LIVING OUR DREAM February 28, 2017

   Since our last post we have reached the 4 month mark since we left our home in South Jordan, Utah and began our Nauvoo Temple Mission.  We have looked forward to this season of our life ever since we began our marriage together nearly 48 years ago. Once we enter the Holy Temple to serve at the beginning of each week, suddenly it is Sunday again!  We love our time in the Temple and we love the Spirit that surrounds us wherever we are in Nauvoo.  We have learned so much and  have grown to appreciate many "tender mercies" we overlooked before serving here. We truly are LIVING OUR DREAM and we remind ourselves of that on a regular basis.  Here are a few of the many things we have been part of over the past 2 weeks that we wish to share with you,  our dear family and friends 

    On Monday Night, February 13th, for our Family Home Evening activity, our Temple Missionary family climbed up the steep stairways to the 3rd floor of the Cultural Hall in Old Nauvoo.  There we participated in a Square Dance on the original wood floor which the Prophet Joseph Smith and his wife, Emma, along with the other early pioneer Saints, held their socials and danced. Just thinking of that made the evening even more special! One of our fellow missionaries, Elder Adams from Snowflake, Arizona, has been a professional Square Dance Caller for over 20 years. He is generally very quiet which made it even more fun to see how amazing he was at instructing all of us!  Although many of our group seemed to be left and right challenged in the beginning, by the end of the night we were actually dancing up a storm!  The music was peppy and we all received a good aerobic workout! We were allowed to wear casual clothing that night which made everything even better. Being in this historic building and sharing this experience with our fellow missionaries created a very memorable Valentine's Day social.  Since Pete and I met in a Social Dance Class at BYU, we have always enjoyed dancing.  Of course, there were plenty of delicious homemade treats at the end of our activity served in the Family Living Center behind the Old Cultural Hall. We all look forward to having another square dance together during our season of service here in Nauvoo. 

                              The Historic Cultural Hall- We danced on the 3rd Floor

                               Sister Adams with Elder Adams, Our Square Dance Caller

                             The Beautiful, Original Wood Floor From the Nauvoo Pioneer Era

                           Elder and Sister Peterson catching our breathe between dances

                                                       Merry  Dancing Missionaries
                               

                         President and Sister Smith, 2nd Counselor and Assistant Matron

              Elder and Sister Cole, Sister Lawson, Sister Marshall, and Brother Thompson

   Brother and Sister Vinton, Sister Adams, Brother and Sister Emang, Sister Cordova

                             President and Sister Irion, our Temple President and Matron

                                                         Valentine Treats Galore

   The day after our Square Dance Social actually was Valentine's Day.  We spent that night serving in the Temple.  It was a perfect way to express our commitment to The Lord and to one another.  I am including a picture of our Valentine gifts to each other, cards and candy, plus a fun "Love Lock" from my Valentine for eternity, Elder Peterson. When we were in Copenhagen, Denmark this past August, we were so taken by the bridges over the canal whose railings were plastered with hundreds of locks with names and dates written on them which people had locked on them to declare there everlasting love to one another. Pete gave me "Our Nauvoo Love Lock" as he labeled it, So, at some remote place, somewhere while we are out here, we will place our "Love Lock". We both agreed that the place where we sealed our eternal love forever, the Temple, would not be appropriate! So, we will find the perfect place for it one day and I will keep you informed when that occurs. For now, it's the thought that counts, right?!

                                           Happy Nauvoo Valentine's Day to us!

   On Saturday and Sunday, February 18th and 19th, we were blessed to attend the Stake Conference for the Nauvoo Illinois Stake.  The Mt. Pleasant Branch where we attend Church each Sunday is the Northern most unit in the Nauvoo Stake.  It was fun to see some of our stalwart members from the Branch at Conference here in Nauvoo. Elder Joseph W. Sitati, a General Authority Seventy, presided over this Stake Conference. He was called to this position on April 4, 2009. He was born in Bungoma, Kenya, on May 16, 1952.  He and his wife have 5 children. In 1986 he joined the Church. He told us that he started going to the Church because a Senior Missionary couple invited him to come. Since many of us in the audience were Senior Missionaries, he wanted us to know and to realize the influence that we can have on others' eternal progression.

