ... persistently and with great effort and care."  We have started to pray more diligently, not just for Nauvoo but other things in our lives.  

Our mission training this week was on diligence and Elder Burns was asked to share his story of finding his wallet and how we diligently looked and prayed to find it. That was Wednesday evening. Thursday morning at work, Elder Elia (we absolutely love him!) came to Doug and told him "Your talking last night went on and on and on".  Haha!  We had several others tell us that they loved every word of it and wanted more when he was done. On Friday, Elder Elia announced to a group of FM  missionaries that "Elder Burns failed to mention his wife in all his talking Wednesday. She's the one who, all week, kept saying, 'Let's go look in the snowbank.' Elders, listen to your wives!" There was a nice chuckle and then I was asked if that was the case. Yes, yes it was. 

I worked this week part-time in the mechanic shop working on a couple of projects there before things get really busy with the grounds and gardens. We have over 2000 plugs (small plants) coming in this week that we will be transplanting into larger pots before we plant them later this year. It amazes me the number of plants we have and how things work there. 

Spring is coming and I'm loving it! I've had enough of the single digits! We are supposed to hit the upper 50's this week and I can't wait! We took a drive after church today - how could I forget - we finally were able to attend church in person today, well 1/2 of us anyway, but it was wonderful to meet together again! This hasn't happened since the end of October! Back to the drive - a week ago there was a foot of snow and today it's gone. The frozen Mississippi that Elder Burns walked on last week is now flowing. We saw a lot of eagles and found a large eagle nest. It was a great, short drive.

I love you and pray that the Lord will bless each of you this week!

--

Sister Burns

Elder Doug and Sister Jill Burns

975 Young Street

Nauvoo, IL 62354

Eagle nest. If you look closely, there is an eagle in it. 

Happy day! We are holding our church

meetings at Pageant Headquarters! 

Last week I had a picture of a small stream and a tree that the beaver was chopping down. This week, he's completed chopping  the tree, started on several others  and has built a dam. He's a busy little beaver! 

Last week there was a foot of snow here. 

The ice on the Mississippi is mostly thawed. 

Last week Doug walked out on the ice.

 

Some beautiful flowers in the greenhouse!

We witnessed a miracle!

Elder Burns walking on the frozen Mississippi 

at the bottom of Parleys Street

Hello dear friends and family!

I was going to title this letter Sunshine, blue skies and a package from friends, but as you can see, I didn't. Tuesday, we had sunshine and blue skies for the first time in quite a while and it was beautiful! I've missed that! We also received a package from friends that was full of fun, food and love! Thanks Wade and Lesa! We sure appreciate it and we love you! It was fun to get a package that wasn't from Amazon! 

 We had a larger miracle waiting for us this week and one that we had prayed hard for. Let me go back a week -

A week ago Wednesday, Elder Burns and Elder Elia went to Burlington to play racquetball, something they do every Wednesday. Elder Burns had his wallet then, but when he went to purchase some things on Thursday, he noticed that it was gone. We searched everywhere - we tore the condo apart looking for it - we looked in shoes, in coat packets, under the couch, between couch cushions, through the dirty clothes - you get it, we looked everywhere! We looked in the vehicles that he drives at work and nothing. We checked the shop, the place they play racquetball, called the police in both Burlington and Nauvoo and it hadn't been turned in. We checked with the DMV in Utah to see about getting a duplicate drivers license for him but they said they can only do that in person, so if we didn't find it, we'd have to make a trip to Utah. We prayed fervently that we would find the wallet. About the only place we hadn't looked was the huge snow piles that Elder Burns had piled up. We were thinking that maybe the wallet fell out of his pocket when he was climbing up into the front loader to push snow. We've had a lot of snow lately. I kept asking him if we could find it in the snow piles - these piles are like 20 feet tall by 50-60 feet long. They are huge, it would be like finding a needle in a haystack - almost impossible. 

Now, let me backtrack a bit - Doug's grandpa Carpenter has told us many times of an experience he had when he was a child. His mom had given him some coins and asked him to walk to the store and buy some groceries for her. As he was walking down the dirt roads that had thick silt from the wagons that drove on it, he was swinging his arms and the coins flew out of his hands. He dug through the silt trying to find them but couldn't. He knelt down and prayed, asking Heavenly Father to help him find the coins. When he opened his eyes, the coins were in a neat stack in front of him. 

