This blog article is kind of a reflection of our mission and what we were able to do there as we served our Lord, Jesus Christ.
It was a glorious and wonderful mission. We served for 18 months in the Illinois Historic Sites Mission. This mission includes historic church sites in Nauvoo and Carthage, Illinois. Our Mission leaders were President Daniel S. Mehr II, and his wife Rebecca. We served as Senior Missionaries with principle duties as site missionaries.
The mission went by all too-fast. We cannot believe that it is over and that we are now home. And being home now gives us opportunity to reflect back on what we accomplished as we were in Nauvoo.
In our role, we had kind of specific tasks and functions that kept us very busy. Some Senior Couples are rather unique, however, in that sometimes they are not given specific tasks. These couples are left to kind of chart their own courses and how they will serve.
After our mission, we went to San Diego to visit with Sister Hunt’s brother, Elder Brad and Sister Kerry Belcher.
Above: Elder Brad Belcher, Kevin and Lou Hunt, Cousin Bev and Rob Jafek in San Diego
The Belchers were originally called to serve as support in an YSA ward. Just a week before their arrival a few Mandarin Chinese Saints were organized as a “group”. A group (including this one) is smaller than a ward and even a branch and is dependent upon a regular ward. The were asked to support this group in a variety of ways.
Elder and Sister Belcher immediately dug their heels into the work. They were creative in finding (or accepting) a wide variety of tasks. As they accepted these tasks, they often became a part of their daily or weekly routine. They drove people to the Chinese meetings and functions. They provided catering for many missionary conferences and activities. They became a support function to missionaries and members everywhere in the mission. They even used pickle ball as a way to connect with non-members and missionaries around them. (And Kerry beat everyone!) They created their own special niche and the missionaries and Saints around them loved them. And they seem to be loving their mission.
Elder and Sister Belcher are very busy. One of their roles is to serve as zone leaders for about 22 couples. In this role they work to welcome the new couples and to help them feel at home, socialize with them, and train them. They told us of one couple who had recently arrived in their zone. This couple didn’t feel as if they fit in with the mission and they mentioned to the Belchers that they really didn’t have much to do. This was kind of the opposite of Elder and Sister Belcher.
THE ROLE OF SENIOR MISSIONARIES
Above: Sister Hunt teaches brick making to young Sister Rivas
Above: Elder and Sister Hunt hosted Church History historians from Salt Lake City for a home-cooked meal (Curtis Ashton and Alex Stromberg)
As Senior Couples serve, it becomes their task and opportunity to utilize their own talents and to create missionary service opportunities based upon or around those talents. And often these talent opportunities don’t seem to fit the exact calling or function which their mission calls specified. Calls generally say the mission and the time for their service but give few other details.
THE LORD’S PARABLE OF THE TALENTS
I am reminded of our Lord’s Parable of the Talents as recorded in the New Testament in chapter 18 in the book of Matthew. In this chapter, it first appears that Jesus is talking about money management and opportunities. But it can also mean the talents (i.e.: spiritual gifts) given to people.
In the parable the Lord gave a man 5 talents, another 2, and another a single talent. After bestowing these talents, he went to a far country. In time, he returned and called for an accounting from each of the men relative to the talents (or stewardships) given to them. It is interesting that it was He who gave the talents – but then He also invited each to come to Him to “account” for their stewardships he had given to them.
AN ACCOUNTING IN THE STEWARDSHIP OF TALENTS
The servant who received five talents was industrious and expanded his talents to include five more talents. Likewise, the man given two talents also doubled his talents to four. And the third servant (whom the Lord called “Wicked”) did nothing with his talent. Instead of working to increase his talent, he actually went and buried it in the ground. So, he literally went “in the hole” or negative.
Upon hearing their reports, he bestowed double the amount or talent to each of the men who had magnified and multiplied their five and two talents. And to the man who had buried his talent, the talent was removed and was given to him who then already had 10 talents. And later on in Matthew, the Lord says that “unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance.”
MAGNIFYING AND USING TALENTS IN SERVICE TO OTHERS
It is interesting to see that when an individual uses his talents, shares them, and magnifies his talents, his number of talents increases. His capacity to receive and use more talents increases and he Is able to enjoy, experience and serve with even more talents. And the more that he serves with these talents (i.e.: gifts of the Spirit) he is able to serve even more. It is a beautiful principle!
That seemed to be the case with us on our mission. We recognized that the Lord had given us many talents (Gifts of the Spirit) and as we used them in service to others, our abilities and opportunities to serve increased – along with the capacity to do even more.
SERVING IN OUR MISSION STEWARDWHIP
In describing the above talent scenario, I used the word used by the Savior – that of “accounting”. That is an interesting word when used relative to church duties and service. I noted that when the Lord gives us talents and then opportunities to use them, he also expects us to give a later “accounting” to him. We are given opportunities to report back on the stewardships given to us. We are even commanded to “give an accounting” of those stewardships. So we are “stewards” of the sacred talents given personally to each of us.
In the Doctrine and Covenants, Section 72, verses 1-8, the lord states that the “elders are to render an account of their stewardships.” Verse 3 is especially impactful as it says, “… it is required of the Lord, at the hand of every steward, to render an account of his stewardship, both in time and in eternity.” Wow!
GRATITUDE FOR OUR MISSION STEWARDSHIPS
Now Sister Hunt and I would like to talk of the ways that we were able to use our talents in service to the Lord. In giving this “accounting” of our stewardships and use of our talents given us, it is our hope that readers of this blog will not think that we are just bragging about what we were able to do and accomplish. That is not the case. In giving this “accounting” we do so to acknowledge the entire Godhead and their blessings unto us. We express our gratitude for the assignments and opportunities to serve, but also recognize Their help in providing the resources, the connections, and Their guidance in accomplishing these tasks, functions, and responsibilities.
With the Holy Ghost with us as our companion, we were able to perform and accomplish in ways that were way beyond our own capabilities. (At least that is the way it was for me. The Holy Ghost inspired and guided me in my every effort and made me much better that I ever could have been on my own. Gifts of the Spirit are denoted in Corinthians, Moroni, and other places in the scriptures. But, in addition to those lists, I have come to believe that anything that we do for the Lord comes to us as spiritual gifts. I believe that all of these are also “gifts of the Spirit (meaning the Holy Ghost).” Sister Hunt supported me in all of my labors in my use of these talents and helped to facilitate them. And she herself was given additional talents which she used in service to others. We made a great team working in tandem with the Holy Ghost and Jesus Christ.
So, here is our accounting – along with our expressions of gratitude.
SERVICE AS SITE MISSIONARIES
Above: Elder Kevin and Sister Lou Hunt teaching on a tour of Joseph Smith’s Red Brick Store
As noted, we were called at “site missionaries”. This means that we were a part of a team of about 30 other site missionary couples. And together we were responsible to know and present tours in 28 restored homes and shops – that were lived in or operated by the early pioneer ancestors who lived and built in Nauvoo between the years 1839 to 1846. In just seven years they built a wonderful city and a strong foundation of faith for all of us who would come later.
Above: Elder Kevin Hunt with Brigham Young in his restored Nauvoo home
Many of the homes and shops were created by prominent people of the community – like Prophets and Apostles. But that doesn’t mean that the contributions of our own ancestors were not just as important. These specific homes have been restored because of their common heritage to all members of the Church. And they are representative of the total community.
The Church Historical Department has established a “site guide” which includes the key doctrines and stories that can be recited in each home. This Guide was the foundation for us as we prepared and presented tours in these many places. Sister Hunt and I noted on our first day of service – in the Jonathan Browning home.
Above: Elder Kevin and Sister Lou Hunt on April 17, 2024 – first historic tour given on their mission
The Turners had some really cool leather books in which they had captured the scripts for the many tours. We liked these and found some similar little leather books on-line – and they cost only about $13 each.
Above: Leather Nauvoo “Site Guide” book used by Elder and Sister Hunt
I copied each of the tours from the “Site Guide” – the full text – into a Word document. I then changed the format to fit within the small leather books. I printed these out. Sister Hunt and I each had our own personal set which we were able to make our own.
Sister Hunt then cut out each of the pages. She pasted these small pages into the books. We also purchased some colored tabs which helped us to more easily find the different tour guides as we were assigned to different house. There were so many tours that the material would not fit into a single volume. So we ended up buying second books for each of us.
At first we had to refer to these books frequently in preparation for the day ahead. Sister Hunt had me record each tour – as if I were reading them to my grandchildren. We often played these and listened to them together during our breakfasts. One might think the “remembering” task to be ominous and one could also muse about how it was possible to remember all of this. Remember, however, that we often repeated these tours many times through a day. So as we gave these ten or more times a day, we quickly remembered (or had brought to our remembrance through the Holy Ghost) what we needed to say. And over a short period of time, we got the scripts “down” so that we could more easily have them brought to our memory. And we didn’t need to refer to them so often.
I still took the applicable book to many of my tours. I used the books when I wanted specific quotes. I found it very impactful to read (with emphasis) from the book for these quotes. And the books themselves looked to “legit”. They looked like 1840’s scripture books. They really looked authentic and so quoting directly from them at times helped to bring the Spirit to our guests.
Sister Hunt’s parents, Elder Everett H. and Sister Verna Belcher served as senior missionaries in Nauvoo some 45 years ago (1979-1981). Their initial call was for 18 months but they had two 6-month extensions. And they served for the entire two and a half years in the very tiny Lucy Mack Smith home.
Above: Elder Everett and Sister Verna Belcher serving as site guides at the Lucy Mack Smith home (circa 1979-1981)
Things were different for sister Hunt and me in 2024 and 2025. We were assigned to a different home each day. So within each week, we served in six different homes.
Above: Elder Kevin Hunt teaching Terry/Pulsipher cousins at the Sarah Granger Kimball Home
Above: Elder and Sister Hunt giving a tour at the Lyon Drug and Variety Store in Nauvoo
(One day was our Preparation P-Day and this was a day off – to prepare for the coming week, do laundry, grocery shopping, and to just relax.) We actually really enjoyed this moving around. It seemed to keep us “fresh” in our tours and helped us not to be bored repeating the same things over and over again.
Sister Hunt and I are very different people in the talents that we have. We are kind of the opposite of traditional men and women roles. She is very much the “technical person” in our relationship. If a car has mechanical problems, she figures out a way to fix most things. As she says, “we are not very good at that mechanical stuff, but I am all we’ve got.” Gratefully she learned many of these mechanical skills from her father as she grew up. If she wanted a car to drive, she had to go out with him to help tinker and resurrect an old car from the family property. She learned early on to not trust me with any aspect of plumbing or electrical needs. Working on our plumbing did not go so well for me and for us.
My dad was a fabulous mechanic. He even served in the United States Air Force as a mechanic on the P-51 bomber during the Korean War.
Above: Russel Hunt with P-51 Bomber in US Air Force during Korean War (circa about 1951)
He scored the highest possible score on the mechanic tests of the time. And with his high scores, he was given special time off and other considerations. He could fix anything … but he hated doing the stuff. (Odd combination!) He worked and fixed cars and stuff as needed but didn’t really enjoy it. And he never taught me (or my siblings) any of those skills. (And I could never stand to get my hands dirty.)
Anyway, Sister Hunt gave all of the technical demonstrations that would have been mostly done by the men of the pioneer era. She gave the demonstration of show making in the Riser Boot Shop.
She gave the demonstration on how to make tin bowls in the Stoddard Tin Shop. She demonstrated how make a gun barrel in the Jonathan Browning gun shop.
Above: Sister Lou Hunt as School Marm at the Nauvoo Pendleton School
And she was the natural and very gifted teacher in the Pendleton School. (Of course she was a teacher for about 20 years).
I was and am different. I am very gifted in “administrative duties” – in planning, organizing, computer work and attention to detail. I have been given a gift of the Spirit to remember facts – history, people, places, dates, and other details. So, in our tours, I shared the history of the people and places and she gave the demonstrations. This system actually worked well for us. We each knew each other’s talents and abilities and together we made a really great team. We were able to touch people through our combined efforts.
Above: Elder Kevin Hunt doing computer work between tours at the Browning Gun Shop in Nauvoo
We were there on the job every day of our mission. We got up and got prepared for the day. We proudly wore our pioneer costumes. We took pride in wearing these and having them look nice. I researched the look of the day and got several vests, suspenders, and hats to look the pioneer part. I worked hard to look perfect for the time and Sister Hunt did also.
We were on-time and ready to serve each day at the appointed times. As we look back, we think that there was only one day in the 18-months that we were home-bound. That was a day that Sister Hunt was ill and unable to serve. We had to call in sick. Me …? That was actually a blessing because I needed such a day to catch up on my history work and the project of the day.
After each tour which Sister Hunt and I presented I pulled out my trusty 3×5” card and recorded the number of people in the tour and sometimes special people and experiences. Then at the end of the day I tallied the number of guests and input this into an Excel spreadsheet. At the end of the mission it was astounding to us that we personally had served 19,625 people on our own tours! Wow!
SISTER HUNT USED HER SEWING AND CRAFTING TALENTS
Screenshot
Sister Hunt used her talent of sewing and creating. We bought fabric for several dresses and aprons even before our mission – and more after we got there. Creating a Nauvoo pioneer woman dress was a challenge. Specific and very detailed patterns needed to be followed. And colors and “the look” had to be just perfect. She consulted the talented Sisters of the Sewing Room to get her dresses in the perfect mode.
All through the winter, Sister Hunt labored to create many new dresses. And she made a multitude of aprons in various colors – such that many of them were interchangeable with other dresses – to give her and guests different looks. We tried to look the authentic part of the real Nauvoo pioneers – our own ancestors.
We also enjoyed looking as if we were “together”. We worked hard to be color-coordinated whenever possible. She would first pick out her desired dress and color scheme of the day. (A woman thing …). Then after she had made her selection, then I created a composite color coordinated look (with pants, shirt, suspenders, vest, and hat) to go with her outfit. My only challenge was when she chose purple as the color of the day. I am not into purple (a guy thing) and so it was a challenge to come up with anything on those days. We received any comments and compliments by the young sister missionaries who saw and recognized our “together looks”.
For many senior couples, being together always is the dream- and often the reason for serving a senior mission. Couples envision working and serving together every day. That is not always the case, however. In Nauvoo, for instance, there are Teamsters. These are the guys who care for and drive the giant horses and oxen. They give tours along the way on the carriage ride (that goes up through the woods). And they drive – as a team on both the wagon and carriage rides. On the wagon rides one sister goes along and gives the narration. Often in their duties they are assigned in different directions. The Sister frequently is called to serve in a site as her husband is out “horsing around” (literally). Or one spouse could be in the office and the other in a site or in the sewing center. Some couples told us that they had not had any assignments together through their whole mission. Sad!
Sister Hunt and I were very blessed. There were only two or three times in our entire mission in which we were separated and had to serve individually. And in those cases, it was for just an hour or two. We are grateful that we could serve together every day.
SISTER HUNT AS A COOK AND MAKER OF DELECTABLE TREATS
Sister Hunt is known to her family and to many friends as a great cook. She often used these skills (one of her best talents) to share with others. She is particularly known for her cinnamon rolls.
Above: Sister Lou Hunt as master chef in Nauvoo
Lou made dinner rolls and cinnamon rolls frequently and shared them to all around her. She took these to many dinners staged by and for the missionaries. In preparation for the “Immersion trips” with the young sister missionaries, she went the extra mile made separate pans for each of the four or five cars that carried the young sisters on the trip. Often she made cinnamon rolls and several kinds of cookies for the same trip. She became a legend with the young sister missionaries and her cooking talents were greatly appreciated.
STAGING FUN EVENTS FOR THE DISTRICT, OUR MTC GROUP, AND EVEN THE MISSION
Using talents and skills given us years before – when we did catering or otherwise hosted and staged great events – many of them in our own log-cabin back yard, we were able to stage some great events in the mission. These events were for our district as well as for the mission.
Twice we staged unique Dutch oven dinners. These were different than the usual mission pot-luck dinner and were greatly enjoyed by the participants. I even purchased a 14” Dutch oven so that we could hold these events. Our first cooking event was for the 13 couples who were in our April 1, 2024 MTC group. Our group had reunion dinners every 3 months through the mission. When it came our turn to spearhead the event, we actually expanded the group to include about 10 other couples who came from the MTC alone – or just with another couple. We thought that everyone needed “a group”. The dinner was a grand success.
Later we staged the same Dutch oven dinner event for the eight couples of our own district.
One of my at-home traditions is pie making. I gather the grandkids together on the day of before Thanksgiving and we make a multitude of pies together. And then that same night we gather a crowd to eat the pie. We have found that by doing this, we can call better enjoy the pies – without already being “stuffed” with Thanksgiving food.
I requested permission to stage such an event for the mission. I was picturing kind of a low-key event that would be optional for anyone interested. It became a much bigger deal than I had envisioned. We were asked to create and host an event for the whole mission. We created a flier which was sent out to all of the 50 or so senior missionaries (this event was held in the winter – so no young sisters were with us). We created pie categories and worked to motivate folk – even men and others who had never made pies to participate.
Then at the event, we had judges present to taste and score all of the pies. We had separate competitions for men and women. We gave out some really great awards to the top three winners in each group. And the large collection of pies were fabulous.
We had an event wherein one of the couple sat at a table – decked out in a large garbage bag apron – while the other person stood behind them (without being able to see what was happening in front) and fed the front person pie. This was done with their hands only – and with no utensils – but we did give them gloves to facilitate the process. We had about fifteen couples who got coerced into doing this. (We committed them to pie eating before we shared with them how they were to eat it.)
The event came off wonderfully and was a grand success.
And incidentally, do any of you know the difference between sacrament meeting and a High Priest’s social? (Answer … they serve pie at the social!) That was the case with this collection of “old folks”. They were accustomed to really “dry” socials that consisted mainly of eating the pot-luck meal, hearing brief words from the mission leaders, and then putting away the tables and chairs. (But to be honest, we did have some fabulous events … like a campfire sing-a-long, a vintage dance, kite flying, sleigh riding, movies, and much more.) This pie-eating event was definitely out of everyone’s comfort zones. We got them up and moving and everyone had a great time. Many folks later told us that this was the best event that they had attended through their whole mission.
COORDINATORS AT THE JOSEPH SMITH PROPERTIES
The many historic homes and sites are administered by assigned “site coordinators”. We were very pleased that we were immediately assigned as coordinators for the Joseph Smith homes.
Above: Joseph Smith Homestead in Nauvoo (SE corner view)
Above: Nauvoo Mansion House of Joseph and Emma Smith
This meant that we were the coordinators for the “Homestead” of Joseph and Emma, their “Mansion House” and the little rock structure built in a later time by Lewis Bidamon (2nd husband to Emma after Joseph’s death). Someone else was assigned to Joseph’s Red Brick store. We were actually the first such coordinators for these Smith properties. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints purchased these properties from the Community of Christ on March 5th, 2024. We opened them for our own tours just a couple of weeks later and just a couple of weeks after opening “under new management” Sister Hunt and I were assigned as the new coordinators. We remained in that position for most of the rest of our mission.
Sister Hunt and I arrived in the mission just a couple of weeks later and were immediately assigned as coordinators for the places. This was a great blessing and honor. It was a very exciting assignment for us. Such a great honor!
We were “eyes and ears” to report any need for the structures. We did not do the actual repairs but we were the people who placed the call – or reported the need through the mission on-line reporting systems – to the Facilities Maintenance group. And then “FM” assigned missionaries (or a few full-time employees) who also served per their God-given talents – like for tree trimming, painting, plumbing, A/C and heating – or whatever the need. If others saw problems, it was us who reported the need.
Above: Elder Kevin Hunt cleaning the Joseph Smith Homestead in Nauvoo
During our summer or busy season operation mode, the sites are cleaned each day at the end of the shift by the missionaries who serve at each place for the day. In the winter, however, the coordinators have the cleaning tasks. This meant that we went once a week (or more often as needed) to clean our assigned Joseph and Emma homes.
Above: Sister Lou cleaning the Nauvoo Mansion House for Emma Smith
It was great to be able to serve Joseph and Emma in this way and we delighted in getting the places cleaned perfectly. I note that even we were not allowed to touch the historic items or collections in the homes. Those preservation tasks were reserved specifically for missionaries trained in those special and delicate tasks. But the cleaning- sweeping, vacuuming, etc. were our duties.
And in the winter, this also meant that we were the official snow shovelers for the walks all around each of these three places. The FM folks did snow plowing up to the sidewalks but we had the duty of the sidewalks.
Above: Elder Kevin Hunt “layered up” for snow sweeping at the Joseph Smith Homestead in Nauvoo
And each of these places had many linear feet of walks that needed to be shoveled. And that was quite a new thing for this Arizona desert boy. I was way out of my element but was blessed of the Lord to get the snow moved off of the walks.
When we were newly married, we lived in Ogden, Utah. I there had my first experience with snow.
Above: Ogden, Utah home (upstairs … and outside stairs at rear left) of Newlyweds Kevin and Lou Hunt
We lived on the second story of a home (on 12th Street) that had open outdoor stairs. And when it snowed, I had the unpleasant task of removing the snow. (I hadn’t learned the art of “sweeping” then, but the snow may have come more profusely.) On one such occasion, I slipped doing the task. I fell on my knee and was in a bad way for a couple of months.
This injury occurred right at the end of the year. Being a “tough guy” I refused medical treatment – thinking that I could “man it out” and did not go to the doctor immediately. But the intense pain persisted into the new year. And by that time, it was into a new deductible for my insurance plan and I procrastinated still more.
Finally the pain was so intense that I gave in and went to the doctor. He did an x-ray and said that I had actually broken my knee-cap. He said that he really should have “rebroken” it to care for it properly but he chose not to do so. But he cautioned me that I had to treat my knee as if I “had an egg in my shoe” and could do absolutely nothing on the leg for at least a month.
And with that background, I had nightmares of a reenactment of that situation- but in Illinois and Nauvoo. That was a real fear. Gratefully those fears were never realized. I had to be very careful, but I was definitely protected in my service for Joseph and Emma.
Above: The Nauvoo Temple in the snow
I cannot speak to the norm or “always” of Illinois weather but we were really blessed (in answer to my own prayers) not to have extreme snows. I counted only eight snow storms during our time in Nauvoo (though there were many days when we endured sub-zero temperatures and conditions). And each of these snow storms were “light” – meaning that the “white stuff” came softly and gently – and that I could use a broom to “sweep” the snow off of the walks and into the nearby grass – or at least out of the way. But it also meant that I had to go quite early to the sites so as to get the walks clear before the sites opened to the public for tours. If not done before they came, the first foot prints “froze” the spots and it was almost impossible later to remove the frozen spots – and thus creating a dangerous situation.
Above: Elder Kevin Hunt snow “sweeping” at Joseph Smith Homestead in Nauvoo
The whole snow scenario – or threat thereof – was a constant fear for me.
I was, however, like Lucius Scovil, who owned a bakery in Nauvoo. (And I often quoted him directly from my little leather book …) As Lucius and his family were out on the pioneer trail west – out on the mud flats of Iowa and just six weeks or so from Nauvoo, he received a mission call to go serve in England. He left his new second wife and their combined 8 children out there on the plains. He said, “It seemed like a painful duty for me to perform, to leave my family to go into the wilderness and I to turn and go the other way. But inasmuch as I had been appointed go, I was determined to fill my mission if it cost me all that I had on this earth … I thought it was best to round up my shoulders like a bold soldier of the corps … and assist in rolling forth the kingdom of God.”
SERVING AS DISTRICT LEADERS
We served for a full year as district leaders of the Hyrum #3 – Brigham District. In Nauvoo, both partners in a senior couple are called to serve together as co-district leaders. In this role, we served eight couples. Four of them were of the “old guard” in that we came out basically together in the spring of 2024. There were four other couple with us for a few months but then they left for home. Then in the spring of 2025 we received four new couples.
Above: Hyrum #3- Brigham District members – photo taken August 30, 2025
In our roles as DL’s, we had several responsibilities and opportunities. We were responsible for the “ministering” functions within the district. As soon as we were notified of incoming missionaries to our district, we began to help and train them. We called them numerous times and gave them help and insights about the roles they would do, what clothing they would need, and a multitude of questions and concerns common to newly called missionaries. We helped them to get onto the mission computer “drive”. We connected them with people who had answers to questions that we could not answer. We assigned a couple to each new couple as their official ministers and worked to get them together.
A few days before the new couples arrived, we received the key to their assigned home. We took photos inside their place so that they could kind of envision where they would be and what they should bring to make the place their “mission home”.
And then we kind of kept in touch with them as they made the reverse pioneer trek – going or coming east from Salt Lake City (the MTC) to Nauvoo. And as they neared Nauvoo, we gave the final update to other district members relative to the projected arrival time. Then as they crossed the Mississippi River (from either Montrose or Keokuk, Iowa) we encouraged all who could break away from their usual duties to come to help them move in.
Above: Hyrum #3 – Brigham District helping Elder and Sister Hayes (Center) move in upon arrival in Nauvoo
And with so many helpers, the task of unloading the truck or the Volkswagon much easier. We generally formed a “chain” from the vehicle up or into their new home. I gave the keys to their new place to one of them – with a caution to put them into their pocket – after one couple immediately locked themselves outside (putting the keys on the table – only to be forgotten once all of the goods were in the house). That gave some added excitement!
We also arranged to have three different couples provide meals to the newly arrived to get them covered for their first three days in the mission.
We scheduled ourselves to them on a tour of Nauvoo – showing them the restored places (in a drive-through), the local (non-historic) post office, the few eating places, the missionary post office, Deseret industries (“The D.I.”), and much more. This all helped them to get acclimated to their new city.
We also had the task of planning a monthly training meeting to be held generally on the fourth Tuesday of each month. This was a bit of a challenge for us because three of our men were in mission administrative functions – with a lot of meetings – so not always available to be with us.
Sister Hunt and I also planned a plethora of extra-curricular activities, dinners, and tours for our district.
Above: District Christmas Dinner held at the small Simeon A. Dunn Home where Elder and Sister Hunt resided … and a district tour at the Statue of Liberty Statue in Ft. Madison, Iowa.
Above: Hyrum 3 – Brigham District trip to Pella, Iowa tulip festival
Then at the end of our 1-year of service, we prepared a beautiful color magazine or book which created a wonderful history of the district, the couples of the district, and our many activities. We printed copies of each booklet and presented them as memories of the good times in our district. (No other couple prepared such …) The book brought back special memories and much joy to us and we think to them too.
MAINTAINING MY DAILY JOURNALING HABIT ON THE MISSION
I got motivated by an exceptional former Bishop about the need to maintain a personal journal. That was with Bishop Darwin Gunnell as I was in his Sunday school class for young single adults. That was on May 20, 1973 in the old Mesa, Arizona 10th Ward. Bishop Gunnell challenged us to “go home that day” to begin writing. I took him up on his challenge. I went home that day and found a small green lined “record book” and made my first entry.
Above: Journals of Kevin Hunt
That happened 52 years ago and I have made an entry for EVERY DAY since that time. This equates to about 142 volumes. This habit continued on the mission. I made a detailed journal record for every day of the mission. These are in beautiful bound volumes (now made annually – and each annual book is about 750 to 800 pages. These journal volumes will be available to my posterity (and maybe beyond) to have, enjoy, research, and to find themselves in the books – for generations to come.
USING MY TALENTS (GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT) TO TEACH AND TRAIN FELLOW MISSIONARIES IN FAMILY HISTORY AND JOURNALS
I got hooked on genealogy and family history when I was just age 12. And the subject has been one of my greatest priorities throughout my life. I have been dedicated to the cause of my own ancestors and helping others to discover theirs.
Through the many ensuing years, I have been able to assist countless individuals and families in their family history research. (And incidentally, upon returning home from the mission Sister Hunt and I were called as ward family history consultants!) I have had hundreds of experiences that have given me much knowledge of the how and why of family history.. And that knowledge has been accentuated and multiplied through the Gifts of the Spirit in wonderful ways.
With that knowledge and experience base, I wanted to help others. History and records is and has always been a big thing for me but I realized that this is not the case for most folks around me. I find that most people are quite petrified of the whole genealogy and family history scenario. They all hope that Aunt Edith has “done” all of the work for them.
And journalling … that is another trauma for most folks. They all know that they should do it … and most WANT to do it. They just don’t know how to go about it. And a typical scenario is for people to begin writing and to immediately think that they need to begin with the moment that they made their exit from the womb. This is their major mistake. I have learned to tell people to just write for today … and to forget (at least for now) about what happened last week or last month – or when they first got married.
With this desire to assist others … and in anticipation of a long cold winter ahead (and one with fewer activities planned), I decided to plan and organize family history classes for missionaries. I determined that I wanted five teaching sessions to effectively introduce the subjects. I put the dates on the calendar (and that was hard to find a date convenient to all – devoid of meetings and other distractions) and spread the word to our fellow missionaries. It was like the building of the famous stadium – and words of a pro, “If we build it, they will come.” And come they did … about 20 people per class.
Above: Elder Kevin Hunt teaching family history classes in Nauvoo
I created separate detailed and colorful PowerPoint presentations for each class and presented them on a big screen in an Admin room at FM. Then later, I published these presentations on my blog site. And still later, I combined all five with other past material on the subjects into a nice printed and bound volume. (And I am willing to send a PDF of the book and any or all of these presentations to anyone who writes me with a request!)
The five subjects included:
Preserving Family History through Heirloom Records
Writing the Journal of your Life
Writing your Life Story
Collecting Records for your Family History
Compiling and Publishing your Family History
The classes were well attended and participants seemed very pleased. Over the next several weeks, people came up to me and said that they were now working on their personal history or that they had begun to keep a regular journal. Every time that little Elder Wise saw me he said, “Elder Hunt … I am working on my personal history!” Sister Ward reported often of her progress. And there were many others! Hearing these stories was such exciting news for me.
CREATING A NEW BRICK DESIGN
Sister Hunt’s father, Elder Everett H. Belcher served a mission in Nauvoo form 1979 to 1981. During that time, he researched the occupation and art of brick making. He built a kiln and began molding small Nauvoo imprint bricks. These bricks have been handed out to Nauvoo visitors for some 45 years.
Above: Elder Everett H. Belcher demonstrating brick making in Nauvoo brickyard (circa 1980)
Above: The original Nauvoo Brick created by Elder Everett H. Belcher about 1980
Our mission leaders – President and Sister Mehr learned of this family legacy. They then invited Sister Hunt and me to design a new brick. With the help of our Kaylea and JD (Stoddard), we created nine different pssi8ble designs.
Ultimately the Mehrs and the Church History department approved our design with the Nauvoo Temple. A number of miracles began to fall into place as we created and implemented the new Temple Brick.
Sister Hunt and I found the company in Quincy, Illinois where the Nauvoo brick mold was created about ten years ago. This was patterned after the original mold that Elder Belcher created. Our Keith, being a product design engineer, created the detailed design for the new brick. Ultimately the Quincy company was able to create the molds for the new Nauvoo Temple bricks. And we soon started producing these bricks in the missionary manufacturing room of the brickyard. The new brick debuted in the Visitors’ Center just a couple of weeks before we left the mission. This was all a great miracle achievement. President Mehr says that this new brick will be around for a very long time.
Above: New Nauvoo Temple Brick – Created 2025 by Elder and Sister Kevin and Lou Dene Belcher Hunt – 2025
We gave many families and missionaries tours of the brick making room. We taught many people the art or skill of brick making so that the bricks could be created and shared with many Nauvoo guests.
Above: Sister Lou Hunt teaching brick making at the Family Living Center
When we served in the Family Living Center we shared with people a short presentation about brick making in old Nauvoo. And Sister Hunt was able to share with people the history of how her father created the original brick demonstration kiln as well as the original Nauvoo brick. People were amazed and dumb-founded as she shared this story. And they gloried – as did we – that here we were as a couple serving in the same mission as her parents who had started the brickmaking function – as well as the distribution of the bricks to Nauvoo guests.
Even before the new Temple Brick was officially launched in the Historic Nauvoo Visitors’ Center, Sister Hunt shared the new brick and the miracles of its creation with special guests. She kept a little stache of the new bricks and she discreetly handed them out to folks who came from other countries or who might never have the opportunity to return to Nauvoo. She kept a little log and later discovered that she had presented the new bricks to special friends from 20 different countries of the world. So the new Temple brick has a worldwide presence.
We also created and presented PowerPoint presentations about brick history to three different zone groups.
HELPING OTHERS DISCOVER THEIR NAUVOO ANCESTORS
There is an “App” program for phones called “My Nauvoo Ancestors”. To access this, one should open the “Family Tree” App. Then at the bottom right (or sometimes the top left) click on “more”. Then click on Family History Activities”. Then after signing in with the Familysearch account, one can scroll down to the second line – and then to the right to the “Find My Nauvoo Ancestor”.
This proved to be an unknown resource to our Nauvoo guests. Using the process, anyone can look up their ancestors who were a part of the pioneer Nauvoo community. The “App” will open up to 100 ancestors who lived in Nauvoo. Then men (ages 20-70) show up – with women and children – in the index. Men were the property owners. And with this information, one can click on “memories” and details of the selected person will pop-up. And for ancestors who lived in Nauvoo, one can scroll down and find a “nauvoo file”. And within this file, is a map that shows the property location of property owned by the Nauvoo ancestor. And then Nauvoo guests could go out to locate the property – so see what might be there. (Some have buildings of the pioneer period and some are just vacant lots).
Above: Elder Kevin Hunt assisting guests with Nauvoo pioneer Land Records at the Nauvoo Visitors’ Center
I noted that this is an unknown resource. I was particularly skilled in the use of this program and I invited many of my guests to get onto the program. Once they figured out how to get into the system, they got very excited – not knowing before that this search activity was possible. It was so fun to see the joy experienced by the guests who found their Nauvoo ancestors – and their property.
I helped virtually everyone whom I greeted in the Visitors’ Center how to do this. And after many tours in other homes and shops where I greeted people (and shared the tour presentation), I asked the folks if they had Nauvoo ancestors and then this discussion generally led to the search described above.
Over the course of time, I probably helped 200 or more people access this special program.
[And I note that this same resource is available to people “at home”. It is not just a file that can be accessed while in Nauvoo. (But obviously it is more of a challenge to go check out the property if not physically in Nauvoo.)] There is much valuable information in the Nauvoo file and it is definitely worth finding and reviewing.
And a similar App on FamilyTree enabled us and all interested folks around us to check out “Relatives Around Me”. This application was very fun to use. Most folks who use the App find that they are eighth or ninth cousins. Most of us are related in this way. But occasionally, we found third or fourth cousins in our guests. This was really fun for all parties. And often, I was able to expand upon t
Screenshot
he connections with additional information, photos, and other historical information about our shared ancestors. I frequently sent these “cousins” new information via texts and e-mail messages.
SHARING THE SIMEON A. DUNN HERITAGE WITH HIS POSTERITY
We have noted before that we lived in the pioneer home of Simeon A. Dunn.
Above: A typical guest family of Simeon Dunn descendants
We welcomed twenty or groups of Dunn descendants in the home as they randomly showed up and as we caught them outside taking photos. The outside of the home is original but there is not much that is original within – except a fireplace foundation and the stairs that went upward from the basement to the side yard. We generally did not have any advance notice for Dunn visitors but we brought them in and showed them the home – all three stories. And at the end of our “tours” we invited them to sign the Dunn home guest register. I always got a kick out of people trying to figure out “how great” they were (meaning like the 4th great grandson of Simeon).
These Dunn action helped Dunn family members feel connected to their Dunn ancestors. We were happy to help them in their search.
SERVING AS THE MISSION HISTORIAN
I received a specific calling to serve as the Mission Historian. In this role I worked hard to research and present various elements of the Nauvoo heritage and history. I utilized various ways to help missionaries of the mission learn of the current mission – as well as people, places and events of the Nauvoo pioneer era.
Sister Hunt assisted in this role as she took photos everywhere. Her photos (and more of mine) were incorporated into our various publications.
Having served as a “young missionary” in Nauvoo, I used the 1975 Nauvoo history and helped share those insights with my 2024-5 guests.
DOCUMENTING “CHURCH HISTORY IMMERSION TRIPS” FOR THE YOUNG SISTER MISSIONARIES
In our roles as Church Historians, we had a special and wonderful opportunity. The Mission Leaders – President and Sister Mehr – invited us to be a part of a series of what they called, “Church History Immersion Trips”. These trips were planned for the 36 of the young sister missionaries who would depart for home in the fall. The trips extended from May through August.
Each group got to experience three separate trips to Church history sites. We first took an overnight trip to see the Missouri church history sites.
Above: Young Sister Missionaries visiting the historic Liberty (Missouri) Jail
We visited Adam-Ondi-Ahman, the 3 and 8 Witnesses monuments, the Liberty Jail, Independence and more. The second trip was to historic sites along the pioneer exodus trail through Iowa and Nebraska. These sites included Richardson’s Point, Garden Grove, Mt. Pisgah, Kanesville, Omaha (formerly Winter Quarters) and more. The final trip was to church history sites within a fifty or so mile radius around Nauvoo.
We repeated these same trips for a second group of young sister missionary. So, with all of these trips, it was a very busy time.
Sister Hunt took photos everywhere along the way of our trips. I took copious notes of talks, presentations, and learning opportunities.
The material that we compiled was used extensively by the many young sister missionaries as they made devotional presentations to all of the missionaries of the mission.
And after the tours were history, I compiled much of the information and published the material in a book prepared specifically for the young sister missionaries. It is hoped that this book will be a valuable and beloved memory of the trips and the feelings that they had as they share church history experiences and testimony with their future families (and for their own reference).
I also prepared a shortened version (a “synopsis) of this Immersion Trip history for President Mehr to share with the Church History Department.
Also I created four other books with the material from the trips. One book covers the Missouri sites, another covers Nauvoo and the surrounding area, and a third book features the Iowa and Nebraska sites. And the last book is a combination of all of these geographic areas.
CREATING A MONTHLY MISSION HISTORY OR NEWSLETTER
As Mission Historians we were also charged with the creation of a monthly history of the mission – to include people and activities that occurred each month. Again Sister Hunt provided many wonderful photos that were included in the history. Missionaries throughout the mission loved this publication and they looked forward to it each month.
These monthly packages (most from 30-36 pages in length) were then combined into an annual history of the mission. We were not the historians in 2024 but after the end of the year, I combined the PDF files for the year and had this book published (on lulu.com) and made it available for all missionaries to purchase. The completed book was also made available (for free) in a PDF format for distribution to all missionaries. The book was also submitted to the Church History Department as the mission history for the year.
Sister Hunt and I were in the mission until October 2025 and we were able to create the monthly histories for January through September. It January of 2026 it is projected that we will have received the October to December pdf files from the new guard and we will again publish a full history for them 2025 year. And again, this annual book will again be made available to all missionaries – as well as to the Church History Department.
RESEARCHING THE HISTORY OF NAUVOO
Though not specifically charged to do so, I continually did extensive historical research for the pioneer Nauvoo era. I researched Joseph Smith and others of the prophets. I researched my own 32 direct-line Nauvoo ancestors – as well as the 20 Nauvoo ancestors of my wife. I researched brick making in old Nauvoo. I researched the many church history related markers and monuments located in and around Nauvoo. I documented the 1975 era (when I served in Nauvoo as a young missionary) with the homes and shops as they appeared in 2024 and 2025 as we served as missionaries in Nauvoo.
We gave presentations to individuals, districts and groups about the history of Nauvoo. It was fun taking our district on a tour to local Nauvoo sites. We set up a Zoom conference call and district members could Zoom in to hear my narration along the way.
We gave three different presentations about the history of brick making in pioneer and modern Nauvoo.
WRITING HISTORIC BLOGS OF THE MISSION
After researching various subjects, people and places in Old Nauvoo – as well as current events and people, I wrote frequent blog articles of my findings. Each blog required extensive research. Sister Hunt’s photographs continued to add much excitement to the blog articles. We made a great team as these blog articles came together. I published these blogs on our missionary blogsite which was InNauvooWithKevandLou.wordpress.com. I published these to the world – to my distribution list of 100 people – and through on-line resources to an unknown multitude.
These blogs and all of the historic Nauvoo books were written while maintaining our full duties as historic site missionaries. So there was much overtime work – at nights – and at the historic sites when we were not giving tours.
Over the course of the 18 months (and since returning home) I published some 75 blog articles. These are published as a permanent historical collection that will continue to be available to interested parties.
Many of these blog articles also later found their way into hard-bound publications.
WRITING AND COMPILING HISTORIC BOOKS
I have noted my historic research on many subjects of Nauvoo history. Following my research on these many subjects, I compiled the information into hard-bound books that I printed on the lulu.com self-publishing platform. As an author, I can use this site to upload and then publish my books for the general public. Then anyone can find my books on the site and can order them anytime (nor or in coming years) as they desire. The books are searchable under the search word “Nauvoo” or by my own Kevin V. Hunt name. (There are a few other books in both searches that are not mine but each search will pull up a plethora of my published books.)
My personal practice is to not inflate my book prices. Lulu decides the publishing cost and I can “up” the price to anything that I want as I set-up the book publishing parameters. I do not charge what should be the cost for similar books but generally charge only $2-5 dollars above the publishing cost. I do this so that the books will be more accessible and affordable by all who might want them. By adding this minimal upcharge, the sales data will appear on my sales reports and I can see what books are being purchased. And through this plan, many people can later reference and purchase my many books – and thus enjoy the historical data that I have discovered and preserved.
Before my mission I spent months creating a 2-volume set of books about my grandparents, Ray V. and Augusta Wilcox Hunt – as a gift to them for their 100th anniversary of their marriage. These books documents many family memories and history during that 100 year time. I finished the creation of these two books while in Nauvoo and published the for the family.
I created a book about the Argentina mission of our grandson, Elder Bryson. This book included his weekly letters and a plethora of his photographs. His mother added a great many more photos. We published this book for Bryson, his mother, and other family members.
Above: 20 historic Nauvoo books complied by Elder Kevin Hunt while a senior missionary in Nauvoo
It is unbelievable to me that over the course of the 18 month mission, I compiled and published 20 book volumes. This was way beyond my own capabilities. Such a feat was only possible through very close inspiration and direction (revelation) from the Holy Ghost. This brings us back to my introductory writing about talents and Gifts of the Spirit. I definitely felt the power and direction of His assistance. And as I used the talents that the Holy Ghost gave me, my talents and capabilities increased (almost exponentially). He just kept giving me more and more talents – which I was able to share with others. It was a glorious experience working in tandem with the Holy Ghost and in the process, I hope that “we” have created products and material that will be used and enjoyed by missionaries, family, friends, and Saints in general for many generations. I am humbly grateful for being the medium through or by which these books were compiled or created. I stand in great amazement and gratitude myself.
Anyway, it truly did happen. Each book is available upon request to me – as a free a PDF file – which I am happy to share with others. And if one likes what they have seen, the hardbound books are available (for purchase as described above) on the lulu.com website.
Here is a list of my published books. The list includes some links to many of the PDF files. The links likely are not “active”. However, the link addresses can be copied into one’s own URL and with an “enter” can become the active files. Other PDF links can be shared for or to interested parties upon request.
SAINTS IN MISSOURI, NAUVOO AND WESTWARD
This is the book for Senior Missionaries (and anyone in the world). It combines all of the geographic areas of Missouri, Nauvoo, Iowa, and Nebraska into one book.
I have created 60 historical blogs (an average of one about every ten days) while I have been here. I have compiled these into three books (and will create a fourth book after the mission concludes). The blog site address is innauvoowithkevandlou.wordpress.com
Available as pdf and Lulu: Volumes 1, 2, 3
“A Nauvoo Walk Down Memory Lane” – I was here in Nauvoo as a “young missionary” 50 years ago (1975). I then took photos of Nauvoo historic homes. Then as I returned to Nauvoo last year, I took photos of all of the same places. The book compares the two eras and shows the effects of restoration in Nauvoo
“Nauvoo Homes and Shops” – This book details all of the 30 or so homes and shops in which we take tours. Many of these (two a month) have appeared the monthly newsletter – but this book is the full package.
“My Nauvoo Ancestors (Hunt Version)” – This book details my own 32 direct-line ancestors and includes biographical information on each. Names: Pulsipher, Alger, Wilcox, Rawson, Cheney, Terry, Wiggins, Robinson, Clark, and many more.
“My Nauvoo Ancestors (Belcher Version)” – This book details the lives of the 20 direct-line ancestors for my wife’s Belcher lines – including Perkins, Carter, Haws, Gardner, and many others.
“Nauvoo Homes and Brick Making” – This book introduces the history of brick making in Nauvoo – and tells about many of the brick homes in Nauvoo. It also introduces my father-in-law, Elder E.H. Belcher, who built the original (modern) brickyard – which teamster wives always talk about on wagon tours as you/they round the corner by the Lucy Mack Smith home. Elder Belcher built the round kiln out in front at the brickyard. And he created the original souvenir Nauvoo brick that has been given to visitors for 45 years. The book details his research, and a history of his brick making in Nauvoo.
“Nauvoo Temple Brick Miracles” – This book talks of the many miracles that came together – and the history thereof – of the new Nauvoo Temple Bricks which Sister Hunt and our family designed and which are now being produced by missionaries in the Brickyard..
“My Nauvoo Hyrum #3 – Brigham District” – This book details the many great people and times in our district as we have served as district leaders over the past year.
“Nauvoo Family History Inspiration” – In January and February of this year, I created and presented five different family history related presentations for Nauvoo missionaries. This book combines all of the five presentations. The five subjects are kinds of personal history records, writing your personal journal, writing a personal history, compiling a family history, and a detailed look at how to publish books (books on family history – and any Lulu book in general).
“Nauvoo Monuments, Markers, and the Dash” – I made a study of Mormon historical markers and monuments within a 50-mile radius of Nauvoo and wrote history of each site. This is a travel guide for those markers and monuments.
“Nauvoo, City of Joseph” – This book is a tribute to the Prophet Joseph Smith. It contains much valuable information about him and his prophetic mission.
“The Nauvoo Martyrdom and Burials of Joseph Smith” – This book details the events surrounding the death of Joseph Smith and the many (5) different burial places of Joseph and Hyrum.
My book writing and publishing has helped to inspire others to take the big step to write and create for their children and families. One sister was inspired to write a special story of how she and her husband were brought together. She got the book published and looks forward to sharing it as a special gift with her family. She wrote to me, “My 1st book. Thanks for your inspiration and help.”
Several of our Nauvoo friends have thanked me for my help to them and they are moving forward in their writing and sharing quest. It is a joy to see such great things happening. Like a stone rolling forth …!
SETTING AN EXAMPLE FOR OUR CHILDREN AND GRANDCHILDREN
I stated in my mission farewell and also in my homecoming talks that one of the major reasons for our mission was that we served for our nine children and 43 grandchildren. That is very true. We thought of them every day of our mission. We enjoyed sharing frequent (often daily) photos and narrative of our special, fun, and sacred “Nauvoo Miracle” experiences with our family members. We were able to share our testimonies with them in ways that may not have been possible otherwise. The family members seemed to be in a spirit to hear and believe what we shared with them. This was indeed a great blessing. We knew that each family member was praying for us wherever they might be. And we prayed for them. We – and many of our famjiy members – were blessed through our mission experiences.
Above: The full family of Kevin and Lou Hunt – 2025
WELCOMING OUR FAMILIES TO EXPERIENCE THE NAUVOO SPIRIT
We had the special blessing and opportunity to welcome many of our children and grandchildren to exoerience Nauvoo with us. Because of our use of the Lord’s talents – and gifts of the Spirit – through my writing, we were able to assist many with needed resources to make the trip. Eight of our children and their families came were able to spend several days each with us. Those were glorious and wonderful days “never to be forgotten” (as Oliver Cowdery once wrote. See his words at the end of the Joseph Smith History in The Pearl of Great Price.)
We managed to house the families with us in our small Dunn home. We put out air mattresses for the crowds and sometimes were “wall to wall” in beds. We fed them and basked in special moments with them in our home.
With our experience as tour or site guides, we were able to share special tours with each family. We were able to share beautiful Nauvoo with them. We took each family to most of the homes and shops. We taught them of our own ancestors who lived in Nauvoo and who sacrificed their lives, strength and might for us.
We were able to testify of prophets who lived and served in Nauvoo. We helped each family to know and feel the influence of Jesus Christ in Nauvoo. We know that most family members felt the influence of the Holy Ghost as the Spirit whispered of truths to them. They were able to experience and feel of the power of the Restored Gospel and its great blessings to all of us.
We believe that miracles occurred in each family member as they received and participated with us in our mission. As senior missionaries in Nauvoo, we feel that we gave our full and dedicated commitment – we gave our full heart, might, mind, and strength in support of our Lord Jesus Christ, and we believe that this attitude and our service permeated on to our family members. They felt of our commitment, our testimony, and our service. I believe that the strengthening of our own family was the greatest element of and perhaps the greatest blessing of our sacred mission stewardships.
We indeed had many marvelous opportunities for service in ouir mission. We were able to use the many talents that the Lord had given us of the Holy Ghost, and as we used those talents in service to others, he gave us more and more. It was a great experience to see the Lord at work in our lives and for others. Our mission was a special experience for us. We loved it and the people who came to us. We are grateful to the Lord for the many “Nauvoo Miracles”, connections, and the ways that the Lord arranged special moments, times, and experiences. We will forever be grateful for our special Nauvoo service opportunity.
Sister Hunt and I have loved our mission to Nauvoo. It has been a glorious and wonderful experience. We served for 18 months and it went by all too fast.
This blog article details events, people, and activities that we experienced during the final month of the mission – September 2025 as things were winding down and as we prepared to head home.
To read this lengthy blog article, one can hardly believe that “things were winding down.” Far from that … it seemed to be cranked up in the highest of gears. In looking at this blog, it looks like it is its own book – and an overload from the mission photo album. This is all good for our own mission record but kind of a lot for the rest of you. Use the dark headings and the photos to pick and choose what interests you. Or just take it in installments – a bit at a time. However you do it, we hope that you enjoy this trip down September in the super fast lane. Fasten your seatbelts!
I have already written about a visit that we had with President Merrill of the Mission Presidency as we served at the Temple City Tour and specifically at the William Weeks home. On that occasion, he released us as District Leaders and as the facility coordinators of the Joseph Smith homes – the Homestead and the Mansion House.
On Saturday, August 30, Sister Hunt and I staged a Dutch Oven dinner as a final event with our Hyrum #3 – Brigham District. We had served as District Leaders for almost a year.
A HISTORIC DAY FOR US AND OUR DISTRICT AND ZONE
The next day, Sunday, August 31st became kind of a historic day for us and all of our district and zone. Our Hyrum Zone (under direction of Elder and Sister Atkinson, zone leaders) had the privilege to serve this morning at the Nauvoo “Visitors’ Branch”. This is a gathering for all guests in Nauvoo on a given Sunday and a zone is assigned each Sunday to give the talks, prayers, lessons, and music. Today it was our zone’s turn.
The Nauvoo Performing Missionaries sang a fabulous new “African” hymn that is in the new hymnbook. This is entitled, “I’m Gonna Live So God Can Use Me”. Wow! Such a great song – and the NPM’s were marvelous in their rendition of it.
After the meeting, all members of the zone went to the Relief Society Room. One of the challenges in serving at the Visitors’ Branch is that we generally miss out on the announcements that are shared only in the main mission meeting. I was grateful that today they had a meeting just for all of us at the Visitors’ Branch.
Elder Mitch Atkinson conducted the meeting and got kind of emotional as he realized that this would be his last time to assist (as ZL) at the Visitors’ Branch – and also in his function as Zone Leader.
President Robert Merrill, of the Mission Presidency, was there. He read a list of new zone and district leaders to serve as a host of missionaries are now preparing to head for home. Our new Zone Leader is to be Elder Van DenBrink and Elder and Sister Burr will become the new district leaders of our Hyrum #3 District. They will do a great job. It was noted that Elder and Sister Ballard will be moved out of the district and they will become district leaders in the Nelson Zone. All of these folks will do a great job as they now assume the baton of leadership in the mission. And thus our own tenure as district leaders has now officially come to a close. We are grateful for the opportunity and blessing that has been ours to serve.
Above: Elders and Sisters Burr and Hunt – District Leaders of the Hyrum #3 – Brigham District
We will forever remember the wonderful people with whom we have served in the district, and the special times that we have enjoyed together.
CREATING A MEMORY BOOK OF OUR DISTRICT PEOPLE AND EVENTS
On August 29th (a Friday), I recorded in my journal.
“Another great day ahead! “A great day for up …” (Dr. Seuss)
I typed up a list of when our family members will be here. I sent this to the mission scheduler, Sister Wallentine. She does an excellent job. I am sure that the list was a bit of a surprise to her.
My project of the day was documenting events that we have held with our H #3 Brigham district over the past year. Lou and I together rooted out a bunch of photos. It was Lou who suggested that we pull together many of the photos of our activities of the past year – to give to our district members. I went back to about September 26th of last year. That was when we were called to be the district leaders. Hard to believe almost a year has passed. Wow! The time here has really sped by.
Lou helped find photographs of our events together. I also did the same. I also pulled journal entries that went with the photos. I inserted the photos into the master document of the District book. I made progress but there was a lot more material than I had planned. This all cdame together well and we were pleased. I created a future blog of the material. I knew that the project would continue into the next few days.
WORKING TO CREATE OTHER BOOK PROJECTS
That same afternoon,and evening I worked for the entire afternoon on several book projects. I worked to begin publishing the many church history books. I began with the young sister missionary version. I think my computer got hacked for a bit. I think that it quit but I am not sure.
I tried to publish the YSM book on lulu.com. I had problems with the back cover. I had to delete the saved images and restarted with the file. I got well into the project and realized that I had a typing error in one word of the Table of Contents. I got this corrected and uploaded it into lulu. Then I could not get the lulu system to take my payee information. I tried several times to reset this – but to no avail. I had hoped to publish several of the books today but it did not happen. I had too many challenges in the attempts. I was tired and worn out by the end of the evening.
THE TIME IS SPEEDING BY TOO FAST!
Monday, September 1st … September already! Wow! Unbelievable. This means that we go home next month. How can that be?
Today was the Labor Day holiday for most of the country but for us in Nauvoo, it was just another “normal” day.
I had a busy morning.
On this day, Sister Hunt and I served at the Cultural Hall. It had been a long time since we served there. We anticipated a day with little action so Lou went home to get her sewing machine and materials for making her new peach-colored dress. She had a hard time hiding the machine even from guests.
SEVEN BOOKS PUBLISHED IN JUST ONE DAY!
I got onto Lulu.com and was able to finish the publication of the Young sister Missionary version of the Church History book. It helped to let the system rest overnight. It worked today. We had the opportunity to serve at the Cultural Hall. We have not served at this place for many moons. Upon arrival, I opened my computer and went to work. Lou realized that she will have a mostly free day and went home to get her sewing stuff to work on her dress.
I worked on book publishing tasks all day when I had free moments and I worked the whole night to finish my book publishing tasks. I worked at these until about 11 PM. I was then very happy over my accomplishments of the day.
I also recorded “Wow! This has been a day like no other. I actually published SEVEN new books today! Amazing. I don’t know what my previous publishing record is, but this has got to top them all. And there are probably not too many authors who can publish seven books in a single day. Another Wow! The task was made easier because I had previously created PDF files for each books guts and also images for the front and back covers.
I published the following:
YSM Immersion Trip 2025
Synoptic Summary of the Immersion Trip
Saints in Missouri, Nauvoo and Westward (for senior missionaries and the general public
Saints in Missouri Before Nauvoo – Study and Travel Guide
Saints in Nauvoo With Prophets Joseph and Brigham
Saints Go Westward from Nauvoo
Brigham District Yearbook 2024 – 2025 (With Sister Hunt and I as district leaders)
Getting the books published was a major relief. Creating the books has been my complete focus for the past three months. The project was a lot of work but I got great satisfaction in it. I just hope that it will be used and appreciated by many people.
