Week 36: March 3 ---March 9, 2014

Hello:

Gosh, it was just a week ago when we did the last blog, we must be getting a little more organized just before the busy summer time starts.  We love the work and the opportunities that we have to bear our testimonies to those we meet each day.

We have lots of changes taking place around here.  Six couples are going home this next week and the week after that we will be getting 15 new couples.  The snow is melting and the air has a new feel to it.  It feels like spring might be just around the corner.  We still have piles of snow around and lots of water standing because of the melting and you still have to wear a coat but like I said, there's a new
feeling in the air!  Some ladies even have matching outfits.

Matching outfits and they did not have it planned.  Must shop at the same store

sure sign of Spring when the geese are on their way north and stopped
off in Nauvoo for a rest.

 Elder Pincock and I thought we were just getting settled in for the summer, but no, now we have been asked to be the assistant site leaders at the visitor's center.  Along with that is the assignment to take care of all of the public relations and scheduling for the BYU performing groups that will be here during June this year.( the groups are Living Legends and Synthesis)  Of course they picked the right man for the job.  And I guess I'll fit in somewhere. For all these years I have been a good support for all of Elder Pincock's many talents and I have enjoyed it.   Elder Pincock will do a very good job with all of his experience with the Rexburg Chamber of Commerce and Idaho Dance and Music Festival.

Elder Pincock making a presentation at a training meeting

 

Sister Ririe making a presentation about relation-"ships"

We have been having party after party this week for all the couples who are going home.  Monday night there was a pizza party and farewell for a couple we have done many things with because they have the same preparation day as we do and the Mission Doctor who is going home next week.

Pizza party for departing missionaries from our cast

Dr (Elder) Miller at departing party.  (He has been wonderful)
He took good care of Elder Pincock's bloody nose.

Another farewell party

Oh, yes, we got notice today that we have a new Mission President who will be here on April 1st.  His name is Larry Gibbons.  He has served in East Europe and in the 2nd Quorum of Seventy. 

Friday night we had dinner at a couple's home as a going away tribute to another couple.  And tonight was a potluck dinner  for all the departing missionaries who came a year ago.  Friday morning was the official farewell breakfast, where the departing missionaries put on a skit and small program with memories of their service.  Busy week!

Elder Pincock served one day this week at the brickyard and they had started the kiln to fire the bricks.  There were 850 bricks in the kiln and they cooked to 2100 degrees then cool for two days then stacked so that they can be given away this summer.  He was able to take pictures of the bricks just after they finished firing and then a few hours later as they were cooling.

Bricks in the kiln at 1900 degrees

bricks 3 hours later.  Cooling down to 1100 degrees

I cut out and started sewing a new site dress for myself  so I can get through the summer. I'll  have three dresses when I get done.  I have been really excited to learn how to do this because Sister Summers made the dresses that I brought with me.  Since I work at the sewing room regularly I think it will be good experience for me to know exactly how to make these detailed dresses.  With so many new couples coming I'm sure that knowledge will be very helpful during the rush time.  I didn't know this when we first came but many ladies have the sewing room make their dresses here when they get here.  So I will be "experienced". 

In our spare time we have tried a new restaurant in Burlington called "Gator's",  had two practices for our song for the Relief Society Commemoration coming up on Saturday afternoon, and practices for our big debut Saturday evening when Elder Pincock starts being the Editor in Rendezvous and I play the Relief Society President part.  We also attended 2 lectures by George and Susan Durrant and went to the Thurston's 2 times to play a round of Rook.

we saw a Cardinal in a tree this week.

In our cookie baking sessions we are up to 43,000 cookies to serve to guests at the Scovil Bakery site.  Our goal is 50,000.  We should be done with this project in a couple of weeks. 

Today we got the results of our Humanitarian efforts  for this winter.   We took 123 layette packages to the Blessing Hospital in Quincy, made 350 hats for needy children and the homeless shelter.  The residents there all put on their new hats and had some cute pictures taken.  They were also each given a quilt and a new pillowcase.  This homeless shelter is also a training center to help people get jobs.  Their leaders said that these  things bring much happiness to the people there and brighten their lives with something fun and useful.  We made 190 pillowcases, 70 quilts, and 182 Boo-boo bears were taken to the fire departments around the area.   These bears are given to children who have accidents and sustain burns, cuts, etc.

