Burns in Nauvoo: Love God Unconditionally

Carthage Jail gardens

May 30, 2022

We rejoiced last night (Sunday) when we were able to remove our masks after five days of wearing them. We are officially covid free and it's so nice to be "normal" again! Doug had the worst headaches he's had when he started with covid last week, but after a Priesthood blessing and lots of prayers, they are very minimal in pain. He said that he's had to stop and think -"Do I still have a headache?" because they are so low on the pain scale. That's wonderful news for him and has been long in coming! We are grateful and thankful and we pray that they will continue low until they completely go away!

It was nice to be able to get back to work! We spent a day at Carthage, where we mulched the flower beds that we had planted earlier. It always looks so nice when we are done. We headed to Dairy Queen after we were finished for our traditional lunch and ice cream. I love serving in the gardens - and not just because we get DQ!

Friday morning we had our monthly farewell/welcome breakfast. We were able to go but we had to sit at a table with another couple that were wearing masks due to covid also. We called it the "Covid Corner". Haha! They have the couples that are leaving come forward and they sing this Farewell Nauvoo song to them and it's so sad. I said that I want them to sing "Happy Trails to you" when we leave. We said farewell to E/S Alston and Wessman.

We had two special trainings this week with Curtis Ashton and Aaron West from the church history department. It was all geared to the Site Missionaries but they were enjoyable and I learned a lot. Sunday we served at the Family Living Center (FLC) with 11 couples. It was kind of overkill on the amount of couples there but I'm trying to stay positive and enjoy my last few months here. I gave demonstrations on carding - getting wool ready to spin - and breadmaking. It was a fun day. We also spent an hour sitting outside at the new information desk.

If you haven't listened to the fireside that President Nelson did a few weeks ago for the Young Adults, I encourage you to listen to it! It is wonderful! I will be listening to it again!

I have to share this because I want to remember it! Last night I listened to a man tell about his struggles in his life - his son died about the same time that his brother-in-law died, both unexpectedly, then his wife had a stroke, lost her memory but recovered. His other son was hit by a car but survived. All these things were happening and he was asking God why. He said he realized that they weren't happening to him, but to those that he loves. He then had the thought, "Love God Unconditionally". He said that God loves us unconditionally so why shouldn't we love Him unconditionally. He encouraged us to "Choose you this day whom ye will serve" and to choose God (Daddy in Heaven were his words) He ended his talk with this thought - "Sometimes the greatest miracle of faith is having faith when there is no miracle." -Richie Norton I love this thought so much!!! I really wish that I had a transcript of it.

I am so grateful that I do have a Heavenly Father who loves me unconditionally and that I can also love Him unconditionally. I pray that I will remember that when hard times come and I'm struggling with trials. I'm also thankful that Heavenly Father sent me to the earthly parents that He did. I've been missing them and wishing that I could talk with them. I'm grateful for the revelation that was given here in Nauvoo to Joseph Smith that let us know that families can be together forever! I don't know what I would do without that knowledge. I know I have a long way to go to be the person that I need to be but I'm grateful for each day that I have to try and be a little bit better.