Week 19: November 4--November 10, 2013

Here we are again:

One of the fun sites that I enjoy going to is the Pendleton Log School House.  This week as I served there I had many good memories of teaching school.  It's fun to give the spelling test which we have shared with you before (the phonetic spelling of words).  The math test goes like this.  In Nauvoo during the time of the pioneers there were 350 brick houses, 650 frame houses and 1400 log homes.  How many houses were there in Nauvoo in 1846?  And also for your information, there were 12,000 people who lived in Nauvoo. 

room at the log school house

We are learning a really cute Christmas song that we will sing on Dec. 6, at the Christmas Tree lighting at the Visitor's Center.  You can view it on you tube  "at light up a tree"  if you would like to hear it.  On that same night we will have many activities for all the guests to attend and participate in.  There will be caroling around big bonfires throughout the town.  At many sites there will be Christmas stories told all evening.  And all kinds of cakes, cookies, candies and breads will be served at the Family Living Center.  It sounds like a fun, old-fashioned Christmas. There will also be horse drawn sleighs for all to ride on.  Elder Pincock and I will help with the decorations and we will be leading a group of carolers around one of the fires. 

This week we all (missionaries) had to write a paper on How to Recognize and Understand the Spirit.  It's been fun to study together at our sites and share our ideas and experiences with each other.  We will share our papers with everyone at our District Meeting this Sunday then turn them in to the mission president. 

Monday we had dinner with our friends, the Jones' who we came to Nauvoo with us from the MTC.  She has been sick ever since we got here.  One of her problems has been carpel tunnel in her wrists.  She invited us for squash soup, which was really good and asked for a blessing before her surgery on Tuesday.  Everything turned out well for her and she is recovering this week. 

On Tuesday we went to Hannibal again.  This time we went to the Mark Twain Caves.  We had a good day and enjoyed the caves.  They had  interesting formations and the tour was very fun.  We have included some pictures of our adventure. 

map of Mark Twain Caves (red lines are main trail and
white lines are secondary trails)

our guide in the cave

us and E/S Reidhead

sketch of Mark Twain on cave wall

the black marks are called Bat Tracks.  (body oils left from bats
on the cave ceilings)

cave hideout of Jessie James

this is called the Grand Piano rock formation in the cave
(notice the piano bench )
 

Alligator (this is a long rock formation that looks like an
alligator).  You rub it for "good luck" 

Elder Reidhead and Elder Pincock whitewashing Tom Sawyer's fence.

At our training meeting this week we had a cute presentation on teamwork and how all of us are important in order to make everything run in the right way here in Nauvoo (or in any situation or place).  They used a cute story that you might like for your FHE or to share with others (with a plate of cookies).  The story is at the end of this blog. 

We have been busily preparing for Christmas and Thanksgiving activities.  We have been preparing food for Thanksgiving.  Todd and Shannon and family will be here for Thanksgiving  and we are so excited.  They even got an assignment to be on the program after dinner Thanksgiving Day!  Oh, Oh that might scare away future visitors. 

Over the weekend we enjoyed the BYU game even though they lost.  Sunday there was a fireside to meet the new Temple President and his wife.  They are from St. George and are the owners of the Temple View Mobile Home Park where Max and Deanna live during the winter.  McArthur is their last name.  We also got the news this week that our new Mission President is from Salt Lake and their last name is Hunter.  He is Howard W. Hunter's son.  Jennifer is in the same class at ISU with their daughter-in-law. 

President and Sister McArthur (President of Nauvoo Temple)

This last week or two I have had fun taking pictures of all the stairs that we have to climb each day.  There are many, many stairs in the sites and we use them every day.  The stairs in the Nauvoo home are very steep with very narrow treads. Stairs seem to be a common denominator of our two missions.  First the 135 stairs we had to climb and descend  every day in Armenia and now this collection.  Hope you like them.   

Carthage Jail stairs (these are the actual stairs that the mob
used to get to the upper room to murder the Prophet Joseph
and Hyrum)

Heber C Kimball home

stairs in the Lyon Drug Store (these are the stairs going to
the apartment of E/S Gale Harding when they were here.

Lyon Drug stairs going down to the basement

Sarah J. Kimball home

stairs in the Lucy Mack Smith home

stairs in the Skovil Bakery

Seventies Hall stairway

Stairway in the home of Brigham Young

The visitors to the sites this time of year has really slowed down.  We each work in the sites about six hours per day with sometimes only one or two tours.  It gives us a good chance to catch up on scripture reading, indexing, journal writing and some times we even put a puzzle together while "working" at the sites.

We are having a grand time and love serving here.  We do stay busy and have some wonderful experiences being missionaries.

We did have a new couple move to an apartment in our building.  Their names are Elder and Sister
Gary and Deborah Jones from Burley Idaho.  Gary was a business advisor for Zions Bank while living in Burley.  (small world)

We love and appreciate each of you so much.  The Parable of the Ingredients is below.

E/S Pincock

 

THE PARABLE OF THE INGREDIENTS………..

