Weeks 43, 44, 45,46 April 21--May 18, 2014

Hello:

Yes, we are alive.  Time goes by so quickly we had not realized that it has been 4 weeks since we last updated our blog.  We have wonderful experiences here and love every day. We have had nice weather and the flowers and trees are beautiful.

Tree blossom's in our back yard

We spend a lot of time on our public relations job.  We deliver brochures to many towns in the area and work with the Chamber of Commerce.  We arrange for the different groups who will be coming during the summer and David updates the mission website (www.historicnauvoo.net) weekly and keeps in touch with other key people in the area to promote the communities and activities going on. Take at look at the site to see all the different things that goes on here.

The Deseret News called Elder Pincock because they were doing an article on Church historic sites and wanted to do a telephone interview.  He was happy to do that and the article was published in the Deseret News and the Mormon Times.  If you are interested you can read it at http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865602820/Tips-for-families-on-the-church-history-trail.html

The Visitor Center is running pretty smoothly and we have trained many missionaries for the summer.   The busy time has started with the Young Performing Missionaries and Brass Band Members in full swing already.  We have seen both of the new plays that they are putting on and enjoyed a nice concert in the Women's Garden by the Brass Band.  We are very lucky to be in the Visitor Center each day because we are aware of all that goes on each day and in the middle of much that happens.  On Saturday there were 1400 visitors that came into the Visitor Center.  We  enjoy working with the Young Sister Missionaries.  We're all getting used to the routine. and enjoying our work and experiences.

A couple of weeks ago there was a Civil War reenactment in Keokuk.  There were all kinds of booths set up with Civil War artifacts, uniforms and equipment.  There were presentations and a reenactment of a Civil Was battle.

Some of the participants at the Civil War reenactment

Nauvoo took its On-The-Road van and had fun games and demonstrations to add to the activity that was going on there.  Nauvoo-On-The Road is a van full of pioneer activities that the mission takes to events in other communities.

On the 29th of April we spent our Preparation Day with another couple and went to Burlington.   We had lunch at Big Muddy's on the banks of the Mississippi river.  The water has been quite high and we see big logs floating down the river a lot.  We paid a visit to Gypsy's and I bought a new necklace that I really like.

Elder Pincock trying on a new hat from Gypsy's store in Burlington.
(thank goodness he didn't like it)

We make a trip to Quincy every other week to get fruit and vegetables  and other favorite items.  This last Tuesday we went to Iowa City to the Costco Store.  We were with a couple who have a membership there and it was fun to shop at a new place.  We went to Kalona on the way home.  It is an Amish/Mennonite community.  We enjoyed the cute antique stores, quilt stores and the Amish bakery.  Iowa is famous for its unique custom of painting patchwork quilts on the sides of their barns.  That coupled with the beautiful manicured farms in the country side made an enjoyable day trip.

One thing that I have really enjoyed are the school groups that come on field trips to Nauvoo.  It brings back such fun memories of teaching school and taking my students on many field trips.  They come in with such good manners and stay in their lines and ask cute questions and say thank you.  I just love it.

David   is doing such a good job in Rendezvous acting as the editor.  People tell  him that he looks really natural as he weaves the stories together throughout the play.  One night while Elder Pincock was doing his Editor part he looked out in the audience and recognized some of the guests. It was Ron and Diane Tietjen from Rexburg.  We had a nice visit with them.  Always great to see folks from home.

Tietjen's at the Visitors Center

We have found the Nauvoo Hotel a very fun Friday night date. We  go there once a week and enjoy the delicious buffet.  It's decorated really cute and we like the atmosphere.  The mission is fully staffed again and things are going pretty good.  We really like our new Mission President.

Sister Chynoweth (wife of our interim Mission President)

Each sister that serves in Nauvoo gets a shawl made on the looms in the Family Living Center, made the way Pioneers made their shawls.  I just got mine about a week ago.  All the little things that go on in Nauvoo make it a fun, fun place.

