Rudi and Kathy in Nauvoo: WHETHER the WEATHER will change???

I've decided to start our email each week with a few of my favorite thoughts.

"A Perfect Marriage is just two imperfect people who refuse to give up on each other."

"When you feel like you're drowning in life, don't worry--your Lifeguard walks on water."

"Don't do something Permanently Stupid just because you're Temporarily Upset."

It's thoughts like these that get me through rough moments in my life. Thought you might appreciate them in your lives also.

Well another week has quickly gone by. We commenting to each other that we sometimes forget what day of the week it is. We seem to change clothes a lot and spend most hours in the temple. It's dark when we go and usual dark when we come home. We're looking forward to spring and more sunshine. It's always sunny and cheery in the temple, so we love being there. I commented to one of my friends the other day that I really don't mind what position I'm in now that I've memorized all the parts and they come easily to me. Big accomplishment!

Last Monday was so cold and windy so we didn't leave our cottage all day. It was P-day and we just hung around and caught up on odds and ends. Tuesday night we had thunder storms like I've never heard before. It sounded like a semi coming thru our cottage. Then came the lightening and ice storm. Weather in the midwest is risky business. Everyday is something different and usually dramatic. Utah weather is so mild to this stuff! Give me 24 inches of beautiful white fluffy snow, I can handle that better than surprises like we get here. The next thing we have to look forward to is flooding. They say when the mighty Mississippi starts to unthaw the real show begins. Just think I only have one more winter to go. HELP!

Last night at the temple the man at the recommend desk received a call from a man asking what time the last session was. He told them at 5:00 by mistake since the last session is at 4:00 on Saturdays. They were driving from Muscatine which is two hours away so we couldn't call them back and correct the mistake. When the eight patrons arrived we held a special session just for them since the wrong information was given to them. The man who gave the wrong information was assigned to officiate. As President McAurthur would say, anything to make the patrons happy!

After we finished at the temple Rudi and I drove to Burlington to tryout a buffet that everyone raves about. We had the best all you can eat lobster. I think Rudi had 10 and I had 4 but who's counting??? It was so delicious but way to much! We felt like we were on another cruise, where you eat all you want every night. We'll have to take our family and friends there when they come to visit. That should be incentive to come to Nauvoo, that is if you like lobster. The terrifying thing is that they have all you can eat crab on Friday and shrimp on Monday night. How long is this mission? We'll be rolling home if we don't pace ourselves better.

There we go again telling you about all our fun adventures and restaurants again. Yes, we do work hard in the temple. After going to the family search center last week we have lots of new ancestors to do work for. I took through a few this week when I had the opportunity to be a patron. It's so wonderful to kneel at the alter for relatives when you are sealing together people who have waited hundreds of years to have their work done. The other day I was a patron for one of my great great great I lose track how far back grandmothers who hadn't been sealed yet to her husband. All her other work had been done already. I can't imagine the joy she must have felt when someone finally noticed that error. I'm so grateful I got to be that many times over granddaughter who finished her eternal progression. These are the joys of service in the temple. We're saving up lots of baptisms and confirmations for our grandkids when they come this summer. We can't wait to have you feel the joy of serving in the Nauvoo Temple.

In choir we are working on a special piece of music called "Go Now In Peace" which we want to be our temple missionary theme song to be sung whenever missionaries leave to go home. It is so touching, and very simple but such a tear jerker. I think I'd like it to be our family missionary song from now on. I'm going to email my kids the music if I can so we can all learn it and sing it to our future missionaries as they leave on their missions. The first time the choir sang it no one could finish it because the tears were flowing so freely. I know you'll love it. I want it sung at our welcome home [or whatever they call that sacrament where we speak] even though we'll be arriving instead of leaving. Listen to me planning over a year away. Doesn't that sound like Kathy!

We had a social committee meeting Friday morning to go over all the activities in March. A lot of them include general programs from church head quarters. The month is packed! Then the new 80 missionaries arrive in April and then the real business begins.

Tonight we have a sociable with the site missionaries at the visitors center. As if we aren't social enough already! They will be showing the video of our reenactment of the exodus of the saints leaving Nauvoo. Also a lecture on the Carthage Jail. It should be very informative. We heard that there were pictures in the church news about the exodus. Some of our missionaries were in the pictures. Check it out if you take the Deseret News.

I think these emails get longer each week or I'm just too wordy. If they bore you just remember you're reading our journal for our future generations. Just look at the pictures if the text bores you!

We so appreciate our family and dear friends who keep us updated on all the ward, neighborhood, and family adventures. We love your support and encouragement of us. Your prayers are what get us through being away from all our loved ones. We love our mission and feel so grateful for this opportunity to service in such a wonderful place. We have new found love and respect for the Prophet Joseph Smith and the many saints who went through so much to make sure this gospel continued to spread to our generation. We feel so ungrateful when we complain about the weather when we always have a warm dry place to rest my head every night. Their sacrifices are beyond anything we'll ever go through. Our testimony grows stronger each day because we are willing to accept this mission call and serve in some small way in this vineyard called life. We hope we can always be stalwart and continue to serve others as we have been served so many times by you my family and friends. We feel like we need to say in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Have a great week and serve just once if you can. It isn't very hard to find someone to just smile at. For all you know you might just be the sunshine they needed at that moment.

With all our love,

Rudi and Kathy
The Nauvoo missionaries!