SPRINGTIME in NAUVOO also means Spring Break for many of our grandchildren! After 6 months of serving here without our family around, it was sweet to welcome 2 of our families as they visited us over their Spring Breaks.
Our first visit was from the Hansen family who live in Highland, Utah, about half an hour away from our South Jordan, Utah home. After a very long drive, they arrived on Tuesday, April 4th and stayed until Friday, April 7th. We were very excited to be all together again. They stayed in The Nauvoo Log Cabins, Sander's Cabin, just a short distance from our missionary apartment. Here are some of the highlights from the time we spent together.
We met the Hansen family at Carthage Jail in Carthage, Illinois on their way to Nauvoo. It was a special morning being in that hallowed place with them. This is where the Prophet Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum were martyred by a mob on June 27, 1844, sealing their testimonies with their blood. It is a sobering yet reverent feeling one experiences inside the room where all this occurred.
Carthage Jail- Joseph and Hyrum Statues with Jail in Background
We spent some time together hanging out in our mission apartment, visiting and eating our meals. Our kitchen has turned out to be the best restaurant in Nauvoo, mostly because there aren't any others!
After dinner, we walked down Parley Street, our street, to see The Mississippi River. We walked along the Trail of Hope and read the quotes from the pioneers expressing their feelings as they were driven from their homes, bound westward for the unknown, now the Salt Lake Valley, the place we call home. Jane, nearly 15, was especially interested in this . She took even more pictures than I did along our walk to the river that evening. While we were near the river, we took a detour to visit a small, old pioneer cemetery. There we also saw a beautiful view of the Nauvoo Temple off in the distance.
Jane keeps track of how many days until our birthday!
Jane visiting the tombstones - The Mississippi backdrop
One of the favorite places for the children to visit was the Family Living Center. Here you can see candle making, rope winding, pottery making, bread baking, rug weaving, and other things to show you what the pioneers may have done here in Nauvoo. All of the grandchildren liked making their own family rope and eating the homemade whole wheat bread. Each Temple Missionary can purchase one 30"x40" woven rug for $7 while serving in Nauvoo. Elder Hughes, a Site Missionary, is the weaver. I chose my rug that day and they had just taken it off the loom that morning. It is burgundy, navy blue, green and cream color. We put it on our living room floor in our apartment. It takes about 25 hours to weave and finish off each rug according to Elder Hughes. It will be a treasure forever.
Our rug made on the above loom by Elder Hughes
Three unforgettable memories from the Hansens' visit were all inside the historic Nauvoo Temple. On Wednesday morning, the 4 adults, Jenny and Scott and Elder and Sister Peterson, attended the Temple together. We were blessed to show them around the Temple and to share an Endowment session with them. It was a very sweet experience being with them where we spend our entire missionary service each day. Afterward, I spent Grandma Time with Lucy and Seth at our home while Jane and Warren and their parents and Grandpa went to the Baptistry in the Temple. It was a special time for all of them. Lucy and Seth helped me make Rice Krispie Treats for everyone to enjoy later. Here are some pictures of their family in front of the Holy Temple. It was very cold and windy that day so we look like it is the middle of February! We are constantly grateful for the blessings of the Temple and the promises it holds that our family will be Together Forever one day.
Three unforgettable memories from the Hansens' visit were all inside the historic Nauvoo Temple. On Wednesday morning, the 4 adults, Jenny and Scott and Elder and Sister Peterson, attended the Temple together. We were blessed to show them around the Temple and to share an Endowment session with them. It was a very sweet experience being with them where we spend our entire missionary service each day. Afterward, I spent Grandma Time with Lucy and Seth at our home while Jane and Warren and their parents and Grandpa went to the Baptistry in the Temple. It was a special time for all of them. Lucy and Seth helped me make Rice Krispie Treats for everyone to enjoy later. Here are some pictures of their family in front of the Holy Temple. It was very cold and windy that day so we look like it is the middle of February! We are constantly grateful for the blessings of the Temple and the promises it holds that our family will be Together Forever one day.
The Hansen Family
Grandpa and Grandma with Warren, Lucy, Jane, and Seth
We spent some time at the Visitor Center and the Women's Garden adorned with its beautiful SPRINGTIME in NAUVOO tulip gardens. We also stopped by the Arched Bridge which is only a short distance from our home . We have enjoyed seeing it during each different Season. It is especially beautiful this Spring.