My next task will be to place an order for the twenty or so books that I have published here in Nauvoo. President Mehr wants me to order 2 copies of each of the books.
THE CULTURAL HALL THEN AND NOW
A few days later, we served in the Cultural Hall. As we served at the Hall I worked on my computer – and this too, was out in the open – though I did close up the computer most of the time when we had guests present. No place to hide away for such tasks at the Cultural Hall. it is an open performing place – with a lot of seats. We sat in the back to be available to incoming guests.
The Cultural Hall is not a real structured tour. We just show people the place – upstairs and downstairs. I talk of what the place looked like (as in 1975 when I was here as a “young missionary” – when the place was 2 stories – and before it was restored to its original three stories. They have a photo of the place – that looks just like it did when I was here before.
Above: Cultural Hall as it appeared in 1975 before restoration
Above: The Cultural Hall as it appears in 2025 after Restoration
I like to take people upstairs to show them the original dance floor that emerged after the flattish roof was removed during restoration.
Our role was to welcome and host people who came for the performances. This was an easy task.
The highlight of the day was the 2:30 PM presentation of the “Vignette” by the ten sisters of the Nauvoo Performing Missionaries. We had not seen this “Sisters in Zion” show before so it was fun to see it. It was really wonderful and Spirit-filled.
We did have a few people who came to see the place. We hosted an interesting trucking couple from Utah. He had the long beard and the wife said specifically to us that she hoped that “Nauvoo would give her husband a testimony”. We hosted a lady who is a daughter of Kent Tryon of Mesa. (Kent is a brother to Esther, Marge, and Bill – all of whom I have known well.) This family now lives in Iowa.
I had about three groups together in the top floor. One couple asked if they could dance (to dance where Joseph and Emma, Brigham and Mary Ann, and others all danced in the Nauvoo era). They video recorded their dancing. They had fun in their action and the rest of us enjoyed watching them having fun.
At the end of the day we hosted a young family. Their two kids enjoyed staging some extemporaneous acting on the stage. They had a fun time.
Cleaning the Cultural Hall was a bit more involved than many other sites. There was a lot of vacuuming that I did and there were a great many benches for Lou to wipe off.
ELDER LOWE IN THE HISTORIC BRICK SCENE
Elder Robert Lowe is enamored with the Brick Yard, the kiln, and the whole process. He had a fellow missionary at FM create a small wooden mold that would allow us to use the original (larger) Nauvoo Brick that Elder Belcher designed. He wrote today saying that he had the square mold created and that he had received permission from President Mehr to create a few of the bricks.
Lou and I met Elder and Sister Lowe over at the brick yard tonight. Lou combined a couple of pugs into one rectangle to fit into the mold. Elder Lowe pressed the pug with the hydraulic jack. He then pressed the original Elder Belcher imprint into the clay.
Above; New brick mold and the original Elder Belcher imprint of the Nauvoo Brick
Above: Elder and Sister Hunt with re-made Belcher brick mold
Abpve” The re-created brick from the original Belcher Brick mold
The system worked really well. Elder Lowe was very happy as he helped to recreate Elder Belcher’s brick and legacy. (Elder Belcher would have – or does – love Elder Lowe. They would have been great friends!
We called our son Rusty while we worked and he recounted how Elder Belcher made bricks at the “This is the Place Monument” in Salt Lake City. Rusty worked up there with his grandpa for a couple of summers. He had good memory of Elder Belcher’s processes of brick making.
Above: The Belcher brickyard which he created at the “This is the Place” Park in Salt Lake City – and below: E. H. Belcher the “Brickmaker”
ORDERING MY BOOKS FOR THE PRESIDENT AND CHURCH HISTORY DEPARTMENT
The next day I spent the pre-hour (the hour before leaving for the day) working on the Lulu.com site. President Mehr asked me two or three times to order two copies “of all of your books” (one for him and “the mission” and the other set for the Church History Department). Since I got the last of the books published yesterday, all of the books are now on the Lulu system. So, I went down through the list of the 20 books which I have created here and ordered the two copies as the Presideht requested..
Above: 20 Church Nauvoo History books compiled by Kevin V. Hunt while a senior missionary serving in Nauvoo 2024-2025
I sent President Mehr a note telling him that the book order has been placed. We were both anxious to get the books here before Sister Hunt and I depart the mission. So exciting!
Sister Hunt and I were assigned to serve in the Post Office and John Taylor complex today. Elder and Sister Graham were here with us – as well as a pair of young sister missionaries. We were the lead. After prayer we dispatched the sisters to the print shop and the Grahams to the Taylor Home. Lou and I remained in the post office.
Above: Elder Kevin Hunt serving at the Post Office complex
SEWING, COMPUTER WORK AND MORE BRICKS
Lou soon decided that she wanted to go get her sewing machine. She discovered a wonderful set-up in the upstairs space at the Post Office. This is set up for quilting so it has irons, tables, and more. She went home to get the machine. She had to make another trip or two later on for forgotten items.
I also had to make a trip home. I forgot my computer mouse – and this is essential for the work that I do. I noted a lot of action going on at the Brickyard so I went over to check it out. I found Elder and Sister Rieske up to their ears with our Nauvoo Performing Missionaries (who were there on their p-days). They were making their own custom bricks. They were having way too much fun! I took a few photos of the action there.
The three Post Office teams determined that we would switch homes at 11:30 AM and 2:00 Pm. We did so about 11:45. Lou was having so much fun on her project upstairs at the Post Office that I left her working up there – with a promise to call her if we get any guests. But by noon we had not had a single guest – and the whole Nauvoo Main Street was completely devoid of people and action.
I went alone to hang out at the Print Shop. I took my computer and had plenty to do – including catching up on my journal writing.
Above: Elder Kevin Hunt serving at the John Taylor Print Shop
I sent photos of last night’s brick making activity out to our family (our kids) and they thought this very cool. I also sent the photos to Lou’s siblings – in honor of their father, Elder Belcher, “The Nauvoo Brick Maker”.
Brad, the “owner” at the Richardson’s Point church historic site (now mostly a pig farm), wrote me a note. I sent him links to the new books which include his Iowa Mormon Trail. He is not a member of the Church but is the president of the Iowa Trails Association. He really liked the books.
I sent a link to the Study and Travel Guide books to several church historians.
Wow! It has been a very busy morning! I am so relieved to have the books published and all of the above tasks complete. It is all very exciting and wonderful. I am grateful that I have been able to create these books under the direction of the Holy Ghost and I acknowledge His guidance and revelation in the production of the books. I have felt that I have worked under the guidance of the Godhead and in Their behalf. I am grateful that I have been able to be an instrument in their hands. I hope that many people will benefit from the books.
That evening we attended a mission training program – as we do almost every Tuesday evening. Two people (seniors) tonight mentioned my book. One Elder said that he had already ordered the book. Sister Maughn said that the book was “so fabulous”. She said that she had read much of it and loved it. This was great to hear.
Lou worked on her dress all day – and then later at home. She completely finished her new peach-colored dress today. She was happy with her progress.
I felt good tonight. All of my current pressures are gone (at least for tonight). I have accomplished the big deadline tasks.
A Senior missionary, Elder Lamb, came up to us tonight at the Mailroom and asked us what he should know and do as the new coordinator for the Mansion House. He said that he was assigned to be there effective September 1st. We knew that a release would come – but no one told us that a new person was to be installed.
LONG-AWAITED GOOD NEWS FOR THE BRICKYARD
The big news of the day was the arrival of the Brick Kiln. It has been on order for many months and no one has seemed to know of its arrival status. It is now at the FM warehouse. The current kiln is electric powered but the new one will be gas powered. I am sure that Elder Lowe is chomping at the bit to get the new kiln installed. It will be interesting to see how long it takes him to get it up and running.
SISTER HUNT AND I MUST BE GETTING OLD … AND SOME GREAT NEWS
On the evening of September 3rd, we got some fun news. Kaylea organized a family video call. She got all of her siblings on the call – except Rusty – who was on a Young Men activity.
sCREENSHOT – UPPER RIGHT BRYSON AND ANNIE MAKE A BIG ANNOUNCEMENT – SEPT 3, 2025
The big news then came forth … Our Grandson Bryson and Annie are expecting their first child. (What have you guys been doing at your place, Bryson?) Annie said, “We were not expecting this …” I said, “Well, now you are expecting.” This is very exciting. A first grandchild for Kaylea and a first great-grandchild for Lou and me. The baby is due to come forth about May. All of the family members were excited on the call.
AN IMMERSION TRIP DEVOTIONAL AND GREAT REMARKS FROM THE PRESIDENT
September 4th found me at a special meeting at the North Visitors’ Center. Sister Hunt was ill (kind of a rare occurrence) and remained home. I decided to walk the mile and a half or so to the Center – to clear my head. I had had a lot going on recently.
President and Sister Mehr happened to sit by me during the program. Afterwards, he said that he “can’t wait to receive my books”. I said, “It will blow your mind! You haven’t even seen all of the books.” He said, “Yeah, I know … that’s why I am excited about them. I can’t wait to read them.” He also commented that now that I have published the books, “they will be ‘out there’ forever.” I hope that is the case – and that many people will ultimately benefit from them.
I also walked home and loved the walk. I enjoyed the moon, the glow of the Temple “illuminated” on the hill, and the cooler weather (about 65 degrees). It was supposed to be down to about 50 degrees that night. The fall weather is coming. We hoped that we would get to see the fall changing of the leaves one more time before we leave. (We certainly don’t have any changing leaves in our native Arizona desert home.)
Back at home, I ordered a few book items to be sent here to Nauvoo. I ordered several of them to be sent to Rusty’s home in Maricopa (thinking that would be better than to my vacant home). I placed another order for 3 Brick Miracles books. I should have ordered them earlier with the other order … but anyway.
HOPING TO MAINTAIN THE BELCHER BRICK LEGACY
Lou also suggested that we put up the brick poster (created back in June) in the brickyard (where historians likely will not remove it). I converted the image to a jpeg file and sent this to Walgreens for enlargement. I printed an 11×14” photo for the brick yard, and one for our Nauvoo wall that we want to create at home.
A TREK TO A NEARBY BALLOON FESTIVAL
On Saturday, September 6th, our friends, Elder Craig and Sister Torri Sanders invited us to go with them to the town of Macomb – located about 30 miles from Carthage (where they are now assigned and live). We went to see a “Balloon Rally”. We hurried home after our at the Browning home and changed out of our costume clothes. We then drove to the town of Carthage.
We went to the home of the Sanders. They and a bunch of other missionaries all live in small residences in what is called “The Bushnell House”. This is a grand old house that is about 100 years old. We really loved the place. When we got back to their place, they showed us the magnificent staircase (that is shared by different companionships).
Above: Sister Torri and Elder Craig Sanders at the Carthage Jail visitors’ center
We rode with Elder and Sister Sanders to the town of Macomb. We parked and then walked a block or two to the balloon site. I should have brought a jacket but I have not felt cold yet. I was a bit chilled.
We soon got in line to get food at a food truck. We got pulled pork sandwiches. Elder Sanders paid for our meal – though we balked about this. The sandwich proved to be really excellent.
Above: Macomb, Illinois Balloon Festival September 6, 2025
The city – or whoever sponsors the event – had some balloon flying activities planned but the wind level was too high. They had to settle for a “glow event” wherein many balloons turn their “fire” on at the same time. Elder Sanders really got into taking photos of the balloons. There were about 15 very colorful balloons. It was fun to see the balloons as they hovered above the ground.
We remained at the balloon rally until about 9:00 PM. We then went back to Carthage where Sanders live. We then had another half hour trip back to Nauvoo. We very much enjoyed our evening out to the Rally. And we enjoyed being with the Sanders. They are very fun folks. Lou and Torri are great friends.
STARTING TO PLAN OUR WESTWARD EXODUS HOME
September 7th was a Sunday. Today was the first birthday for a little granddaughter who was born while we were serving on our mission. We met her at the wedding a few months ago but look forward to getting to know her much better after we get home.
I spent the time getting “trunky”. I have felt for a while that as we go home, we need or can follow the Mormon Battalion Trail (that the original Battalion members followed). I was pleased to discover that their route really is our most direct route to go to our own Maricopa home. I printed out some maps. Then I found the brochure that I have had for a while – and it was at the top of my list of “stuff” on the floor. This had a great map – along with the key cities to stop and go through.
Route of the Mormon Battalion March 1846
A SURPRISE VOTE OF THANKS
Sister Harford – in our district – wrote to us. She said, “Thank you so much for all your kindness and efforts! You and Sis. Hunt welcomed us before we got here and made this place a comfortable place to be before we left Utah. We are grateful for that … and arranging meals and help moving in, the district treats and the “ditch oven dinner” (I spelled Dutch wrong on a communication.) As our ministers you did a great job of letting us know we could count on you without being overwhelming. We really appreciated it … we didn’t need much but it was comforting to know you would help if we needed you. THANK YOU!!! Thank you for the books you’ve written and Sis. Hunt’s pictures. We don’t know how you got it all done so quickly. With love, Elder and Sister Harford.”
Above: Sister Peggy and Elder Doug Harford
Lou wore her new peach-colored dress. I resurrected my old shirt that I wore when in the “City of Joseph Pageant” 28 or 29 years ago. I don’t know why I have not worn it more. I guess when we first arrived, the blousy look was not the current missionary look. Now, however, it fits right in with what the sewing ladies are now creating. I wore the cravat that Lou made of the same fabric as her dress – and a brown vest. I have to admit that we made a classy looking couple.
We had a sister missionary take our photo with the backdrop of the Mississippi River and the colorful swamp flowers behind. It was a glorious photo. I think it has become one of my best favorites. Jenae loved seeing her mother in the new dress – with fabric that Jenae bought and gave to her (for her birthday). She said that this was the last fabric that she was able to buy at the Joanne’s craft store as it closed its doors forever.
SHARING TIME WITH OTHER CHURCH HISTORY SITE MISSIONARIES
On Monday, September 8th, A President Jim Johnson, the site leader for the Independence, Missouri Historic Sites Mission came to visit us in the Family Living Center where we were serving. He had come to Nauvoo with his seven or eight young sister missionaries. They were doing an “Immersion Trip” like we did recently with our young sisters. I visited with him about my new book about Missouri Church History and sites. He acted pleased to have me send him a copy of the book. I had wanted to anyway, but it was nice to talk to him to let him tell me that he wanted to have a book. The visiting Sisters enjoyed visiting with our sisters – especially about upcoming “outbound missions” – which their group and ours are going to do soon.
GETTING OUR DUNN HOME IN PRISTINE ORDER FOR COMING VISITORS
At home, I got into a cleaning mode in the basement. We needed it clean for so that we can host guests in just a couple of weeks. I vacuumed wherever I could get the vacuum wand. I sucked up bugs, dirt, dust, and more. I vacuumed the large rug – top and bottom. I organized the shelves and got everything off of the floor. (There is still more organizing to do.) I sent out a photo of the basement on the WhatsApp app to tell the family that the place is ready for them.
Meanwhile, Lou vacuumed or otherwise cleaned the window blinds in the kitchen. The blinds are difficult to clean. She cleaned the oven and pulled the oven out from the wall and cleaned behind and under it. So, we got a few big items checked off the list of tasks to be completed before our departure.
A WELCOME DAY WORKING AND CREATING BRICK AT THE BRICK YARD
On September 8th, we had the privilege of serving and working at the modern brick yard. We are always happy to serve there in the Belcher family legacy. We had two young sisters with us – Sisters Trappett and Templin.
Elder Rieske came over to get us on the right path. He is a good man and I like him a lot. He showed me a photo of the new gas kiln (from the manufacturer). This will be an upright version. The current model is a chest variety.
Above: New gas brick kiln
We had a lot of tasks to perform. I got the sisters going. They first “hacked” the bricks created yesterday. They then trimmed (sanded) the bricks made two or three days ago. There were a lot of bricks to trim. Lou checked the pub machine to make sure that the pug was the right consistency (water, sand, and clay). She then started to create bricks as the sisters created some custom bricks for the one sister. They then began to imprint with Lou. They ultimately created 8 ½ trays of new bricks.
I worked to extrude out the pug. The machine worked well so the task was soon done. I created two tubs full of the pugs. I had to stop because all of the tubs were then filled. I then took the pug tubes off and washed them. This cleaning was a chore but I got the task done.
We finished all of the tasks right at noon. We had a good day and accomplished a great deal.
Back at home, Lou got into a cleaning mode. Lou spent her afternoon upstairs. She pulled out all of the chests up there. She cleaned the trim boards on the walls. She is really going for her list – anxious to get the tasks all completed before our kids start arriving. I am grateful for her dedication to the task.
Later in the evening we decided to reward ourselves for all of our work and good happenings of late. I decided that we deserved a treat. I went to the Dollar General store (our only store and the Nauvoo “supermarket”) and bought a small carton of caramel flavored ice cream. I then went to the Red Brick Café and bought a couple of bottles of their new “Nauvoo Root Beer”. We have heard about this root beer. Sister Squires, the café owner, said that this is the famous root beer that the Community of Christ used to sell in Joseph’s Red Brick Store.
The root beer was fabulous. And we enjoyed the root beer floats.
MAKING A PLUG FOR JOURNALS AND RECORDS
On September 10th, I wanted to talk to Elder Hayes to see if he might have two or three summary PowerPoint slides from his May presentation (for inclusion in the mission history for that month). I thought about talking to him – about 7:20 AM. I thought that he might be available since the feeding of the horses is at 7:45 Am. I did not know or remember that the 20 or so Teamsters meet each morning for a devotional (before they horse around). I placed the call to Elder Hayes and Elder Atkinson answered the phone (since Hayes was about to give the morning message).
I found myself on a voice call with all of the Teamsters. I had the full audience. Elder Atkinson had just been talking to the group about my writing of books. We had talked of that last night. With the group listening, he asked me how many books I have written while in Nauvoo. I said, “20!” They were all amazed. He then asked me about my journal writing. I told them all that I have a daily entry for every day since May 20, 1973. Elder Atkinson later told me that virtually none of the men are good at journal keeping.
Above: Journals written by Kevin Hunt
After the conversation, I typed out a list of all of my Nauvoo books – with descriptions for each one. I sent this on to Elder Atkinson and said, “Thanks for being my marketing manager.” He has been a big fan of my books.
CONNECTIONS AND FAMILY CIRCLES
We served the day at the Wilford Woodruff home. On one fun tour we had two couples come to visit. The second group was fun. This was two couples. The one lady was sister to the guy from the other couple. And their name was Lee. I asked them if their ancestor was Francis Lee who was here in Nauvoo. They were surprised that I had heard of him. And then I surprised them more. I pulled out my phone and showed them the home that their ancestor lived in.
Above: Frances Lee Home 1975 (likely changed dramatically over time)
The place is no longer there but I saw it when I was here as a young missionary. I described the house for them. They all took a photo of my photograph. I forgot to tell them that my ancestor, Horace Strong Rawson, would have been their next door neighbor.
The one couple is from Mt. Pleasant, Utah and they knew my Aunt Winona (my mother’s sister). Winona was in their ward up to her death.
I showed the folks how to do “My Nauvoo Relative” and they got so excited about this. One lady had a trauma trying to get connected with her phone. She got frustrated. We learned that the Lee siblings descend from Zerah Pulsipher – as do I. Zerah Pulsipher is the missionary who tracted out and baptized Wilford Woodruff.
Above: Zerah Pulsipher photo and priesthood ordination certificate (ordained by the Prophet Joseph Smith
We did “Relatives Around Me”. We learned that Wayne Lee and I are 3rd cousins – once removed – which is quite a close relationship.
The other brother-in-law showed a relationship to Ebenezer Fairchild Wiggins – my 4th great grandfather. This was a side line relative – so not too close – though it provided a fun conversation.
A DINNER TRAINING MEETING
That evening we joined with our fellow missionaries for a dinner training meeting. As we got home, we changed out of our costume clothes. We then headed out to the Performance Building for a pot-luck dinner. Lou made some wonderful brownies (full of chocolate chips) that morning. The dinner was great. Elder and Sister Jestice were in charge of the event and they had set up the hall with multiples of two tables together – in a square to seat 8 people. This was a pleasant change from the long banquet tables. The food was excellent. We sat with Elders and Sisters Atkinson, Parker and McArthur. We had a good visit with them.
After the meal we talked of ways to enhance our tours – through personal connections, bringing Christ into the tour conversation, etc. Some good ideas were presented.
Fourteen of our young sister missionaries were all leaving for home the following. It was sad to sing “God Be With You” to them. We have enjoyed our association with these special ladies.
CELEBRATING 47 YEARS OF MARRIAGE
Our anniversary would not be for three days, but on September 11th, we then went to the town of Quincy – located about 50 miles south of Nauvoo. We wanted to go to eat – in recognition of our Sunday anniversary. We decided to go on a night when we could leave earlier than our would-be 5:00 PM (after our site service).
We first went to Keokuk and Montrose to check out some historic sites. We then drove about 60 miles south to the community of Quincy (of those towns). We went to the Texas Roadhouse restaurant – which we enjoy.
Above: Kevin and Lou Hunt – Anniversary 47 celebration at Quincy, Illinois Texas Roadhouse
We were seated immediately. I got my usual food. – pulled pork, baked potato and chili beans (which I always on top of the potatoes). I really ought to “branch out” to try some different foods. Anyway, it was a pleasant evening in celebration of our 47 years of marriage. Forty seven … Wow! Hard to believe!
And earlier in the week we celebrated birthday #46 with our oldest daughter. And a couple of months ago our “baby girl” turned 30. How is that possible? We can’t be that old!
Above: Elder Gene R. Cook – long an LDS Church General Authority
I learned that day of the death on September 9th of Elder Gene R. Cook, a general authority Seventy for three decades. Gene grew up in our Mesa 10th Ward and I knew him well. I even babysat his kids on occasion (when Lesa, their usual sitter, was full with her calendar). He was/is a great man. He died at age 84. I sent the obituary on to my siblings.
A SCHEDULE MIX-UP
Another great day (September 12th) in Nauvoo! I noted that “I am grateful for each special day here. It has been such a great blessing and opportunity to have served here (again). The Lord was gracious unto us in bringing us here. We have had amazing experiences.
On this day, Lou and I thought that we were to serve at the South Visitors’ Center. (Admittedly, we failed to check “the drive” this morning as we are told to do. We went to the Visitors’ Center and could not find the key to the place. We called Elder Batteen – thinking that he might have the code. Then at that moment, an FM worker showed up with a key.
We got into the place and kind of got settled for the day. Then Sister King, a Teamster wife, came in. She said that she had just learned that she was to be there (alone) for the day. We checked the schedule and learned that our schedule had been changed to serve today at the Homestead and Mansion House of Joseph and Emma. We had to go home to change out of Sunday dress clothes and into our period costumes. Peach was the color of the day.
We rushed over to the Smith properties. We were a bit late. We served with a pair of young sister missionaries as well as a triple-up – so there were plenty of ladies around there.
A FINAL REUNION GATHERING OF OUR ORIGINAL MTC GROUP
On the evening of September 13, wee went to the Family Living Center and joined the other 12 couples from our original MTC group. This was our last “reunion gathering” before we all go home. We will leave on October 13 and the Rieskes extended for six more months. All of the rest of the couples head home on October 1st. It is hard to believe that our 18 months have come to a close already.
We had a pot-luck dinner and there was some wonderful food. I love pot-luck meals. There is always a variety of great food.
We sat with and visited with Elders and Sisters Graham, Parker and Ward. I enjoyed visiting with Elder Ward (whom I knew on my young mission in Alabama).
After the dinner, I persuaded the group to gather for a group photo. There was a pair of young sisters there and they took the photo for us. I wondered if we have ever had a photo with all members of the group but we accomplished it on this night.
Above: April 1, 2024 Mission Training Center (MTC) Group final reunion held September 13, 2025
Also after the meal, we gathered into a big circle. Elder Dennis Jones entertained us with his off-the-cuff humor. He is always hilarious. He mentioned strange things that many group members have done through our mission.
FUN TO RECEIVE FIVE BIG BOXES AT THE MAILROOM
We served at the Sarah Granger Kimball home on Saturday, September 13. We love serving at this special place.
We did not have any guests all morning. Then at 1 PM, we were ready to eat lunch. I said, “Let’s eat … and someone will come.” And that is exactly what happened. We opened our bags and a car pulled up. It was two couples – whom we had yesterday. Then a third couple came as we were just finishing with the first couples.
On our way home, we went by the mailroom. I was pleased to see five big boxes there for me. WOW! I knew that it was the book order for President Mehr. This was exciting to receive these.
The five boxes of books came coated with some weird dust. I got a wet wash rag to dust off the boxes. I then hauled all of the boxes inside. I opened each box and spread out the various books in matched pairs. These stacks took up the whole living room. The stack of my own books “did my own heart good.” So great! One pair of books was wrong. It had my book guts inside but it had some strange (not mine) cover. I sent a message to Lulu.com to tell them about the error.
I sent a message to the Mehrs saying that “Christmas is Here – the books arrived today.”
To celebrate the day, we decided to eat in Nauvoo. We first went to Annie’s Custard. We bought her large cinnamon roll – which she calls the “wagon wheel” roll. This had just come out of the oven – so this was great to get a fresh one.
We went home and changed out of our costumes.
We then returned to the Red Front Café. We both ordered the “Durfee Turkey” sandwich (mine without cheese). These sandwiches are excellent. We each ate only half of our sandwiches (and saved the rest for later. (This is actually our mode most of the time when we eat out.) Back at home, we ate some of the cinnamon roll. Yum!
OUT ACTUAL SUNDAY ANNIVERSARY ON SEPTEMBER 14TH
Our wedding anniversary. Lou and I have been married for 47 years. Wow! Hard to believe. It does not feel like yesterday but it does not feel like 47 years! Jenae commented yesterday about us and them having an anniversary. I said, “Yes, in three years it will be your silver anniversary, our gold, (and I added diamond for my folks – since all three couples got married on the same day 25 years apart.).” Jenae suggested that we ought to plan a cruise for our 50th but I wrote back and said that “Mom and I have talked about cruises and we find no joy in them.” Keith wrote, “That is too bad … since they are sure fun.”
We attended our “missionary ward”. It was a great day for the meetings. We went early so that we could assist the Elders of our zone to prepare the sacrament. I enjoyed this service with the other men. It is amazing to see the huge group of missionaries gathered together. We will miss this wonderful “ward” when we leave Nauvoo for home.
Above: Senior couples in sacrament meeting … could that many people be asleep?
President Mehr took a few minutes in Priesthood meeting. He said that next year there will be 80 young sister missionaries here. We had 72 this year. Wow! Quite a bunch!
THANKS, ELDER LOWE! (Elder Belcher would be proud!)
After the meetings, we talked to Elder and Sister Lowe. I love that guy. He is really into the whole brick scene, Elder Belcher, the brick molds, and our modern connection. He has found some of the really old brick molds (with the larger size) in the “auto shop” of the FM building (of all places). He wants to get us over there to see them.
Above: Antiquated brick molds with the Elder Belcher original Nauvoo Brick molds
The large bricks that we made with him are now in the kiln and have been fired. They are done but will have to remain in the kiln for another 24 or more hours to fully cool before the kiln door is opened. Elder Lowe is fascinated at how the Lord facilitates all of these “miracles” – bringing people and experiences of the past to us today. He is pretty amazing and wonderful – and I give my gratitude to Him for His blessings.
Larissa’s boys – Andy and Oliver had parts today on their Maricopa EL Dorado ward Primary sacrament meeting program. She had someone in their ward send us a link to the meeting so we were able to view the program. We saw Rusty on the stand as 1st Counselor to the Bishop. We saw Fabriza (a Primary teacher) as she introduced a group of speakers. Oliver had a 1-line “talk”. He said in his little squeaky voice, “I can choose the right.” (Cute kid!) Andy said, “I can pray like Joseph Smith did.” It was fun to see both boys.
THE CLEANING AND SORTING TASKS CONTINUE
Lou finished cleaning and organizing the last of her kitchen cupboards. She vacuum packed all of the bags that she has been creating. She created a couple of costume covers. So, she was a very busy girl.
After dinner another night, Lou and I worked on her list of to do things that need to be done before our departure. That night’s project was the living room. We pulled all of the furniture away from the walls and scrubbed the walls and vacuumed all around under the furniture. We worked together. I pulled out the furniture and dusted the high walls as she did the vacuuming. It was good to get the task completed.
OUR TASKS ARE COMING TO AN END
While we were at the Family Living Center one day, Sister Hallows came in. She said that she and her husband have been asked to serve as the new coordinators for the Joseph Smith Homestead. And Elder and Sister Lamb have been called to be over the Mansion House. So, I guess we are officially done with both. Sister Hunt and I coordinated and served at three Smith homes – the Homestead, the Mansion House, and the after-period Bidamon structure. We cleaned all of these places once a week in the winter and also shoved the snow as it arrives. It is sad that we have completed these tasks. We have really enjoyed serving Joseph and Emma and taking care of their homes. We have felt it a sacred opportunity.
BEING IN THE RIGHT PLACE AT THE RIGHT TIME
September 16th, a Tuesday, found us serving at the Pendleton School.
Lou transported her whole sewing center with her – sewing machine, and more. There is a very small but secluded room there that she can use. While at the place, she created an “Emma collar” to be worn on the bodice of dresses. This looks very nice.
, Corey Wheeler and wife, come in. They said that they are from Kentucky. I said, “Oh, my Hunt family lived in Kentucky for 50 years. They were in Muhlenberg County.” The lady said, “I am from, Muhlenberg County.” I then said, “They lived in Greenville or the Hunt Settlement.” She said, “I am from Greenville.” We were both very surprised.
Above: Original church built by ancestor John Hunt in Hebron (Greenville) Kentucky circa 1802
Above: Hunt Settlement (circa 1802) in Hebron (Greenville, Kentucky)
We talked about the Hunts in Kentucky and how they joined the church there. They had no idea that there were any church members there back in the 1840’s. I told them how the Hunts joined the church there and then moved on to Utah. The guy said that his father used to be the Bishop in the Greenville … so they were fascinated with this ancient history. They said that they would have to go study more about the Hunts and their conversion there. These folks were about the only church members there when they were growing up.
I showed the guy how to find his Nauvoo ancestors. We found two of them (different lines) and they lived a half block away from each other – both on Young Street.
We had a great conversation with them. We were all kind of in awe of everything. The lady said, “I think we were supposed to come here to visit with you.” We said, “We call these ‘Nauvoo Miracles’ and we experience them all of the time here. It is so interesting and unbelievable how the Lord puts all of these puzzle pieces together for us and the guests who come to us. We are grateful for these special moments.
I shared Pendleton history and Miss Lou was the teacher. Lou loves teaching in this 1840’s classroom.
SHHH … DON’T ASK, DON’T TELL
September 18th, a Thursday was a fun day. We had a lot going on.
Elder Lowe found a bunch of old brick molds on top of an office – like up by the ceiling – in the auto shop at the FM building. He invited us to go over to see them.
Upon arrival, he and I first gave a blessing to Lou. She had something going on with her eye and she put some medicine on it – and then had an allergic reaction to it. The eye is now puffed up and is bothering her a lot. We did give the blessing to her. I appreciated Elder Lowe’s assistance in the administration of the Priesthood.
Elder Lowe then got a ladder and put it up against the office cubical. He climbed up there and brought the brick molds down. We got a photo of them. I talked him into letting me take one of them (one of four) to ask President Mehr if we can have it. There are four of these. The bricks are Elder Belcher’s large molds – that are the 6” bricks (like the wooden mold that Elder Lowe helped to create for us). (But there are still two other sets – to hide away for years or for the historians to later discover.)
We did leave with a full set of the old molds (with Elder Belcher’s design). He said, “I don’t know anything about this. I don’t know what you are talking about …”
A few days later, we had occasion to be with the Mehrs – for our surrey ride with them. I took the set of molds over to show to President Mehr. I hadn’t said anything to him yet. He looked at them and instantly said, “How great that you get to take those home with you.” He also confessed, “I don’t know anything about this. I don’t know that you have them.” (We’ll keep the secret if you all will too!)
After the trip to the FM warehouse, I took Lou home. She wanted every free moment to work on her cleaning and de-junking project.
THE NEW TEMPLE VISITORS’ CENTER
I went over to visit Elder and Sister Hampton. They are historians and kind of the project manager on the construction of the new Visitors’ Center that is being built to focus on the Temple. It was fascinating to talk to them about the progress of the Center. He gave me some great photos to use in my June history/news. I want the edition in June to feature visitors centers of Nauvoo over the years.
Above: Construction underway for the new Nauvoo Temple Visitors’ Center (scheduled for comletion Spirng 2026)
The Hamptons also enjoyed hearing some of my stories of mission life back in 1975. I shared many things of historical things of the time.
WE DISCOVER A WONDERFUL SHOW STAGED BY THE NAUVOO PERFORMING MISSIONARIES
It was our “preparation (P-day). Lou and I then went to the “South” Visitors’ Center. The Nauvoo Performing missionaries staged a program there. They used the big staircase for their grand entry. Then they kind of mingled among the gathered group. They sang many of the early songs of Zion. The music – and the place acoustics were amazing. We were in awe of the wonderful program.
Sister Tammy Hunt (and Brad) were also at the music program. She came over to our place after the event. We talked about the May Teamster article for the mission history. I showed Sister Hunt my “oops” book that I received from Lulu. Normally Lulu does well on my book printing but they made a mistake on a recent order. The cover of the 2 books had the title of “Toby Needed Help”. And inside the book was my guts – the “Christmas Is …” Cantata. She thought this was pretty cool and she wanted it. I gave it to her.
A TYPICAL P-DAY AND TRIP TO KEOKUK
Lou and I went to Keokuk for our weekly p-day shopping. We first went to Walgreens and picked up an order I had placed – for another brick poster. We then went to the ALDI store for produce and a few other items.
We then went to Walmart. We decided to get the oil changed in our vehicle – in preparation for our upcoming long trip back to Maricopa. We bought the “standard oil change” package because it included a check of a multitude of fluids, etc. on the vehicle. We were able to go do our shopping as the work was done on the vehicle. This worked well. They finished about the time that we finished our shopping. I left Lou with the groceries at the front door as I went around to get the vehicle.
We got gas at the station there at Walmart and it cost us only about $12.50 for a week of driving. I like that kind of a gas bill. We got our usual “Whopper Junior” sandwich (2/$5). We like this burger. We then made our usual stop at Dairy Queen. Lou had a “double dipped cone” and I got the “pecan mudslide” sundae. Yum!
We received a package with seven booklets that we created about our H3-Brigham District activities over the past year. We had determined that we would go around to the homes of all of the district members tonight. We went individually to all of the seven homes and did not find even one couple at home. We were awe-struck that this could happen. I guess most of the folks were off on Friday night dates.
I spent the evening working on the June Mission History/Newsletter. This had become a fun edition as I compiled a focus on the history of visitors’ centers here in Nauvoo. I also created a “photo album” page with multiple photos. I created a timeline of visitor center events here in Nauvoo over the past 100 years. I liked the end result of this timeline.
CREATING THE TRADITIONAL MISSIONARY “FAREWELL CARD”
On the morning of September 20th (before our service work elsewhere) I worked all morning before service – to create a “farewell card” to distribute to other missionaries of the mission. It is kind of traditional here for missionaries to create a card to give out. Most of them have about 20 very small photos – in various outfits and poses – that are very hard to read. Lou and I both wanted something very simple – with a single , nice photo. I pulled the photo of us at Joseph’s Red Brick Store three or so weeks ago. We are wearing the peach colored outfits (me in my “City of Joseph” shirt from long ago. I created a document on Publisher. I first imported this photo and enlarged it to fill the entire 5×7” frame. I then typed in our address, phone and contact information. At the bottom, I inserted a photo of Lou and I at the Belcher brickyard (the kiln that Gramps Belcher built), and then photos of the original Belcher Brick as well as the new Temple brick. On the other side at the bottom, I wrote, “60+ Historical Blogs and 2O books” (with the blogsite and lulu.com under this. I then put a gold frame around the whole picture. We both liked this a lot.
I then ordered 110 prints from Walgreens. I ordered 4×6” size prints at 15 Cents each (after a 50% off deal that expired today). I had kind of wanted 5×7” prints but even at half price, they would have been $1.50 each (so $150 or more). We both liked the price of the smaller print more. Within an hour, I got a note from Walgreens saying that the photos were printed.
FUN CONNECTIONS AT THE SCOVIL BAKERY
We went to serve at the Scovil Bakery. Lou had to go home because she did not bring her “activity bag”.
We hosted a couple from Harrisville, Utah (west of Ogden). We told them that we used their “cabin” facility years ago for a Belcher family Thanksgiving dinner. This is the same event where Sister Hunt forgot to put the turkey in the oven … but that is another story!
Our guests found this interesting. I mentioned that I have Rawson relatives from that area. His phone was not cooperating – relative to internet but he finally got it to work. We learned that we are 4th cousins through Horace Strong Rawson.
Our guest was Corey Dinsdale. I told him where the Rawson home was – now in the horse pasture – and across the street from the home in which I lived when I was a young missionary.
As we were struggling to get on “Relatives Around Me” a ginger-haired guy from northern Utah helped us. He said that he used to work for FamilySearch. His name was Stuart Edgington. He is a descendant of David Yearsley – who owned the 3-story home here in Nauvoo. I also took this guy for a tour at the Masonic/Cultural Hall. He wanted that tour but the young sisters could not take him (without others on the tour). He was in total awe of the place. He loved what I told him relative to when I was here as a young missionary. I enjoyed time with this guy. We were 7th cousins on an unknown family line.
We hosted the Harper family of 5. It was fun to learn that they are from Cullman, Alabama – one of my mission areas. He knows the Drake family – whom I knew 50 years ago. He took one of my “business cards” to deliver to Cumen Drake.
We had a good day. We had, I think, 89 people on our tours through the day.
I noted the appointments of Elder and Sister Lamb to be coordinators for the Mansion House and Elder and Sister Hallows have been appointed to shepherd Joseph and Emma’s Homestead. They split the homes between two couples. We covered them all and made the recommendation for the split. Somehow in the transfer, however, “they” forgot about the Bidamon structure. This meant that we still had responsibility for them.
We got a message that the restrooms in the Bidamon structure were out of toilet paper. (This is a constant challenge. We write up a work order and the FM folks take just a couple of rolls over there. It is more of a challenge for them since the places do not have the large roll dispensers as in every other home or shop site. Hence, just the regular home rolls is what is required.) We knew that there would be no action for such a problem until Monday so I dispatched Lou to go to our home to get several rolls to take to the Bidamon place.
It began to rain as we got done at the Scovil Bakery. It rained through much of the evening. We drove in the rain to Keokuk. I slowed down to be safer.
We first went to Walgreens and picked up the farewell cards. These turned out very nice. We both loved them (and especially the price). We then went to Walmart. Lou wanted some pills of some kind – and body wash. And we bought toilet paper for the Bidamon place. Sometimes it is just easier to buy such things on our own than to go through the cumbersome system of the various mission departments. It was raining very heavily as we were in the store and we heard the extreme pounding of the rain on the metal roof. And getting to the vehicle was quite tricky. I ran to the car – and got my shoes wet. I met Lou at the door.
Back in Nauvoo, we went to the mailroom. We put a hundred or so of our new farewell cards into the mail boxes of a bunch of senior missionaries.
At home I got onto the phone and reported the count for all of our tours of the day. This is a frustrating task. It is just kind of tedious to enter the date, time of the tour, number of people on each tour and also the site name. But I got the job done.
ANOTHER SURPRISE CONNECTION
Sunday, September 20th found Sister Hunt and I serving at the John Taylor Complex (the three tours).
A visit with a husband, wife and two daughters – was fun. I also showed them how to do “My Nauvoo Relative”. The husband was Parley Holliday, Jr. His father, age 91, is Parley Holliday, Sr. I knew Parley, his dad, when I was here as a young missionary. He was the Nauvoo Restoration “project manager”. I liked Parley. This guy thought it really cool that I knew his father. This guy would have been about age 7 in 1975. We talked of Gene McMein and his final month or two as we reconnected with him.
The guy was surprised when I was able to pull up on my phone the photo of the 1975 Missionary tie cutting ceremony – of me and Parley. I had fun talking to this guy. And I was pleased to hear that Parley Sr. is still alive and is over age 90!
Above: 1975 Nauvoo Missionary tie-cutting cereony. Kevin Hunt center (Parley Holliday not shown but he was there)
While at the Post Office, we got onto a Zoom call in which we heard Elder Joseph Stoddard and his companion, Elder Hardinger (of Arizona) talk in church. They both gave great talks. Joseph talked of his love for The Book of Mormon. He has been a good missionary and we are proud of him and his missionary work.
OUR FINAL RIDE WITH OUR MISSION LEADERS
We served September 22nd at the Joseph Smith Homestad. We left soon after 10:30 AM. We went up to the horse barns. We were scheduled to ride this morning with President and Sister Mehr on the surrey ride. This is a tradition here for departing missionaries. All of the missionaries look forward to this ride with great anticipation.
Above: Elder Kevin and Sister Lou Hunt on Surrey ride with Pres. and Sis. Mehr (at right), Elder Kevin and Sister Selena Hart
Elder Kevin and Sister Selena Hart rode with us and President and Sister Mehr on the surrey. They go home tomorrow. I like these folks. They were here previously but both of them got quite ill and they had to go home. They returned to finish out their 18 months. Our drivers were Elder White and Cousin Jake Hunt. Our horse team was Porter and Parley – both beautiful gray horse. The horses went into a panic once when in front of the Browning shop.
Above: Elders and Sisters Kevin Hunt and Kevin Hart and wives with President and Sister Mehr on surrey ride. Photo taken in front of the “Red Barn” home where Elder Hunt lived when a young missionary in 1975
President and Sister Mehr showed up. We got some good photos of us, the horses and the red barn. We then headed off on our ride. We rode for just over an hour. We drove down Main Street. All of the missionaries serving in the Main Street shops came out to greet us. The folks at Browning waved flags of some kind.
We later looked at the photos and one of them said, “Hoorah for Israel”. Other flags said other things. These kind of spooked the horses – as did as obstinate driver of the “Nauvoo Tours” bus. He did not know of the horse circumstances but he was determined to speed by us.
We had pleasant conversation all along the way – on a variety of subjects. Elder Harford was our official photographer. He had pre-selected many good photo op places. He took several photos of us at the Red Barn at the beginning of the ride. He stopped for photos in front of the Browning home, the Webb Blacksmith Shop, Joseph’s Red Brick Store, and the mansion house. Our final stop was on the grassy area on the hill below the Nauvoo Temple. I think that he took some great photos.
It was after the ride that I showed President Mehr the brick molds. He then said, “I don’t know anything about this.” We gratefully “hid” it in our car to take home with us.
Lou made some fudge for President Mehr. He loves fudge. (She has frequently made fudge for him. I tell him that he “looks good in it”.
I called Elder Lowe and he was excited about the brick mold news. He said also that he knows nothing but he agreed to somehow retrieve the other two parts of the mold combination (so that we would have a complete set). He said, “My name is Schwartz!”
COMPARING DANISH DNA
We then returned to the Homestead for the rest of the day. It was kind of a slow afternoon. I was very pleased with a group that we had. This was Jens and Niels Andersen and wives – from the country of Denmark. They are from Copenhagen but knew about Nakskov and Halsted and also Maribo County – the counties where my people lived. The two men knew English well but one wife had to be helped a bit by her husband. I told them that my recent DNA test revealed that I am 50% Danish. One of them quipped, “We are 100% Danish.” Har, Har!
Above: Jens and Niels Andersen, Danishmen, with wives and Elder Hunt at the Joseph Smith Mansion
Elder Jestice has composed many poems about Nauvoo and he has used an on-line app to create the music for the poems. I asked him for his help. I have written many poems that it would be fun to generate music for but the one that came to mind was “The Book of the Law of the Lord” – about the donations in Joseph’s Red Brick Store.
We worked all afternoon to try to get to the app so that he could show me how it works. We first had major challenges trying to get internet. Internet service is terrible in the Bidamon structure. And then the program itself was giving us headaches. He was baffled by this. The program works well on his computer. We finally got onto the app and it gave an error message saying that I needed to be approved to continue. I waited all afternoon for the approval. That message finally came about 9:00 PM.
A SURPRISE RECOLLECTION OF PAST SHARED EXPERIENCES
Above: Marriott Family Bikers
Alex Stromberg, one of the now-local Nauvoo Historians came to the site. He brought a large group about 30 people – who arrived on big fancy bikes. One of the group leaders is part of the Marriott family – great financial gurus who donate millions to good causes. Alex came and gave them tours. He took much longer than the rest of us do on his tours – and warned us ahead of time that he would do this. This kind of put the normal tours on hold for the afternoon.
Alex surprised me a bit. He said that he had just been reviewing the “Century of Honor” book that I helped to write for the Church back in 2013. He saw on the credits page that we had both worked together on this project. I thought that his name was familiar but he said (in current time) that he recently worked at the “This is the Place” monument in Salt Lake City – and didn’t mention the Church History Museum where I thought that he worked when we were on that project. I never physically met him since my contributions were by conference calls (with him in Utah and I was in Arizona). I guess he was very ill on the day when we had the big banquet and a photo op for all of the book crew. All of this was quite interesting and amazing.
Above: The 2013 “Century of Honor” book with Alex and Kevin Hunt listed as a part of the team
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, PRESIDENT MEHR!
That evening we went to the Performance Center. We participated with the missionaries We gathered for an ice cream social. The event organizers and the other members of the mission presidency tried to hide the true event details from President Mehr since it was staged as a birthday celebration for him. We stopped at the Dollar General store on our way to the Center and got ice cream. We saw about five other missionaries who were all there buying their ice cream.
There was a multitude of kinds of ice cream and toppings. It was a true smorgasbord. Elder Dennis Jones is our resident MC (master of ceremonies) and he is always hilarious. They had a giant card – about 6’ long and 3’ wide which most folks signed for the President. His own son and family were present from Utah.
After the ice cream, we all sang to the President. Then all of the young sisters came forward and shared their favorite quotes from President Mehr. Some were spiritual quotes from his talks but others were some of his famous sayings when given “off the cuff” when he has been “unhinged”. Those are great moments. It was evident that all of these young sisters greatly love their President.
I would hate to be as old as President Mehr – but I guess I will be in about five weeks.
MAKING AND GIVING A BRICK MAKING PRESENTATION
Back at home, I opened two files about brick making. One was the original book or presentation created on PowerPoint – about brick making in Nauvoo. The other was the book (not a presentation) about the miracles of the new brick creation. I saved the later as a PDF file and then converted it into a PowerPoint presentation. I deleted about half of each presentation and then combined the two into one presentation. We were to present this the next night to a district of which Elder Hopkinson is the district leader.
Above: “Nauvoo Homes, Brick Making and the Nauvoo Legacy of Elder E. H. Belcher” Book
Above: “Nauvoo temple Brick Inspiration and Miracles” Book
The next night (after the Rasmussen dinner), we went to the East Theater in the Historic Nauvoo Visitors’ Center. We had been invited by Elder Hopkinson to make a presentation about brick making in Nauvoo. There were a dozen or more people there – including Elders and Sisters Ward and Lowe – some of our best friends here. We met Elder Hopkinson and together we got my computer hooked up to the VC system. We had to call Elder Turner for some phone instruction. We got everything working.
Elder Hopkinson got the meeting going with prayer and announcements. He then turned the time to us. We used the computer system and cast it up onto the large VC screen. I used my “pointer” (remote clicker) to move from one screen to the next. This worked well until the small unit ran out of battery juice.
Lou and I went back and forth in the presentation. We made a good team. The presentation went well. We were pleased – and the people all seemed to enjoy it. We also took a number of bricks to display for the folks to check out.
CONTINUING CONNECTIONS AT JOSEPH’S RED BRICK STORE
Joseph’s store seems to be a place for connections and miracles. And September 23rd proved another day for such miracles.
As we were coming down the stairs, we saw Sister Groscost whom we have known in Mesa for many years. She has been a widow (wife of Jeff) for more than 20 years. She was on the tour with Sister Hatch (who also knew her from Mesa).
We hosted a family of 3 from South Carolina. The couple had a little boy who was about a year and a half. He had a lot of energy and he explored almost every inch of the place as we tried to give a tour with his folks. He was a cute little kid.
We had a group of 17 people. In this crowd were the daughter-in-law of President Mehr – with her three sons and also her parents. We hosted three ladies – maybe 3 generations.
We then hosted a very fun group of six people. Two of the men were named Rasmussen. They had a sister here and her husband is a great-grandson of Simeon A. Dunn. We invited them to our place to see the Dunn home but he didn’t have the interest in this. We had a great conversation with all of the group. They were really interested in our mission history – me being here years ago, the Brick legacy. We were surprised when they invited us to go to their home to eat dinner tonight. The one Rasmussen couple are Temple ordinance workers.
Our next to the last group was quite fun. This was Sister Black, a current Nauvoo Performing Missionary – and her folks and siblings. I enjoyed this group. They seemed to enjoy the messages. A man in the same group (not sure if they were related) gave the “Standard of Truth” as I invited him to do so. He got all choked up as he read and this brought the Spirit to us strong.
We served 77 people today. We were pretty swamped all day. We hardly had a chance to breathe all day. As we finished one tour, we went right into the next. We did find about ten minutes about 1 Pm for a real quick lunch.
We got home about 5:45 PM and quickly changed out of our costumes. We then went to the Rasmussen home (located in Temple housing on Partridge Street). The three couples were all anxiously awaiting our arrival. They fixed a wonderful lasagna dinner – with rolls, and salad and snickerdoodle cookies for us. This was all scrumptious.
We enjoyed a great conversation with the folks. They loved hearing our missionary and brick stories. It was a fun time with them.
PLANNING FOR VISITS FROM OUR CHILDREN AND FAMILIES
Leaders of our mission encouraged visits of family members to their senior missionary grandparents. The summer before our mission we spent several glorious days with Jenae and family in Nauvoo. Our daughter Jackie and family and three other grandchildren came to visit us our first mission summer – in 2024. Then this July, Marinda and Larissa came with their families. We had invited all of the other families to come and kept hoping that they would.
They all wanted to come sooner but time and financial resources were hard to align for them. Then as our departure time was drawing near, the pressure was on. We were able to assist many of the families in their desires to come.
I have talked in the past about our little Simeon A. Dunn home and the basement. With the size of the place, we really could not handle more than one family at a time. We told them that we wanted them to come but that they could not come at the same time as any other family – purely a logistical thing (though it would have been fun to have bigger reunion groups).
It happened that we were to have a very busy final three weeks of our mission. They all decided to come at once. We had only about three days when no one was here – and there was no overlap of the four families. The intense schedule began September 23rd with the arrival of Lana and Spencer and four children. They were with us until the 27th. And then Keith and Kayla and their eight children arrived in their BMW (“Big Mormon Wagon”) the next night. They were here from September 28 through the 1st of October. Kaylea and JD came (without any children) on October 4th. (Two of their children had come the previous summer with their Texas youth groups.) Kaylea and JD flew into the Quad Cities airport in Moline, Illinois and we went to pick them up. They were here until Wednesday the 8th. We took them back to the airport early that morning. Then we waited around for a few hours to receive Rusty and Fabriza and their two children. They were with us to October 11th. (And we actually extended our mission by 13 days to accommodate their Fall Break schedule.) Whew! We were excited for the challenge!
The mission established some new guidelines for visits from families. In the past, there really was no system. The new plan was that missionaries could take off two days to hang out and take tours with families (plus their p-day). When “they” made that guideline, they didn’t plan for four Hunt families to come in rapid succession. About a month before their arrivals, I had created a comprehensive plan of the dates and had submitted this to the mission scheduler. She was very helpful and willing to work the schedule around our unique needs. We were so grateful (though we felt a bit guilty). But this was what the mission established … it was just a challenge that all of our peeps came in such a short time.
We did work during the time, however. We did not just sit on the couch and visit. We kept the families running crazy to see as many home and shops as possible. We wore our costumes each day and gave most (but not all) of the tours with the family. And on most of the tours, we welcomed other guests to join us. And many of the places where we visited, were actually closed on the day we visited. So, the guests with us actually got to see some homes that were otherwise unavailable to them. I think that we continued to help serve many people.
SETTING UP FOR OUR FIRST FAMILY GUESTS
After the brick presentation – described above, we went home and set up basement air mattresses for Lana and family. They were delayed by about three hours after trouble on a tarmac, delayed plane, etc. They flew into the “Quad Cities” Moline airport. They got a rental car. They had planned to be at our place about 9 Pm but that turned into about midnight.
It was about 12:15 AM when Lana and family arrived. It was great to see them. They left their home in Idaho Falls about 5:00 AM. They had to drive to Salt Lake City to catch an airplane. They rode a plane to Chicago and then had to get on another flight from there to Moline, Illinois. They got a rental car there and drove here to our town.
I will not here share a multitude of experiences with each family – but will share some highlights. Most of their experiences were pretty much the same – but there were some unique elements for each group.
LANA AND FAMILY EXPERIENCE NAUVOO WITH US
We did take Lana and family to the brickyard. All of the family members like to go there to feel of the family spirit and legacy. On the day we went there, we found that place had been purged of most items used in the brick production. They were trying to prepare for the changing of the kiln – from the old electric model to the incoming gas model. This switch was supposed to happen soon. We still showed them the clay pile in the storage barn. We showed the two stacks of the old and new bricks.
It appeared that the supply of the Belcher brick inventory is just about gone. (Sad!) And the stack of the new Temple brick is growing nicely. We sure wish that the formal “roll-out” of the new brick could have happened as we have been here.
The kids all took three four different bricks – cooked to various stages. They took the Nauvoo Brick as well as the Temple bricks.
It was in the midst of a historic day with the brickyard. The FM workers – including Elder Robert Lowe and employee Aaron Garrison were there working. They had a bunch of equipment that they used at different times. Their task was to switch out the old and new kilns. Their first task was to uninstall the old electric kiln. The two men worked together on this task.
Above: Elders Kevin and Bruce Rieske, Aaron Garrison, Elder Robert Lowe and Sister Lou Hunt
We (Lou and I) kind of popped in and out of their operation. We took many different photos of the various stages. Elder Belcher would have enjoyed being a part of this action.
We went down to participate in the Trail of Hope. The Nauvoo Performing Missionaries staged their little vignettes. This was our first time to see these in the daylight. Always before, we have seen it in the dark – with their little lanterns. All of the performers did well. The Allreds all seemed to enjoy the activity.
Above: Lana’s children on the Trail of Hope with the Nauvoo Performing Missionaries
After all of the Trail vignettes, we walked on down to the Mississippi River. We got there in time to see a big tug boat pushing barges. These are always interesting to watch. The Allreds enjoyed walking along the River, taking photos, etc.
We took Quincy to the Temple to perform baptisms. He was baptized for three of our family names. (Not sure how they are related – or if they are on some of the lines that I have researched for friends.) The new Temple President first talked to us. His name is President Thurman. Spencer baptized Quincy. The personnel let us go right up to the edge of the font – on steps opposite from the witnesses and recorder – to watch. This was great.
We made a stop at the Nauvoo Fudge Factory. We all bought more of the wonderful stuff than we needed. Yum!
We asked the kids what they wanted to see and they all wanted to go see where Joseph Smith lived. We went over there and Lou and I gave our usual tour presentations.
Above: Elder Kevin and Sister Lou Hunt teaching at the Joseph Smith Homestead
t was fun to present to our own grandchildren and children. I showed them the various spots where Joseph and Hyrum were buried. We took the family through Joseph’s Homestead and then the Mansion House. We then went to Joseph’s Red Brick Store. This was also a good tour with the Allreds.
