Sarah's home was undergoing a bit of a facelift and the missionaries there were surprised that we walked out there. They said that almost no one comes to visit. Well, they are missing out! Sarah Granger Kimball and her husband were a family of means in Nauvoo. It was Sarah's idea, along with her seamstress, to make shirts for the men working on the temple. That was the start of the idea for Relief Society.
In her home is a rocking chair made by Brigham Young. That was my favorite piece in the home.
On the walk out to the Kimball's home, I was thinking that I was surprised that we couldn't see the temple anywhere. I even looked to my right and to my left to see if it was in the distance. Apparently, I should have turned around because as soon as we left the Kimball's and started back toward the visitor's center, this was the view.
Our next adventures were a wagon ride around Old Nauvoo and a carriage ride on the north end of town. They were great. Both rides were provided by horse power and narrated by senior missionaries. The overview was great. They also gave us good advice to plan the rest of our day.
Our next activity was a show in the Visitor's Center by the young performing missionaries--High Hopes and Riverboats. It was a great show covering the history of Nauvoo in music, dance and even some romance. The performers were fabulous. What a fun time!
We spent the next little while touring the sites owned by the Community of Christ--Mansion House, Nauvoo House, Homestead, and Smith Family Cemetary. Here is a picture of the Mansion House. They do not allow pictures inside any of their sites. They did have some lovely original furnishings and some fascinating stories about the secret hiding places that each of Joseph Smith's homes had for occasions when he would have to hide from the mob.
We next went to the Land and Records office to look up information on Moses and Nancy Tracy who lived in Nauvoo and migrated with the saints to Salt Lake City. Sure enough, we were able to find some information. That was awesome.
We had a few minutes before the sites closed and decided to go to the brickyard. After the presentation by the senior missionary on brick making, we were discussing what to do with our time before the pageant when I hear a voice call--"I know you!" There was Jennifer and Kevin Rowbury, their children and Jennifer's parents, Annette and Bill Karoly. What fun!
Eileen and I had not saved seats at the pageant yet rather than just wasting 2 hours sitting in seats, we decided to go to another show--Sunset on the Mississippi and then take our chances that we would be able to find two seats together at the pageant. We were sooooo glad we made that decision. Sunset on the Mississippi was delightful. It was old time music, mixed with patriotic music. It was a live band plus singers and dancers. It was young missionaries and senior missionaries. There were even skits and gut splitting comedy. We might even go again tomorrow!
After the show, we had 1/2 hour until the start of the pageant, so we made our way there. Lo and behold, there were two seats in the middle of the second section that looked perfect. They were right next to the music director, so we figured they must be perfect seats.
We sat down and this was our view--Yep, perfect seats.
At the very end of the show, the temple is lighted and they play President Hinckley's voice from the dedication talking about this beautiful temple facing the west standing as a sister to the Salt Lake Temple in Utah. This is Joseph's temple built from the sacrifices of the early saints who finished this temple knowing they were being driven from Illinois. The strength they received from the covenants made here carried them through the harsh conditions of the exodus.
After the show, I looked at the music director and it was none other than Jared Pierce from Fair Oaks. He worked with us on Season of Hope for a couple of years singing, playing piano and organ. What a great time to see him and his family again.
Stay tuned for more of Nauvoo.
Oh I'm jealous that you are in Nauvoo! Make sure to post lots of pictures and details! That's one place I must go someday! The temple is gorgeous too!
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