Wednesday, June 21, 2017 - Mission Trg. Mtg, E&S Williams, Pageant Vision, Weeding & Mulching

Our busy day started with our Mission-wide training meeting early this morning. We sang “Welcome to Nauvoo” to the final Senior couple that was scheduled to come to Nauvoo this year. Now that they are here and being trained, the mission is fully staffed for the summer. . . . And away we go, it’s going to be a great summer.

Part of our mission training this morning was on the two pageants this summer. They start the week after the 4^th of July and run nightly for three weeks. As Seniors, we have the opportunity to participate and sing on stage during the finale of the British Pageant which plays twice a week. We will have to attend a special training rehearsal but it’s something we’re looking forward to. 

As part of our training this morning we learned the “Pageant Vision” statement.  One of the points that was emphasized is that we, all of the Seniors in the mission, are called and set apart missionaries. It is our primary purpose to bring people to Christ and to teach the Gospel of Jesus Christ to all of Heavenly Father’s Children. During this season’s pageants, we Seniors can volunteer to be official greeters as the guests enter the pageant seating area. One thing we should do is mentioned in the “Pageant Vision” statement. It says: “Help visitors understand the spiritual experience they are going to have…” I’m looking forward to this year’s two Nauvoo Pageants. 

Our work day started by weeding the flowerbeds at the historic home of William Weeks. Within a half hour we were rained out and we had to move indoors. For the next hour we working in Greenhouse #1, brushing down the walls, pulling weeds, sweeping and cleaning. By the time we finished cleaning, the rain had stopped and we went back to the William Weeks house and finished weeding and mulching the flowerbeds.

 

The William Weeks home is an important piece of history here in Old Nauvoo.  William Weeks played a significant part in the design and construction of the Nauvoo Temple. William was the principal architect of the original Nauvoo Temple. Brother Weeks was able to take Joseph Smith’s descriptions of what the Temple was to look like and create architectural drawings that brought those visions to life. It was from an original set of those drawings that today’s reconstructed Nauvoo Temple was built in 2002.

Next we were worked in the flowerbeds and gardens of the Brigham Young Home. We cleaned and weeded until lunch and then came back to finish the job. Everything always looks better when the weeds are gone and the grounds cleaned up.