Tuesday, September 12, 2017 – E&S Witbeck, Historic William Weeks Home, New Flowerbeds, Bush Trimming, Farmer’s Sprinkler System

This morning in FM’s Prayer Meeting, Elder Witbeck was presented his commemorative FM Flag/Pennant. Elder & Sis. Witbeck were in our Mission Training Center group a year and a half ago. Since he arrived Elder Witback has been in the FM Welding Shop and other duties. For the last year and a half Sis. Johnson and I have become very close friends with the Witbecks. We love them and have appreciated their dedicated service to the Lord as they have served here in Nauvoo.

Today Richard had us put in two new flowerbeds on the front and the side of the historic William Weeks home. There were already two other flowerbeds that have been in bloom all summer but today we completely renovated those two flowers beds as well.

 As we dug out the grasses and weeds in the two new flowerbeds we discovered below the surface that both had been flowerbeds some time in the past. They both had red brick boarders around them. The work was hard requiring shoveling, spading, rototilling, raking and fertilizing but the two new flowerbeds have turned out very nice.

Elder Kyle Johnson and I also did some trimming and pruning of the bushes around the side walk of the William Weeks home. They had become overgrown and were blocking the sidewalk. The William Weeks home is being renovated and someday it will be occupied by missionaries. The back sidewalks will be easier to walk on now that the low hanging branches are gone.

We spent our whole workday on the William Weeks home. After lunch we fertilized the new flowerbeds, mulched them and watered everything long a deep. We want the new plants to have the best chance possible now that Fall is here and winter is so close.

This afternoon I saw something for the first time in the year and a half we’ve been on our mission here in Nauvoo and Carthage. The farmer that has a Soybean field and Corn field next to the FM Compound was using his center pivot irrigation system to water his crops. We haven’t had any rain in three weeks and his crop is wilted badly. This farmer is unique here in central Illinois, he’s the only one I’ve seen with a sprinkler system as a backup in case the rain doesn’t come.