Our visit with Hansens ended with one last walk down to the Mississippi River to see another lovely sunset. We will always remember enjoying that beautiful, chilly sunset together. Although we said our good-byes that night, we met Jane and Warren and Jenny on the next morning just prior to their departure back in the Nauvoo Temple. We were serving our regular Friday morning temple shift and were assigned to the Baptistry, allowing us to be with them for this very special time. It was a perfect end to a wonderful SPRINGTIME in NAUVOO visit together.
SPRINGTIME Sunset on The Mississippi
On Sunday, April 9th, we received our next sweet SPRINGTIME in NAUVOO visit from our Ridgefield, Connecticut family. Paul and Erin brought Nathan and Isabella here to spend some time with us over their Spring Break. They stayed until Wednesday, April 12th. The Hotel Nauvoo was their place of sleeping, however we spend all the rest of the precious time they were here together. It was so great to have them come. They flew in to Chicago, Illinois, then drove the rest of the way to find us. They were flabbergasted over how many farms they saw driving here! They are used to a huge city which Nauvoo and its population of 1100 does not qualify! Nathan, 11, is almost my same height. It is very strange to look your 15th grandchild straight in the eye. Most likely the next time I see him, I will be looking up to him! Isabella is 8 and darling. She unfortunately, had the flu and a fever on our first site-seeing day. Thankfully, the next morning she woke up happy and ready to see Nauvoo. When we told her we were glad to have her back, she said, "I'm glad to have myself back!" Here are some photos from our first day discovering Nauvoo and Carthage.
(LtoR) Paul, Erin, Isabella, Joseph and Hyrum Smith,
Nathan, Grandma and Grandpa
Paul and Nathan were excited to find out that we could be in 3 different States in just a matter of minutes from where we live here in Old Nauvoo.
We live in Illinois and Nathan was here!
A special time for Grandpa and Nathan was their visit to the Lands and Records Office located 2 doors up from us on Parley Street. Nathan was interested in finding information out about his Nauvoo ancestors, James Allred and Elizabeth Warren Allred, his 5th great grandparents. He was excited to also find additional information about other relatives who lived in Nauvoo. Nathan came back home with a whole collection of information which he found while he and Grandpa were at the Lands and Records Office that day. This is a special memory for both of them.
We all spent some time in the afternoon at the Nauvoo Visitors Center learning more about the history of life in Old Nauvoo. Nathan and I had fun visiting the Women's Garden honoring the Relief Society Organization,.
It was wonderful to have Isabella back to normal the following day. We visited the Family Living Center where Nathan and Isabella delighted in making their Peterson Family Rope. The homemade bread was also a hit with everyone. Isabella really enjoyed the Candle Making demonstration, too.
Next, we all loaded aboard the horse drawn wagon for a ride around Old Nauvoo. It was very chilly and we bundled up in the blankets which were supplied by the Site Missionaries. We listened to the narration and visualized what life would have been like back in the pioneer times. We all agreed that we are grateful not to have been born in that era! Isabella made friends with the two horses who pulled us in our little wagon.
This afternoon we all went up to the beautiful Nauvoo Temple for pictures. It was a very special time we spent walking around the grounds of the Temple and sharing the sweet spirit of this sacred place. SPRINGTIME in NAUVOO was clearly manifested in the tulips and the blossoming trees that covered the grounds. Here are a few pictures from that special afternoon.
Favorite picture! Beautiful grandchildren and beautiful setting!
Isabella and Nathan, April 11, 2017
No trip to Nauvoo would be complete without a shopping spree "downtown". Downtown Nauvoo is about a block long and has only a very few stores. We shopped at the best one, The Fudge Shop! Also, I captured a fun picture of 3 generations of boys sitting on the porch of The Allyn House waiting for the girls.
operate this sweet addition to Nauvoo
Tonight was the end of our visit with this great family. Elder Peterson went with Paul and Erin to attend the Temple tonight. They had a very memorable time sharing the sacred place where we serve our mission each day. The Spirit of the pioneers who sacrificed to build the original temple linger in the halls of this great historic Temple. It was a perfect ending to their visit here.