Humanitarian projects

         
Did I say the busy season is coming or is it always busy here?  At any rate, I think us older folks are doing some good work.  It is very rewarding and we are so happy to be here.   One of my favorite things is to give the tours.  Yesterday a 69 year old man came to the Heber C Kimball Home for a tour.   He said he had been to Nauvoo two times before and that this would be his last time.  You could tell he didn't have very good health.  He had a friend with him who was helping him move to the west so he could be close to a daughter.  He had loved visiting Nauvoo and wanted to do it one last time.  You could tell he was very knowledgeable about the details and history.  When we got though with the tour, he said that they were done with their visit and they were leaving now.  He wanted the Heber C Kimball Home to be their last stop since this was the first home to be restored as  part of the Nauvoo restoration.  It is truly a beautiful home and I have also loved this house.  I have been serving as the assistant site leader for the last few months and I thought I would be there and move into the leader position eventually and at least be there for the summer.  It has a large waiting room for the missionaries and a modern bathroom on the main floor.  It's probably the most comfortable home to serve in.  But we are on to new challenges and of course the Visitor Center has excellent restrooms- now all they need to do is find room so we can have our own desk! HA HA.

As Elder Pincock and I were serving at the Nauvoo Visitors Center this week Elder Pincock saw a couple coming out of one of the visitors center movies and began visiting with them.  He told the man that he looked familiar and asked if they had met before.  Well, what a surprise, it was Kelly Robertson and his wife from Boise.  Kelly works for Zions Bank in Boise and Elder Pincock had worked with him on some real estate loans for customers in Rexburg.  It was good to talk with them for awhile.

Sister missionaries practicing their clogging for Sunset on The Mississippi
show this summer

We love our family and friends and we cannot tell you how excited we are for the many visitors we have made arrangements with to share this special place  this spring and summer.  Did I tell you we have purchased a freezer so we can prepare food and be ready for you all.  You will never forget your experience here.  Our apartment accommodations are full for July now.  We have people coming in March, May and October also, but have space in any of those months plus June and September are wide open.  

We love hearing from you, hope you are all well and doing good things.  Don't forget to be thankful for all you have.  Express your love and be kind to everyone!

 

 

 

ANOTHER beautiful sunset on the Mississippi.

 

 

Love,
Elder and Sister Pincock

Weeks 33 and 34 and 35; February 10 to March 2, 2014

Hello: 

It is just amazing to me that time goes so fast.  We are working hard and enjoying every minute to serve as missionaries for the Church. 

During this past week Elder Pincock met two men who live in Eastern Idaho.  One is Shawn Brown from Newdale (family is Jessie and Linda Brown) and a man from Pocatello, Jonah Simmons.  Shawn knows the Val Schwendiman family in Newdale very well.  They are working in the area and came to Nauvoo to see what is here.  Hope they enjoyed their visit.

Sister Pincock went to the dentist the first part of the week to finish up her root canal and it can't be completed but the dentist said that it should be okay for awhile until sometime down the road she will need to have an implant done. 

We have our preparation days on Tuesday's, training meetings on Wednesday mornings, Rendezvous shows twice a week, Sunset on the Mississippi practices one night a week, serving every day but preparation day  and the time just flies by.  We are preparing to teach Priesthood and Relief Society on March 2 so that takes some of our time.  Sister Pincock has made 70 Christmas ornament ball (one for every Sister in the mission) and with her sewing items and working on Humanitarian things we run out of hours every day.

For Valentines Day, Sister Pincock  melted about 10 lbs of chocolate and made chocolate hearts for every couple in the mission.  It was fun to put the chocolates in small plastic bags, tie them up and place them in the mailboxes of each missionary.  It was a fun way to celebrate Valentine's Day.  thanks to you for the many, fun valentines and we hope our family enjoyed the ones we sent.  On Valentine Night we had a dance at the Cultural Hall  to celebrate Valentine's day.  It's the first time that anyone knows about that an actual dance has been held in this ballroom since the restoration of the Cultural hall. 

Cultural Hall where we have the Rendezvous shows and where the
Valentine's Dance was held

Dancing on the 3rd Floor of the Cultural Hall
(this is the original floor where Joseph and Emma danced)

Oh, a Valentine kiss

our friends, E/S Jones from Canada

For our celebration we went to Burlington (about 30 minutes away) and had dinner at Applebee's.  It was great!  We have not been to Applebee's since we left home last June.  Brought back some good memories of eating at the Idaho Applebee's with  Archibald's, Wade's, and our family.