We then went to see Elder Hampton. He said that he had some geode rocks that he could share with the kids. He has two rooms of his house that is full of these rocks – and more out on the back porch. I didn’t know, but I guess he was a professional geologist for 40 years. His wife was happy to see some of the rocks go out of the door. I guess our Carson loves rocks and has collected them for many years.
The kids would have liked to have taken more rocks but they simply did not have room for them in their already full luggage (too much weight).
I showed Spencer another approximate location where his Isaac Allred ancestor could have lived – per the map from “My Nauvoo Relatives”. Just as we arrived there, we were able to see a lot of action with a tug boat and its many barges. This seemed to just be stationary – not going anywhere. There were a multitude of barges attached to the tug boat. We then noted another barge coming slowly up around it. We were able to get photos of the two tug boats together. This was super cool.
We took the family to the Oxen experience. A young couple (a bearded guy) joined us there for the story. When it came time for the wagon ride, Lou and I opted not to ride – to make room for this family – the dad, mom, and two young boys. So Lana and Spencer and the four kids and these other four people rode on the wagon. Lou walked along behind and took photos. I had taken many photos that included the young family and I invited them to send the photos to themselves. This made them happy.
I talked to the husband and wife (separately) and learned that their names are Tyler and Emma Brinkerhoff. They are from Utah (I think from Spanish Fork). Upon learning their name, I told them about the homestead that still exists of their ancestor James Brinkerhoff. I tried to explain where it is located.
A couple of hours later, we were having a picnic on one of the benches at the Pioneer Pastimes Pavilion. We went to the picnic tables adjacent to the Pioneer Pastimes place. We there had a “wagon wheel picnic” (with the giant cinnamon roll from Annie’s).
We had brought plates, a knife, napkins, etc. Every one of us loved the rolls. I had bought two of them. I told everyone that they could each have a quarter of one of the rolls. Yum! And a fun little picnic activity.
Just as we were finishing the rolls, Tyler Brinkerhoff and family tracked us down and pulled up rapidly next to our car. He came to our table and asked me where his ancestor home was located. I decided that it would be easier to just lead him over to the place. He followed me to the fenced foundation site of the former James Brinkerhoff home. They were very happy to know where the ancestor lived. I took their photo. He pulled up James as his 3rd or so great grandfather and I showed him how to find his property map. The map corresponded to the information and site where I led them. Tyler had told his father about meeting me and me saying that I knew where the site was. It was his father whom persuaded him find me. The father said, “You need to find our family place.”
Above: Nauvoo Pioneer homesite of James Brinkerhoff
I told this Tyler that this whole activity is what we call a “Nauvoo Miracle”. I said that the Lord put us together. I told him that there is likely no other missionary who could have told them about the homesite location. I was grateful that I could be a part of their miracle.
We went to the Stoddard Tin Shop. We had previously met an Irish couple and had taken them on a couple of tours with us. This Irish couple acted as if they wanted to continue with us – so I invited them to come along. They got a kick out of inside family jokes – like Spencer being afraid if mice. I gave the history narration as usual and Lou did the presentation on how to make the tin pan.
We all – including the couple – went to the John Taylor home. I again did not cut any of the information about John Taylor as a prophet and witness of the Prophet Joseph Smith. We started the tour outside in the front of the house – since there was already a tour going on inside. I shared church stories of John – and also the final testimony of John of the Prophet Joseph. (I love reciting this!)
“i know that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God. I do not think it – I know it.” (One prophet testifying of another)
We all then went to the Print Shop. The couple again went with us – so they were with us in five different houses where Lou and I were the guides. At the print shop, Lou got all of the kids decked out in the printing outfits – and they all enjoyed this activity.
Sister Hunt and I gave the presentation to the family at the Riser Boot Shop and that was fun. Making shoes … A new Etsy opportuity!
OUR FINAL TIME AT THE MISSION HELLO-FAREWELL DINNER
We went Friday, September 26th to the Pageant building for the monthly hello-goodbye gathering. This was a happy sad evening. We took Lana and Spencer with us – though we were not sure if we could or should take them. It worked out okay, however, to have them there. There was plenty of food – as there always is at such events. A few people came and talked to Lana and Spencer and acted pleased that they were there. Sister Mehr later commented on the family and said that “we make beautiful children”.
The menu of the night was lasagna, salad, bread and desserts. They had about eight serving tables set up and this made the food line go smoothly. We sat at the end of one table and no one sat near us.
After the meal the MC (whom neither Lou nor I knew who he was) called upon all new couples to stand and be acknowledged. He then had departing young sister missionaries stand. The Temple missionaries were present with us. About fifteen of these couples are departing in October as the Temple closes for two weeks. He then called forward the folks who were in our MTC group – all 13 couples. We took several photos.
It hardly seemed possible that we could be going home. Where did that time go? It seems that we just arrived here. Then the chorister led the group in two versions of the “Farewell Nauvoo” song. Lou shed a few tears during these songs. I was saddened but maintained my emotions.
On the way home I noted that it appeared that the Zion’s Mercantile store was still open. It was right at 8:00 PM. We did not know if it was open so I parked the car and went over to check it out. I went in and asked if they were still open. A guy said, “We can be …” so I motioned for the family to come over. The Allred family enjoyed browsing the place – as I knew that they would. They bought several items. Lana also bought us a blue china plate – a replica of the one commissioned by Lucius Scovil when on his mission to England.
I had hoped to see Brian Christiansen, the owner of much of Nauvoo – and a friend of ours – to say goodbye to him. His son-in-law said that he was probably at the Fireside BBQ place located next door. We walked over there and could see him inside but the place was locked. He later showed up at the Mercantile. It was great to see him. I had hoped to see him once more before our departure.
Above: Brian Christiansen of Zion’s Mercantile with Lana’s children
Brian came in with six or so people and was preparing to take them on a tour of his “Tomb of Joseph” museum downstairs. When he learned that we had visiting family, he invited us to join his tour. This was good – since we had told Lana and Spencer that they should go down there to check out the place. We have been through this tour many times before but it was fun to be there with Lana and Spencer. We had to laugh at how Brian harassed Spencer. At one point he called him by name and asked him a question. Spencer was in his own world. Brian said, “Spencer … you are in the tour!” This was hilarious.
At this time, Keith and Kayla and their clan were progressing in their van toward Nauvoo. He last checked in with us about midnight. We prayed for them all along their way.
The next day, Lana and family went on their own (as we worked at the Weeks home) and saw many more homes. We took them to the Stonecutter’s Lodge (part of the Temple City tour where we were. The kids loved cutting and chipping on the limestone – as if it was for the temple. And then they headed off for the airport and their return trip to Idaho.
Keith and family continued their travel all of that day toward Nauvoo. Lou tracked them all day. We were worried that they needed to stop to rest but they didn’t do much. Keith drove most of the time. Kaylea drove for only a short bit.
KEITH AND FAMILY MADE IT TO NAUVOO
We continued communication with Keith and Family as they traversed today to Albuquerque, New Mexico, to Texas, to Kansas, Missouri and then toward Nauvoo. About 11:30 Pm they predicted a 12:15 Am arrival. They got here about 12:45 AM. They had had a long drive. It took them 27 hours to get here from our town of Maricopa, Arizona. (And we will be making that trek – in reverse in just a couple of weeks … but we plan take it in three days – with two overnight stays en route.)
We gave the family a tour of our place. We got them set up to sleep downstairs. They seemed to be okay with the accommodations. The only trauma was a moth that found its way downstairs. The Keith kids are all paranoid about bugs. This is always so funny to watch them go into a major panic over any bug.
By this time it was September 28th – Sunday. With all of the excitement of getting into the place and somewhat organized, we ended up being up until 1:45 AM. We were all ready for bed by that time.
DEATH OF OUR BELOVED PROPHET PRESIDENT RUSSELL M. NELSON
As we were engaged in the above, we received the message (not sure from whom) that our Prophet and Church President Russell M. Nelson had died. He died last night (September 27th) about 10 PM at his home, He had just had his 101st birthday on September 9th. He lived a long and wonderful life. He spent his early years as a medical heart surgeon – and pioneered the artificial heart. I read that he conducted about 5,000 surgeries before he became an Apostle 40 years ago.
President Nelson was our Prophet for about seven years. He was sustained in January of 2018. He implemented many changes to the church systems – including changing home teaching to ministering. He made the decision for the church to leave the Boy Scouts of America. Under his leadership, he announced about 150 new temples which have now been completed or are in various stages of development.
It is interesting that he died just a week before our General Church conference. So, this should be a really interesting week. I am not in charge but it would be my guess that the first presidency will be reorganized prior to the conference and that a solemn assembly might be held as a part of the conference.
Per long established pattern as set by the Lord Jesus Christ, the senior Apostle will become the next prophet. This means that President Dallin H. Oaks will become our new prophet. I have taught the succession process for a Prophet change – on every tour that I have presented in Joseph Smith’s Red Brick Store.
THE FUN BEGINS WITH KEITH AND FAMILY
We were asked to attend the Nauvoo Visitors’ Branch that Sunday. It would have been great to have been at our own missionary “ward” to hear final messages by young sisters and many senior couples – who are all leaving soon but I felt it our duty to go as requested to the Branch. We got there early enough to help set up chairs (6-7 rows only) in the cultural hall.
Lou had a very difficult time the night before (after Keith had arrived). Late evening, she developed a bad case of Vertigo – a situation where the body gets “off balance” and she said she had a spinning sensation. She tried to do various exercises that she found on-line relative to the situation. As I went to sleep, she was battling the trauma and was not in a good way. She was distressed again this morning and did not feel well. After the chair thing, I asked Elder Burr to help me give her a priesthood blessing. I was grateful for his assistance – and also that we had the power from the Lord Jesus Christ to perform such an ordinance.
Keith and family remained at home. Keith greatly needed sleep after his long driving ordeal. But soon after we returned home, they were up for touring. We first took them to the Visitors’ Center where we showed them the introductory movie, “Remembering Nauvoo”.
We then drove out to the Carthage Jail. Keith had me drive his vehicle and he and Kayla sat in the very back of their large van.
Sister Christine Graham presented a great Carthage Jail tour to us. She was joined by Elder Graham later on. Both of them gave good tours. Sadly, our tour was probably the last tour that Elder and Sister Graham will give on their mission. Sad!
Above: Elder and Sister Hunt with son Keith anf family at the Carthage Jail
The next morning, we went to the horse barns to watch the Teamsters bring the horses in for their grain. This is always so fun to watch. The Teamsters were on a reduced crew today. All of the men who came from the MTC with us were not there. Only Elder Ward was there to assist them. Our family loved watching the horse action. The horse John revolted and caused a scene.
Two teamsters invited our family over to have prayer with them and the horses as they prepared for their day. This was great for Keith and family to be a part of this.
The same teamsters invited our family to go on the “bonus ride” from the barn to the wagon barn located behind the Scovil Bakery. Lou drove our car and went home and got Elsie. I drove Keith’s van but first went to the Visitors’ Center to get tickets for the “Book of Mormon” show (not that name) later at the 70’s Hall.
We went to the South Visitors’ Center to watch the “Songs of Zion” musical program staged by the Nauvoo Performing Missionaries. This is such a great program. Several of the YPM’s took a lot of individual time with Keith’s kids. They talked with them, learned their names, and challenged them to do good things. I was really proud of Elder Mersed, Peterson, and others. They were terrific.
Elder Mercer learned of Eliza’s name and he started calling her “Eliza R. Snow”. Our Eliza really liked this.
We had thought to go to the Joseph Smith properties but Elder Mercer suggested that we go hear the “Youth of Zion” performance – held in the back yard of the Heber C. Kimball home. We had never seen this performance. As we arrived, Elder Mercer said loudly, “Hey, here is Eliza R. Snow”. (So great!). He also called our Emerson “Ralph Waldo Emerson”.
Elder Mercer went to a nearby giant tree with gigantic leaves. He brought one of the large leaves from the tree and presented it to our Eliza with the suggestion that it could be an umbrella to shade her for the sun. Such a funny guy!
The performance was fabulous. It talked of youth organizations here in old Nauvoo. After the show, we visited with Elder Wells). He was totally amazed at the brick story of Lou and Keith (as engineer of the new Temple Brick). It was fun to visit with him.
We went to the Sunset stage for the “Sunset by the Mississippi” song and dance program. We took Keith and company to the side of the stage where part of the very old stage is still kind of visible. We got Keith and family to get the traditional Hunt family pose on the bridge (in descending order from oldest to youngest – top down to bottom.)
Above: Keith and family at “City of Joseph” bridge
Above: Kevin and Lou Hunt and clan on Stage Bridge – “City of Joseph” Pageant cast 1997
The Elders came and talked to our kids – and Elder Mercer got excited with he saw “Eliza R. Snow” before the show.
The show was wonderful, as usual. Our group seemed to love it. The performers even got Stetson, Jackson, Weston, Eliza, and Everly to go onto the stage for the children’s addition to the show. Lou and I enjoyed visiting with Elder Moody. I think that this guy looks and acts like our Grant Roller.
As ever, the show was wonderful. I enjoyed watching the various performers – and especially since we have come to know many of the men (mainly from their interaction with our kids today).
After the show, Elder Mercer rolled around, danced, and played with about 15 kids. Many of our kids were in this group. We visited with the little Elder Ellis (from Salem, Utah) came and talked with us. We had good conversation. He talked of Elder Mercer entertaining the kids and said, “I don’t know how he does that … it is a spiritual gift”.
At Keith’s suggestion, we took the family up to the Temple (“to see it”). Sadly, we found all of the gates locked and so we were not able to get into the grounds. (it was only 8:00 PM). We took may group photos taken in various poses. Keith learned a new trick or photo skill today. He used a function called “Add Me”. With this he can take a group photo, then one of just him – and he can get the photo to show him as if he was in the original photo. This created a professional “selfie” view.
We took the family to the Brickyard.
Keith was anxious to go there. When he was just nine years or so of age, he spent a couple of weeks working with his grandpa Belcher at his brickyard that he had established at the “This is the Place” monument in Salt lake City. And of course he was the engineer who created the CAD files for the development of the new Temple bricks. He was invested!
Above: Sister Lou Hunt and Keith Hunt examining the new Temple brick that he helped to engineer (also Elder Dennis Jones)
Above: Keith and Lou Hunt displaying new gas kiln
We liked seeing the new gas kiln. There were FM missionaries there trying to get the gas line installed. We took several photos reminiscent of the Belcher legacy. We learned from Elder Rieske that Elder Jackson (new) will now become the coordinator for the brick yard. The Rieskes extended for a month to shepherd getting the new kiln in. He also said that the new Temple Brick began to be given out yesterday at the Visitors’ Center. This all made this day a very historic moment.
Later that day, Keith kind of wanted to get Temple photos in the day time. We were there the night before – so we were limited in what we could photographs. We had fun there. Eliza wanted the task of organizing and posing all of us for photos. She had fun and got some good photos.
We could tell that the sunset was going to be amazing so we hurried to the beach at the end of Parley Street. We got some great sunset photos and of the people in various poses in the sunset.
I later shared some history stuff with Keith on various subjects. He is interested in this stuff.
I prepared a bunch of boxes to be sent home with Keith. He said that he has a lot of space in his big van. This will be a very major help to us. We would otherwise be very cramped for space.
Last night most of the kids (like six of the eight) ended up sleeping upstairs (in our very tiny living room) with the folks. They are all afraid of any and all bugs and they thought that they might have an invasion of them downstairs. So, the folks pulled one over on the kids. They made their own beds downstairs (alone) and left the children upstairs. So funny!
The next morning (October 1st) Kayla worked on their vehicle – to give it a cleaning for their return trip home. Keith got some good sleep. This was good – since they will likely drive straight through the 27 hours.
Kayla saved quite a bit of space in the back of their van. They had more stuff but they had room for about a dozen of our boxes. This was a very major blessing for us. We have known that we were overstretched with junk to get home. Lou has been quite worried about the situation. I loaded the boxes into their van and got everything in that I wanted to send. This timely help will make it possible for us to get the rest of our stuff (I think) into our van. I gave Keith $200 for gas for the way home – and in gratitude for him taking our stuff home. a GREAT investment!
We went to the visitors’ center so that Lou could take a photo of Keith with the new Temple brick. Elder Rieske said that they put the new ones there yesterday.
Above: Sister Lou Dene Belcher Hunt and Keith Hunt – co-designers of the new Nauvoo Temple Brick 2025
Keith also wanted to go to the sewing room – on Lou’s recommendation. As Keith and Lou came back to the cars, Keith came to me and said that Easton really wanted to say goodbye to the Nauvoo Performing Missionaries – who have become friends to all of the family. This was a great but surprising request of the shy and quiet Easton. I looked at the NPM schedule and saw that they were to come to the visitors’ center for their “Remembering Joseph” production that was set to start in 25 minutes. I said that the NPM’s would arrive soon.
We started for the Sewing Center. As we were rounding the corner onto Young Street, we saw one of the NPM vans coming around the opposite way. I got them stopped and said that our kids wanted to say good-bye to the NPM’s. We made a U-turn and headed back to the center parking lot. We pulled up and all of the kids piled out as the missionaries did likewise. Elder Mercer remembered the names of all of Keith’s kids. Again he called Eliza “Eliza R. Snow”. She was all smiles. We got some good photos of our kids posed with many (but not all) of the NPM’s that we have associated with the past couple of days.
Above: Keith and Family saying good-bye to their Nauvoo Performing Missionary friends
We then went to the sewing center. Sister Roxanne Beauregard, the head of the sewing center, graciously took our kids on a tour of the place. Everyone was in awe of the place and what they produce there. Sister B. was great with the kids. She also gave them each some candy – at the end of the tour.
And then they were off … heading back to Arizona.
OUR EXIT INTERVIEW WITH PRESIDENT AND SISTER MEHR
Keith and family headed for Arizona and we went to our home. Lou and I had to scurry around to vacuum and put some stuff away – to tidy up the house. We expected President and Sister Mehr to arrive at 2:00 PM at our place – for our exit interview. We didn’t have a lot of time but we got the place looking good.
As the Mehrs arrived, we talked of Keith. We had hoped to get the two of them together. We called Keith on the phone and the two talked for a few minutes. President Mehr thanked him for his work on the new Temple brick. Keith said that they were then at David’s Chamber eating their lunch (that Lou had packed for them). Keith had kind of wanted to go there – following a “City of Joseph” memory of going there to dig geodes when he was about nine years ago.
Above: Elder Kevin and Sister Lou Hunt (outsides) final photo with mission leaders President Daniel S. Mehr, II and Sister Rebecca Mehr October 1,2 025
We had a good visit with the Mehrs. He asked us what we will take home with us from Nauvoo and what we have learned here. The pres. has been wanting to receive the books that I have written here in Nauvoo and I thought that this transfer might happen today. Not so! He set a calendar reservation for October 12th to get with us again. That is the night before our departure for home.
We somehow got onto the subject of the fudge that Lou has made a few times for them. They both raved about Lou’s famous fudge. Lou then divulged her recipe: Heat a can of sweetened condensed milk and mix in a 12 ounce bag of chocolate chips until the chips are all melted. Then add nuts if desired. Cool, eat and enjoy. Sister Mehr was dumfounded to hear that the recipe was that simple. She said, “that is deceptively easy”.
We talked a bit about my books and I said that I am good at writing but not at all good at marketing and getting others to buy the books. He then told me what I need to do. He said, “You need to begin a podcast to share the history with people.”. He was serious. Sister Mehr said that I could call the show, “Greetings from Nauvoo.” President Mehr then imitated (very well) my “Greetings” – even getting my voice inflection perfect. So funny! (The young sister missionaries and many other folks all seem to enjoy my “Greetings!” It is my “trademark”. That has been my “word” since I was about age 12!)
We gave Pres. Mehr the Belcher brick poster that we made. We could not tell if he liked it or not, but he did ask me to send it to him digitally.
I gave Pres. Mehr a copy of my “Peter the Apostle” book and her a copy of my musical cantata. I also gave Pres. Mehr a list of my published books.
We had a phone conversation with Marinda – and then Lana. Both wanted to know about our visit with Keith and family. We talked momentarily with Grant and Elliot. Although we will have been home only two days, two or three weeks before this we had agreed to tend the seven children while the parents went on a date. In today’s call, Grant mentioned that we are to tend them on October 17th. I guess they are looking forward to it. Sadie reiterated the full routine that we do when the Roller children come to our place. It will be fun to get back into that groove with the grand kids.
We got a text from Keith at dinner time. They made it to Kansas City. While he was here, I loaned Keith a hat. He had forgotten one and he has to wear one always for sun protection. I pointed him up to my closet and my hat collection. I told him that he could pick any hat that he wanted to borrow. He found a soft brown felt-like hat – one that I really like. Then today he forgot to return the hat back to me.
In his message, Keith said that Jackson had said that he loved the hat and he wants to latch onto it. I wrote back and said, “Confession Time … I actually have another hat just like it … not sure how that happened.” I said maybe Jackson and I can wear the hat and be the same sometime. He wrote back, “Haha, even better”.
ALWAYS WILLING AND ANXIOUS TO ASSIST NEW FRIENDS WITH FAMILY HISTORY RESEARCH
The next day, October 2nd, Sister Hunt and I were scheduled to work at the Seventies Hall.
After we were both ready for the day, we called up a special broadcast prepared by President Dallin H. Oaks, our new prophet.
This program was in honor of President Russell M. Nelson. This was kind of like a funeral program. He talked as did President Jeffrey R. Holland, Elder Cook of the 70’s Presidency, Bishop Causse – the Presiding Bishop of the /church and a couple of ladies from General Presidencies. It was a wonderful presentation on the life of President Nelson. Everyone shared special memories of his love, care, knowing and loving everyone. He will be greatly missed. He left a wonderful and lasting legacy.
Lou and I served today at the Seventies Hall. We did not have to report until 10:00 AM. We went to the “winter site schedule” the day before. So, the sites open at 10 AM and close at 4 Pm. (It was 9 AM and 5 PM.)
At the beginning of the day a cable install worker came in his company truck. His name is Trenton Martin. He is a young guy about age 25. He was impressive. He needed to access the cable tower that was located within the horse corral – with the hot electric wire to keep horses inside the fences. I called Jessie at Facilities Maintenance and she sent Barant out to work with the folks.
As we were waiting, I talked with Trenton about Nauvoo and all that is available to guests here. He had no clue that there were so many homes and shops to see. He said it is cool that all of this history is here. Somehow this led to the topic of family history. He said that he has always been interested in family history but didn’t know how to do it. I said, “I can help you!” I asked him for the name of his Martin great grandfather and he even knew the name and that he lived around Galesburg, Illinois. I got the guy’s name – Paul Martin and I estimated his birth year at 1920.
I told Trenton to come in to see me before he left the job site. I went in and began researching the family line. I found enough information to help him to know that I had found his family. I told him that I would continue to research his family and would send him some information – but maybe not until after I return from my mission. He gave me his e-mail address and phone or text number.
I continued to work on his research and found quite a bit of information. This was a fun diversion from my usual history research of the moment.
I told Trent that I would continue to work at researching his family lines but that I would be going home in just a couple of weeks. I told him that after I got home and things have settled down a bit, I would again take up his research. I promised to send him more information. And true to my work, I did this. I researched on his family for a couple of weeks and then created a package of 160 plus research documents, a pedigree chart and more. It was all great, but I was especially happy to send him a special gift. This was a 6-generation pedigree chart – with every name filled it. Wow!
THE BOOK OF MORMON
That same day at the 70’s Hall, at 3:00 Pm, we hosted the men of the Nauvoo Performing Missionaries. These were all of the guys that we became close to with Keith and family. It was fun to connect with them again as friends. We again got to experience their performance of “The Spirit of God” – about The Book of Mormon.
Two days previous, Elder Mersed connected with Eliza as noted above. And yesterday (just before Keith and family left for home) we took Keith and family to the missionary Deseret Industries unit in the mail room. Some of the family members found something that they wanted to keep and Lou let them. Eliza was drawn to a blue Book of Mormon. Lou noted her selection, but also that it was in Spanish. Lou found an English version (already marked) and traded her books.
Today in the “Book of Mormon” program, Elder Mersed held up a blue Book of Mormon at the end of the program. As we saw him hold up the Book, it hit Lou and me at the same time that this is why Eliza wanted the Book – because she had a connection with Elder Mersed and remembered him holding it up. Wow! It will be interesting to track the future of this book with the family.
We shared this story with Elder Mersed and it made him very happy. He could not believe it. It was all kind of cool.
UNPLANNED EXCITEMENT AT HOME AND IN OUR RETURN PREPARATIONS
Mike noticed a couple of weeks ago that there is evidence of termites in our home in Maricopa. They have a friend in their ward who treats for these pests. Mike and this Brother Hoffman went to the place tonight and they found much evidence of termites. This was not at all good news. We received an estimate from Sister Hoffman and it said that it would cost $630 to complete the eradication – with a 2-year warranty. I hate to spend that kind of money but I guess we do not have a choice in the matter. They discounted the price to $630 from $840. I was grateful for this.
We also had to buy new front tires for our vehicle – and then this led to an alignment. These things all added some challenge to our financial situation.
KEITH’S TRIP HOME
It was Friday, October 3rd. We tracked Keith and family along their travel way home. The last Lou heard from him (as she made her frequent calls) was about 7 PM our time and he said that they had about four more hours of driving time from Show Low where they were – and to their/our Maricopa home. He is crazy to drive that far going straight through. They did stop a couple of times for food – and even for two or three hours at a truck stop along the way.
We called Keith as we were getting into bed. We helped to “talk him home”. We talked to him to help keep him awake. We talked as he was from Apache Junction clear home. He told us that he fell asleep momentarily at one point and swerved over into the ongoing traffic. It was a miracle that he did not have an accident. We know that the Lord protected him because of the prayers of family members. We were grateful that he and all of the family members were spared alive.
We served that day at the Browning home and gun shop. On one tour we hosted a guy named Weech – from Surprise, Arizona. I told him that my parents used to live by a Weech family on Greenfield Road in Mesa/Gilbert. We determined that these folks are his grandparents. We were both amazed.
A SPECIAL NIGHT OUT
That evening we went and ate at the ritzy Hotel Nauvoo. I have known of this place for years. I ate there once – maybe twice – as a young missionary. (And BTW … I just read in my 1975 journal and the buffet cost then was $7.50) We ate there once when we were here for the pageant. We have kind of wanted to try the place but we heard that it cost $86 for two people. We have felt that this cost was way out of our budget and interest. Lana got wind of this desire and surprised us with a $100 gift certificate to the place. I am grateful for her kindness to us but in taking it, I feel as if we are robbing the “widow’s mite”. I know money is kind of hard to come by for her and them.
The place says that it was built in 1840. They brag about their dinner and salad buffet (cost of $30). The salad bar is about like the one in Keokuk but more expensive. The main dish options were not anything special. We decided that the bill pays for the ambiance of the place. The place really is decorated elegantly. It was a wonderful night out!
By October 4th, I had been spending every free moment (when not on tours with our family) trying to complete the history for the July mission history/news.
I sent the file to Sister Mehr for review at 5:23 PM and she sent it back to me as approved at 10:03 PM on the same day. Wow! I wrote to her and said that if the old saying is true that “a picture says a thousand words, then this speaks volumes” (because of the plethora of photos contained in it. She wrote back, “Elder Hunt, this looks really great. Love it! It’s great to send in.”
Sister Mehr also said, “I have to tell you about Elder Jackson, a new site missionary – he was wondering where all of this great information has been coming from … that just shows up in his email, and he gets to read all about Nauvoo and the history. He is thrilled! Thanks for all your amazing work.” Wow … nice!
We served that day at Joseph Smith’s Red Brick Store. Sister Hunt forgot her notes for the store and had to go back for them. This left me outside (not being able to be alone with the ladies inside). I noted that there were a lot of bugs, spider webs, and other bug stuff on and around all of the windows and doors of the Store. I got the broom and swept down all of the store front (that I could reach). The place was greatly improved after my efforts. I also swept all of the walks around the place.
We received our first group about 11 Am and this was 8. Included with the group was the Halblieb family from the Santa Cruz Ward in Maricopa. They used to be in the same ward as Marinda and Mike but also know Rusty and Fabriza. We took them on a tour earlier this week. A great family.
The folks were not on our tour but I enjoyed visiting with a guy named Eric Wheelright and his teen son, Blake. I asked him about Nauvoo ancestors. He mentioned that he has Rawson relatives. I said, “Let’s do ‘Relatives around Me”. I predicted that we would be 3rd cousins and we found that we are fourth cousins once removed. He was a great guy and I enjoyed visiting with him and telling him where our Rawson ancestors lived – across the street from the horse barns. He got excited with this information.
Today was a bit traumatic – since it was our last scheduled tour of our mission – but it was great that it was at Joseph’s Red Brick store – one of my favorite places and tours. It may not be our final tour, however, since we may give tours next week to Kaylea and Rusty and families. This is all very sad! Where has that time gone?
While at the Store, I worked to clear the name of our former neighbor, Silver Dills, for Temple work. She was our neighbor in Santa Paula, California and we loved her. Since she is not a relative, we had to wait until she turned age 110 in order to do her work. Today was the 110th anniversary of her birth – so I got her name cleared. I got her cleared for baptism work, endowment, and sealings to her parents and husband (divorced). This was exciting for us.
I wanted to do her work the next week. I wanted to do it while Kaylea is here but that will not work. They have only 9 and 10 AM baptism sessions on Tuesday and that doesn’t jive with their endowment times. We are planning to go to the Temple for an endowment session with Kaylea and JD. And Tuesday afternoon the temple is closed for the funeral of President Nelson.
In addition to the above, today was our church’s General Conference. We wanted to see and hear it but this was not really possible with our guests. We heard only a few minutes here and there. President Oaks conducted as the President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (which is now 14 since the First Presidency was dissolved at the death of President Nelson).
At the beginning of the first session – which we missed, Pres. Oaks talked of Pres. Nelson. He said that in honor of Pres. Nelson, they were going forward with the Conference schedule that he planned months ago. He also noted that he had requested other speakers to just give their planned talks – without extensive talking about Pres. Nelson (since that could occupy the whole conference. Plus, Conference talks are written weeks in advance for language translation, etc.).
We really did not hear any of the conference. Sad! We will have to try to listen to the sessions later.
WE WELCOMED KAYLEA AND JD
Kaylea and JD were to fly to us today. The plan was for them to get on a United Airlines flight from Salt Lake City to Denver, Colorado. They boarded the plane and were ready to head out. Then they received news that planes cannot land in Denver (for some undisclosed reasons). This created trauma for Kaylea and JD. They were able to get a change of flight – to fly to Chicago instead of to Denver. Luckily there were two late flights that could take them from Chicago to Moline. There were more delays.
We headed out to go to Moline. We had hoped to eat at the little hamburger drive-in that is located east of the city of Dallas City. I was psyched up for food at this place and the atmosphere that it might provide (interesting milk shake flavors, etc.). We got there and sadly learned that the place had closed for good on September 14th. I hate to see family businesses close.
We got to the airport about 10:15 PM and learned that Kaylea and JD would not arrive until 11:30 PM. We found a quiet place – one of the few that was not right under an airport garage light. We there had a nap for an hour and this was very good. I needed the nap in order to make the drive home.
We went inside and met Kaylea and JD about 11:45 PM. We got there just as they were coming down the terminal. It was great to see them again. Sadly, with all of the airline stuff that was going on, their two suitcases did not catch up with them. We had to leave without them – and JD would spend most of the next day trying to track them between Salt Lake, Denver, Chicago and Moline. Kaylea was not real pleased – since all of her “cute” clothes and her big camera were in her lost suitcase.
The drive went okay and we visited en route home. We arrived home after 2:00 AM and did not get to bed until almost 3 AM. Not fun! We set up the air mattresses and got Kaylea and JD comfortable.
It was October 5th – a Sunday. It was also a day for our Church General Conference. Sadly we were not able to watch the conference sessions. We had Kaylea and JD with us and we needed or wanted to take them to various sites (since it is not everyday that one gets to Nauvoo). There was so much to see and homes to visit we needed to maximize our time with them.
We then went to the Visitors’ Center once again. We had previously acquired tickets to be a part of the “Love of the Savior” presentation staged by the Nauvoo Performing Missionaries (as their final production for this season). Lou and I were excited about this show as we had never seen it before. The show was absolutely fabulous. They sang many hymns and had good narration. The Spirit was very strong. I wish that I could remember specifically some of the hymns that they sang.
I especially enjoyed the final song sung by Elder Logan O’Donnell. I love his voice. Later that night, Elder O played the role of Brigham in one of the Trail of Hope vignettes. Quoting Brigham, he said, “Let the fire of the covenant burn in you …” He was amazing.
We happened to sit right in front of President and Sister Mehr. We were happy to introduce them to Kaylea and JD. They had a good conversation – starting to talk about the new bricks and the role of Kaylea and JD relative to the development of the new design.
Right after the program we headed off toward Carthage. We were anxious to take Kaylea and JD there. I had failed to remember that the schedule of the day reverted to winter hours – and that tours would end at 4 PM. Luckily we arrived there about 3:35 PM. We had Elder James and Sister Duthie as our guides there. They team tagged the tour and they were really amazing. I think that they gave the best tour I have heard at Carthage (at least in recent times). They did an excellent job and they spoke with the power of the Spirit.
We went out to the courtyard and were pleased to visit with sister Torri Sanders. Lou was pleased to introduce her to our Kaylea – whom they had talked about before.
I realized that Sister Duthie’s maiden name is Lisonbee and that she is related to Reed Lisonbee – whom Kaylea dated for some time. I mentioned this connection and Kaylea and Sister Duthie had fun reminiscing about Reed and him coming to Carthage with Kaylea back in 2002.
Above: Kaylea Stoddard with Sister Duthie
After the tour ended, we went back into the center. Elder Duthie was there listening to the final conference talk of President Oaks. We joined him for the last part of the talk.
Above: Watching General Conferenmce from the Carthage Jail … surreal!
We did go to the Trail of Hope. This was their last such presentation (and the last of any of their presentations this season. All of the Nauvoo Performing Missionaries leave for home on Tuesday. A sad day when they depart.
Kaylea and JD tried all day long to connect with the Moline airport and United Airlines but had no success in getting their suitcases brought to them in Nauvoo. Late in the afternoon, they got confirmation that the two bags had arrived in Moline (separate flights). The suitcases were being held in the secured area for the airline. Kaylea really wanted her clothing and camera from her suitcase.
We decided that it would be best to make the 100-mile (one way) trek back to the airport. Just the thought of this was quite traumatic – since we were all very tired after the very late night last night. We went home and ate a quick dinner. We then headed out. We got out as far as the Pageant Building and Kaylea realized that she didn’t have her ID and she was in a panic thinking that they would be required to get the luggage. So, we turned around and headed back to our home for her identification.
I drove to the airport but was very tired as I did so. It was hard to stay awake but I somehow was able to do so.
As we got to the airport, Kaylea and JD went inside. They could find any worker there to get the luggage to them. Lou and I went and parked in the long term parking lot and walked in to the terminal. As we got to them, they saw a worker who was able to assist them. I was so tired that I could not drive home. I let J.D. do the return drive home. I mostly slept – and this was good.
It was about 1:00 AM when we got home. This was way too late after several late nights.
In spite of the late night the night before, we took Kaylea and JD to see the Teamsters. Lou and I went to the brickyard. The activity of the day was the moving of the various furniture” elements of the place into a new configuration – in order to accommodate the new large kiln.
Above: Brick room redo with new gas brick kiln at right. (Pug mill at left)
I guess the kiln specs say that there has to be a 3’ space all around the structure. This meant that all of the shelves and tables needed to be rearranged also. There was not much for me to do. There were a half dozen men there from the Facilities Maintenance operation. They had things well under control. I took on the role of taking a bunch of photos to document the historic occasion and I enjoyed watching the men in action. I talked to a new Elder Spjut. He seemed quite sharp. I watched Elder Jackson- who will become the new coordinator for the brickyard after Elder Rieske departs at the end of the month.
We returned to the horse corrals. Kaylea, JD, and Lou all decided to ride with the teamsters to the wagon depot. I followed behind in our vehicle.
Just before they arrived, I received a phone call from Elder Lowe. He had the other two parts of the old brick old to give to me. He used the phrase, “I don’t know anything about this … I know nothing.” (That is also what President Mehr said.)
At Elder Lowe’s direction, I met him at the end of the FM weld and machine shop and he gave me the mold frame as well as the small piece called the “positive” – so now we have both the positive and the negative. I said to Elder Lowe, “Thanks for nothing!” He just smiled.
Later in the day We went back to the brickyard and showed Kaylea and JD the brick making processes. We could not demonstrate everything since the place has been dismantled for a while – and is just now getting setup once again.
JD helped Lou screw a plastic box shelf into the wall at the brickyard. In this box Lou put a copy of my book about the “Miracles of the New Nauvoo Temple Brick”. She was anxious to put this there for reference by future missionaries so that “the Belcher legacy” can be kept somewhat alive. (Otherwise after our departure there will be no future evidence of the Belcher legacy. We had hoped to get a few more things going to maintain the legacy – but this didn’t happen (since the local historians do not seem to be in favor of anything. And our buddy Susan – the regional communications lady is not into the bricks at all.) Lou also posted a laminated poster about the Brick process and the legacy.
Above: Belcher and Nauvoo Brick information poster (left center) posted on the wall at the Brickyard
We put these items there since the historians do not monitor what goes on in the brickyard – since it is secluded and unseen by our guests. So, we did our best to install just a bit of history in the place. It was also fun earlier to document the new design of the brick-making facility.
On Tuesday, October 7th, I recorded: “Wow! What a busy day! We really packed it in.” We could say that about every day that we spent with our families.
We began the day with a trip to the Temple for an endowment session. It was a great experience to take Kaylea and JD to the fabulous Nauvoo Temple. It is such a beautiful place!
After the session we took Kaylea and JD into the hallway at the left of the main entrance. We saw the sword that belonged to James Allred – an ancestor of Spencer. This sword was given to James in Carthage as he was there with Joseph and Hyrum.
We went to the Sunset Stage. We talked of parts of the old “City of Joseph” stage that kind of peek out of hidden corners. We took our traditional photos at the vine-covered bridge where we came out to enter the stage when in the production.
All of the sites closed today at noon for the funeral – so we had free reign of these places.
We went to the Visitors’ Center and joined a bunch of missionaries for the funeral of President Russell M. Nelson, our recently deceased prophet. The funeral was wonderful. President Oaks conducted. Speakers included a Nelson daughter and their only son (among nine daughters). It was fun to hear from Russell M. Nelson, Jr. He seemed like a great guy.
Then we heard from Sister Camille Johnson, the general Relief Society President, President Jeffrey R. Holland, President Henry B. Eyring, and then President Oaks. All were great talks and we learned much of the love, organization and accomplishments of President Nelson.
We took Kaylea and JD to the Print shop. Kaylea was anxious to go there – since she used to help in the printing of the newspaper in Bastrop, Texas. As we entered the door, we smelled a very strong natural gas smell. We determined that there was a gas leak from the downstairs gas furnace. We opened the doors on both sides of the building to let fresh air in and to try to air out the gas.
We also went to the Family Living Center. Kaylea was pleased there to see a demonstration of pottery making. She wants to start a pottery business.
I called President Preston and he was able to get Charles – the Brazilian A/C tech to come check out the problem. We spent quite a bit of time waiting for this situation to be taken care of. We gave much of the tour outside but Kaylea still got to see the printing stuff inside.
We then went to the Lucy Mack Smith home. We shared many photos of Verna and H Belcher as they served at this home (1979-1981) and Kaylea re-enacted many of these photos with Lou and me in the Belcher roles.
soster??????????
Above: Sister Belcher as Lucy Mack Smith
Above: Sister Lou Dene Belcher Hunt posing as Lucy Mack Smith just as her mother had back in 1979-1981
Later that night we were able to tell JD and Kaylea that we had shown them everything. Wow! We were exhausted after the very long – but wonderful day. It was great to be home.
Back at home, Kaylea and JD repacked their things. I helped JD learn how to use “My Nauvoo Relative” and he checked out all of his 58 or so ancestors – plus more folks on the various FamilySearch indexes. I handed Kaylea the two books of our Nauvoo ancestors. She really got into the autobiography of Elizabeth Jane Perkins and she read it aloud to us. She was really loving what she read.
A LONG AND BUSY DAY AT THE MOLINE AIRPORT
We got a very early start the morning of October 7th. I got up at 4:40 AM to shower and get ready to leave the house by 5:30 AM. I drove us to Moline – again. We are keeping that highway really hot this week!
We got to the airport about 7:45 – in plenty of time to get their luggage checked in. We watched them proceed through the security process. It was sad to see them leave. We have enjoyed the visit with them.
We needed to wait around the airport since Rusty and family were set to arrive about 12:15 PM. We decided to leave the airport. We went to a nearby McDonald’s fast food joint and ate breakfast. Everything on the menu had egg and cheese (not my favorites). I got a plain sausage biscuit.
We returned to the airport terminal. We both worked on our journal entries of the past few days. I typed full entries for Monday and Tuesday – both very BUSY DAYS. I was able to get caught up on my writing so this was very good. I finished this task about 11:30 AM.
RUSTY AND FAMILY ARRIVE TO BE WITH FOR OUR FINAL DAYS IN THE MISSION
Rusty, Fabriza, Sienna and Lucas arrived safely about 12:30 PM. This was good. They brought only one large piece of luggage.
They were very anxious to eat lunch at a nearby Olive Garden. This worked well – except that it kind of cut us close to get home. We all got the soup, salad, and bread sticks. I got a bean soup. The food was good (though cheesy Italian is not my favorite).
We needed to be home for a 4 PM appointment with President Mehr. We were all kind of monitoring the distance and estimated time. We got in some construction delays.
We called President Mehr and they came about 4:40 PM. The purpose of the visit was for the Mehrs to check out and receive the 20 or so books that I ordered for him (and an equal number for the Church History Department). It was fun to give him each book – with a brief explanation of what each was. We all enjoyed a fun visit with Pres. and Sister Mehr.
After the Mehrs left, we all walked over to the Joseph Smith properties. We showed the family the Nauvoo House (as created by Emma and Lewis Bidamon – not as the Lord planned it to be).
We talked of the burial grounds of Joseph, the emigrant landing place near the Homestead, and the normal Homestead tour.
Above: Rusty and family at Joseph Smith’s Homestead
Above: Rusty and family with Kevin and Lou at the Nauvoo Mansion House of Joseph and Emma Smith (reminiscent of the Kevin and Lou Hunt family in the same pose while in the “City of Joseph” pageant cast (Circa 1996-7)
We then went to the Mansion House.
Above: The Kevin and Lou Hunt Family at the Mansion House 1996-1997. Rusty is in green toward left end
We saw a family from Draper, Utah – the Wendtke family (dad, mom and recently returned missionary son) wandering around the Homestead. We invited them to join us for our family tour of the Mansion and they gratefully joined us. This made for a fun tour group.
We then took the other folks along with Rusty and family- and went to Joseph’s Red Brick Store. I felt that we gave a great tour there. This was a happy/sad occasion since it meant that this was our final tour of this – my favorite Nauvoo tour.
We then went to the Smith Family Cemetery. We had a quiet visit there.
FINAL PACKING FOR THE TRIP HOME
Lou and I continued to pack away some of our items. I packed my ties and bolo ties. Lou brought me a small suitcase and I packed all of my costume hats into this. This should protect them more than if I had them loose or in a plastic bag. Lou packed anything and everything into big vacuum-packed bags. It is a good thing that the sink was attached to the wall or it might have been packed!
Lou selected costume dresses for the rest of the week and I matched the outfits. We then separated all of the rest of the items for packing away in vacuum packs.
We emptied the small clothes rack that has held our costume clothes. We collected more items to be taken to the sewing room and to the missionary D.I. Later we made a trip to these places and got rid of a lot of items. We also returned a fan and a heater both to the FM offices. It was nice to see several items depart the place. Each such departure helps our own departure seem to come together more. We need the piles of stuff to diminish. We made a bit of progress.
We went to the Cultural Hall. There were no other missionaries there so we got to take our own tour. We invited a young family to join us. We found out that the guy’s is Troy Lunt. As we talked I realized that I used to work with his father, Larry – the veterinarian. I worked for them for several months. He thought that this was all very interesting.
On Friday, October 10th, our morning began at the print shop. The kids enjoyed getting dressed up in the printer outfits. Of course this was a good photo op.
We then went to the Taylor home. Fabriza was touched by the quote at the end- John’s testimony (written on the 10-year anniversary of the martyrdom) about Joseph Smith … and as I said, “One prophet testifying of another” at the end.
We also went to the post office. People always are amazed at the “crossing and recrossing your lines” – wherein one writes in one direction and then turns the page to write in the 90 degree page.
From the post office we went to the Temple. We had gone on the tours wearing Sunday clothes. Rusty baptized the two kids. Fabriza (in white clothes) was a witness. (Sienna witnessed for Lucas.) Lou and I were in Sunday clothes and witnesses from the opposite side of the font. Rusty then confirmed the two kids. We had a beautiful experience there. The spirit was strong. And it was wonderful to be there in that gorgeous Temple.
We went home to change into our costumes. We went to the Sarah Granger Kimball. I love this tour and the story of Sarah wanting to “donate” her son for the Temple construction.
We went to the brick yard and showed them the full process. It looks as if bricks are again being created. There was a hiatus while the electric kiln was removed and the gas kiln installed. Not sure if the gas connection is there yet.
We ended the day with activities at the Family Living Center – where they demonstrate craft and vocation skills that Elder Belcher began in the Coolidge House. Lou demonstrated the Belcher brick making and candle making. I taught them barrel and rope making, as well as bread making to Rusty (as Fabriza did something else).
We went home exhausted after the long and busy day.
Rusty took all of us to the Hotel Nauvoo to eat the salad and entrée buffet. Interesting that we had wanted all of our mission time to eat there – and then here we ate there twice within a week. The food was so-so, but the atmosphere made the dinner worth it. Jackie’s long-time friend, Tonia Smith came and visited with us. Lou later sent the photo to Jackie. (Hotel Nauvoo twice within as many weeks. Wow!)
The next day, We began the day with a self-guided trek down the Trail of Hope. We missed the Nauvoo Performing Missionaries and their wonderful little vignettes. (They all went home a few days before.) We took turns with all of us reading the various plaques. The plaques are from real people who made the pioneer exodus down Parley Street to go west. The experience was impactful to Rusty and family. It was a good experience for all of us.
Lucas has been wanting to play or whatever at the Mississippi River and he had fun there for a few minutes.
We then drove to Carthage to visit and experience the Carthage Jail where Joseph and Hyrum were killed. Young sisters presented the tour for us and they did a great job. All of the family members later said that this was their favorite and most spiritual tour.
On the way home we made a quick pass through the Camp Nauvoo where our family stayed when we were in the Nauvoo “City of Joseph Pageant” in 1996 and 1997. This brought back fun memories for Rusty, Lou and me.
We then went to eat at the Red Front Café. We saw Sister Morgan Squires, the owner. She was surprised and sad to learn that we will be leaving Nauvoo for home on Monday. We took some photos with her
.
Above: Morgan Squires of Red Front Cafe with Elder and Silster Hunt
We asked Fabriza if there was anything else that she wanted to see before their departure. I was surprised at her answer. She said that she wanted me to demonstrate bread making for her at the Family Living Center.
We then went to the Temple City tour. We showed them all three homes and the stone cutting pavilion. Lucas liked sawing the limestone. We went to the Temple Quarry located at the NORTH end of Main Street.
IT’S REALLY OVER! SO SAD!
We had an hour to spare before we needed to be home for dinner and departure to the airport. We had told Rusty and family that we had literally been to every one of the restored homes and shops. Wow! It has been a real effort but we did it. I asked the family what they wanted to do in the final hour. Fabriza wanted to return to the FLC for the break making demo. I nhad presented this earlier Rusty and Sienna.
Above: Elder Hunt demonstrating bread making to Fabriza
Sister Ramona Jones was there at this place. She surprised us by inviting us to dinner at their place tomorrow night. This was great. It was surprising since we really do not know these folks.
Our final tour was at the Wilford Woodruff home. We had four other people join us there for our tour. The tour went well. It was very sad as I realized that this was to be our final tour of our whole mission. I mentioned this to the family and they got out of the car to get a final tour photo with us. So sad … I can’t believe that the mission is really over.
Above: Elder and Sister Hunt took Rusty and family on a tour of the Wilford Woodruff home. Sadly, this was the very last – the final tour of our now completed mission.
We then headed off for the town of Moline and the Quad Cities Airport. I drove half of the way and let Rusty drive the rest. I was able to nap for a bit – getting strength and vitality to make the drive home. At the airport, we bit adieu to the family. We have all enjoyed our Nauvoo time together.
IT REALLY IS TIME TO HEAD HOME
We were in such a whirlwind of activity the last month that we hardly had time to catch our breath. We literally didn’t even have time to really think about our pending departure. But sadly, all good things must end. And such it was with us.
Eighteen months we had been in Nauvoo, and now it was time for us to depart.
I will plan to write a couple more final blogs. In one, we will share our reflections of what we accomplished on the mission and what it meant to us. And the other will talk about our homecoming activities with the family.
Sadly, things are beginning to wind down for us here in Nauvoo as our mission is rapidly coming to a close. We are down to “the last” of everything. And it is a bit traumatic.
Our coming plans and schedule is as follows:
TIME WITH OUR FAMILY
Our children have long planned to come to Nauvoo “sometime while we are here” but for various reasons, many procrastinated their visits to the end. We stand joyfully ready to welcome them – no matter when they come. We live in kind of a small place that is not overly conducive to a bunch of guests. So we told the family that they could not come at the same time as any of their siblings (though some wanted to) – simply because we did not have the space for them.
The children were obedient to the charge. Beginning September 23rd and continuing to October 11th, we have or will have had four families here. This with no overlap and with only two or three days when there as been no one here.
Lana and Spencer and four children (above) came from Idaho Falls, Idaho. They arrived on the 23rd of September and we had great times with them. They were with us until September 27th when they flew home. Then Keith and Kayla and their 8 children came the next day in their BMW (Big Mormon Wagon) – on September 28th and they were here until Wednesday October 1st. Talk about a houseful … that was it – with 8 children all in the basement of our place – until they saw a bug, however. And that is another story!
Above: Keith and family at the brickyard demonstration at the Family Living Cenbter
Kaylea and JD will arrive tonight (October 4th) late. We are to go pick them up at the Quad Cities airport in Moline (2 hours away!). We are excited about their arrival and time to be with them. We take them back to the airport on Wednesday – early morning on the 8th. We will then wait around Moline for about four hours and then we’ll greet Rusty and Fabriza and their two kids that afternoon. They will be here until Saturday October 11th late afternoon. How great!
PACKING UP AND CLEANING UP
There is a lot of work in the above five words. Packing … that has been an adventure! We are going through all of our “stuff” and are slowly getting it packed up. Having Keith and family here was a God-send. They truly were a blessing to us. They came in their big 15-passsenger van … and they traveled light this time. This meant that they were able to take home about a dozen boxes of our “stuff”. Wow! This saved us having to rent a U-haul for the return trip. (One of our MTC group friends had to do just that … their son brought the U-Haul to them from Montana to help them get home.) We were beginning to panic about our limited space and our abundance of “stuff’.
Above: Kevin and Lou Hunt “stuff” sent home with Keith
We were packed to the gills when we came to Nauvoo from Arizona but with the passage of time and the normal accumulation of extraneous “stuff”, things seem to have multiplied.
We have taken a plethora of “stuff” back to the missionary D.I. room – where people take and give unwanted but still good “stuff” for the use of other missionaries. Much of what we are returning is “stuff” that we originally “borrowed” from there. And it was nice while it lasted!
Above: One load of stuff taken to the missionary D.I. operation
We have both also gone through our costume clothes. We are keeping many of them for future reference (Rusty and Fabriza and Jackie) but there are many things that we are turning in for the future use of others. I took a whole bunch of pants that are not too in with the current “period”.
Sister Hunt has been most diligent in collecting anything and everything to bag up. This means that she puts a hundred items into a large plastic bag, uses the vacuum and sucks out all of the air and compresses everything down to a shriveled up mass that is way smaller than she started with. We now have those bags sitting around everywhere.
Above: Vacuum packed “stuff”
I have had to nail down my underwear and socks so that she does not get over-exuberant and I am left with nothing.
And then there is the cleaning …! That has been an interesting activity. The mission (from whom we rent our Simeon A. Dunn home from) has a long list of cleaning tasks to be done soon before departure of missionaries. This includes cleaning behind the fridge and stove, pulling all furniture out from the wall and vacuuming and cleaning trim boards, washing windows, … and the list goes on … and on … and on. We have been making great progress – since we got an early start – trying to finish it all before our family arrives.
FINAL ACTIVITIES TO PARTICIPATE IN
I talked about “the last of everything”. That is what we have been participating in.
We were released from all of our various callings and assignments. A special gathering was held for our Hyrum Zone and all of the zone and district leaders were released and new ones were put in place. Out with the old and in with the new!
Above: Final reunion gathering September 12, 2025 of the MTC group who all came out together April 1, 2024 –
We attended a final reunion gathering of our 13 MTC couples that we came out with. (The largest such MTC group that has come here while we have been here.) We had a fun dinner at the Family Living Center, and of course took advantage of every possible “photo op”.
By Mission tradition, we got to take a “final surrey ride” with our mission President Mehr and his wife. Elder and Sister Hart were with us for the excursion around old Nauvoo. And there were many cheering well-wishers who greeted us (many copying my standard, “GREETINGS!”) as they waved with great gusto. Such a fun activity. And of course, the trip was “happy-sad”. Can’t believe it is down to this!
On Friday the 26th, we attended the monthly welcome/farewell dinner for the mission. We welcomed a couple of new senior couples. Then they recognized about 30 of the young sisters who are leaving this month for their 6-month “outbound” missions elsewhere or to return home. Then they called up the 26th of us (13 couples) who are leaving within a week or 10 days of our October 1st release date.
The Mission Executive Secretary scheduled an “exit interview” with us and President and Sister Mehr. They came to our home for the visit. And they arrived only about a half hour after Keith and his clan of 10 departed. Talk about a scramble cleaning … that was it. But, we made it, and the place looked pretty clean after the whirlwind.
Above: Final ride – on the surrey – with President Daniel and Sister Rebecca Mehr – Teamster Elder Brett White, Kevin and Lou Hunt. Sister Selena and Elder Kevin Hart, Sister Rebecca and President Daniel S. Mehr
Per another mission traditiion, we created a farewell card to distribute to our many friends that we have made here. We found a cheaper way to make these than some folks but we are happy with it.
And today (October 4th) we are scheduled for our last service shift in “the sites”. I am pleased that the final shift will be in my favorite place – Joseph Smith’s Red Brick Store (because of the many sacred and special things that occurred there – and which we get to share with our guests). The day there will be interspersed with guests (who have decided to ditch General Conference to experience Nauvoo) and precious snippets of watching General Conference in the few moments when no one is with us. I hope that this will not be our final tour … we plan to bring Kaylea and Rusty and families here for a tour next week.
Food … we were able to send a bunch of our leftover food supply home with Keith and family for their future use. This was good. And we are now trying to clean out the fridge, freezer and cupboards with each meal. We are making progress but we are a far cry from “Old Mother Hubbard’s cupboard”.
WRITING AND WRITING MORE
Those who know me know that I am never at a loss for words – especially the written word. Thanks to all of you who have put up with me in this regard.
