Week Three

Hello to all of you. 

We hope that you are doing well and that you are enjoying the summer activities.  We have been very busy this past week trying to finish unpacking and getting our apartment a little more organized when we can find time from training and learning about our assignment in Nauvoo.

Our week started out on Monday with orientation with President and Sister Gilliland (our mission president and his wife).  The training lasted through the day.  We were welcomed to the mission and had a discussion about the importance of personal and companion study.  Sister Fowers then talked about how to take care of our apartments and importance of conservation.  We then had a presentation from the mission doctor, Doctor Miller.  He talked about health issues, the importance of eating  and drinking properly and getting enough sleep.  (getting enough sleep?  in Nauvoo!!!!)  Then President Gilliland gave us a presentation on giving quality tours and presentations in the various sites.  President Grygla, 2nd Counselor in the Mission Presidency, gave a presentation on the mission organization.  We watched a film called "Remembering Nauvoo" and broke for a 25 minute lunch break.  That made for a quick trip back to our apartment to heat up some "lien cuisine's" and eat them on the way back to the mission office at the visitors center for our afternoon training.

At 1:00 we met in one of the large auditoriums for our music talent review (audition).  Sister Pincock and I sang a song together and then read parts from one of the shows where the senior couples perform.  There were 4 or 5 people watching us and they all had their clipboards with evaluation sheets and they were busily making notes etc so that they can place us in one of the three different casts.  The cast are named:  Lucy Mack, Sarah Granger, and Emma Hale.  Now we have to wait a week to find out which cast we are in.

During the remainder of the afternoon we went to some of the various sites to go through the tours so that we have some idea how to give the tour and what to say.  On Monday night we went to the production called "Sunset on the Mississippi" and watched the senior couples and young performing missionaries perform.  It is a great show.  Then at 8:15 hurried over to the Cultural Hall to watch the senior couples do the musical production called "Rendezvous".  Got home at 10:00 and crashed.

Tuesday was pretty much the same as Monday.  Training started at the mission office and we had training on Relying on the Spirit, Pass-along cards, "you can do this", The Book of Mormon" and guest cards, tickets and tours, public affairs and then lunch.  After lunch we received our "site orientation" book so that we can learn the information about all the sites.  We then went with Sister Gilliland for a tour of some of the homes in Old Nauvoo.  That evening we went to Sunset on the Mississippi and Rendezvous again.   There is just so much to learn.

Dutchman's Shop ( Amish store)

Our First P day (Preparation day) was on Wednesday. But first we had our all mission training meeting at 8:00 and after then got to the P day.   Elder Pincock needed to buy two hats for the various performances so we went shopping at some Amish villages in Iowa.  We drove about an hour to Milton and Cantril to buy some quality hats made by the Amish.  Above is a picture of the Dutchman's Shop.  It was a Amish store and was a fun place to shop.  They had good fruits and vegetables, hot homemade rolls and breads, good looking meat and cheeses and all kinds of other things.  We bought a 10 pound box of blueberries and brought them home to freeze.  The berries were wonderful.  Oh, we did buy a black felt hat at the store.  We then drove to Milton to a very tiny Amish store that sold straw hats.  Everyone told us they had a good selection.  It WAS a very tiny building but we sure had a good time picking out our hat and talking (trying to talk) to the very shy but very cute Amish children in the store.

lilly pads on the Mississippi River
 

On the way home from our Amish shopping we stopped at the Walmart store in Keokuk to do some more shopping, groceries, bookcase, fans etc.  As we crossed the Mississippi back into Illinois we took the above picture of all the Lilly pads in the Mississippi.  There are lots of them and we were told they will bloom and will turn white.  So we will watch.  That night we went to Rendezvous so we could watch again.


Elder Davis

One of the fun things about being here is that you get to be re-connected with friends and fellow missionaries.  Above is a picture of Elder Devin Davis.  He is serving as one of the young performing missionaries during the summer (he is a great violin player and singer).  We served with him in Armenia.  We also have been able to visit with friends Gale and Judy Harding from Rexburg, President and Sister Call from Rigby, the Maughan's who have a daughter that is friends with our nephew Brian Atkinson and his wife Tracie, lots of other folks from Rigby and Tetonia.  Some of the Tetonia folks even know our good friend Max Wade.  It is a very small world in the Church.  Someone always knows someone who knows someone we know.


