Sunday, July 02, 2017 – The Print Shop, Mail from Dan & Mindy & Family, Dinner with Service Missionaries, “Our Story Goes On,”

On our way home from church we picked up our mail from yesterday and we had mail from our family in Arizona. This time it was from Dan & Mindy, our son and Daughter-in-law. Plus all of the kids wrote us personal notes. We love it and we love getting mail; there is something about looking in our mail box and finding a letter from home. It’s great.

This afternoon Sis. Johnson and I were assigned to serve and give tours at the “Print Shop.” To the Latter-day Saints in Old Nauvoo, the printed word was important not only for keeping them apprised of local, national, and world events, but for spiritual guidance as well. We were very busy, we had over 100 guests that took our tours.

This was the first time Sis. Johnson and I have given tours at the Print Shop and we really enjoy these Sunday afternoons when we get to serve in a new site we’ve not done before. We not only get to meet and teach interesting visitors but we get to learn so much ourselves. I was fascinated to learn of the sayings in the English language that have their origins in the printing industry. For example the saying, “Coin a phrase.”  In the 19^th Century printing industry a Quoin (pronounced Coin) was a tapered wedge of hardwood used to lock type into the chase (Chase: heavy steel frame into which all type is locked ready for printing). When the type was all in place and held securely by Quoins or wooden wedges, the type setter had just “Quoined a phrase.”

Another interesting term from the old printing industry that is still used today is “Dingbat.” The type setter would prepare the various articles on a page and he would use attractive design pieces or spacers to separate one news story from the next. These attractive design pieces were often arrows, flowers, trumpets, birds or geometric patterns. So a Dingbat is a “pretty little thing that takes up space!”

This evening we had the young service missionaries over for Dinner (break-the-fast). Sis. Johnson prepared a wonderful meal in advance so it would all be ready when we got home from giving tours in the Print Shop today. Since it was fast Sunday, I think those young men were particularly hungry and that’s a good thing. Sis. Johnson had plenty for all. We enjoy having the Service Missionaries over for Sunday dinner.

Wow, it was a great show and with great music. Intertwined with a story line that spanned decades, they sang songs that captured the lives of a typical family that has their share of joy, sorrow, heartache and redemption.  They sang several beloved and favorite songs from Broadway and the movies. They sang “Over the Rainbow” from The Wizard of Oz, “Go the Distance” from Hercules, “Tonight” from West Side Story, “Sunrise Sunset” & “Do You Love Me?” from Fiddler on the Roof, and “You Lift Me Up” by Josh Groban. And finally the best of the evening. . . .They sang “Bring Him Home” from Les Mis! WOW,