In these final weeks, there has been much to do as I have tried to finish up so many projects. I completed books about Church History study and travel in church sites in Missouri, Illinois, Iowa, and Nebraska. I was able to publish five new books on this subject.
President Mehr asked me to order two copies of all of the Nauvoo books. I received those and am looking forward to sharing them with him.
As the historians of the mission, we were delayed in getting the April history newsletter created (getting it through the many approval channels) so that set us back a bit. We have just finished and got clearance to publish up through July – so major progress is being made.
And there is my own personal blogging. You might have noted that these blogs have continued to come forth (even with the press of time and activity). I hope that you all have enjoyed them.
And although our mission is ending, that doesn’t mean that the blogs will come to a sudden and abrupt end. Not so! There are still many mission blogs left in me so I will continue to pursue all that I need and want to record (for my own record and a final book – if for no other reason). So, I will pursue this goal even posthumously (post mission) until those planned blogs are written. So stay tuned!
I also project a few more books. I see on the horizon:
The Hunt Family in Nauvoo
InNauvoo blogging with Kevin and Lou – Volume #3
A Photo book of Beautiful Nauvoo
2025 Mission History
GETTING THE VEHICLE (OUR WAGON) TRIP READY
Just like the pioneers, there has been much to do in getting our wagon outfitted and trip ready for the long journey. We got new tires installed on the front of the vehicle. This necessitated an alignment. We got a comprehensive oil change and fluid check. We have taken precautions to ensure a safe return trip home. Now we’ll pray for added safety and protection.
DEPARTURE AND THE TRIP HOME
Yes, and truly, “all good things must end”. And such is the case with us. Our official mission end date was to have been October 1st (since we entered the MTC on April 1st – 2024 … NO JOKE!). But family wanted to come here during their Arizona fall break. So, to accommodate them, we got en extension of a few days. As noted, Rusty and family will leave late on the 11th. We do not like to travel on Sundays so we asked for permission to remain here until the 13th – Monday. We will leave beautiful Nauvoo that morning.
We are not going to be like Mike and Keith – who pretty much drove straight through. (Keith drove for 27 hours full speed ahead coming here.) That would not be the plan for us old folks. We are going to take our time. We are planning to drive along the old Mormon Battalion Trail route through Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, New Mexico, etc. We plan to take it in three days – with two hotel stays along the way.
If you are keeping track of dates … that means that we are projecting a late afternoon or early evening arrival back at our home in Maricopa, Arizona on October 15th. Woot, Woot!
GETTING THE HOME READY FOR OUR RETURN
Our Larissa and Stu have been zealous in getting the place cleaned and ready for us. They stayed in our home for most of our mission (another great blessing … thank you) until they got in a panic and rented a home of their own. Another blessing!
Larissa and Stu have dogs … and such are not us. So, we let them keep our couches for their new place. And we bought a new set of couches and they have arrived and are ready for us – and our family and guests! (Come and enjoy them with us!)
We called Benjamin, our dedicated landscape guy and he came and did a thorough clean-up of our yard. That was before an Arizona storm that took down a couple of major branches off the front yard willow tree. We don’t know the status of those at present.
Mike made a routine visit to our home (thanks, Mike). And he noted that we have a healthy and hungry collection of termites! Are you kidding me? That is just what we needed at this moment. They had a friend in their ward who strives to eradicate such nuisances and they are scheduled to come to do their magic this week before we get home.
Larissa and Stu had their own WIFI company and they took that service with them. This means that we had to get our own new service. The new company is coming late this next week to do their install. Got to have that WIFI and internet connection … can’t live without it.
When we from our home, we jam-packed all of our household goods and “stuff” into two of our front bedrooms. These rooms are packed floor to ceiling. So, one of our first tasks will be to unpack these rooms. And paramount in that exercise will be to somehow have access enough to our own bed mattress – that is standing against the wall behind all of the packed “stuff”. Should be exciting. Maybe we will have to set up a tent in the back yard for the first couple of nights! We have spent much of our lives in tents – in the many Scout camps throught he years.
RETURNING TO THE HOME AND GRANDKIDS SCENES
With the grandparents gone for 18 months, our families are excited about our return. We already have a plethora of fun activities scheduled with many of the families, including trips to see out-of-towners, etc. We will jump into a full schedule.
Mike and Marinda have missed having us as babysitters – though their siblings have stepped up to the plate to help each other in our absence. Each of them has missed their date nights with the grands in our care. We have set an early date for Mike and Marinda for the 17th. Grant has been particularly excited about this and knows the date well. Each time we call, he mentions the 17th and how we are going to “tend them”. And Sadie, always the organizer, knows well our full routine for tending experiences which we have when we have the grands over. She knows the exact order of each “traditional activity”. So, we’ll have to get back into that routine that they (and we) have missed over these past months. And there are sports and other events that we will get into right away. Fun times ahead!
MISSION HOMECOMING AND REUNION ACTIVITIES
Our stake is having stake conference and we are getting a new stake presidency the weekend after we return. So, we arranged with our Bishop to have our homecoming meeting the following Sunday. We will have most of our family there with us for many reunion activities – and for the formal church meeting.
Our mission “homecoming” – report meeting – will be held Sunday, October 26th at 1:00 PM at the Maricopa Stake Center – located at 37280 W Bowlin Road in Maricopa.
You all invited to join us for the church gathering. If you send us an advance RSVP request, we would also welcome you for a group dinner afterwards.
Well, how is that for a flurry of activities? Much has been accomplished, but there yet remains much to do. I had better close and get on with it. (And don’t count our mission as done yet!) You will continue to hear from me/us!
Thanks to all of you for your interest, your support, and your prayers on our behalf as we have served here for the past 18 months. It has been such a grand adventure and blessing. The Lord has truly taken care of us, provided for us, and has given us almost daily new “Nauvoo Miracles”. It has been a great blessing to have served here in old Nauvoo! So many special memories.
One of my favorite scriptures is appropriate here:
From the Bible: 2 John Verse 12: “Having many things to write unto you, I would not write with paper and ink (I’ll use the computer), but I trust to come unto you, and speak face to face, that our joy may be full.”
Still on the Nauvoo trail but making the exodus west (like true pioneers) soon.
There is a scripture in the Doctrine and Covenants that says that “There are many called but few are Chosen” (D&C 121:34). Years ago, a friend and a cousin both went on a mission to Sweden. They paraphrased that verse to define Sweden – as the land where “Many are chilled, but few are frozen.” I can really relate to that here in Nauvoo. The chill is here, but we are not yet frozen, And we thank God!
The weather outside is frightful
We all remember the Christmas tune that says, “The Weather Outside is Frightful”. And we have found that this can be the case here in Nauvoo. Next week, our forecast shows aa low of 10 degrees on Wednesday, January 15 as the low temperature and high temps will be in the mid 30’s. Brrr!
In spite of those lows, however, Sister Hunt and I feel as if the Lord has “shielded” us from those temps (like the people in The Book of Mormon – In Mosiah 24:15 – where the burdens of the people were made light – even though they still had the burdens). We have been truly blessed.
We are counting the days for winter to be history. We have noted and thought that winter could go here from October 1 to the end of March. That means that we are already three and a half months into it. And likely, we will have only two more months of cold and snow. Can’t wait!
The Lord has sent His snows
It could have been worse, but we have only had five snow storms while we’ve been here. A couple of weeks ago, the weatherman predicted very heavy snow – perhaps the worst storm in a decade or more. This put us all in a panic. The Facilities Maintenance personnel put out a full-alarm bulletin about the coming storm and how they planned to manage their snow plowing. In this bulletin, they noted that their FM teams would plow and shovel the sidewalks up to the fence of each of the restored homes. And they stated that the walks inside of the fences (between the fences and the restored homes) would be the responsibility of the site coordinators.
Several times the weather report projected snow and the time for the arrival for the ominous storm kept getting pushed back further. Gratefully, that predicted snow never came. Wow! Hard to believe. We were braced for the worst in our community but we let out a sigh of relief and thanks when we got nothing.
Sister Hunt and I are the assigned Site Coordinators for the Joseph Smith properties. These include the Homestead, the Mansion House and the Bidamon structure. And in case you have not been here, that means a great deal of sidewalks for us to keep clear.
This means that on the day that the snow shows up, we have to high-tail it over there to do our job. It is convenient that the Joseph properties are only a couple of small blocks away. We can see the Mansion House diagonally right from our back door!
Snow shoveling 101 …
Being an Arizona Desert Rat, I’ve had to learn some new terminology. One brother was saying, “It is too bad that we can’t use this tool (and he said the name of it).” I said, “Hold on, you lost me on that one. Being from the Arizona Desert, I have never heard of that.” He looked at me in disbelief – as if I was from Mars. (And it sounded bad … I don’t know that I really wanted to know what it was …!)
Luckily, most of our snows so far have been about 1” in depth. One storm required a shovel – or so I thought. The rest have been an inch or two. And interestingly enough, the snow has all been light and fluffy – not iced or heavy snows. So, this means that I have not needed a shovel – and that I could use a broom to just sweep off the snow.
I have learned that it is important after a snow, to get out there as soon as it stops to sweep the snow. (I guess I would have to go out there two or three times in a given storm – if the duration and accumulation demanded it.) Anyway, if you sweep immediately – before you step on the snow, it comes right off easily. However, if you step on it – like on the steps or the walks first, you compress the snow to the point that it clings mightily to the sidewalk, and it is nearly impossible to sweep it off. (And then there is danger that it can become an ice patch). And once swept, the walks will respond nicely with the rays of sunshine when it comes later. With a bit of sun, the walks will be clear and nice – even though there will still be snow all around the surrounding area.
For many years, I was employed as a corporate claims manager for several large corporations. One of those was Megafoods – then a giant grocery chain. I often went to all corners of the Mega world and gave safety and claims management training for the store managers. Part of my role was to keep the cost of claims as low as possible – after an accident occurred. To get the attention of the managers, I would pose the simple question, “What is the cost of grapes in your stores?” I would get answers like 39 Cents or $1.69 per pound. Everyone would try to impress us with their best prices.
Then I would say, “Well, let me tell you the real cost of grapes.” (Grapes and slip and falls from them were the greatest or worst cause of store accidents.) I would then tell them about one grape (on the floor) accident that caused someone to slip and it cost the company $150,000 or more. I would share a few more such cases. And by then, I had their full attention!
So, being a former claims management guy, I knew how deadly ice on steps or walks could be. And I didn’t want to be the cause of an accident at Joseph’s properties. I knew too, that the Joseph Smith sites are currently our most popular sites for tours – since they are new to our church.
Conveniently, the weatherman often tells us when the sweeping should begin. The other morning, as I arose, I checked the weather report first thing as I got dressed. It said, “Snow stopping in 30 minutes!” What? We got snow? I dashed to the window and threw open the blinds, and sure enough, there was some of the white stuff all over the ground. I then knew what I would be doing for the morning.
I proceeded to get ready for the day and again checked the weather. The snow forecast had been extended to 44 minutes. I told Sister Hunt that we would need to leave by 9:00 AM to go shovel snow for Joseph Smith. On that day, we were the first missionaries in the “queue” so we knew that we would need to be ready to serve by 10:00 AM. And as predicted, the snow did stop almost exactly according to schedule. As Sister Hunt “did her hair”, I donned my best snow and cold gear and went to work on the walks of our Simeon Dunn home – both front and back. Again, the snow was light and fluffy and it responded well to sweeping.
Snow gear side note … On a recent trip to Quincy, Sister Hunt, of course, wanted to make a Goodwill store stop. She found some snow boots for her – complete with a former wasp nest of mud in the toe of one. She looked for some boots for me and found none. We checked out and were about to leave. We both looked in the special glass case for the more valuable treasures. And there was the pair of boots that I needed and wanted. The boots were beautiful in their red and black. We stepped back for a second look – both fearing that the boots would be exorbitant in cost. But Voila! The boots were just the right size and they were wonderful. The beauties were only $11. Wow. Such a deal! Sold!
Together, Sister Hunt and I went to Joseph’s places and we swept all of the walkways. I began by making a swath through the middle of the sidewalk that runs from the parking lot over to the Bidamon structure.
Sister Hunt followed me and she swept the snow off of the sides – to fully expose or clear the whole walkway. I then swept the stairs going up to the place. Lou then made a two-foot swath all of the way west to the steps of the Homestead. I then swept the steps and the rails – that lead up to the sidewalks – already cleared by the FM folks. (I guess snow plows don’t work really well on stairs!)
Then I made another swath in the middle and around the whole south exterior of the Homestead – going clear over to the headstone marker of the graves of Joseph, Emma and Hyrum. And Lou continued to sweep snow to the sides. I then proceeded back to the sidewalk – already plowed by FM. There were still many splotches that they missed so the walks needed to be done again.
I continued all of the walks over to Joseph and Emma’s Mansion House. I swept the long walk from the road up to the house on the west side of the place and then did the same on the south side. This whole process took just over an hour for the three houses. And we finished it all in time to run home to get into our costumes to be prepared for a possible tour of the day.
Sweeping and Cleaning for Joseph and Emma
Again, as a part of our site coordinator duties, we are responsible for cleaning each of the Smith properties inside. This is actually an enjoyable activity – since we both feel that we are directly serving Joseph and Emma (and obviously their guests who come to “see” and “hear” of them). We achieve great satisfaction of this service.
Preparation for Site Visits by new Historians
We received a message from one of the members of the Mission Presidency. We were informed that we needed to do a really deep-down comprehensive cleaning of the homes and sites in preparation for visits to each of them by a pair of new historians. These historians have been hired to serve here permanently – and they are to be housed in what we now call the “south visitors’ center” (which was formerly owned by the Community of Christ Church – before the many properties passed to our ownership and management on March 5th of this year.
This, of course, called for some major cleaning at our Smith sites. (Each of the 30 or sites have their own coordinators who serve as we do.) We were happy to do it. We did our usual vacuuming and dusting but also swept out all of the Asian Beetles (they look like lady bugs, but they bite and they are smelly … and that’s not lady-like!). We dusted everywhere – being careful not to touch the artifacts that are off limits – even to us. (These historic items are cleaned and dusted by specially trained FM missionaries.)
Visits by the new Historians
In addition to our extra-duty cleaning functions, we were told that the new Site Manager and the Visitor Experience Director were coming a few days of one week and that they wanted to see all of the various restored homes and shops. All of the site missionaries were assigned a specific home to present a tour to the folks. Sister Hunt and I were assigned to the Family Living Center. We were given a schedule listing only the starting time of the daily tours and then a list of the order in which the tours would be done.
On the assigned day, we were at our post early at the Family Living Center (AKA: “The FLC”). We were there with Elder and Sister Rieske. Before our guests arrived, we talked and decided which parts of the place each of us would demonstrate. I said I would be the Cooper and would demonstrate barrel making. Sister Hunt, our “resident brick expert – carrying on the tradition of her Brickmaker father, Elder Belcher) would give the talk about brick making. Elder Rieske would be the rope maker. Sister Rieske would demonstrate wool and fibers. Another sister would demonstrate rug making on the loom. (She is kind of the “site coordinator” for this loom.) One of the ladies would do pottery or candle making if requested – and I would demonstrate “make-believe” bread making. We were prepared.
Sister Hunt teaching brickmaking to Historians at Family Livingt Center
Upon their arrival, I had the task of greeting them (as we always have someone there to do) and telling them of their options. They chose brick making since it was right there close. Sister Hunt did a great job. And surprisingly, our guests even wanted to get their hands dirty by molding some clay into the wooden molds.
Elder Hunt teaching barrel making
At the barrel making, I told the folks that “back in the day”, in order to be a full-fledged Cooper, one needed to have been an apprentice for six years in order to do all of the tasks. I told the group, “I am going to teach you all that I know about coopering in about ten minutes and admittedly, I have not had my six years of experience.” I gave the talk and then let the folks create their own barrels with the kits available.
Elder Rieske did a great job with rope making and his wife then taught “packing the wagon” before her fiber demo. The folks decided that they didn’t need to do candles (time). The guy loved the many looms – and said that he’d have to get his wife cleared to teach these skills.
The historians came with their own entourage. Elder Sanders (photographer and site scheduler) was there. The Grahams – who are the site trainers were there. President Workman was there acting “presidential”. All in all, we felt good about out tours. And then they were off to another site. Sister Hunt and I were also assigned to brick making that day, so we went home, changed clothes, and scurried over to the brick yard where we worked until about 2:00 PM. All in a day’s work!
New Duties as Historians
With the coming new year, Sister Hunt and I have been invited to serve as the Mission Historians. (Surprise, surprise!) This means that we are to create about 20 pages of material each month (of photos, text, accounts of activities and training, and more …) each month – as the “monthly newsletter”. And then these are to be sent (also monthly) to the Church History Department in Salt Lake City. And then the monthly packages are to be combined into an annual history for the mission. Our Mission Presidents (Elder and Sister Mehr) have often stressed that ours is a “ministering mission” so we are to capture and picture our missionaries at work serving and ministering to each other – and to our guests who come here. So, that is our “mission” (along with everything else) for the coming year. (Not sure what happens to the history in the last quarter of the year after we have gone south …)
Enough of the mechanics and duties … let’s talk about some fun activities …
One thing of note is the passage of time. If we ever thought that time was passing quickly before our missions, it seems to have gained a lot of speed here on our mission.
A Gathering of our MTC Group …
I have previously noted that we came out to the mission with a cadre of 13 couples. We all entered the Provo, Utah MTC (Mission Training Center) on April 1st (no joke). And since then, we have tried to have periodic reunion gatherings. January 1st was the perfect day for a reunion. This happened to be New Year’s Day and the last holiday (day off) when all of us would be off together on the same day. No full mission was planned. The day was also significant in that it was our “hump day” – the half-way mark of our 18-month missions. Wow! Where did that time go? (“Time flies on wings of lightening”, … as the song says.)
We gathered at the “Pageant Building” for a late-morning brunch. One couple was not present, one sister of one couple and a brother of another were sick. But other than them, we still had 22 of us there for breakfast. And Wow! What a breakfast. There were breakfast casseroles, hot cinnamon rolls, sausage and bacon, orange juice and a couple of fruit platters. Sister Hunt crafted a beautiful fruit plate and this was a big hit. (All of that catering experience paid off!)
The food was delicious. And after the meal, we gathered in a circle and each of us in turn, shared special experiences of memories of the first half of our missions. This was a great experience. We all concluded that we knew that the Lord has brought us here and that He continues to let us be a part of special “Nauvoo Miracles” as we serve each day.
Then it was time for a photo op. We got a photo of our large group. A good-looking crowd, if I do say so. It was also another occasion for me and my Hunt cousins to connect again and of course, we had to get a shot of us in the current moment.
Hunt Cousins (L to R) Elders Jake, Brad, & Kevin Hunt
I had to laugh. Seeing our camaraderie as cousin/brothers, Elder Atkinson rushed over. He said, “I want to be adopted in. I want to be a Hunt.” He quickly joined our group and we even grabbed a nametag for him to wear.
Like Abraham, we were happy to adopt him in. Can’t get enough Hunts!
Sporadic Site Tours
In a previous blog article, I described our current “concierge” tour schedule. This means that we sit at our homes waiting and ready for the call to give a tour. Sometimes only half or so of the list of folks get called. Two days last week (Monday and Tuesday) we had a big fat zero guests on either day. Wow! That biting cold took its toll! And of course, the kids of the world were back in school following the Christmas holidays and vacations.
I get up each morning and dress in my costume attire so as to be ready for the day in service. We get called from missionaries (in charge at the Visitors’ Center) saying, “You are second in queue” or “You are up next”. And once we get that call, Sister Hunt puts on her costume dress. And sometimes we get called within a half hour or so, and some days, the assignment call never comes.
I, of course, am never at a loss as to what to do with my time. There is always something to write about and even more history to research and explore. It is actually a great life and I love it.
When we do get called for tours, we are happy to go – in spite of the biting cold. (But again, we have felt specific “shielding” from the real chill … another “Nauvoo Miracle”. We bundle up in our coats, scarves, hats, etc., and we head to the place where the guests said that they wanted to see. We never know if it is one person – or a dozen. We show up at the home or shop and look around to find our guests. Sometimes we beat them there and other times they have to wait a few minutes for us. But it all works out.
The Concierge plan is actually quite wonderful because we get to give our guests our full focus and time. We tell them that they can have us for one or ten tours as they wish through the day. We get to know the folks – the families – very well as we travel and guide them through the various sites. It is great being with them and sharing the Spirit of Nauvoo – of Christ and Joseph.
Time to create some more of my books … and more …
With time on my hands, I have been able to focus on some of “my projects”. I expanded the two blogs about local monuments and markers. I was able to publish this as a new book on lulu.com. Sister Hunt and I were able to create a slide presentation out of the brick book that I compiled earlier. I compiled all of my personal journal entries for the year 2024 and published them (all 800 pages) into another Lulu.com book. My daughter, Kaylea, and I have been working to create a book about the Argentine mission of her recently returned missionary son. This has been a major project.
I asked if I could teach – and was approved to do so – a series of four classes on the subject of journal writing, personal and family histories, so I am starting to create those lesson plans and presentations. The first class will be next week.
I asked if we could have a “pie night” as has become traditional with me on the night before Thanksgiving days. Somehow that developed into a full-blown affair and now we find ourselves in charge of staging a pie-baking contest that is scheduled for January 24th. I also got a call to give a talk in Sacrament meeting this coming Sunday. We are district leaders and have been working with a new couple that are entering the MTC next week and then who will join is in our district. We have had several training or welcoming calls with them.
Sister Hunt has been working to sew/create another new costume dress.
And Sister Hunt and I (and our children) have been working on a major brick design project. I will not here divulge details of this project at the moment but it has taken up quite a bit of our time. Watch for more details to come! Pretty exciting!
So, you can see that we have plenty to do. We seem to keep plenty busy.
Sister Hunt surprises an FM worker …
The other day, I was on the phone or working with a WIFI repair guy. Sister Hunt had dressed in a beautiful red/maroon dress and was sporting a fancy matching hat that she had checked out at the sewing room. The front door was knocked on (and we never use that door). She opened it and really surprised an FM worker as she greeted him in full period costume regalia. I guess he didn’t know he was to be greeted by a woman of the 1840’s.
This worker just got employed by FM. He got hired for a job which he had not applied for – but which I guess the Lord wants him to do. He had applied for something else and then got hired for this one. This brother Tenney – from our home Mesa, Arizona – received “signs” that he was supposed to move here. So, he and his wife left their almost completed new home, packed up their 10 children and moved as prompted to Nauvoo. They are currently holed up in four adjacent hotel rooms “uptown”. It is interesting how many folks – from all over the country – get these distinct “impressions” that they are to move here – and often they don’t know why they have been brought here.
We could relate to these Tenney folks. We had a similar hotel experience – for a month – when we first moved from Ogden, Utah to Santa Barbara, California, we both have a house full of kids, and we have the Mesa connection. So, we decided to invite the whole clan over for dinner this Tuesday night. (And growing up – and with our own children … I can count on one hand when our large families got invited to dine with some other family … so it should be fun.)
Senior Missions have become a family affair …
The idea is catching on. Sister Hunt and I both have brothers who are leaving for senior missions – with their wives as companions – this next week or so. This is very exciting!
Elder and Sister Brad and Kerry Belcher will be YSA (Young Single Adult) advisors in San Diego and will serve for a year. (San Diego … a rough job, but I guess someone has to do it.)
And my brother, Darcy Hunt with wife Laura, are going to Vancouver, Canada to serve for 23 months as member and leader support missionaries. And they will serve some 200,000 Chinese people of the area as they serve and work speaking Mandarin Chinese. My brother served his “young mission” in Taiwan so he is excited to use his language again. He has maintained his language through the years – having spoken Chinese almost exclusively to his children as he raised them. He and Laura went to China for six or eight months soon after they were married. They are excited about this new opportunity.
Soon to be Elder aHunt – far left, and Laura 4th from left with Kevin and Lou
It should be great fun serving together and swapping missionary experiences with one another.
Another visit to the town or former village of Ramus
I have written in the past about our visits to the far-off hamlet of what is now called Webster, Illinois. In the pioneer era, it was called Ramus. Many historical events happened there. (And interested parties can read more of the place and its residents in my book and PDF document on the subject – in my “Monuments and Markers” publications.
Anyway, we did research and learned that Ute and Sarah Perkins – the fourth great grandparents of Sister Hunt- are buried in the cemetery in Ramus. It took us three trips there, but we finally found them buried in the small country cemetery. (We had thought that they were buried in Nauvoo.) It was wonderful to visit their graves. Catherine Smith – the sister to the Prophet Joseph is buried there – within a short distance of the Perkins.
Ute and Sarah lived in this area from about the mid 1820’s. Joel H. Johnson came as a missionary to the area about 1839 and the Perkins family joined the Church. Joel became the stake president. His brother, Benjamin F. Johnson (ancestor of our son-in-law, Michael – also lived in this small community.
Sister Hunt at Fletcher Cemetery and grave of ancestor, John Carter
I am not sure if I have previously written about John Carter, another of Sister Hunt’s 4th great grandfathers – lived in Tioga – located just a few miles from Webster – on the way to Quincy. We learned that John is buried there. We scouted the area – and the internet – and found that he is buried (alone) in a small cemetery hidden by surrounding corn and soy bean fields – in the Fletcher Cemetery. So fun to find the graves of these ancestors!
Holidays and special moments over the past month …
I talked about the passage of time … the time has passed so quickly that I realized as I sat to write this blog that I have not written about the wonderful times that we experienced through Christmas and New Year’s. Wow! Sorry about that!
Celebrating Christmas
I mentioned earlier that our Christmas celebrations this past season were a bit different than those we have known in the past. It was strange and different being away from our large family and the many family times and traditions that we have come to know and love. But, it was also fun to be surrounded by fifty other senior missionary couples – like ourselves – who are all in the same boat away from home.
We enjoyed a very beautiful Christmas Sacrament meeting program. This featured many missionaries performing in varioius ways. It was truly inspirational.
The full group of missionaries gathered around the Christmas tree in the Visitors’ Center for a Christmas photo.
A surprise visit from the local elves
The Squire Family of Red Front Cafe fame in Nauvoo
It was Christmas Eve and there was a knock on our door. We opened it and to our surprise, we were greeted by the full Squire family from Nauvoo. Remember them? They are the folks who own the local “Red Front Café”. They came in force and presented us a gift of their homemade popcorn. They said that this delivery (to us and many other missionaries) is a part of their Nauvoo Christmas tradition.
CHRISTMAS EVE FOR ELDER AND SISTER HUNT IN NAUVOO
On Christmas Eve, we all (along with about 40-50 Temple service missionaries) gathered to the FLC for a wonderful time together. We had a profuse collection of the best of food there which became a great smorgasbord. Wow! Talk about food!
We then went to the nearby Cultural Hall where many of the missionaries serenaded us in song, on the harp, on the guitar, and more. It was so fun to celebrate in this beautiful and historic place where Joseph, Brigham and wives – and our own ancestors gathered for cultural events of many kinds.
We then returned to the FLC and Sister Jones treated us all to English Wassail and “figgy” pudding.
President Preston assists Sister Jones as they serve the Figgy Pudding
We learned that figgy, carrot and other puddings are all very similar but they get their name by the key ingredient that makes up the recipe. We had a glowing fire in the large fireplace (usually coldly silent as we “demonstrate” bread making of yesteryear). What a wonderful gathering.
We went home and opened gifts sent to us from our daughter, Jenae. She sent us each new Christmas Eve pajamas. (Sister Hunt created Christmas Eve pajamas for all eleven us forever as the kids were growing up … and most of our children are keeping up the tradition – with the help of Walmart and Amazon.) Thanks, Jenae! We also basked in the beauty of our Christmas tree.
Christmas Day in Nauvoo
Christmas this year was different for us as we were alone without the warmth of family circle. But, even from a distance, we felt their warmth and love.
It was an almost impossible task for us to buy and send gifts to each of our 61 posterity members. This would have proven very costly and challenging. We elected instead to create a beautiful photo calendar with many photos of us in our Nauvoo costumes displayed above the calendar dates – and with a photo of each the family members in the calendar squares for their birthdays and anniversaries. (And that took time and effort … and a lot of love!)
We were able to have these delivered – free of charge – to the Walgreen’s stores nearest each of our families. We hope that the families will enjoy this gift throughout the year.
Marinda and her family sent us a small tree and “12 Days of Decorations” for the tree. This tree was the perfect size for our place and we cleared a table for it – and this was also perfect. Marinda said that she was reminded of when she was on her own mission (to South Dakota). We sent to her (as we did to most of our 7 missionaries … or to the 5 in the US) a similar tree and “12 Days” decorations. She said that was so wonderful that she wanted to bring it full circle back to us. So nice of them! Marinda said that she let each of the six children pick out their own decorations for us. We enjoyed opening the gifts each of the 12 days and they looked so fun and nice on the tree.
We spent the morning quietly at home. We got each other just a couple gifts – from the Merc downtown. I received a beautiful “Nauvoo” sign – that I want to use to create a “Nauvoo Shelf or Wall” back home.
(So many memories here!). Lou wanted a small metal “courting lamp”. (Maybe our kids can use this now as their children are getting into the “courting stage”.)
I handcrafted a special gift for Sister Hunt. Every time we have served in the Scovil Bakery, she has been enamored over a carved stick that was used in the pioneer era to scoop up dougnuts as they have cooked in the oil. I determined that I would carve the stick that she has been wanting. A couple of months ago, a tree in our “backyard” mostly fell. When FM came to work on reoving the fallen limbs, I found a bit of a limb that I thought would work well. An FM Elder helped me cut the desired piece.
A couple of weeks ago, I hibernated to our basement and as I was holed up there, I carved the piece. When we tested the stick on real doughuts I learned that the stick was a bit too thick, I borrowed a small grinder and removed about half of the stick (in thickness). The end result worked well. I hope that some doughnuts might be in my future.
We had a huge pile of gifts that had been sent by the children. We received more than deserved – and needed (we are up to two U-hauls home already). But we definitely felt the love! We spent much of the day on phone calls from the nine children and their families. We opened their gifts to us in the video calls – and we got to experience a bit of the Christmas celebrations with each family. This was a special joy. We did miss staging our traditional Christmas dinner as we normally would. Thanks to all for the special gifts – …and to Jackie for the 10-year supply of candy corn. That was a corny gift, indeed!
i made some of my traditional peppermint dessert that the family always loves at home. This year, I added some chocolate to give it a new look.
And on Christmas Day, the same group of missionaries (as the night before) met at 2:00 Pm in the afternoon – again at the Pageant Building.
We had a grand gathering in celebration of our Lord, Jesus Christ. I am sure that He had pride in us being there/here for Him. It was a grand and wonderful gathering – with smoked ham and turkey – and hundreds of side dishes. The place was gaily decorated for the season. The Christmas Spirit – the spirit of Christ – was strongly felt. It was a joyous scene – with a hundred and sixty or so missionaries (Temple and our mission) gathered together.
Celebrating with friends, Kurt and LuAnn Walters
Happy New Year
We had so much fun on Christmas Eve, that we decided to do a repeat experience on New Year’s Eve. And this event was just as fun as the week before. Us missionaries do know how to eat and party – in our own “senior way”.
The event didn’t last until the traditional midnight. Life is a bit different being in a “senior mission”. The event petered out about 7:30 PM. Lou and I went home for an evening of Hallmark movies. Midnight came and went with little fanfare. Raw, raw (with no bang! We missed banging pans and throwing serpentine strings with our family.) Sister Hunt scrounged some fruit juice in the fridge and we quietly drank it together. No sparkling cider for us this year … But it was still a great time as we looked forward to the blessings and opportunities – and more “Nauvoo Miracles” in another year – and the second half of our great Nauvoo mission.
And of course, the next day we experienced the MTC brunch of which I have already written.
Missionary Craft Night Activity
One of the great things about being here as Nauvoo missionaries is having so many wonderful missionaries around us. And all of them are so willing to share their own unique talents and abilities with the rest of us.
Such was the case as we gathered for an activity night – again in the FLC – the largest gathering place (other than the Pageant Building) here in town.
On this evening, we went again to the Family Living Center to join with missionaries for a craft night activity. Elder and Sister Ward were to be in charge of the event but both were sick. Other missionaries stepped in to assist and teach for them. I went with most of the men – and a couple of women – to a leatherworking demonstration by Elders White and Bristol. They did a good job. Lou attended a women’s craft session. Other ladies demonstrated various crafts – including tatting, making knitted squares, rugs, and more. This sounded fun.
An unexpected Temple experience …
Many times each day, we pass the Temple – or from almost everywhere, we see the majestic building above us on the hill. Words cannot describe its grandeur.
In my study and research, I have enjoyed reading about the activities and ceremonies surrounding the original Temple. I learned that endowments were actually performed in the “attic level” of the Temple. I have become very intrigued with the upper area of the Temple. I have noted the flat area on top of the Temple and seeing it piques my curiosity all the more.
On one of our recent trips way out east – for activities in the Pageant Building, I turned to Sister Hunt and nonchalantly said, “I would sure love to go up there and check it out.” I thought this was an activity that would forever elude us. I didn’t ever see this as a real possibility.
Then imagine my surprise as I was pulled aside at the same gathering – by my zone leader, Elder Atkinson. He said that he had a special activity for just his district leaders (husbands and wives). He said that he had made special arrangements to take us up into the tower and attic of the Temple – seeing almost everywhere, and he gave me the date. He said not to mention it to the world – since this was just for our small leadership team. Another of those “Nauvoo Miracles”. Wow! So unbelievable! I was ecstatic!
The date was set to happen a couple of weeks hence …
As I thought forward to this event, my mind went backwards a bit too. In 2002, our eldest daughter, Jackie, had the great privilege of participating in a BYU-Nauvoo semester here. Of course, that was a great excuse to return to Nauvoo to be with her and to again enjoy our already beloved Nauvoo. By the time that she was in Nauvoo, the Temple had been recently reconstructed and dedicated.
Just as in almost any unit of the church there were cleaning needs in the Temple. Jackie knew of the cleaning needs and anticipating our visit to Nauvoo, she signed us up to clean the Temple. Once again, I recruited my long-time Nauvoo friend, Craig Shaltes – and Nancy – to accompany us on our trip. Our daughter, Kaylea and her then boyfriend Reed ______ were also with us. So, if you are counting, that made seven of us. (Kaylea was not then endowed so she missed the event.)
Anyway, the seven of us reported for duty on the assigned night. Soon all seven of us found ourselves on the top end of vacuum cleaners. We went to work. We each picked a section of the sacred edifice in which to exercise our vacuuming skills. It was a great thrill. Never had vacuuming ever been so enjoyable. Under the direction of a temple maintenance supervisor, we were off. And through the assignment, we got to see virtually every corner of the place. Wow!
We had not got the message that we should not go into the large solemn assembly room. We went in there and Nancy – who is a very accomplished pianist, began to play beautiful hymns for the rest of us. It was a glorious moment as the notes reverberated through the grand room with its perfect acoustics. Wow! Talk about amazing! (The supervisor heard us in there and calmly ushered us out … but the memories remain – even 20 plus years later. Maybe that’s what heaven will be like!)
I was reminded also of a unique opportunity that we had with the renowned Conference Hall on Temple Square. I don’t remember how we happened to be in the right place, but somehow we ended up in the Conference Center a day or two after a General Conference. Upon entry, we saw scores of people all on the ends of vacuum cleaners. We talked to some of the people and they said that they had received the cleaning assignment in their own ward – and they had volunteered for the task. So great to be on assignment on and in Holy Grounds (as we again are now in Nauvoo)!
Anyway, back to the current Temple moment in Nauvoo. The big day arrived! (Elder Sanders even scheduled us off for the afternoon. Thank you …!) Anticipation was high! Elder Atkinson confirmed with us relative to the time and space. It was another chilly day – the predicted day of 10 degrees – but we knew that we would be warmed in the Holy place – no matter where we found ourselves.
We reported to the Temple Baptistry and joined about 16 people in our group. We first went to lockers and changed into – or put on white clothes over other clothes. I chose the latter – trying to retain any heat that I could. This system worked well. We met in the chapel and were given some instructions. We learned that we were actually dubbed as Temple cleaners. That was great!
Elder Gillette, a Temple engineer and a few other Temple maintenance workers led us up a multitude of steps – 233 of them (one way) to be exact. (We really got our steps in that day!) We were led up into the upper floors of the Temple. We went up a multitude of floors of spiral staircases. And the higher we got, the steeper the stairs. About the fourth level up, we were each given some long dusting brooms. With these brooms, we were able to reach up very high. Our task was to dust everywhere in the upper floors. We dusted steel beams and windows.
We climbed up through a multitude of high steel beams. It was so interesting to see the infrastructure of the place. The staircases were in the middle of the “room” on each floor. Then the steel beams extended around all of the perimeter. And on each floor, we could look outside through the windows. And from the windows, we could seemingly, see forever. The views from every direction were absolutely amazing and breathtaking.
Sadly, we were asked not to take any photos that in any way showed any bit of the Temple. And we were asked not to share photos on social medium platforms. So, without the photos, the views are left purely to your imaginations. I can see the point. Any of the photos – if posted – would make everyone think that they ought to be able to do the same thing as we did today.
We went clear up literally into the cap of the Temple. At the uppermost point, our guide told that we were literally inches under the statue of Moroni. He quipped that we could “touch his toes”. Another fun feature was the famed “Nauvoo Bell”. Our guides had their watch alarms set to go off a few moments before the bells would chime. We were there at 2:30 PM so this meant just a single bell would go off on the half hour. We were in the bell room at 3:00 PM when the bell sounded off three times. We could see the vibration of the bell and the hitting of the bell to make it sound off. We all covered our ears for some kind of protection.
After we made our way to the top, we descended back to where we started. Our Elder guides then took us downstairs below the Temple – and even extending out under the grass on the east side of the Temple. There we got to see the many and various systems that keep the Temple running. I had never seen such turbos, engines, piping, and other systems that are required for the modern Temple. I never knew that such systems even existed. A lot of “brain power” behind those systems. There were tanks and piping for everything – air conditioning, water heating, fire suppression, and on and on. Wow!
We were excited and grateful for the special opportunity that was ours. The experience was exciting and fun.
Then, after the event, Elder Atkinson and his wife invited his DL’s – so Elder and Sister Pearce, Sister Hunt and me – to go out to eat with he and his wife. We dined at our favorite Mi Camino Real Mexican restaurant in Hamilton. We go there frequently but the other two couples had not been there. Another fun time!
The outside weather may be frightful, but the Spirit of Nauvoo continues to warm the souls of missionaries and our guests who come. It is a great blessing to be serving here and we are grateful to the Lord for his blessings and opportunities here on the Nauvoo trail.
Fall is in the air and everywhere here in Nauvoo, and I can definitely say that I am really falling for Nauvoo this fall. I stand in amazement of all the beautiful things around me/us.
A TIME OF CHANGE EVERYWHERE
We see change everywhere. There is so much of it. Being the newcomers here, we are kind of overwhelmed with all of the change going on all around us but it is great!
FALL LEAVES CHANGING COLORS
It is no secret that I am an Arizona Desert Rat. Yes, I have spent much of my life in the desert. This means that I have led a sheltered life with cactus and the same kind of scenery all year. I have not ever really experienced fall and the changing of the leaves. Now experiencing Fall in Nauvoo is amazing and fabulous. I am loving every minute of it. I am in total awe as I see the many colors of fall all around me.
The maple trees are showing a deep red. Other trees are orange, yellow, and some are just light brown. Altogether they provide a kaleidoscope of radiant color that seems to get better and better (at the moment – until all of the leaves fall for winter).
Everywhere we drive, we have to stop to take more photos. It is all so beautiful. It is a great blessing to be here to experience this new-found wonder. (Spring and new plant growth will probably also be fabulous! And the jury is still out on the winter in between)
MISSIONARIES MAKING THEIR DEPARTURES
With the coming of fall, we saw the departure of the Nauvoo Performing Missionaries. These young entertainers were so fun as they were here. They were bursting with energy and enthusiasm everywhere they went. Now, sadly, they have all gone home – leaving a major void without them. Their departure makes us hopeful already for their return next May. We did go to their final “Sunset on the Mississippi” performance of this season and it was magnificent as ever.
Nauvoo Perfoming Missionaries – Final Performance 2024
We have seen major changes with the 65 young sister missionaries. Half of the group have all now left for their own “outbound” missions elsewhere. The sisters have departed for many missions through the U.S. We found it fun that one missionary went to the Denver North Mission. And it is exciting that our own granddaughter, arrived in the same mission from the MTC just as our Nauvoo friend arrived from a different direction. We have enjoyed photos in which both ladies appear together – with many other missionaries.
Denver Colorado North Mission October 2024
These “outbound” Sisters will serve elsewhere for six months and then they will be back with us in Nauvoo for the summer of ’25.
The rest of the YSM’s (young sister missionaries) have completed their missions and are heading home. We have had a handful of them leaving every week for a couple of months. And now this week, the final batch of 12 has left for home. We will definitely feel the void. They have been great at giving tours and we have enjoyed being at their side. They have had much energy and joy that has brought such a great spirit here.
Departing Young Sister Missionaries – November 14, 2024
And we just learned that our YSM count will rise to 80 next spring! Wow!
And the Senior Missionaries are likewise making their departures. Here in Nauvoo, we are on a cycle – like the Sisters. Half of the missionaries come in the Spring and they stay for 18 months. And this means that they all leave en masse in the fall – a year and a half later. And that time is now. Twenty or thirty of these couples have already made their departures. This leaves the rest of us – the meager group – now left to carry on alone through the projected long winter ahead.
MISSION HELLO AND GOODBYE DINNERS
Each month, we have a mission-wide dinner to welcome new missionaries who are just arriving and to say good-bye to those who are departing. These are always happy/sad moments. It is so fun to welcome new friends, but it is rather sad to see those whom we have grown to love to depart for home or service elsewhere.
At each of the past two dinners, we have sung “Farewell Nauvoo” to twenty or so each time. That is a “heart-string pull”.
THE MISSIONARY “D.I.” GETS INVENTORY MAKING IT BURSTING AT THE SEAMS
As all of the missionaries make their departures, they all try to downsize … to get rid of all of the junk that they have accumulated during the missions (all of that Amazon stuff) – as well as stuff they no longer need. And the logical place in Nauvoo to “dump” such items is our own “D.I. store”. The little room is literally now bursting at the seams – overflowing with all of the stuff waiting to be claimed by some new, happy owner. As I have mentioned in the past, this is a place to find treasured items of all kinds – all for free. You can’t beat the price.
Sister Hunt has always held thrift stores (all of them) as her favorite shopping places. (And that is great for the budget … and I am grateful that this is her thing.) And so now, she is in her element – in “7th Heaven” with so much stuff appearing there. We have to make our daily pilgrimages there to see what is new – and generally, Sister Hunt will find two or three items that meet a specific need or want she has been having. She “puts it out there” and the “universe” responds. I guess that is okay for now. We can reserve more U-Haul space later for the wagon trip back home. We do have some time …!
EXPANDED TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES AND UNIQUE VISITORS
As ever, we have regular mission training meetings (centered around a monthly study theme) each Tuesday evening. And on most Wednesday nights, we have “site training”. And many weeks, there are such gatherings on Thursday – and even some weekend nights. These are all enjoyable.
Being in Nauvoo also presents another really great opportunity. We often get visitors – General Authorities and other dignitaries – from Salt Lake City. Some of them come from the Church History Department … but others just seem to want an excuse to come. But that is great. We get to hear from them all.
One special group who came recently was the full presidency of the General Relief Society. They created a video presentation in the Red Brick Store – for publication or broadcast next spring. And while they were here, they wanted to see and experience literally everything. It was a special blessing and opportunity to hear them each speak at one of our devotionals. These are powerhouse ladies.
General Relief Society Presidency visit Nauvoo October 10, 2024
Our Daughter, Jenae, met Sister Camille Johnson, Relief Society General President, a couple of years ago when she was able to the be the photographer of the day trailing Sister Johnson through some special event in O’Fallon, Illinois. Sister Hunt went up after the meeting and talked to Sister Johnson about Jenae. Of course, hugs were a big part of the evening activity.
Sister Lou Hunt with General Relief Society President, Camille Johnson
Casey Griffiths Presenting in Nauvoo October 19, 2024
We also got to hear a special program staged by brother Casey Griffiths – a popular LDS podcaster. I loved every word that he shared. We have had a few visits from Brother Joseph Monsen from the Church History Department. He always has great historical material to share with us.
NEW OPPORTUNHITIES FOR SERVICE
With the departure of so many missionaries that means new changes for those of us who remain. It is time for the skeleton crew to come out of the closet! The departing folks have been the seasoned veterans. They are the venerable heroes that we have all looked up to over the past few months as we have been the “greenies” here. They are the folks who have served as the mission leaders. They have been in the mission presidency, as our zone and district leaders – and much more.
This means that the rest of us now have to step up to assume the vacant roles. This means that Sister Hunt and I accepted calls to be the District Leaders for the Brigham District (of the Hyrum zone). In this role, we are to stage a monthly meeting for district members. We are also to administer the ministering assignments by couples within the district.
The Brigham District – October 22, 2024
We have also been called to be the mission historians for the 2025 year. We begin this service on January 1st. The two sisters who have produced the history for this year wore really big shoes. The history that they created has been so fun – full of energy. Photos, and great “dingbats” (a print shop term that we enjoy sharing with others on our tours. We tell people that the definition of a “dingbat” is a “pretty little thing that takes up space”). These historian ladies are great at adding these to pull together a great visual feast for all of us.
This assignment will be an extension from my 8 years as stake historian in the Mesa South Stake (of Zion). Of course, I look forward to this assignment. Sister Hunt wonders how she can be involved in the process. I assure her that she can take great photos as well as be “eyes and ears” to what is happening in the “ministering mission” around us.
We continue to also serve as the Site Coordinators for the Joseph Smith Homestead and Mansion House. This means that we clean the places at least once a week – as well as to be in tune with the needs of the places (maintenance, ordering supplies, etc.)
THE WINTER CONCIERGE SCHEDULE FOR OUR TOURS
In the summer, for the first six months that we were here, we were assigned to specific restored homes each day. And that meant that we were assigned to different homes each day of the week (working 6 days a week). We served in our places from 9 AM to 5 PM.
That all changed in mid-October. With the coming of Fall, we find that our visitor tour counts are down. The kids are all in school, it is starting to get cooler, and there are just not that many folks coming here.
Sample weekly Concierge Schedule (We are HuntKL)
So, we are now on a new “concierge” schedule for the coming six months. This means that we are now in a daily “queue” (along with the remaining 20 or so couples). The scheduler for all of us missionaries have a yeoman job of creating a master schedule – that includes the absence of the 25 or so couples and 65 YSM’s who have departed. He has a unique system of rotating us based upon who has not given tours. And this also adds the number of individual tours to the scheduling mix. So, if we give six tours in a day and some other couple gives only one, they will get preference above us in the queue of the next day. It is all complicated but it seems to work well.
Under this new schedule, all of the restored homes are technically “closed”. And at each place there is a sign directing our guests to either call a phone number to schedule an “appointment” with a senior tour couple – or else they can show up in person at the visitors’ center – where a missionary couple waits to greet them.
And once a guest couple or family is introduced to their missionary couple, we help them figure out what homes they want to visit. And then we lead them there. And once assigned to the family, we are free to be with them for as long and for tours of as many homes as they may desire. So, they can opt for a single home tour – or we can be with to tour five or eight homes as they may wish. We have a key to each place and we can just travel with them – and can get them into all of their desired places.
This really is a fun system – which has proven to be great for us and our visitors. We are able to really connect with our groups and can get to know them much better than we would if we were just there with them- and like many other people on our tours.
The tour hours have also changed. We are now open only from 10 AM to 4 Pm each day.
And with the decrease in guests, the shorter hours, and the whole “queue thing”, this means that we remain in our own home until we are called for a tour. The desk coordinators (stationed at the VC) call us when we are about third down in the queue list. In this way, we can hurry to get into our costumes and to report when needed. We might get a tour call very soon – or the call may not come for another couple of hours. We cannot predict when people will (or will not) arrive.
This means that we might have long periods of time without assignments. We are free to remain at home (unless we have other assignments) and are free to work on our own projects. (This actually works out well for me – since I always have many projects of my own to work on – like these blog articles – to keep me well entertained). Sister Hunt is actually a major “home body” so she can enjoy just being at home – being a wife, talking with her children, tutoring grandkids via video, and other fun stuff.
With the concierge system, I have had the opportunity a few times (with Sister Hunt) to serve as the Scheduling Desk coordinators at the Visitors’ Center. This has been reminiscent of me being at the desk back in 1975. Very fun circle of time …
Above photos: Top: Elder Kevin Hunt at Visitors’ Center Desk – 1975 and below, Elder Kevin Hunt at VC Desk October 2024 (And notice the ties!)
BRICK MAKING
Thanks to the heritage of sister Hunt’s father, Elder Belcher, the mission continues to create the mini souvenir bricks for all who come to Nauvoo and want this grand piece of nostalgia to take home with them. All winter long, the senior missionaries work to create more brick for the coming summer season. Last winter, the missionaries made a stockpile of some 23,000 of the small bricks. We expected many more visitors than actually showed up. This meant that we ended the summer still with 10,000 bricks remaining. That does not stop us, however, from still making more and more of the bricks.
So, Sister Hunt and I have been assigned to work in the brickyard one day a week. This is a great assignment and we enjoy working to maintain the heritage and traditions of Elder Belcher.
Sister Hunt Making Brick at the Belcher Brickyard
LANDSCAPING ASSIGNMENTS
There is a whole cadre of “Facilities Maintenance” (FM) missionaries who carry the main torch of landscape maintenance through the year. But, we have found ourselves helping them one morning a week for most of the last month. We show up to the garden of the day and work with (and at the direction of) the FM missionaries (who are much more knowledgeable and capable).
In the summer, we showed photos of the glorious gardens at many of the homes. These gardens were absolutely gorgeous and wonderful. They were so amazing.
Kevin and Lou Hunt in majestic summer garden at Browning Home
Now, as winter approaches, each of these gardens are “chopped down”.
Sister Hunt helps chop gardens in the fall
We pull many of the plants that will die anyway in the cold weather. And many other plants that will return next year – need to be cut down to the ground. This is almost heart-breaking to see these lush gardens depart. But, I guess that is a cycle of plants and life.
Elder Hunt – Landscaping – looks as if guarding the Berlin Wall
On our recent garden assignments, I have taken on the task of using a hand-held battery-operated saw to chop down many of the plants. This has proven a shock to the system of one who spends little time on such an activity. I have discovered many new muscles that I had not previously known that I had. And I suffer for many days after each such experience. I finally start to recuperate just in time to do it all again. (And I note that my kids are enjoying seeing the old man engaging in such activities. I admit it is kind of a shock to the system.) It is great to contribute to the cause, however, and the overall mission of Old Nauvoo.
Missionary Landscaping Crew – November 13, 2024
There is also a new look on all of the streets. In the summer, Main and Water streets are lined with rail fence sections with large pots of flowers in between. Now, all of those have been removed for the winter. Their absence makes the steets look deserted but there is sure a lot of available parking spots now.
Photos: Above – Main Street in the Summer with fences and flowers and below: Main Street on a November morning.
Photo above: Sister Hunt easily “bucks” the plant urns at season end!
KEEPING THE MTC FIRE BURNING
I have recounted previously how there were 13 of us senior couples who reported together at the MTC on April 1st (no joke). We there developed a great brotherhood among the many couples (Elders and Sisters). And having experienced that great time together, we want to continue that bond. We decided as a group that we would stage an activity, dinner or whatever, generally every three months as we continue to serve here in Nauvoo.
We held the first event on July 3rd (and I think that I probably reported on that already). The second event was scheduled for October. At first, we thought that the three of us Hunt cousins would be in charge of the event, but somehow it ended up being Elder Brad Hunt and wife, us, and Elder and Sister Parker.
From the beginning of our planning, I had the wild hair that it would be great to stage a Dutch-oven dinner event for our group. The other two couples liked this idea and they were kind enough to let me move forward with the dream.
I began to put out feelers about Dutch ovens. I figured that to feed our crowd, we would need four 14” ovens. I learned that there are many men (and women) who have enjoyed Dutch-oven cooking in the past and prowess in the past. However, I learned that few of them had room in their Nauvoo wagons to bring their ovens with them.
Ironically, I knew where many ovens were located but they are all in our historic homes and are now “artifacts” and obviously could not be borrowed. I thought that our Facility Maintenance warehouse might have some in the warehouse (where we can often borrow needed items). Surprisingly, they had none. Wow! Was our request so unique?
I asked a local guy, a church leader (he being also a Facilities Maintenance supervisor) if he might have some ovens. He said that he thought that he could come up with some – “on condition”, he said, “that the ovens come back full!” He never did come up with any ovens for me.
I found that Elder and Sister Ward had a couple of rather small ovens – helpful but not big enough to fit the full need. I was delighted that Elder Reed (also from Arizona) had one 14” oven. Elder Rieske had a very small oven. I, of course, have a multitude of ovens at home, but they do not help me much here in Nauvoo. I decided that if my plan was to go forward, I needed to purchase a 14” oven of my own. I found a super deal on-line – at half of the usual cost for such a beast. I ordered it, and it arrived two days later. With my oven, and all of the others combined, I figured I could pull off the event. (Having the new oven is great – though it will add to the challenge of when we go west in several months!)
The event date was set for October 18th. I found the absolute perfect location in a large ramada in the Nauvoo State Park – located just two blocks east of our own house. This place has six large picnic tables – under cover – and a large grill that I knew would be great for the coals and the cooking.
Our group expanded a bit. Although our MTC group was big and amazing, we realized that many other couples had come around our same time either individually or with just another couple. We felt as if they “needed a group”. So, we invited these folks. And that brought our group to right at 40 people.
With our planning couple trio, we determined that “stew” would be the meal of the day. And I told the others that I would take care of the dessert. They each volunteered to bring five pounds of meat – one to bring sausage and the other to bring hamburger, per my recipe. I decided to cook one of my favorite desserts – a “look-alike” recipe for Raspberry Bread Pudding (thanks to Kneader’s. Never had it? It is fabulous and you really should try it!)
Sister Hunt and I bought all of the ingredients and Sister Hunt and I worked all of the day of the event to pull it all together. She agreed to make her famous dinner rolls. And she got so much into this whole affair that she peeled all of my potatoes and carrots. She cooked the fabulous vanilla sauce for the bread pudding.
The day for the big event came. I had staged the event on our own “p-day” to make sure that I had enough cooking time. Sadly, none of the other Die-hards had P-day the same day. So, this left mostly me doing the cooking. Elder Brad Hunt did come (after his teamster duties) about 45 minutes before the event and he was most helpful.I made two 14” Dutch ovens full of my stew. (Using the 45-year-old recipe I had obtained from Muriel – the cook at Camp Kiesel – located east of Ogden). And I used the other borrowed small ovens for the dessert. I used charcoal and got there early enough to get the charcoal started in order to be of optimum heat for cooking – with the plan to serve at 5:00 PM.
Missionary Dutch Oven Cooking – Elders Reed, Hunt and Hunt
This was one of those rare times when everything came out to absolute perfection. It had been a while since everything turned out to perfectly for me.
Elder Kevin Hunt with Dutch Oven stew October 18, 2024
And then the crowd arrived. They came en masse. We had invited the guests to come with their favorite salad (any kind) and a few more desserts (after we expanded our group). Lou was there with her amazing rolls.
Everyone was totally amazed and pleased with the food. Elder Jones later commented, “Elder Hunt, I guess you know that you rose to pure hero status with that meal.” There was plenty of food – so much so that we made “care packages” of leftovers – to be shared with the young sister missionaries). The whole event was super fun. Everyone present seemed to have a great time.
