Wednesday, Oct. 19, 2016 – Training at the Wainwright, Call Committee Members, Plant Bulbs

Our weekly Wednesday training was in the historic sites again this week. My assignment was to be trained in the “Wainwright Shop” right next to the Blacksmith Shop. I love the Wainwright and Blacksmith Shops. I think if I had been a pioneer in Old Nauvoo I would have been one of them.  A Wainwright is the person that constructed the wagon box and running gear for the covered wagons while a wheelwright made wagon wheels.  

The saints in Old Nauvoo knew for a year that they would have to leave Nauvoo and go to the Rocky Mountains. In that year Brigham Young turned wagon making into a cottage industry. By 1845 there were twelve thousand residents in Nauvoo. Every family was assigned to make one specific part of the wagon or its wheels. All of the parts were pulled together for the final assembly of the wagons. Henry Ford’s assembly line of the early twentieth century had nothing on the residents of Nauvoo.

 

The task of building wagons to move west was monumental. Wainwrights, wheelwrights, and blacksmiths were on call day and night. Every available space, from the shop to the parlor was used to assemble wagon boxes and wheels.  By February 1846 the Saints had made over fifteen hundred covered wagons for the journey west. The Saints heeded the call of a Prophet and then they worked together in a spirit of cooperation to achieve a singular goal.

I mentioned last Saturday that Sis. Johnson and Sis. Hacking have been called to Co-Chair the huge mission “Christmas Walk and Tree Lighting” event on December 2^nd. We’ve received approval from the mission Presidency for all of the sub-committee chairs and assistant chairs we asked for. So, today the hackings and the Johnson’s set to work contacting and calling about 30 people including couples to fill all of the leaders positions. 

Well, I’m very pleased to report that the Lord does hear and answer prayers. Today all of the calls were extended by Sis. Johnson and Sis. Hacking and every single person was eager to accept the responsibility and enthused about doing their part to make this a wonderful “Christmas Walk and Tree Lighting” event. It truly was an answer to prayer.

 

Sis. Johnson contacted all of the proposed committee members, their assistants, extended the calls and still put in a full day of work on the grounds in Nauvoo. Wow, talk about Wonder Woman! Our work day included cleaning and blowing the leaves off of Main St. in Old Nauvoo. Then we continued planting more bulbs in the visitor’s center flowerbeds.  Richard seams to keep finding more bags of bulbs for us to plant.