Nauvoo Pageant

        We were able to go to Nauvoo this weekend to see the two pageants that are being performed.  Next week is the last week.  This is the bridge and Mississippi River we are crossing over by car.  It sure beats the way the Saints left many years ago.  But, they did come over into Iowa when they were driven from the state of Illinois.

        When we arrived in Nauvoo, we met another missionary couple we didn't know was going to be there.  So, we went to Pete's Diner and had a quick meal before the Pageant began.  This couple is Elder & Sister Melin, who actually serve with us in Independence, Missouri, working in the Visitor Center.  They also live in the six-plex with us.  It was fun to see someone we knew.

        Before the Pageant began, we listened to the Bagpipe Band.  They played at the beginning of the program as the American Flag was being carried in.  Those who wanted joined in the march as they hoisted the flag on the stage.  I love patriotic music and songs.  We all joined in with the singing of the Star Spangled Banner.

        This is Paul.  He and his family sat by us during the Pageant.  He is from Chicago and comes every year to see the Nauvoo Pageant.  He joined the church when he was 24 and wasn't able to serve a mission.  He wants to go with his wife later (when he is older) to Brazil.  He is from South America, but loves the country of Brazil and wants to serve there.  He was great fun and has a strong testimony.

We also met another lady from Brazil who saw the missionaries when she was a child.  They read stories to her and she loved the feeling they bought.  But, her family didn't join.  Later in life, when she had forgotten about them, she searched for a church that could answer her three questions: Why was she here on the earth?  What would happen to her after this life? and Why were there no prophets?  So, when missionaries knocked again, and answered her questions, she remembered the same feeling.  I love to listen to the testimonies of people out here.  They sincerely love the gospel.  And so do I!!

        This is a picture of the final scene in the pageant.  The missionaries came out in the end and you can see them in white shirts, center and both sides.  The Pageant was about the Saints in the British Islands who joined the church and came to build up the city of Nauvoo.  It was a great intro to the Nauvoo Pageant the next night.  We were able to see both Pageants; Friday & Saturday.  This is the first year that the British Company has done the pageant here in Nauvoo.

        This is Elder Nyholm and Elder Parry.  They both live across the street from the Mission Office here in Independence.  They are always helping Elder Atwood load furniture or whatever he needs.  They are both great workers.  I put this picture in because I love their T-shirts.  They came into the office last week with these.  It was a big hit for all of us.  I had to take their picture.  Elder Nyholm was just transferred this week, but Elder Parry is still here.

July 24 Celebration & other

        For the 24th of July, we had a big stake campout and picnic throughout the day.  There were games, singing, program, and of course food.  This is Elder Atwood standing by Bishop Munger of the Riverview Ward that we attend.

        This is Sister Atwood dressed up for the pioneer spirit.  She sang at the festivities with the ward choir.  We had five sisters in the choir.  But, they sang well.

        Of course, some of the best food was provided in the Polynesian Ward.  They had roasted pig.  We had to taste it to make sure it was edible for the others.

        They also had these bananas coated in something.  They didn't look too appetizing but they actually tasted good.  The Polynesian people eat them with all their meals, like we do with potatoes.  In fact, they taste like potatoes.

        This was a baptism we attended also.  The two young people are Kellie and Cesar Wong.  They were both baptized after the missionaries taught them.  Their parents are not yet baptized, but they were both at the baptism and I'm sure will follow suit.  All the missionaries who taught them were able to come back to the ward to participate in the baptism.  It was great to see all these Elders who we knew and who we have missed from our Ward.  Elder Anderson, Kolomoa, Kiene, Santa Cruz, Elwood, Brother Wong (their uncle) Elder Huston, Brasseaux, and Elder Hart.  We've grown so fond of most of these Elders who we have worked with in the past.  It was like a fun reunion.  The two brother & sister were then confirmed Sunday morning at church.  They were such cute kids.

Fourth of July weekend

We worked in the office until 3:00.  Closed early for the celebration of our Wonderful Country!

        We went first to the Rasmussen's home for a picnic with all the FM and Office Missionaries.  We each brought our own meat and a dish to share.  There was plenty of food.  Elder Rasmussen set up the Bar B Q and the rest of us visited and ate.  This is Elder Atwood looking for what he wants to eat.  Sister Rasmussen is fixing food beside him and Sister Flint is in front.  There were 16 people there.

