Weeks 30 and 31: January 19, 2014 ---February 1, 2014

Hello again.

Where does the time go?????  It's been two weeks since we updated the blog.  Hope you are all well.  We so much enjoy the responses and all the blogs and e-mails that we get from everyone. 

We still don't have a new Mission President and there's no word about when he will get here,  but we hear that he is improving and we look forward to meeting  him soon. 

We have started to have practices for the Sunset By the Mississippi show that starts in May.  We have new  songs that are more on the nonsense, funny side.  Elder Pincock and I started to practice so we can do the Clarinet Polka dance -square dance style.  The woman also have an interlude with some clogging in it-we'll see if that happens for me!?   We also have a new job of prompting the actors and actresses in Rendezvous.  We've had to do some training to learn about the curtain pulling, stage set up and things like that.  I think it will be a good change once in a while.  We will be assigned to do it  once every two weeks instead of being in the play that night.  Also, Elder  Pincock is working very hard on his new part as the Editor.  It's is main part in Rendezvous that connects all the stories together that make up the entire play.  Here is an Elder performing the part.

Elder Broadbent as the "editor" in Rendezvous

Elder Pincock  will start performing that part about the 1st of March.   

We are also being involved  in the Humanitarian projects that are underway.  One day I got to sort all of the baby items and make layette kits that contain socks, booties, burp cloth, onesie, diapers, bib, sleeper, hat, mittens, and a blanket.  We put together about 60 kits that day.  All the items are made by the missionaries here in Nauvoo and distributed through the wards in Nauvoo.  The Relief Society presidents come to our work rooms and pick up the items as they become aware of needs.  It's pretty fun to be part of all that goes on here.  Places like Salvation Army, American Red Cross, Women's shelters etc. all benefit from the projects that we work on.

I had the major part of a root canal done last week.  I'm not done but my tooth feels much better and I was very happy with the dentist here that most of the missionaries go to. 

The winter is getting very long and dreary. 

Ice on the Mississippi River

We have really wanted to get away and go somewhere but of course we only have one day a week that we can do anything away from Nauvoo.  Last Friday I couldn't bear to go home so we went for a ride along the river to the north of Nauvoo.  We stopped and bought a really neat knife from the family from Tonga that I told you about that lives in the round house.

Round House

They make and sell little knives that look like a little hack saw and it cuts everything remarkably well.  We have had fun this last week cutting bread, tomatoes, meat, and onions in a jiff. 

really nice cutting knife (home made by Sister Tukuafu)



handle on homemade knife

So after our purchase we drove up through the corn fields north of Nauvoo and back into town where we stopped for dinner at the only restaurant that is still open for the winter.  But we did have a good hamburger for dinner.  Then we went to the best show in town-Rendezvous.  We felt like we had a fun little trip and enjoyed our selves and felt renewed. 

Some missionary friends invited us for dinner on Sat. night.(she was a Zundel from Pocatello)  We had a good dinner but the funnest part was the very competitive game of Rook.  They loved learning the game and ask us everyday when we are going to play again. David and I play it together almost every day.   Then on Sunday night we fixed dinner for our District group.  There were 6 of us for lasagna, green salad, corn, French bread, and cookies and ice cream for dessert.  We had a great lesson about questioning techniques and developed some questions for  the different sites in Nauvoo.  Sometimes when you engage the guests with questions it helps to make the tour more interesting and meaningful.  We get pretty detailed training here.  We have this meeting once a month. 

On our last Preparation Day we went to Burlington and checked out a store that carries accessories for women-purses, scarves, jewelry, lotions, etc.  I found some really cute things including 5 purses, a scarf, and some mango salsa.  The store is really unique with the way it displays the products-all in groups by color.

fun accessory store in Burlington Iowa

Then we had lunch at a fun place called Big Muddy's  on the banks of the Mississippi River.  We had some really good sandwiches.   

Big Muddy's Restaurant

Mississippi River bridge at Burlington Iowa (connecting Iowa and Illinois)

That afternoon we went to the temple and did baptisms for direct relatives-names we researched and found at the Family History Center here in Nauvoo.  It was a wonderful experience.   We would encourage all of you to get on your computers and do some family history work or indexing.  It is part of missionary work that is so necessary.

Love,
E/S Pincock