Lucy Mack Smith Home

  

   This house was built by Joseph Noble.  When the Saints were forced to leave Nauvoo, he and his family left with them.  Lucy Mack Smith (mother of the Prophet Joseph Smith) chose not to go west.  She was quite elderly and suffered from arthritis so she felt she would not be able to endure the trip.  The church leaders loved and admired her so much they deeded this sweet little house to her and did everything they could to make her comfortable.  Even built a carriage house around back, complete with a "fine carriage".

   Part of the time her daughter, Lucy, son-in-law, Arthur, and their two children lived here with Lucy Mack Smith.  Later, when her arthritis became worse, she moved in with Emma Smith (who had remarried) and was cared for by Emma and her grandchildren until she died.

   Lucy Mack Smith was a small but feisty woman who was confronted often (not always kindly) about her son, Joseph, and she always defended him. She knew he was a prophet of God and The Book of Mormon was the Word of God. She is an amazing example of faith and endurance.


              Downstairs:

Sleeping alcove



Living area (right)

Living area (left)

Because of her arthritis, she probably did NOT go up and down the stairs. 

They are very steep and narrow.

from the bottom


Upstairs:





Child's bedroom

from the top

Adult bedroom

Notice the ropes on the child's bed.  They could be tightened or loosened to raise or lower the mattress so the child would not fall out.  Also notice the little wooden paddle on the adult bed.  It was used to beat the mattress (which was made of straw) to fluff it up and also to get the bedbugs out.  You know the saying - "Sleep tight - don't let the bedbugs bite".

The little stove in the corner is called a "4 O'Clock Stove".  They didn't build a fire in it but at about 4:00 in the afternoon they would put in coals from the fireplace and by the time they were ready for bed, the room was nice and toasty warm.  Here's a better view of the stove.  It's tiny.



You Know You're a Nauvoo Missionary When . . .

We just had a district meeting and our district leader gave us this handout.  You may not understand it all but it is all very true of our lives at this point.  Some of these things we haven't done yet but are looking forward to.  If you don't understand something - please email me, ask, and I will explain  (my motivation for getting emails.)

You know you're a Nauvoo Missionary when . . .

you find that you are late to sacrament meeting when you arrived 1/2 hour early.

you go to sacrament meeting an hour early so you can in winter, find a place to hang your coat, and in summer, find a place to sit in the chapel.

you search along the baseboards to find a plug outlet or light switch.

you learn that A & W means Aldi's and Walmart, and not root beer.

the choir is too large for everyone to sit on the stand.

you work during General Conference and every Saturday, Sunday, and holiday all year.

you find that there are so many old people that you have your own mission doctor.

you find the location of the "gold" key . . . after you've locked yourself in the site.

you find you are grateful for borrowed and used clothes.

you find that "Rendezvous" isn't a date.

you learn how to spell "Rendezvous".

you wear a wool cape, hat, and scarf, even on a hot July evening.

the only thing you're worried about hitting with your car are squirrels.

Jed can cuss with the Lord's approval  (Note:  part of the "Rendezvous" production).

the chapel is just as cold in the summer as it is in the winter.

you change your clothes three times a day (or more).

you have a curfew and you're 75 years old (Note:  we're not that old but some are older).

you forget your lines on stage and everyone else knows them.

the only people you pick on are 5-year olds (Note:  also part of "Rendezvous").

your pets are corn bugs (or very large spiders or mayflies).

you can be in the shower at 3:15 and in a temple session at 4:00

your man is asked to kick like a Rockette (Note:  "Rendezvous" again)

you're expected to make rope and horseshoes on Sunday.

you sit on an ice bag with a towel wrapped around you (Note:  this time it's "Sunset").

people find your home by its name, not its address

you're asked to clean the sunstone in the middle of winter.

you're asked to help carve 400 pumpkins for Halloween.

you stitch on a quilt which never gets completed (Note:  "Rendezvous")

you do all your assignments willingly . . . because you have to (Note:  "Rendezvous").

you see the 'cop', slam on your brakes, and notice you're going 22 mph.

you can't sing or dance, and yet you're in TWO major musical productions that are the longest running in Nauvoo.

you have sacrament meeting in one building and relief society & priesthood meetings in another.

there are nine brethren at the sacrament table and 24 brethren passing the sacrament.

there is an hour long organ prelude before sacrament meeting begins at 8:00 a.m.



