Week 10---September 2 to September 8, 2013

Hello again.

We just cannot believe that another week has passed so quickly.  It seems like we get up one morning and eat breakfast and then its one week later!

Thanks to all of you that responded to our blog last week about the phonetic spelling of three words.  You all did really good.  No one got all three right but some were pretty close with two right.  The one that seemed to stump everybody was the first word which was "Beauter Tishes", correctly it is Pewter Dishes.  Pewter is a metal that was used to make dishes.  The other two words were "Youtenshels ( utensils) and wereenaparil (wearing apparel).  The winners were the Christian and Annette Buhler family, Mary Ann Ricks (lives in Menan) , The Todd and Shannon Ricks family, Patti Petersen (lives in Provo)  and E/S Blunck. ( currently serving in the country of Georgia)

Our Sunday meetings here are always so good.  We go to church at 8:00 in the morning.  After Sacrament Meeting we all leave the church and go two blocks  west to the Visitor's Center where we have our other meetings.  We have spent time the last two months praying and fasting for our Jennifer and Quinn.  He completed his Physician Assistant schooling this summer and passed his test to get his license.  All he needed was a job.  We prayed all this week that he would get a job this week and our prays were answered when we talked to them on Saturday and found out that he had accepted a job that started today  (Sept. 9th).  Thanks to all who prayed and fasted for them.  We are so happy for them and all that they have accomplished in the last two years. 

Last Monday our schedules changed and the time we spend in the historic sites cut back an hour each day.  We work a shorter day and get home earlier.  Some days are quiet and we only have a few guests.  In our sites we can work on Indexing, Humanitarian projects, companion study, quilting and personal projects like crocheting.  Many of the sites have sewing machines in them. 

Monday evening we enjoyed time in the Nauvoo Groves reading the stories about speeches that were given in the groves around Nauvoo  by Joseph Smith and other church leaders.  There were three main spots where the early saints met in Nauvoo for their meetings.  The sites were east and south of the temple and at the groves on the west of the temple. We also stopped at the limestone quarry where all the stone for the Nauvoo temple was excavated. 



Nauvoo Groves at Sunset

Quarry where stone for the temple was cut

On our preparation day we went to Quincy and did some fun shopping and then had a great dinner with another couple (E/S Ririe) in Keokuk.  It was an Italian restaurant where we could pick out the ingredients in our pasta dish and watch them cook it for us.  It was delicious. 

Here are a few random pictures:

The deer in our backyard.  These are the baby deer we showed you in July.  They are really growing.

deer at our apartment complex

Downtown Nauvoo and the best ice cream parlor around.

Annie's Ice Cream shop in Nauvoo

Judy and Gale Harding from Rexburg.  They came for dinner on Sunday and we had a great time.

Elder and Sister Harding

The beautiful horizon as the moon came up on Sunday evening.  

Moon over Nauvoo with Venus? to the right

  

The Sister missionaries came to our apartment on Friday night to have a Missionary discussion and we helped them to learn their lessons and presentations.  They are here in Nauvoo for 6 months and they are getting ready to transfer for the next 6 months while it is so slow here in Nauvoo.  It's kind of like getting another Mission call.  They are excited to see where they will be going at the end of September.  In the meantime they will come to Senior missionary apartments to "practice" for the next 3 weeks. 

Our Rendezvous performances are going well.  It's very fun to sing and act with all these old people.  It's amazing how good we are!  Here are a couple of shots from our performances this week.

us in our "show' clothes for Rendezvous

Sister Pincock during the Relief Society Vignette

With the number of visitors decreasing we have more time to spend with those that do come to visit.  Elder Pincock had a special experience this week while he was working at the Browning Home and Gun shop (yes, this is the Browning that is the famous gun maker).  The first visitor was a very nice man from Peoria Illinois who was dressed in a nice shirt and tie.  The man, who was by himself, said his wife was attending the temple wedding for a friend so he was visiting some of the sites while he was waiting for the marriage and sealing to be completed.  The man said that he was not able to go to the temple because he was not a member.  Elder Pincock said to the man " you know how that can be fixed" and the man said that his wife had been working on him.  The story and life of Jonathan Browning is a very inspirational story and provides many opportunities to bear testimony of listening to the Spirit and acting on that prompting and following the counsel of the Prophet.  Also, the importance of temple sealing and being together as a family for the eternities.  There was adequate time for Elder Pincock to discuss all those blessings and visit with the man for awhile when the tour was over.  They discussed again the blessing of families and the blessing of being together eternally and the blessing it would be to him to be a member of the Church.  Elder Pincock invited the man to become a member so that he could enjoy the blessings of membership and being with his family for ever.  The man said  "yes, I think I have lallygagged long enough".  He departed and we hope that someday soon we will see him again as a member of the Church and able to come to Nauvoo and go into the temple with his wife.    


We hope that you all have a great week.  We love and appreciate you and your prayers for the missionaries.

Love,
Elder and Sister Pincock