nauvoo: day 3

Sunday in Nauvoo started super early as we had planned to go to sacrament meeting with the missionaries at 8 am. Sister Paulsen/Fermata said that Nauvoo Standard Time was fifteen minutes ahead instead of Mormon Standard Time that is fifteen or so minutes behind. The fact that the all eight of us (nicknamed The Crazy Eight) had to shower led to me waking up before six. I was so proud that the guys went to the effort to pack along a suit. They looked pretty sharp. We arrived about half an hour early to be sure to get a seat closer to the front. I sat between Whitney and Jon, talking most of the time with Whitney about her special day coming up in September. She and Matt are getting married on the 10th, with their wedding luncheon at JSMB. Here's hoping that I get to work it! :)

Church was amazing! Elder Marlin K. Jensen and his wife attended the meeting as well and were the primary speakers. It was a wonderful feeling to partake of the sacrament surrounded by missionaries. We sang hymns related to the pioneers and the YPMs (Young Performing Missionaries meaning my friend Fermata) performed the Mack Wilberg's arrangement of "Praise to the Man". It required a different dynamic since there were only about fifteen of them instead of the more than 100 in the Tab choir, but the impact was the same. It was beautiful and what better place to hear that song than in the midst of Nauvoo? Sister Jensen spoke about the ability to thrive. Are you thriving? What needs to be changed in your life to allow for you to thrive? Everything she said struck a chord with me. She is an amazing lady. Elder Jensen has been one of my favorites for years. His talk was a bit more informal and bounced to different topics, but I felt the spirit and I'm sure it is not coincidence that we shared the same location for our weekend plans.  After the meeting was over, we walked to the front and said hi to Fermata. She was introduced to the rest of the group before the YPMs had to run to their next activity.

L to R: me, Whitney, and Maggie

With the church meeting over, it was time to get back to vacation. We headed to our castle to clean and eat lunch before we headed out to Keokuk, Iowa and our hotel for the next two nights. Cleaning proved to be faster than preparations for lunch, so Maggie and Whitney decided to step outside. Wanting to get out of the way, I followed. Our castle stands on 100 acres filled with beautiful landscape. When we drove in, we talked about wandering through it, but never really got the chance until the three of us decided to go for a walk before eating. Imagine- I'm still in a skirt and Whitney is in flip flops. We might thought this whole thing through better. We headed up a bit of a steep hill and found a pathway that appeared to be far away from anything. It was secluded and one of the most beautiful spots I have ever seen. I wish I would have brought my camera along. Darn. We didn't walk very far. Every step we took, it felt that we were walking straight through spiderwebs. Laughing and stumbling all the way, we decided it would be a good idea to head back for some food. That is when the true adventure began.

We had walked far enough that the path we took to get up the hill was now lost to us. Maggie led us the first part of the way, but became irritated by the amount of spiderwebs she was forced to charge through. It then became my duty to get us back "home" safely. Let me tell you, the further we traveled, the more nature we encountered, the more spider friends we made, the harder we laughed! Whitney was slipping in the dirt and might as well have walked in bare feet. We finally made it to the last bit of the hill which proved to be the steepest area possible. The other girls went ahead of me because I got stuck trying to find a better way. Turning around and following them, I continued to slip all the way down to the paved road, and somehow ended up straddling a small tree. Whoops! The girls turned around when they heard that I made it, and both almost fell in the middle of the street because they were laughing so hard. Never had a tree sticking out from my skirt before.... Don't plan on doing that again.

We walked back into the kitchen for lunch a little worse for the wear, relating the story to the rest of the crew. They didn't think it was quite as funny, but I think that is more because they wished they had come along. I'm glad they didn't. Turns out, all three of us had hands filled with slivers from our little adventure that required a little surgery later in the day.

On our way to Keokuk, we made a little detour to the Stone bridge that is in the Joseph Smith movie.  No joke. The moment when there is snow all around and Emma and Joseph kiss- we stood right there! Sorry, can't provide the picture from the movie. Chris told us about it during our amazing tour and suggested that we make sure we see it. This is the picture I took of the river while standing under the bridge. Add a couple feet of snow and I could be in the movie.

This is the view out the other side of the bridge. It is beautiful! I loved it! My Toms did not.

Next stop on the way was Carthage. I really don't know how to put that experience into words. 

Other than going to the temple, visiting Carthage Jail was the place I was most excited to see. As soon as we pulled into the parking lot and I caught sight of the building that I have learned about for years, I got a different feeling. One that I wasn't expecting. Joseph Smith has always been one of my heroes, much more now after seeing the world of Nauvoo. Seeing the place of his martyrdom made me sick to my stomach while feeling the spirit. It was an out of body experience that I will not soon forget.

If you are thinking of making a trip to Nauvoo, Carthage is a must. Then you will understand what I can't quite describe.

After Carthage, we finally hit Keokuk and checked into the Super 8. Still, we don't rest, so it was drop off bags and back on the road. We headed back into Nauvoo and had a picnic in the Groves. There was a small section set up as an ampitheather. It reminded me of Brighton. Surrounded the small grove were small plaques that told stories of the Prophet Joseph teaching the congregation in the area. It was beautiful and a wonderful place to take a break. We ate dinner that we had packed earlier that morning. After, a few walked around, some went to a small area of grass to lay out and rest, and others took out cameras for more photos. It was ridiculously hot and humid. The plan was to go to the fireside with the missionaries that  happens every Sunday night but we didn't realize that it was located in Keokuk. Bad luck for us that turned out okay because we, instead, experienced the Trail of Hope.

The Trail of Hope is located on Parley Street. As the pioneers were leaving Nauvoo to cross the Mississippi and start their long trek to the West, each walked down Parley Street. We walked down, alternating who would read the stories and memories of the trail along the side. Looking back and seeing the temple poking out above the trees gave me goosebumps. To think that my ancestors walked that road, leaving their world behind to suffer through intense weather, walk over a thousand miles, and force themselves to keep going toward Zion, makes me thankful for their gift to me and that I am able to live in Zion.

The night ended with a few more pictures and a walk by the river. With it being Sunday, Nauvoo sites were closed and we had already missed the Sunday fireside. We turned in and spent the last few hours laughing and talking in the hotel room. This Sunday was so special and will definitely be one that I will not soon forget.