Spring has been beautiful to watch the blossoms come out, and everything turn green.  The river has changed again.  The water is still pretty high but we have many gorgeous sunsets and calm water views.  The wild life is fun.  One of my favorite scenes is that of the goose families waddling around.  The mother always leads, the babies stay in the middle and the father follows behind or maybe its the mother in the back and the father leading.  Anyway, its very cute as you can see from the picture.

Mother and Dad Goose out for a walk with the Kids

Goose family out for a swim

The herons are a beautiful sight as they stand in shallow water along the banks.

Heron on the Mississippi

We  see a variety of weather with the rain (one night it rained for four hours without stopping), lightning across the sky, large hailstones and black ominous skies. Mostly we have nice spring days  with a little humidity.  Shortly it will be too hot and too much humidity.

Well, you know how much we love to have company and last week was a wonderful treat as John and Reenie Blakely came and spent a few days.  They are our next door neighbors in Rigby. The first day we had off and we loved going to the sites with them.

At the Log Schoolhouse

At Carthage Jail with John and Reenie Blakely

We enjoyed our first night at the Hotel Nauvoo for the buffet dinner and then off to Rendezvous where we entertained them and dazzled them with our super acting abilities (just kidding).  But we do enjoy our parts. The next day I got to give them a tour of the Visitor Center where we tell about the Restoration of the Gospel-the 1st vision, the Organization of the Church and the translating of the Book of Mormon.  The next section is the life of the Saint in Nauvoo while they lived there (their culture, economy, religion, Nauvoo Legion and settling of the land in Beautiful Nauvoo.  The Christus Statue is a highlight along with the tour of the Women's Garden.  The last part includes the Martyrdom and the Exodus.  That afternoon we went to Carthage and had an excellent tour given by E/S Excell who serve there full time.


 That night we decided that the Hotel Nauvoo was the place to eat and so back we went.  I was so excited to have an excuse to go back.  The next day we had the morning off and so we took John and Reenie to the Stone Arch Bridge (where the runoff water from the bluff drains into the Mississippi River).  It's a nice view to enjoy.

Blakely's at the Stone-Arch bridge.  (end of the hand dug ditch that
the Mormon's hand dug to "drain the swamp" in Nauvoo

We saw the barns where they keep the horses for the wagon rides and took a ride along the River where we saw a large barge and the round house that belongs to Tukuafu's.  It's a very pretty ride.

Turtles along the Mississippi River

Tug boat pushing barges up the Mississippi

We served at the Visitor's Center for the afternoon and John and Reenie saw several more sites in Nauvoo.   Guess where we went for Dinner?  You got it! The Nauvoo Hotel.  How fun is that?   The next morning we had to say goodbye to them but we have been relishing the memories of having them here, enjoying their company and sharing some special Nauvoo feelings both historical and spiritual.  Thanks to John and Reenie for coming to Nauvoo.   They are special friends.

John and Reenie on a horse drawn wagon ride

with the draft horses after the wagon ride

David and I just had to go to the Hotel Nauvoo for dinner that night in tribute of their trip and the time we spent together.  :)

Oh yeah!!! Finally finished the 50,000 gingerbread cookies

What an experience to be here.  We love serving and helping to tell people about the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ and His plan of Happiness for us.  It's very hard to be away from our family for so long but we truly feel the blessings from our service and would not want it any other way.  We give a special thanks for the fun Mother's Day cards and gifts (we are going to Des Moines this weekend) and I plan to spend every penny at Cracker barrel!  We are so proud of Braeden and Cayden for winning their elections and places on the executive boards of their school government,  Brenna's grand service in the Richmond VA mission, Carson's healed broken arm, Jennifer's graduation with a Masters Degree!,  Christian's impressive interview for a prestigious job (even if he didn't  get it ;(   Seth's many winnings at the National Jump rope  competition, Braeden's Eagle Scout project finished, Noah's wrestling successes-----  and OH DEAR I will never be able to mention every good thing  you are all  doing but believe me we we love you and acknowledge all that you do.  You are all WONDERFUL.  Can you believe that we have been gone almost 11 months.  Always be the best that you can be.

Love, Elder and Sister Pincock