Family Reunion at Nauvoo

July 10, 2013- Wednesday
Hi everyone, today was a fun day at the Brigham Young's home.  Jerry & Dorothy came into the site and some of their family.  We, Sisters did 52 tours this day, this was the most tours we have done this year in one day.   I was so busy I didn't get to talk very much to Jerry & Dorothy so we had our Thursday preparation day, July 11, so we had lunch with them and went to the Nauvoo Temple with them at 5:00 pm.  It was so much fun to be with them and their family.  We didn't get to see a few of the children because they were doing different sites than where we were. Dorothy is going to e-mail me some pictures and when I get them I will put them on the blog.

July 12,2013- Friday
Today I did Wilford Woodruff's home and it was a little slower but was nice to relax a little more than Brigham Young's home.  He was a great Servent of the Lord Jesus Christ, he was a Missionary, Apostle, and the 4th President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.  It is so awesome to learn about all these important men.  My love has really grown for them as I learn about their lives and their families.  I love this Gospel and our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.  I am so Greatful for the Book of Mormon and I know it is true and that Joseph Smith was a true prophet that lived here in on earth.  You can really feel the saints are helping us with the spreading of the gospel. The Pageant is here now and it is Awesome to watch and feel the strongest spirit that is present in Nauvoo.  We also have those around that want to protest at the outside of the pageant just like at the Temple Square.  We have been told to not talk to them because they will video you and you will find yourself on Tweeter or any of those computer programs.  They want to show if your mad and say that is what the Mormons look like.  Satan works so hard to stop the work of the Lord but he isn't going to win.  Their are people that come from around Illinois and just love the feeling they feel when they visit Nauvoo.  We hope and pray we can touch many lives that visit here. The church is True and I love you, Sister Harris

Sat. July 13, 2013
I worked in Land and Records today.  It was really busy and I am working on doing some searching for a man named, Joshua Davis.  It is fun when I find information about this man that lived in Nauvoo.  When it is all checked out they will put it in the computer so the families of this man can pull it up and make a CD with the information we find.  You can't find any of this information on the family tree or family search, it is just at Land & Records of Nauvoo.  I really enjoy watching the people get so excited when they find information on their family.  I'm so excited I work there next week also. Must run to"Sunset by the Mississippi", I have to be there at 6:15 pm to perform. By for now....

Nauvoo Pageant and Family

July 9, 2013

Hi to all of you.  Last night Sister Harris and I attended the dress rehearsal of the Nauvoo Pageant. My goodness, what a remarkable experience.  I would that all of my family and friends could have the marvelous feelings of the spirit that came and were so strong throughout that experience.  I fail in language to adequately express the emotions that I felt in viewing the pageant.  I am so greatful for each of our ancestors who felt that same spirit and joined the church, leaving their family and friends, homes and businesses to gather with the saints.  I have often wondered if I would have been so courageous if I would have been the first to hear the gospel in my family.  Last night the spirit whispered to my soul,  YES, I would have felt the same in the 1840's as I felt last night.  I hope I would have had the courage to act upon that.

We consistently meet people who come to Nauvoo because they feel the spirit.  A man told me last week that much of his conversion occurred here, feeling the spirit of Nauvoo.  Often it is almost tangible.

 Time to go--the corn and soybeans are growing like there is no tomorrow--what little wheat there is has been harvested--when I see those big green combines in the fields, I sure would like to ride with them for a while.

Ken was here last week for a night; Jed and Jennie and kids were here last week and the Siverts from Blanding--fun, fun, fun.     Elder Harris

Today, July 9, 2013

It was fun when David and Cindy Jensen their son came into the Seventies Hall where I was doing the site.  All of Jerry & Dorothy's family are here on a family reunion.  I hope I get to see them while they are here in Nauvoo, they have many plans to try and see many sites and programs.  Elder Harris said he was at Browning guns when he saw, David & Cindy and their son and also Nicole and Brady and their family.

Monday- July 8, 2013

 We were done with our site at the Pioneer Past Time, at the park by 1:00 pm so we drove to Burlington to the  JoAnn's Store and as we went over the Bridge across to Ft. Madison we were stopped on the bridge because it was opened up for a Barge to go through.  Here are some pictures I took with my camera.

                This is where the Barge is starting to go through the opened part of the bridge.

This is where the Barge is coming out the other side of the bridge.  I zoomed up to show the Barge.

The engine is pushing the cargo going up the Mississippi River

                                                                                                                                                                                                                        This is the full length of the Barge.

Here is where the bridge is closing together where we can drive across the bridge again. This is so  cool the way it works.

 Last Saturday-July 6, 2013

The Siverts are here on a family reunion also and they came to the Scovil Bakery while I was serving there they surprised me.  It was so fun to give them the tour of this site. It was fun to here what was happening in the town of Blanding.  Sister Harris

My working outside today.

July 3, 2013

Today is Loni's Birthday, hope you had a great Birthday today.
 I have some pictures of what I did at FM today.  I worked really hard cutting out died branches out of trees or brushes. We also had to clean out weeds underneath the trees and brushes.  I went home and had a nap, it was very hot this day.

 
Sister Harris, Sister Davis, and Sister Swapp.  The mighty workers.

Sister Murray is the oldest of us all but she was the one that wanted to get in the truck and mash the branches down, she is so cool.

Sister Harris throwing in branches and Sister Murray doing her mashing down the branches.

