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.