Weeks 22 and 23---November 25th to December 8, 2013

Its time to bring you up to date with happenings in our life and mission in Nauvoo.  We had a wonderful Thanksgiving.  It was especially nice because we had family to share it with.  Thank you to Todd and Shannon and Family for making the trip.

What an enjoyable time we had.  It has definitely cured my homesick blues for the time being.  I'm sure they will come back but not for a while.  Especially with more family coming for Christmas.  To see the pictures of the Ricks' trip to Nauvoo including their train ride click on the following toddandshannonricks.blogspot.com

The day The Ricks' family got here we went to the Cultural Hall for a tour.

Ricks family at the Cultural Hall

The E/S Jones were there  and we got to watch them practice for their new parts in Rendezvous.  They are very fun people and the kids really got a kick out of them  We also had a practice because the Ricks  family is going to be part of the Thanksgiving Day program after the meal.  Then we went upstairs to see the original dance floor of the Cultural Hall where the Prophet Joseph and Apostles would have attended dances and banquets.

E/S Pincock dancing? at the Cultural Hall

We all had fun dancing on this same floor and thinking about how it would have been back then. We also went to the Bakery, Boot shop,  Brickyard and Lucy Mack Smith Home.  We had fun meals while they were here and our little apartment was big enough to accommodate everything  and everyone. 

Ricks family at the Log Schoolhouse

On Monday David and I had to be in our sites and they all came to get their tours from Grandma and Grandpa.  They also enjoyed the wagon ride and film at the visitor's Center.  Tuesday we took a special tour called the Martyrdom Trail.  We followed the same path that Joseph and Hyrum took as they went to Carthage for the last time.  Our tour guide was very good and gave us such good information.

Our Martyrdom trail tour van

After the tour our family got to see us perform our parts in Rendezvous.   Wednesday was Braeden's birthday. How fun to celebrate with him presents, games and ice cream and cake.  They also took a little trip about 30 miles from here to Harvestville where they had fun doing crafts and making Christmas plates to use for the Holidays.  On Thanksgiving Day we ate at the Church with all the Missionaries and their  families.

Thanksgiving Dinner at the Church  (about 200 people there)

Enjoying Thanksgiving dinner

Todd and Shannon and David and the kids sang "I am a Child of God" for the Thanksgiving Program and they sang sooo good..  It was a very nice event.  Oh, yes, the food was excellent.  On Friday, I started a new assignment  to bake cookies for the Scovil Bakery Site.  We have to bake 50,000 cookies for this next summer.  We baked over a thousand cookies on this day.  I really enjoyed being there.

making gingerbread cookies for the Scovil Bakery

I took Todd and Shannon and family to the train station in Burlington that evening and hurried home for Rendezvous with parts in every scene on this night.  The Ricks' had cleaned our apartment and put up our Christmas tree that we have been enjoying this week.  We also started our fancy advent calendar from my sister, Sandy, and we are getting very excited for Christmas. 

On Thursday our Rendezvous cast went Christmas Caroling in Carthage.  We walked around the town square singing and wishing people a Merry Christmas.  We then went inside  the County Courthouse and sang in the rotunda around the Christmas tree.  It was a lot of fun but was pretty cold when walking around the four blocks of the town square.

E/S Jones singing in Carthage (they are new missionaries and from Burley
 

  
This last week was very busy and eventful.  I was on the decorating committee for the Christmas Walk that was held on Friday. We decorated the area where the refreshments were served in the Family Living Center.  It was beautiful and the food was very good and fancy.

Family Living Center food tables with decorations

We started the evening with a program and the  tree lighting ceremony.  Our "Light Up the Tree" song turned out great and very cute.

Light Up The Tree program (before the tree was lighted)

Tree after the lights were turned on

The other activities were so good.  They had Christmas stories in the sites, wagon rides to the events and around town, caroling around the big fire barrels.  It was very festive and well organized.  There was a terrible accident, however, that evening that quite marred the event.  A gust of wind blew fire embers onto the skirt of one of our missionaries and she was completely engulfed in flames and has severe burns on her legs and back.  They were suppose to leave today to complete their mission.  She will be in the hospital in Iowa city for about 3 weeks before she can go home.  (Sister Mendenhall)
Please pray for her.  She was in the same dorm at with me at Ricks College 47 years ago.  I have enjoyed being here with her.  We are very sad about this accident. 

We had a fun trip to Des Moines, Iowa this Tuesday.  I had my 6 month check up with my surgeon from Idaho Falls.  He moved to Des Moines at the same time we came here.   It was so nice to be in familiar surroundings and yes, my CT scan came back clear.  No cancer!  We got to have dinner at Cracker Barrel and a fun shopping trip while there.   What a fun way to spend my birthday.  Thanks to all of you who contributed to my birthday cash.  I really had fun with it. 

We continue to have great experiences in the sites with opportunities to teach people the gospel of Jesus Christ and tell about the History of the Church.  It is amazing to me the opportunities that come to us every day and more amazing that couple our age and older can keep up with it all.  We are certainly blessed to be able to have such remarkable experiences.

We love you all and hope your  Holiday plans are going well.  We are looking forward to hearing the First Presidency Christmas Message tonight and participating in fun Christmas activities that are coming up.  May you enjoy the same.

The first snow of the year

Are we sure we are in Illinois??  Found this camel on a local farm

 

Love,
Elder and Sister Pincock