Independence Day

Monday Night, July 1, 2013

 Ken Bonney arrived from Chicago about 6:30 pm.  He came into the Nauvoo Visitor Center and met up with Elder & Sister Harris.  We went and watched the Sunset by the Mississippi River then went to our home for the rest of the night.  In the morning Sister Harris had to be at FM by 7:00 am and Elder Harris and Ken went for a walk down to the Mississippi River.  Ken left about 8:00 am so he could catch his flight in Chicago to head back to Salt Lake City.  It was great to have family visit with us, we love them all so much.

July 3, 2013-Wed.

Last night Jed and Jenny's family came into Nauvoo and also Jenny's sister Laurie & Jed's family came with them.  They are camping at the State Park which is very close to our "Farr" home where we live.

 July 4, 2013

Thursday is our preparation day so we were able to spend all day with them. We did the "Just plain Anna Amanda" play and then went on a wagon ride around Nauvoo, it was hot at noon so we all got tired after a short ride.

 Little Jaky went to sleep and Ashton was almost a sleep.
Sister Harris was starting to get a cold so she was ready for a nap also.  Went home for lunch and Sister Harris had a nap then met up with the families at the brick shop, then on to Lucy Mack Smith's home, then walked down to the Pendleton  log school house, then on to the blacksmith's shop.  We got a brick, and a prairie diamond ring. We also went to the Browning Gun's Shop which Elder Harris gave us the tour.

Here we are at the Blacksmith Shop. 

Elder & Sister Harris, Jenny, and Elder Jennings

This is were they told us how the wagon wheels were made. It was really cool. Emma, Jaky, and Laurie's red headed son. To the left is Jed and Ashton.

               This is Elder Jennings that gave us the tour and is making a horse shoe, Lila's family got the horse shoe.  Their is only one person in all the group that gets it.

     

                     Children with Jed

 Here we are getting our prairie diamond rings from Elder Harris, Grandpa is with Laurie's daughter, Lila.

Here we are at the Browning Gun's Shop with Elder Harris(Grandpa), talking about the guns.      Laurie's Husband Jed and Emma next to him.

This is Emma and Laurie's husband, Jed and Grandpa Elder Harris.

We are at the Pendleton Log School House.

Ashton doing a math problem.

 This is a picture at the Nauvoo Visitor Center with the Moon Stone with Lila, Laurie's Daughter.

 Then we ended the day with Elder & Sister Harris doing their part in the Program at 7:00 pm.

This is were I say, I am Proud of my husband, Mr. Packard.

Here is where we ladies do our Relief Society part.  We sing a song
and you can see I'm on the front row.

We are looking like we are sewing the quilts as we sing.

This is where Elder Harris sings with the men, The" Willingly" Song. He is usually behind the men to the right but he sings really good, you just can't ever see him.

Here is Elder & Sister Harris walking out at the end of the program, Lucas waving at us. After we meet with the audience and shake hands.   Lila, Emma, and Lucas are hugging us.

We had to stay and do our program a 2nd time while the rest of the children went to the Trail of Hope program at 8:30.  It is a very spiritual program where the saints left and walked down Parley Street to go over the Mississippi River.  As you are walking down the path you look back and can see the Nauvoo Temple lit up, amazing sight. 

Carthage

June 29 2012

Hi, where has the month gone?  We attended  two commemorations for the martyrdom of Joseph and Hiram Smith on June 27.  The first was at the Community of Christ (formerly RLDS).  There were several musical numbers by our YPM, prayers by Presidents Gilliland and Condie and a historical address by a man named Mackay who is the director of their center and a great,great. great grandson of Joseph Smith.  It was good and informative but not about the martyrdom--no testimonies.

We also attended the  commemoration service at Carthage.  Again we had numerous musical numbers but on more of a spiritual theme and President Gilliland was the speaker narrator.  His talks were full of testimony.  It was a wonderful time to reflect on the mission of the Prophet Joseph and his brother Hyrum.  We had to hurry home to be in Rendezvous so we did not get to hang around Carthage but there were hundreds of people there so it was not a good day for a peaceful contemplation.

    

The Sister Missionaries are singing at the Commemoration of Joseph & Hyrum Smith's death at Carthage, Ill.   They sang about brothers, it was so beautiful.

Vocal Point at Carthage Jail- June 27, 2013

This is the band leader. Sadly I couldn't get a picture of the band.

This is a large crowed of people to watch the commemoration of Joseph & Hyrum Smith deaths on June 27, 2013.  We are waiting for the program to start.  This is our lst time to be here at Carthage Jail for this program.  It was a spiritual time on our Nauvoo Mission.  We loved the programs on this special day. 

 

I love working at the brickyard because we get to talk to smaller groups in a nice quiet room.  I often use the process of changing bricks from clay to brick to talk about the changes that go on i our lives, trials etc.  A few days ago a family had left and the father came back alone and thanked me for what I had said.  They have a son going on a mission and grandma has just been diagnosed with cancer.  He thought my remarks had really helped all of them.  It is cool when you do what the spirit tells you say.  That happens pretty often.  The neatest thing about this mission is meeting people from all over the world.  Nauvoo is like a national park--everyone comes here.  You would be amazed how many have some connection with Blanding--met a man from Alabama who was a missionary in Blanding in 1980--he lived in Ike Chamberlains basement--I think his name was Dankirk.  The same couple are parents in law to Shylo Hunt, Wesleys daughter.  A few days ago I met the parents in law to Sam Wilson--

Well thats all for now--will say we are getting along pretty well with the shows we are in--will soon be ready for Las Vegas--sorry for the drought and heat out west--it gets hot and muggy here.  Elder Harris