The Hinton Family Came!

What a fun time we had with the Hinton Family!!

Then

They were the highlight of Nauvoo for us this past month!  They stayed at our home, all 8 of them and it all worked out so well... even with one bathroom!

Scott slept in a tent in the backyard by the Mississippi River.  The children combed the rocky shore finding shells & geodes and making new friends.                           

Now

What a thrill it was for us to see our daughter Becky back in her Mission after all these years!


She came as a Young Performing Missionary when there were only 6 girls and 6 boys and no Nauvoo Brass Band!


She danced Rendezvous on this stage in the Cultural Hall.

Sweet reminiscence!!
More fun with Randy!







We danced on the original wood floor in the Cultural Hall where the Pioneers danced in the 1840's!









Randy displayed his talents with a Cheerios stacking competition.




                  






The young oxen were getting their evening training and we just happened by at the right moment so the children got to ride in the little wagon around Nauvoo.

Such FUN!
















They had fun at Pioneer Pastimes dressing up like Pioneers and playing the games Pioneers enjoyed.


Becky & Randy joined in the fun walking on stilts, stick pulls, etc.

Lizzy beat us all in the marble game!




At the Seventies Hall they reenacted Brigham & John Taylor calling 25 men on missions to surrounding counties. 





They came to the Family Living Center while Sis Thurgood was serving.  They made a rope, carded wool, saw how they built a fire in the oven to bake the bread and got to taste bread baked in that brick oven!


         

They wanted to get up early to watch Grandpa harness the horses.  We got to see them run into their stalls to get their grain.   Grandpa caught Jared & Justin, tied them to their accustomed places, brushed them and harnessed them. 

                                                                        The little children were more interested in playing with the barn cats. ha! ha!  It was sure more fun hooking the horses up to the wagons with our family of spectators!         

We enjoyed performing Sunset even more because they were in the audience cheering for us!                 


                 



One of the most wonderful experiences we had together occured
Sunday after Church.  Kidbys went with us to Carthage where Julanders opened the Jail site early for a private tour.



Each couple had precious stories to share which brought the Martyrdom of the Prophet Joseph and his brother Hyrum into our hearts. 



 The Hinton family sang acapella "A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief" (all the verses).  It was such a powerful experience!  The Spirit of the Lord was with us! 



We took this picture of their family through the bullet hole in the door... in which Scott has his finger.













That night we went to Parley Street where the Saints lined up their covered wagons for two miles waiting for their turn to go across the Mississippi River.

This used to be called "The Trail of Tears, but in 2002 when the Nauvoo Temple was dedicated, President Gordon B. Hinckley changed the name to the "The Trail of Hope" because of the Hope in the hearts of the Pioneers that they
would finally find a place of rest and safety where they could live their religion without fear. 


The Young Performing Missionaries acted the roles of different Pioneers who wrote in their journals about this time in their lives.  It was so Powerful!  See the Temple in the background.

What a fun time for a Grandma and Grandpa to be on the wagon rides with their grandchildren!  The Carriage Ride, the Wagon Ride and the Oxen Wagon Ride.  The Nauvoo Brass Band entertained us on our way.

Fun for Becky to give part of the tour of the Lyon Drug, as she gave that tour as a YPM!

What a lovely surprise that Trudy was assigned to do the Lucy Mack Smith vinette while they were here!!







Lucy Mack is very real during her vinette!  What a precious opportunity to be able to share it with her Grandchildren, Becky and Randy!

As they were ready to leave after a magical week, David & Gerri went with us to the Old Pioneer Burying Ground where Grandpa Hinton's ggggrndfather Durfee is buried.  His descendants have placed a beautiful big marker in the burying grounds telling his story of Faith & Sacrifice.  Becky shared a sweet spiritual experience as a YPM as they gathered around this monument & sang... how joyful and elevating the Spirit of Lord was that day!

Goodbye Hintons!  Nauvoo & the Thurgood's will long remember this week of our mission!

Wait!!!  The Salt Lake Express heading for Nauvoo from Keokuk!?!
Yup.
It parked at the Visitors Center!  Imagine!

Busy Season! Nauvoo and British Pageants are in full swing, Sunset by the Mississippi, Mission Training, District Meetings, Temple trips, Lots and Lots of wonderful Visitors!!  How are we doing all this! The Lord must have angels holding us up!  We are always smiling (when we're not yawning) ha!

We have been
privileged to work together at the
Ox Wagon and the Horse drawn Wagon several times.

We've seen lots of people we know and people who know our family!  Such fun!  One of the best was when Paula, Ariel, Jon and Maple came for 3 wonderful days!  Jon was taking an 8 hr exam in Chicago so they came early and we played!  While they were here we were

visiting the Community of Christ sites for our first time  (Our Church has a wonderful working relationship with their Church).  

 While leaving Joseph & Emma's first log cabin in Nauvoo rain started falling and the wind started blowing.  But as we reached the door of the Mansion House it was a wild ferocious gale of pelting sheets of rain and howling wind. Whew!

We were all inside when suddenly the siren sounded warning us to go to a basement for shelter, tree limbs started crashing to the earth, huge trees tumbled to ground and the lights went out!  Our guide said the house has no basement and we needed to stay where we were.

The rumble of the wind eased and died  down and the rain seemed a little easier.   Elder Thurgood decided it was time to get us all home and ran 200 yards through the sheets of  rain to get our car so Sis Thurgood wouldn't get wet! He was drenched to the skin!
 Paula, Ariel & Jon had their car across the street and they followed us home.

 

Everywhere we went were limbs and fallen trees!  We thought we might have to move a tree off the road, and as we started along the Mississippi to our home we came to a dead stop.  A huge tree was laying across the road.  Even Jon couldn't help Kent move it!  So we turned around and drove to Carthage.

Carthage bullet hole in door

Steve texted Ariel that the worst storm in the US was headed towards Carthage!  We wondered if we'd make it.  One huge tree was down next to the road and a smashed car next to it was being loaded onto a wrecker.  It was quite the scene!  After a nice Mexican dinner with the Julander's, they gave us a private tour of Carthage after hours!  It was AWESOME!

 So worth the trip! 


Approaching our home later that night we were happy to see that the tree on our road was moved,
but 500 yards from our house was a firetruck with lights whirling. Two other trees had fallen on two power lines and the area was blocked off and we were without lights.  We turned around again and drove 12 miles around to a back road to our dark house and went to bed by flashlight.

What an adventure!  When Dallin came we sat in the dark and watched the lightening all up and down the Mississippi, when Tisha & Jerrica came we were flooded & unable to get to their Amtrak ride home or our house along the river for a few days!  I wonder what will happen when the Hinton's get here tomorrow!  ha! ha!  Isn't life exciting!

Sunset by the Mississippi Cowboy Kent

Paul, Ariel & Maple with Lucy Mack Smith

Home Sweet Home