Week #16, 26 March - 1 April 2017

We enjoyed taking Dan and Cheryl to church with us on Sunday.  They got to see more of the countryside and enjoy another day of no sunshine.  The sunshine stayed away all week and rain fell several of those days.  After church we ate and took naps.  The rest of the evening we played games and snacked.  It was a fun time.

Monday we were in the temple, us on shift, and Dan and Cheryl on a session.  We then met up in sealings afterward to complete the 19 sealings he had left.  It was a neat time and we enjoyed completing the work.  They went with us to Burlington for my light therapy.  We stopped at Culver's for lunch afterward and really enjoyed the food.  We also met up with a site missionary couple in there and before we left, the other Browns that work in the temple came in.  We all had a great time visiting.  We went home by way of the Burlington bridge and down the Illinois side of the river for Dan and Cheryl.  

We went to family home evening where President Nelson taught us about prairie grass and why they burn it.  They have an acre of prairie grass in the flats and were supposed to burn it but the weather has been too wet and it rained all day so they postponed the burn until Friday.  His presentation was very fascinating and we came away with a new perspective of the Midwest lands.  From there we went to the Cultural Hall to see Rendezvous In Old Nauvoo.  It was a great performance and we enjoyed talking with the cast afterward.  Dan and Cheryl really enjoyed it.

We had great plans for Tuesday as the Adams were working our shift in the temple and we had the whole day off.  We headed to Carthage and Dan wanted to eat breakfast at a place he had eaten at eight years ago when there.  Well, the place was no where to be found.  We finally stopped and asked a guy getting into his car where to find breakfast.  He said the Double Deuce Saloon was good.  So, off we headed for it.

We had an interesting experience:  There were two older men sitting at a table when we walked in and Danny greeted them.   One had noticed Dad’s UofA jacket and askedif we were from Arizona.  Dan said yes and the conversation turned to basketball and the final four teams that were just determined.  They were talking about Gonzaga when Dan said they were only beaten once and that was by BYU.  The man agreed that Utah had beaten them.   Dan clarified that it was BYU and the man replied:  “yes, those mormons!”  Wow, a spirit of discord seemed to fill the room and we were not sure how to deal with it.  They continued talking about the other teams. 

         A younger man came in to eat,  and he joined in with greeting everyone and joining in the conversation.  He didn’t talk basketball but talked where he was from, what he does for a living, and such.  Danny seemed to find something in common with everything he said.

         Eventually, he asked where we were from.  With the spirit of discord hanging in the air, I turned and said:  “We live in Nauvoo and they have come to visit us from Arizona.”  I just could not seem to say we were on a mission, etc.  Danny didn’t say as much either.  We continued in pleasant conversation and enjoyed the food.  Before long we were out the door and in the car.  Wow, we all commented on what had just happened.  It was definitely not a good feeling in there.

         

 We made our way to Carthage Jail and took the tour and photos to mark our presence.

Sitting in the upper room where the prophet, his brother, and others were held and then attacked.

Joseph fell out of the upper window, shot dead, 27 June 1844.

Joseph & Hyrum Smith, faithful brothers forever.

 We headed off to Quincy to tour a museum, see a monument, and other historical sites.  Here we are in front of The History Museum across from the town square where Lincoln and Douglas had one of their famous debates.  The town of Quincy was settled in 1822 and was named after former United States President John Quincy Adams.  Surprisingly, Quincy is in Adams County.

To the church, Quincy is know as the City of Mormon Refuge.  During the winter of 1838/39, when almost the entire population of Mormons in Missouri was forced to leave under threat of extermination, the 1,600 residents of Quincy, Illinois and Adams County opened their homes and hearts to the nearly 6,000 refugees.  Their kindness and hospitality undoubtedly saved the lives of many of the exiles.

 Monument at the river's edge where they crossed.

We found stately looking homes to take pictures of.  Dad and Dan stayed in the car while Cheryl and I walked the street in the rain to get the photos.

Mathias & Ada Huffman House, 1880.

  David W. Miller and Carriage House.  House 1866, Carriage House 1890.

The Quincy Museum.  We stopped here but it was closed due to renovation.

We also made a stop at Sam's Club for shopping and gas for the car.  We finished up our sightseeing and headed home, going on to Montrose.

On September 17, 1846, mobs stormed Nauvoo and ran out the last remaining 500-600 Saints, many destitute, sick, or too old to move very fast.  They camped along the river here in Montrose.  They had little shelter and food was in very short supply.  It appeared all was lost when a miracle happened.  On October 9, many hundreds of quail flew into the camp dropping to the ground as though they were too tired to fly anymore.  The Saints could scoop them right off the ground and everyone was filled and nourished.

 Their vision back across the river.

There was no Catholic Church or water tower in 1846.

 We drove back down to Keokuk, crossed the river, and headed up to Nauvoo.  We were surprised to see a flock of pelicans taking a break on the water.  We turned around and stopped and got out to take pictures.

It was still raining Wednesday morning.  We were out at 10 a.m. visiting some of the historic sites here in Nauvoo and caught the wagon ride around town.  In the Family Living Center we saw how wool is spun into yarn, bread baked in a brick lined beehive oven (we got a taste as well), and made our own rope.  It was fun and we enjoyed talking with the missionaries.  We also went to the Alyn House for Dan and Cheryl to see the window making display and Cheryl had a fun time looking at all the souvenirs one can buy.  She came away happy.  We came home, had lunch, then Dan and Cheryl packed up and headed to St Louis where they caught their flight early the next morning.  We had a great time with them and were so happy they had come.  We were busy the whole time and that is what made the memories.

Heber C Kimball's carriage he used in Salt Lake City.

Friday was our shift in the temple in the morning, light therapy afterward, shopping, and then home. We were happy to have the weekend off with General Conference.  Bob went to the prairie grass fire burn when we got home.

The rain continued throughout the week but the burn needed to happen.  It is part of the life cycle of the prairie grass.  Before the burn hotdogs, chips, and water were served up with bags of kettle corn to boot.  There were quite a few missionaries and visitors in attendance and all had a good time and when home smelling like smoke.

The wet conditions hampered the burn.

Elder Thompson was kind enough to share his pictures of the burn last year.  As you can see, it is quite different with dry conditions!

Saturday we enjoyed a leisurely morning with biscuits and gravy and then watched the first session of conference.  Sister Despain called up at its conclusion and asked we would like to join them for lunch at Jenni's Place in Lomax.  We were definitely game so off we went.  The place is famous for their Juicy Lucy hamburger.  It is cooked with cheese in the middle and is so very tasty.  The fries were great as well and we certainly enjoyed the meal and the outing.

We finished up the afternoon session, the first game of the final four playoffs, and Dad was off to the stake center for the priesthood session.  We watched the second game afterward to finish off the day.

There were so many amazing talks that spoke to the heart and strengthened our faith and testimonies. Heavenly Father seems to always know just what we need and when we need it.

Temple Fact:  Even though the saints had begun leaving Nauvoo in February 1846, and the baptismal font and the upper floor of the temple had been dedicated for the performing of ordinances, Brigham Young wanted the temple finished and dedicated.  He left those in charge to see to it.  Funds were very low with them being used to outfit saints going west and to assist the poor who were mainly those left in Nauvoo.  The work continued with a hurried urgency and a plan was presented to charge $1 for admittance to the dedication of which $3,000 was raised.  The receipts were used to pay the workers.  A private dedication was held 30 April and a public one on 1 May.  "Joseph Young dedicated the temple, and all that pertained thereto to the Lord, as an offering to Him as an evidence of the willingness of His people, to fulfill His commandments. . ." (Brigham Young's History)