MANY ARE CHILLED BUT FEW ARE FROZEN
By Kevin V. Hunt
Blog #31
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.
On the Nauvoo Trail 