Norm and Marge Nauvoo

This is the house that Brigham Young provided for Lucy Mack Smith. She only lived there for four months before she had to go back to the mansion house to live with Emma due to failing health and the lack of means to support herself.  She enjoyed having a place to call her own. Mother Smith was a remarkable woman whose faith and determination allowed her to raise a family of god-fearing people who were prepared to step up and fulfill the call from God to restore his Kingdom upon the earth for the latter days. She never doubted Joseph's story and gave her support to help him accomplish the things that the Angel Moroni told him to do. Site Missionary portraying Lucy Mack Smith The day that we visited the house one of the site sister missionaries presented a short piece quoting from Lucy's journal some of her experiences in the first person.  It was delightful and probably my very favorite presentation.  She said, "You know, my son was a prophet! I am ...

On Monday morning our first stop was the Lincoln Memorial where Lincoln and most of this family is buried.  It is a beautiful tomb with a tall obelisk.  There are many bronze statues on the outside as well as the interior which depict the many different aspects of his life.  Below you see one bust that is quite large.  There is a tradition that if you rub Abe Lincoln's nose it will bring you good luck. So many people have touched it that the nose appears shiny gold whereas the rest of the statue has a good dark patina on it.  Here we are giving it a try. The Gettysburg Address In order to reach the tomb itself you have to walk down a long hallway. Statue standing in the center of the rotunda near the entrance.  It is a smaller replica of the statue in the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC. Another view of the exterior of the Tomb. Postscript by Marge:  I was surprised to f...

We took some time off from Nauvoo to travel to Springfield, Illinois to learn more about Abraham Lincoln.  We drove there on Saturday after we finished our temple shift.  It takes about 2 1/2 hours to drive there.  We stayed in the Courtyard  Hotel.  We attended the Springfield 1st ward on Sunday morning.   On Sunday afternoon we went to the Lincoln Museum.  We recommend it for anyone who gets the chance to see it.  They have a hologram show explaining the Lincoln Library that is so life-like that one is sure that the person talking is real.  At the end when he disappears slowly before your eyes you realize that he was just a hologram.  Another show makes the civil war battles come to life when the seats shake when the bombs go off.  The displays contain wax figures that are very life-like. The following pictures are from the museum.  There is a second blog about the Lincoln Memorial and a third blog about his h...

The Bell Tower of the Nauvoo Temple On Monday August 27th, President Irion took a group of us who had not yet had the opportunity to go up into the bell tower on a tour of the top of the temple. You have to have special permission and be escorted by one of the presidency to go up there.  The view from there is really lovely and reminded me a lot of how it looks from the top of the Space Needle. You can see the Mississippi River on the south, the west, and the north in addition to all the buildings on the Flats and the fields west of the Visitor's Center. On the east you have a close-up view of the water tower and the buildings and houses of the town.   You get there by entering the small room between the two large sealing rooms on the fifth floor.  Then you climb the spiral stairs that wind around a large pole up three more levels to the section just below the metal dome.  There are 94 steps.  (Elder Nelson noted that there are 107 steps from the b...

Dave, Tarah and Elliana   May 15-20, 2018  Jared, Mikael, Elder Nelson. Sister Nelson, Saba, Rayhan, Diana, Pat, Marion, (missing: Trent)   May  26-31, 2018 Victor, Elder Nelson, Jennifer, Sister Nelson, Ali, Ryan, Peter, Lizzie  June 6-9, 2018 Elder Nelson, Sister Nelson, Laura, Brandon, Michael, Kili, Kris June 22-25, 2018 Elder Nelson, Sister Nelson, Justin, Amie, Benjamin,  Taylor,  Hunter    June 30-July 5, 2018 Elder Nelson, Sister Nelson, Andrew, Miles, Brooklyn, Raeley, Jessica, Tanner July 2-5, 2018 Lisa, Meg, David, Susan, Elaine, Nathan, Tanner, Karianne, Logan, Tom, Norah July 21-25, 2018 It's pulled by an ox, of course, you know! One of the rides you can take in Nauvoo is on the oxcart.  It is not a long ride but it gives you a chance to experience what it might have been like to travel by wagon, though of course the pioneers mostly didn't ride.  They WAL...