The preforming missionaries have gone home and the young Sister Missionaries are starting to go home and soon others will be leaving for their out bound missions. It is getting quite here in Old Nauvoo. The leaves are starting to show a bit of color and there is a feel of Fall in the air. Many of the Senior Missionaries are getting ready to go home, we are included, we have mixed feelings as we do want to come home and be with Family and Friends, but there is so much we will miss here. We had our exit interview with Pres. and Sister Hall today, and we feel it is OK to come home. We have served for 18 months and we feel we have done the best we could. We have tried to do what ever we have been ask with as little complaining as possible. (maybe Elder Horlacher and myself complained a little to each other, ha) We are glad, grateful, blessed to have not missed our mission. When we think how long it took to finally get our mission call, we truly feel it a privilege to have been able to serve.
There are many changes going on here in the mission. I think that change can be hard for everyone, but when we are older it may be even harder. ha One of the parts in Rendezvous has gone away, Jed and Annie, one of the parts we were able to do. We at first understood it was because Jed did say a bad word and then we heard they needed to cut something out to make the show shorter so we really don't know just why, but we feel bad as we felt it really did tell a story of the Saints here in Nauvoo. Another change is at Carthage, we no longer play the film "Impressions of a Prophet". I really liked the film as I felt it let people know who the Prophet Joseph Smith really was, a man who had been called by God to do something hard and he did it at all cost. I think there is one thing we can always count on and that is change. ha Even tho it may be hard for some of us, it usually is for the best.
Our son Bryan and his entire family were here the 2nd week of August. His son Trevor arrived home from his mission on Thursday and they flew out here on Saturday. Sister AhQuin, Tonya's mother came with them. What a great time we had. Again we didn't have much time with them but we did eat a few meals together and had a great visit. We love our family so much and are so grateful all of our family were able to come to Nauvoo, I think we will all be changed because of the visit here in this wonderful place.
As I have been reflecting on the last 18 months, I came across something Pres. Gordon B Hinckley had said: "We are here to assist our Father in his work and his glory, 'to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man' (Moses 1:39) 'Your obligation is as serious in your sphere of responsibility as is my obligation in my sphere'. Boy, did that ever hit home. It doesn't matter what or where we are, if we are missionaries, primary teachers, Relief Society President, Priesthood leaders, we need to do our best to build the Kingdom of God. This is a challenge for each one of us. I know in todays world we really need it, we always have but things just seem as if we can't wait to finally do what we know we need to do. It will be good to come home and work together to build the Kingdom. We love you all so much. How blessed Elder Horlacher and myself are to be a part of your life. Thank you for your support and love.
We had our final performance at Rendezvous last night, our final "Thomas and Elizabeth" and with Heavenly Fathers help and the angels help, it went really well. President and Sister Hall had come to watch. It was really nice. Pres. Hall calls Elder Horlacher his body guard, Porter Rockwell. He loves to tease him about it. Anyway, I told you earlier that the vignette 'Jed and Annie" had gone away, but Pres. Hall had seen us do it when they first came to Nauvoo in January, so he requested that we perform on Thursday night at Rendezvous. So, we had to get scripts, so we could practice. We haven't performed it for 6 months or more. I don't know what others will say when they find out, as no one is to know until Thursday at 6:30. I hope we will be able to do it.
We have most of the house packed. Tomorrow and Thursday is considered our pack days and then Friday after breakfast we will be on the road. We have been invited to dinner every night this week. It is hard to say good by to our friends.
