A Trip to Nauvoo

On July 5th, we loaded up the truck and headed to Nauvoo for a four day vacation.  Sammi and kids as well as Erin and Tom joined us.  What a fun time we had.  

Pat and I were able to don our blue FM shirts once again and get to work.  He poured concrete with Marty and hung with Elder Kooop.

I was able to spend a few hours with Jared.  He had one of his new painters pulling the caulking/glazing off of the windows at the Seventies Hall that we just re-caulked and painted last summer.  

The paint shop was still in great shape organizational wise.  It was fun to be back and meet my replacements.

We had to take a drive out to the Engel house.  The new stairs and concrete going to the lower apartments look great!  And the sheet rock was placed in the wall between the two.

Pat always rang the bell whenever he went into conservation.  Sister Massey wanted to give the bell to him but decided it wasn't hers to give.  It remains.  

Sister Rizley had the idea to have the senior sisters minister to the YSMs.  One of the sisters I was assigned to was Sister Melling.  She was brand new and seemed very rough around the edges.  I wasn't sure that I would even get to know her.  I was wrong!  She is amazing and I'm glad I got to know her.  She actually reminds me a lot of Larissa as she is a great basketball player.  Kind of tomboyish but super fun.  I love her!

One of my other favorite YSMs was Sister Holdcraft.  She and I spent some time visiting while she served in Carthage.  She is the eldest of a large family and she's amazing.  I was so good to hug her. 

Our first night in town we were invited by the Rizleys to have dinner with them and the Masseys and the Chestnuts.  It was so wonderful seeing them and visiting and talking about spiritually intimate subjects and laughing.  What a blessing that was as the Chestnuts left the next morning.  

Sister Daley is a companion to Sister Holdcraft.  She was another bright spot in our time as missionaries. 

And how could I ever forget the Browns?  Elder Brown loved Tom and they worked together quite a bit the first time he visited us.  They are another couple whom we love so dearly.  It was such a fun trip and way too fast. Soon we won't know any of the missionaries  that are serving there.