        After dinner, we drove to the RLDS Auditorium where the Churches joined together with the city, under the direction of Stake President Cato to put together a free concert for all the people in Independence.  The George Dyer family from Branson, Missouri, sang.  George is an Opera singer, who sang with the Tabernacle Choir.  He, his wife, two daughters, and two sons sing in shows together.  One son is serving a mission in Mexico, so he wasn't there.   This is Sister Dyer and her daughter singing one song together.  They were very talented.

         The next day, we had our President's Devotional where new converts share testimony.  This is Doris, who joined the church after searching for years.  She was tired of looking when, Sister Moody and Sister Raymer approached her house, as the last home they would go to for the day.  She wouldn't let them off her porch without asking and talking for a long time.  She just couldn't get enough.  It was like coming home.

        This is Kayla with Elder Alvey and Elder Moss.  She wasn't religious at all and has only attended church a couple times in her life.  She is very scientific and didn't believe without proof.  But, after listening to the missionaries, asking questions, reading, and studying, something happened to her and she discovered that there is more to life than science.  When science runs out and can't explain things, there is another source.  She is converted to truth through the eyes of a Supreme Being.

        This is Kristina with Sister Atwood.  She is fifteen years old.  She was introduced to the church by a boy friend who was LDS.  He gave her the Book of Mormon.  She attended Seminary and read the Book of Mormon 7 times.  She knew it was true, and loves reading it for more and more answers to her questions.

        This is Trisha with Elder Gardner and Elder Colemere.  She was another person who had searched for answers to her questions.  She had been in several churches.  When she met the missionaries, they invited her to the Visitor's Center.  It was there, sitting by the Christus that she felt something she had never felt before.  The feeling encompassed her entire body.  She knew that the message of the Gospel was accompanied by the Holy Ghost, which she felt in that sacred place.
        The night ended with President Vest and Sister Vest, our new President, sharing their testimonies and their desire to continue this great work in bringing souls unto Christ, the only name whereby we can be saved.  He said, "The Gospel and Jesus Christ is the only thing that can mend the broken world we live in.  It is the only way we can be forgiven.  It is the only way we can find true happiness and inner peace."  God loves each of his children.  He is trying to get our attention and help us back to him. I pray that we will open our ears and listen to Him instead of the chaos of the world and the deceptions all around us.  It is a straight shot to Him!  And down deep, we know it is!

A Change of Mission Presidents

        Last Friday, President & Sister Keyes came into the office for some last minute good byes and some final business.  We had bagels & other munchies to eat for them and Elders who came by.  This is Sister Keyes eating as we sat and visited.  President Keyes was finishing interviews in the office.  She has mixed emotions of going home, but also anxious to see her children, grandchildren, and her parents who are still living.  They left for Utah on Saturday.

        This is President & Sister Keyes, our Mission President.  I work as his secretary and he is absolutely a wonderful and spiritual giant.  We will miss them, but have totally enjoyed knowing them both.  This is in the office where we take pictures of the incoming missionaries.  I take the pictures.  So, I have to practice more and take good ones.

        This is our new President Vest and his wife, Sister Vest.  They arrived the same day that President Keyes and his wife left.  They had a few hours to transfer stuff and information.  The mantle has passed and President Vest is also a great man.  I feel so privileged to work under both of them.  The Vests are from Texas.  He has been a CEO of Kimberly Clark and in Mission Presidencies and Temple Presidency before.  They are both ready and anxious to get to work.  His philosophy is: Preach My Gospel, delegation, obedience (the key to personal revelation) and considering every individual as children of God and our brothers and sisters.

        This is one of the missionaries that came in the office that day.  His name is Elder Sanger.  So, I asked him if he was related to a Dan Sanger (Cheryl Nebeker's husband.)  He said, "Yes, he's my uncle."  I said, "well, I'm his aunt."   Then, of course, we had to talk.  Small world!  He's serving here in Missouri.

Some special people & our work

        These are the AP's.  Elder Moss & Elder Alvey.  They are absolutely fine young men.  They are outgoing and help us so much with our jobs.  They also have great and happy personalities.  They are like sons to us.

