Week 17: October 21---October 27, 2013

Hello again:

Our weeks are so fun and interesting.  On last Sunday I got to go to the brickyard with Elder Pincock and Elder Miller.  It's a fun site where we make bricks and do a demonstration about how to make them and the importance of bricks in the days of Nauvoo.  In the Nauvoo area there is a layer of clay under the top soil so it was and still is quite easy to get the materials for bricks.  It was a big business for the people in Nauvoo with 7 brickyards in town. Each family who visits the Brickyard gets a brick for a souvenir with Nauvoo inscribed on it.   It's a fun presentation and popular with all the guests who come here.   The Elder we served with is also the mission doctor.  He's the doctor who came to our apartment the night David had his nose bleed.  His wife is here in Nauvoo but doesn't do much because of chronic illnesses.  We have never met her.  But this cute man is always at every assignment, performance, and activity with a smile on his face and never a complaint.

Elder Miller and Elder Pincock at the brickyard

We had a very fun Preparation Day this week.  We went to St, Louis for the day.  It is three hours from here.   We have been to St. Louis a few times but we had never been to the Arch-Gateway to the West.  We went to the top of the arch and saw the beautiful views.  The St. Louis Cardinal baseball and football stadiums are both just below the Arch.  The elevator ride was very interesting going up and over, up and over  all the way up to the top.  We watched the movie of the Lewis and Clark expedition that started out  from St. Louis.  On the way home we got to see the St. Louis Temple and get some pictures and we ate dinner at Cracker Barrel.  What a fun day we had.

Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri

we rode to the top of the arch in these little cars or trams (they kinda swing
like a ferris wheel car, knee to knee and room for 5)
 

Busch baseball stadium as seen from on top of the Arch--Home of the
St Louis Cardinals baseball team (they are playing in the World Series)

Mississippi River from the Gateway Arch

downtown St Louis from the arch--historic Courthouse in center

St Louis Temple

When we were entering the Arch to buy our tickets for the ride to the top we saw two familiar faces that we knew from Rexburg.  Russ Benedict and Shane Webster who Elder Pincock knew from BYU-Idaho Financial Services were there taking a tour also.  They were in St. Louis for a convention.  Such a small world we live in.  We just never know who we will meet or where!

Thursday was a big day for us.  It started with a practice on stage for our big debut that night as Noah and Sophia.  It's a cute but very short vignette telling the story of.  this couple and their conversion.  It's done sing-song/rap style.  The music is very cute and the chorus raps  and acts out all the things that we say.  I have to say that we did pretty well for our first acting experience.  David was worried about the rhythm but he kept right in beat.  COME TO NAUVOO AND WE WILL SHOW YOU IN PERSON!  Here we are in our costumes on the stage.

in our Noah and Sophia costumes for Rendezvous show

Do we look snappy on stage!!!

I made cake pops and covered Hershey Nuggets with Halloween paper for treats that night for our cast when we got off of stage.  Our cast was so supportive of our "opening night".

Friday night we helped with the carving of 500 pumpkins that we used to line the streets of downtown Nauvoo on Saturday night. It was all very fun.


missionaries carving pumpkins (notice the man in the blue hat with a power drill

a few of the carved 500 pumpkins

pumpkin that Sister Pincock carved

 The Mission furnished about a thousand bags of kettle corn and 500 bags of candy for the big celebration.

making lots of kettle corn to give away

We helped to pass out the treats and watched the costume parade.  The mission float was a  horse and wagon pulling 25 of the missionaries playing crazy, made up instruments.  It looked fun.  We will do that part next year.

Elder Pincock putting bags of kettle corn on tables to give away

beginning of the Halloween parade (after the parade the kids go up and down
each side of the street Trick or Treating)


 

missionary "crazy band" float.  (they are all playing some type of small instrument)

some of the 500 pumpkins that are set up on Main Street

Some more fun pictures from this week:

The back side of the temple and autumn leaves.