Now I will have to do some more Dutch oven cooking here in Nauvoo. I need to make my oven investment worth it.
CORN HARVEST
For anyone who has traveled through Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, Illinois, and other surrounding states, you will know that corn fields are everywhere. And where there are no corn fields, there are an equal number of fields planted with soybeans.
Photo: Nauvoo corn fields everywhere present
Here in Nauvoo, we certainly find this is true. For months, we have become accustomed to the very tall corn stalks everywhere. We have had “corny” discussions in all of our travels – wondering who would eat all of that corn, how is it harvested, and more.
Above: The corn fields have been chopped at season end
Then suddenly here in Nauvoo, it was fall and the corn harvesting time. We continued to be intrigued as farmers began to harvest their corn. And we were really interested as we watched the corn building up in a giant outdoor silo here in our town.
The Nauvoo corn harvest in the silo
“BOO-TIFUL NAUVOO”
We suddenly found ourselves immersed here with the community with their annual big festival – entitled, “Boo-Tiful Nauvoo”. We knew nothing about it, but soon learned that this was to be THE MAJOR EVENT that would be staged for the whole world. We learned that the town goes all out for this event – and that the activities surrounding it would extend over a couple of weeks – promising a lot of fun and Halloween excitement and hype. And all of this for my Halloween birthday! Thanks, everyone! This was particularly exciting and wonderful for me. I learned that this event has been the local tradition for twenty or thirty years. (Our daughter, Jackie, was here in Nauvoo back in 2002 and I guess they had the event then. She still says that it was one of the absolute best or funnest activities held while she was here with the BYU Nauvoo Semester experience.) She said, “I love the Halloween spirit and “Boo-tiful Nauvoo.” She lamented that she was not here to enjoy it with us.
SCARECROWS ON MULHOLLAND STREET
The first sign of the coming festivities was the emergence of fifty or more very interesting scarecrow characters. We soon found all of Mulholland Street (the main drag) was to be lined with scarecrows – all sporting their unique personalities and scarecrow “wearing apparel” (an old Nauvoo term for clothes of all kinds).
Above: This poor guy got in an accident and was rear-ended!
Sister Hunt and I took an evening just to stroll the three or four blocks of the downtown area – just to experience the full scarecrow haunt. We thought that the scene would last a few days but here we are almost to Thanksgiving and the scarecrows are still there (even though now the streets are abandoned, devoid of any people, and almost “spooky” with no one here.
Sister Hunt with Nauvoo Scarecrows on Mulholland Street
These scarecrows are fun to see, visit, and to have “photo ops” with us and them. It is apparent from the looks of some of these folks, that they are like Christmas ornaments. They may not be the greatest, but they keep coming out again year after year – and then are stored in some garage until the next year. And yes, these characters (in this scenario) have begun to show their age. They do make for an interesting and fun aura for the city, however.
PUMPKIN CARVING
The next part of the total festivities is the carving of literally hundreds of pumpkins to ultimately line Mulholland Street. I mentioned that this whole pumpkin experience is a “community effort” but the pumpkins really are bought, and the activity is supported and staged by missionaries and the Church. It could not happen without us.
The first step in the process is the acquiring of 200 or more pumpkins for the event. FM brings these in by the wagons full. They are brought to the giant warehouses that are a part of our large FM complex.
Then goes out the plea for anyone and everyone – with any free time – from 8 AM to 8 PM to come to help carve the pumpkins. This activity was actually written into the mission scheduling to make sure that it happened.
Doing our duty – but also wanting to join the fun, Sister Hunt and I showed up to assist in the carving process. As we arrived at the big open warehouse, we thought that it was “party time”. There were stacks and wagons of pumpkins in every available space. There was a table with a gourmet collection of goodies to reward those willing to assist.
We were first given some instruction by the “carving supervisor” (who obviously had been doing this since puberty). We were guided to a collection of a dozen or so notebooks – each one packed to the gills with designs for carved pumpkins. There were 200-300 possible designs that could be carved. I am not known for such creativity, so I had to choose a design that was really basic – just a mere step up from the basic triangle face design that has become traditional for those without greater imagination. Sister Hunt was able to perform on a bit of a higher plane.
We joined about ten other creative people. Each one was intently working to create their chosen pattern masterpiece. We were shown how to use a marker to “create” our chosen design. They also showed us some liquid that would erase “boo-boo’s” if needed.
We were given creative liberty to choose any pumpkin – any look or any size – that would best match our projected pumpkin design. It was like an “Armour Hot Dog Commercial …” (fat ones, skinny ones, … and you get the picture!)
I picked a medium sized pumpkin – not wanting to waste one of the bigger pumpkins on a basic design such as mine would be. We had to draw on the pumpkin what was to remain and what was to be carved away by the future carver. Drawing on one pumpkin stretched me to the ultimate level of my creativity. Sister Hunt was able to pump out two special designs.
And after we finished the job, we were to put a colored check mark on our design – to indicate that this design was already used – and “off-limits: to other pumpkin designers. This system ensured that no two pumpkins would be alike. We added our special uniquely designed pumpkin to the large collection of drawn pumpkins – that was taking up a large part of the FM warehouse. Of course, we could not resist taking photos of the many pumpkins that were everywhere around us. It was quite the scene.
We stoked up on goodies and headed out – feeling that we had at least made a bit of a contribution to the cause.
PUMPKIN GUT SCRAPING AND CARVING
The next steps in the pumpkin creating process was to scrape the guts and to actually carve the pumpkins. A local teenager was very dedicated in cutting the tops out of or into the top of pumpkins. His was a big job.
We reported the next day for more pumpkin duty. There were many tables set up and a plethora of die-hard carvers were meticulously going at their pumpkins. They were really immersed in their carving projects.
Sister Hunt and I both decided that this carving action was way too detailed for us. We noted that one lady who had done her best, got “told” by the carving supervisor (a different lady) that her efforts were not really up to par. She was told of several very small dots or whatever that needed to be better carved. Anyway, we were glad that we did not subject ourselves to that level of scrutiny. We took “the low road”.
Our mission was to scrape out all of the “goodie” from several pumpkins. We were left to pick and choose which of the pumpkins we would take on. This was a case where bigger was not better. We found open spots on the tables to begin our efforts. We were provided with flimsy plastic tools that were obviously not engineered for the right purpose. (Where was Keith, our product-design engineer son when we needed him?). We wished that we had brought some of our large catering spoons which we had brought with us to Nauvoo. Anyway, we got into the action.
I determined that it was less hassle to bring two or three pumpkins to the table – rather than to make multiple trips to the large “to be scraped” section. I determined right away that I would make it my mission to scrape out ten pumpkins. I went after the job. We scraped out the guts – with the wrong utensils or just by hand (yuck!). One lady said, “This is more fun than the time when the pig ate my little brother!”
Sister Hunt is bothered at times (of over-exertion) with arthritis or whatever hand problems. Her hands are often in pain – and there are some things she cannot do (like squeezing open a bottle). She did well on this pumpkin activity but her hands were soon feeling the effects of the actions. She was on pumpkin number three. She thought that this might be her limit. She asked me how many pumpkins I had gutted and she was very surprised when I told her “eight”. She decided that she could push herself to gut five. I continued my quest and finished my ten. We decided that this was our best effort for the day.
We put our pumpkins in the new (but large) stack of “already gutted” pumpkins. And we marveled in awe at the large trailer already filled with the “already carved” pumpkins. Admittedly, it was quite the system evident everywhere around us.
POPCORN POPPING
Another missionary assignment was to assist with the popping and bagging of hundreds of bags of popcorn.
Sister Hunt with bags of bagged popcorn
This was really a “corny” activity. Sadly, however, it was not quite the right season to find “popcorn popping on the apricot tree”. We wanted to return another day to help with this effort but when we called the missionary supervisor (Elder Green), we learned that some super go-getter types had already completed the task. Shucks! We tried again at the actual “Boo-Tiful” event but even there, they had way more staff than they needed. But, the big “kettle corn” process was interesting.
And with the missionary effort, there was a free bag of popcorn for probably everyone who wanted one at the event. We got our own bags and the caramel tasting corn was wonderful. Thanks, folks!
THE PUMPKIN CANNON
For years, our family enjoyed the “potato guns” that Richard Hale used to bring to father and son and neighborhood events. He made these most impressive, But I think Nauvoo has him beat. The first scheduled event of the great “Boo-Tiful Nauvoo” festivities (October 26th) was the expulsion of pumpkins from a “cannon” created just for this purpose. This was scheduled to go from 3-4:00 Pm. This was one of those days that we would have wanted to finish our site tours a bit early. But, it turned out that we got to the scene just barely in time for the final boom of the last couple of pumpkins.
The scene …set at the crest of the hill below the Temple was perfect. There was a truck bed with many pumpkins. And a couple of experienced guys manned the cannon. They had created a cannon and one guy brought over a medium sized pumpkin. And then somehow, the pumpkin was propelled into the air. The pumpkins were shot down hill and they got a lot of boom as they hit the skies. It was challenging to actually see the pumpkin as it took off but all eyes were on it. It was an amazing and fun thing to watch.
This activity made me wish that my sons and sons-in-law could have been here to enjoy these few moments. This was right up the alley for most of them!
“THE NAUVOO PUMPKIN WALK”
Now it was time to get into the main event. Sister Hunt and I had not had time to go home to change out of our pioneer costume clothes – but it was kind of like wearing the Scout uniform. I was comfortable in my skin. It was all good.
The Nauvoo Pumpkin Walk – 2024
It wasn’t quite dark, but we used this time to take the “Pumpkin Walk”. We passed the missionary popcorn operation and they had a lot of folks waiting for their bags. We got bags for each of us.
We then began the walk to check out all of the carved pumpkins – that we had helped with throughout the week. The pumpkins had been lit with candles. It was fun to see each unique carved design. We walked behind the restaurants and hotels that formed the scene of the walk. We then walked down Mulholland Street two or three blocks and then back on the other side.
We were very surprised at the throngs of people who had gathered in this usually remote and quite village. There were people everywhere. I could tell that many of the folks were “imports”. Most of the men were wearing hefty beards (so obviously they were not missionaries). Excitement was high with everyone.
Of course, I was in awe of all of these people who had gathered with me for my Halloween birthday. Such a great activity for the occasion.
THE “BOO-TIFUL NAUVOO” PARADE AND FESTIVITIES
Let’s face it! Halloween is kind of a zany “holiday”. It is fun just to see people kick back and be crazy. It is a time to look bizarre and think that it is okay. And today was no exception. The parade proved to be pretty decent for such a small town. Spooks, goblins and witches seemed to come out of the woodwork – there amidst the scarecrows. People were “stacked” five or six or more people deep all along the parade route. We had been sitting over by the “Fudge Factory” but we pressed our way forward a bit with the hope of some good photos of the action. And this basically worked well for us.
“Boo-Tiful Nauvoo” Parade
Of course, a couple of our favorite parade entries were missionaries. The traditional mission horse drawn wagon was filled with senior missionaries. And they played the “kazoo” and other fun instruments that were fitting for the occasion. We joined the cheering section for them.
Another missionary entry was about 20 of our young sister missionaries. They were all dressed in black. And atop their heads, they had a long and giant dragon. This was very colorful. The Sisters wove back and forth across the street as they pushed their upper skin up and down to the delight of the crowd. We gave the dragon a big cheer.
All too soon, the parade was over but it had been so fun. Then the crowd milled around to check out the food booths and other activities. We joined the crowd. We bought some pie – at just $2.50 a slice – as sold by the local Historical Society. I am definitely hooked on pie – so I could not resist the urge to buy myself two or three slices. And that pumpkin pie was amazing. We were so surprised and pleased that the custard was still warm. Talk about fresh! Wow!
Nauvoo “Wagon Wheel Giant Cinnamon Roll” made by Annies
We also found an outdoor booth manned by folks from the local Annie’s Custard place. We have been to the place previously and have enjoyed visiting with her. She comes from the Mesa, Arizona Ray family so we have known many of the same people. We bought a couple of pulled pork sandwiches that were fabulous. (But fun to eat dessert first, too … it doesn’t get much better than that.)
We would have liked to have seen the carved jack-o-lanterns lit up in the dark, but it wasn’t quite that time. And in our rush to get to the festivities, we had arrived without coats. And the chill and the need for warmth won over the thrill of the lanterns. We headed for home – impressed with the whole celebration. Quite an affair for such a quaint little town.
SINGING AROUND THE CAMPFIRE AMIDST A MARSHMALLOW ROAST
With many missionaries now gone, we have smaller crowds of missionaries. This makes some fun activities doable – and easier to stage.
One such event was held at the “Parley Street Campfire Bowl”. We had not been to the place before – but found it perfect for the occasion. The event had been billed as a marshmallow roast and s’mores event. Who can pass those up? They were as good as ever – enjoyed by all.
And then, after the roast, the entertainment missionary couple staged a little “reader’s theater” reading. This was about missionaries sent out by Brigham Young. And then we gathered around (in medium weight coats) and enjoyed a song fest – by a Sister who once sang with the “Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square”. We sang a multitude of church songs that went well with the guitars of a couple of the brethren.
Being in this setting my mind was drawn naturally to my many Boy Scout campfire programs that I have attended through the years. It brought back much nostalgia and, I admit, some yearning for the “good old days”. Sixty years of Scouting is kind of hard to forget.
BREAD MAKING AT THE FAMILY LIVING CENTER
In our Family Living Center there is a wonderful 1840’s kitchen – complete with a fireplace, cast iron gear of many varieties, and with a “bustle oven” for breadmaking. In the pre-COVID days, missionaries actually created bread and baked it in the brick oven (after heating it with real fire for a couple of hours). Sadly, COVID stopped the experience. But the nostalgia remains as we still “talk” about how bread was made “back then”. Some of the senior sisters decided to give the oven a try. They recruited Elder Ward to man the fire for them.
Breakmaking at the Nauvoo Family Living Center
The Sisters let the young sister missionaries (who will soon depart) help mix up the bread dough. They then put the dough in the large wooden “proffer” box. This box (powered by bowls of steaming water) helps to “raise” the dough. The system worked well.
Elder Ward preparing heat at the Family Living Center Bustle Oven
The fire did not work exactly as the bakers would have hoped but Elder Ward was soon able to supercharge his charcoal with a fire atop of them. This was the boost that was needed and soon the bread entered the oven (minus the wood and coals). And we were all excited to taste the hot bread as it came out of the oven – only about twenty minutes later. Sister Workman had brought some bread of her own “just in case” so there ws plenty of delectable bread for everyone.
And this, of course, brought back many warm memories of my own mother, Alura, who made bread two or three times every week of her married life. Those thoughts of her were most pleasant. I really miss her bread!
PREPARING TO WELCOME A RUSH OF NEW SPRING MISSIONARIES
I have mentioned the “cycle” of outgoing and incoming missionaries here in Nauvoo. And now that the huge contingent of missionaries have departed, it is time to look forward. And our mission has already received notice of missionary couples who have already received their mission calls to enter the MTC next March. (A terribly long time to wait … but it is so worth it).
As district leaders, it is our job to welcome new missionaries, to give them phone or on-line training and to help them get excited about coming to Nauvoo. We have been notified of two new “Teamsters” missionaries who will arrive in March and will be in our Brigham District. I assigned one other couple to “minister” to one of the new couples and Sister Hunt and I assigned ourselves to minister to the other. We called the couple and had a great visit with them. They were so excited about our call. Once a call is received, one cannot hear enough about the coming mission. It was fun to add to their enthusiasm.
VISITORS AND CONTINUING MIRACLES
Just because we are on a new schedule, that doesn’t damper the hope that miracles will still happen. We love the way the Lord connects people – friends we know and some known by people we know.
OUR BOWLES “IN-LAWS” CAME FOR A VISIT
We knew ahead that they were coming, but we were excited with the opportunity to welcome the Bowles (the in-laws of our daughter, Jackie). They did not stay the nights with us, but they spent most other times at night with us. We fed them for a couple of nights. It was kind of fun one night. It was the birthday of their son (our son-in-law). We suggested that the four of us call him. We did so and all sang ‘Happy Birthday” to him. He loved this (and he talked about it for a month afterwards).
SISTER HUNT IS VISITED BY TWO COUSINS
Yes, Sister Hunt was visited by two cousins – one from her mother’s side, and one from her dad’s side. These were both “Nauvoo miracle” connections. Neither cousin knew that we were here and we did not know that either one was coming.
We connected to both cousins in a like manner. Both of them went to participate in the events in the Family Living Center. Both opted to hear the presentation about brick making in Nauvoo. And after the presentations, each one said to the missionary giving the tour, “My uncle started the Nauvoo Brick”. Thankfully, both guides worked to get us together. They said, “That is very interesting. There is a sister missionary here who is the daughter of the guy who started the bricks.”
One guide told Lori Belcher where we were serving for the day. (And we are glad that she did this.) Sister Hunt and I were coming out of the John Taylor home and were returning to the Print Shop. (This tour includes both places.) Sister Hunt was on the brick path and she saw a couple of ladies coming toward her. One was excited and said to Sister Hunt, “Don’t even try to tell me that you don’t know me.” The Spirit whispered to Sister Hunt who the cousin was – even they had not seen each other for some time as she heard her voice. There was great rejoicing and hugs together.
Photo above: Lori Belcher (2nd from right) with her cousin (from her other side of the famiy)
With the other cousin, we were actually on our P-day. Our missionary friend knew that we would want to see the cousin. She called Sister Hunt and said, “There is someone here at the Family Living Center who wants to talk to you.” Sister Hunt was baffled about who it might be. We hurried down there. As we entered the building, the light was not in our favor and it was hard to see who we were supposed to see. There was a couple there. The lady came forward and said, “You may not remember me, but you are my cousin.” (They had not seen each other for decades. They had known each other at the same high school but after that time, they had both gone different directions and had not had an occasion to be together since. Sad there were not greater family connections!)
Anyway, this Cousin JoAnn Perry Madsen and Sister Hunt’s mothers (Verna and June) were Betteridge sisters. Sister Hunt and her cousin had a nice conversation, and of course we got our photo to show that the conversation and the Nauvoo visit happened.
WELCOMING A LONG-TIME SCOUTING BUDDY
I love serving at the Visitors’ Center. This is a place where miracles often come together. This one particular day, it was kind of unique that I was even at the Center. I was over at a side couch – doing my computer thing as I awaited my time to be assigned to take a tour.
A guy entered from the west door. There were other people between us, but out of the corner of my eye, I saw this guy from the back and thought, “That guy looks familiar. I think I know him!” And just then, he turned around … he had had the same experience as I had. We focused on each other and at the same time, realized that we did indeed know each other. It was Chris Wagner from Mesa, Arizona.
Chris and I grew up in the same neighborhood and ward. We were good friends together in the ward and as Scouts in good old Troop 155 (“155 – the best alive!”). We broke into a long hug as long-lost brothers. (This came as a bit of a shock to others who were watching us.) It was great. Chris had recently lost his wife of nearly 50 years and was kind of sad. He had come to Nauvoo with his older sister who lives in Missouri (and whom I also knew)- hoping for an emotional boost. We had a great conversation. So cool that the Lord arranged this meeting for us!
VISITORS FROM CORTEZ, COLORADO
We were serving one day at the Lucy Mack Smith home and some folks came from Cortez, Colorado. I perked up as we have some good friends in this town. We first met the Brocks when we all lived in Santa Paula, California. It has been years since I have been able to contact my friend. Anyway, this guy who came to our tour knew my friend – who was formerly his Aaronic Priesthood leader. This new friend gave me contact information for Andy. I later corresponded with Andy and we had good conversation.
OTHER LONG TIME FRIENDS FROM MESA, ARIZONA
On the same day that Chris came to visit, we were also visited by some other long-time friends, Ben and Nanette Allen. I went to high school (Westwood – “War Eagle) with Ben and later he and his wife were in our Mesa, Arizona Acacia ward for a while. They somehow knew that we are serving in Nauvoo, so they came looking for us. The fact that there were 3 Elders Hunt here led them on a bit of a goose chase.
They did finally corner us at the Visitors’ Center that night just as we had our hands on the door (literally) to depart for the evening. It was a little miracle that we all showed up at the same time. We had a fun visit with them.
We were surprised when we went to the Temple to see our friends, the Ridings – also from Mesa. We connected with them the next day for visiting and a photo.
Sister Hunt and I made a random visit to the local Zion’s Mercantile gift store up on Mulholland Street. We met Joseph Johnstun who is the Director of the “Tomb of Joseph Museum”. (More to come on that subject later. In talking with Joseph, we discovered that he and our son-in-law, Paul, were together on the Church’s 1997 Sesquecentennial Commerative Trek. Paul was then 14 and was a teamster with his grandfather, Robert Lowe.
MORE FUN WITH THREE HUNT COUSINS IN NAUVOO
I have mentioned a few times about how great it is to have three “Hunt Cousins” together here in Nauvoo. We all enjoy this brotherhood … and it is fun to talk to others about our unique situation. Often people come on our tours and say, “We just met your cousins.”
3 Nauvoo Hunt Cousins – (L to R) Lou and Kevin Hunt, Sandy and Jake Hunt, Tammy and Brad Hunt
I guess our fame is spreading. I received a phone message the other day that was fun. This lady wrote to us and said that she is a writer for the “Church News” and wanted to interview us for a possible article. I had to chuckle out of the opening line of the message. It said, “To Elder Hunt, Elder Hunt, and Elder Hunt …” I became the spokesman and wrote back to her. Just to humor her, I said “Greetings! This is Elder Hunt …”
My “Cousins” came to my place and together we participated in a “Face-Time” conference call with the reporter, Mary Richards. This was a fun activity. Earlier in the day we had staged a photo op with the horses – the companions of my Teamster cousins. We submitted the photo to Sister Richards.
The article made its debut on Sunday, November 17th on the “on-line” Church News. Here is the link to the article:
The current mission historian, Sister Walters, suggested that I write a page about what it means to come “full circle” in Nauvoo. She had learned that I served here as a young missionary and noted how unusual it was to be back here in my very same mission 50 years later. I did write her desired article.
And at the same time, another “full circle” event occurred. Sister Hunt and I were serving in the Family Living Center with many other missionaries. It was a rare quiet moment with no visitors for us to help. There were about six young sister missionaries – as well as two or three couples together there. One young sister posed a question to us Seniors. She asked, “Where did you serve on your young missions?” Sister Hunt was pleased to talk about her service in the Australia Melbourn Mission. (I remind her that she got her call from Lorenzo Snow!)
When it was Elder Robert Ward’s turn to talk, he said, “I was in the Florida-Tallahassee Mission.” That got my attention. I said, “Wait a minute …! That was my mission! (That is where I was before Nauvoo.)
I said, “Wait … how old are you?” He said, “69”. I said, “Then we had to have been there together.” We realized that we were both in northern Alabama in the same zone at the same time. I was limited in my computer resources at the Family Living Center, but I found this fact in my letter home to Mom and Dad about a zone conference held January 7, 1975. I tried to open up my journal of the day, but it would not open. We were both dumbfounded over our dommon mission experience.
I also taught Elder Ward how to find his own Nauvoo ancestors on the “Family Tree” application. He was jazzed about this.
Back at home, I was able to find my journal entry of the day (on my big jump drive). I found the referenced zone conference and read about it. It was a tri-zone conference held in Birmingham, Alabama. After Elder Franklin D. Richards, an assistant to the Council of the 12, spoke, we divided into our three zones. The record reflected that I gave a talk or presentation – using the example of Ammon as a missionary to the Lamanites. (Ammon has long been my favorite missionary hero. I have continued to study him and in Alma Chapters 17 to 27, I have now found 200+ ways to be a great missionary.)
I realized that Elder Ward would have been in attendance as I gave that presentation. He was a greenie and had only been out a couple of weeks.
Digging still deeper, I continued to read in my journal (knowing that I got transferred out of the area on January 25th – and would not have seen him after that transfer).
I found a journal entry for a district meeting held January 17, 1975. I learned that we were also in the same district. I was then in the town of Cullman and he was in Guntersville. The entry said, “We then went to a district meeting. Elder Ames, as our new district leader, conducted the meeting. He and Elder Howard (ZL) gave talks as did Elders Ward (greenie of 1 month) and Adams. The Elders present included Ames and Birrell (Gadsden), Adams and Wheeler (Scottsboro), Zumwalt and I (Cullman), Howard and Rich (Huntsville) and Montgomery and Ward (like the store) of Guntersville. It was a good meeting. Elder Ames and Howard interviewed all of us. Elder Rich conducted a study class. We played a game of football gaining touchdowns as we answered questions right. Elder Z and I won the rest of them.” Wow! So amazing and wonderful!
Huntsville, Alabama District – January 17, 1975 – Elder Ward 3rd from Right
it keeps going … I dug deep into my mission slides and found a great photo taken on the actual day of the January 17th district meeting. This showed the greenie, Elder Ward and six others. Sadly, I was taking the photo. And everyone to whom I have since showed the photo loved the hair look of Elder Ward. He has lost some of that poof over the years.
I was very excited to find Elder Ward to show him the journal entry and photo. I tracked him down at the horse carriage depot where he was working for the day. We were both excited and dumbfounded. I stand in awe and amazement at how the Lord puts all of these miracles together. It is so great!
Elders Robert Ward and Kevin Hunt – Nauvoo 2024
OUR HANDS ON THE PLOW
On one occasion, Jesus met various people who had varying commitments to Him and His work. It is recorded in Luke 9:61-62: “And another also said, Lord, I will follow thee, but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house. And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”
That kind of applies to us in our mission service. Most of the time, this is not a problem with us. We miss your children and grandchildren greatly but we know that we are in the right place and time here on the mission. We miss many of the activities that we would typically do with our grandchildren (sports, plays, events, birthdays, and more) but we know that they know that we would be there for them if we could.
We pray for them (generally by name for specific needs) each day and we know that they are all praying for us as missionaries. That is a great thing to have that many grandchildren all praying for us! Wow!
When we came on our mission, we both said that We are going on this mission FOR THE GRANDKIDS … all 43 of them.” And that is really true. We wanted to set an example for each of them so that they would know that missions are a priority and we have hoped that our service might inspire each of them (all of them) to likewise serve.
We think of the family members often. Gratefully, we have Zoom, FaceTime, phones, messages and e-mail messages – and all of the modern technology by which we can communicate with them. Our family “WhatsApp” phone application does much to keep us all connected (as we are spread about in five states).
Occasionally, however, we experience some sadness in not being able to be there in person to enjoy some of the special moments of life with the family members. That has been the case over the past couple of months. We had a new granddaughter, Maylee, born. Sad to think that she will be over a year old when we first meet her.
In October, there were a plethora of family events that tugged at the grandparent heart strings. Two granddaughters – Abby and Katelyn – both went on missions. Abby is serving in the Dallas Texas East Mission and Katelyn is in the Denver Colorado North mission (with a couple of our Nauvoo outbound sisters who arrived at the same time as our Sister Merrill).
Our grandson served a very successful mission in Argentina (down at the southern tip of the continent). He returned home to Arizona (rather than Texas – where he had lived only a short time before his mission. He wanted to return to the welcome of friends and family in Arizona. And our daughter and family made the trek from Texas to Arizona to welcome him home. Many of the local family members were able to be present at the airport for the joyful reunion.
Normally, it would have been Sister Hunt and I who would have welcomed the Stoddards to our home to stay, but this time it was our daughter, Larissa, and family who were gracious enough to host them for several days. (And Larissa is the “perfect mom substitute” in such situations.) Thanks, Laramie Sue!
A couple of days later, Bryson was able to bear his mission testimony in sacrament meeting (though it was fast Sunday – and not a time for the usual talks). In the same sacrament meeting, our little Maylee girl was blessed by her father. Many of the testimonies of the day were from our family members. Thankfully, we were able to join the meeting via Zoom. It was great that we could kind of be there with them. We still felt the joy of the occasion. Most of the “local” family members were present for this grand event.
Later in the day, Larissa and Kaylea staged a little open house for Elder Bryson. Many friends and family came and were able to hear him share memories and testimony from his mission. Bryson and his folks soon headed directly up to Provo, Utah – where he will live near his brother and will attend College in Orem.
That is a lot of family stuff in just one month! Wow!
We talked about it ahead of time, and we could have made the trip home for the major weekend of gatherings. We could have received permission to leave for a few days. We decided, however, that we needed to do our duty and remain at our missionary post in Nauvoo.
In doing so, I was reminded of the quote that we share from Lucius Scovill, the Nauvoo baker, as we give tours in his home. He left a new wife, his five children remaining from the recent death of his first wife, his new wife’s two young children from a previous marriage, and their one child. They were out on the mud flats of Iowa about a month out from Nauvoo when he received a mission call to England. He would be gone for a couple of years. He said,
“It seemed a painful duty for me to perform to leave my family to go into the wilderness and I to turn and go the other way. But inasmuch as I had been appointed to go, I was determined fill my mission if it cost me all that I had on this earth … I thought it best to round up my shoulders like a bold soldier of the corps … and assist in rolling forth the kingdom of God.”
Our mission sacrifice is not nearly so deep as that of Elder Scovil, but we can relate a bit to him. We decided to “keep our hands on the plow”.
A WAGON BREAK-DOWN ALONG THE TRAIL
We had a bit more excitement, recently, than we had planned – or would have liked. We suffered a challenge with our vehicle. One night, we suddenly noticed that the battery light was going on and off. Then the next morning the vehicle started chugging intermittently and powerfuly. We could tell that it was having a power challenge. We were in trouble out here in the middle of nowhere, America.
We learned that one of the FM supervisors moonlights as a mechanic. He diagnosed right away that it was likely the alternator. He agreed to fix it. And by some miracle, a senior couple ended up here with two cars – and they really didn’t need two of them. The counselor in the mission presidency, knowing our plight, called and asked them if we could borrow their vehicle while ours was being repaired. I do not like to borrow or lend cars to anyone. Too often, there are problems. Doing so, never seems to work. But, we were kind of stuck – with really no other option. We could have rented a car out of Carthage – but this really was not a great option. Anyway, we used the loaned Toyota truck from the Hales. And their generousity was a very major blessing – for which we were grateful.
Our three sons-in-law made quite a team a couple of nights before we left on our mission. Together they masterminded a replacement for our alternator. So, the alternator was still under warranty. We went to Keokuk and paid for a new alternator (to save time on the repairs. (And then we got a full refund after the repair when we took the old unit back to them. And the Auto folks could not figure out why the “new” alternator lasted only seven months!)
Kendall took a full two weeks to repair the vehicle. We learned that the guy – though excellent – has way too much going on in his life. He works for the church full time. He moonlights with his auto garage business. He is the lead in the local volunteer fire department (which includes ambulance service), has six kids and is in the Bishopric. We asked him what he does in his free time. Anyway, he did ultimately have time to make the repair and got the new unit into the car. And it now works fantastically. We were grateful for his able assistance.
There were a few miracles in this trauma. I mentioned the use of the Hale vehicle, and Kendall being able to fix the vehicle. Also there was the fact that there was nothing else wrong with the vehicle. It could have been worse.
Sister Hunt realized another miracle in us not going to Arizona for the baby blessing, missionary activities, and the family reunion festivities. She did the math and realized that if we had gone to Arizona and if the alternator would have gone out at the same time that it did, it would have happened as we could have been on the freeway going to St. Louis to the airport. Wow! So, once again, the Lord protected us (like on our way to Nauvoo from the MTC and our tire problems). We are grateful that the Lord is in the details of our lives and that He is protecting us continually in our mission service.
SISTER HUNT AND I CELEBRATED OUR ANNIVERSARY
Kevin and Lou Hunt on 46th Anniversary – September 14, 2024
It was fun, recently, for Sister Hunt and me to celebrate our 46th wedding anniversary here on the mission. (And we’ll celebrate #47 here also!). We went out to eat at a new restaurant – the “Fireside BBQ” here in Nauvoo. We loved the BBQ food and the little place where they hide out with their great food. It was a pleasant evening out together.
I SURVIVED AND LOVED MY 70TH BIRTHDAY LOVE FROM MY FAMILY
I devoted a full blog with reflections about my 70th (Halloween) birthday – which I wrote and posted on the big day. And I note that this blog was totally spur-of-the-moment. I had not planned this blog ahead – as I do for most of the blogs. It never made it to the 3×5” cards! The thought to write a blog was spur of the moment early that day, but I acted on it. Turns out, I really was not alone for the day – though we were 1,400 or more miles away. My family would never let such an occasion pass quietly. They pumped on the energy and excitement for my big day and surprises seemed to keep coming all day.
Special 70th Birthday Computer Generated gift from son, Keith Hunt
One of the great developments of the day was the receipt of 70 cards from the family. Without Sister Hunt and I in the count, we have 61 descendants. Each of the 61 wrote a card and sent it to arrive close to the birthday. And to make it to 70, our own children were tasked with the chore of writing twice. One family used their extra card to send a message from “Mo the dog.” Thanks, Mo! And thanks to all of the family – with Jackie as the master-mind – for making this come together. Seventy cards! Wow! That must be some kind of record.
The mail deluge was a shock to the mailroom lady. In the mailroom, each missionary has his/her/their own mailbox. And this Sister sorts the incoming mail to the boxes each day. I wasn’t really expecting mail (I just don’t) but it was interesting that for several days there was nothing in our box.
Then on the birthday, Sister Hunt was especially anxious for us to go to the mailroom. I should have smelled a rat! Three packages had come earlier in the week – and she returned these (unopened) to the mailroom to make it appear that they had just arrived. She had chatted earlier with the mail lady (and the substitute for the day) to expect 70 letters from our posterity – with instructions to “watch for them”. She went into the room on the big day and was shocked to find our assigned box totally empty. She was totally baffled. She called the mail lady and was told that with the decrease of missionaries, they had just condensed the boxes – so that they only take up a third of the room – rather than the whole room. So, with this clue, Sister Hunt went to our newly assigned box. That is when I saw it too!
Our box was jam-packed with letters. They were there so tightly that I don’t think another one could have been squeezed into the small box. Wow! This was amazing and wonderful!
Then at home, I began to open the cards and letters. I loved each message – all in the personality of the person (no matter how young or old) sending the card. These all made me so happy.
I also received phone calls from each one of our nine children. I felt like Joseph Smith and Moroni: “Our conversations must have taken in most of the day”. Another surprise was that most family members also created a card, drawing, etc., which was posted to our “photo frame” where we receive photos regularly from our family members. Many of the family members sent me gifts. I got several bags of my favorite candies – root beer barrels, Chick-O-stick, Idaho Spuds, and of course the fall favorite of candy corn. (It is not fall unless I get at least one bag of candy corn … and this time I received a year supply of the stuff.)
So, in summary, I didn’t know what was going to happen at any moment, but there was a full day of various excitements and surprises. Wow! This was all so fun. Thanks, family. You are the best! I love you all!
I later posted my thanks on our family WhatsApp site: “Wow! What a great birthday! It was worth turning 70 just so that I could feel the love and attention from all of you. And worth being away just so that I could get a card from all 61 of my posterity! Wow! That was magnificent! I loved each card and message! And thanks for all of the gifts, candy, and more. Definitely a special birthday to remember forever. We truly have a “bootiful” and wonderful family. I love you each collectively and individually! Love Dad!”
And incidentally, I printed out my full birthday posterity message and physically mailed it to each family. I also had this added to my “white box” (“just in case”) instructions – so it may resurface again sometime in the future. I hope that this message will be a special “keeper” for everyone through the years.
WEATHER CHANGING
Being Arizona desert rats, Sister Hunt and I have been somewhat challenged as we look forward to the unknown winter ahead. We are kind of in a panic – not knowing what to expect. We thought that we would be in igloo mode from about the first of October – through April. We have been very grateful for the fabulous weather so far. We really have only had a couple of really cold days. All the other days have been fabulous. And here it is the middle of November and the weather has been amazing. We are so very grateful for this great blessing.
I’M DEFINITELY FALLING FOR NAUVOO!!!
The winter ahead is kind of unpredictable, but for the moment, we are loving it here. We can say that we are truly “falling for Nauvoo”. (And we’ll keep praying in faith for future Nauvoo weather miracles.) It is a great time to be alive, and it is great to be missionaries together, here in Nauvoo. It’s great to be here this fall on the Nauvoo Trail.
Yes, it’s “full circle” for me relative to missionary service here in Old Nauvoo, As you might have surmised, I am here in Nauvoo in 2024 serving as a site missionary. It is “full circle” for me – since I was also here in 1975 – doing exactly the same thing as I am now doing in the present here and now moment of 2024. Forty-nine years later? How is that possible?
Serving here in 2024 I am serving with my own companion – my wife, Lou. This is one of the greatest moments of my life. It is great to be serving here with her. I am so grateful for the opportunity to return to serve in these times in this sacred and holy place of Nauvoo. In being here, I recognize the hand of the Lord in my life and in my being here – again! And as I put it all together, I stand in total amazement. It is really very fantastic to see how the Lord has and continues to pull everything together for me to serve and to accomplish his purposes – on behalf of myself and others who come here to this holy ground. I marvel at how the Lord pulls together time and space, people and circumstances – to make them all come together in continuing miracles. It’s a big WOW!
Sister Walters is half of a senior missionary couple here in Nauvoo. (Her husband is a teamster!) She is charged with the task to create an annual mission history for our Illinois Historic Sites Mission. This is reminiscent (for me) as I recall having that assignment to create such a history – as I did this for eight years for the Mesa South Stake “of Ziion” in Arizona. I remember well, the Church’s charge to create such historical documents (and I remember the Lord’s charge of such to Nephi (3 Nephi 23:6-13) and again through the Prophet, Joseph Smith in our day (D&C 85:1-2). The charge remains the same! So, I appreciate Sister Walter’s efforts.
Sister Walters somehow discovered that I had been here before – and that I have come “full circle” by being here once again to serve in Nauvoo. She suggested that I write my feelings about that coming “full circle” phenomenon. I readily agreed to her invitation.
My mind was filled with the “dash” – the many years and Nauvoo memories and even miracles that have come together for me here in this special and sacred place. To my mind came many images (and a fistful of 3×5” notecards) of people and experiences to write about – really filling the details of that “full circle”. I soon saw in the invitation a full blog. And with so much coming to me, I decided that I should reread her invitation – to see what she really wanted. I knew that I could feed her more than she wanted (you know me!).
I went back and reread her original message to me. She wrote: “Hi there! Elder Hunt … I had talked to you earlier about doing a page in the history called ‘full circle’. I would like to feature you on that page. Would you please send me a short paragraph on how you feel as a returning missionary to Nauvoo?” (She said she already had sleuthed some photos of me – one as a young missionary and one with my beautiful wife). She continued, “It seems like such a special and unique thing to be able to minister in the same place at different stages of life. How cool is that??? Would you be able to do this within a week or so?” (I had previously missed the “short” part of the directive – so I had to rethink my approach.
She said it so well … beautiful. I could have just let her say it for me. After re-reading the invitation, I realized that my volume of thoughts probably extended way beyond her hopes and expectations. But she already had me going. I quickly created a “short” (for me) rendering of the facts and sent it off to her. I was off and running, however, so I decided to just keep going – for my own sake – and that of posterity (and possibly other interested parties).
I have spoken and written about some aspects of my “full circle” in previous blogs and I apologize if I repeat myself or if I will bore you with more than you want. But, it is a great story and so I guess I will just continue with my expanded vision of that “circle”. It will actually be great to have all of the material together in one space and blog. So, here goes …!
First, about my initial (1975) call to serve in Nauvoo (and I note that I have a daily journal entry for every day of my mission – and every day hence) so I can go back to document the facts and memories:
MY ORIGINAL CALL TO NAUVOO IN 1975
When I first arrived in the Alabama-Florida Mission (later renamed to the Florida-Tallahassee Mission), I heard of some missionaries who had a few months before, been sent to serve in old Nauvoo. Their story was fascinating to me. And the Spirit told me specifically that I would later have such an assignment. I knew in my heart that I would somehow end up there. I didn’t know how it would happen, but I knew that it would.
On April 25, 1975, I recorded in my journal: “It has been an interesting day. All of us in the office received word on forthcoming transfers My transfer was a real mind blower. I will leave May 10th – along with Elders Moffat, Howard, and Rich, to go to the Nauvoo, Illinois Mission. I will spend the rest of my mission there. This means that I will have been here in Florida [Alabama and Georgia] for exactly 18 months. I am really excited about this. I have felt sure (by the Spirit)- that I would get there sometime. I heard parts of the phone call to President Spencer H. Osborn on Wednesday. He received a call from President [J. LeRoy] Kimball of the Nauvoo mission. Two seconds later, after he hung up, he called his Assistants into his office. I’ve known since then that something was up. We already had a transfer in progress for the week.”
Elder Kevin Hunt as Mission Recorder –
Florida Tallahassee Mission 1975
I knew after the call that I was on my way to Nauvoo – but I didn’t say anything to anyone about it. I just sat back and watched it go “through the process”. The mission leaders later told me that when they went into the transfer session, they knew immediately that I was to go to Nauvoo – but they fought it. They had plans for me to become the new secretary to the mission president – and that I was to then “train” the new mission president who would arrive in June. They thought that they had this all orchestrated and were beginning to implement the plan to make that happen. They finally “gave in” to the Spirit and went forward with the Lord’s plan to ship me out. And I was soon on my way.”
Florida Missionaries on way to Nauvoo –
Elders Howard, Rich, Moffat, and Hunt
MY 2024 RETURN TO NAUVOO
It was Tuesday, February 6, 2024. We knew that our mission call would likely arrive today. Our family gathering was set to start at 6:00 PM. (And Elders’ Quorum President, Doug Ford, had already cancelled our presidency meeting for the night). We let all family members make a guess as to where we were going. The guesses varied around the world. Katelyn made the guess of “Nauvoo”. After the guesses, we opened the large envelope that had been sitting on our counter all day (without us peeking into it). I tried to get Lou to be the voice – but she deferred to me. I read the full letter that was signed by President Russell M. Nelson, our prophet.
Here is a part of the my mission call letter:
Receiving this new mission call brought back memories of the mission call of my youth – issued in 1973 (50 years ago) to me by then President Harold B. Lee. And I note that we have had six prophets since that time: Spencer W. Kimball, Ezra Taft Benson, Howard W. Hunter, Gordon B. Hinckley, Thomas S. Monson, and Russell M. Nelson. Interesting.
We were all jazzed with the call all so exciting! It was so great to be returning “home” to Nauvoo.
TRAINING FOR THE MISSION
There was no MTC in 1975. All missionaries reported to the Salt Lake “Mission Home” – which was housed in a remodeled grade school located across the street from the church headquarters building. We were there for just five days. We ate all our meals in the church headquarter cafeteria. I then flew from Salt Lake City to Tallahassee.
Salt Lake City LDS “Mission Home” 1973
In 2024, I attended the MTC (Mission Training Center) in Provo, Utah with my wife. We had had a long drive from Arizona up to Salt Lake City – and then back down to Provo. We were there for ten days of training. The training format was quite different. This was such a grand experience. (And I have written a blog just on the subject of the MTC.)
The Modern Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah – 2024
WHERE WILL WE SERVE IN NAUVOO?
Many of the Nauvoo missionaries that we were with us in the MTC had already received assignments as to where they would serve upon their arrival. Many also had advance notice from an assigned “trainer”. We had neither. We kept wondering where we might be assigned. The thought gave us something to think about at the MTC and on our long trek east to Nauvoo.
Then as we were on the road on that long Thursday (and were somewhere out in the flats of Nebraska.) I checked my phone at a rest stop (and I must say that Nebraska has absolutely fabulous rest stops). And there it was … the mysterious and illusive e-mail that we had been anticipating. I snuck a peek at it. And I chuckled. Funny! And when we got back on the road, I mentioned to Lou that we had received THE BIG MESSAGE about where we would be serving. Like me, she was full of anticipation.
I said, “Guess where we are going?” I let her think about it for a few seconds before I made the big reveal. “Lucy Mack Smith home”, I told her. Sister Hunt almost went into shock. It took her a few seconds to comprehend and to process that. Her folks had served in Nauvoo (circa 1979 to 1981), and they spent their entire mission in the Lucy Mack Smith Home. (More on that later.) They were called initially for a year and a half, and they extended an additional year – and they served in this home literally the entire time.
Elder E.H. and Sister Verna Belcher serving at the Lucy Mack Smith Home
My wife was completely speechless. When she came to, she said, “Well, I certainly wasn’t expecting that!” (We later learned that today’s senior missionaries get moved around to different homes – DAILY– so they do not remain in a single home forever like the folks.) But Lucy Mack Smith … how cool is that to follow in the footsteps of the in-laws. It was pretty exciting. (Current scheduling leaders had no idea of our past connection to the place when they made the assignment!)
My wife finally got her mind settled over the assignment and sent a message out to our posterity. Everyone was elated! Coincidental? Hardly! The folks (now angels) likely had a bit to do with the assignment. We knew that they would be very pleased to have us follow in their footsteps.
Elder E. H. and Verna Belcher – Nauvoo Missionaries 1979-1981
ARRIVAL METHODS IN GETTING TO NAUVOO
The travel distance from Tallahassee, Florida (where I was serving in the mission office) to Nauvoo was right at 1,000 miles. I flew from Tallahassee to Atlanta, Georgia. The four of us then flew from Atlanta to Chicago. Then we boarded an old and quite small “prop” plane which took us from Chicago to Burlington, Iowa. On that last flight leg, I was afraid that we would drop and hit deer on the way.
In 2024, Sister Hunt and I packed a van with a large collection of our stuff. The mini van was literally full. We drove from our Maricopa, Arizona home up to the MTC in Provo, Utah. We then drove overland going east – for another 1,200 miles. Altogether, we drove about 2,300 miles to get to Nauvoo.
OUR FIRST DAY ON THE JOB IN NAUVOO
As noted above, we thought that we were on our way to the Lucy Mack Smith home and were excited about being there. Then just a couple of days before our projected first day, we received a message from the mission scheduler. We had been moved to the Browning Home and Gun Shop for our first day. We had not yet been on the tour thee and had not had a mentor to teach it to us.
That morning, Elder and Sister Turner were there with us. They took the first tour and then it got busy. As they were engaged with their group, another group came in the front door. The Turners were too far into their tour to bring the new folks into it. Sister Turner showed a look of panic. I said, “No worries, I can take this group!” She looked at me as if I were crazy. She gave me a look of “how is that possible?” I went to our group, introduced ourselves, and it was then that the Holy Ghost took over … and “brought all things to my remembrance”. It was a neat experience as I literally remembered the script that I had given at the same house 49 years before. I was in awe – and expressed gratitude.
SERVING AT THE HEBER C. KIMBALL HOME
Heber C. Kimball Nauvoo Home as Restored by Dr. J. LeRoy Kimball
Within a short time, we were assigned to serve at the Heber C. Kimball Home. This was exciting for me – since I had fond memories of the place from former times. As I stood to give the tour, my mind was taken back to the first day I served there back then.
Nauvoo Restoration visionary – Dr. J. LeRoy Kimball
On my first day of arrival Dr. J. LeRoy Kimball, the Nauvoo Restoration visionary, showed us new missionaries around the whole city – and specifically to his favorite home. In my mind (in the current 2024 moment), I could see him there – even then kind of an old guy – with his funny hat and his cane. He told us of his great-grandfather, Heber. He shared things that are not in our current missionary site guides – and which only he would know.
In the Heber C. Kimball home, we talk about Dr. Kimball – who started all of the restoration in Nauvoo. He is truly a legend for his great work. He restored the Kimball home and then began to purchase other homes – Wilford Woodruff, Brigham Young, and Lucy Mack Smith. That is part of the story told in the Kimball home. I had served in 1975 in each of those homes. It was very interesting for me as I told of Dr. Kimball and then told folks that he was actually my youth mission president in Nauvoo. Wow! “How cool that you were here and served with him – and that you are back now!” Yes, it was very cool, indeed! Wow!
DR. KIMBALL SHARED SLIDES OF HIS WORK OF RESTORATION
Also, on my first day in Nauvoo (ancient history), Dr. Kimball gathered the newly arriving Elders. He showed us a rather lengthy collection of his slides about the Restoration of Nauvoo. I remember these as being super fascinating and wonderful.
After being here in Nauvoo in modern history, I was working on a project. How I wished that I had those slides of Dr. Kimball. I knew that they had to exist somewhere – even though Dr. Kimball died in 1992 – at age 91. I got on-line and began a search for them. I located them at the Church History Department. It said that the slides were available for research but only in person at the Church History Library in Salt Lake City. (That was great – but not very convenient since I was in Nauvoo – and would be for another while.)
I completed the document request form (found with the collection notice for the slides). The form had me tell who I was and why I wanted the slides. I noted that I was a missionary in 1975 under Dr. Kimball and back again now in 2024 as a Senior Missionary. I said that I wanted to do a comparative photo presentation showing the results of Restoration over those 49 years.
I received a note back from a historian. They sent me a short list of some sub collections and asked if there was one that I was particularly interested in. I picked one – not sure what it contained.
Then a month or so later, I received another message from the historian. The person informed me that “after long discussion … the department has decided to digitize the full collection” (and said that I would later be able to access it all. Wow!
“A NAUVOO WALK DOWN HISTORY LANE …”
While here in Nauvoo as a young buck, Elder Shaltes and I went around everywhere and took photos of most of the old houses – any that we could identify. Many of the homes had “Nauvoo Restoration” signs identifying the pioneer resident. Some of the homes had current residents and could not be identified.
Anyway, the photos that I took were slides. And for years, these slides seemed doomed to an ignominious death (being buried where old slides get buried). Then a couple of years ago, our Grandson, Brodey, helped me digitize all of my old mission slides – including Nauvoo. All of the slides were converted to images that could be saved, moved around, used in publications, etc. This was truly amazing that we had done this and that the images were ready and waiting for a future project. And it is interesting that the digital images are actually better than the originals. Wow! But, even still, the slides then “slept” on my computer – not being used.
(And a Google search shows that if you just type “A Nauvoo Walk”, the link comes right up.)
It is amazing how this book came together. First, I took the photos as a youth. They sat dormant and undisturbed (almost dead) for years, I finally got them scanned, had them available in Nauvoo on my computer, and then I was able to use them – and the new photos to document the history of pioneer homes and the Restoration of Nauvoo over that many years. A few miracles came together.
COMPANIONS IN NAUVOO
When I was here when younger, I was assigned a companion, but we really did not have to remain with the companion. We went alone to many places and sometimes as a group. Elder Shaltes and I enjoyed being together. We have returned to Nauvoo a couple of times together and this was great to be with him again.
Kevin Hunt and Former Nauvoo Missionary Companion – at a 1997 reunion – in front of the “Red Barn” Missionary Home
Of course, now in 2024, I have my own companion, Sister Hunt – and I am hoping that neither of us get transferred.
LIVING QUARTERS IN NAUVOO
There were six of us young Elders who lived in a big white house – flanked by a giant red barn. We thus called ourselves the “Red Barn Elders”. Eight more Elders lived around the corner in “The Stone House” and six more lived in “The Lyon Drug Store”.
“Red Barn Elders” – Elders Anglesey, Buckley, Phelps, Shaltes, Hunt and Heighton
When I was here in 1975, the Lyon Drug Store had not yet been restored – but it was an original building (needing some help). Sister Hunt and I have served in the Lyon Drug on our present tour. It is now a wonderful place (almost an 1840’s Walmart) – as is the magnificent garden back behind the home.
While in Nauvoo back in the day (and still) I kept a daily journal. I had forgotten this, fact but in reading my 1975 journal, I was surprised to find that I spent my first night in Nauvoo in the Lyon Drug Store building.
Photo: Above Lyon Drug in 1975 before Restoration and below 2024
When I first saw the Simeon Dunn home in 1975, it was not overly impressive. It was kind of “worn” and “hammered” looking and had obviously sat vacant for many moons. Elder Shaltes and I took photos of the place.
Simeon Dunn Home in 1975 Prior to Restoration
Never did I think that I would one day live in this place. Gratefully, the place has been remodeled to be quite comfortable inside with its modern renovations.
Elder Kevin and Sister Lou Dene Hunt at Restored Simeon Dunn home in 2024
THE RED BARN HOME TODAY
In today’s world, they have “subdivided the Red Barn home (the white building) into two apartments for senior missionaries. Our friends the Reeds live on the top floor of the building and the Walters live on the bottom floor. Elder Brian Reed and I were friends in grade school in Mesa, Arizona and rode the same bus to the old Lehi School when we were in second and first grades (I was a year older than he was). We were then together in the old Mesa 1st ward.) Elder Walters is the veterinarian for the ramada of giant horses, the oxen, etc…
A few weeks ago, I met Elder Walters at a dinner gathering of missionaries. I had known who he was and where he lived but we had never talked. His wife (the Historian) introduced me to him and told him how I had been a missionary here – shortly after the Restoration. He found this interesting and asked me where we then lived. He was very surprised when I said, “I lived where you now live!”
We talked about what is there now. They have residence on the bottom floor – which like the 1975 home, has a small living room, a kitchen, a bathroom, and a single bedroom. When I was here before, there were four bedrooms upstairs – and I guess they have added a kitchen up there. So they have done some remodeling, I guess. The stairs have since disappeared. All very interesting!
Someday, I hope that we will have an occasion to go into both up and downstairs to jar the old memories and to see how things have changed.
Nauvoo “Red Barn” above – 1975 and below – in 2024
If I look hard, I can still see the original red barn in the new barn structures (also red) that now reside there. And across the street to the west (with fabulous view from my 1975 corner window), is the Mississippi River and another new large red building – that is HQ for the whole horse operation. In pioneer days, this lot belonged to my own ancestor, Nathan Calhoun Cheney. It was so cool that I could see his property each day from my own window. Wow!
Photo: Property of Ancestral home of Nathan Calhoun Cheney – 3rd Great Grandfather in Nauvoo
And presently there is a large pasture to the north of my 1975 window – where the horses are pastured.
Another 3rd great grandfather, Horace Strong Rawson lived on this lot. Again, it was great to look out of my north window to this property. Ten years or so down the line, the progeny of these families married each other. (And in the same pasture was the then run-down wood home of Francis Lee (ancestor of the Prophet Harold B. Lee. This place has since gone the way of all the world and is no longer there.)
Above: Former home of Frances Lee – ancestor of Prophet, Harold B. Lee
GARDENS OF OLD AND NEW NAUVOO
When I was a young missionary, each couple planted and tended a lush garden behind the homes where they were assigned to work. Many also had their own personal gardens behind the homes where they lived. Even us young missionaries in the Red Barn had our own garden – and we worked it most p-days. Eating from these many gardens was truly wonderful. That really was a big WOW.
Photo: Elder E. H. Belcher missionary garden
In those days, the Church had an apple orchard. I remember going to work there to pick apples several days as a missionary. One of the great benefits of this job was getting a bunch of apples from which we made a plethora of apple pies (as a Red Barn team). We put these in the freezer and enjoyed them together as the urge hit us. It was a great WOW each time that we dined on one of our wonderful pies. And we found a pear tree near the Stone House – and we made more pies of the pears.
I remember back when – the Church sent an old guy out to manage greenery at the various restored homes. I wish I could remember his name. It seems that he was about 75 years old – and maybe he was even 80 or 85. He was a gardener deluxe. He was most impressive in his work and the gardens that he produced.
Today, only the Facilities Maintenance missionaries do gardening. And they do a fabulous job. The gardens here are so gorgeous.
At a recent zone training meeting, our Heber Zone was privileged to hear a presentation staged by Brother Richard Hancock (my 4th cousin). He is the head gardener and designer for all of the beautiful gardens in Nauvoo. He had never heard of a church apple farm. His PowerPoint presentation featured the beautiful gardens he and his FM team have created at the Lyon Drug home and store, the Browning home, the Women’s Garden (adjacent to the visitors’ center, and at the Wilford Woodruff home. All of these gardens are spectacular, and it is fun to capture great photo ops in these colorful and majestic gardens. Each garden is a special WOW!