        This is a new member of our ward in Riverview.  He is Bede Azuka from Nigeria.  He heard about the church in Nigeria, but didn't take the time to learn about it.  Then, he went to school in the Ukraine.  It was there he kept thinking about the church and couldn't get it out of his mine.  He started to read the Book of Mormon and study.  His testimony is so strong.  He said, "nothing else matters when you know what is true.  You just have to give everything else up.  It's the only thing that is important."  He was so fun and happy when he bore this testimony.  We're grateful to have him in the ward.

        This is Elder Butz, Elder Fisihetau, Elder Maaelopa, & Elder Kaafi.  They were in the office yesterday and I just wanted a picture of some our foreign missionaries.  Elder Butz felt a little out of place, being from Highland, Utah.   Elder Fisihetau is from Utah, I'm not sure his nationality.  But, Elder Maaelopa is from Samoa and Elder Kaafi is from Tonga.  They are all great!!!!

        This is Brother Merchan from our Riverview Ward.  His wife is at boot camp.  So he needed help doing his home teaching.  We went with him to visit Sister Suzanne Milne, our Gospel Doctrine teacher.  She is moving to SLC to go to school and get her doctorate.  Great people.

        This is Sister Atwood with Pam Winters.  We met Pam last year.  We have taken her to work each weekend.  She used to work two jobs and still raise her son.  She is such a wonderful person and we just love her.

        This is Elder Atwood, hard at work figuring out where to put the next apartment in.  Yesterday, he had to drive across the mission and furnish two apartments he rented for the missionaries.  I was surprised the missionaries and him got it all loaded.  He is in charge of over 100 apartments.

        Sister Atwood is hard at work at her desk, where she spends most of her time these days.  She is here to help the President of the Mission have an easier job.  She takes care of all travel arrangements for all the missionaries, the Calendars, the History, Correspondence with parents, Packets, notebooks, and folders for each missionary, the Zone Conference Luncheons, and lots of questions from people who call everyday.  She is even learning more computer skills than she thought possible.

        We love you all and hope you enjoy reading any of these things.  Put comments in and we'll answer questions or write different things.  Our mission is wonderful, very busy, and We love the missionaries and especially the Gospel.  We are so blessed to have a knowledge of it and how we are supposed to live our lives.  God is so gracious and patient with us.  But, we must chose.  Time is important.  He will never force us; just plead with us and wait.  "Now, is the time to prepare to meet God, Behold the day of this life is the day to perform your labor."  May we all choose right.

Great Weekend

        Friday night, the VC had Susan Easton Black & George Durrant speak for a fireside evening.  They have both lost their spouse and were married last year.  They were each great as usual.  She has taught at BYU for 38 years and has a superb knowledge concerning Joseph Smith.  She spoke on the history of Nauvoo.  He has taught at UVU and institutes, written books, and has tapes which inspire millions with his humor and zeal for the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Elder Atwood credits him for helping him get active in the church years ago.  He also performed the marriage of Joe Buck & Kati.  I think Jeff had her as a professor of History when he attended BYU.

        The top picture is the garden and yard of the historic Vaile Mansion here in Independence, MO.  It was owned by the Vaile family from eastern US who came to Independence to build a showplace on the western front.  They built it in the early 1880's.  It is fantastic, inside and out.  It is still a showplace.

        Elder Atwood is standing in front of it, showing the size and beauty of it.  We were here Saturday to participate in the annual Strawberry Day Festival where they have numerous booths set up around the yards, selling their wares.  Of course, they sell strawberries and Elder Atwood loved the desserts.  The Vaile Society keep up the mansion and use the money from the Festival to help.

        We took a tour through the mansion and were pleased.  It is all decorated and furnished in European style, (French) because Mrs. Vaile liked the style so well.  It cost $150, 000 to build it then.  It's worth over 8 million now.  It has 35 rooms, 14 fireplaces, bathtubs, and rooms for quests and servants.  It was so fun going through it.  The ceiling here has several layers of trim, just like originally.

        This is a cupboard with a crawl through for the butler.  It is between the dining room and the kitchen.  They also had closets in the bedrooms.  Closets cost more in taxes, but Mr Vaile didn't care about that.  He made his fortune with Government contracts for servicing the mail routes to the west, especially the Santa Fe Trail.