That story came to our minds many times as we were searching for the wallet, so on Thursday afternoon, with the faith of a mustard seed, we went to the snow pile in a last ditch effort to look for the wallet before we made reservations to fly home to renew his driver's license. I went one way and Doug went the other. I was looking for any signs of the wallet but couldn't see anything. I looked, took a few pictures of the beautiful snow crystals from the snow fall the night before that had also added snow to the piles. After looking for a while, I saw Doug come around the corner holding his wallet, with tears in his eyes. He had knelt down, prayed to Heavenly Father that he knew He had helped his Grandpa find those coins, and He could help us find the wallet. After the prayer, Doug looked up the snow pile and saw what he thought looked like a twig but decided to check it out. He climbed the pile and the twig turned out to be the edge of his wallet! He dug it out and brought it around to me. We were both amazed and full of gratitude for answered prayers and the miracle that we needed. Heavenly Father does answer prayers! I don't know why sometimes those answers are no or not now, but I do know that He knows better than I do, He sees the whole picture and I see a little puzzle piece. 

We came home after finding the wallet, humbled and full of gratitude. We then attended, virtually, the funeral of a wonderful man who was taken too soon from this earth. This is a man who had many praying for a miracle that he would be healed but it was not to be. We mourn with the Wadley family and pray that they feel the peace and comfort of knowing that they will see their dad, grandpa and husband again. He is a great man and I know he is doing a great work on the other side of the veil. We love you Maryjane. 

I know that Heavenly Father knows each one of us, we are His children and He loves us. I am so grateful for the time we have here in Nauvoo to serve Him and his son, Jesus Christ. I'm thankful for each little thing that I can do, be it washing flower pots or transplanting little plants or cleaning greasy mechanic shop items. I know each little thing helps in keeping Nauvoo beautiful and running. 

I love you all!

--

Sister Burns

Elder Doug and Sister Jill Burns

975 Young Street

Nauvoo, IL 62354

The snow piles that we were looking through for the missing wallet

Doug found his wallet up here, about 18 inches from the top.

 Miracles happen!

Some pictures of the beauty that surrounds us here in Nauvoo

Looking from the snow pile out over the frozen Mississippi

The beautiful ice crystals

The beavers are having fun! They've already knocked 

down several trees and have several in the works.

 These pictures were taken at a little park in Nauvoo. 

The pictures don't do the beauty justice. 

The frozen waterfalls are beautiful! 

Another one taken at the bottom of Parleys

These were days never to be forgotten!

 

February 14, 2021

Hello and HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!

In the words of Oliver Cowdery - "These were days never to be forgotten" I love everyday that I get to spend here on my mission! I am one blessed lady!

I spent most of my time this week in the greenhouse and I love it!!! There is just something about playing in dirt and being with nature that I love! Also, the greenhouses are warm so after being in cold weather, it's refreshing and wonderful to walk into the greenhouses. I've learned to transplant, prune and water. I would find myself singing "Faith is like a little seed, if planted it will grow" while I'm taking care of them. I spent a good share of one day pruning the prayer plants. They were so full and gorgeous but we couldn't get the water to them because they were so full and the leaves were turning brown, so they had to be cut back so they could receive the nourishment they needed so they could grow and thrive. Isn't that a lot like us? We have to have trials and hard times in our lives so that we can grow even stronger. I know trials always seem to bring me closer to my Savior. I don't like it when I'm being "pruned" but the results and blessings are always worth it in the end. 

We have quite the ukulele group going on here and it's a blast! We have a zoom class once a week and look forward to when we can meet in person! Elder Burns kept looking over my shoulder while I was playing so I asked him if he wanted to play also. He did, so we bought him a banjolele! So we sit around pickin' and strummin'! My goal is to get good enough that we can sit around the campfire and sing to our playing! 

It's still been really cold this week - in the low single digits and below. With the wind chill, it's been -25 BRRRR! This is when I just want to wrap up in a blanket and not go anywhere. But the work moves onward! It's forecast to improve in the next week or so - it'll be in the 30's! That'll feel like a heatwave! Haha! I know, I'm a wimp when it comes to cold weather! 

We've had several snowstorms so Elder Burns has spent a lot of time plowing. He's also been working on several other projects that have kept him busy. 

A highlight of this week was a virtual tour of some of the Community of Christ sites - the Joseph and Emma Smith Mansion House and the Nauvoo House, where Joseph and Emma first lived when they arrived in Nauvoo. It was fun to see these places and hear some of the stories. Joseph and Emma sacrificed so much for the members of the church. There were times they went to bed hungry because they had fed others in need. There were times they slept in a tent because they had given their beds and floor space to others in need. Joseph had made several hiding spots in the house so he could hide for protection from the mobs and those wanting to arrest him on false charges, time after time.