Magnificent garden at Jonathan Browning Home – 2024 Navuoo
TOURS OF THE ORIGINAL NAUVOO RESTORATION HOMES
It is interesting that the tours to the original homes of Nauvoo Restoration seem to be immortal. The tours at Lucy Mack Smith, the Heber C. Kimball, Wilford Woodruff, Jonathan Browning and Brigham Young homes are almost identical now as compared to what they were in 1975. This makes me feel stability and strength through these places of the pioneer greats.
I do still love going to the Brigham Young home and posing with him (with or without a beard) since I still look very much like him. I like to show the photo of me with a gray beard and standing beside the bearded Brigham. I enjoy telling people “that’s me on the left!” Har Har … this always brings a chuckle from the photo viewers.
SERVING IN THE LUCY MACK SMITH HOME
It is a special privilege to teach and testify of Lucy Mack Smith, the mother of the Prophet Joseph Smith. It is interesting to view the current rooms and to compare them to the way they were back then. I don’t think any of the furnishings have changed from that time. There is a little bathroom in the back corner – now – and I am trying to figure out where this came from. It was not there when I was there.
Lucy Mack Smith Home – 1975
I look at the china on the shelf. We used to say that it belonged to the family of John Smith (brother to Joseph Smith, Sr.). Now there is no mention of this.
Outside, we show people Lucy’s carriage shop. We just calmly point out the beautiful carriage inside – without comment. Back in the day, we clearly said that “This is Lucy’s own 1790’s Boston Carriage.” And that is what Dr. Kimball taught us. And he should know!
1790 Boston Carriage of Lucy Mack Smith – in Nauvoo
When I served originally at the Lucy Mack Smith home, there was no brickyard across the street. The Belchers had not yet hit that scene. They would not arrive for another five years. We have visited Nauvoo several times through the years and have seen the development of the brickyard over time. It has changed dramatically. And as we have come each time, we have enjoyed getting one of Grandpa Belcher’s bricks. We love telling people who come today about the brick yard and how Lou’s father, Elder Belcher, created the brickyard, learned the process, and created the now famous Nauvoo brick souvenir. People are just amazed when Sister Hunt tells the story of her parents. They cannot believe that it was her father who did this – and that his daughter is back here in this modern age – carrying on the enduring legacy that Elder and Sister Belcher created. We are proud to be here in their footsteps.
TOURS IN RESTORED HOMES
When here in 1975, I was a “Site Guide” and that is my exact duty here again in 2024. We then had only eight places in which to take tours. These included the Wilford Woodruff, Heber C. Kimball, Lucy Mack Smith, and Brigham Young Homes. We had the Jonathan Browning Home and Gun Shop, the “Times and Seasons Building” (with a tour very different than today and the John Taylor Home, the Blacksmith Shop and the 70’s Hall.
Above: Nauvoo Restoration Map 1975
Above: Nauvoo Restored Homes – 2024 Map
Today in 2024,there are 26 homes and shops where we take tours. There is a plethora of “Main Street Trades” that we demonstrate. I needed to learn the eight tours then, and we learn and rotate through the 26 places today. Wow!
In 1975, couples were assigned to specific homes, and they remained there through most of their missions. Today, we have nearly 30 site missionary couples and we rotate to different homes virtually every day. It is pretty normal that we rotate to serve in six different homes within a single week.
OPEN HOURS OF SERVICE IN RESTORED HOMES
In 1975, each of the restored homes were open from 9 Am to 8 PM. Us “young ‘elders” would go and relieve the senior couples for lunch. We would go to one home for an hour and then when they returned, we would move to a second home for another hour. Then the couples left their homes at 5:00 PM. The Young Elders would relieve the seniors and take over their homes until closing time.
Today, in 2024, the homes are open at 9:00 Am. And they all close at 5 PM. Getting a lunch break is always a trauma. We serve the entire day with no replacement personnel for breaks. And often, there are so many visitors who come that taking a break is impossible – even with multiple couples or young sister missionary pairs serving in a single home. The Mission President has mandated lunch breaks – but the reality of making them happen is challenging at best.
THE NAUVOO MISSIONARY FORCE
Nauvoo “Young Elders” Serving in 1975
When I served here anciently, I was one of 20 “young Elders”. We came from five different missions “east of the Mississippi” (and this was a “part of our way home” since we all lived west of the Mississippi.) We had about a dozen senior couples. Two couples were “roving couples” and spelled off the others so that all could have “p-days). There were no young sister missionaries.
Full Nauvoo Mission Photo – 1975
When I was here back then, us young Elders all left for home within a couple of months of each other. We finished up our missions here in Nauvoo. I do not feel that I ever got “trunky”. However, most of the young Elders were definitely very “trunky” for a couple months before their departure for home. This was not a good scene – 20 missionaries all departing at once for home.
After I returned home from my mission, I was working one afternoon at the flower shop of my brother-in-law (who married my sister while I was on my mission). I received a phone call from a General Authority. And that call still baffles me. There was no one at home to give the caller my work phone number. Somehow they found me at the flower shop. The GA (General Authority) asked if I had “a few minutes” to talk about Nauvoo. Of course I was pleased to do so. He wanted to know anything and everything that I could tell him about life as a Nauvoo missionary – as well as to hear my suggestions for change.
I suggested that it would be much better to pull missionaries to Nauvoo from neighboring missions – and to bring missionaries who had served for six to eight months in their own missions. I suggested that they bring the missionaries to Nauvoo for just four months – from April or May through about mid-September. I then suggested that these missionaries then be returned to their original missions to serve the remainder of their two years. And that is exactly what they did – beginning the next year. The missionary department and Nauvoo operated in this mode for several more years.
At some point, and I don’t know when it was, the practice of receiving young Elders was discontinued completely and young sister missionaries were then brought here instead of the young Elders. Today, young sisters begin to serve from mid-March through mid-May. They serve here until about the first of October. They then go serve an “outbound” mission – with a new call – anywhere else in the United States and they serve there for six or so months. They then return to finish up their last six months here in Nauvoo. This seems to be a great system. My Mission President told me that there have been 66 young sisters here this season. Half of the missionaries go home around this time and the other half go out for their outbound service.
Our missionary force increased by many more missionaries in 2024:
Full Nauvoo Mission Photo – 2024
In my former life, there were no kind of performing missionaries. I was brought to Nauvoo purely on my good looks and my natural charisma. If I had had to audition, I would not have stood a chance of coming here.
As already noted, my In-laws were here from 1979 to 1981 as a senior couple. In their day, they were drafted (with or without talent) to perform in the Cultural Hall and out in the fields in the primitive productions of “Night on the Prairie”. They did the best they could.
Elder and Sister E.H. and Verna Belcher in Nauvoo stage production
And nowadays, we have two different casts (summer and fall) of performing missionaries = plus the Nauvoo Bagpipe Band. These folks are absolutely fabulous, and they bring so much spirit and energy to the current Nauvoo scene. They really are a big WOW!
WEARING APPARREL FOR MISSIONARIES
Elders Craig Shaltes and Kevin Hunt in white-shirt Nauvoo missionary attire
When I was in Nauvoo in 1975, all of the men – young and old – just wore white shirts and ties. And now, in 2024, we all wear 1840’s “period” costumes. I really like having and wearing costumes. They help create a special spirit and they help people to better feel the people who once lived here in this “covenant community”.
WORK IN THE VISITORS’ CENTER
When I was in Nauvoo in 1975, each of the 20 “young Elders” reported to work each day at the Visitors’ Center. One missionary was designated as the “zone leader” (or whatever we called him). He created a schedule for the rest of us. Four pairs of Elders were given assignments to man the homes and to relieve the couples for their lunch hours. We were given PM assignments to take over for the couples. One or more Elders were always up at the front desk – with the three senior couples who spent their whole time there. They called the rest of us up (from our downstairs lounge) to give tours in our turn.
When not giving one of the three tours in the Center, we spent our time in the basement under the East Theater. We spent most of our time studying.
Photo: Missionary Lounge in Visitors’ Center – with clipped ties from former missionaries to Nauvoo
They had a large and very interesting history library for us to peruse. While here, I read about 20 biographies (Brigham Young, John Taylor, Wilford Woodruff, Heber C. Kimball, Lucy Mack Smith, Parley P. Pratt, and many more). This has proven to be a major blessing to me through the years. It gave me a very solid base of Church history knowledge – which I have often been able to share with others. And in addition to study time in the lounge, there was also time to take an occasional nap and even to play ping pong or other games. It was a glorious place of recreation and learning.
I stopped in to check out the old hang-out recently. Now the place is inhabited by the Nauvoo Performing Missionaries and is their “green room” where they prepare for their performances. The place looks very different.
Back then we took tours that gave a general history of Nauvoo – on the first floor of the Center. We gave tours upstairs about The Book of Mormon and the Relief Society.
Today, the center displays are very different. The displays have been changed a few times over the years. Today the displays are mostly self-guided with the help of many electronic innovations and modern graphic opportunities. In the old days, I learned to walk backwards – to maintain eye contact and connection with guests – always facing them. And I got so skilled at this art, that I could even traverse the two flights of stairs in the backward mode. It was funny to have the visitors “warn me” of the coming stairs: “Watch out … there are some stairs”. (“Oh, is that right? I didn’t know they were there! Thanks for the warning!”)
When a young missionary, I was able to use my flower arranging prowess (learned from years of working at Crismon’s Flowers). My brother-in-law, Charlie, sent me a large box of silk flowers and I created four beautiful floral arrangements – at each of the corners of the upper floor of the center. These draped down toward the lower floor below. These were beautiful in their day. It is sad to see the open “holes” of the corners sitting vacant today. I miss my arrangements of yesteryear.
Floral Greenery at Nauvoo Visitors’ Center – Designed by Elder Kevin Hunt
We had a movie in 1975 that told the history of Old Nauvoo. We have a similar movie today – but it is a newer version. The movie still has the “feel” of the old one. The movies have been an introduction to the people and lives of the pioneers of the 1840’s. It gave me a shot of nostalgia as I first went to the theater in the modern time to start a movie. A great memory!
A major function of the current Visitors’ Center is to assist people in locating their own pioneer ancestors. For a while, there was a designated “Land and Records” office. COVID helped to kill that building – and staffing of it – but the function remains.
I enjoy current opportunities to serve in the Visitors’ Center. It is great fun to have close connections with the visitors who come to us. I spend a lot of my time teaching people how to use the Family Tree phone “app” to get to the “My Nauvoo Relative” search resource. Once we find a Nauvoo relative, I (or the young sisters) will print a sheet which shows a map where the ancestor lived. We can then send them off to find the property once inhabited by their peeps. And everyone gets so excited about all of this.
And I might add, that with my extensive historic research of the homes of Old Nauvoo, I know well the whole community lay-out and what historic homes are or are not there now. I have become somewhat of an authority on the process and the old homes. It is great to be a good resource to our visitors.
PERSONAL TOWN TOURS WITH GUESTS
In 1975, if we found a family or people who showed great interest in our message, one of us (not two of us) would get into their cars with them and would take them on a detailed historical tour of the town. We would share the history that we learned from our hours of study in our basement hide-out. We would stop at restored tours along the way. If there were no other visitors, we would let the senior couples take our friends on their tours. And if they were busy with other guests, we would take the folks on the tour – with us as the guides. I had some really great experiences as I was able to give special personal attention (by the Spirit) to the folks. Most of the folks on these personal tours were not members of the Church – so we had some great missionary experiences and opportunities for in-depth discussions.
Note from Kirby Todd after Elder Hunt took him on a personal tour around historic Nauvoo – 1975
We have not yet experienced a winter here in Nauvoo (and we are kind of terrified of it as we anticipate the unknown … not a fun prospect for us “desert rats”). We have heard that in the dead of winter – when it is way too cold and we have few guests, we remain at our homes (doing research or other self-guided projects). All of the site guides will be on-call on a rotation schedule. And when an interested group or individual arrives wanting a tour, the Center will give us a call with about 15 minutes notice to get in our costumes and to report at a specific site to begin a “concierge” tour with the guests – taking them to one or multiple sites on our “tour”. Should be interesting to see how this is managed and how it all works.
THE TEMPLE LOT AND CHANGES THROUGH THE YEARS
In my Young Missionary days, the Temple lot was kind of an enigma. One needed a lot of imagination to envision the former Temple there. The scene was a sunken lawn surrounded by rectangular pieces of Temple stone. There were brick foundations to represent the former spiral staircases. In the center of the lot was a well – that was said to be the original Temple well. This had a metal grate over it. And around the well was some brick and what was said to be a part of the shoulder of a baptistry oxen.
Nauvoo Temple Lot – as it appeared 1975 before reconstruction
With these sparse conditions, we still took people up to the Temple Lot and tried to help them envision the Temple of long ago. We were able to teach somewhat of the functions and ordinances of the Temple and this discussion was beneficial to many.
The looming Catholic Girls’ school in the forefront of the Temple Lot was a deterrent to the overall scene between us and the Mississippi River. I am sure that the school provided a necessary and important function, but it was sure great when the lot (like Joseph’s Red Brick Store) obtained a much higher and glorious function.
Former Catholic Girls’ School in Nauvoo, Illinois – Razed in 2002
In 2002, the former Nauvoo Temple was reconstructed in all of its former glory – and more. And now today, it stands majestic at the top of the hill. This certainly is a grand improvement over the former sparse ghost of its pioneer past. And that is a bunch of WOW’s!
Nauvoo Temple – Reconstructed and Restored in 2022 – as it appears “illuminated” in 2024
TODAY’S “TEMPLE CITY” TOUR
Soon after the re-creation of the Nauvoo Temple, the Church created the “Temple City” tour to better tell the story of the Temple and its impact upon the pioneer Nauvoo community. This tour was a great addition to the Temple and surrounding area. The tour includes the homes of William Weeks, Bishop Edward Hunter, and William Gheen.
The home of William Weeks, the architect of the Nauvoo Temple existed in my original mission experience. It was then, a rather unique structure – perhaps equal to the role of a creative architect. I was surprised in modern times to see how this structure has changed.
William Weeks Home – Architect of the Nauvoo Temple – as it appeared in 1975 – before restoration
The ornate top of the structure (not sure what it was called) was removed – as was an addition that was added on the east side of the existing structure. This was removed to get the building restored back to the way it really was back in the 1840’s era.
Photo: William Weeks home as it appears in 2024
The William Gheen home did exist in 1975 – and its exterior was about as impressive as the Simeon Dunn home. “Well-worn” was a good description. The exterior of the building was spiffed up to look new – and not a whole lot of restoration was needed on its Nauvoo brick. The interior was restored to its current special state – complete with a surprise “funeral parlor” in one room. The view of the Temple outside the windows of the Gheen home (minus the current tree) was magnificent and still is.
The home of Bishop Edward Hunter existed in 1975. I remember it well. It was kind of unique with its kind of interesting greyish-blue hue. It seemed that the home was in pretty good shape.
Photo: Bishop Edward Hunter home as it was in 1975 – and before it was later razed
So, as I returned to Nauvoo in 2024 and gave tours of it, I was surprised to learn that the home had been totally razed and reconstructed in the interim. I later learned that the home was owned back then by the Catholic Sisters. And for whatever reason, they determined to take the building down. And still later, the Church purchased the property, and the newly reconstructed structure is wonderful – and equal to the stature of Bishop Hunter – who later became the Presiding Bishop of the Church.
Photo: Bishop Edward Hunter – Reconstructed Nauvoo home – 2024
And the Temple view from the perimeter of the “Temple City” is absolutely amazing and breathtaking. Words cannot describe its beauty as it is illuminated splendidly with no or full moon. It is so spectacular, and Sister Hunt and I never tire of the beauty of the majestic building.
And I cannot forget the beauty and grandeur of the equestrian statues of the horses – and riders – of Joseph and Hyrum. They are truly wonderful in the sunset – with the river as the background. They stand majestically to the west and in front of the Temple. With the Temple, they make a beautiful backdrop (or front drop) of the Temple and the river. Together, the temple and the statues create a bunch of WOWS.
The Prophet Joseph Smith and his brother the Patriarch – Equestrian Statue – Nauvoo 2024 – Copyright by Kevin and Lou Dene Hunt
THE SEVENTIES HALL
I love the simple elegance of the Seventies Hall. We had the Hall when I was here in 1975. It had been newly reconstructed and was beautiful. Back then, I recorded in my journal that on a couple of occasions, I (with a companion) washed all of the multitude of windows of the place.
It is interesting that the upstairs archeology museum (of items found in the ground as diggings were performed around the original 8 homes of Nauvoo Restoration) still houses the same artifacts and pieces thereof that we showed guests back in 1975. The addition of the index books that show all of the former Nauvoo members of 70’s Quorums is a great addition, and guests get very excited about these books.
It is fun to compare the 70’s Hall in its former function of training missionaries to that of today’s MTC that is world-class in its facilities and training for missionaries.
A few days ago, I had an interesting experience. We were serving in the Sarah Granger and Hiram Kimball home. My journal records: “We had completed the tour for a family named Fredrickson. I had an interesting experience with this guy. At the end of the conversation, we somehow got onto the subject of his father and how he starred in several church films back in the 1970’s – and he said that the dad played the role of “Satan” in the temple film. I asked him how many years that film ran and he said to about 1982. I knew that this was in the ballpark.
“I asked the guy if he had ever come to Nauvoo. He said that he came here in 1975 when he was age 14. I then related my story to him. I remember the guy (his dad) being on my tour at that time in the 70’s Hall. At that time, I recognized the guy from the Temple movie and asked him about it. I can even remember the exact moment of our conversation. We were going up the stairs to the museum area of the Hall. So, I told this Doug that I remembered the exact moment when I met his father – and we realized that this Doug would have been a teen on my tour at that time. Wow! We were both in awe. Another Nauvoo miracle!” That was certainly a big WOW!
THE BLACKSMITH SHOP
As a young guy, it was fun to frequently serve as a Blacksmith for a day. At that time, we created and gave out the “prairie diamond” ring that we pounded and formed by metal nails fired in the forge and pounded on the anvil.) The story was that young men in the old days – might not have been able to come up with a diamond or other ring of worth in order to win over the heart of his lady. And lacking resources, they soon discovered that they could offer their lady a ring made of a horseshoe nail. Getting one of these traditional “prairie diamonds” from the Nauvoo Blacksmith Shop was a big deal – and all the rage. Everyone wanted to obtain one – and those who got them cherished them for years. In my case, I made myself one of the rings and have literally worn it (and one successor) through all of these successive 49 years. Wow!
Somehow, the Church History Department determined that the prairie diamond was purely a myth, and sadly, the famous ring sank into oblivion. People still request them, however.
Photo: Old and new: Nauvoo Blacksmith horseshoe and the former “Prairie Diamond”
Today Blacksmith missionaries create mini horseshoes at the forge and anvil. They begin with raw metal, heat it to 1800 degrees or beyond (until it is “red hot” and then they pound it/them into the shape of a horseshoe. And generally, only one horseshoe is given out within a full visitor group – or at most, one horseshoe for each family who are on the tour.
THE TIMES AND SEASONS TOUR VERSUS THE PRINT SHOP
In my original day in Nauvoo, we took tours through the “Times and Seasons” building – operated in the 1840’s by John Taylor. In this building, we talked of the Times and Seasons more as a cultural place in the community. We demonstrated the art of weaving on a large loom. Today, the same facility has been transposed into a print shop replica of the former actual print shop where newspapers were created and printed. We have a couple of replica printing presses. And I must say that the current mode is very much an improvement. (And the loom has a new home in the Family Living Center.)
The John Taylor Print shop in 2024
The John Taylor home – of the 3-building complex, was there in ’75, and it was as beautiful then as it is now. It was amazing. It was fun as missionaries, to tell the great story of John Taylor – 3rd Prophet of the Church. But we don’t have an answer to the many people who have been coming to this home for years – and who wonder why the black toy rocking horse – made by John Taylor for his son – is no longer here to be seen and enjoyed by the guests. Fact or fiction? I wish I knew!
The Nauvoo Post Office under reconstruction in 1975
The 3rd building of the John Taylor complex was non-existent in 1975 but it was then under construction. Today the post office and Merriweather Store are housed in the building, and they comprise a fun tour for our guests.
Elder Kevin Hunt at the Restored Post Office in Nauvoo 2024
THE CARTHAGE JAIL TOUR EXPERIENCE
When I was in my younger days, we made missionary trips to the Carthage Jail on our P-days. Then, the stain of Hyrum’s blood was still very visible in the wood floor of the martyrdom room. The stain had remained imbedded in the woodwork for then 130 years. Now the Church has gone to great lengths to remove the stains, and they are no longer there for visitors to experience.
A Martyr’s Blood – Carthage Illinois as it was on the wood floor – 1975
When I was here in 1996 and 1997 with the “City of Joseph” pageant cast, we were able to walk the old Carthage trail – from Nauvoo to Carthage. Today the road is mostly non-existent. It is mostly covered by corn fields and endless patches of soybean fields.
DEVELOPMENTS IN THE SCOVIL BAKERY
I thought that I had no photo of my former mission home in Tallahassee. I was really anxious to get such a photo. And then a family came for our tour at the Scovil Bakery. And believe it or not, these folks actually purchased the old Tallahassee mission home and have lived there for years after the church no longer needed the home. They produced the photo that I desired. Wow!
Florida-Tallahassee Mission President’s Home – 1975
In the tour at the Scovil Bakery, we produce and show a photo of what the place looked like – after the archeological dig on it – but before reconstruction of the building. It was in 1975- while I was here in Nauvoo, that the bakery building was totally reconstructed up from the foundation and cellar that previously had been buried under the ground.
Photo of Scovil Bakery under reconstruction – 1975
I took in-process photographs of the bakery in the construction process. And now here I am 49 years later, I am giving tours in the bakery.
THE RESTORATION OF THE CULTURAL HALL
Today the Cultural Hall (next door to the Bakery) is a gorgeous 3-story structure. It is fun to take folks through the place – and it is great to experience productions by the Nauvoo Performing Missionaries (NPM’s) in the grand hall.
The Nauvoo Cultural Hall in 1975 before Restoration
In my 1975 Nauvoo visit, the Cultural Hall was only two stories high. It was known that it originally had 3 stories. The dirt was piled up about three feet high on each side – and extended out in right angles on each side.
Photo: Archeological Digging at Nauvoo Cultural Hall prior to restoration – 1975
I had an interesting experience at the Cultural Hall. There were some skilled archeologists here – who knew what they were doing. They brought all of us missionaries there on an evening and they let us dig around in those mounds surrounding the building. In this dirt, we used brushes and other delicate instruments to brush away dirt as we located items that had lain for decades in the in the dirt. We found much of the roof under the dirt. We also found fragments of the plaster of the place – so we could tell what color the place was painted inside. I enjoy telling guests of this experience – and the restoration of the building and they are in total amazement. They are amazed when I tell them about our archeological digging on the place.
When the top roof was removed, the original floor of the third floor was exposed. The new roof must have been kind of low over that floor. And amazingly, that beautiful wood floor is still intact. In its day, this was a dance floor (among other things) and even Joseph Smith and Brigham Young danced there with their wives.
Photo: Nauvoo Cultural Hall – Original Wood Floor – as Refinished around 1975
The Restored Nauvoo Cultural Hall – as it appears in 2024
STODDARD TIN SHOP
When I first served in Nauvoo, the former Stoddard Tin Shop looked like a World War II ruin. It was really devastated. The walls – if you could call them that – remained only partially up all around the foundation. The most interesting feature of the ruins was a tree that had grown up out of the building.
By the time that I arrived in 2024, the place had been totally reconstructed. It was great to see the new building that had not been there before.
As Sister Hunt and I took our first tour in the Stoddard Tin Shop, we noticed a very old photo of the former ruins from which the Phoenix had risen. It was not a good photo. It was hard to discern the former building. As I saw the photo, I said, “I can do better than that!” I had taken my own photo of the ruins in 1975. I printed off a new photo from my slide collection and had it printed as an 8×10” photo. I signed it on the back – as a donation – and presented it to the Mission Presidency. They soon placed this in the old frame.
The Sylvester Stoddard Tin Shop as it stood in 1975
Now the photo is a part of all tours to the place. And each time I return there to give tours, I bask in the fact that I took the photo. And it is fun to show the photo to folks and to say, “I was there …”. It is hard to admit that I am old enough or historic enough to have remembered or been a part of such a relic.
THE JOSEPH SMITH PROPERTIES
When I was in Nauvoo in 1975, our access to the Joseph Smith properties was kind of limited. All of the Joseph properties were here then, and the limited tours were taken by college interns who were recruited by the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ. We knew these guides and many of them came and experienced the power of the Spirit in our meetings. We had softball games and ice cream socials together with them.
Photo: The Visitors’ Center of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ as it was in 1975
They had the little so—called “Biden Stable” where tours began. This place was very small. I remember their folding chairs in there and they showed a short slide show. And they charged guests a fee to enter the Homestead and Mansion House.
The Reorganized Church (Later known as the Community of Christ) later built a very nice visitors’ center. I do not remember ever going in there in our subsequent trips to Nauvoo.
It was a grand moment as I read the news on March 5th of this year. On that day, a multitude of historic properties transferred from the Community of Christ Church to that of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. For me – that was glorious beyond description. On that day, the church received the Joseph Smith Homestead and Mansion House, the Sidney Rigdon Home, the “First Hotel”, Joseph Smith’s Red Brick Store, the homes of Hiram Clark, William Law, Jonathan Wright, Aaron Johnson homes, the Nauvoo House, Joseph’s summer kitchen, the Community of Christ visitor’s center, the foundations of the Times and Seasons building, the James Brinkerhoff, Levi Ward Hancock homes – and everything in between. Words can not express my joy as I heard the news.
And the people of the Community of Christ Church were as saddened as we were joyful with the March announcement. The transaction caught them all totally by surprise. And as we say on all of our tours of the Joseph Smith properties, we can be grateful to the Smith family, the Reorganized Church and the Community of Christ Church for their careful and dedicated care of these properties through a century and a half (plus – and which now makes it possible for us to share these special and sacred places with our guests).
Sister Hunt and I arrived here in Nauvoo about a month after the transfer of the historic properties. I am sad that we missed all of the historical training staged for the missionaries in preparation of the transfer. But we were able to catch up fast. And since then, it has been a great blessing to testify of Joseph the Prophet, on his own properties.
I do remember going through the Homestead of Joseph and Emma back in 1975. I then took photos of the beautiful “1840 Addition” kitchen. People come through these days and ask, “has this room changed much over time?” It is interesting that in my view, the room really has not changed over the years. I think that it looks almost exactly the same now as back then.
Joseph Smith Homestead 1840 kitchen addition as it was in 1975
Joseph Smith Homested 1840 kitchen addition as it appears in 2024 after property transfer to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
As we conclude our current tours of the Manion House, we take them to the back end of the former hotel – and show where much more of the structure was demolished over time and we try to help people envision two stories up – on the existing limestone foundation that is still visible.
Photo: Foundation of east side of the Joseph Smith Mansion House (removed in 1890) as it appears in 2024
I tell people that I was in Nauvoo 49 years ago and then the Red Brick Store then looked exactly like the current Mansion House foundation. People stand there dumbfounded. (The Reorganized Church reconstructed the Red Brick Store about 1980.) Joseph’s Red Brick Store certainly looks different today!
Photo: Joseph Smith’s Red Brick Store in 2024
JOSEPH SMITH’S RED BRICK STORE
As noted, the Red Brick Store was just a hollow foundation when I was here in 1975. Today it is a great privilege and blessing to now be able to testify there of truths which include the Wentworth Letter – the Articles of Faith as a foundation for sharing the gospel, and the prophesy of the Standard of Truth – and how the Gospel is now going forth to all of the world. We talk about how Joseph Smith finished and published the sacred Book Of Abraham – and the restoration of the Abrahamic Covenant. We tell of the function of the clerks and how they recorded tithing and other donations in “The Book of the Law of the Lord” (more on that later). We talk about clerks helping Joseph write his own history as well as that of the Church. We talk about the organization of the Relief Society, how the first endowments were performed in the store, and the transfer of Priesthood keys from Joseph to the Quorum of the 12 Apostles. As we conclude the tour, I summarize these many blessings and amazing events that came under the direction of Joseph the Prophet. They are all magnificent and wonderful. The place is full of major and sacred WOWs for me and our visitors.
I have experienced many miracles at the Red Brick Store. I have previously shared some of those miracles.
One miracle was a visit by a family from southern Georgia. They knew a family whom I loved when in Tifton, Georgia back in 1974. They had the contact information for this family, and I was able to reconnect with the Pierce family of Tifton, Georgia. We had a joyful video call that lasted over an hour. It was a great time.
CITY OF NAUVOO EVENTS, BUSINESSES AND OTHER BUILDINGS
When I was in Nauvoo in 1975, there was a giant cheese factory. This was located adjacent to the LDS chapel. That factory was torn down in 2002. It is no more.
Former Nauvoo Cheese Factory – Razed around 2002
And today, in 2024, the Church is building another new Visitors’ Center – to be located across the street west and a bit north of the Temple. This visitors’ center will focus on the Temple and the worldwide growth of Temples and the principles and ordinances being more available to members throughout the world. And the lot where the cheese factory once stood will be the parking lot for the new center.
Photo: New LDS Nauvoo Temple Visitors’ Center under construction in 2024
After the church members left in the late 1850’s a group of French Icarians moved in and took over many of the homes of Old Nauvoo. Their communal society did not last very long. Soon the Germans moved in and established a strong presence in the community. They built the giant and lofty Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church at the top of the hill around 1875 (and it still stands adjacent to our own Temple).
The town combined all of the above to create the annual “Wine and Cheese Festival” and a major event was the “marriage of the wine and cheese” that happened over the Labor Day weekend each year. The big marriage ceremony was widely advertised in every tourist publication in many counties around Nauvoo. And it was quite interesting to see the results. … The famous ceremony lasted all of about 20 minutes. And people had come from miles around to participate. After the very short ceremony, folks were stuck with trying to figure out what to do for the rest of the weekend. And most visitors ended up coming to our restored home sites. (And hence, it turned into a grand missionary opportunity for us and the Church.)
Today, with the cheese factory history, there is no longer a wine and cheese festival. The big event here is now the “Grape Festival”. This event (still held over labor Day weekend) features a 5K run through old Nauvoo, a pancake breakfast – staged by the local Scout troop and pack, a car show, music, dance, and more music through the whole weekend.
When I was here in the previous life, and I have noted already that there was a large Catholic girls’ school located just to the west of the site of the former Temple. This school stood at the crest of the hill. My own daughter came to a BYU Nauvoo Semester in 2002 – the year that the new Temple was dedicated – and all of their school functions – and their dormitory – was in this former Catholic girls’ school. And when the temple was recreated, the school became a major blockage of the magnificent view from the Temple – looking west to the Mississippi River. The church soon purchased this property, and it was eventually torn down. And now the view is truly amazing and wonderful. It is a definite WOW – or multiple WOWS!
CHURCH MEETINGS
When I served here in former times, we had not yet evolved to the “consolidated meeting schedule” that we know today. The missionaries were able to attend early morning Priesthood meetings up the hill at the Nauvoo chapel. We missed Sunday school – that was held midday – because this meeting was held after we opened our home sites for the day. Then late in the evening – like 7 PM, we held our own weekly sacrament meeting – just for missionaries – in the west theater of the visitors’ center.
We did not then have access to all of the sessions of the General Conference. We were able to receive the Priesthood Session – but generally just one or maybe two hours total of all of the other sessions. (We would have welcomed being able to view all sessions).
Today, we can view all sessions of the General Conference – in our homes – or at the chapel or probably in our visitors’ center theater.
And today, all of the missionaries (of every variety) meet each Sunday at 8 Am for our own sacrament meeting (held in the East Theater). We all remain for Sunday School two Sundays each month and on the other weeks, the Priesthood men meet in the west theater and the sisters meet in the east theater for Priesthood meeting and Relief Society. We begin tours in the homes and shops at noon after the meetings.
COMMUNICATIONS AND TECHNOLOGY
When I was a young missionary, receiving and sending written letters was a really big deal – at least for me. I made sure that I wrote a letter home to my folks and family every week. And I could count on my mother’s weekly letter to arrive each Wednesday. She wrote to me every Sunday afternoon throughout all of my mission. Getting mail was a big deal.
Today, the world has changed with the computer (that wasn’t even heard of back in 1975). And of course, e-mail revolutionized how messages and communications are sent. In today’s world, I spend a lot of time writing blog articles for others to read about our mission adventures. Blogging was not even heard of back then. It is amazing to think of how computers have changed my own life and the world. And that’s another real big WOW!
I took my photos back then on a camera. Most of today’s youth have never even seen such a gadget. I took mostly slides. We had to send our film to an outside company for them to print the photos or to create the slides. And it would take a couple of weeks or more – and a fair amount of money to pay for the photo or slide creation. Each film roll was for a dozen or two photos or slides. So, a photo project like mine became a bit costly – and was a prolonged process. If photos came back bad, we had to retake them and try them again through the lengthy process.
And today, I take hundreds of photos on my phone. I can instantaneously get the results, can e-mail them, and can include them in my writing.
In 1975, I maintained my daily journal writing habit by handwriting in a bound volume. And it is such fun to go back to read entries from that era. Today, I create my journal entries on the computer and can easily save them and refer back to them as desired. This is truly a big WOW!
SOME THINGS HAVEN’T CHANGED
The town of Nauvoo is still a very sleepy little village. It has not grown or changed much in all of the passing years. It still isn’t much to write home about. Many Saints, however, have come to Nauvoo in recent years – feeling literally “driven” of the Spirit – to come here to open up various businesses. They are a welcome addition. Sadly, these places – though great ideas when they start – often cannot survive the sporadic summer/winter swings of being very busy – and then sinking in the winter to nothing.
Nauvoo in 1975 had no stores. Today, we are a big city metropolis with our own “Dollar General” store. It is surprising what a great inventory the place has for a small-town store. A funny story: Some of our kids have wanted to send us out to eat and are disappointed to learn that there are no real options here. We finally convinced a daughter to buy us a “Dollar General” gift card where we could at least buy ice cream as the urge hits.
When I was here in 1975, we always went weekly to do our sp-day hopping in the town of Keokuk – located about a dozen miles south of Nauvoo. We then shopped at the Hy-Vee grocery store. This was the only option – so they had a monopoly on the shopping business of us and the other missionaries. Surprisingly, this Hy-Vee store is still among the living. Sister Hunt and I shopped there initially (and for the sake of nostalgia( and found it kind of expensive, and though a great store, we wondered how it has survived through all of the years.
Gratefully, there are some additional shopping options in the modern time. The ALDI store is a great store and we like shopping there for fruit and vegetables and other deals. And of course, we love the convenience of the modern Walmart store. Always amazing when the wagon needs replenishment! Going to these stores is a part of our every week p-day.
NAUVOO PAGEANT PRODUCTIONS
When I first served in Nauvoo, the annual pageant had not yet come to Nauvoo. The “City of Joseph” made its first debut the following summer. This pageant was staged for another 20 plus years before the current “Nauvoo Pageant” made its debut. (I have already blogged about the Pageant and how it was operated back in 1996 and 1997 when Sister Hunt and I brought our family here to participate in the cast – and I compared it to the mode of operation to now in 2024. The dual Pageants bring great energy and excitement to our community each summer.
When our family participated in the pageant, we had a stage located between the Visitors Center and the chapel on the hill. There ws no Temple shining above us. We enjoyed a grand production, and it was so special to be in the cast. If I look really hard, I can find some evidence of the old stage now buried deep under the current stage where Nauvoo Performing Missionaries perform each night through the summer.
And now a “state of the art” modern stage has its own space in a different location. The stage is amazing and wonderful.
The stage of the Nauvoo Pageants – 2024
When we served in the pageant, we had to design and create our own costumes – along with the plethora of accessory items to go with the costumes. In today’s pageant world, cast members are provided beautiful costumes from a “store” of costumes – located at the new “Pageant Building” (which did not exist when we first served here).
FULL CIRCLE WITH ELDER WARD
Sister Hunt and I were working at the Family Living Center one Sunday afternoon. Elder and Sister Robert Ward were also there with us. As some young sisters arrived, we got into a discussion about where us Senior missionaries went on our “young” missions. Elder Robert Ward said that he had gone to the Florida-Tallahassee Mission. I said, “Wait … how old are you?” He said, “69”. I said, “Then we had to have been there together.” We realized that we were both in northern Alabama in the same zone at the same time. I found this fact in my letter home to Mom and Dad about a zone conference held January 7, 1975. I tried to open up my journal of the day there at the FLC, but it would not open. We were both dumbfounded, however, that we were in the same mission and at the same time period.
Back at home, I was able to find my journal entry of the day (on my big jump drive). I found the referenced zone conference and read about it. It was a tri-zone conference held in Birmingham, Alabama. After Elder Franklin D. Richards, an assistant to the Council of the 12, spoke, we divided into our three zones. The record reflected that I gave a talk or presentation – using the example of Ammon – my favorite missionary. (Elder Ward, I noted, would have been in attendance as I gave that presentation. He was a greenie and had only been out a couple of weeks.)
Digging still deeper, I continued to read in my journal (knowing that I got transferred out of the area on January 25th – and would not have seen him after that transfer.
I found a journal entry for a district meeting held January 17th. I learned that we were also in the same district. I was then serving in the German Catholic town of Cullman, and Elder Ward was in Guntersville. The entry said, “We then went to a district meeting. Elder Ames, as our new district leader, conducted the meeting. He and Elder Howard (ZL) gave talks as did Elders Ward (greenie of 1 month) and Adams. The Elders present included Ames and Birrell (Gadsden), Adams and Wheeler (Scottsboro), Zumwalt and I (Cullman), Howard and Rich (Huntsville) and Montgomery and Ward (like the store) of Guntersville. It was a good meeting. Elder Ames and Howard interviewed all of us. Elder Rich conducted a study class. We played a game of football gaining touchdowns as we answered questions right. Elder Z and I won the rest of them.” Wow! So amazing and wonderful that I actually found Elder Ward in my record – evidence of former times shared long ago. Wow!
“And it keeps going … I dug deep into my mission slides and found a great photo taken on the actual day of the January 17th district meeting. This photo showed the greenie, Elder Ward and six others. Sadly, I was taking the photo – so was not in it.
Photo: Huntsville, Alabama Missionaries – January 17, 1975 – District Meeting (Elder Ward is in the blue suit)
It was so fun to later share all of this info with Elder Ward! He said, “That was ME!” I stand in awe and amazement of how the Lord puts all of these miracles together. It is so great!
Photo: Elders Robert Ward and Kevin Hunt together as senior missionaries in Nauvoo 2024
FAMILY LIVING CONNECTION TO CULLMAN, ALABAMA
Another time I was serving in the Family Living Center. A young family came in and I learned that they are from Cullman, Alabama (which I just mentioned). I asked about some of the people whom I knew back then. I was surprised and pleased to learn that Kuenn Drake is still there with his family. He was a teenager when I was there in 1974, And in fact, he took my companion and me “Spelunking” (that is cave exprloring 0 with head lamps, ropes, etc.) on Thanksgiving Day. I remember him as a great kid. We often went to the Drake home to eat. And his mother’s apple cake is still my all-time-favorite cake. I make it frequently from her recipe.
When I was in Cullman, we had a very small branch of the church that met in Suite 222 of the Downtown Plaza. There were only about 25 members in the branch. My new friend, Josh, who came to the Family Living Center reported to me that there is now a large ward and a beautiful chapel in Cullman. Wow!
Cullman, Alabama LDS Chapel – Photo by Charles Drake – 2012
And Kuenn, who took us spelunking is now the local Stake President.
Photo: Spelunking with Elder Wessman (left), Elder Hunt, and Drake Brothers – Thanksgiving 1974 (Kuenn on Righ)
And that is another wow! He was just a teen of about 16 when I was there earlier in time. And the Pierce teen – already referenced in Tifton, Georgia – is also now a stake president. Wow!
IN AWE AND GRATITUDE OF CONTINUING CIRCLES OF NAUVOO SERVICE
Well, now that I have completed the writing of this rather lengthy blog, I am pretty much dumbfounded. It is interesting to see all of this material – and to note all of the changes over time – all in one place. And it is amazing and wonderful to see how much remains the same. Each season of my Nauvoo Circle was (and is) special and wonderful.
Being here in Nauvoo through the span of years has been such a great blessing and opportunity. I am in awe of the Lord and His trust as he continues to bring me to Nauvoo in concurrent circles. I so much enjoy these marvelous experiences. It is so great to serve the Lord again in this sacred and hallowed space. I love walking the streets … pondering about Joseph the Lord’s Prophet, and my own faithful ancestors who were part of the Nauvoo community.
The Nauvoo Miracles continue, and I am blessed to experience them each day as I now serve in Nauvoo. And the memories and experiences of the bygone time continue to bless me in the still expanding circle of my Nauvoo experiences. The Spirit of Nauvoo is indescribable. Just being here brings me such intense feelings of reverence as I represent the Lord Jesus Christ – and his chosen prophet, Joseph.
I am so enjoying the special times – again – on the historic trail in Old Nauvoo.
It’s not just Sister Hunt and me. It is a thing with all of the Nauvoo Missionaries – no matter what kind of missionary he/she may be. We all find ourselves REJOICING IN NAUVOO MIRACLES. And it is definitely a very real thing for us here in Nauvoo. We all experience them every day. It is amazing and wonderful. We know that these miracles are guided and orchestrated by a higher power – one greater than any of us. And the results come off better than any of us could possibly have imagined– even if we thought hard about them.
In my first blog, written after we got here to Nauvoo, I commented on the amazing church meetings of our missionary “ward”. We have nearly 300 missionaries serving here together in various roles and support functions. It is so great to attend each Sunday – and to feel of the strength and power of each person in the vast audience. Each one contributes their own skills and talents – for our “covenant community” and it is wonderful how everything comes together.
In a recent Sacrament meeting, our Mission President (Mission Leader), President Daniel S. Mehr was conducting. He noted a recent interview that he had held with a “YSM” (Young Sister Missionary). They talked about Nauvoo Miracles. I guess she had at first, been skeptical of the concept, but has come to be a believer. He then invited each of us, as we partook of the Sacrament that day, to ponder the Nauvoo Miracles that we have each experienced, and to thank our Savior for those miracles. I did that, and it was a great experience. It was special to reflect – and to acknowledge the true source of those many miracles – the influence of The Spirit and the work of Christ (or the Godhead) in our behalf.
Almost no day passes but what we do feel of Their love and Their guidance in creating these miracles, or making them come to pass for us. Many of those miracles involve PEOPLE and our connections with them. And the connections are just so fun. We are always amazed and grateful in our moments of surprise and wonder.
In that same sacrament meeting, a NPM (Nauvoo Performing Missionary), Elder Josh Call, inspired me as he said, “The Lord is very willing to bless the lives of those who are willing to bless the lives of others.” Maybe that is why we have been so great blessed in our connections with so many people here. Or maybe better, that can be an ongoing goal for us.
ALREADY RECOUNTED MANY MIRACLES IN BLOGS
In my many previous blogs, I think that I have already recorded many Nauvoo Miracles. We have felt the Nauvoo Miracles before we arrived – in our preparation and travels to get here. And we have certainly experienced them since our arrival. I acknowledge the Lord in all of these miracles. I try to be grateful each day – and to recognize that these special blessings – or miracles come to us froma God who loves us..
I had an interesting conversation with a friend a month or so ago. He said that he likes my blogs because they are positive (and I didn’t say it – but probably because I write about the miracles). He has traveled the world, but he says that he is too “literal” and often cannot enjoy the beauty and wonder of the moment because he gets side-tracked to start over-analyzing things – thinking to himself, “I don’t think this is the right place” or “I don’t think it could happened like that.” Funny that he admitted that he has this problem and recognizes the effects of such a behavior. This look at the world keeps him from seeing the miracles around him.
THE MIRACLE OF JUST BEING IN NAUVOO
Just being here in Nauvoo is a miracle. When we were preparing our mission application paperwork, we ultimately removed all preferences and said that we would go wherever needed and for as long as needed. We had not even thought about being sent to Nauvoo. But it was exciting when we received our mission calls to serve in Nauvoo as site guides. As already noted, Sister Hunt’s parents had served here for two and a half years (and I have written about them). And I had served in Nauvoo for the last six months of my mission (another Nauvoo miracle) a hundred years (or half of that) ago.
And how cool is that – to get to come back to serve in my original mission – and with my own companion? Who gets that opportunity? I feel so blessed!
This has proved to be a special miracle and one which I have often been able to talk about while here (though not in the script). As people hear the story, they too, think it a miracle to be back here.
LEARNING FROM THE BEST – MY DAD – THE ULTIMATE PEOPLE CONNECTOR
In our work in the tours, we get to meet a plethora of people. They come from all over the country (and even the world). (And as a sidenote … I log each night the number of people we hosted on our own personal tours that day. And thus far – in just 3 months, we have personally taken through 5,917 people! Unbelievable!) As we greet people, we tell them we are from Maricopa, Arizona … and then we are quick to add “And, that is the TOWN of Maricopa and NOT the Maricopa County and their election woes that you have heard about”. (And it is funny how many people have heard of those woes … and Sheriff Arpaio and his pink underwear … we see it in their reactions). We then ask them where they are from – as a way to develop a common bond or connection with them.
This is a trait that I actually learned from a lifetime of being with my dad, Russel F. Hunt. He was the absolute ultimate best at making such connections with people. It was almost a joke in our family. We teased him saying that he could take off in a car going anywhere, and within minutes, he would find someone with whom he had common ground or connections – and could even find a place to stay anytime – using those same skills. He was truly the master connector. I have been grateful for his training as I have been here in Nauvoo.
NAUVOO RESTORATION – A WITNESS OF THEN AND NOW
One Nauvoo Miracle about me returning to my former mission is that I have been able
to see history in action. In my Blog #9 I shared a link https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1bRVa8rnQdY9YmBRA8AVDuAS5NeXgwsGA/edit#slide=id.p10 (that I have also printed in a book). In these presentations, I shared a multitude of photos taken 100 years ago (50) when I was here in 1974. And now back on the mission all of those years later, I share in the presentation/book, what various homes looked like then and today – comparing the two eras. This is a rare Nauvoo Miracle that few other folks could create.
THREE HUNT COUSINS
At the MTC, we were surprised to learn that there were three Hunt couples reporting there at the same time. We all reported on April 1st – no joke! We had not known each other previously, but a check on “Relatives” proved that we are all 3rd cousins – all from different sons of a common 3rd great grandfather. It has been so fun to associate at the MTC and since.
It has been fun to share our “cousins” story with many visitors. We hear all of the time from visitors, “Oh, so, you’re one of the other Hunts”. Evidently, they have seen our cousins as they have been teamsters with the folks on their rides. Some have already heard our story from the cousins, and some get to hear it from us.
DUNN FAMILY VISITORS
As you already know, Sister Hunt and I live in the historic home first owned by Simeon A. Dunn. He built the first 2-story home in Nauvoo and even the Prophet Joseph enjoyed the view with him from the 2nd story. Anyway, the home is original on the outside, but we have modern guts inside. (Glad we have indoor plumbing and electricity.)
Anyway, we’re finding that being a Dunn family descendant is quite the thing. I guess years ago, per some of our visitors, the Church invited Dunn family members to contribute to the restoration of their ancestral home – and many did.
Now all of these years later, the Dunn family members have spread the word – the tradition of the Nauvoo home. And when any Dunnite gets here, they all want to check out the family home.
We can always spot a Dunn descendant. They drive up to the front of the house and they sit there in awe in their vehicles. Some will snap a quick shot out of the front car window. They are a dead giveaway. On such occasions, we always hurry outside and invite the folks in to see the house. The folks are always in awe of a rather small and plain-looking living room and kitchen. In this room, we do point out the boarded-up area where the fireplace would have existed.
We take them up the stairs to the rather normal – L-shaped bedroom (complete with a “dressing area” – where we have a rack with our many Nauvoo costumes). The three old dressers – with mirrors – are kind of unique but are likely not “of the period”. The bathroom is just like any other. But, with all of these “unique features”, the folks are just in awe and act so excited and grateful to see their Dunn home.
We then take our guests down into the cellar. Here it gets a bit more interesting. The whole basement has been plastered so it does not look at all 1845’ish. We do show them the original limestone fireplace foundation and they all think that this is so cool. Then our final “Wow” is the stairs that exit up from the basement to the world above (and I think I’ve shared a photo of this in a previous blog). The steps are the original limestone – as are the rocks that line the sides. Folks always get a kick out of getting a photo of themselves coming up out of the cellar (with the photo being taken from up top, and looking down).
And then, our final act is to invite them to sign the Dunn family book. This becomes a ceremonial treat as they sign their name – just as many Dunns have been doing – since 1982. I always get a laugh at their entries – as they each try to explain how “great” they are (meaning how many generations down they are from the legendary Simeon A. Dunn). Then most folks want a “real” photo out front with the sign (without fear that they will be discovered out on our lawn).
In the short time that we have been in the Dunn home, we have had seven or so different families who have met the above qualifications and with whom we have shared the home. Being the Nauvoo Miracle for these folks is always fun as we experience how overjoyed they are with the experience and the home.
COMPLETION OF BOOKS ABOUT MY GRANDPARENTS
My grandparents, Ray V. and Augusta Wilcox Hunt were married on June 25, 1924. A few months ago I realized that we would be celebrating (June 25, 2024) their 100th wedding anniversary. I realized then that I wanted to create a commemorative book on their lives and the great family legacy which they built.
Before my mission, I was able to create much of the book (which turned into two large volumes). I tried to finish the books before the mission but it just didn’t happen. There was too much to do.
Along with everything else, I was able to complete the writing and editing of the two books. I was able to publish them for all of my family to enjoy. This was a Nauvoo Miracle for me.
I was pleased recently, when my Aunt Mary Ann wrote me and had me order 6 copies of each of the books.
MY TALLAHASSEE MISSION HOME
A couple of years I created a rather extensive autobiography (of 21 volumes so far). In those books, I tried to recreate my whole life with all of the details that I could put together. I found photos of much of my lifetime. I was sad then that I could not locate any photos of the mission home of my young mission. I served in Tallahassee, Florida. I knew the mission home well. I was an office elder missionary so we were at the mission home with President Spencer H. Osborn frequently. I helped mow his yard. I played with the President at his favorite game of ping-pong in his garage. We often attended special gatherings there to welcome new missionaries and to hear departing missionaries share their final mission testimonies. I looked through all of my “stuff” and files and could not find the desired photo. It has been lamentable, ever since.
Then just a couple of weeks ago, Sister Hunt and I were serving in the Scovil Bakery for the day. A family – parents and married daughter came for a tour. As ever, we asked them where they were from. I was elated when they said that they were from Tallahassee. We talked of the new temple that is set for dedication in December of this year. We talked of the several wards in “Tally” – well beyond just the one or two wards when I was there. We talked of my mission president Osborn and the mom of the family said that she had been a teenager in the Tallahassee stake when President Libbert was the stake president, and her own father was a counselor to him.
I then told the folks, the Long family, that I had one mission regret – that I did not get a photo of our Mission Home. I was not prepared for their response. They said, “Well, we bought the home after the Church decided to sell it (after the mission was closed). And we LIVE IN IT,” they said! Wow! I was in shock. Talk about a Nauvoo Miracle!
The mom did not have a photo, but her daughter did. She quickly pulled up the desired photo on her phone. She sent it to me on my phone immediately. I was so happy! What an amazing miracle!
NEWMAN BRICK YARD MEMORIES AND MORE AT THE SCOVIL BAKERY
Just moments before the meeting with the Tallahassee folks, Sister Hunt got her own surprise miracle. She has been collecting information – anything and everything – about the brickyard that her father created when a missionary here in Nauvoo. She wanted to know what his place looked like – and which is no longer there.
A Newman couple came in and somehow the subject of the brickyard came up in the conversation. They told us that they had both – individually before their marriage – been to the brickyard. Each of them had specific memories of the Belcher brickyard that they shared with us. The lady thought that she might have some photos. She promised to go home to seek photos. Another Nauvoo miracle.
And that same day, we had a visit from some Hunt family members. had fun tgalking with them.
He said where he was from, and I said, “So, who is your grandfather?” Again, I got that funny stare … He said that his grandfather is Edward Hunt. I said, “Is that Edward Loren Hunt?” He said, “Yes”. Then I said, “Okay, then who is your father.” When he said, “Jay”, I then knew his genealogy. His father and my grandfather were “distant cousins”. My grandfather’s dad was the oldest of 15 children and Edward was the youngest of the 15.
Then to the surprise of this Bryce Hunt, I told him that I used to go deer hunting for many years with his father – and his older brother and sister – at the annual traditional HUNTing expedition at the old Hunt hunting grounds (where six generations of our family hunted). This guy was the youngest of the family so I never knew him at the Hunt camp. So, this Bryce and I are first cousins – twice removed. Another Nauvoo Miracle.
NOT WAITING ON THESE NAUVOO WOMEN
Sister Hunt and I work with about 75 different YSM’s (Young Sister Missionaries) here in Nauvoo. They live in various places – usually with 6-8 sisters (a district) in one house. I am sure that they have plenty of sleeping area but with that number of women, no number of bathrooms – and current bushes (for all of those curling irons) could ever be enough.
We talked of the miracle of these Sisters all getting work on time. We start at each site at 9:00 AM and are supposed to arrive at the site by 8:45. Most of these sisters have a car for the district. So, one companionship asre the drivers and they have to drop off two other sets – at some other places. And somehow, they are always on time. Wow!
Having a wife and six daughters, I have come to know and sympathize with the trauma of the guy who sings, the country song, “Waiting on a Woman”. I can attest to that. I have much experience in that area. I can only imagine what a true miracle this really is for these Sisters here in Nauvoo.
MUCH NEEDED COMPUTER HELP
With all of my writing and typing, I literally and completely wore out a computer. Many of the keys would not even work. This was traumatic – since the old computer was not all that old. But, I guess thousands of documents took its toll.
I ordered a new computer and this was exciting. Then came a new problem, however. I know how to use and abuse a computer – with a hundred files open simultaneously … but Iam not and have never been a “tech guy”.
Here in Nauvoo, there is a team of computer “tech guys” who have expressed willingness to help any of the mjissionaries with their computer needs. Wow! I was so happy with Elder Mills offered to assist me. He has spent a few hours trying to get the new system set up and all of my 130,000 files (over 20 years) and 30,000 photos backed up – on a large storage drive – as well where they need to be on the new computer.
Talk about a Nauvoo Miracle. This is a special miracle in my behalf and I am so grateful for his expertise and assistance. Thanks, Elder Mills!
A MESA CONNECTION TO THE LOCAL OWNER OF ANNIE’S CUSTARD SHOP
It was a summer evening, and we needed a treat. We usually go for ice cream bricks at the Red Front, but on this occasion, we decided to try Annie’s Custard – located across the street from Red. We got to talking to the proprietor of the place and learned that she is from Mesa, Arizona. Further conversation proved that she is a granddaughter of Oakley Ray – the patriarch of the great family – of a dozen children and 88 or so grandchildren. We talked of how all of the family men wore a bolo tie to Oakley’s funeral. (I think he was age 101!) We talked of Delwyn Ray – (whom Sister Hunt and I have both known for many years). He and his wife are her aunt and uncle. So fun!
Like so many shop owners here in Nauvoo, she felt “driven” of the Spirit to open up a shop here. That is the story told by many of these folks here.
