Life is good. . . . Busy is good. . . . Knowing that Heavenly Father and our Savior Jesus Christ know each one of us personally and love us is a true blessing. . . . We, Elder Horlacher and myself love each one of you and are so grateful for your love and support. You are all the best.
Here in Illinois it is Spring, the tulips have come and gone, the leaves are now on the trees, the grass is green, much of the corn fields are planted and up about 3 or 4 inches. It is beautiful. The turtles are active on the river, sitting on the logs to dry and warm, until we drive by and then they drop back into the water. So fun to watch. The geese have hatched their eggs and the little goslings are growing about as fast the corn. It really gives a new lease on life. . . What a wonderful time in life. Spring really gives a desire to do better and try harder to do the things we want and know we should do.
We had an experience at Carthage that I would love to share. It was about closing time and because the Carthage grounds are so groomed and beautiful, many people come and take pictures. The High School Students and their families were coming to take Prom pictures. These students were coming from all around, as far as Quincy, 30 miles away. Everything was fine until some of the young men, 5 or so, decided to take a picture with the Joseph and Hyrum statute. They were acting up and pulling faces and really being disrespectful. What to do. Sister Schenck, a young Sister, decided to talk to them about how they were acting. When you walk on the grounds here at Carthage you can feel that this place is special, and can feel the peaceful feeling, the wonderful spirit that is here. The spirit was gone, it felt almost cold. She asked if they knew who these two men were. Joseph and Hyrum. They started to make fun and guess who they were. Sister Schenck ask them to move away from the Statue, which they did.
The parents rolled their eyes and acted about as disrespectful as the young people. About this time a little family came to see the Jail. Mom, Dad, and 6 Children, all with special needs. They were all about the same age, 6-8ish. We had just closed the Visitor Center and Elder Horlacher was in the Jail with the last tour. We had told the family that we were closed for the day, as we usually have to leave to go to Nauvoo to sing and dance. However, this night we did not. The family had came to Carthage from Oklahoma and this was there only day here. They said it was OK, they would just stay a little while on the grounds. The children sat around the statue and their parents said, "lets sing like we do before we go to bed." They sang "Oh, how lovely was the morning" and then other songs. The spirit returned to the Carthage ground. The sweet Sisters ask if they could take this little family through the Jail. The parents had prepared these little children to see and feel the spirit that is in the jail. And so they did. The children were so reverent and ask some wonderful questions. The group taking pictures finally left and the spirit and peace returned. How we love our young Sister Missionaries.
Author and lecturer Leo Buscaglia talked about a contest he was asked to judge. The purpose of the contest was to find the most caring child. The winner was: "A four-year-old child, whose next door neighbor was an elderly gentleman, who had recently lost his wife. Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman's yard, climbed onto his lap and just sat there. When his mother asked him what he had said to the neighbor, the little boy just said, "Nothing, I just helped him cry." The things we can learn from children.
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Jim & Carrie
Bentonsport, |
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| Women's Garden |
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Brother and Sister George Durrant
Sister Susan Easton Durrrant presented lectures twice a week
last Fall and this spring on church history |
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| Sister Lowe |
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| Sister Apperson and Cluff |
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| The Fields Amaze me! This will either be Corn or Soybeans |
We had an experience at Carthage that I would love to share. It was about closing time and because the Carthage grounds are so groomed and beautiful, many people come and take pictures. The High School Students and their families were coming to take Prom pictures. These students were coming from all around, as far as Quincy, 30 miles away. Everything was fine until some of the young men, 5 or so, decided to take a picture with the Joseph and Hyrum statute. They were acting up and pulling faces and really being disrespectful. What to do. Sister Schenck, a young Sister, decided to talk to them about how they were acting. When you walk on the grounds here at Carthage you can feel that this place is special, and can feel the peaceful feeling, the wonderful spirit that is here. The spirit was gone, it felt almost cold. She asked if they knew who these two men were. Joseph and Hyrum. They started to make fun and guess who they were. Sister Schenck ask them to move away from the Statue, which they did. 
The parents rolled their eyes and acted about as disrespectful as the young people. About this time a little family came to see the Jail. Mom, Dad, and 6 Children, all with special needs. They were all about the same age, 6-8ish. We had just closed the Visitor Center and Elder Horlacher was in the Jail with the last tour. We had told the family that we were closed for the day, as we usually have to leave to go to Nauvoo to sing and dance. However, this night we did not. The family had came to Carthage from Oklahoma and this was there only day here. They said it was OK, they would just stay a little while on the grounds. The children sat around the statue and their parents said, "lets sing like we do before we go to bed." They sang "Oh, how lovely was the morning" and then other songs. The spirit returned to the Carthage ground. The sweet Sisters ask if they could take this little family through the Jail. The parents had prepared these little children to see and feel the spirit that is in the jail. And so they did. The children were so reverent and ask some wonderful questions. The group taking pictures finally left and the spirit and peace returned. How we love our young Sister Missionaries.
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