Yep, lots of things are different here but we love it and wouldn't change a thing.  We love and miss you all.

Nauvoo Temple

Nauvoo Temple

Up on the hill, where it can be seen from almost everywhere in Nauvoo, is the beautiful Nauvoo temple.  Right now there are so many trees in the area that sometimes the view is blocked for a moment or two, but I'm anxious to see how it looks in the winter when there are no leaves on the trees.  Here are a few more views. 



In front of the temple is a beautiful flower garden overlooking the Mississippi River.

In the garden is a statue of Joseph and Hyrum Smith leaving Nauvoo for the last time.  On the plaque it says:

The Prophet's Last Ride

On the morning of June 24, 1844, Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum left their families, homes, and fellow Saints for the last time.  Traveling on horseback, they paused on this bluff.  Joseph looked admiringly at the unfinished temple and declared:

                 "This is the lovliest place and the best people under the heavens;

                                 little do they know the trials that await them."

Joseph and Hyrum then continued on to Carthage, Illinois, where they faced legal charges and eventual death at the hands of a mob.







Nauvoo update & plan

I'm sorry it's taking me so long to get to the blog.  Everything here is new to us and we're learning so many things all at once, we want to share it all with you but our schedule is BRUTAL.  Who ever said senior missionaries get to take naps did not come to Nauvoo. 

We're up at 6:00 every morning and hardly ever get to bed before 10:30.  We each have a 6 hour shift at one of the sites - but usually not the same shift or the same site.  We also have to get in scripture study, personal study, companion study, fittings for site clothes and show clothes, training meetings, district meetings, practices, and quickly learning the new site we will have to give tours in the next day, before rushing off to be in a show. 

In the summer there are three different casts who are in Rendezvous in Old Nauvoo ( a musical about the people and culture of Nauvoo) and Sunset by the Mississippi ( kind of an outdoor variety show).  They are both presented six nights a week so we only have to be in Rendezvous two nights and Sunset two nights.  During the winter many missionaries go home so there are only two casts.  They stop doing Sunset but we will be in Rendezvous every other night.  We will have our clothes for the shows soon I hope and then I'll post pictures.  Right now we are borrowing clothes.

Sundays are quite interesting (NOT a day of rest).  Sacrament meeting starts at 8:00 a.m. but if you want a good seat you have to get there by 7:15.  We have 200 site missionaries, 100 temple missionaries, 20 young sister missionaries, 20 young performing missionaries and about 40 FM (facilities management) missionaries.  That fills up the chapel and breezeway.  It's always opened to the cultural hall and visiting guests usually fill that up. We are constantly reminded that this is probably the closest we will ever come to living in a zion community.  Every member of our ward is active, pays tithing, and holds a temple recommend.  A bishops dream!

After Sacrament meeting we have Relief Society & Priesthood meetings and then we get to work in the same site with our spouse for only 3 hour shifts.  That's really fun and goes by pretty fast.  Then there is either a district meeting or zone meeting or fireside in the evening.

Our P-day is even really busy.  Our mission president wants us to call it preparation day because he doesn't want anyone to think it is a "play-day".  I don't think there's much chance of that - but he will let us call it prep-day.  Anyway - most people get to sleep in on their prep-day but not us.  Ours is on Wednesday and there is ALWAYS an 8:00 training meeting on Wednesdays.  Then we're free to go shopping or do laundry or whatever (do assigned service projects - this week we get to clean the reader boards on the trail of hope) until 6:00.  Then we have to get ready for either Rendezvous or Sunset performances. 