Nauvoo Temple with some trees with leaves changing colors

David's dirty hands after working all day at the Blacksmith Shop.  What an experience for a banker!

hands after working in the Blacksmith shop for 6 hours. 
(sure different than working at a desk)

Stairs in the John Taylor home.  I go up and down stairs like these every day.  I'll have  to make a picture collection of all the staircases in Nauvoo to show you some time.  This picture reminded me of the tumble I took down our apartment stairs this week.  I have been stiff for a couple of day but no real injuries.

steep and narrow stairs at John Taylor Home

This little horse is an original horse from the John Taylor home   John made it for his little boy.  He had had it for years and loved it.  When they left Nauvoo he understood that they couldn't take any toys because there wasn't room for toys.  But the boy kept crying for his toy horse as they crossed the river to leave Nauvoo.  That night John Taylor went back under dangerous conditions to get the horse and took it to his little boy.  The horse was tied to the side of the wagon and made it to Salt Lake.  The Taylor family has had it for decades and donated it to the Nauvoo restoration to display in this home.  Notice that the horse hair is real horse hair.  What mothers and fathers do for their children!

toy horse in John Taylor home  (family took horse across plains)

Today, Sunday, October 27th Sister Pincock went on a tour to the historic sites that the Community of Christ Church (formerely RLDS).  The tour included The Red Brick Store, Mansion house, Nauvoo House and burial location of Joseph and Hyrum Smith.

Mansion House where Joseph Smith welcomed guests to nauvoo

the bodies of Joseph and Hyrum were buried beneath with well for a period of time.

Another beautiful Mississippi sunset.


  

love the sunsets here. (just like home except no mountains)

Just remember that we love you all.  Just like Heavenly Father but his love is greater than we can comprehend and will bless us with the things that are good for us.  Remember that this life is a test and He has many more blessings for those who obey.  Try to think about His love and blessing this week.

Love,
Elder and sister Pincock

Week 16: October 14---October 20, 2013

Dear Family and Friends,

Our activities are so varied.  It sure makes life interesting.  I get to go to the sewing room once every two weeks.  Today I did some repair work on the dresses that the young sister missionaries use during the summer months and the proselyting missionaries use when they help at the Nauvoo sites.  When they all get back in the spring, their dresses will be repaired and ironed and ready to go.  We are in the Rendezvous Show two times a week.  On Monday night, we performed two shows.  We do two shows when there are lots of people in town.  It has been very busy here during October.  There are many tour buses that come here and a lot of people who take fall road trips with their family during the harvest break.  It is quite fun to put on this play.  We have lots of new parts that change every three weeks so we get the chance to do fun things.  Elder Pincock got to be a" kicker" this week.  The "senior" men do a couple of  chorus line kicks (like the Rockettes) that make the audience roar with laughter.  David was in the line and it was a hoot to watch him. 

On Tuesday we went to Burlington to do our shopping.  There is more color on the leaves this week and it is such a beautiful drive.  We are really enjoying the fall and the nice weather we are having.


fall colors are beginning to show

Yesterday in the sewing room a lady showed us how to make seamless pillowcases and so I got some fabric to start a new project.   I love my projects!

cute pillowcases

I spent the afternoon making cookies and then we went to the temple.  Elder Marshall works at the temple here.  Some of you might remember him from his service in  Rexburg when the temple opened there.  He is from the Portland area. 

We always have good training meetings on Wednesday morning.  Today we were instructed on keeping order in our sites and all the things we can do to be professional and keep things tidy and in order.  We got to go back to Carthage today.  This site makes me feel the responsibility of this mission.  I was feeling kind of stressed about doing everything right today.  I was provided with some "growing" experiences today on how to handle questions that are asked by the guests and how to keep calm when guests are not receptive to the message. It was a cloudy day today.  On cloudy days you can see this illusion  of Joseph Smith looking out the window of the jail.  It's a reflection of a picture of Joseph Smith that hangs in the Visitor Center.  The picture reflects through the window of the Visitor Center onto the jail window next door.  So when you look out the VC window over at the jail window it looks like he's looking back at you.  I got an excellent picture of this phenomenon.  They told me that many people try to get this picture with their cameras and that it is almost impossible because of the reflections from two windows and the angle.  I felt like I had received a gift that day.  I am sharing the picture with you.  Hope I explained it so you understand this story.