Our Dare to Share this week was by President & Sister Massey. He was the supervisor over the building of the Meridian, Idaho Temple and they shared experiences and pictures from that.  My takeaway from the evening was that the Lord is in the smallest details, not only of His temples, but of our lives. I really miss being able to go into the temples, the House of the Lord, and look forward to the day that they are open again and I can again enter His Holy House.

I love you all! Have a great week!

--

Sister Burns

Elder Doug and Sister Jill Burns

975 Young Street

Nauvoo, IL 62354

A talent that Elder Burns has is pencil drawing. 

He usually does buildings. This was his first attempt

 at something other than that and I think he did a great job!

 

I can't remember for sure what this is, maybe Salvia?

Seeds are planted in these containers, then we take that

little stick and transplant the seedlings into these slightly

larger containers.

The Prayer plants before their pruning.

I forgot to get an after shot.

Just a beautiful flower hanging around the greenhouse.

Our resident toad.

I was finally able to finish the red shelves.

This is the before, 

This is the after. It's so nice to see these projects

finished and looking good. I've threatened the 

workers that they had better keep things cleaned!

 

One of the projects Elder Burns has been working on.

 He made 30 of these. They are for the site signs.

Many are called but few are frozen

 

Baby, it's cold outside and this girl is not a fan of it! It's currently 1 degree with a high of 3 degrees expected today. Brrr! Glad I can stay inside,  wrapped up in my blanket! We've had several snowstorms this week. Elder Burns runs one of the plows so he was out last night (Saturday) plowing snow again. 

As I mentioned in my last letter, this week, on Feb. 4th, was the 175th  Anniversary of the Saints exodus from Nauvoo.  That day here was cold, windy and snowy. I left work to head home in horizontal snowfall because the wind was blowing so strong and I had to scrape ice off of my car windows. It had rained for several hours before it turned to snow so we had lots of ice everywhere. Doug was plowing so I drove home. Those who know me well, know I'm not a fan of driving in the snow! At least it's a short drive! Enough complaining! Really, I am thankful for the weather we had that day because it gave me a better appreciation for my ancestors and their forced exodus from Nauvoo. 

The link below is of the reenactment that we did earlier (Covid style). Usually on this day, there is a big gathering with lots of people who walk together down Parley's Street to commemorate this anniversary.  Please watch it for the spirit of the video. Listen to the words of our beloved Site Mission President Rizley. Feel of the love and admiration that we have for these early Saints, who sacrificed so much. Their testimonies of Joseph Smith, the Book of Mormon and this newly restored church were so strong that they willingly crossed the Mississippi River in the middle of winter to leave persecution and continue to a safe, unknown place. Also, if you look close, you might see a couple of familiar faces.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hfl2z9-rJA&t=90s

I'm still working on the cookbook and have received some amazing recipes. I've a feeling I'll be making these for the Senior Sisters also! I love how willing the missionaries are to help with anything! 

We have started having, what we call, Sister Share. It's like RS Enrichment meetings over Zoom. One week will be just Sr. Sisters, the next will be YSMs combined with us. I am excited for these. We have so many talented Sisters in our mission.

We had interviews with Pres. &  Sister Rizley this week. They are amazing people and very inspired and patient. I love them and I'm thankful that I get to serve with them.

So, remember how I shared pictures last week on the blog from the greenhouse? Little did I know when I posted them that I would be called to serve in the greenhouse/grounds area this week. I'll still be working some in the mechanic shop. They said I'll be "hybrid" between the two shops. I'm excited to work in the greenhouse. I have a lot to learn but with the Lord's help, I'll learn it. 

I'm still on the Outreach Committee and we met this week to set up service projects for the next few months. I am excited for the things we have planned and love the opportunity to serve those around us!

I didn't take many pictures this past week  I'll do better this week!

Again, I'm thankful to be here in this beautiful, albeit cold, city of Nauvoo. I'm thankful for the shelter that I have from the cold and snow, for blankets to wrap up in when I'm cold and for a heater that has run almost non-stop today. I am so blessed!

Love you all!

Sister Burns

Elder Doug and Sister Jill Burns

975 Young Street

Nauvoo, IL 62354

Our mailbox is lonely! 😉😉 A stair railing that Elder Burns made for the plumbing shop. It's actually more of a ladder than stairs. A screenshot from the 175th Nauvoo Exodus Anniversary video.