I'm not complaining - we came on this mission to get out of our rut and to serve the Lord in any way he wants us to.  It's hard work and a little hard getting used to, but we love it and we know he will help us do anything we're asked to do.  We are just grateful for the experience.

I've decided to take just one site at a time and show you pictures (when I have time) and explain a little bit of the information we give in a tour.  Maybe then I can post a little bit at a time but a little more often.   

Welcome to Nauvoo

Correction: 

Elder Knudsen suggested that I make a correction of an earlier post.  When I wrote about the Conference Center in Salt Lake, I guess I implied that the pulpit was damaged by the fountain on the roof.  IT WAS NOT.  It was damaged by a sprinkler system coming on - I just thought it was kind of ironic that the fountain was directly above the pulpit.  Sorry.

WELCOME TO NAUVOO

 This is our new house - isn't it cute?  We live on the bottom.  We have neighbors on both sides of us who play the piano so we get to hear them practicing at various times of the day.  It's great.

Across the street in the front there is a park with a campground.

And in back there is a patio and a beautiful HUGE lawn.  The field on the left is a cornfield - not very tall yet.

I'm not sure how we got so lucky.  Some of our friends are in tiny tiny houses with tiny narrow spiral staircases.  They are very cute but I'm really glad we are all on the ground floor and we have lots of room and storage space.  We also have a basement which is the tornado shelter for several senior couples.  That means they can get into our house anytime they want.  Good thing we trust them huh?

Here's a peek inside our cute little place. 





I took these pics before we moved our stuff
in and then forgot to take one after the bed
was made

When we first walked in the house - look what we found.

Two cans of soup, a loaf of bread and a cute little note that said:

"We welcome you to Old Nauvoo

The Lord has work for you to do

Your testimony you'll want to share

As you meet folks from everywhere."

Love,

Illinois Nauvoo Mission Presidency

I think we're going to love it here - actually, we already do!





Missionary Training Center

MTC Entrance

Our ten days at the Missionary Training Center was amazing.  I had been using the word AWESOME so much that it was even starting to bother me - so I changed to AMAZING!  It's so hard to explain how wonderful the experience is to someone who hasn't been there but I'll try.

Everything is so orderly and scheduled and designed to help us become successful missionaries and to understand the missionary purpose which is:

"Invite others to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end."

We learned that we as missionaries invite and help, and the people we teach come and receive. 

Everyone is so kind and helpful.  The first day was orientation and figuring out where everything is. 
We were met by young elders who carried our luggage to our room.  It was small but very comfortable.  We didn't spend a lot of time there.

                                     Just long enough to sleep (very comfy bed).




And study.  These are the coolest chairs - I want one at home.  Look what they can do.

The second day we started classes and they made sure we were comfortable.  

First they brought in extra pads for our chairs.

                               

Then they brought in footstools.  They made
a big deal about us keeping our feet up.




We had a Senior Couple - Elder and Sister Stock - who made sure that everything ran smoothly and who took care of any problems that came up.  They said we could call them anytime day or night.  Thank goodness we didn't have to.

They made sure we had a break every hour and they treated us like royalty.  We had ID cards that we were supposed to use to get into every building or to use the elevator but the young elders race each other to get to hold the doors for seniors so we didn't have to use them very often. 

The first week our study was from the scriptures and the book, Preach My Gospel.  I think that the most important thing we learned was that we already know a lot and we just have to have confidence in ourselves and learn to teach by the Spirit.  Our instructors were young returned missionaries who are currently attending BYU.  They said the job lasts for 3 years and then they have to move on and let someone else have the blessings. 