UNPLANNED BRICKYARD VISIT
Some Nauvoo Miracles happened on June 6th as we were serving at the Orson Hyde Home. I have already written much of that day in previous blogs (the Field family descendants and Mary – “The Last Leaf”.) I quote from the journal entry for that date: “Lou lost her white hair piece somewhere in our travels today. She wanted to go to try to find it. We headed out. We got detoured, however, as we passed the old Belcher Brickyard and saw several cars there.
We decided to stop to see what was happening there. We found Elder Bundy – the site coordinator – there giving a demonstration to one of the mission districts. We almost left – since they are not our district, but Sister Bundy came running out and invited us in. We loved hearing some details of how they create the Belcher brick in the current brick making center. This was all great material.
We were glad that we “happened” to go by the brick yard at just the right time. This proved to be a “blessing.”
MORE MIRACLES THAT BEGAN AT THE RED BRICK STORE
Our first visitors on a day at Joseph’s Red Brick Store were the Watsons from Thomasville, Georgia. This is near Tifton – one of my mission areas. We loved the Suth’an accent of the folks (a couple and their adult son.) We talked about Tifton, Georgis where I served. I asked them if they know Blaine Pearce. He was a teen when I was there – and I think (per my journals of the day) that he and I were pretty good friends. I know that he and his family went with me on a picnic and spent most of the day together on the day that I was transferred from Tifton to Birmingham (50 years ago last week – where did that time go?)
The Watsons did, in fact, know Blaine Pearce, recently released as stake president – and a currently a member of the planning committee for the new Tallahassee Temple. And they had his contact information – which they shared with me.
I wrote text and e-mail messages to this Blaine. He soon responded – expressing that he was glad I had written to him. After a few days, Blaine and I (and his mother – whom I also knew) were able to connect over a video conference call. We talked for over an hour. It was such fun to connect with Blaine and to talk of our lives (and other ward members) over the past 50 years. Another Nauvoo Miracle!
Then as our Jackie and family were here, we arranged for us to stage an “after hours” tour just for them and us at the Red Brick Store. They showed up at the appointed hour as we were closing the place. We ushered in Jackie and family. I was closing the door and a youngish couple came running to join us. I could not shut the door on them. I welcomed them in and told them about our private tour we were going to have with our children. They acted as if that did not matter. They really wanted the tour – so I told them we would “adopt them into our family”. They thought this could be great.
They joined us for our best tour as we gave many extra details we do not give to everyone who comes. This Miller couple really ate it all up. They were excited about everything.
After the tour – as Sister Hunt and the family cleaned up the store’s “upper room”, I went outside as promised to share with and point out to them- the many historic properties which recently came to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from the Community of Christ. They were in awe.
As we talked, somehow the Hancock family came up in conversation. He was the one who mentioned them as his ancestors. I then shook his hand and said, “Hey, we are cousins”. This really caught him by surprise. We then talked of our common family connection. I was able to share with him a lot of information about Thomas Hancock – who died along the way to the Salt Lake Valley. I talked of the Hancock connection to Yelrome (the Morley Settlement). He was very happy about all of this information. It was so fun to have this connection with these special folks.
The Millers also joined us for our next family tour at the Lyon Drug Store (since we were on the subject of “stores” in Nauvoo).
We had three people who came from the country of India. They were not on our tour, but we talked extensively outside before their tour. The guy is the pioneer but has been a member for over 20 years. He went on a mission. The couple spoke very good English. They are looking forward to the construction of a newly announced temple that will be near them. After their tour, she stood by the sign for the place and her husband did a video taping of her essentially talking back the tour that she had just experienced. A very cool experience for me to watch. Great folks!
We took through a very large group of about 37 people. I began their tour outside – because a Spanish tour was going on inside. In the Red Brick Store tour, we talk about Joseph Smith’s prophesy called, “The Standard of Truth”. As I present this, I alwayslook for one or more former missionaries who might have recited the Standard – on their missions – and then I invite them to stand up and recite the Standard “with GUSTO”. On this tour, I very surprised when about 20 people on the tour knew the Standard and they all recited it together. They were absolutely magnificent.
We ended the day with a small group of only 6 people. One couple on the tour were named Robison. They were on their way home from a mission in Richmond, Virginia. They descend from Lewis Robison from the Nauvoo era. I had done a lot of research on this guy – as he is an ancestor of Brother Tyler Wright of our Pacana Park Ward. I shared this information with him – including photos of the existing beautiful structure. They were fascinated with all of this information.
GRATEFUL FOR UNPLANNED CONNECTION MIRACLES
My Aunt Mary Ann wrote me a note. She asked us to look for a young Sister Rivas. She said that this sister is from the country of Spain, but was a recent friend to Mary Ann’s family. I told her that with the number of Young Sister Missionaries, I did not know when we might find her.
The day after her note to me, we thought that we were to work at the John Taylor Print Shop. We reported there for duty and got ourselves all set up for the day. Then two young sister missionaries came in and were surprised to find us there. W learned from them that our assignment for the day was to change at the last minute to be elsewhere.
We were surprised that one of the sisters was this Sister Rivas that we were supposed to locate. Had we not been there by mistake, it would have been a while before we would meet her. Interesting. we took a photo and I shipped it off to aunt Mary Ann.
FROM ONE WRITER TO ANOTHER
On a personal note: As a writer, I do my best to write and to share good (or better) material for audiences to read and to enjoy. This has long been my goal and ambition. I love writing and hope that I am having a positive impact through my writing.
A couple of weeks ago, we were serving at the John Taylor Home and Print Shop. John Taylor was the editor of the local “Nauvoo Neighbor” newspaper and the “Times and Seasons” church magazine. I have been in awe of his writing prowess. I have idolized the writing efforts and expertise of John Taylor. John knew the Prophet, Joseph Smith, intimately and personally. I enjoyed reading to visitors about Joseph’s confidence in John’s writing.
He said, “I believe you can do more good in the editorial department than preaching. You can write for thousands to read; while you can preach to but a few at a time.”
I do not think that my writing is my full mission, but love that it can be a major part of my mission ministry. I liked the acknowledgement of the writing function by Joseph Smith.
THE PALMERS OF MESA, ARIZONA
Thirty years ago, we lived in the Mesa 20th Ward in west Mesa around Westwood High school. We knew David and Kathy Palmer and their large family well. We then had eight (of nine children) and they had 10. We had much in common. Over the years, we have seen the Palmers at various sports and other activities – even after we moved from Mesa (a different house) and then to Maricopa – where we now live.
The Palmers are currently serving as Nauvoo Temple missionaries – where he is a sealer. We had heard before our Nauvoo arrival (from their son-in-law – our dermatologist) that we were all to be in Nauvoo together. We were anxious to connect with them again. It took a couple of weeks before we first connected with them, but now we see them everywhere – and it is so fun. Their daughter (who is the age of one of ours) was here with her family and they came to the missionary Country Fair (that I talked of in my last blog). I had forgotten who her husband is, but when I saw him, we both knew we had shared Scouting experiences together in that old ward.
Sister Palmer had not known or had forgotten, that we have a family connection that goes back almost a hundred years. Our families both lived in the little town of Fairview, Utah. My mother, as a child, was friends to her two older sisters, Carolyn Biggs and Anita Farnsworth (now both in their 90’s) . And in fact, her father, Max Cox, was the 4th grade school teacher to my mother. And then somehow her family and my mother all ended up in Mesa, Arizona.
SACRAMENT ADMINISTRATION
Helping to administer the Sacrament is always a great opportunity for any Priesthood man. Sacrament administration is typically a function (at least nowadays) is generally a role completed by young Aaronic Priesthood brethren.
Two weeks in a row, I was able to assist in passing the sacrament. The first was in our Missionary “Ward”. The second was in the newly formed “Nauvoo Visitors’ Branch” (which holds meetings at the Nauvoo Stake Center. And in both situations, I was invited to pass the sacrament to the presiding authority and others on the stand. This was a great honor. I thought of the words of Joseph Smith who once said, “It was my privilege to administer the emblems of the Lord’s sascrifice.”
And speaking of the Nauvoo Visitors’ Branch … This branch was started as a service to the many folks who find themselves in Nauvoo over a Sunday. And it is an effort to keep the Nauvoo Ward meetings and ward somewhat normalized. And so, a branch just for visitors was formed. It meets at 8 AM – before the other two wards in the chapel. It is interesting that the branch only has three official members – and they are the Branch presidency. Branch leaders never know how many people to expect for their meetings. One week they had 200 people in attendance. And another Sunday, they had 450 people.
In preparing the sacrament for the visitors, we (senior missionaries) prepare 16 sacrament trays. Half of those are set up on a table in the cultural hall (with one central blessing on the bread and water).
SPECIAL INSIGHTS OF THE HOLY GHOST
Yesterday when we were at the Temple City Tour, – in the home of William Weeks, the Temple, architect, I was reading the Temple vision quote by Joseph Smith. He said that he had “seen in vision the splendid appearance of building illuminated”. As Lou and I talked to a couple of missionaries, I was impressed of the Spirit to realize Joseph never saw the Temple completed. And in those days, the people had only lighting by candle power. And that power would not have been sufficient to have illuminated the outside of the building. The Temple would not have been lit up and illuminated until after 2002 when the Temple was restored in our day. I realized that this was a great miracle – for him – and for us as we now ponder that thought. Wow! This was amazing and wonderful.
THE LORD ORCHESTRATES MANY PEOPLE FOR US TO CONNECT WITH – OFTEN DAILY
Sister Hunt (and all of our children who learn of the situations) are amazed at the many people whom the Lord puts in our paths for us to connect with through our tours. These are such fun connections. And it is interesting to see the circumstances under which the connections are orchestrated. Many come after some kind of “random” incident that involves changes in schedules or planned circumstances.
A FamilySearch Connection at the Orson Hyde Home
We had a group come to us – as parents of Elder Call, a Nauvoo Performing Missionary – at the Orson Hyde home. I learned that Brother Call works for FamilySearch. Before I came on this mission, I served a two-and-a-half year service mission writing and editing blogs and doing fact-checking for FamilySearch. (I was one of the two first ever missionaries (that we know of) that were called as fact checking missionaries.
When I learned that Brother Call works for FamilySearch, I asked him if he knows Paul Nauta. Paul is one of the greatest of men and it was my privilege to participate in weekly spiritual devotionals with Paul. Brother Call, did know Paul and is a good friend to him. Together we called Paul and showed Brother Call and me there thinking of him.
Tiffany – Friend and former roommate of our Marinda
Marinda told ahead of time that Tiffany, her former Snow College Roommate and friend was coming to Nauvoo and wanted to see us. We did not know how or when we would connect. The moment came as we were giving a tour at the Joseph Smith Homestead. Tiffany and her husband, Dave, “happened” to find us as we made an exit with our group from the Joseph Smith Homestead. She and her children joined our group. Then at the end of the tour, her husband joined us. We got photos and reminisced about old times – when they came to visit us in Arizona – even before they were married.
Jane Manning Actor
Again, at the Homestead/Mansion House tour, we had special guests. A lady “of color” was a part of our group as we told the story of Jane Manning – the free black woman who came against all odds to Nauvoo – some 800 miles from Connecticut where she was baptized – to be with the Saints in Nauvoo. Our guest had been an actress who had many times portrayed Jane in drama productions. She was able to give us great insight into Jane and her special story.
Joseph’s Own Desk
In the Mansion House parlor, we happily point out the beautiful desk that once personally belonged to the Prophet Joseph Smith. He had this desk at his home in Kirtland and it somehow survived through many moves and trauma between Ohio, Missouri, and Nauvoo. That is a miracle in itself.
This amazing desk (where Joseph likely received and recorded scripture) has been on display for years in the Mansion House. A few years ago, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints borrowed the desk from the Community of Christ organization. Our craftsmen carefully took the desk apart and part by part, they created an exact duplication of the desk. The duplicated copy was placed in the newly restored Joseph and Emma Smith home in Kirtland.
And then on March 5th of this year, the original desk (in the Mansion House) transferred ownership from the Community of Christ to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. So now, our Church has both the original and the duplicated desk.
And I just learned that Levi Ward Hancock my great uncle (actually several greats) – was the builder of the original desk. (Levi was a brother to Clarissa Hancock Alger, my ancestor). How cool is that?
We were talking about the desk in a tour last week and a family on the tour had just been to Kirtland. They saw the duplicated desk and heard the same story that we have been telling – including the part that Levi Ward Hancock played in it.
Heath – A great missionary friend of our Rusty
Rusty wrote us saying that Heath and family were coming to Nauvoo and that they wanted to see us. Heath and Rusty were missionary companions in Brazil. And after Heath and family moved to Arizona, we have had many wonderful gatherings at our home – and that of Rusty – where Heath and family have been present. Heath has been almost like an additional son to me and his kids as if they were my grandchildren.
Heath and family did make it to town and managed to find us as we served at the Lyon Drug store. It was so great seeing them.
Windsor P. Lyon Home in 1975
Lyon Drug Store – After Restoration – 2024
And speaking of the Lyon Drug Store, I had just been reading in my journal of times on my original youth mission. I was elated there to read that my first night spent in Nauvoo – after my transfer here – was actually in the Lyon Drug Store – before its restoration to its current glory.
Enterprise Visitor was Home Teacher to Uncle Dale
We seem to get a lot of visitors from the Southern Utah city of Enterprise, Utah – where my grandparents raised their 13 children – out on the farm homestead on the Beryl desert (17 miles north of Enterprise). Enterprise is a rather small community and usually folks there are all related rather closely. And so, with each introduction wherein an Enterprise resident comes forth, I immediately want to do “Relatives Around Me” to learn our connection. And they always come through! We always have a close degree of cousin relationship.
I met one such cousin at the Pendleton School House – outside – before the tour. I asked this “cousin” if he knew my dad’s sister, Evaline, and husband Marvin Bracken. I was pleased to learn that Marvin was his 3rd grade school teacher. (And this connection came at the Pendleton School House!)
At a sacrament meeting, I ended up sitting by a brother Schill – who is from Enterprise and who is in the local stake presidency. He knew Marv and Evaline – who still live near the old Hunt family farm – and who now attend church in the nearby village of New Castle.
A Young Sister Missionary, Sister Chambers and I learned that we are 2nd cousins once removed.
Another brother – whom I also met at the Mansion House, was a home teacher to my Uncle Dale – may dad’s younger brother. He replied that he had been the home teacher to Uncle Dale for quite some time. We shared memories of Dale (now deceased).
Photo of Stoddard Tin Shop on my Mission
In the Stoddard Tin Shop, there has been displayed a really bad photo of the place 50 years ago – before restoration on the building. The photo is included in our tour. I looked in my slides of 1974 and I found a much better photo of the ruins of the former tin shop.
THE BLACK FAMILY FROM MORGAN, UTAH – AND TERRY ALLEN
At the Blacksmith Shop, I met the Black family from the town of Morgan, Utah. I served Morgan County and Stake when I was a newlywed professional with the Boy Scouts of America (in the Ogden Lake Bonneville Council). He told me about the death of Milan Mecham a Scouting friend from those former times. I had reconnected with Milan not too long before his death
I asked Brother Black if he knew Terry Allen – the former Morgan High school principal. And of course, he did. I could not resist telling the story of my early association with Terry. And I invite interested parties to check out an article which I wrote about Terry – and included in one of my Scouting books. Here is the link:
I did not know the brother Hansen who came to participate in the many activities at the Family Living Center. I found him milling around watching a bigger group. We talked and I learned that he is from the Arizona city of Lake Havasu City (the modern home of the London Bridge).
I said, I have a cousin who lives in lake Havasu. I mentioned that I did not know if my cousin attends church. I have not seen or talked to Sue Ann in years. He looked her up in his ward directory (he is on the high council). He quickly located her and learned that she is there – and even in his ward. He made a note and promised to visit her.
On another occasion at the Family Living Center, we were surprised when Jan and Jenna (mother and daughter) came in. Jan’s deceased husband was my son’s Scoutmaster – and long a family friend. Jenna walked in and saw me in the entry waiting to greet new guests. She was only a little girl when I last saw her, but she immediately recognized me. She ran and gave me a big hug. Later in the day, she returned with her mother, Jan.
And on still another Family Life Occasion, Sister Hunt was meeting and greeting visitors. A large family came in – with their 13 children. Bonnie and Spencer were very surprised to see Sister Hunt. They all recognized each other immediately. Sister Hunt brought the family to me as I was teaching rope making. I helped her family make rope as we renewed memories and caught up on the here and now.
A lady came to the Center – and was watching my rope making demonstration. The lady kept looking at me. Finally, she came up and asked if we are the parents of Jenae in O’Fallon, Illinois. She recognized us from when we have made a few visits to that town with our children – and attended church there. We all had good conversation.
Two different families came and recognized us from Maricopa. Both knew our daughter, Marinda and had been in current or former wards with her and Mike. We met these folks – in two unrelated groups the same day.
At the Family Living Center, there is a display of the former Belcher brickyard. The former learning center at the Brickyard kind of died an ignominious death during COVID – but the tour still talks of the brick yard and the process of making bricks. Sister Hunt has had several opportunities to share memories of her father and how he created the first tourist brick yard – and the famous Nauvoo brick – that is still given out to all who want it – at the Family Living Center and at the Visitors’ Center. The people always are amazed at Elder Belcher’s story – and kept alive by his missionary daughter today. They say, “That is so cool that you get to continue his legacy.” It is a pretty special Nauvoo Miracle.
ALLRED FRIENDS FROM IDAHO FALLS
I talked with Elder Wilson, a fellow Senior Missionary who is from Shelley, Idaho. I asked if he knows my son-in-law – who is now in Idaho Falls. This Elder Wilson was the high school teacher of our son-in-law and knows his grandfather, Merlyn Jolley, a long-time Shelley resident – and with whom we have shared many great family events.
At the home of Williams Weeks – the architect of the Nauvoo Temple, some folks came looking for us. We had a name mix-up but finally figured out the connection. It was the sister (and husband, Bro. Atkin) of our Lana’s father-in-Law, Delwin Allred – also from Idaho Falls. I guess they had heard that we were here, and family told them to be sure to find us. They did … and we had a good visit together. Always so fun!
We have met at least two other visitor families who know our son-in-law. A popular guy in those parts!
“CITY OF JOSEPH” FRIENDS AND PAST PARTICIPANTS
We have met many new friends who were also cast members in the former “City of Joseph” pageant. This show was last performed in 2003 – and the “Nauvoo Pageant” and “British Pageants” are now performed.
We met Elder and Sister Sanders – new site missionaries. We shared a couple of years in the former pageant casts. They remembered our Hunt family opening scene in the 1996 and 1997 pageants.
We took our daughter, Jackie, to the stage of the drama and dance program staged nightly by the “Sunset on the Mississippi” Nauvoo Performing Missionaries. On this particular evening, the show for the night got cancelled because of rain (a couple of hours earlier). We by-passed the notification sign to take Jackie up to see the remains of the former stage (now kind of hidden under the new stage). As we were showing her the stage, a family came up and heard us talking. She noticed our missionary name tags. She asked if Kaylea might be our daughter. She said that she is a sister to Blaine – a young man whom our Kaylea was totally twitterpated with when they were both teens. (We still don’t know how she connected Kaylea with us.)
Red Brick Store Connection
The guest at the Red Brick Store did not know us. He saw only my Hunt nametag. And of course, there are thousands of Hunts in the world. After the tour, he said, “This is a long shot, but do you know a Porter Hunt?” I said, “Yes, I have a nephew Porter. We talked more and learned that my nephew is a former classmate and friend to this guy. Wow!
Mesa 10th Ward Friends
Our family was a member of the Mesa, Arizona 10th Ward for many years. We have found two or three couples who were from the old ward – but long after my time. We learned that these couples know my niece, Shar, as well as my long-time friend, Scott, their former Bishop.
PEOPLE FROM TEMPE WHO KNOW JACKIE
We were at the Heber C. Kimball home and were chatting after the tour with a family. They had said that they are from Prescott, Arizona. Anyone from Arizona gets our attention but we don’t know many folks in Prescott – located north of us about 3 hours. Then the lady said something like, “Well, it is not nearly as hot here as where I grew up!” I asked her where that was and she said, “Tempe, Arizona”. I then brought up my son-in-law, Michael – since his family is a “died in the wool” long-time Tempe family with very deep roots in Tempe They were surprised to learn that our Michael is the Bishop of his ward and that he was formerly a counselor to her parents – now serving a mission of their own.
TEXAS FRIENDS OF KAYLEA
The Kyle, Texas stake recently brought their stake youth to Nauvoo. And the group included our grandkids, Brodey and Lucy. We ended up finding many adults whom we had met on previous trips to Texas for ordinations, mission farewells, etc. We quickly took selfies and sent them on to Kaylea – who is the Texas resident photographer and who loves such photo connections.
LADY DOING TEMPLE SEALINGS WITH US FROM PACANA PARK WARD
We were in the Temple doing a sealing session. We needed one more Sister to help with the process. A lady was brought in to join us in our sealing session. She kept looking at us. We talked after the session and learned that we are in the same Pacana Park ward back home in Maricopa. We were both kind of new to the ward so we didn’t know each other – but it was unique that we are in the same ward.
Under another circumstance, a lady heard that we were from Maricopa. She said, “I have a cousin from there.” She said the cousin’s name and we were both surprised that the lady is the wife of a brother in our current Bishopric. She quickly sent off a selfie of us together to her cousin.
A CHANCE MEETING WITH PROGENY OF MY DAD’S LONG-TIME FRIEND
We were assigned on a Sunday afternoon to serve at the 70’s Hall. This is the starting place for a 3-site tour. The tours begin at the 70’s Hall and then moves to the Blacksmith Shop and then finally to the Brigham Young home. Normally, a couple of missionary couples would rotate to all three buildings in our turns.
On this Sunday, however, they had an extra couple there. This was a rare occasion. We decided that two couples would remain at the 70’s Hall and one would go to the Brigham Young home. Sister Hunt and I said that we would walk the two or three blocks to the Brigham home. (I have expressed my love of Brigham on other occasions.)
We got there to Brigham’s home and were sitting casually in the little missionary waiting room. We had our sign changed to “open” but the sign saying that the tour starts at the 70’s Hall still was permanently in place and visible to visitors.
We saw a car driving by slowly – trying to figure out if they might get a tour. I went out and flagged them down. They came in and we had a wonderful visit and tour.
At the beginning of the tour, I used one of my dad’s tactics. If he found someone with a surname of someone he knew, he would always say, “Who is your father?” This has become a long-time family joke – and yes, I definitely take after him in starting conversations with these words. (But now, at my age, I often have to start with “Who is your Grandfather?” or even a few times with a young-un, “Who is your great grandfather?” (Wow … could this be possible?)
Anyway, this guy named Godard came in. I don’t think that there are many Godard people in the world. I first asked him where he was from. And then when he said, “Gilbert, Arizona”, I pressed further. I asked his name. When he said, “Craig Godard”, my heart took a leap. I then asked the “golden question” of “So, who is your father?”
He looked at me as if I was from Mars. I could see his reaction written all over his face, “What does that have to do with the price of eggs?” People always have a weird reaction when I ask them this – as if “Why would you ask me that dumb question?” I got all of those reactions from him on this occasion. He did finally say that his father is Jerry Godard.
I could not believe it. I knew that Jerry and my father had been friends forever. They had been friends for so many years that I had forgotten even how they were connected.
After he told me his father’s name, I said, “I am so happy that you came in here today. Our fathers were best friends forever. He still looked at me as if I was totally off of my rocker. He had doubt written all over his face. Only then did he believe me and divulged his first name.
He finally gave in and began to talk to me. I told him of how we were in the same neighborhood years before – when his siblings and I were teenagers. He was the little kid brother – but I knew his teen brother, Randy and sister, Debbie who were close to my age. I told him the story of the birth of my sister. (And we determined that he was born just a few months before my sister was born.)
Anyway, on August 27, 1964, my sister, Laurie (now deceased) was born. On that occasion, my father was in Salt Lake City for an all-church softball tournament. He was up there with our champion team from our old Mesa 10th ward. (And he missed Laurie’s birth!) And in anticipation of him being gone for the big event, he asked his friends Jerry and Pam Godard to take mother to the hospital if the birth came while he was gone. And that is what happened! They did come and they took mother to the hospital. I told this Craig, “So you were then only a couple of months old, so you probably went with them in arms to the hospital.” Now Craig was in total awe and amazement.
But it got better! I then related to him a story of his older brother. I told him that I have written the “History of Scouting in the Church”. I told him how I went to the Church History Department and announced to personnel that “I would like to write the history of Scouting in the Church.” They said, “That is great … No one has ever done that. We will help you do it.” And for the next two days, the entire staff of the department was literally at my every command. They really gave me great service and a whole lot of material.
I went home and wrote the book. And a couple of years later, a new guy went to the Historical Department and said my exact words. They said to him, “Well, we cannot help you. We gave all of our information to a guy in Arizona.” Somehow this guy tracked me down and called me in Arizona. He told me his story and we realized that we had been friends as teenagers. (Our families used to do many things together before the Godard family moved to California.)
Craig and I got a big laugh at this. It was a fun story to share with him.
We talked of our fathers to try to figure out where they knew each other. We talked of military service, mission and more. Finally, we realized that his father, Jerry and my father had both grown up together on the Beryl Desert – north of Enterprise and that they had been friends literally through all of their lives. And it was interesting that both lived to age 90 and they died within a week of each other.
I gave the Brigham tour and Craig was so fascinated with everything. Then at the end of the tour we were to part. I was surprised when he grabbed me and gave me a big hug as if we had been brothers forever.
JACKIE AND FAMILY HERE SAME WEEK AS TEXAS GRANDS
The first week of Pageant, we found ourselves with parts of families of two our daughters here in Nauvoo at the same time. Jackie came from Tempe, Arizona with her man and four children. Also Brodey and Lucy were both here from Texas with their stake youth group. By “coincidence” (Nauvoo Miracle),all of the above showed up here in Nauvoo at the same time. The Texas grands stayed in a local hotel/inn. Jackie and family hung out here in our Dunn home with us. (And they were part of the welcoming committee when Dunnites came to visit us and walked through their dormitory quarters in the basement – on the way to the fireplace and cellar exit.)
We were able to get all ten of us together on a few occasions and of course, we sent photos off to the Texas momma. It was so fun to have so many of us here together. (More about our time with them later – in a future blog.)
The unique thing is that both of these trips were organized and planned long before we even received our mission call to Nauvoo. Another Nauvoo series of miracles! So amazing!
LADY IN AWE AT JOSEPH SMITH HOMESTEAD AND MANSION HOUSE
We took through a lovely lady on our tour of the Joseph Smith Homestead and Mansion House. We loved her comment at the end of the tour. She pointed to both Lou and me and said that Sister Hunt and I, during our tour, looked just like Joseph and Emma and she told us how amazing that experience had been for her. We were happy that we were a part of a miracle for her (and a humbling miracle for us).
FUN AT THE RISER BOOT SHOP
Two different guests came (today – June 15th) to the Riser Boot Shop where we were working. They were both descendants of Benjamin F. Johnson – an ancestor of our son-in-law, Michael. We talked of our excursion yesterday to Ramus, Illinois. (More about this in a future blog post.) (And at the Temple City Tour the next day, a YSM also descended from the same Johnson line.)
Another great miracle: We were just ready to start our tour. We had introduced ourselves and the husband looked at Sister Hunt. He said, “Are you the Sister Belcher who served a mission in Melbourne, Australia?” It was my wife’s turn to be surprised. He then introduced himself as “Elder White” who had served with her. Even his wife got excited and said, Both of the Whites stood and gave Sister Hunt hugs. “We have been to your home in Mesa,” they said. They recounted details that we had long forgotten. Sister Hunt remembered Elder White when he had black hair – and now suddenly he finds himself with gray (almost white) hair. Anyway, the two of them had served simultaneously in the same area on the island of Tasmania.
The wife stood – and Elder White followed suit and gave Sister Hunt a big hunt as if they were long-lost friends. Then Sister Hunt and Elder White had discussion about their missions in the ZAMM (Zion Australia Melbourne Mission). Such great fun! Another special Nauvoo Miracle.
Another family came there and announced that they were from Snowflake, Arizona. I asked if they knew Allan and Meryl Hunt Adams (who have lived there forever). They said that they know the Adams well. I told them that Allan was my first missionary district leader in Florida. They found this interesting. And then at the end of the tour, the lady told me that she had texted Meryl and she said, “Yes, Elder Adams remembers you well.” This made my day!
PHOTOS OF THE PAST FROM JACKIE
When our Jackie was here, she talked of photos that she took when she was in Nauvoo as a student in the BYU Nauvoo semester program in 2002. She sent them to us on her return home. She sent photos of her Grandpa Belcher’s brickyard – as well cemetery photos taken at the town of Ramus – where we had ancestors living. Both photo sets gave new perspectives that we had not known previously.
Well, I could keep going for a long time. I could think I am done (for this article) and then more miracles come along. We truly do receive special Nauvoo Miracles often – and generally every day. We stand in awe of these miracles and rejoice in them. We recognize that the miracles come from a loving Father who keeps arranging these miracles for us. He makes life good for all of us.
DAILY REMINDERS OF GOD IN OUR LIVES
Anyone who knows me knows that I stand in constant amazement of fabulous sunsets. I see them as daily reminders of God’s love for me and those around us. Each sunset in Nauvoo is a miracle of wonder and awe.
Wow! There are truly Nauvoo Miracles for us and others here in Nauvoo. It is beautiful to know and feel the Lord’s miracles that he stages for us. We stand in awe. We rejoice in the Nauvoo Miracles – and we are grateful.
At this season in Nauvoo, there are plenty of opportunities for patriotic, cultural and country fair good times. And it is so fun to be a part of all of it!
Where to begin?
The 4th of July is exciting and fun – no matter where it is celebrated. And that day back in 1776 is certainly worth celebrating. On that day, the United States was born. It took a while to develop, but that is when it really started. A new nation! A nation of freedom and hope. It all began with 13 Colonies of folks wanting religious and other freedoms not then enjoyed under British rule. We can all be grateful for those gallant men and women who made the decision to make the break from their mother country. It truly is a moment that should be celebrated again and again. Independence Day! Hoorah!
THE BEGINNING OF A FOUNDATION FOR THE GOSPEL RESTORATION
July 4th – our Independence day was a pre-curser to the establishment of the Constitution of the United States that would come later (in 1789) after the ensuing Revolutionary War which cemented the “Spirit of God – the Spirit of Freedom” (Alma 61:15) in the creation of the true land of the free and the home of the brave.
The Doctrine and Covenants speaks frequently of the cause of Freedom. In D&C Section 98 the Lord himself teaches “that law of the land which is constitutional, supporting that principle of freedom in maintaining rights and privileges, belongs to all mankind, and is justifiable before me. Therefore, I, the Lord, justify you, and your brethren of my church, in befriending that law which is the constitutional law of the Land.” (D&C 98:4,5)
A few verses later, the Lord teaches us to live “according to the laws and constitution of the people, which I have suffered to be established, and should be maintained for the rights and protection of all flesh, according to just and holy principles”.
THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR AND THE FORMATION OF THE FUTURE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA WAS TO LAY THE FOUNDATION FOR THE COMING FORTH OF THE BOOK OF MORMON AND THE GOSPEL RESTORATION
Nephi recorded: ”And I beheld the Spirit of the Lord, that it was upon the Gentiles, and they did prosper and obtain the land for their inheritance … And it came to pass that I, Nephi, beheld that the Gentiles who had gone forth out of captivity did humble themselves before the Lord: and the power of the Lord was with them. And I beheld that their mother gentiles were gathered together upon the waters, and upon the land also, to battle against them. And I beheld that the power of God was with them, and also that the wrath of God was upon all those that were gathered together against them to battle. And I Nephi beheld that the Gentiles that had gone out of captivity were delivered by the power of God out of the hands of all other nations.” (1 Nephi 13:15-19).
I like to remember that it was Moroni (and not Betsey Ross) who created the first American flag: “And it came to pass that he rent his coat: and he took a piece thereof, and wrote upon it – “In memory of our god, our religion, and freedom, and our peace, our wives, and our children – and he fastened it upon the end of a pole…. (And he called it the Title of Liberty) and he bowed himself to the earth, and he prayed mightily unto his God for the blessings of liberty to rest upon his brethren, so long as there should a band of /Christians remain to possess the land.” (Alma 46: 12-13). Moroni went throughout the land to establish the “Covenant of Freedom” (Alma 46:15) “And it came to pass also, that he caused the Title of Liberty to be hoisted upon every tower which was in all the land, which was possessed by the Nephites; and thus Moroni planted the standard of liberty among the Nephites”. (Alma 46:36).
And so, with that background, it is appropriate that we gather wherever and however we can, in celebration of the “Covenant of Freedom” that God established for us.
A REUNION OF THE ELDERS AND SISTERS OF OUR MTC GROUP
It had been three months (could that be?) since the 13 couples of us had gathered at the Provo MTC in preparation for our missions to Nauvoo. (April 1st … no joke!) Those were glorious times and we forged friendships that will remain with us forever. And so, naturally, we are drawn again to each other and the bond that continues to pull us together.
The day was July 3rd – and the beginning of our celebrations of freedoms now evident throughout our Nauvoo.
The location for our gathering was a surprise. I had not known that it existed. (There are all kinds of such hidden places here in Nauvoo – and we seem to move from one to the other.) Remember Elder Jones? Well, he and Sister Jones (and another couple) decided that we should stage a regular reunion of our MTC group. Their announcement said that we would meet at “The Kimball Barn”. I thought, … “hmmm … where is that?” I asked Sister Jones and she said that it was behind the Hiram and Sarah Granger Kimball home.
We arrived at the spot and Wow! I could not believe this place. Being a long-time party planner and caterer, this place really caught my attention. It was magnificent. The barn was majestic and beautiful.
Inside, there were at least a dozen tables – with room for three times that many. I marveled at the grand party scene. The food began to roll in as each couple came with their best picnic pot-luck contributions. We set up a large table to hold the goods.
It was kind of a muggy night and the place seemed to capture the mugginess inside. We decided that it might be a bit cooler outside. And Voila! There were another dozen picnic tables out there. We all circled around the food table and we all took more than we needed (at least I know that I did). And talk about great food! It was amazing.
It was also great fun visiting with our MTC friends. We didn’t talk much about the MTC but there was much to talk about otherwise. Eight of the couples are now “Nauvoo Teamsters” and they provided the rest of us with many fun details of the horses and oxen that they drive around Nauvoo. Elder Jones kind of surprised us with his energy and enthusiasm. He was like the “Energizer Bunny” with his joy of the occasion as he kind of took charge and led the laughs.
WE EXPERIENCED THE TRUE 4TH ON TEMPLE HILL
No 4th of July celebration is complete without the traditional overload of fireworks. And this year was no exception – but we actually experienced it on July 3rd – the eve before the 4th). Nauvoo has the perfect and natural place for the best seats for viewing the fireworks. This is on Temple Hill – located just to the west and in front of the Temple. We went directly to the spot from our MTC gathering held earlier that night.
We parked in a nearby Temple parking lot and walked to the Temple and then across the street. In my arms, I carried the new camp chairs given to us for Mothers and Father’s Day by our Lana. (And she never does anything simple or basic. No, these chairs were the greatest and best (and thus, a bit of overload in the carry)! Thanks, Lana!
We joined hundreds of other people on the Temple Hill. Everyone had brought their own camp chairs or blankets on which to enjoy the show. There was plenty of room for everyone – and then some. We found a spot that was good for us. We recognized a lot of our Nauvoo visitors and fellow missionaries around us.
(And I note that tonight I had purposely left my two pocket knives – one a Hunt/Stoddard “Old Timer” and the other my trusty BSA carving knife … on my dresser at home. I thought of a July 4th event 25 or more years ago in Payson, Arizona – when I had my BSA knife in my pants as I sat on the grass and it slipped out onto the grass. We returned later but could not find it. I was so sad! I had carried this knife for some 20 or so years and it meant a great deal to me. After that knife loss, my boys, knowing what it meant to me, bought me another just like it – and I have had it with me almost constantly since. I did not want to lose another knife on this occasion.)
Imagine my joy as I heard the bagpipes piping nearby. This group is so fabulous. I have long belonged to the bagpipe loving society so this was heaven for me. I relished in the music that the group was putting forth. The Nauvoo Brass Band then took a turn and they played many of our traditional patriotic songs. They were great, as always!
I enjoyed watching the crowd around us. Sometimes “people watching” is one of the best aspects of such a gathering. (One of my favorite activities wherever I go.) Anticipation was high with everyone as we all sat in our spots enjoying the wonderful evening. And God did one of his magic tricks for us.
The sunset that evening was spectacular. Wow! This was so amazing. I took photos of each stage of the sunset – over a period of many minutes. I was grateful for this wonder in front of me. A sunset over the Nauvoo Mississippi River, with band accompaniment … it doesn’t get much better than this! I took in and loved every moment of the total scene.
Then came the fireworks! They started off with a bang. We all adjusted our chairs a bit to the southwest and sat back to enjoy the show.
The show was not anything like the one staged annually in Idaho Falls (as we have experienced a couple of times with Lana and family) but for little Nauvoo, it was fairly decent. I know that it was a stretch for the community, and I was grateful for the efforts made for all of us (most of us not even being from the local community). We enjoyed 20 minutes of pop and bang and then the expansion of bright colors. Somehow, all of this made me proud again to be an American (in spite of national challenges going on around us). I was happy to be a part of the grand scene. And how cool to be seeing the show in Nauvoo and right there on the footstool of the Temple! Way too much fun! (Who’da thunk it a year ago …?)
A MISSION-WIDE 4TH OF JULY CELEBRATION
At least once a month (or maybe every 6 weeks), the mission stages a dinner to welcome new missionaries and to say good-bye to some going home. That is what we experienced on the eve of the 4th of July. The event was held at the local Nauvoo Stake Center – because this place has room for the 200 or so missionaries (including the “YSM’s” (Young Sister Missionaries) as well as the Senior Missionary couples.
Sister Hunt had years before made us some very patriotic matching vests in the best of red, white and blue. And she had added these to our “wagon” when we came to Nauvoo. Luckily, I rediscovered these in a hidden drawer just a couple of days before the event. We really looked the part – and we caught the attention of many as we made our entry to the hall. It was fun to stand out in our personal celebration of the day.
The party organizers were genius in their preparations. They had set up seven round tables and each one accepted food as it arrived. They knew what they wanted on each table – to make sure that everyone would get the same options – no matter what table they went to. Sister Hunt had made some family baked beans (a recipe made famous by her mother – Grandma Verna Belcher). And I had made a plethora of my own famous banana chocolate chip cookies – for the occasion. We were directed to the table needing our goods.
A missionary Elder welcomed the group, and we had a prayer of gratitude for the food before us.
My journal records the details of the event:
The food – including pulled pork – was all fabulous. I loved Lou’s beans. And there were several desserts – which included the cookies that I made. The cookies seemed to be a hit. They were all gone. We came home with quite a big quantity of beans – so this is good.
After the meal, many missionaries staged several musical numbers. Elder and Sister Williams (him on the piano) led us in singing our National Anthem, “The Star-Spangled Banner”, and then “America” and “The Battle Hymn of the Republic”. (And Lou and I could hardly refrain from singing the camp song, “I wear my Pink Pajamas” to this tune.)
Two young sisters did a great performance of the song, “Sisters”. We all enjoyed their hilarious song.
A string band played several numbers. With them was a musical group known as “The Hart Family”. The band reminded me of the string band of Enterprise, Utah – that always played at the 24th of July celebrations that we often went to in my youth. I loved the music.
President Daniel Mehr was the final speaker and as ever, he did a great job. He talked of being a General Authority Seventy and eating in the cafeteria in the Church Office Building. He talked of an occasion when then Elder Russell M. Nelson was present. Someone asked him his view of the world trauma of the moment. He replied, “I am not worried about this. This is the Lord’s World and He will take care of it.” He talked of Joseph Smith and how he was a lover and promoter of freedom of religion to all. He surprised me when he referred to the trauma in today’s world. He compared it to the “Kingmen” and “Freemen” in The Book of Mormon. I could understand who is Kingmen and who is the Freemen. The society similarities of then and now are really scary. He said that we should be zealous to defend and protect the family. He said that he is doing his best to prepare his children and grandchildren to be worthy and ready to marry our children and grandchildren (pointing to all of us).
In all, it was a very fun evening.
PREPARING FOR THE COMING PAGEANT
After the above, Lou and I went to the stage where the Nauvoo pageants will be staged. All of the missionaries have a part at the ending of the British Pageant shows – each Monday, Wednesday and Friday for the next three weeks. The Senior Missionaries are to go forward at the finale of the show – and are to “stand resolute” as the show ends. This should be fun.
EVENING PERFORMANCES OF THE NAUVOO BRASS BAND AND THE PRODUCTION OF “SUNSET ON THE MISSISSIPPI”
Most weekday evenings (not on Sundays), we offer some great entertainment for our Nauvoo guests. The excitement begins with a special concert by the Nauvoo Brass Band. It is so fun to sit there in the beauty of the evening – atop of the stage that we knew so long ago when we were in the “City of Joseph” pageant cast. I love the energy – and the sounds – that the Brass Band puts forth. I can’t get enough of them.
Then comes a drama production of song and dance staged by the Nauvoo Performing Missionaries (“NSM”). This production is “Sunset on the Mississippi”.
This is the “modern” version of a program that has been traditional here in Nauvoo for decades. Forty-five years ago my in-laws, Elder and Sister Belcher, were cast (as Senior Missionaries) in the stage production of the “Night on the Prairie” – then held in and around the Cultural Hall. The family cherishes the photo of the folks engaged in the stage fun (though they were not known for dramatic acting before their Nauvoo debut).
Anyway, back to the here and now … The current production is staged by these marvelous young performing missionaries. They are full of energy, and they show it well in their fancy and colorful period costumes. The girls look beautiful in their ruffled dresses and pantaloons. The guys are decked out in colorful shirts and vests – and the traditional Nauvoo caps.
The production is just so fun! It is something that everyone needs to experience when in Nauvoo. And this year, we got to experience it with our granddaughter, Brianna, as she came to Nauvoo with her O’Fallon, Illinois Young Women group.
It just keeps getting better!
EXPERIENCING THE “COUNTRY FAIR” WITH THE NAUVOO PAGEANTS
It’s Pageant Time here in Nauvoo …! It is the time long anticipated by every missionary here in Nauvoo. This is such a grand time – with the Nauvoo spirit and energy everywhere. It is such a great thing to experience. We are all looking forward to it. You can be sure that I will give many more pageant details as we really experience it. I promise to make a full report in a future blog post.
I can speak from experience, however, when I talk about the “Country Fair” that is staged each night between the “Sunset” program and the actual pageant. We got to experience it last summer with Jenae and girls and with the set-up that we have seen on the fields around us, we can be assured that 2024 pageant comers will surely get the same experience this year. And this year, we will get to experience it again as Jackie and her family will be here for several pageant days. They are to arrive soon, and we can’t wait to have them. It will be fun to be a part of the Country Fair activities with them – just as we did last year with Jenae and her girls. It is just so fun. We could not believe that so many great activities could be packed into such a small space and time.
Last year, I wrote of the experience in my personal journal:
“We then went to participate in the “Country Fair”. This was an absolutely fabulous event. There were 20 or 30 different stations – each manned by a cast family (many for the “Gold Cast” who come here for just a week (and then more come in). Some of my favorite events included handcart rides, May Pole dancing, Scottish dances (with bagpipes). I looked on-line for a list of the traditional Nauvoo “Country Fair” events – for future reference. Other events included stickball, stilts, Tug-O-war, Graces and hoops, sack races, log sawing, parlor games, wood branding, rag rugs, round dancing, quilting, stick pull, arm wrestling, a “Cousins” tent (to see who is related to who via Family/search), a puppet show, children’s games, and crafts. It was amazing. They could have handled 1,000 or so people. As it was, there was a small crowd there today – so there was no waiting in long lines.”
MISSIONARIES GOT A SNEAK PREVIEW OF THE COMING “COUNTRY FAIR” EVENTS
There is never a dull moment for missionaries serving (like us) in the Illinois Historic Sites Mission (which included Nauvoo and the Carthage Jail). There is some kind of an activity, training, performance, or devotional going on all of the time. And we look for any and all opportunities to party and celebrate.
The Country Fair will be staged every night for three weeks – as noted above – but many of us missionaries will have other support functions to fulfill as the Fair happens. And so, pageant organizers let us participate in our own such event – ahead of the real thing. But, it became the real thing for us. Again, my journal tells the story:
“This evening we had a fun mission event. Elder Davies, who is over the pageant somehow, staged a “Country Fair” – similar to the fair that they have each night of the pageant. He had a band composed of many missionaries. They played music for folks to dance to. It was mostly female dances – since the young sisters cannot dance with guys as missionaries. They had a lot of refreshments. Lou mixed up two bags of chocolate chip cookies to take.
Elder Davies asked if I would help him (or I volunteered before he asked). I agreed to help run the stick pulling event. This has long been a favorite activity for me. (And Joseph Smith loved doing this!) I was not very busy for the first while but then I called some people over to participate. I pitted Elder Brian Reed against a big Tongan sister.
The sister beat him. He was really embarrassed – saying that “I’ve never been beat before.” I got several sister missionaries out there on the tarp – competing against each other.
The highlight of the evening was getting the Mission President, Mehr, out on the tarp. He took on several of the young sisters. This was a surprise to all. I also got a match between Pres. and Sister Mehr. Everyone got a kick out of the competitions with the President.
PIONEER GAMES AND CRAFTS AT THE FAMILY LIVING CENTER AND AT PIONEER PASTTIMES
About once a week, Sister Hunt and I get the chance to serve at the Family Living Center. This is program area that is housed in a giant timber and wood building (just my style). This is a fun place and everyone who comes there likes the many activities. The place has demonstration centers for the following pioneer activities:
Wool carding
Cooking
Candle Making
Weaving
Bread Making
Packing the Wagon to go West
Rope Making
Barrel Making
Pottery Making
Brick Making
When Elder Belcher saved the badly deteriorated Coolidge home, he set up many of these demonstrations in the building. Thus, this is another area of his ongoing legacy. It is amazing all that he started, and which still is in place today.
We joined another Senior couple and two young sisters. I enjoy helping or inspiring kids to “pack” the wagon for the trip west. I have also volunteered to do bread making – since I did not know anything about any of the rest of the areas (but I am learning. I now know barrel making. The young sisters were able to do most of the demonstrations – since they have been to the place before. I also love doing the rope making demonstration – partly because so many people love the activity – and are so fascinated with the mechanics of the rope making machine.
The other day, a rope making visitor said to me, “How long have you been doing this?” (meaning the rope making function). I said, “I have been a Boy Scout for 60 years”. She and others around her all got a chuckle out of this.
Lou is often privileged to do teaching about her father’s brick yard and brick making. She loves doing this and the people all seem very interested in it. She enjoys sharing with the folks the tale of how her father started the brick yard and designed the small brick that is still given out as souvenirs to visitors. It has been a great blessing and opportunity for her to do this teaching – in honor of her parents.
A ”Sister” station that is staged by the missionaries in the Family Living Center is known as the “Pioneer Pastimes Pavilion”. This large tent ramada is located about a block south of the Family Living Center. It is fun to go there (except when it is really hot) and to enjoy the walk down through the beautiful lanes en route.
On the way, we can often see the Performing Missionaries teaching prairie dances to curious on-lookers. It is fun to see the NPM’s get the visitors up and dancing with them.
The missionary job at the Pavilion is to engage the folks – mainly the young children and teens – in the many pioneer game options. We can offer them dress-up costumes where the kids (and adults too) can dress in authentic pioneer costumes. It is so fun to watch the kids get into this action.
We have hoops, stilts, “climbing monkeys”, various marble games, roping the horse or sheep, playing house, and more. This is the place for families to come after a long day of dragging the kids into the various restored homes. They suddenly lose their tiredness, and they have a great time – even engaging their reluctant parents in the activities with them.
FUN SHOWS AT THE CULTURAL HALL
There are about 30 homes or shops that we give tours in here in Nauvoo. A couple of weeks ago, the scheduler asked us what places we had not been to, and which we would like to “learn”. The Cultural Hall was one of the few places that we had not previously been to. So, it was fun to be assigned recently to the place.
We had actually been to the Cultural Hall for a zone meeting a week or so before. On that occasion, we gathered there with about 20 couples from the “Hyrum Zone”. Elder Hurst (a teamster) is our new Zone Leader – after the recent departure of Elder Thomas. It was fun to be in this Cultural Hall. We thought of Grandma Verna being there and doing acting in the “night on the prairie” program. Elder Hurst had created a great PowerPoint presentation about the contributions of the Prophet Joseph Smith. I enjoyed this program a lot.
The Cultural Hall actually almost feels like a mini Salt Lake Tabernacle – with its oak look benches and pillars.
Anyway, we looked forward to our assignment to the Cultural Hall. On our day of the assignment, we arrived and checked the site book to figure out how to turn on the lights on each of the three floors. This can sometimes be a bit tricky. Remember that the Saints did not have electricity when they were here – though they would have loved it. And now, 180 years later, great effort is expended to try to maintain the original look and feel of the pioneer places. This means that the electrical or light switch is often located down at foot level and the plug is generally painted to match exactly the color of the wood around it. And each place has its own quirks – and every place is different.
We did not know when assigned, but much of the job of the missionaries assigned there is to be host to folks who come to experience the many shows staged there each day by the Nauvoo Performing Missionaries. That is what we did – and it proved to be great fun. It also meant that we were able to view the many programs ourselves. This was so great. These young performing missionaries have energy deluxe. And they have such enthusiasm during their song and dance routines.
In the Cultural Hall, we were privileged to hear several performances of the Nauvoo Performing Missionaries. They performed two different programs – two times each. Each performance was fabulous! The did programs entitled, “Hymns of Zion” and “Nauvoo Singers”. I thoroughly enjoyed each performance. I love the energy of the young people.
The groups performed: “Nearer My God to Thee”, “In Our Lovely Deseret” (which was fabulous). They sang “Laura’s Nauvoo” (supposedly written by a non-member), “Praise to the Man” (by W.W. Phelps), “The Morning Breaks”, (by Parley P Pratt), and O My Father (by Eliza R. Snow). They sang these words to four or so different tunes.
A youth group from Indiana came en masse – a group of about 20 youth and an adult couple. It was fun to interact with this group. They even got up on stage (in a slow period) and did their own song and dance routine. This was their big moment.
In the mid-afternoon, the Performers came to present their last performance of the day. Literally, no one was there to hear their show. They went on with the show and Lou and I sat alone as the audience and enjoyed our personal concert – with just us there to hear them. They were amazing and wonderful.
P-DAY ACTIVIITES FOR ELDER AND SISTER HUNT
Like any missionary serving anywhere in the world, we also look forward to our own P-day each week. Here we are assigned a specific day of the week for a month. And then we switch to a new day for the next month. Sister Hunt and I have just been assigned to Saturdays for the month of July.
On our P-days, we do our weekly laundry (though we have a washer and dryer in our place – so we can do it any time that we get the urge). We clean our place. I also spend several hours each P-day writing blogs and posting photos to them.
We also try to find some unique activities that are new to us. Often, this might include going to a new home or site that we have not yet experienced. And later in the day, we generally drive the 12-mile trip down the river (on the picturesque and wonderful Mississippi Great River Highway). We go to Keokuk – our newest town of any significance.
In Keokuk, we generally go to the Aldi store. We there get fruit, vegetables and snack items for our lunch. We usually have to go to the Dollar Tree Store for cheap incidentals. We then go to Walmart. It is always nice to restock our wagon there. We get gas at a station by Walmart. We are pleased that the gas on the Iowa side of the river is about 75 Cents a gallon cheaper than that on the Illinois side. And our last stop is generally at the Dairy Queen. Several weeks ago, we discovered their “Pecan Mudslide Sundae”. This celestial delicacy is soft ice cream topped with both hot fudge and caramel toppings – as well as toasted pecans. Wow! Talk about fabulous! We now have the car trained to pull over there each week at the appropriate time.
AN UNPLANNED VISIT AND RIDE AT THE OXEN RIDE
Yesterday (July 6th) was our first Saturday P-day. I got up and made computer reservations for us to go on the “wagon ride”. Then I later realized that I should have signed up for the “carriage ride”. We were headed to the rides before I realized that I had made a mistake. We headed toward Main Street and Hotchkiss streets – where the ride was to be. And that is where I realized my mistake.
We kept going on Main Street, and I noticed the ox ride space up ahead. In all of my years of coming to Nauvoo, I have never seen this ride location – nor have we taken the ox ride. We decided to go for the oxen ride.
We pulled in and got out of the car. We were immediately greeted by our former Acacia Ward neighbor from Mesa, Arizona. She and her group somehow knew that Lou and I are in Nauvoo and they were going to go looking for us. We visited for a few minutes and then took a photo. It was interesting to see how the Lord puts these people and our connections with them together – (like today) since going for the oxen ride was definitely not in our plans – and with it being our P-day, we would not have normally been out in the sites. These little “Nauvoo miracles” happen all of the time – and we are grateful for them.
Elder and Sister Doug Mills were there at the ox ride. They took us on the ride and gave us a great story as we did so. Sister Mills said that “This is the most authentic thing here in Nauvoo!”
The oxen were amazing – and huge. I learned a lot of new facts about oxen and how the pioneers walked beside them all of the way. It was all very interesting.
First, … the question of “what is the difference in a cow (steer) and an ox?” My teamster Cousin Brad explained it for me. He said that “an ox is a cow on a mission – with an occupation”.
Oxen are very big and strong. They weigh about 2,000 pounds. And together, they can pull their combined weight – so 4,000 pounds. We learned that oxen on wagons have to have horns. The horns are needed to hold the wooden yoke up. Without horns, the yoke would slip down onto their faces.
Oxen are always “yoked together” in pairs. (Sounds like a good lesson about us and Jesus and us and fellow laborers in the Kingdom!) And often these pairs remain and work together. And in so doing, one becomes the “right ox” and the other the “left ox”. And I guess they get “befuddled” when they are moved to the other side.
Oxen get to know just five commends:
“Step Up” is the command to move forward.
“Gee” means to go to the right.
“Haw” means to go to the left.
“Whoa” means to stop.
And “Back” means to back-up.
We learned that one does not “drive” oxen – as one would with a bridled horse. They are “led” by walking beside them. So, there was not even a seat on the ox driven wagon. We learned that the oxen loved and listened to the children – so the children were good at leading them.
Hearing this, I thought of the old Primary song favorite, “Pioneer Children”:
“Pioneer children sang as they walked and walked and walked, and walked,
“Pioneer children sang as they walked and walked and walked, and walked,
They washed at streams and worked and played
Sundas they camped and read and prayed
Week after week, they sang as they walked and walked and walked and walked and walked”
I guess the pioneer children walked and walked alongside of their family oxen – leading them across the plains – and walking some 1,400 miles.
As we got to the oxen, Elder and Sister Mills introduced us to Dan and Duke. They seemed formidable and scary. But the Mills convinced us that we could “become friends” with the oxen. We posed with them – for the sake of posterity.
After the short ride around the muddy track, I was drawn to the plaques that lined the walkway around the oxen yard. These were informative and interesting
A CARRIAGE RIDE AND A VISIT WITH COUSIN BRAD
We also then went to the “carriage ride” – starting at the station at the northeast corner of the visitors’ center parking lot. We were greeted there by “Cousin” Brad. I like this guy. He and I have a connection. We visited for a while.
I had not heard of the commemoration event, but Elder Brad told me that he had been privileged to be a part of a 180th Anniversary commemoration of the bodies of Joseph and Hyrum as they were viewed by the Saints in the Mansion House (some 10,000 of them). He said that the original pioneer “Nauvoo Brass Band” had played at the original services for Joseph and did again on this commemorative experience. Brad shared with me his feelings that he posted on his Facebook account. I loved it. Another of those “Nauvoo Miracles” that I introduced above.
