The Departures Begin

Beginning with the Wadleys and Flanders, couples began going home as they are finishing their mission.

On Wednesday night we heard from three more couples who are going home.  It began with the Quirls.

Elder Quirl is the vet so they are teamsters.  He gave us his take on what he's learned from the horses.  

1. They are willing to work and listen to the master's voice.

2. The are in tune with cues and promptings and 100% obedient

3. The work beautifully as companions.  They combine efforts.

4.  They're attentive to what's ahead. They don't worry about the past.

5.  When the work is heavy, the trail arduous, they work together.

Sister Quirl was our mission secretary for the last 11 months.  She's a good, down-to-earth sisters whom I've come to love very much.  We enjoy visiting when I visit her office.

Sister Jensen also worked in the scheduling office.  Such a good person.  She quietly takes care of business.  Elder Jensen worked in the Blacksmith shop and made a lot of little horseshoes.  This spring he started working with FM.  He took on the job of painting all the wagons and carriages.  He did an amazing job on all of them.  One day when I visited him to drop off paint and other supplies at the barn, he surprised me by giving me a necklace and earrings that he made in the blacksmith shop.  I had seen sisters wearing horseshoe earrings and wondered where they got them.  I was very overwhelmed that I held back my tears.  If it would have been appropriate, I would have hugged him!

The Warners moved into the condos last fall and we got to know them.  She is an amazing pianist.  She and I worked together with the music for the Christmas Walk.  I was so thankful for her willingness to learn and play all those pieces.  She worked in the office as the finance missionary.

The Warners worked with us one day in the Orson Hyde home on the day when we found out that a lot of the seniors were being sent home.  Elder Warner worked a lot with Elder Munoa in making videos.  Unfortunately, Salt Lake didn't want those videos online.  We had a few game nights with them as well as a meal or two.  What a fun loving couple!  They will be missed just as the other couples who left us.

Goodbye Tom

Tom spent almost two months with us.  He loved working at FM with us.  Some days with his dad and other days with me.  He even had a few days where Elder Brown was his supervisor.

Sanding pickets was a job he could easily do.  On this day we found him sitting in the easy chair while sanding.

Elders Bowman and Barney with Tom.

He got to have a ride in the surrey.  I haven't been able to do that.  When's my turn?

The young sisters especially loved him.  They made a point to say hi and call out to him.  He was particularly popular when he brought freeze pops around to all those working the grounds.

The Aveys brought him some delicious peanut butter cookies.

On his last day, Jordan came into the carpentry shop and we gathered his friends as well as the YSMs around while he was presented with his flag.  I think he would have liked to stay longer but we only asked for two months so that's what we stayed with.

It was a taste of what this mission would be like for him.

The Final Picket

All week we worked on painting pickets for the Smith Family cemetery fence.  

Sister Odum and I had to go back and re-sand them.  We looked at each and every one of them and sanded off the "fuzzies."  It was a long process, but with it being in the 90's outside, we were glad to be in the air conditioned shop.

We needed to paint the routered part of the picket before setting them up on tables and sending them to the paint booth where they were sprayed and then brushed.

We who work in the paint shop were so thankful for the young sister missionaries who came and helped.  We would be doing this for weeks and months if it weren't for these amazing sisters.

Here is the final picket to have its grooves painted.  

Hurrah for that!

Elder Munoa Concert

What a beautiful night it was for Elder Munoa to put on a concert for us.

The entire week was horribly hot but Saturday was a wonderful relief.

We, as senior missionaries, gathered at the end of Parley street for a concert given by Elder Munoa.  

He and Elder Greg Draney composed some beautiful music together.  Draney writes some amazing poetry and Munoa puts it to music.

Most of the music is centered around Nauvoo or the people who once lived here.  Some of the pieces were very touching to me.  At the end of his concert, Sister Munoa had some words for us.  She says she hears these songs in her home a lot so they are like old friends.  She was thankful that we found them to be wonderful as well.  It was a tender moment for her.  

I'm in awe of the talent of this man and Greg Draney.

A Door Sweep?

There was some rotten wood on the door frame as well as the door of the Brigham Young outhouse.  When Elder Robertson went to take off the door, he found this.

I've heard of a door sweep, but this is a little ridiculous.  

A new door was built and Tom primed and painted it all by himself.  We didn't re-attach that particular sweep.

Tom’s Visit

Tom showed up at our place on July 3rd with Andrew and Samila.  He has had some good adventures since he showed up.  

First of all, the teamsters have taken him in and even let him drive the horse team.  They go out of their way to say hello to him and ask about his day.

Knee high by the 4th of July?  It was much higher.  Obviously!

There were a few Sisters who were sad that they couldn’t hear Tom’s farewell testimony last night. Therefore we stopped at their home today so they could hear it. 

Scraping the paint off of the rotten Orson Hyde barn wood.  It was a several day job and Tom helped Sister Odum, Jared and I a lot.

We took an adventure to Bentonsport.

This is what the barn looked like before we began scraping.

He got here just in time to serve food at the YSM 4th of July picnic.

Tom loves to sit outside and watch the trains and barges.  We can see them from the top of the hill where we live.  On this day, he was sitting outside with his mac & cheese in hand.

On this day we were in a hot, sweaty, Adam-Ondi-Ahman.

With all the possible things he was able to do for the two months he was here, painting is his favorite.  Well, favorite, next to going on the mail run with Sister Odum.

We took a walk together when he first got here and we went through the gourd tunnell.

It's a pretty cool place to walk through.

Scraping in the heat of the sun.

Painting the bulkhead doors behind the John Taylor apartment.

We found this sycamore leaf outside our door.  

In the Lyon Drug garden, there are melon planted as well as sorghum.  It is unbelievable how tall it is.

Last Monday morning we stopped by the Flanders to say good-bye and give them a "Hurrah for Israel" shout.

We went back this week and walked through the gourd tunnel again.

We visited some burial mounds with a lot of other people.

Picking up a dead bat at the Visitor's Center.

He enjoyed going to church with us in Hannibal.

WE had dinner at the Willyerd's home to say good-bye to the Flanders.

The two Toms.  Tom Pleshek and Tom Gibbons.  We will miss them and Hannibal will miss them as they are moving next month.

The corn in early August was really, really tall.

The finished product!  He did a great job.  He is quite a good helper when it comes to painting.

The gourds have grown so much in the weeks since we last visited.

We went to Kohl's and Tom bought himself some new Sunday clothing.  New shirt, pants, tie and even a new undershirt.

I believe this gourd is probably as tall as he is.

He may not be a full-time missionary, but he surely has served in the same capacity as we are.

This guy has an amazing testimony of the Savior!

He made friends with so many of the senior missionaries as well as the YSMs.  I am amazed how so many people made him feel welcome.

We've spent the last 35 years with Tom and have accepted him for all he is and isn't.  We have loved him and taken care of him.  It is so wonderful to have others see his wonderful spirit as well.  Tonight the YSMs had the opportunity to have the violin concert that we experience a few weeks ago.  Prior to the start of the concert, Tom was able to bear his testimony and say good bye to those beautiful souls who love him.  He bore a powerful witness and spoke of his love for them.  I think it is the first time I wasn't nervous about what he was going to say.  He did great!  I wish the late comers could have heard him.  But that's their loss for being late.

He has really enjoyed being here and working with all the missionaries.  I'm glad we could give him this opportunity.