                
Our morning instructor was Brother Harmer.  He is married but has no children (yet).  His motto for us was:  KISS

Keep
It
Simple
Seniors





Our afternoon instructor was Brother Albertson. He is married and has a 9 month old daughter.  He told us at the beginning of the week that we would be completely different people by the end of the week.  I think he was right.

The second week was more specific instruction to our mission.  We learned how to conduct tours.  Our instructors were a senior missionary couple, Elder & Sister Mitchell.

The cafeteria was unbelieveable!  They have everything you could ever want to eat and it is all so good - you really have to learn to pace yourself. 

Nothing is ever allowed to get dirty.  There are hundreds of students from BYU who come during the day and keep everything clean or painted or polished or trimmed (we saw one girl cleaning a drinking fountain with a toothbrush.) As soon as the tulips had stopped blooming, there was a whole group of students cleaning out the flower beds and digging up the bulbs.

My favorite thing was to watch the young missionaries.  You see them everywhere but it's hard to imagine how many of them there are until you see them all together.  Every Tuesday night all the missionaries come together for a devotional. They let the senior missionaries in first so we can get really good seats and then they open the doors for the young missionaries.  They look like God's Army streaming into the room.  And then - when they sing "Called to Serve" -  OH MY!!!!

There were several places where they asked us not to take pictures

Usually a general authority comes to speak.  Our first week D. Todd Christofferson and his wife were there.  Our second week L. Tom Perry and his wife came.  It's amazing to see them and listen to them in person.  I'm not sure how old L. Tom Perry is but he must be in his late 80's.  He is really tall and he bounded up the steps to the pulpit like a teenager. 

There were several places where they asked us not to take pictures so I mentioned to one of our instructors that I wished everyone in the church could have a chance to come here for a week.  He said, "They can!  Tell all your friends to come!"  So I'm telling you - COME!

As amazing as it was, after ten days we were really anxious to get on with the next part of the experience.  So we said goodbye to the MTC and the beautiful temple on the hill and headed for Nauvoo.

Sightseeing in Salt Lake City

 

On our way to the MTC (Mission Training Center) we stopped off for some sightseeing in Salt Lake City.  We took lots of pictures but I will only post a few for those of our family and friends who have not been here.  The temple was gorgeous as always.  You can't take a bad picture of the temple.

There were flowers everywhere



Some of the statues on Temple Square:

Seagull Monument

Handcart Pioneers

Joseph & Hyrum Smith (and me)



Restoring the Aaronic Priesthood

Restoring the  Melchizedek Priesthood



Conference Center

 

We took a tour of the Conference Center because we had never been there.  We took some pictures but they really do not show how expansive and beautiful the building is.  Our tour guide said that it is the largest public building of it's kind in the country except for sporting arenas.  It holds 21,000 people in one room and you don't even get a good idea of how big it is when you watch conference on TV.   That huge room where conference is held has no supporting pillars so there is nothing to obstruct the view from anywhere in the room.  There is even more on each side than I was able to capture in the middle.



This was taken from the balcony


The pulpit was made from a tree in President Hinckley's yard.  We were not able to see it up close because there had been some water damage recently because of a leak and it was being repaired.  No wonder!  Look what is positioned directly over the pulpit (on the roof)



There is beautiful artwork and sculptures throughout the building.  All of the original Book of Mormon paintings are huge.  We learned that a primary president had commissioned the paintings so that primary children could understand the Book of Mormon stories more easily.  I've seen those pictures so many times but never realized that there is so much detail in them.  There are also busts of each of the Presidents of the church and there are gorgeous fountains everywhere.

On the roof there are gardens and trees, fountains, and these cool sky lights.  There are nine of them and they are over the conference room and cause rainbows to appear on some of the chairs.



There is also a mural made of Brazilian marble.  The picture is sandblasted onto it.



David O McKay is the little boy sitting on his father's lap in the right bottom corner.

There is so much more to see but I'll end for now and show you one more picture.  This is the view of temple square from the top of the Conference Center.

What an AWESOME place!!!