He wrote, and I quote (with his permission): “180 years ago today on June 29, 1844 Joseph and Hyrum Smith lay in state in the Mansion House. The Nauvoo brass Band played and my great, great grandfather and his family along with 10,000 grieving latter-day Saints filed through to bid their final farewell to the Prophet Joseph and his faithful brother, Hyrum.
“Today I had the privilege of driving the bandwagon and stopping in front of the Mansion House while the Nauvoo Brass Band played in honor of Joseph and Hyrum – just like they did 180 years ago. It was most powerful. They played “Praise to the Man”. They also played another song called, “Emma’s Lullaby”.
“Here is a quote from my Grandpa Dudley Leavitt’s history: “Later as the bodies lay in state, the Leavitt family all passed to take their last look at Joseph smith and his brother Hyrum. I was so impressed by the calm majesty of their faces that even after I was an old man, I of a surety that here was a prophet of the living God.” No hardship could shake the faith of Dudley.”
We did not have reservations for the carriage ride, but Elder Hurst said that he would try to get us on the carriage. He and Elder White were on the carriage and Elder Hurst was voice. He did a great job of storytelling. They took us north of the station – up through “Joseph Creek” and beyond.
We made one stop at the top of the hill to let the horses rest for a few minutes. Elder Hurst showed us a well built in honor of King Follett (that was his real first name). He died in a well accident when rocks fell down upon him as he was digging a well. The Prophet Joseph preached King’s funeral sermon (later named “The King Follett Discourse”.
On our Carriage Ride, we saw pastured horses en route. Elder Hurst pointed out that even in the pasture, the horses stand in pairs – with their partners on the trail. This was very interesting.
We drove near my old “Red Barn” environs (the barn and the white home) where I lived as a young missionary – and this was fun. We really enjoyed this p-day ride out through the beautiful woods and through the river.
THE MORNING HORSE RITUAL
There are many hidden Nauvoo experiences that don’t appear on the schedule or brochures. You just kind of happen to hear about them – and then you go and get a wonderful experience. And then you think, “Too bad everyone doesn’t know about this.”
That is the way the morning horse feeding ritual is … We just happened to hear about it last year when we were in Nauvoo with Jenae and family.
The big event of each day is the feeding of the horses. We wanted to be there for this. At night, the horses are left in a large field. Then in the morning, they let them out and herd them down to feeding stalls for grain. They know where to go and they kind of run down to the feeding area. Each horse has a name, and workers know the horses by name. Some missionaries stand at the gate, and he calls out the name of each horse as it arrives. Then Elders guide them to their selected places for their grain.
The Elders said that there is an “Alpha Male” (“Matt” – the only gray horse) that rules the roost with an iron fist. And if any other horse tries to get ahead of them, he bites them.
There are some 18 missionary Elders who serve with the horses. Their wives serve with them (as tour guides) and some work in other restored homes. These guys all wore plain colored Western shirts. Many of the men here wear the same style of pants with suspenders. It was great to talk to many of the Elders as we watched the horse operation. I told many of them of my youth missionary experience in Nauvoo 48 years ago.
After the horses ate their grain, they put 12 of the horses on “P-Day” (Pasture Day). They use 14 horses each day. They pull the carriage ride, the wagon ride and the carriage that carries the “Nauvoo Brass Band”. They have utilized the ancient “Red Barn” that I knew as a missionary. They have stations or areas for each horse and at these, they have the individual harnesses for each horse.
One Elder says that most of the horses have hand spans (extended horizontally) of 17 to 18” above the withers. Most normal horses have spans of 14 to 15”. The horses are magnificent and beautiful. The whole operation was amazing and interesting to watch.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Well folks, there you have it. Patriotic … we go all out celebrate whenever and wherever we can. Cultural events: They are all around us. The NPM’s (Nauvoo Performing Missionaries) add energy wherever they go. It is so great to hear them – and the Nauvoo Band perform. And with all of this combined, Nauvoo really is a very fun place to hang out. It is very exciting to be a part of all of these experiences.
REMEMBERING JOSEPH
As another P-day activity, we went to the Visitors’ Center. I had also made reservations for us to see the “Remembering Joseph” production staged by the Nauvoo Performing Missionaries. This production was fabulous. I loved it. They quoted many people who had memories of Joseph. Again, I got to hear Elder Smith sing “A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief”. He is so wonderful singing this song. The whole production was amazing, and I was touched tenderly by the Spirit.
Well, there you have it … patriotic moments, cultural events and country fair fun … all in week!
Elder and Sister Hunt on the “Nauvoo Trail” … and it just keeps getting better!
Okay, confession time. In writing my blog articles, I don’t always write on the day that these great events happen. (But, I have a lot of practice with those 3×5” cards. I’ve got that system down! And my infamous cards have been so much a part of me, that a few years ago at a Mountain Man Rendezvous in Arizona – I was being inducted as a “true mountain man,” at a solemn campfire program, I was given the Mountain Man name of “3×5”.)
With the events of today, I didn’t have enough cards to cover the day. And the day was just too good. I just couldn’t wait. I had to write tonight – even though it was late. So much good in one day! Wow! Miracles, feeling the Spirit, connections, and a whole lot more. All in a day’s work …Where to begin?
SISTER HUNT VISITS HER FAVORITE PLACES
Sister Hunt has got the car trained. It just knows that she wants to go to this one special building – which actually houses two places in one.
One is the sewing room. She loves this place and the ladies therein. She looks for excuses to go there. One of the ladies wanted some scrap strips from the dresses they made for her. They didn’t divulge the plan, but I guess time will tell.
And Lou is literally in “7th Heaven” with the missionary “D.I.” (Deseret Industries Thrift Store). And the fact that the stuff is all free, makes it so much more of a thrill for her. She is always checking out the place to see what new stuff has been donated. And today, she was not disappointed. (We had better be careful or we’ll have to get a U-Haul for future.)
But, I must admit, however, that I did also this time find an item for me. I found a new black cap to add to my costume collection.
GATHERING FOR “HOMES OF THE APOSTLES”
Today we were assigned to a triple home tour. The tour is “Tours of the Apostles”. It includes tours to the Orson Hyde, Heber C. Kimball, and Wilford Woodruff homes. (And a cool thing is that all three of these places are all original buildings that have been here in Nauvoo for 180 years. The Kimball and Woodruff homes are Nauvoo brick, and the Hyde home is one of just sxi surviving wood frame homes.) The tour begins at the Hyde home and then we are to walk with the group two short blocks to the Kimball home, give that tour – and then walk to the Woodruff home. (Sister Hunt was there without me yesterday – as I was playing blacksmith) and she said that she and her companion of the day walked 5 miles by the pedometer. And she was super tired by the end of the day.)
The common denominator for these places is the fact that all of the men were among the earliest members of the Quorum of 12 Apostles – special witnesses of Christ in all the world. Heber C. Kimball and Orson Hyde were actually original members of the quorum.
We began with a gathering with two YSM’s (Young Sister Missionaries) at the Hyde home. We had prayer together and put together a plan for the day. There was actually a Sister team to be at the Woodruff home all day. One was a character actor who portrayed Phebe Woodruff in the first person. So, that meant that we could have a couple at each of the other two homes.
Sister Hunt and I headed to the Kimball home and the YSM’s remained at Orson Hyde. And we decided to make a switch at mid-day since the sisters needed to be off to another short event at the Visitors’ Center. And then we were off …
Each of the restored homes where we serve has a hidden little hideout room where we can study and relax as we await the next tour. We headed to this room. And the nice thing about these rooms is that they are each equipped with a modern current bush (unlike the rest of the “period” restored home). Sometimes I get a few rare minutes to work on some of my own projects. (The project of today is preparation of a PowerPoint slide show about Nauvoo Brickmaking and the role of Elder E. H. Belcher in keeping alive that art. – including his creation of the modern brickyard and the original and now famous “Nauvoo Brick”.) I got three or four slides completed today before the rush.
At one brief break in the action, Sister Hunt and I had opportunity to do a quick FaceTime video call with our granddaughter, Rosie, on the occasion of her 3rd birthday. Rosie and I have always had a special connection and I admit that she is one of my favorite grandchildren. (I love all 42 but Rosie is just so special.) Leaving Rosie for a year and a half at her young age, was a mission sacrifice that has ripped at my heart. Sister Hunt and I sang “Happy Birthday” to Rosie – as only we can do with our monotone duet. After our rendition, Rosie (so sweet) said, “Thank you”. It was fun to touch base with this family and to hear of their adventures and enjoyment of their new home.
HELPING OTHERS CONNECT WITH THEIR ANCESTORS
SNOW/ASHBY HOME IN NAUVOO (ASHBY ON LEFT SIDE)
Early this morning, I helped some folks find their ancestral home. An Ashby family member came through on a tour and said that their ancestor was Nathaniel Ashby. We talked of the Erastus Snow/Nathaniel Ashby Duplex and how one of the guys was the missionary and the other was his convert. (This is an original remaining structure from the Pioneer era.) These folks had done a drive by and knew of the home – and which side was Ashby.
When I learned what side his ancestor lived on, I said, “Well, you just might be in luck.” (I knew that a missionary couple has lived in the place – and knew that the Lowes – a missionary couple who had lived there – had to go home for medical reasons. I knew that their daughter and grandson were there today – packing up and leaving the home with he Lowe things. I told them of this couple and how their family was there today. I said, “I can’t make any promises, but if you just happened over there, the people might let you tour the home.”
I later talked to the Lowe daughter, and she said that the folks did indeed, come over and got to see the inside of the home. They took videos everywhere and thought this all so great. I was happy how this connection worked out.
THE KIMBALL HOME WAS THE START OF MODERN NAUVOO RESTORATION
DR. J. LEROY KIMBALL – THE NAUVOO RESTORATION VISIONARY
The year 1954 was great – and not just because that was when I hit the earth scene. In that year, Dr. J. LeRoy Kimball was a physician in Salt Lake City. He wanted a retreat from his medical practice. He had had his eye on the Heber C. Kimball home from earlier days of his medical school in Chicago. Anyway, in that year, he purchased the home of Heber – who was his great grandfather.
For six years, Dr. Kimball worked on his new place. By 1960, he had the place restored beautifully. He decided to stage an open house and dedication event before making the place his residence. He asked his uncle Spencer W. Kimball to come to dedicate the house. Dr. Kimball was quite surprised when 1,500 people came to the event. He never got to move into the home.
Then it dawned on Dr. Kimball – that Nauvoo was much bigger than just his family retreat. He realized that with that much interest, he should restore some of Nauvoo for people to visit and to learn of their own ancestors. At his own expense, he began to purchase other old pioneer homes and property in Nauvoo. He purchased the Wilford Woodruff Home and it opened to the public in 1966. He soon formed an organization called Nauvoo Restoration, Inc. (NRI). Soon this became the restoration entity for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. As the NRI agent, he purchased nearly 1,000 acres “on the flats” (below the hill) in Old Nauvoo. He began a rigorous plan to restore many of the old homes of Old Nauvoo – saving many original buildings and also recreating some buildings that had disappeared over time – and restoring them to their former glory.
Dr. Kimball was indeed the visionary who brought the old town back to life. And we are indebted to him for all that we can experience today.
I SERVED MY “YOUNG MISSION” UNDER DR. KIMBALL
I am sure that by now, you are well aware that I served the last six months of my mission here in Nauvoo (back in 1975 – a hundred years ago). I was then a “site guide” just as I am today. On my tours today, I mentioned the Nauvoo experience of my youth. In the tour of the Kimball home, (at his photo), we talk about Dr. Kimball – so it was natural to deviate a bit – to tell folks that I was here at that time – and that Dr. Kimball was my mission president. And the folks were all amazed and said, “That is so cool!” (And pretty cool that the Lord put all of this together when I received my second call to serve here! I acknowledge Him in this great opportunity.)
I had forgotten this fact, but as I gave a tour this morning, I had a flash of inspiration. It is taught that the Holy Ghost can “bring all things to our remembrance” and that is what He did for me today. I saw a flash back to the former time … I saw in my memory that I was actually given a tour of the Kimball home by J. LeRoy Kimball himself on my first day in Nauvoo. In the flash, I could see him standing there in front of us – wearing his usual hat and holding onto his cane. (And incidentally that cane is still in the home as one of the “artifacts”.) I saw in my mind, him proudly giving us missionaries the tour of he home he had worked so hard to restore.After the tour ended, I went to my digitized copy of my journal of that special day – May 10th, 1975. It said simply:My journal entries of that day were not as beefy as they are today – good but not full of details (especially in retrospect).
I also wrote home to my folks each week. I checked that weekly letter, and it did not mention the Kimball home tour with Dr. Kimball. So, I was grateful today for that flashback from the Spirit.
THE APOSTLES WERE ALL SOME OF THE GREATEST MISSIONARIES EVER
Each of these three Apostles were great missionaries. They went multiple times to serve in Great Britain.
Heber C Kimball was called as the first foreign missionary, and the leader of the rest of the Apostles serving in England. This was in 1837. Heber was called again to serve in 1839 – with Elder Woodruff (who had been recently ordained to the Apostleship).
The missionaries served well, and the Spirit accompanied them. Within just six years, some 4,600 British converts immigrated to Nauvoo. It was estimated that the immigrants made up 25% of the Nauvoo Population.
MISSIONARY SERVICE AND SACRIFICE FOR CHRIST
Heber C. Kimball and his long-time friend, Brigham Young (both original Apostles) were to depart and serve together in 1839 (just sixteen months after Heber returned from the first mission). Both were deathly sick with malaria. It was all that the two men could do to head off – since both of their families were also deathly sick.
Heber said of his mission, “It was with difficulty we got into the wagon and started down the hill about ten rods. It appeared to me as though my very inmost parts would melt within me, leaving my family in such a condition, as it were almost in the arms of death. It seemed to me as though I could not endure it.”
Heber also said, “I took my life in my hands and went forth: I could say I had left all for Christ and for the Gospel”
A SURPRISE BECAME A SACRED AND WONDERFUL EXPERIENCE FOR ALL
One of our tour groups of the day included a full dozen young people – and their Bennion “Ma and Pa” – all a part of a Church History tour. They were from Huntington, Utah. And they came in two full busses and a couple of vans.
I had shared the above information with the group. And after sharing the line of Heber’s feelings about the mission, I looked around and said to the group, “Could you guys make that sacrifice for Christ?” I asked the group if any of them might be “RM’s (returned missionaries) but was told that these were all youth – so I called them “Preemies”). The leader pointed to Boston Huntington (and it was obvious by his name that his family had been around Huntington for a while). She said, “Boston here will receive his mission call soon.” I focused for a moment upon Boston and asked about his coming mission call. He said that he had no idea when the call might come. He didn’t act as if it was eminent.
I then proceeded to tell the youth about the departure of Heber and Brigham (retelling a story that has become legendary in the Church). As they were in the wagon, and were so sick that they could hardly go forward, I told the group of how Heber said to Brigham, “This is pretty tough, aint it?” and on that occasion, the men rose up and swinging their hats, three times over their heads, says Heber, we cried, “hurrah, hurrah, hurrah for Israel”.
I did the same thing for these young people. I swung my hat and said, “Hurrah, Hurrah, Hurrah for Israel”. The Spirit was strong.
And at that moment, we all got a surprise. Boston’s phone beeped. He looked down and saw that he had been given notice from the Church Missionary Deparment that his mission call was available for his viewing. Wow! How amazing and wonderful! We all basked in the greatness of the moment. There was some pressure for Boston to open the call, but Sister Hunt and I spoke from experience (having sent off 7 of our own missionary children) and said, “You have to wait to share the moment with your parents – or they would never forgive you.” (He later reported that he had texted his mom and they agreed that he will open the call on Friday after his return home.)
As the group headed for the Woodruff home, I congratulated Boston. His head was still spinning with what had just happened. He said, “I can’t believe it. This was so cool to get that notice in the Heber’s home.”
A FELLOW BROTHER WITH A SUTH’N MISSION EXPERIENCE
As I talked to the youth in the Kimball home, I noted that I had served my youth mission in Alabam, Flawda, and Jawja before being sent to Nauvoo on special assignment my last six months.
After the tour, a brother who had been on the tour came to me and said that he too, had served down Sawth – in South Carolina. We talked of how we both had to learn a new language for our missions.
My mind was drawn to my own patriarchal blessing received in my youth. In a paragraph about missionary service, it said I “would go to a foreign people and would learn their customs and ways.” On that occasion, my mother said, “Well, those folks are about as foreign as you can get.” I reminded her of that statement 25 years later when she received her own call to serve in Alabama. What goes around, comes around, I guess.
As the brother departed, I said, “Ya’ll come back now, Heah?” We both laughed … So true! That is what everyone said “down Sawth” – even as they kicked you off of their porches.
Then just a few minutes later when I had a few moments to catch my breath, I checked in on the family “WhatsApp” program to see what was happening with my large extended family. At that moment, our daughter, Kaylea, and family were traveling through Florida (returning from an extended vacation in the many “bigger than life” attractions in and around Orlando. (A rough life, but I guess someone had to do it!)
Kaylea posted a photo of a billboard they saw as they passed through my former Suth’n stompin’ grounds.
Seeing the photo made my day! With the photo, Kaylea wrote to her siblings: “Just drove by this sign. I could hear Dad saying it in that voice he’d use when he’d say it. Ha, Ha!”
SPECIAL YOUTH AT THE HYDE HOME
By our prior arrangement, Sister Hunt and I went back to the Hyde home so that the YSM’s could go do their assignment. And then we switched. We would remain in the Hyde home, and they would manage the Kimball home the rest of the afternoon.
We got a group who wanted to go to the Kimball home and after our part in the Hyde home, we walked them over to the Kimball home.
As we returned to the Hyde home, we found another “Ma and Pa” group (wearing a different T-shirt color) out front waiting for us to return. They were lined up in front of the Hyde home against the fence. That was such a beautiful picture – just waiting for the photo to be taken. I asked he group if I could take their photo and after the initial shock, they said that I could. They also said that I could blog about the photo. (and I later gave Brother Jensen, their leader, one of our mission cards and said that if any of the youth had a problem with me sharing their photo, to tell me and I would remove it.)
We brought the youth inside and told them about how Elder Hyde had – at the direction of Joseph Smith – gone to Jerusalem and had dedicated Israel for the gathering of Israel – and specifically, the return of the Jewish people to that chosen area. We told them that it was Orson Hyde who formally dedicated the Nauvoo Temple (May 1, 1846) – two months after the main body of the Saints had departed the town.
After the tour, I was talking to the “Pa” – a Brother Jensen. I said, “It seems as if you guys, and your group have had quite an experience here.” He shook his head around – as if dizzy – and said, “Yes … it has been like drinking from a fire hose.”
As I walked with the group, I asked the kids, “What has been the best thing you have done here in Nauvoo. A couple of kids immediately said, “Doing baptisms at the Temple”. (The Temple is always closed on Mondays, but the Temple leaders opened it up yesterday just for these youth!) That made my heart thump a bit.
It was appropriate for these Huntington youth to perform baptisms in the Nauvoo Temple since it was here in Nauvoo that the Prophet Joseph first revealed the doctrine and opportunity for worthy members to perform proxy baptisms for their deceased ancestors in the Temple.
Here in Nauvoo, Joseph received revelation relative to Baptism for the Dead. “On August 15, 1840, … Joseph Smith preached a sermon at the funeral for Seymour Brunson. Noticing a woman in attendance who had lost her son before he could be baptized, Joseph revealed that the Saints could now act for their friends who had departed this life” by being baptized in their behalf.” (“Baptism for the Dead” Gospel Study”) Later, in January 1841, Joseph received a revelation that baptisms for the dead were intended to be performed in temples. “For this ordinance belongeth to my house, and cannot be acceptable to me …” (D&C 124:30)
BIRTHDAY RECONNECT WITH A NAUVOO MISSIONARY COMPANION
ELDERS SHALTES AND HUNT 1975
When in Nauvoo, way back then, I was companions with Elder Craig Shaltes of Sacramento, California. We lived in the same “Red Barn” home. We did a lot together on the mission. We cooked together, we traveled together, we took a lot of photos together. We have been bac k to Nauvoo two times together since our mission . We have shared some really great times together through the years.
June 4th is Craig’s birthday, so I was able to connect with him on the phone for a short time. We were able to reminisce about especial times and memories shared. He has been reading my mission blogs and he has been able to relate to much of what I have written.
ANOTHER MIRACLE STAGED BY THE LORD
It was getting late in the afternoon. I was inside the Hyde home and looked out of the window toward the restored log cabin home of William Field. This place is “kitty corner” from the Hyde home. The place has kind of a unique wooden door knob. I saw a family outside looking at this cabin – hoping that they might get to go inside. (The place is supposed to be unlocked during tour times – for “self-guided tours”.) Seeing them about to depart, I went out and called to them (like a voice from heaven) and said that they could go in – and gave them instructions on how to work the unique door knob. They tried it again without success and I told them that I would come over to assist them.
I got the site key and headed over there. I was not prepared for the experience awaiting me.
There is the tradition (and it is detailed on the plaque on the outside of the cabin) of Mary Field Garner, daughter of William and Mary Harding) and who was the last remaining person alive who had known the Prophet Joseph Smith. And coincidentally, Sister Hunt had just taken a photo of this plaque a few minutes before, and we had read it and talked about it together.
We learned that Mary was known as “the last leaf” (so named by the church Historian office) – because of her being the final living connection to the Prophet Joseph. We had also heard of this Mary – because she is quoted on one of the plaques posted along the “Trail of Hope” on Parley Street.
In talking with the family (dad, mom and six children) I learned that the wife/mother was an actual descendant of Mary Field. And how cool was that?
Having a key to the kingdom, I was able to let the family into the cabin for a look around. They looked on in great awe and wonder. They had been to the home before but had not ever been able to see inside. We talked of the great miracle of how I had been directed over to them and what a special moment this was for them – and for me. We all rejoiced in the miracle for the family.
I then listened – again in great awe, as this mother taught her own children the family heritage of their ancestor and as her husband did a video of her presentation to the children. She proceeded to tell them how Mary Harding Field (the mother of young Mary) had been a widow – having recently lost her husband and two daughters to a dread disease.
THE MARY FIELD GARNER STORY AND TESTIMONY
Mary Field Garner was born in Herefordshire, England in 1836. Her family joined the church after hearing Elder Wilford Woodruff preach. They were baptized in 1840 and soon moved to the United States and Nauvoo. This mother taught her children that Mary had met Joseph Smith. She noted that Mary had long red, curly hair (just as one of her sons had the red hair).
Young Mary, age 8, attended the funeral of Joseph Smith after he was martyred.
We talked about Mary being present in the “West Grove” for many key events. I gave the family instructions on how to go to the grove. Sister Healy, the mother in our current scene, told her children how Mary (then age 8) was present in the grove when Brigham was transfigured to appear and speak as Joseph Smith. She taught her children that the mother Mary Harding was holding a baby in her lap. He was playing with a cup there in the grove. He dropped the cup and Mother Field stooped pick it up and when she arose up, she looked at the speaker and he had taken on the mantle of Joseph Smith. She saw and heard Brigham as Joseph. So there was no doubt in the minds of the Saints as to who would be their next president.” (Source: mchangroverheritage.wordpress.com)
Mary Field Garner (the last leaf daughter) herself wrote of her life and times in Nauvoo: “Here we lived in peace and happiness under the leadership and guidance of he Prophet Joseph Smith. Here he stood at the head of this dispensation, … We were very glad to attend church and listen to the Prophet Joseph and other leading brethren teach the Gospel of Jesus Christ to us. We marveled at the Joseph’s superior intelligence of he Gospel and he simple way he could explain it unto the Saints, so that the most unlearned member could know and understand the truth.”
As the “last leaf on the tree,” she was the last person in the Church to give her testimony of the truth, who was personally acquainted with the Prophet Joseph Smith. “Toward the end of her life she bore this testimony: “It is said I am the only living witness to have actually seen and known the Prophet Joseph Smith, and I want to bear my testimony to the world and especially to every Latter-day Saint to the truthfulness of the Gospel as revealed through the Prophet Joseph, that Jesus Christ is the Savior of mankind, that Joseph Smith was a true and living prophet of God, that he was divinely called of God to establish his true Gospel on this earth in the last dispensation. (Source: mchangroverheritage.wordpress.com)
A MOTHER TEACHES HER CHILDREN OF THEIR ANCESTRAL HERITAGE
Sister Healy taught her children that Mother Mary had five children to provide for and was pregnant with another son who would be born four months later. We talked of how Mother Mary (Harding) was one of the “poorest of the poor” and had not been able to afford to leave with the main group of departing saints. In September 1846, a mob of about 1,000 marched through town, forcing them to leave. The family went across the river to Montrose, Iowa. They witnessed the “miracle of the quail” and with the quail, had enough food to eat.
The mob actually allowed the poor family to return to Nauvoo. They were still here when mobsters set fire to he Temple. She saw the beloved Temple on fire. This was in 1848. (The fire weakened the temple – with the guts burned out. Then in 1850, a tornado went through and took down most of the back end of the Temple. And with no support, the front tower ultimately tumbled and folks came from miles around and took away some of the Temple stones and used them in other projects – still evident today.)
Sister Healy taught her children about Mother Mary “having bread ready to bake when they were forced to leave, so she hung it on the wagon and baked it after they crossed the river.” (Same source as above.)
Wow! What a story … and how tender to watch Sister Healy share this special story with her children. We all felt a special joy in this moment that we had shared together.
THE FAMILY SEEKS NAUVOO ANCESTORS
Brother Healy told me how he and his family had been focusing in Nauvoo about learning of their own ancestors who were here. I asked him who else they were related to in Nauvoo. He then said, “Simeon A. Dunn”. I chuckled as he said this. I asked, “Were you able to see his home here?” He said, “We drove by his house and got some photos.”
I said, “Well, this gets better … and you are not going to believe this. My wife and I live in the Simeon Dunn home, and we can let you in to see it.” Brother Healy was totally dumbfounded. We were all kind of in shock. The family was delighted. I told them that my service at the Orson Hyde home would end at 5:00 PM and shortly thereafter, they could come to our home (located on the same street as the Field Cabin – but south a couple of blocks).
DUNN PROGENY VISIT THEIR DUNN ANCESTOR’S HOME
Shortly after Sister Hunt and I got home, the Healy family came to our door. We welcomed them into our home – as caretakers of their ancestor’s home.
The Dunn home is an original home from the pioneer era. The exterior of the building was restored a few years ago and it looks wonderful outside. The inside, however, is not original – but is a modern apartment made over to house Nauvoo missionary couples. We showed them our modern living room, small kitchen, and the upstairs bedroom.
I then took the family downstairs into the cellar. I showed them evidence of the original limestone fireplace. I then said, “Okay, are you ready for this?” I opened the latch of the exit up to the grassy world above. I invited the son (about age 8) to push up on the exterior doors. Following my directions, he was able to push the doors upward and out to rest on the wood uprights. The family was delighted. The kids were excited as they made their exit up the limestone stairs (shown in a previous blog with our bikes). Of course, Dad was quick to take some more photos of the activity.
THE DUNN FAMILY LOG OF DESCENDANTS
I then brought the family inside and showed them a special treasure. This is a log book in which Dunn family descendants have signed their names – since 1982 – as they have visited their ancestral home. There are pages and pages of individual lines of progeny – some showing their contact information – and some showing a long string of “greats” as they tried to explain their ancestral link.
I sat the book on the table and turned to the last entry in the book – made just a couple weeks earlier when we were visited by yet another family connection. I got out my pen and invited even the smallest of children to log their own names. I had to laugh at one young child as she said, “Our mom can’t sign the book because this was not her ancestor.” Her husband, however, wanted his wife listed with him and the six (of their 10) children.
Mom Healy continued to share with me their family stories. She said that Grandma Mary Field Garner had lived to age 107 and died in 1943. She said that there was a treasured family photo of her own grandfather shown in a photo with his great grandmother Mary Field Garner – that was taken in 1940. Later Sister Healy forwarded the classic photo to me to include here in this blog article.
Wow! We were all in awe as we thought in amazement and gratitude of the events of the past couple of hours. We knew that the Lord had orchestrated some special miracles in our behalf.
This photo made me think of a similar photo that I have with my mother and her own pioneer grandmother, Else Marie Pedersen Larsen. Mom was about six years old, and her grandmother was ninety-ish. I enjoy telling folks that my grandmother – truly with only one “great” – was a pioneer from Denmark at age 8. (My grandpa Larsen was age 53 when my mother was born – so that is how we get to the pioneer era so quickly. Else was born in 1846 and Grandpa Henry Larsen was born in 1879. I cherish that special photo of Mom and Elsie – my own special pioneer link.
Alura Larsen with grandmother, Elsie Larsen, Anna Larsen, Boyd (brother to Alura)
THE DAY KEEPS GOING WITH EVEN MORE SPECIAL EVENTS
Each week on Tuesday nights, our mission leaders stage a training for the 200 plus missionaries serving here. And so, after hosting our special company, Sister Hunt and I headed off to the meeting.
It was announced that 19 new Young Sister Missionaries (YSM’s) would arrive this Thursday. This is in addition to the 50 already here. We are kind of short-handed on site missionaries, so these ladies will be a great boost in helping to cover all of our bases.
First on the program was a great “dog and pony show” staged by Elder Davies and his team. They had a lot of energy as they invited all of us to participate in various way in the upcoming Nauvoo and British pageants. They taught us how to “stand resolutely” as a part of the cast of one of the pageants. Wow! This all sounds so fun and exciting. (July 9 to August 3rd … I can’t wait!)
We then heard testimony of a Brother Gary Boatright – via a “larger than life” video of him talking right to us from the Salt Lake City Historian’s office. His assigned topic of the evening was the Prophet Joseph Smith. He testified boldly. He said, “Joseph was “A man” … but he was also a “man called of God”. He said, “Yes, I am a follower of Joseph Smtih and the foundation he built. Joseph fulfilled the mandate of Christ as his Prophet.” He noted that after the Liberty Jail experience, Joseph KNEW without a doubt that he was indeed the Lord’s prophet. He said that Joseph was the man God called to reveal the mind of the lord to the Saints of the latter days.”
Brother Gary reminded us as missionaries, that we have also been called by a Prophet to be in Nauvoo at this special time because the Lord wants each of us to be here.”
“HOORAH, HOORAH, HOORAH, FOR ISRAEL”
When I was a young missionary, we had a few traditions that we followed as missionaries finished their service in Nauvoo and were to head home. One was a tie cutting ceremony.
I remember my own tie cutting ceremony. I tricked Brother Holliday who was conducting the solemn ceremony. I wrapped my tie twice around my neck. I wore a V-necked sweater, and the tied tie tip was just barely covered by the V-neck. And when Brother Holliday pulled it out for the cutting, the whole crowd burst into laughter as he felt pretty silly. I loved the moment. The other missionaries departing at the same time also got their ties snipped but their snipping was not as good as mine.
And then we all held hands (figuratively) and together and emotionally sang, “Old Nauvoo” – to the tune of Edelweiss. This reminded me of being at Scout camp at a final campfire program wherein we held hands and sang “Kumbaya” together. This was always a tear-jerking experience – and our “Old Nauvoo” singing was more of same.
Until tonight (June 4th) I was unaware of the current send-off tradition. After the training – as noted above, we all gathered out in the lobby of the visitors’ center. There were four departing couples. The mission president Mehr and his wife each ceremoniously hugged each of the departing missionaries.
One of the departees was my 3rd Cousin, Sister Thomas. We have enjoyed the whole “cousin” relationship. And her husband, Kim, has been our zone leader for our Heber Zone.
Then all of the missionaries formed a great horseshoe and with great gusto we raised and swung our hands in a circle (we were not in costume so none of us had our hats on) and we shouted the words, “Hoorah, Hoorah, Hoorah for Israel!”. Wow! What a moment. This was pretty powerful.
And then three of the four couples (the Lowes had flown home for an event – so they never go their last Hoorah.) All of the rest of us other missionaries also kind of lined up. Then all of the missionaries filed by them all and gave a multitude of hugs. I wondered how the folks survived all of that squeezing. We sang, “God be With You ‘Til we Meet Again.” Wow! Talk about heart-rending. It was a special and emotional time for the departees but also for the rest of us.
AND THEN “ALONG CAME JONES” …
This event is not spiritually drenched, but it was humorous as we heard it in first person by Elder Jones himself – after the above situation. Sister Hunt and I have felt a special connection with Elder and Sister Jones ever since we were together at the MTC. And it seems that Elder Jones always has an interesting tale to tell. Last week it was his kidney stones.
Today, his adventures continued. Knowing that he was to be assigned to labor at the dirty Blacksmith Shop, he and his wife had gone shopping at a thrift store (not our own mission DI shop). He “invested” in some cheap pants that he could get dirty at the forge. All went well until he made a visit to the lav and the “new” pants literally “blew a gasket” and burst the whole zipper out. He was caught “up a creek without a paddle” – as he was there for the day, and he had no car to go home for a change. (His wife had dropped him off at the beginning of the day.) Luckily, he was able to don a blacksmith’s apron that covered his now open condition. And under that cover – hiding his “open book”, he spent the rest of the day under the apron and feeling kind of vulnerable and foolish. Too bad his wife was not around. She has made enough aprons to outfit a whole army. Anyway, it made for a funny story which two or three of us couples enjoyed. Moral: “I guess you get what you pay for!”
THE EXCITEMENT CONTINUED AT HOME
Although it was late when we got home for the evening – our son, Rusty asked if we were still up. With all of my projects, it is a good thing that senior couples have more flexibility in their bedtimes than our young counterparts. (I could never get everything done, otherwise.) I assured Rusty that we were still up and would for a while. We staged a video call with the family for almost an hour. The kids were both anxious to share with us all of the awards and certificates that they were given in end-of-school recognition events. It was a bit sad that we missed those times – being on our mission. In the course of their lives, we have missed only a few such recognition ceremonies. Another of those mission sacrifices. Thank heaven for modern technology that still allows us to be with them. s to feel close – even though we are far apart.
POWERHOUSE YOUNG MEN VISIT NAUVOO
The day of June 4th – of which I have been writing, seemed to merge into the next day as the writing continued. I will thus include an incident that happened the next day as if It were in a single day. It is too good to wait, and I don’t want to lose it in the 3×5” cards.
Anyway, on this day, Sister Hunt and I found ourselves at the Jonathan Browning home and gunsmith shop. We were so busy that day. We took through about 400 people – with the help of one YSM couple. We were all on a fast-track mode rotating with rapid speed through the home – only to get back to the beginning in time to rush into the next tour. I hardly saw Sister Hunt all day – as we each took separate tours (usually we are together).
Our visitors of the day included a convoy of six full buses of youth from Texas around Dallas Ft. Worth, another Texas group of about 200 kids, a group from Sevier County, Utah, one from Las Vegas, and another from around Richfield, Utah. Wow! Talk about an invasion of great young people. They were all truly amazing.
I came out from the gate from my previous tour and straight ahead of me was a glorious sight. I stood with awe and amazement. It was a photo just waiting to be taken – nine great young men – all with trimmed hair, white shirts and ties. And that’s was another WOW. I asked these young men if I could take their photo and use it in a blog. They thought that was okay. They were a part of the Richfield group, and they were awaiting a guide for a Browning tour (and that was to be me!)
These guys were a powerhouse of goodness, strength and power. In seeing them, I was reminded of the scripture in Alma 53 (verses 19 to 21):
“And they were all young men, and they were exceedingly valiant for courage, and also for strength and activity, but behold, this was not all – they were men who were true at all times in whatsoever thing they were entrusted. Yea, they were men of truth and soberness, for they had been taught to keep the commandments of God and to walk uprightly before Him.”
These magnificent young men were all of that and more. It just radiated in their faces and in their whole demeanor.
I could see these guys all entering the MTC together. Wow! What a source of current and future strength.
WOW … WHAT A DAY!
Can you believe that all of this happened in just one day? It was truly a wonderful day, and we very much felt the Spirit of God with us and knew He was directing our paths. It is amazing what the Lord can do – creating such miracles as we let Him act in our lives and as He stages these people and experiences on behalf of us and those around us.
I retired for the night way too late, but truly grateful to the Lord for this special and wonderful day. (All in a missionary day’s work!) Instead of writing this article, I should have been journal writing – but at least this writing can mostly substitute as a journal entry.
So many great moments happen all of the time here in Nauvoo. It is just hard to imagine that we could have so many great experiences … and we are just getting started!
Where to begin …
OUR FIRST DAY ON THE JOB
The preparation was over. We had been trained relative to our housing and general mission procedures. Lou had spent time at the Sewing Center with the ladies who were going to sew clothing for her. We got moved into our new place – the Simeon Dunn home of Old Nauvoo. We had been to Keokuk to restock the wagon. We had perused “site guides” to begin to learn what we should say in each home or shop (at least for the first one or two sites coming up immediately). It appeared that everything was in place and working well.
So, then, it was time for us to go to work. That was great … since that is what we came to Nauvoo to do.
That Wednesday morning – April 17th came – ready or not. We arose in plenty of time to be prepared for our assignment. Sister Hunt fixed a nice breakfast and a lunch – for the road. We gathered all of our study materials that we would need.
And the best part of all … we got to put ourselves into our new costumes that we’ve been working to collect or develop since receiving our mission calls as historic site guides. It was all very exciting!
With the vehicle loaded with all of the above, it was time for our photo op. (Where were all of the amazing family photographers when we needed them?) We did the best we could and took several fun photos. (And we soon discovered how fun it can be creating and posing in our different outfits – and at the many different places and circumstances that we find ourselves in. Such fun! Family members all commented on how good we looked. (Does that mean that we look better in 1840’s garb than we do now? Do we look better old? Maybe …)
OUR FIRST DAY AS HISTORIC SITE GUIDES
I reported that we anticipated our first day of guiding to be in the Lucy Mack Smith home – and we were very excited about that. But, as we have learned since, we have to be good Boy Scouts – and be prepared for ever-changing situations as circumstances warrant or require.
Such was our first day. We had been anticipating our first day at the Lucy Mack Smith home, but it was good we didn’t get too set on that. At the last minute, we were given a new assignment for the day. We would work at the Jonathan Browning home and gunsmith shop.
We reported there for duty and found that we were sharing the time and space with Elder and Sister Turner. They were great mentors and very helpful. They gave us a quick show-around and we had a few minutes at the beginning of the day to catch our breath(s). And then received our first visitors. The Turners graciously took the first group – and we were able to go along for the ride with them.
Then after that tour, a second group came in – and Elder and Sister Turner started the tour with these folks. They had just got into their presentation – but were too far into it for newcomers to join in without missing a lot of the history. These new folks entered the door.
I saw the look of panic on the face of Sister Turner who needed to remain with their group. What should she do? Then I surprised her. Jonathan Browning … okay … I remembered giving some tours of his place in ancient times when I was here previously as a “young missionary”. But, 49 years ago …? I quickly jumped in and said, “No worries, we’ll take this!” I saw a bigger panic look on Sister Turner’s face – and it mirrored that of my wife. Sister Turner’s face said, “Are you sure?” Yeah, why not. I had prayed earlier for the Spirit in the tour – and I knew that He could “bring all things to our remembrance” (even 49 years hence! And I was not disappointed. The tour seemed to progress well. I was grateful for the help.
Jonathan Browning was a great man. Of course, he later invented many of the world’s best guns (although he never got his own patents on any of them). He was a gunsmith and blacksmith extraordinaire. His son, John Moses Browning, and many generations of posterity following operated Browning Arms in Morgan canyon east of Ogden, Utah. (And John Moses got over 130 patents on the family gun creations!) Visitors to the Nauvoo site can view his blacksmith forge and can learn about many of the gun inventions.
But, even greater than the legacy of gun building, Jonathan Browning can be remembered for his commitment to the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ. And he can be remembered for his commitment to each community of which he was a part. He understood the concept of “covenant community” and he worked hard to assist and help others in the community. He was anxious to have all of his posterity be true and faithful to the Gospel truths that he had come to believe as true. He was true to the prophetic leadership of Joseph Smith – and then Brigham Young.
We labored through the day with the Turners, and I had opportunity to take several other tours – with my wife throwing in tidbits that she had gleaned – when she could. It was a great day and we felt to rejoice in it. We made it through our first day – and knew that with that as history, we could likely conquer the world – with the help of The Spirit.
A GLORIOUS DAY AT THE LUCY MACK SMITH HOME
In my previous blog, I mentioned that my wife’s parents, Elder E.H. and Sister Verna Belcher had served their entire mission (extended to two and a half years) in the Lucy Mack Smith home. That is a beautiful and wonderful place … but two and a half years in that tiny place? Wow!
Elder E.H. and Sister Verna Belcher as site guides at the Lucy Mack Smith Home 1979 to 1981
We were excited to go to work and to tread in their footsteps.
So, not our first, but our second day, we were privileged to spend the day with Lucy. Again, we went dressed to the hilt – especially for this special day. We had been anticipating re-living the legacy of Sister Verna Belcher – who had been Lucy for so long. Again, we stopped for another photo op at our back steps, at the Lucy Mack Smith home, and at many times through the day.
We introduced guests to Lucy Mack Smith – as well as to Joseph “Bates” Noble – who originally built the home. The Noble and Smith families had been friends for 25 or more years – dating back even to shared times in Palmyra, New York.
“Mother Smith” (a title she loved and rejoiced in – as a “Mother in Israel”) had previously lived briefly in the Browning Home (a fact we likely would have forgotten had we not been assigned initially to the Browning home). In the Browning home, she dictated her history of Joseph Smith and the Church. And now in her own home, she remained here for only nine months. Having previously lost seven sons, she now spent time with her remaining son, William, as well as her three daughters and their families who lived nearby. She was now over the age of 70 and had a bad case of arthritis. And with all of the trauma of the above, she opted not to go west with the body of the saints – though she would have wanted to do so.
Lucy and Emma remained close – as they had always been. Lucy spent her final years living with Emma and died on the Smith Farm – east of Nauvoo in 1856 at the age of 81 (having been born in 1775).
On our first day in the Lucy Mack Smith home, we hosted a very special group (actually a large group split into two large vans). These were 10 church mission presidents (now called “Mission Leaders”) with their wives. They gathered here to Nauvoo for a few days of training together staged by Area Seventy leadership.
They braved some heavy rain to obtain the experiences that they came to Nauvoo to have. As they arrived for our first tours, Sister Hunt wanted to begin the tour – just as her mother had done before her. But, as she tried to begin, she suddenly burst into tears and was so overcome that she could not even talk – as she thought of her mother there before her – and who was probably there with her on this occasion. She could not talk. (But, tears and such circumstances always seem to invite the Spirit in a special way – and that is what happened on this occasion). Everyone was touched by the Spirit of the Holy Ghost.
I came to her rescue. I said, “I think I know why Sister Hunt is crying. Her own parents served a mission here at the Lucy Mack Smith home 45 plus years ago and she is remembering them on this special day.” I continued with the tours as Sister Hunt struggled for her composure. I took them through the tiny home and told our special guests about Lucy Mack Smith. I then took them all out (still in the heavy rain) to show them the back yard amenities and the cool Boston carriage.
With all of the above, it was indeed a great day with Lucy and Verna. We basked in the spirit of it all.
We also took time to sneak a peek at Elder Belcher’s brickyard located just across the street. Elder Belcher created the modern Nauvoo brick yard there and that was a great thing to remember and celebrate. (And I promise more about him and his brickmaking experiences there – in a future blog.)
We served another two additional days at the Lucy Mack Smith home that first week – with more repeats of the above scenarios. It was, indeed, a special few days.
LOU GETS FITTED FOR CUSTOM DRESSES IN THE NAUVOO SEWING ROOM
Sister Hunt came prepared to make a total of six dresses to wear in Nauvoo. She brought the fabric for these outfits (one for each work day of the week) and their matching aprons. But, as noted in the previous blog article, she was able to “borrow” (for as long as she wishes) two dresses from the large supply available as “loaners” to missionaries.
She also learned that the wonderful Sisters in the sewing center could make one – and possibly a second (time permitting) for her. She took the Sisters (mainly wives whose husbands are as serving as horse and carriage “teamsters”) and they immediately began to create the dresses. And talk about amazing and wonderful! These ladies were all of that. And as the Sisters created the dresses, they frequently texted her – at each new step – to come down for fittings, measurings, and more. Of course, she rushed right down there when summoned – wanting to “make hay while the sun shines” and as they were available and willing to work on her dresses. She didn’t want them to get sidetracked to other projects if she did not get there right away.
Sister Mortensen designing Sister Hunt’s blue dress
It was exciting for Sister Hunt as the two dresses – one a turquoise blue and the other pink – progressed to completion. She received many favorable comments by all other ladies who saw the dresses. They were really stunning and beautiful!
And we are very grateful to the amazing team of Sisters who worked together to create these marvelous wonders. Sister Hunt will be happy every time that she puts these dresses on to go serve in the various historic homes.
Sister Lou Hunt in new pink dress made by Sister Hurst
A BUSY WEEK FILLED WITH A VARIETY OF WONDERFUL EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES
The next week proved to be exciting and wonderful – and packed with new meetings, activities, and gatherings. And also, opportunities to meet (and to try to remember) many great people The week was packed with glorious adventures.
The week began with a Sunday devotional for all of the missionaries. We had the privilege to hear a Sister Emily Upp, of the Church History department, speak. She gave a very enlightening and enjoyable talk about Nauvoo history specifically – and church history in general.
GETTING TO KNOW OUR BRIGHAM DISTRICT COUPLES
On Tuesday, Elder Davies, district leader of our “Brigham District” invited the eight couples to a district activity. (We have a district training or activity one Tuesday a month. These alternate with bi-monthly all mission Tuesday training sessions – and a monthly zone training or activity).
Since many of our district couples were greenhorns like us, a wiener roast seemed to be the ideal setting for a first such gathering. So, we all gathered to the home of Elder and Sister Carter. As promised, Elder and Sister Davies hosted the event for us. Of course, we all experienced the age-old trauma of where the fire smoke goes – is it with the wind – or to the most beautiful (or the ugliest?). We all moved around as we felt that we needed to – but it didn’t help! The evening had threatened rain, but proved to be fantastic. And the backdrop of the gorgeous green countryside added immensely to the overall charm of the special evening.
After we had had our fill of the roasted wieners, chips, salads, and more, Elder Davies invited each of us to share special experiences (many sacred) that we had experienced thus far – or previously in Nauvoo service. This proved to be a wonderful experience together – and helped to bind us together in the Nauvoo brotherhood. And no such gathering would be complete without the infamous photo op.
Brigham District – Elders and Sisters Davies, Parker, Carter, Simkins, Turner, Hunt
And then Sister Carter surprised us with the invitation to enter her home where she served us apple pie and other delectables. Yum!
We were planning to attend the monthly mission activity on Wednesday evening, but we got crossed up on the location for the gathering. We went first to the Visitors’ Center and tried to enter through the west doors – but found them locked. We then went to the Family Living Center and found that we were the only people there. We later learned from our D.L. that it was, indeed, held at the Visitors’ Center – but everyone had parked and entered through the east side. An unanticipated night at home – but we can anticipate the next such event next month.
THE GLORIOUS ANTICIPATION OF P-DAYS
We put in some long days – typically from 9 Am to 5:00 PM every day – often too busy to really sit down for lunch – though that is the goal and hope.
We have learned that our P-days (“preparation days”) will actually fluctuate monthly. For April, the big day was Wednesday – but for the month of May, it will be on Thursdays.
Our first big day … but we really didn’t have much planned. We did, of course, need to make our run to Keokuk for more food and supplies (though we now have a cupboard that is several steps up from that of Old Mother Hubbard). We do have a decent supply now, so we just need to maintain it – and to purchase other perishables. We did make the town run and kind of hung out around home most of the day. Sister Hunt made a couple of trips to the sewing room – and was elated with the ongoing progress. Writing for my blog took up quite a bit of my time – and Sister Hunt basked in the thought of just having a “free day” to do as she pleased. We were both happy.
Thursday evening passed without a scheduled activity.
ALL MISSION DINNER EVENT
The Nauvoo missionary team has a traditional monthly dinner gathering to welcome new missionaries (that included us this time) and who had arrived in the previous month – and to recognize those who were going home soon. (Another excuse to eat! We seem to be good at this here. Someone said that Nauvoo is a “35 pound mission …” We hope not but the food sounds good.
This event this month was billed ahead of time as a “Hawaiian Haystack” potluck meal. It doesn’t get much better than that! We were all in for it.
As previously noted, Sister Hunt came prepared (that Boy Scout spirit strong within) to make her now famous “Momma Lou’s Cinnamon Rolls” (and yes, that is the proper term for them). She brought her Bosch mixer and all of the needed pans and other implements. So, she signed up on the poster board committing to bring “a dessert”.
Creating cinnamon rolls, however, is a bit of a challenge on our schedule. We do not get off “work” until 5:00 PM when our houses close – and the event was to begin at 6:00 PM. This is further complicated by the fact that it takes 2 hours to go through the whole process to create those wonderful and amazing cinnamon rolls for which she has become famous. I lamented that she couldn’t easily bring the rolls piping hot from the oven – as this seems to have a major tantalizing effect on all who might have opportunity to experience them.
So, reluctantly, her plan was to create the rolls the morning before going to our site assignment of the day. This meant that Lou had to arise at 5:00 AM to prepare her rolls. She decided to deviate a bit from the usual. Having once made coconut rolls – that were so fabulous … she decided that these would be her cuisine of the day. And with her apron on (given to us by grandkids), she went to work. The aromas from the kitchen were wonderful as I arose at my usual time. (If I held her hand while she worked, she would have been challenged to finish her tasks. (Knead your bread … your bread needs you!).
Back at home at the end of the day, Lou heated her buns a bit in the microwave – and then covered them with her usual tasty frosting (this time with a coconut twist). We hurried off to the event – to be held at the Nauvoo stake center (because there is more room there). We got there just after the prayer and after the many food lines were already in process. Many people soon noticed our two pans of the rolls and rushed to get theirs. This made Sister Hunt happy – and everyone who had one became a happy camper also.
The meal was excellent and came off well. We were introduced individually along with the other Gnubies. They were careful to differentiate between us and my two other Hunt cousins (whom we had known in the MTC). Our situation necessitates them using our first names to be different than the others. But, we are also known as the “Site Guide Hunts” while the other two are “Teamster Hunts”.
And by the way, with the use of the FamilySearch “Relatives around Me” App, we have found a multitude of other shirt tail cousins. With Sister Thomas, for instance, with Enterprise, Utah roots as deep as mine, we learned that we are third cousins (even with my other MTC 4th cousins). And we continue to find other folks with that good ol’ Enterprise and Hunt blood. (More on that later!)
WE RECEIVE A BARAGE OF REINFORCEMENTS
I think I have talked of the 72 or so senior missionary couples who inhabit these environs. But wait! We are not done yet! We just welcomed a great many beautiful young “YSM” (that means “Young Sister Missionaries”. And they literally came in droves.
Sister Missionaries in front of Print Shop
Here in Nauvoo, many new Sisters arrive around the first of May – or a couple of weeks before – just in time for the anticipated very busy summer season. They spend about six months here and then they receive a new mission call for an “outbound experience” as they call it. They are sent to missions all around the United States. They serve in these areas for another six months. Then they are brought back to Nauvoo for their final six months of their missions. In this manner, they serve here for two summers – and miss the exciting winters when there is not much happening – and so as to not freeze their tails off. (They probably don’t need the tails anyway!)
So, we receive the missionaries who return from their outbounds – and at the same time, we get a bunch of new Sisters are who are just beginning their mission cycles. Not a bad system.
And what that means is that we have recently received 50 … yes, you read it right … 50 new sisters in the past month. Wow! Too bad those Ammonite warriors are not around for them. (But maybe they will be waiting upon their return from the battlefield!) Anyway, what a powerhouse of young women prepared!
The sisters serve right along side of the missionary couples as site guides in the many restored homes and shops. We can anticipate at least one – if not two – companionships of these lovely young ladies at each home where we serve.
And Monday night – after the above packed week – we were privileged to hear the returning Sisters all report on their “outbound” experiences. And they had some really great experiences. A fun activity.
And as if that is not enough, at the end of last week, we received 50 “performing missionaries”. These missionaries have energy, enthusiasm, and drama and musical prowess on steroids. They serve as “preemie missionaries” (not yet served) or as returning missionaries – anxious for still more excitement. Among them will be the famous Nauvoo Brass Band that will parade with instruments and energy down the streets and in the show places of Nauvoo. They are gearing up now for their first performances. We can’t wait! Wow! It just keeps getting better.
WE HOST AND MEET OUR MISSION LEADERS
Almost from our arrival, the Mission Leaders – President and Sister Mehr – have been anxious to come to visit us at our home – as they are doing with all new missionaries. (I don’t know how that is possible with so many new missionaries constantly arriving). They had seen us a couple of times and each time they said, “We have to find a time to come to visit with you.” But with our daily assignment schedule (until 5:00 PM each night), it was a challenge to get together. We told them that we could meet at one of our restored homes, but they were serious about coming to our place. And that was a fun prospect!
President Daniel and Sister Rebecca Mehr – Nauvoo Site Leaders
Finally, I suggested that they come late – after the coming Sunday evening devotional. This seemed to resonate with them. So, we joyfully welcomed them about 8:20 PM after the Sunday devotional.
It was delightful to have Elder and Sister Mehr in our home. Upon arrival, they were curious about our little home. We gave them a tour and they seemed to enjoy this. I showed Sister Mehr the log (of 25 years) wherein Dunn family progeny sign in after visiting their ancestor’s home and she was intrigued. She found several semi-famous people she had known. The log is fun … it has names, dates, addresses, and often a long string of “greats” as people try to explain how they are related to the pioneer Simeon.
And then somehow we got onto the crazy subject of how Lou and I met. They really got into our story as we told how we had not seen each other for four months, that we had never talked marriage, had eight dates over a two year period, the proposal – that took about a month to complete, and especially, our first kiss ever that was over the Temple altar, and more. (But that is all a story for another day! Stay tuned! Sometime we will share that – though we have already written much about it … we are just waiting to become famous so that someone will want to publish or make a movie of our story).
We told them of my previous mission (a hundred years ago) to Nauvoo as a young missionary and they were captivated with our account of the Belchers and their 2 ½ year stint in the Lucy Mack Smith home – and they could hardly grasp that. We told them of the Belcher saving of the Coolidge Home as well as Elder Belcher’s creation of the Nauvoo brickyard and the famous Nauvoo brick. They sat here dumb-founded – trying to take all of this in.
Lou divulged that I had a plethora of slides that I took on my first mission here and President Mehr got excited about this. He invited me to create a slide show for a coming presentation for a Tuesday night training. He also wants us to create a similar (or maybe the RD version – “Reader’s Digest Condensed Version” – of Elder Belcher and brick making – to go along with my own presentation. We agreed to work to put something together for him. He kind of wanted it for “next week” but the looks on our faces helped him to face reality and realize that such a project might take more than just a week to create. Anyway, since his visit, I have been working feverishly to create such a show. So, stay tuned for this too!
The Mehrs left and we realized to our chagrin that we had missed our chance for a photo op with them in our own home. Again, where was our photographer when we needed her? We will have to think of another time to capture the moment.
Whew! How’s that for a busy week? It was a great one … and we are so grateful and so excited about serving here in Nauvoo. And the promise of even more good times ahead is exhilarating! So great to be alive – and so great to be here in Nauvoo as missionaries. It is a rough job, but someone has to do it!
Nauvoo, Historic Nauvoo, Senior Mission Couple, Historic Sites, Missionary, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day SaintS
On the Nauvoo Trail 