Portrait of Joseph Smith in the Carthage Visitors Center

Joseph looking out the window of the Carthage Jail

There are a lot of cute decorations in Nauvoo.  This is a picture of a cute house just up the hill from our apartment.

notice the pumpkins on the roof lines

We are busy carving  pumpkins,  filling candy bags and practicing for the "crazy band" for the upcoming events this weekend.  I will send more pictures of Halloween activities in the next blog.

We are busy everyday working in the sites.  We have opportunities everyday to learn new things and practice doing the things we have already learned.  I have included pictures from the Wilford Woodruff House.  There is a portrait of him while is was the 4th President of the Church hanging over one of the eight fireplaces that he built in his house to keep his family warm and cozy.  They only got to live in this house for 4 months and five days before they had to leave with the Saints to go west.

Wilford Woodruff

These two table settings are featured in his home.   Many of the items in this home are things that belonged to the Woodruff family and were preserved, handed down from generation to generation and then donated to the Nauvoo restoration.

dining room and preserved dishes

table in Woodruff home

The quilt is also an item that was in the Woodruff home during Nauvoo times.  It was hand stitched by Phoebe Woodruff  and preserved by the Woodruff family. 

room in Woodruff home

I'll end with this picture of a trunk that is displayed in the work room were they also have a couple of spinning wheels, a weasel, and a forerunner to the Murphy bed -a bed that folds up against the wall.  The trunk is pretty plain on the outside and the inside is decorated with beautiful paintings  We compare this trunk to people who we might meet in our lives.  Sometimes we judge people by their looks.  Maybe they are plain or homely so we choose not to be  friendly or get to know them.  We miss out on all the knowledge, personality traits, and virtues that others have just because we judge them by their outward appearance.  Each site in Nauvoo has a message that we share that goes along with the information we present at the site.  It gives a special insight into the person and items that we show to the guests who come here. 

Trunk in Woodruff home

So, have I convinced anyone to come and share their holidays with us?  There are lots of fun things coming up for the holidays.  Nauvoo is a  fun place to visit no matter what time of the year it is. Hope you are all well and happy.  We love you and miss you all a lot.  All is well with us.

Love,
Elder and Sister Pincock               

Week 15; October 7-October 13, 2013

  

Hello:

Starting with Oct. 7th we have had many experiences and the time just whizzes by.  I started this day by wishing my sister, Sandy, a Happy birthday and we hope she had a very nice day.  I served at the Print Shop that day.  It was great.  The Elders are usually assigned to that site, but on that day I was assigned with another Sister and it was very interesting.  Neither one of us had been there before and so we spent the first hour studying and practicing the script.  The Printing process is quite involved but we worked hard and gave some good tours.  The newspapers were so important to the people in those days because it was their main source of communication.  One newspaper, "The Nauvoo Neighbor" was for community news, including weddings, deaths, activities, etc.  One of the most interesting was the publication of stories and poems that people wrote in those days and wanted to share with everyone.  The other newspaper was the "Times and Seasons" and all the Church news was in it, including the revelations that Joseph Smith had.  I guess you could call it the forerunner of the Ensign and Church News that we have today. 