                                                           Elder Joseph W. Sitati

    On Saturday night, Elder Sitati allowed the congregation to ask him questions.  One person asked his impression of being in Nauvoo for his first time. He said he would answer that question on Sunday which  he did. He said that in Africa, the members hear about Nauvoo, but they cannot come here. However, they bear powerful testimonies of Joseph Smith as the Prophet of The Restoration and of the truthfulness of The Book of Mormon.  The Spirit tells them these things are true without a doubt. He went on to tell us that in the last 30 years in Africa, 500,000 members have joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. There are 100 Stakes and 60 Districts. He said that those who join the Church in Africa remain firm in their testimonies.  They do not leave the Church.  In Africa, there is one baptism per missionary per month. Elder Sitati went on to say that the great miracle is that God put us here.  He counseled us to make Jesus Christ the" Door" to your home. He told us to establish patterns of Holiness in our homes.  He also reminded us that you grow in the Gospel by serving and doing what you are asked to do. Elder Sitati concluded by saying, "Stay on course so you can access His power and receive His Blessings."  It was a very sweet gift to partake of the Spirit of this special Nauvoo Stake Conference weekend.
    The final activity we will share with you today took place on Monday, February 20th.  For our family night activity, a group of us went to the very unique home of Brother and Sister Tukuafu. They live  right along the Mississippi River about 15 minutes away from us.They both serve as District Workers in the Nauvoo Temple. ("District Worker" is the term used here to describe those who live in the Temple District and serve in the Temple on a regular basis.  Some come weekly, some monthly, some every other week, etc. depending on their distance from the temple and their circumstances.) Brother and Sister Tukuafu serve on our Saturday AM Temple shift.  He is originally from Tonga and they met when he was going to BYU Hawaii.  They are the parents of 14 children and they currently have 59 grandchildren!  They are Empty Nesters like all of us.
    Music is their passion!  Sister Tukuafu is a maker of Harps and Dulcimers and Psalteries and Banjos.  They invite the missionaries to come to their home in small groups of 12-14 for an evening of music and stories from their Hawaiian lifestyle.  The Spirit is strong as you listen to them play and sing using their many instruments.  Their round home is fashioned after a Yurt,  Words cannot explain the feeling inside there.  The walls are made of logs from the 1700's in Pennsylvania.  The log pillars for their stairway are from hewn logs from Parley's Canyon in Salt Lake City, Utah.  She loves stained glass and has it here there and everywhere.  She bakes round loaves of bread in her old fashioned oven constantly. Needless to say, being in their home was a real treat from start to finish!  Outside, she has her wood shop where she builds her musical instruments out of specialty kits.  They truly are a very amazing couple whose hospitality and talents have  blessed countless others!
   The pictures we will share below from the Tukuafus' will give you a slight idea of what we are talking about. However, if you go to : irenetukuafu.blogspot.com  you will be able to watch a 30 minute news interview with Sister Tukuafu done inside her round house and then you will get a better feel for what we experienced.  At the end of our night with them, the Tukuafus joined together singing, "Aloha" to us and told us that in Hawaiian, "Aloha" actually means: "May the Love of God Be With You."
   
                                    As we keep LIVING OUR DREAM here in Nauvoo,
                                                "May the Love of God Be With YOU".
                                                           Elder and Sister Peterson

The Tukuafu Home 

Mississippi River View from their home

                                                Meet Brother and Sister Tukuafu
                                             

                                       (LtoR) Sorensons, Petersons, Emangs, Browns

                                                              Vintons and Adams

                                                      Looking down from the loft

                                                        Making sweet music together

                                             Helping Elder Peterson play the Psaltery

                                 (Lto R) Sister Fetzer, Sister Emang, Sister Peterson,
                                          Sister Tukuafu, Sister Brown, Sister Adams

                                 Displaying her oven and her loaves of round bread

                                       "May the Love of God Be With You! Aloha!"

   

With GRATEFUL Hearts February 14th, 2017

    Today's blog focuses on remembering two historical Mormon Pioneer events with our GRATEFUL hearts. The first event took place on Saturday, February 4th, 2017, commemorating the exodus of those faithful Mormon Pioneers who lived here in Nauvoo 171 years ago.  As we have mentioned before in our previous blogs, amongst those faithful Pioneers were James Allred and his wife, Elizabeth Warren Allred, Elder Peterson's 3rd great grandparents. 

   Although we were serving in the temple the morning of the re-enactment and so we couldn't participate, the spirit of that special occasion resounded throughout Nauvoo.  In the temple that day, several patrons attended both before and after the actual event.  It was special to be blessed to serve those who came to the temple and to realize that we were assisting with a spiritual exodus of sorts through providing sacred ordinances in behalf of those whom the patrons were representing. We are so GRATEFUL to be serving as Temple Missionaries here in Nauvoo!  We have walked down their path on Parley Street, the street where we live, the route of today's re-enactment, down to the Mississippi River several times since we came here last Fall. On this particular day, the weather was cold and blustery, even though the river currently was not frozen over as it was when the Pioneers crossed on the ice to the other side near Montrose, Iowa.  The below marker quoting Newel Knight, a revered Nauvoo pioneer, expresses their tender feelings as they departed for their trek through the unknown, leaving their beloved Nauvoo and  their "magnificent" Holy Temple behind after having them for such a short time.   

     Some of our fellow Temple Missionaries, Elder and Sister Boehm, work the Saturday night shift at the Temple, so they, along with the other Temple Missionaries on the night shift, did attend this special event.  They kindly shared their pictures from that day with us and we will include some of them in our blog so you will be able to catch the spirit of the exodus re-enactment in a small way.  We are GRATEFUL for the sacrifices of the Pioneers and their faith that sustained them on their trek to their new home in the Salt Lake Valley.