Meanwhile, Sister Peterson was blessed to be on Grandma Duty with Nathan and Isabella tonight. Nathan had fallen in love with Nauvoo because it is flat and he can ride a bike everywhere. Isabella and I wandered around the streets down here on The Flats where we live, trying to keep an eye on Nathan. He was pretty good at loosing us though. When the sunset, the 3 of us went back to our apartment and played a rousing game of "5 Crowns". We didn't keep score so everyone was a winner. It was so fun to just have some special time alone with these awesome children. It is interesting that we only see these grandchildren 2 or 3 times a year, but each time we reunite it seems as though we have never been apart. I love being a Grandma! It is the best because your assignment is to just LOVE everyone! We felt so very blessed that we were able to share SPRINGTIME in NAUVOO with our Connecticut family.
During the days of April 17-May 1st, the Nauvoo Temple is closed for its semi-annual deep cleaning This brings a different element into SPRINGTIME in NAUVOO because as Temple Missionaries, we are allowed to travel a bit and see other areas of interest. This past Monday through Wednesday we traveled to Springfield, Illinois along with our fellow missionary friends, Rod and Dotttie Cole. The Coles live across the street from us. They reside in Peoria, Arizona and have a cabin in Panquitch, Utah also. We had a very educational and enjoyable trip with them. Some of the great blessings of serving a Temple Mission in Nauvoo include the amazing missionaries we serve with. When you are with each other in this sweet setting day in and day out, the bonds grow strong quickly! We are surrounded by this constant spirit of goodness and we like it!
Our first stop on our drive to Springfield was The Dickson Mounds State Museum in Lewistown, Illinois. "Dickson Mounds is a Native American settlement site and burial complex. It is located in Fulton County on a low bluff overlooking the Illinois River. The Dickson Mounds was founded by 800 CE and was in use until 1250 CE. Excavation began in 1927 by Don Dickson and he opened a private museum formerly operating on this site. Now the Dickson Mounds are on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places." (wikipedia.org) We learned so much while visiting this museum which is very well done, although not very well attended. We were the only ones there for most of our visit. So much of what we saw reminded us of other civilizations we have been exposed to in Mexico and Guatemala and even Egypt. Of course we reflected on the Book of Mormon people, too. Yes, everyone truly is related, right?! Here are a few pictures from our visit to The Dickson Mounds.
View from the museum observation deck.
The mounds behind the church are one of the large parts of The
Dickson Mounds. This whole area, including where the
museum is built, is all part of the vast Dickson Mounds.
We drove on to Springfield, Illinois and spent 2 nights there. Springfield is the State capitol of Illinois. During the course of our stay we visited the Old State Capitol Building and the New State Capitol Building. They are both magnificent in their own ways.
Inside the House of Representatives , Old State Capitol
Where Lincoln presented many cases
" Abraham Lincoln", alias Elder Peterson
The Rotunda
The Grand Stair Case
" Illinois Welcomes the World"
So do Noreen and Dottie
"Present day Springfield was settled by European Americans in the late 1810s, around the time Illinois became a state. The most famous historical resident was Abraham Lincoln, who lived in Springfield from 1837 until 1861, when he went to the White House as President. Major tourist attractions include a multitude of historic sites connected with Abraham Lincoln including his Presidential Museum, his home from 1837-1861, and his tomb at Oak Ridge Cemetery." (wikipedia.org) We totally played the role of tourists and visited each one of these places for hours. It was so surprising what an excellent job has been done to preserve the memory of this great man. It is so interesting to feel the Spirit of The Lord residing here, also. We expected to enjoy these places, but it was way above our expectations.
We began our tour at the Lincoln Home. Usually a place like this is only a replica. This was his actual home and many of the furnishings inside the home were authentic and not just things found at a sale somewhere. Everything was kept in mint condition both inside and outside the home. You actually could picture their family living there, both during their trials and their times of successes. Here are a few pictures from their home in Springfield, 1837-1861.
. Lincolns' Formal Living Room- No children allowed
After visiting Lincoln's Home, we walked about a mile up the street to where the Lincoln Library and Museum are located. The Library is for research so we didn't enter there. We went into the Museum planning on spending a couple hours there. We were there for 4 hours and enjoyed every minute of it. The displays depicted Abraham Lincoln's life from his childhood in a log cabin through his terms as President of the United States, including much about the civil war. It all culminated with Lincoln's murder in Ford Theater.
