Critters

 

Here are two red foxes crossing our back yard. There are many foxes, and it is fun to see them.

Sunday School

 

Here is a Canadian family visiting our Sunday School class. Three little kids have decided to nap on each other.

Amana

This last Thursday, July 14, we traveled to the Amana Colonies near Amana, Iowa, with Burt and Chris Wasson. Amana is the center of the colonies. There are seven of them. They were settled in the early 1850s by two groups of German people, who wished to live communally. If you are old enough, you will remember the brand name Amana on a refrigerator or stove. Their plant invented the first microwave oven, called the Radar Range. There is a big plant there now, making Whirlpool washers. We toured the colonies looking at the cute shops. There is everything there from leather, jewelry, antiques, art and FABRIC. We visited two quilt shops and I was a good girl and only held the party up for 20 minutes at each. We had lunch there and then drove home. It is a two and a half hour drive from Nauvoo. We enjoyed getting to know the Wassons. They served a site mission here about 18 months ago. Burt is a convert to the church. His father was on a plane on a business trip and happened to be sitting next to President Hinckley. Always the missionary, President Hinckley saw to it that missionaries visited their family. They were all baptized except his father. President Hinckley kept track of the family visiting them when he was near where they lived and inviting them to visit him in his office. They got their plum Nauvoo assignment because President Hinckley made it happen. They are delightful people. He worked for the forest service (President Hinckley got him into the forestry program at Utah State)We had a great day together.

Carthage Jail

These are the stairs that lead from the entry and first floor rooms, to the second floor.  At the top of the stairs there are two jail cells.  To the right, there is a bedroom where Joseph Smith, Hyrum Smith, and two others were being held.  The jailer was sympathetic to Joseph Smith and was sent, by the Governor, to another city.  The Carthage Greys (local militia, like the Nauvoo Legion) took over guarding the jail.  The men guarding were given blank cartridges for their guns.  When the mob stormed the jail, none of them were hurt.  There were about 20 who charged up the stairs shooting.

A Senior Mission

President Smith is the second counselor in the temple presidency.  He was sent by the church many years ago to go to Russia and see if he could find a way to open the country for the church to begin missionary work.  It took several years, but he did get the government to give permission and he became the first mission president over the former USSR. 

A fairly wealthy couple retired from their employment and their stake president called them in and said that he felt impressed that they should serve a senior mission.  They were surprised, but went home and considered the matter.  They turned in their mission papers and the church called them to Russia.  Neither of them spoke Russian and knew how cold it is in Russia and turned down the call.  They did not want to go to Russia.  A year later, their stake president called them in again and expressed his feeling that they should serve a mission.  Would they please submit mission papers.  They did and they were called to Russia.  For those of you who are not members of the church, the chances of the brethren making assignments. to have all of this information available during their assignments, are  impossible.  That’s why we know The Lord is in charge of calls. 

This time, the couple packed their bags and went to Moscow where President Smith (not knowing any of the history) asked them to take an interpreter and travel through Siberia, stopping at prison camps and preaching the gospel as they went.  It was very cold, but they began their assignment.  After visiting five camps over a period of 4 months, the wife became very impatient with having to go through an interpreter.  They arrived at the sixth camp and before anyone could say anything, she said, “Does anyone here speak English?”  A voice from the back of the room said, “I do.”  He came forward.  He was dirty, disheveled, unshaven and was their own son who had been estranged from his parents for several years.  He had traveled to Russia and because of his inadequate ability to communicate in Russian and his inexperience with Russian laws, had gotten himself arrested and sent to Siberia.  He had been there for a year and a half.  President Smith was able to resolve the legal difficulties for their son so that he could return to the United States.  The missionary couple finished their mission grateful to have their son restored to them and wishing they had not waited a year to serve.

Monday night out to dinner

The Nilsons and the Thompsons

Wayne and the McBrides

Maybe this is only funny to us but here is the story.  Karen McBride said that Sister Taylor said that there was a great Chinese Restaurant in Keokuk, Iowa (30 minutes away)  She wasn't sure of the name so she tried to call her, but got no answer.  We decided to start driving and call her later.  Another carload of missionaries was also on the way to Keokuk to eat at the Chinese Restaurant.  We tried to call it up on Jim McBride's wonderphone but Karen couldn't work it and we sat in the backseat of the car laughting ourselves silly listening to them try to find this restaurant.  We finally got to Keokuk and got Sister Taylor on the phone.  She was in Ft. Madison at the Chinese Restaurant which is closed on Mondays - Ft. Madison is 30 minutes the other way from Nauvoo.  We stayed in Keokuk and found a restaurant and ate dinner.  It was not that great, but by then we were hungry.  We laughed about the fact that the Taylors went one direction and we went the opposite direction.

Acres and acres of green grass

Wouldn't you love to be a five-year-old and take off running?

We are enjoying the Canada geese.  There are large numbers of them.