Christmas Day 2009

We had a very nice Christmas! It was definitely a Christmas to remember. We missed being with our family. We are so grateful to have all the technology available so we can talk and see them. It makes them feel close. We talked with all of our children and families and even watched Jeff and Maja's kids open their gifts on Skype! We had a very nice mission Christmas dinner in the afternoon with approx. 270 other people!

We had a very rainy Christmas eve. Singing on the steps of the temple with the other missionaries was wet but sweet. We had hot chocolate and Christmas breads at the church afterwards. Later on we had a fun visit with our friends, E/S Thompson, who came over to our home and had clam chowder and homemade bread with us. It was nice to share the evening with friends.

This is our little Christmas tree. We loved the tree ornaments made by the grandchildren with their pictures on them. They will be saved as a real treasure!

I bought this Amish Nativity here in Nauvoo. I thought it would be a nice remembrance of our time here. One of our favorite places to go is to Cantril, IA to the Dutchman's Store which is run by the Mennonites.......almost Amish!

Notice the family picture behind the natvity. What a great surprise to receive this new family picture taken in Layton at the family Christmas party just a week before Christmas.

We forgot to bring our Christmas socks with us so we improvised!

Glenn's present to himself! He made a steelhead fishing rod. It really is a pretty rod!

Pres. & Sis. Ludwig, our mission president and wife, and Pres & Sis. Petersen, temple president and matron, at our Christmas dinner.

Mission Christmas dinner with E/S Carlsen, our Wed. temple night friends.

Sis.Carlsen would "shoot" us if they knew we had posted this picture of them!

Almost Christmas

I came in Sunday singing the Hallelujah Chorus - I gave my RS/Priesthood lesson and now I can relax and enjoy my evenings again! Wish I didn't stress so over those lessons but it is just so intimiating to teach a large group of very seasoned, knowlegeable missionaries.

We received the best Christmas package today. Our children all met in Layton, Ut last Saturday for a family Christmas party. What we didn't know was that they were having a family group picture taken. We received a framed picture of the family and a picture of the grandkids. Oh, what a handsome group! Also, the grandkids made Christmas tree ornaments for us with their individual pictures on them. They also painted a Nativity set that is quite unique! The older kids helped the younger ones paint the ceramic figures. When we opened the package and found all of this we were delighted! Christmas could be over now and we would as happy as can be.

We are going to the temple tonight with our friends, the Bitners and the Carlsens. Today is Joseph Smith's birthday and I can't think of a better place to be on his birthday. We will walk by the Nativity on the temple grounds on our way tonight. It is a beautiful sight. I am so thankful for my Savior and for the gift of the Atonement. I am so glad I can serve a mission. The message the missionaries have to share can make such a positive change in people's lives. Even though our assignment is somewhat different, I still love the opportunity to bear testimony of Jesus Christ through the pageant.

Hope you have a fun Christmas Eve and Christmas Day! We love you all.

Christmas Season in Nauvoo - Part 2

(Sorry, I was interrupted so had to publish what I had posted earlier because I can't seem to find things when I save them on this blog. There I go admitting my lack of computer savy!)

It was a beautiful day here in Nauvoo on Wednesday after the clouds moved on and the high winds stopped blowing. There was a blanket of snow on the ground and the temple seemed to blend right into the snow. It finally felt like Christmas to see a little bit of snow!

In Glenn's weekly letter he has written about the very spiritual Sacrament meeting we had today with Pres. & Sis. Wayne Petersen, our temple president and matron, speaking about Christmas. We feel so blessed to have the opportunity of being taught by such wonderful people. Glenn carried on the spirit of the meeting with the lesson he taught to our combined Priesthood/RS meeting. I love the feeling that comes from being so spiritually fed.

In many ways Christmas will always be Christmas......there is a lot of exchanging of Christmas goodies and cards among the missionaries. There have been quite a few musical programs and events during the month to celebrate the holiday season. We were invited to dinner today by E/S Foote who are temple missionaries. We invited E Gary & S Charlene Saville to dinner last week. They are from Pocatello North Stake. It is fun to be able to talk "home" with the Savilles!

I am grateful to know of the life of our Savior. How blessed we are to know of His gospel and to be able to share it with others. I hope you are taking time to refect upon His life during this Christmas season and to give thanks for the many blessings that have come your way.

This nativity is in the Nauvoo Visitors Center.

There is a beautifully decorated Christmas tree in the Visitors Center. Last week there was an official lighting of the tree by the Mayor of Nauvoo. There was a short program with the High School Jazz band playing and songs from their choir. It is nice to see the community come together with the church for some of the holiday programs. The site missionaries sang a song about lighting the Christmas tree. There was all standing at the railing of the second floor.

Christmas Season in Nauvoo

Here is a little sample of what the Christmas season is like in Nauvoo. There is Christmas garland hung along most of the fences in the area with the historic businesses and home. Makes it very festive! We meet each morning except Sunday for a short Preparation meeting. We meet with the group in the 70's Hall. There are only two of us who can play the piano so I get to play prelude and the opening song usually 3 days a week. It has been fun to play some Christmas carols!

I help in the 3rd grade class at the Nauvoo Elementary school for an hour on Tuesdays. Two of the children in the class came to our Christmas Walk last week. Next best thing to being able to hug my own grandkids!

A Great Thanksgiving

We were so happy that Kevin, Stefanie, Rylee and Sophie were able to come to Nauvoo and spend 4 days with us the week of Thanksgiving. It was so fun to finally see Sophie. She is a darling, cuddly baby and I just couldn't get my fill of holding her. Rylee has really changed since we last saw her in April. We had a fun time decorating our little 4' Christmas tree. We strung popcorn and used it as garland. Rylee placed the little balls together in "families"! What an imagination she has.

Stefanie's birthday was Thanksgiving day. She was such a good sport because most of the day was spent getting ready for the big dinner and then cleaning up from the dinner!

We loved playing games with Kev and Stef in the evenings.

The time went by way to fast and before we knew it, it was time for them to leave.

But, we are so glad they came and they will always be a part of our Nauvoo Thanksgiving memories!

Not a very good picture but maybe you can get an idea of how full the gym was for our mission Thanksgiving dinner.