On Thursday we began our first assignment giving tours at the Family Living Center.  This is what happens:  each week we receive a schedule for where and what shift we will work during the next week.  We each have our own separate schedule.  There are some 25 different sites that we could be assigned to and each day brings a different site.  Then there are three different shifts that we can be assigned to work each day.  The A shift works from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM, The B shift works from noon to 6:00 PM each day and the C shift works from 9:00 AM to Noon and then from 3:00 to 6:00.  So each day brings a different assignment site and different shift.

Some days we work the same shift but not very often at the same site.  On the days we each work different shifts we have to figure out the transportation because we don't live down on the "flats" (the old historic part of town.) 

Then after our shifts end at 6:00 we go to one of the of the 2 shows, Rendezvous or Sunset on the Mississippi and do our performances.  Because we have not been assigned a cast yet we go to just get acquainted with what the missionaries do.  But, that does give you some idea about our schedules.

Below is a picture of us as we began our first day of site assignments.  We were able to work together the first two days (even on the same schedule) at the Family Living Center.  We were dressed in our "site" clothes and were excited for our first try.  The family Living Center consists of 7 different stations where visitors can learn about pioneer life.  The Elders give demonstrations about weaving, barrel making, roping making and pottery making.  The sisters give demonstrations on candle making, bread making, and making wool/flax into thread.  Most everyone comes to this building because it is fun for the kids with very interesting things to do.  Because this is the very busiest season we had lots of people come.  Elder Pincock did the rope making and pottery demonstrations and had large groups (some up to 25) all day. 

our first assignment at the Family Living Center

 

Sister Pincock at the candle making station

Sister Pincock is a wonderful tour guide.  She took a minute to pose for this picture in the candle making demonstration.  We had a fun but busy first two days in the Center.

On Saturday, we had our own sites and shift schedule.  Elder Pincock worked the 9:00 - 3:00 shift at the Browning home and gunsmith shop and Sister Pincock worked the noon-6:00 shift at the Seventies Hall.  The Browning home has some wonderful displays and tells the story of the Browning family and about Bro. Browning becoming famous in gun making. 

Sister Pincock loved the Seventies Hall because on that Saturday there was a special presentation made about the Church missionary program (3 different times during the afternoon) and she got to sit next to a General Authority, Elder Craig C Christensen of the Seventies Presidency, during one of the performances.  During their conversation he mentioned that Elder Pincock had given him a tour of the Browning home and that Elder Pincock had done a good job. (at least he has not been fired yet!!!!)

After our site assignments we went to the Rendezvous show.

Our Sunday Church service begins at 8:00 AM with Sacrament meeting first.  During this busy part of the year there are about 22-26 Priesthood brethren passing the sacrament and about 12 doing the preparation.  There is a temporary Sacrament table set up in the cultural hall so passing the sacrament to a few thousand people does not take very long.  This Sunday Elder and Sister Christensen were the speakers.  It was a great meeting. 

After Sacrament meeting the missionaries all go down to the visitors center auditoriums for Sunday school and RS and Priesthood.  It is quite the process.  The visitors that attend Sacrament meeting can go to the other meetings but most of them leave.  After the Church meetings some missionaries go to work at the various sites.  We did not have a site assignment this Sunday but after a nap and lunch we went to tour some of the sites that we will be working during this next week.

This Sunday we had a District meeting with three other couples and two single sisters.  (Thomas, from Teton Valley, Maughan's from Utah, Davis from Arizona and Sister Brown and Sister McCann).  It is a fun group and we discussed ways to be effective missionaries learning from the Preach My Gospel manual and enjoyed some home made zucchini cupcakes.

After the District meeting we went down to Parley Street for the "Trail of Hope" special tour.  This is a program where we walk down the trail leading to the Mississippi and the young performing missionaries tell the story of some of the early saints that lived in Nauvoo and their journal writings about their feelings of having to leave their beloved Nauvoo.  It is done by candle light and lanterns and was a very special experience.

We know that this is a rather long update but it will give you some idea about what we do.  We love it here and thank each of you again for your prayers and support.  This is the Lord's work and we love inviting people to Come unto Jesus Christ.

We did find out on Sunday night that we have been assigned to the Lucy Mack cast and will begin practicing with the group on Monday night.  Horray!!!!!

Below are pictures of the Browning home and the Seventies Hall where we worked on Saturday.

Elder Pincock gave tours at the Browning home and gunshop

Sister Pincock gave tours at the Seventies Hall.




We love you all and hope that you have a great week.

Elder and Sister Pincock