 

Once upon a time, a Baker went to the store and bought ingredients.  He bought FLOUR, BAKING SODA, SALT, BUTTER, VANILLA, EGGS, WHITE SUGAR, BROWN SUGAR and CHOCOLATE CHIPS.  He took the ingredients home and put them away in the cupboard and refrigerator.  Before the ingredients had always liked in the grocery store with other ingredients just like themselves.  It was a very secure feeling.  They had seen glimpses of each other across the store aisle, but they had never met.  Now they had suddenly been put together and they were nervous and scared. 

Their fear took different forms……… 

For instance, Salt felt small and plain.  He knew that Sugar tasted better, and that he couldn’t put as much work into a recipe as Flour could.  “Surely, they wouldn’t want to talk to someone like me,” Salt thought. 

Vanilla was afraid that she smelled too strong, so she tried to stay away from everyone.  But the rest of the ingredients thought she was just being arrogant.  Most of the ingredients were suspicious of the Butter and Eggs.  They lived in a refrigerator.  Why would anyone in their right mind live in a refrigerator?  And so it went.  Instead of talking to each other and learning more about each other, they just kept to themselves.  They studied each other when they thought nobody was looking – and made judgments such as: “I can tell by the sack Flour is wearing, that he’s boring and not very smart.” 

“What would the other brown sugars back at the store think if they saw me hanging around Chocolate Chips?” 

“Look at that Butter in shiny blue and gold foil.  I’ll bet he thinks he’s really something.” 

“Eggs are cry babies.  Every time we went over a bump on the way home from the store, they gasped and cringed.” 

A few day s later the Baker’s young daughter came into the kitchen and took the ingredients out and placed them on the counter then went to finish another chore. 

Out of boredom, Flour started reading the writing on the back of Chocolate Chips.  Suddenly, a chill raced down his bag! 

“What could the Baker be thinking???!” he exclaimed.  

“Hey everybody!”  “Come look at this!” 

Now, not all of the ingredients knew how to read, so he read the recipe out loud to them.

“That’s crazy!” said Sugar.  “We’re too different to be mixed together!  Can you imaging how we would taste?  The thought of it makes me sick!” 

But that’s not the worst part,” Flour went on.  “It says here that we are going to be put onto a pan in separate spoonfuls and baked in the oven at 375* for 8 to 10 minutes!”  At the thought of the intense heat, Vanilla fainted and Butter began sobbing.  “What will become of me?” he cried.  “I will melt and burn!” 

“There, there,” one of the Eggs said soothingly.  “I’ve been thinking about this for the last few days.” 

“What do you mean, the last few days?... asked the Baking Soda. 

“I rode next to Chocolate Chips on the way home from the store and read the recipe on the way.  I just don’t believe the Baker would mix us all together just to make an awful tasting mess.  Perhaps the Baker knows something we don’t.”  He probably does,” said the Sugar thoughtfully.  “To be honest, I’m the only one I know anything about.  I can only guess what the rest of you are really like.  But I want to know more about you before we get baked.” 

And so they asked questions they wanted to know about each other and exchanged small tastes.  They found out Vanilla wasn’t really arrogant, and she found out she didn’t smell too strong, so she wasn’t afraid to get closer. 

White Sugar and Brown Sugar found out they were both from Hawaii and had the same great-grandparents.  Chocolate Chips was not only tasty, but very generous.  Baking Soda  admitted that he had no idea what he was good for, buy the others assured him that he must have been made for some important reason. 

Their pleasant conversation was interrupted by the Baker who was ready to make cookies.  One by one, he started stirring them together.  It was so much fun, they even forgot about the hot oven.  As the Baker poured the teaspoon of Baking Soda in, his young daughter asked why he had poured the teaspoon of Baking Soda in.  “Baking Soda is what makes the cookies rise as they bake,” he answered.  “I knew I was good for something!”  Baking Soda cheered. 

Then the Baker reached for the Egg.  The other ingredients had grown fond of the Egg and so when the Baker raised it in his hand and started to swing it down to the side of the bowl, they all screamed for this the STOP!!!!- but it was too late, and he dumped the Egg on top of the rest.  They stared in horror at their stricken companion.  A few made feeble attempts to comfort the other…but then the Egg started coming back to his senses!  Imagine their relief that he was alive!  “Are you okay?”  they were all asking.  “Yes, yes, in fact I feel better than I’ve ever felt,”  he said smiling.   

The Baker’s daughter asked for a spoonful of dough.  As she tried it, she got a funny look on her face.  “This doesn’t taste quite right, Daddy.  Something is missing.”  The Baker tasted it and knew right away that he had forgotten the Salt.  He added it and then the dough tasted much better.  “I didn’t know that one little teaspoon of salt made such a difference.

Now the Baker was stirring the ingredients again and Chocolate Chips joined them.  But they were not having fun anymore because they knew what came next!  THE HOT OVEN!!!  It’s only for then minutes at the most,” encouraged the Egg.  Maybe if we try really hard to stick together, we’ll come out okay.”   

“So long everyone,” sniffed the Butter.  “It was nice knowing you.”  But the other ingredients held him tightly as they went into the oven and told him to lean on them and they’d make it.  In ten minutes they emerged from the oven smelling and tasting better than they had ever imagined they could!  And they realized that by helping and loving each other, recognizing their strengths, they had become the best they could be.