At the Printing Shop

 

 

That evening we went to a practice at the Cultural Hall for our new part- the whip and clip clop in the horse and buggy scene.  This is my favorite part ever.  We are getting a lot of new assignments in the play.  I played the piano for one of the duets that night. It went really well and I am getting some confidence now that some day I will be able to do all of the Rendezvous music.    We have had a couple of practices for our new speaking parts in one of the vignettes and we might be performing it soon.  We are going to be in the dance scene tonight along with our other parts

On Tuesday we went to Quincy to do our grocery shopping.  We took the scenic way through Iowa and Missouri.  The leaves are changing and we love the beautiful trees and fall flowers that in bloom new.  The lily pads on the river are pretty dead and so different from the beautiful blooming plants that we enjoyed so much this summer.  Many flocks of geese have passed by this month on their way south and we understand that hundreds of eagles will settle in along the river for the winter.


dead lily pads

the leaves are beginning to change colors

 

geese are traveling south along the Mississippi

We have spent a lot of time this week practicing "shared tours"  with our companions at our sites.  It's fun to work together with someone and not have to present all of the material by yourself.  I got to serve with Elder Pincock at the Post Office this week and we did really well sharing the tour information back and forth.  I think it makes it more interesting for the guests. And  the scriptures tell us " in the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established".    D&C 6:28  "And then you  may return to bear record, yea, even all together or two by two, as seemeth you good."  D&C 62:5.

John Taylor home

We had a fun experience on Friday evening.  We  went to Keokuk so I could get my hair cut and we had dinner at Wendy's  Then we met  a couple in Fort Madison for their high school football game and home coming.  It was fun because their colors were red and their name matched Madison High School.  However, their mascot was a bloodhound.  We laughed at that.  They lost to the opposing team by one point.  Every time someone asked me if I saw what was going on, I always had to say, sorry, I was watching the cheer leaders.  It brought back some good memories  of our kids and grand children in high school, their activities, and the many Madison and Skyline games we have watched over the years.  It was just fun to be out and involved in things that we like to support.  I do have to say that their cheerleaders, band and many of their ways are about 10 years behind the progressive kids we are used to. 

Friday night high school football in Illinois

Saturday night  we had people over for tacos and treats while we watched the BYU football game on our little TV.  It was fun to cheer for BYU and watch them beat Georgia Tech for their homecoming.  It was also fun to know that we had kids and grand children who were their in Provo watching the game.  Hey! Evan Excell, that is the back of your brother's head in the picture and Sister Excell on the couch.  They are very fun friends and companions to work with. 

BYU homecoming game at the Pincock's

We had another fun experience this week when a couple ( E/S Marshall) who were at the MTC with us showed up in Nauvoo.  Their Mission President in Winter Quarter's, Omaha, Nebraska, let them take a 4 day trip for their anniversary and they came to Nauvoo.  So we got together with them for dinner, along with the Jones who serve here in Nauvoo and we were all in the MTC together.   What neat experiences a mission provides for service, making friends, and endless days of fun experiences. 

We were at the temple this week and while we were sitting there waiting for the session to start I checked my memory to make sure I could remember our Family Motto: " And now that my soul might have joy in you and that my heart  might leave this world with happiness because of you, that I might not be brought down with grief and sorrow to the grave; arise from the dust my sons and be men.  And be determined in one mind and in one heart, united in all things, that ye may not come down into captivity."  2 Nephi 1:21  Unite forever, we are family!  We love you,  family and friends.

Love,
Elder and Sister Pincock
From the shores of the beautiful Mississippi  River

Week 14--September 30---October 6, 2013

Hello:

It sure seems that these weeks go by REALLY fast!

We started our Monday morning by calling our daughter Annette and wishing her a happy ??? th birthday.  It is always fun to talk to our children and grandchildren. 

Sister Pincock spent the day at the sewing room and made three day caps for sisters.  She really enjoys making different costume items at the sewing shop.  She even gets to take a lunch hour when she serves there. At  the other sites you have to take a lunch and eat between tours or wait until you get home to eat.  We  must be doing it right because we have not lost a whole lot of weight.(yet)

We had the musical " Rendezvous In Old Nauvoo" on Monday.  There was only one show scheduled but a group traveling on a bus was late so we stayed and did a second show for them.  Missionaries are on duty 24-7!

We would like to tell you about 2 special experiences this week.  One is about a historic tour in Eastern Iowa and the second is about our missionary assignment on Saturday with  "Nauvoo On The Road".


