Sunday, January 08, 2017 – Church Services on a Cold Fast Sunday, Serving in the “Family Living Center”

Today was Fast Sunday and Sis. Johnson and I joined with the members of the Alma Ward in Mesa, Arizona to have a special fast for our good friend Kathy Dangerfield. We visited Kathy at the Mayo Hospital in Phoenix last Sunday and she was doing pretty well considering her heart valves are only functioning at 20%. We’ve received word this week that her overall health has improved enough that she is now officially on the heart donor waiting list. More miracles are needed so today’s fast had special meaning for us and the Dangerfields.

Today we were assigned to give tours in the FLC or “Family Living Center” in Old Nauvoo. The FLC is a unique site because it is “hands on” demonstrations of the various skills the residents of Nauvoo needed to survive in the 1840’s. 

There is a pioneer kitchen demonstrating bread making, as well as candle making along with several looms for weaving and rug making and spinning. Then a person can walk down to the rope making demonstration, the “Cooper” or barrel making and pottery making. There are also several displays of other 19^th century items like building and construction tools, farm tools and equipment, buggies and carriages.

 

A person would need a couple of hours to see all of the demonstrations and take it all in. One thing that all of the various sites and tour of the FLC have in common is the same thing that the early pioneers of the church had. Their lives were built around the family and their families were centered in the Savior Jesus Christ. Everyone worked together toward a common goal and they were successful because of their faith in the Lord and their willingness to pull together.

 

Everyone knew today was going to be a slow day at the FLC. One of the things the Elders and Sisters do on slow days is turn the FLC into a mini “Mission Teaching Center.” They open up their laptops and log onto the Church’s website to field questions about the church from visitors to the church’s various internet “Chat Rooms.” This service is particularly fun and interesting as you get to “Chat” with people from all over the world and answer questions about the Church, its teachings and take referrals or assign Bibles and Book of Mormon’s to be delivered to every corner of the globe. Elder Swain is the mission expert on the “Mission Teaching Center.”