Following Lincoln's death there was a great out pouring of love for him across the nation. "On April 21, 1865, a train carrying the coffin of assassinated President Abraham Lincoln left Washington, D.C. on its way to Springfield, Illinois, where he would be buried on May 4th. The train carrying Lincoln's body traveled through 180 cities and seven states on its way to Lincoln's home state of Illinois. Scheduled stops for the special funeral train were published in newspapers." "At each stop, Lincoln's coffin was taken off the train, placed on an elaborately decorated horse-drawn hearse and led by solemn processions to a public building for viewing. Thousands of mourners flocked to pay tribute to the slain President. In some cities, people waited more than 5 hours to pass by the President's coffin. Lincoln's funeral train was dubbed 'The Lincoln Special' and his portrait was fastened to the front of the engine above the cattle guard." (The History Channel, Abraham Lincoln's Funeral Train, history.com)
The entire time we were in the Lincoln Museum, the spirit was powerful and inspirational. The quality, style, and method of presentation reminded me of being at Epcot Center in Disney World. This is a supreme compliment! We feel very blessed to have experienced this wonderful place and to be able to feel in a small way the impact of the beloved Abraham Lincoln. He is definitely someone I look forward to meeting face to face one day on the other side of the veil of this existence!
Here are a few pictures from our enlightening Lincoln Museum visit.
Rod and Dottie Cole - The Lincoln Family- Pete and Noreen
President Abraham Lincoln, #16
Dreadful night at the Ford Theater
Our final stop the morning we were leaving Springfield, bound for Nauvoo, was The Lincoln Tomb, located in the Oak Ridge Cemetery in Springfield, Illinois. "The Lincoln Tomb is the final resting place of Abraham Lincoln, his wife, Mary Todd Lincoln, and 3 of their 4 sons. Constructed of granite, the tomb has a rectangular base surmounted by a 117 foot high obelisk and a semi-circular entrance way. A bronze reproduction of sculptor Gutzon Borglum's head of Lincoln in the U.S. Capitol rests on a pedestal in front of the entrance way. Marble is used throughout the interior. The tomb was built in 1868-74." (wikipedia.org)
Entering Lincoln's Tomb is a very sacred, spiritual experience. Words cannot explain the feelings we had there. It is a beautiful tribute to a man who dedicated his life to the cause of freedom and equal rights for all mankind. His personal life was racked with tragedy, witnessing the deaths of 3 of his 4 children. My heart also went out to his wife. She not only lost 3 of her children, but watched as her husband was murdered while sitting by her side at the theater. I couldn't help but think about the similarities between Emma Smith and Mary Todd Lincoln in their personal challenges. How grateful we are to know that this life is not the end and we will see our loved ones again.
There must be lots of lucky people out there!
A lighter side of SPRINGTIME in Springfield was an opportunity to actually go out to dinner and enjoy some different food and surroundings. One night we ate at Olive Garden which was a real treat! Soup, salad, and bread sticks never tasted so good! On the second night we had dinner at Texas Roadhouse . We had seen Elder and Sister Beck at the Lincoln Museum and made a plan to have dinner with them, too. While we were eating, 3 more couples from our Nauvoo Temple Mission came into the restaurant including The Adams, The Despains, and The Fetzers. It was fun to be there with them! Can you tell that we are all missing having fun places to go out to dinner?? Eating out is what senior couples like to do for fun! Springfield restaurants were a very good treat for everyone.
On our drive back into Nauvoo along the River Road, Sister Cole spotted lots of turtles sunning themselves on the driftwood near the shores of The Mississippi. This was a sure sign that it truly is SPRINGTIME in NAUVOO. There were turtles of all sizes, from tiny baby ones to quite large ones. This is just another example of the varying seasons on The Mississippi River which pop up and surprise us! We stopped and captured some fun pictures to show you what we were so excited over. When you live in Nauvoo, small things truly excite you that never would have before.
Finally we have come to the end of this never ending blog. So much has happened and we didn't want to forget a moment of the sweet SPRINGTIME in NAUVOO we have been blessed to experience. We do live in a beautiful world and we give thanks each new day to The Lord for creating such a lovely place for us to live and trusting us to do His work.
We send our love to all of you and thank you for your support and prayers. Remember to take time to enjoy SPRINGTIME wherever you may be.
Elder and Sister Peterson in Nauvoo
