Fall Is In The Air!!!

Hello again from colorful Nauvoo! It's starting to feel like fall and smell like the mountains with a fire going. Maybe that's because in Nauvoo they have a big area where you can bring your leaves and green waste and they burn it for you.
Well we've been here for two weeks and it just gets better every week. I'm finally learning all the parts in the temple and that takes off a little stress. Rudi just keeps having fun working on the mechanical parts of the temple. Hopefully he will start doing temple ordinances in November. He really wants to learn that part of the temple too.
If we don't mention a lot about our experiences in the temple there's a reason for that. They've asked us not to share sacred experiences outside the temple. Come see us and we'll take you through the temple and explain some of our special moments.
We want you all to know that the Nauvoo Temple has a very special spirit about it and we are so lucky to be able to serve here.
Sunday night we attended a devotional in the Assemble Room in the temple. It seats 350 people and every seat was taken. Pres. Condie has to get special permission from the First Presidency to use the room. It was a wonderful meeting with all the temple presidency and their wives speaking. The musical numbers were absolutely fantastic.
Last week we worked our first 40 hour week. Rudi is use to that many hours but I was beat in a good way. The parts are finally coming slowly but surely. All the sisters are so helpful and kind to me that I feel like I'm living in a Zion Society where everyone helps each other and no one is better than anyone else.
When Sunday came around we thought it would be a day of rest but forget that! We started with sacrament meeting at 8:00 a.m. and then onto Stake Conference at 10:00 until 12:00. Dinner with some of the engineers and then off to the devotional. Not through yet, a missionary couple came over and asked us to teach Relief Society and Priesthood next Sunday. They stayed and visited until almost 10:00. Oh, the couple is from Orem and he taught seminary at Mountain View when my kids were there, his name is Bro. Buchanan. Do any of you remember him? He thinks he had some of you in his class. He was also a stake president in the stake just north of our stake home stake. Ron Hawkins you might remember him.
Rudi is panicking about teaching but he'll be great. I'll be teaching in the old Nauvoo Cultural Hall, and Rudi will be in the 70's Hall. I guess we're being challenged already! Luckily we'll be teaching the same lesson, so we can help each other. What am I going to do without a U-Haul to take all my props and handouts and table decorations!
I realize I'm sending a lot of pictures but our younger and not so young grandkids relate more to pictures than the written word. Rudi and I are looking all the time for things that they might love to see like COWS!!!
Today for our road trip we went to Quincy which is about 50 minutes south of Nauvoo. Then we went further south to Hannibal. It was so much fun seeing life on the Mississippi River through Mark Twain eyes. What a fun city! We took lots of pictures and sent them on hopefully with this email. On our way back to Nauvoo we stopped and had lunch at Applebees in Quincy. Yea! I felt a little homesick there.
We also stopped in Keokuk so I could finally get my nails done. Badly needed!
Rudi and I went on a big walk around Old Nauvoo on Saturday before our shift at the temple. We then went on a wagon ride through Nauvoo and just about was late for the temple. We had to hustle back and change clothes and pack our dinner. Rudi even ran ahead of me to get the car. What a sight to see him running! Oh well we made it thanks to him.
Well I've told you about everything I can think of. We keep reminding ourselves that The Lord is blessing us and hopefully all of you.

We love and miss you a lot but know we'll make it with your love and prayers.

With love from Nauvoo,

Elder and Sister Diederich
or better known as Rudi and Kathy or Grandpa and Grandma

 

Parking lot at the visitors center

 

 

Tree next to our cottage

 

More beautiful trees

Cows for Jensen!  Or are they oxen?

Horses that pull wagons around Old Nauvoo.

Rudi at Brigham Young's home.

 

Rudi helping Tom Sawyer paint the fence.

Mark Twain and I next to the steam boat on the Mississippi River.

Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn with the infamous Kathy.

Plaque given to Mark Twain for his statue.

Steam boat on the Mississippi River.

Rare picture of Rudi and I together at Lovers Leap.

Statue of Mark Twain as a captain on the Mississippi.

More cows!