Burns in Nauvoo: Learning from the past

May 16, 2022

It's hard to know where to begin this week! The days blur together and I really should keep a daily journal. I think of something and wonder - did that happen this week or last week? Then I have to go back and check. Haha

Covid has reared its ugly head again here in the mission. Several of the Senior missionaries and some of the young missionaries have come down with it. So far, they have all had mild cases. Doug and I continue to be healthy. He still has his constant headaches but manages to make it through each day.

I have been busy in the gardens pulling bulbs and planting new flowers. This week we worked mostly in the Women's Garden. I swear that some of the tulip bulbs were trying to get to the middle of the earth! Some were over two feet deep in the soil (still trying to figure out how that happened!) and it took a long time to dig them up but we managed to get them out and the garden beds look beautiful with their summer flowers in them.

It amazes me how tired and sore I am when I get home each day but each morning as I awake, I am pain free and ready to go for another day. A small Nauvoo miracle! The temps reached the low 90's last week, after being in the 40s and 50s the week before. Like I've said before - Nauvoo weather is bipolar! Haha

As we were pulling the bulbs, I thought of how, in the fall, we take these bulbs and plant them in the dark soil, where they sit all winter and then grow and bloom so beautifully in the spring. A few of the bulbs had been planted upside down, yet the stem turned and grew toward the surface and still produced a beautiful tulip. Even though they are in a dark place, they still grow and bloom into something beautiful. Kind of like us - we all have our trials and we see days that are a little harder and darker than others but if we keep working, praying and don't give up, the sun will always shine and life will be more beautiful than before.

I miss my Conservation sisters but I love working in gardens and I'm loving those that I get to work with there.

Employment Opportunity! If anyone is interested in working for the church here in Nauvoo, the mission is hiring for a Collections Care person. This person will be the lead in Conservation (now called Collections Care) and will care for the historic sites and artifacts, help in a huge inventory project they have going on with the artifacts, help clean missionary housing and also get to hang out with some amazing missionaries! If you or someone you know might be interested, check it out on the church's employment website.

I was in Women of Faith this week. It had been awhile since I've done one. We had a lot of technical difficulties but I still think the spirit was felt by those watching. Sister Levesque, E/S Mills getting ready.

Last Tuesday was my last time serving at Lucy's home. It has been a great experience sharing her stories. I have learned to love her and look forward to the day that I meet her and can give her a big hug! She is such a wonderful example of strength, courage and faith with a little feistiness thrown in! I have loved the time that I was able to visit with the other sisters that I served with and get to know them better. Maybe I'll be able to serve there once more before we leave but right now, the gardens need me! I served with Sister Thiemann. She and her husband are the Pageant Missionaries.

We took a road trip to Springfield Saturday and visited the Lincoln Museum and the Old Courthouse. It was an amazing day and I learned so much there. We had great company in E/S Levesque. We've decided that we have to get on the ball and start seeing all of the sites that we want to see before we head home.

Sunday we served in the VC again. We served with E/S Anderson, who are great friends from back home. It was great to spend that time with them. We were busy for a few hours but it's still pretty quiet here in Nauvoo. I'm sure that will change soon.

I read this quote today and I really liked it. "We are tied to our past, we link arms with them through the veil. Benjamin F Johnson said Joseph Smith said if he died he would not be far away but would continue to work with Benjamin through the veil, operating with greater power." It helps that Benjamin is my 4th great-uncle!

I love the imagery of linking arms with my ancestors and I know there have been times that I've felt that while serving here in Nauvoo. I know that the veil is thin at times and that we have ancestors who watch us, pray for us and are here for us. There are times that I have felt my parents close by and I know that they are happy to see us serving here. I remember talking to my dad after our first year of being in the pageant. I told him that I sure wish that we had ancestors that had lived in Nauvoo. He replied that we have many ancestors that lived in Nauvoo and he began to list the names - Hatch, Snyder, Johnson, Asay, Fletcher, Fairchild, and more. I was so excited and it has been wonderful learning about them through the years. I've said it before but I am so grateful for their courage, strength and faith. Even though they went through a lot of persecution for their testimonies of their Savior and His church, they stayed strong in their faith and I will always be thankful for that. Because of them, I am who I am today!