TOUR

Tuesday was our preparation day and it was a great day.  We had been invited by a few other couples to go with them on a tour of some of the historic sites just across the Mississippi River in Iowa.  When the saints left Nauvoo they  crossed the river and they exited in the Montrose, Iowa area.  Our tour guide was a man named Michael Foley.  He has spent many years researching historic sites for the State of Iowa and the County Historical Society.  He was very knowledgeable. 

our tour guide, Michael Foley

Stop 1:

We began our tour in Montrose which is just across the river from Nauvoo.  We were standing on the banks of the Mississippi river and looking back across the river to see the Nauvoo temple. It was a hazy morning and the picture is not real clear but you can see the temple. 
 

Nauvoo Temple from Montrose Iowa

As we began the tour there along the river our tour guide explained how the first people to arrive were men in the U. S Army sent there to establish  the first Fort Des Moines.  The purpose of the soldiers and fort was to protect the land as a place for half-breeds to settle (kinda like a reservation) and the army was to keep others out.  But with so few men in the army they were not able to control the land and others moved in.  Our guide pointed out where the different barracks and cabins were located and where in later years  Brigham Young's  wife  and John Taylor's wife lived while the men   were serving their first missions. 

drawing of Fort Des Moines showing location of buildings (lower left)
along the Mississippi River

Stop 2: 

We then went to a little gazebo/memorial located exactly where the saints exited off the river when they crossed from Nauvoo.  Our guide pointed out to us the many different locations where the wagons entered Iowa after crossing the Mississippi from Nauvoo.  (see map)

the 7 or 8 lines going from the Mississippi River and joining the Mormon trail
are where the majority of wagons entered Iowa from Nauvoo

This is the point where the thousands of quail  flew in and provided the Saints with food as they first set out to the west.  (If you remember that story).  It was actually the last of the Saints who left Nauvoo.  They were the poor and the sick who were not able to prepare properly.  The mobs forced them all on a boat and dropped them off on the west shore without food or provisions.  They were hungry and destitute when the birds came and the people were able to pick them up and it provided them with food for a few days until the others came back and picked them up and helped them to catch up with the other wagon trains. 

this Memorial was built and is maintained by families of early pioneers.  It is near Montrose, Iowa

Stop 3:

We drove up a hill to get our last view of the temple before we got over the top of the hill.  It must have been the last time the saints got to see their temple and probably had no idea of the hardships that lay ahead of them in Iowa, Nebraska and Wyoming.  The saints drove their wagons up this same hill and had the same view as we did.  It was a very spiritual moment to realize that we were seeing the exact view they saw.

Nauvoo Temple as seen from the top of the bluff in Iowa that gave the pioneers
 their last look at the temple after leaving

Stop 4:

We then drove to where the little town of Zarahemla existed in 1839.  Zarahemla was a small community that was living the United Order.  There were not many homes in Zarahemla and the town is now located on  family farm  property (Conlee Farm) but they have allowed people to use a path along side of their corn field to get to the town and cemetery. We went to the cemetery where our guide showed us the headstones of some of the many people that were buried there.  He showed us how some rods (like divining rods) are used to find graves and other historic spots that are under the ground.  He showed how the rods worked to determine the exact location and size of the grave.  We thought to ourselves that he was somehow tricking us but he gave us all rods and THEY REALLY DO WORK!!!!!   No one is more cynical that I am but I am here to tell you that they really work.  We could find graves ourselves and also to tell us where wagon wheels had disturbed the ground.

 

where homes were located in Zarahemla

Zarahemla Cemetery on the Conlee Farm

Cemetary Plot with a few of the grave markers

Elder Pincock using "divining" rods to find and verify graves in cemetery

Stop 5:

We then drove to Sugar Creek where the first wagon train to leave Nauvoo lead by Brigham Young stayed the first night after leaving Nauvoo.  Along the way we were shown some other private property where very large pioneer cemeteries were located.  It is really unbelievable the number of pioneers that died leaving Nauvoo and  beginning  their journey westward.

