Guess what! It's official!

January 16, 2022

First, the big news of the week! I'm sure this doesn't come as a surprise to anyone, but it's official! We have extended our mission until August 3! This will let us be here during the Nauvoo and British Pageants! When we first received our mission call, we were to be here for two summers and one winter and I was ecstatic! That would mean two summers of pageants and two summers of being in "Sunset by the Mississippi" and only one winter to deal with. Instead, well, you know the drill. Covid hit and all that changed. We were changed to one summer, no pageant and no Senior Missionaries (with one exception) in Sunset.

We are excited to be able to be here during the summer, although we will not be doing "Sunset" since they have decided to not include the Senior Missionaries in it again this summer. Our grandchildren are not excited that we have extended and that was a little tough to see their disappointed faces but we know we are doing the right thing.  We are excited to not only be here another summer but to also be able to be around the YSMs and NPM (Nauvoo Performing Missionaries - they changed their name from Young Performing Missionaries) some more before we leave. That will be a nice reward for surviving a second winter here! ;-) We'll only be serving a mission in Nauvoo once, right? 

As I mentioned in last week's letter,  Covid has hit the mission. We were all quarantined at our homes this past weekend and had Monday off. For some reason, my asthma has reared its ugly head and I was having some problems with it. Because it came on so suddenly and I had a cough with it, they made me test for Covid. I was, thankfully, negative! That being said, I was asked to stay home for several days so I did. I only worked on Friday and it was so nice to be back. The asthma is back under control and I still can't figure out what aggravated it, besides maybe the cold weather we were having? 

Speaking of weather, we had a big snowstorm Friday night and Doug started at 4:00 a.m. plowing the snow and finished up about 4:00 p.m. We have a lot of snow! 

I was able to join, via Zoom, my son's friend's funeral. I'm glad that I was able to do that.  I am so thankful for my Heavenly Father's gift to us of the Plan of Salvation, also known as the Plan of Happiness. I am so grateful to know that through the Atonement of our Savior, my sacred temple covenants and through being the best that I can, that my family and I can live together forever. That brings such peace to my heart! Tomorrow (January 17) marks 6 years since my dad died. I miss him so much! I don't know how I would survive if I didn't know that I would see him and my mom again! I know that death is not the end but a new beginning. I know that my dad is so proud of me and happy that we are serving a mission, especially here in Nauvoo! I feel that he has had many happy reunions with our ancestors who lived here and that they are sharing many stories and are a part of my life. I have felt of their spirits as I've served here. 

A quick example of that happened Saturday. Doug and I have been asked to sing in Sacrament Meeting on the 30th, which is also the day of the Nauvoo Exodus Reenactment Fireside. We chose to sing a song titled, To Those Who Came Before Me and as we were practicing it, the spirit overcame me and I couldn't sing. To think that I was singing a song, expressing gratitude to those who came before me, many who lived here in Nauvoo, while serving here in Nauvoo was not lost on me. I was told that I need to get all of the tears out before we sing. Haha

Here are the words to the song, written by Sally DeFord

To those who came before me in seasons long ago
To those who are the loved-ones that I have yet to know
To those whose noble names I bear,
Whose light within me burns
To them in gratitude shall my heart be turned
To those whose lives of courage prepared the way for me
Whose works became my heritage,
Whose harvest I may reap
Who left for me a legacy that I have yet to earn
To them in gratitude shall my heart be turned

To those who came before me in days and years long past
To those who are the family that I shall know at last
Who laid a sure foundation for the truth that I have learned
To them in gratitude shall my heart be turned

I am grateful to be able to serve here. I know I say that often and I thank Heavenly Father daily also. We are truly blessed to be here!

This one made me laugh!