        Here are the booths.  There were many more, completely around the mansion.

        The missionaries in Independence were here to set up the main booths and to take down after the Festival was over.  They were a great help and the people of the community surely appreciate them coming.  There were ten Elders, but here is a picture of some.  Elders Fisihetau, Simonsen (ASL) Christensen, Crowton, and Nyholm.

        Two of the VC sisters attended also.  They even helped a little.  But here, they are enjoying the strawberry shortcake available for all.  Sister Jacobs is from Cedar Hills and knows the Fife family.  Sister Forbush is from Rexburg and a great pianist and singer.  We love all the missionaries!

       We ended the weekend with Stake Conference.  Saturday session included these missionaries here and many others attending the Independence Stake who each stood and told why they loved the members of the stake.  The Theme was on Missionary Work and it was great to hear one line from each of them.
        Sunday morning the Theme was on Keeping our Covenants.  President & Sister Keyes spoke for the last time in the stake because they are changing Mission Presidents the end of this month.  He always bears such a powerful testimony of Joseph Smith, Book of Mormon, President Monson, and the Savior Jesus Christ.  He truly knows that He lives and guides this church.

        President Cato concluded the Conference with his always powerful testimony.  He truly loves every member of the stake.  They know him and love him.  His friendly personality is matched by his strong testimony of Zion and it's place in the future.  He knows the Savior is coming!  He admonished us to prepare ourselves to meet Him!  He promised us that he would not fail us, nor fail his loving parents; that he prays everyday to give his whole heart and soul to this work.  He said, "we are battling Satan, who has filled the world with deceptions and evils that are threatening the spiritual lives of our brothers and sisters.  We must save one soul at a time.  That is our responsibility.  Nothing else matters than living the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

New Apartment--New Jobs

        Yes, we have moved up the street and across the way to 207 East Sea Avenue.  It is much nicer and all six apartments in this building are rented for Senior Couples serving missions by the church.  It is nice to have the association of these couples.  We were alone, now we're by others.  We have FHE each Monday evening together taking turns.  Our turn is next Monday.

        Here is Sister Atwood moving some of her things into the apartment six-plex.  It was certainly an easy move since we don't have much to move.  It is furnished, so we really only have our clothes and personal items.  We did move our Queen Bed, because Elder Atwood is now in charge of Housing and we wanted to keep it.  Older people need good beds!

        This is our living room, much bigger than before and even decorated with lovely pictures and two recliner chairs.  We are really fortunate.  We are on the top floor so we can get unwanted exercise.

        This is down the hall with a lovely picture of Moroni burying the plates.  The two bedrooms are at the end of the hall.  We use one for sleeping and the other as a study.  We do have a queen bed in the study in case someone comes to visit.

        We now work in the office.  We still attend our little Riverview Ward, but can't do the visits as much.  We are grateful for the experiences there, because it helps us appreciate all the hard working missionaries.  We also have met many choice people.  In the office we work with these three other couples.  Elder & Sister Haws are in charge of Finance and Baptisms & Mailing.  Elder and Sister Lillywhite (training us) are in charge of Secretary & Housing.  Elder & Sister Rasmussen are in charge of Cars & Medical.  We are now taking the Lillywhites place.  They left two days ago to return to their place near Logan, Utah.

   
        This is Elder Atwood and Elder Lillywhite.  They are great friends.  He is such a worker.  He always runs to do things.  His age hasn't slowed him down at all!

        This is the Lillywhites together.  She has trained my well.  She was an excellent secretary.  I have still much to learn.  It is a huge job and many and varied responsibilities.  Now, I'm alone and working harder than I think I ever have.  But, I really enjoy the work!  I always wanted to be a secretary and never have been.  Now I've jumped into the fire!
        We love all of you and the gospel and Our Savior more than we can ever explain.  This is a special place in history (past, present, and future.)  I just hope we will all give to the Lord our Heart and Strength.  When He comes, we really want to meet Him and be like Him.  He gives us so many chances and opportunities.  But, our choice is clear and the time to make that choice is NOW!
        Love, Elder & Sister Atwood