 

Sugar Creek  (its a  little dry this time of the season)

field where 1st wagon train to leave under Brigham Young camped the
first night after leaving Nauvoo

Stop 6:

Our next stop was at the tiny town of Argyle Iowa where we saw the cabin of James A. Newberry.  The cabin was built in 1838 and still exists today.  Newberrys were members of the Church and owned the surrounding 3000 acres.  Often the saints traveled along trails that crossed property of members because they felt safe and so that they would not be harassed by mobs.  There was a cemetery near the cabin.  It was interesting because the cemetery was located  near the main wagon trail but on a wagon turnout.  So what the historians believe is that as people died the wagons would turn off the main trail at the turnout, bury their dead and then just go back onto the trail.  (like our rest stops along the freeway today.  We turn off the road to rest and then go back onto the highway)

Map showing main wagon trail and turn out to cemetery (graves marked with little boxes)

Newberry cabin

The tour lasted about three hours and was very interesting.  It was well worth the time to learn about more of the early pioneer history.

After the tour we went to a temple session at the Nauvoo Temple and had a wonderful experience with our session leaders, Bro and Sister Durrant. (Susan Easten Black)

Nauvoo On The Road


The second great experience was our site assignment for Saturday.  It was called "Nauvoo On The Road"(NOTR).   As the communities around Nauvoo have celebrations of any kind, county fairs, community days, etc. they invite NOTR to come to their celebration.  Nauvoo On The Road consists of some of the activities that we do here in Nauvoo that people enjoy doing.  The activities we take with us are: rope making, brick making, pioneer games (stilts, table games) gingerbread cookies and candle making.



our Nauvoo on the Road crew

So on Saturday we were assigned to go with NOTR to Donellson, Iowa to the Donellson & Harvestville Farm.  They were having family days and it was wonderful.  They had some great activities for kids and some wonderful displays made of pumpkins, squash and other fall crops.  The gift store was huge and we were treated so wonderfully.  They were glad to have us come because kids love the activities we provide and it is all free. 

We have attached some pictures of our day. It was so fun and we got to meet many, many nonmembers.

Harvestville Farm



gift shop and decorations




cute decorations



the activity center

Kids activities

play in corn kernels (kinda like playing in sand)



this is a fun activity where you put a rubber duck in the top tube and pump water
to wash the duck down the tubing.

jumping on the corn stalk (trampoline)

Nauvoo On The Road Activities

 

walking on stilts

rope making

girl scout troop that had fun at the Nauvoo activities



our Nauvoo On The Road Van and trailer

When missionaries are leaving the mission field in Nauvoo there is breakfast held to honor them.  The group leaving has the opportunity to go up on stage and do a skit to say farewell.  So on Friday morning we had the farewell breakfast for those that were going home in the next few weeks.  There were about 20 missionaries that will be going home soon.  You will recognize the MC for the leaving group as Gale Harding. ( he was in his comfort zone!)  You can see Judy Harding in the background. 

Friday morning farewell breakfast staring Elder Gale Harding (his hands were behind him)

On Friday evening we had three couples over for dinner and then we watched BYU play football.  They won!!!

Saturday night we had a cast (our show group) party and had a wonderful view of the Nauvoo Temple from the room where the party was held.  It seems like we party a lot but we work hard so that we can enjoy the parties.  After the party the men left and went to Priesthood meeting.



Temple with dark rain clouds in background

Sunday we enjoyed the first session of General Conference and then we went to work for the afternoon at the Lyon Drug.  E/S Gale and Judy Harding live in an apartment above the drug store and they were just preparing to leave for home so we got to say good bye to them and give them a hug  before they departed.  It was fun to be in the same mission together.

We love you  all and hope that you always do the best you can.  "Unite Forever, we are family" and friends.

E/S Pincock

PS  I just passed the one year mark of my first surgery last year and the 6 month mark of the last surgery.  I have worked back up to the point where I can walk on the tread mill for as long and fast as I was doing before all this started.  I feel really good.  I am truly blessed to be able to keep up with all that we do.