In the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, the word POWERHOUSE is defined as: A person or thing of great energy, strength, or power. A source of influence or inspiration. In our blog today we will share with you a few of those things from our life in Nauvoo that fit this description.
After reading our last blog post, one of my dear friends back home commented to me that she had decided that all Senior Missionaries do is eat and make new friends! I have to say that both of these observations are true and are very important, however, the largest portion of our missionary days are spent serving in the temple. What takes place inside the temple is not secret, but it is sacred. Therefore, most of it cannot be written about in a blog. We spend our time there at various locations as assigned by our shift coordinators each day. I, Sister Peterson, might direct patrons where to go to perform the service they have come to do or I might serve in the clothing area renting the necessary temple clothing to those who come to serve without their own. I also assist in performing various temple ordinances for both those sisters who attend the temple for their first time and for those who do proxy work for their deceased ancestors. Brother Peterson is a sealer. He performs live sealings for people who come to the temple to be married and for those who come with their families to be sealed for time and for all eternity. He also performs sealings for those who come to do proxy sealings for their deceased family members, uniting together the eternal family of God through the power of the Holy Priesthood. When he isn't performing sealings, he also participates in the same type of service for the men that I do for the women. It is a very fulfilling blessing to serve in this Holy House of the Lord. We are in the temple from 8 AM-1 PM Weds-Fri. On Tues and Thurs we serve from 5 PM-9PM. Thurs is our double shift day. Sat morning , our shift is from 6 AM-1 PM. This week, the temple was also open on Mon, Martin Luther King Day and we served from 8 AM-1 PM. We love being in the temple each day! We do get back home tired, however, after a few hours rest, we are rejuvenated and ready and eager for the opportunity to return for a new day of service and love!
Sister Bonniee L. Oscarson, General Young Women President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, gave a message in the General Women's session of conference, October, 2016 entitled, "Rise up in Strength, Sisters in Zion". In her message she said:
"We need to study and understand temple ordinances and covenants. The temple holds a place at the very center of our most sacred beliefs, and the Lord asks that we attend, ponder, study, and find personal meaning and application individually. We come to understand that through the ordinances of the temple, the power of godliness is found in our lives, and that because of the temple ordinances, we can be armed with God's power, and His name be upon us, and His glory round about us, and His angels have charge over us. I wonder if we are drawing upon the power of those promises?"
Coupling Sister Oscarson's words and counsel with the feelings we experience and share through the temple truly make The House of The Lord, The Holy Nauvoo Temple, a POWERHOUSE in both our missionary life and in our everyday life together. We rely upon His Power to sustain us each day!
Nauvoo Temple=POWERHOUSE
We drive to Keokuk, Iowa, each week for our shopping and cross the Mississippi River which separates Iowa and Illinois. As we cross the bridge over the river, we see the Keokuk Energy Center in Iowa. It is "the largest hydroelectric station on the Mississippi River and was inducted into the Hydro Hall of Fame in 2013, 100 years after its completion in 1913. The POWERHOUSE is 10 stories above the top water level and is almost a mile long. The length of the dam, POWERHOUSE, lock, dry lock, and seawall is about 9,000 feet." (HydroWorld.com, The HydroIndustry's Proven Authority) We find this very interesting, especially during the season when the barges travel up and down the river by way of the lock system. The mighty Mississippi River itself is a POWERHOUSE and this week's picture of the massive ice pieces along the sides of the river now that it has thawed manifest the power exerted by the river to flow these huge ice blocks along. This river is captivating!
Another POWERHOUSE source that we are blessed to enjoy are our wonderful friends. This past week we were blessed to have a special visit from our friends, Carol and Dave Eccles, who also live in our Garden Park neighborhood in South Jordan, Utah. They were driving through here en route to serve a full-time mission in the Boston Massachusetts Temple. Monday night, they had dinner with us here in our little missionary home. They spent the night in the Grand Nauvoo Bed and Breakfast which is also on Parley Street just up the street from us. On Tuesday morning, the 4 of us went to the Nauvoo Temple and attended an Endowment session together. It was such a sweet experience to share with them! We are excited for their service opportunities that await them. As an added bonus, Elder and Sister Eccles delivered a couple care packages to me from friends back home. Nothing warms a missionary's heart on a dreary Winter day more than a surprise package from people you love!!
One of the fun things I love to see as we drive around the surrounding area are the old barns that have Amish Barn Quilt Squares on them. They are so pretty and it is exciting to see them along the way. (For more information about Barn Quilts: peopleof.oureverydaylife.com) I think one reason I love them so much is because they remind me of my mother, Jeannine Mary Kline Archibald. Today, Jan 22nd, would be her 88th birthday. She passed away on November 11, 2005. My mom was an avid quilter! She pieced quilts and hand quilted them until the last few years of her life when she couldn't hand quilt them any more. She made special quilts for everyone. We all still treasure the ones she made especially for each one of us. My mom was a POWERHOUSE in my life and always will be. She taught me unconditional love and served gladly all her days. She taught me how to grow beautiful roses and how to be a good grandma. She and my dad served a full-time mission to Bristol England as Senior Missionaries and seeing them serve helped me want that same blessing. I know she is happy that we have chosen to follow in their footsteps. My mom wasn't a dynamic POWERHOUSE in the eyes of the world, but she was and still is in the sight of all of her family and friends whose lives she blessed everyday with her loving and caring heart and hands. I am grateful that we know that Families Can Be Together Forever!!!
4 generations- My Mom, Me, our daughters, and granddaughter
1998 Flashback- Girls' night out at BYU "Quilts" Play
We thank the Lord, The True POWERHOUSE, for the blessed opportunity of serving our mission together here in Nauvoo. This week marked 3 months since we left our home, Oct 18th, 2016, to begin our service and it has changed our lives forever. We send our love to each of you.
You definitely have a gift for writing Noreen. Love your 4 generation picture! And it was fun to see the Eccles as they begin their new adventure. I didn't realize they had already left.
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