On Valentine's Day we served at Carthage Jail.  It was a great place to serve and E/S Gneiting (from Rigby) even brought lunch for the 8 of us serving there that day.  That evening we had our new neighbors that moved in below us ( E/S Harris) over for dinner,

In March we will have our Relief Society commemoration at the Red Brick Store here in Nauvoo.  Can you even imagine!  Every year we celebrate the organization of the Relief Society and this year I get to be in the exact place where it took place.  I will be accompanying a group of ladies who are singing a special number for the occasion. We hold practices every few days. 

On February 18 we had a great shopping trip in Quincy.  I got two new shirts and two new coats and we bought a little freezer.  Yes, a freezer so can start making food for all our visitors this summer.  We are getting very excited.  I am also making a new supply of personalized pillowcases for our guests.  If you are coming this summer and have not called us yet, we encourage you to call this week.  Our "hotel" is getting filled up and the tickets for Rendezvous, Anna Amanda, The Promise  and other things are getting pretty filled up.    I know it is only the first of March but summer is coming fast and plans are moving right along.  And talk about visitors, we were surprised by Linda and Delbert Edstrom, who came to visit.

what a fun few minutes we spent with the Edstrom's from Rexburg

They had been to Branson and decided to come through Nauvoo on their way home  to see us and they got to see a performance of Rendezvous and reminisce their mission from about 5 years ago.  What a great surprise for us. 

We had a Rendezvous performance last week with absolutely no guests.  It happens once in a while.  We still had to put on the play and used it for a practice time on stage.  We take our little play pretty serious.  It goes on rain or shine, snow or freeze, guests or no guests!

I'm still in charge of one of the cookie baking sessions each week.  We are still trying to get our 80,000 cookies baked and frozen for the summer months.  It's quite a fun day.  I am including some fun pictures of the cookie production.

cookie baking

more cookie baking fun

We seem to have enough time to have other missionaries over for dinner and enjoy socializing.  Occasionally we meet someone at the sites who we drag home for a meal.  Last Sunday we had a man come into the Tin Shop where we were serving about 5 minutes to 5.  We were just getting ready to close.    We were expecting guests for dinner and so we just invited him to come to dinner with us and that got us out of the Shop pretty fast so we wouldn't be late before the others arrived.  He was a man who was across the river at Fort Madison for business meetings and had come over to Nauvoo for Sunday afternoon.  His parents live in Rigby.  We do not know them but some of you might.  They live on 400 North-Tom and Diane Wilson.   If you know  them tell them we had their son over for dinner. 

Tuesday we left home at 7:00 am and headed for St. Louis.  A missionary couple who are leaving in a couple of weeks wanted to see the St. Louis temple before they leave and so we drove over with them and attended a Temple session.  It's a beautiful Temple.

St. Louis Temple (we took the picture last fall)

Afterwards we went to St. Charles and visited that quaint little town and saw the spot where Lewis and Clark started off on their expedition  to explore the west.

Lewis and Clark Memorial in St. Charles Missouri.   St. Charles near St. Louis
was the starting point for the Lewis-Clark Expedition

They have a cute museum there. the original State capitol buildings of Missouri. stone streets, etc.

Original State Capital building for the State of Missouri

Brick streets in St. Charles

Missouri River

We had a great day.  We topped it off by going to Cracker Barrel  for dinner and I got to spend my gift certificates from Christmas.  I got two new skirts and paid for dinner.  Thanks for the fun Christmas gift.        

I'm sorry its been so long since we posted our last blog.  We are having great experiences.  They never end.  We did get bad news about our Mission President.  His health is not good enough to come so he has been released.  However, things go on just the same and the interim  president is doing a great job.  Isn't it wonderful how the church works so smoothly because of the organization of it and is never dependent on one person.

One of the many couples that we enjoy associating with is Elder and Sister Thurston.  They are from Blackfoot and she is the daughter of Betty Zundel from Pocatello, Idaho.  The Zundel's were good friends with Elder Pincock's parents and we knew Sister Thurston (Karen) in Pocatello. You just never know when you are going to meet someone that you grew up with.

Elder and Sister Thurston  (she is Karen Zundel from Pocatello)

We gave our lessons today on repentance and we were so touched by the message of them- that our Heavenly Father has a plan for everything.  We talked about the steps of repentance, how we all need to repent and how it works by the power  of the Atonement.  We were blessed to have been asked to give these lessons in Relief Society and Priesthood Meeting.  We hope you are all doing well.  We love you so very much  Keep doing your best.


Love,
Elder and Sister Pincock