Elder Boehm, German Flag and Sister Boehm, Swiss Flag

  

                                 Nauvoo Legend- (LtoR) Elders Mabey,Marshall, &Vinton

                                                                   Horses on Parade

                             Over 200 people marched toward the Mississippi River

                                 For our celebration,  after the temple this evening we went with
                                 the Borrowmans to Dairy Queen in Hamilton, 15 minutes away.
                                                  We are GRATEFUL for ice cream!

     
    On Tuesdays, our Temple shift is in the evening.  So, on Tuesday morning, February 7th, we drove to Quincy, Illinois along with our dear friends, neighbors and fellow missionaries, the Cordovas.  Quincy is a city located on the Mississippi River banks, and is about 47 miles from Nauvoo, approximately a one hour drive. We began this excursion with excitement and drove home at the end of our adventure with GRATEFUL, humble hearts!  Quincy is the site of our 2nd Pioneer event which we wish to share with you in our blog today. 
   " In the late Winter and early Spring of 1839, Latter-Day Saint refugees began appearing on the banks of the Mississippi River opposite Quincy, Illinois. They had been ordered to leave the state of Missouri by decree of Governor Liburn W. Boggs, and the state militia had enforced the chief executive's infamous Extermination Order."
   "Banished from their home, the Saints took the only route out of the state open to them-due east to Quincy, where they hoped they could escape the unspeakable atrocities of Missouri.  The citizens of Quincy looked across the wide river and saw there the starving and freezing refugees, arriving in droves.  Before long, hundreds could be seen on the shore."
   "The people of Quincy were troubled by what they saw.  Who are these people?  What are we going to do?  Their response came to be known as the Quincy Miracle."  "The story that follows is heart-rending history of the Latter-Day Saints in Quincy, Illinois.  It's an emotional story.  At one moment you will feel shock and outrage over the cruelty endured by the Saints in Missouri, and at the next your heart will swell with GRATITUDE unbounded for the kindness shown them in Quincy, the same GRATITUDE expressed in a most unusual way more than 160 years later in the summer of 2002." 
   ( The above quotes are about a compilation of true stories featuring Susan Easton Black(Durrant), as General Editor of the book, The Quincy Miracle, A Rescue Never To Be Forgotten.  We purchased this book while we were in Quincy and it is excellent!)
     The History Museum in Quincy, originally the Public Library when it was constructed in 1888, houses a special display room in tribute to the city of Quincy and their rescue of the Mormon Pioneer refugees.  We will include several pictures which tell their story and express the feelings of both those who were rescued and those who rescued them.. There were about 5,500 Mormon Pioneers who were literally saved by the city of Quincy, a city of 1,500 residents at the time!  They fed them, took them into their homes, provided bedding and clothing for them, etc.  They even allowed them to set up a tent city in Washington Park, which is located diagonally across the street from where the History Museum stands today. This all took place while the Prophet Joseph Smith was being held captive in Liberty Jail. Upon his release, he also went to Quincy and remained until the Saints moved to Nauvoo and started all over again.  
     All those Mormon Pioneers who were part of this miracle are individually listed in the book mentioned above.  Among the names are James Allred and Elizabeth Warren, Pete's 3rd great grandparents!  Our hearts swelled with GRATITUDE and awe over this amazing rescue!  The subsequent act of  reciprocated GRATITUDE 160 years later referred to in 2002 came to the city of Quincy when President Gordon B. Hinckley provided a free concert in Quincy  performed by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir at the time of the Nauvoo Temple Dedication.  There is a wonderful, sacred monument on the banks of the Mississippi River in tribute to Quincy and their never to be forgotten goodness to the Strangers whom they so generously took in!  Seeing all of these marvelous remembrances helped us realize more fully why The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints has such a strong commitment to helping refugees everywhere who are lost, desperate, and driven out of their homes seeking refuge from their storms of life!  We truly have felt great GRATITUDE though learning more fully the spirit of this sacred place.

These are the quotes engraved on the front and back of the monument of GRATITUDE along the Mississippi River as pictured below:

"The citizens of Quincy will be held in everlasting remembrance for their unparalled liberality and marked kindness to our people when in their greatest state of suffering and want."
The Prophet Joseph Smith

"Eternal will be our GRATITUDE for the people of Quincy who provided shelter to the homeless."
Gordon B. Hinckley,
 President and Prophet of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints

                          After our adventure while we were in Quincy, we went
                          with the Cordovas to Golden Corral where they treated 
                          us  to a delicious lunch.  We are GRATEFUL for good
                                     friends, good food,  and Chocolate, too!

             We send our love to all of you and do so with  very GRATEFUL hearts!

                                               Elder and Sister Peterson in Nauvoo