Wednesday, January 21, 2015

January 21-No more pioneer clothes, technology and Meet the Mormons

Dear Friends and Family,

         How are all of you doing? I can’t believe it has been 3 weeks since I last wrote. They tell us that this is supposed to be the slow time here in Nauvoo, but we have never been so busy! We basically are planning for the rest of the year. We still have our regular district and zone training meetings, but we also have meetings with the president and the public affairs committee to plan future events i.e. VIP tours of city leaders around the area, such as mayors, chamber presidents, other churches, etc. Plus, we are helping plan an Easter concert too. Not on the scale of the Christmas one, but we have been contacting churches in the surrounding cities like Fort Madison, Burlington, Quincy, Keokuk, Carthage, Hamilton and Warsaw to come and participate with their choirs. So far, many have said maybe, but no confirmations. Since Easter is on general conference weekend, this will be held the week before on March 29. All these events are to bring more people into Nauvoo, so that we can share the gospel and testimonies with them.

         Another big push right now is getting people to come and watch the movie we just got into the visitor center, “Meet the Mormons”. It is exclusively being shown in all the visitor centers. Then it will go out on Netflix and possibly You Tube. We have been booking whole wards and branches around this area to come and watch it, especially their youth groups. We are encouraging them to bring their friends. If any of you have not seen this amazing film, you MUST!! Please go to your closest visitors' center. Take your friends, they will love it! It is not preachy or religious; it just focuses on 6 different people from parts of the world who are LDS, and how they live their lives. So professional and well done! I am always so proud to recommend it to people we meet in other neighboring cities.


         We have been rehearsing for some new musical numbers to be introduced to the Sunset by Mississippi directors, The Camps, who are coming out next week. Sister Brown, and I are singing them, with Elders Broadhead and Schultz accompanying us. One is called Alabama Jubilee, - a ragtime rhythm upbeat song for the women to sing. And for the men: All I Gotta Do Is Act Naturally , a Beatles song done in Buck Owens style. Wish us luck that they will want to do these ones instead of the old ones we did last year.

Here is a picture of my close friend Sister Clement and me. She made me this beautiful shawl to wear with pioneer dresses but I wear it with regular clothes too. She is in charge of our Humanitarian projects and so talented. She has made over 25 of these shawls for sisters here if they get her the yarn! In her spare time!  We have become like sisters! So much in common. Similar health problems and love the same things.

Also we are practicing for the Exodus Re-enactment celebration Feb. 6 & 7- We are singing songs, and Elder Schultz and I are reading some parts taken from the journals of the saints who had to leave here in 1846. Then we make the trek from the cultural hall down Main Street, to the end of Parley Street where they crossed the river. Elder Schultz will march in the Nauvoo Legion group, carrying a fake rifle, and I am proudly carrying the flag of England, where my Smith and Startup ancestors came from. They tell us that great numbers of descendants come from all over to march with us, and honor these people who left in February- the dead of winter! We are excited to be part of this event and wish you could all be here with us.

 There is such an amazing spirit of missionary work throughout the church and world! The Lord truly is “Hastening the Work” to prepare us for His second coming. We are being trained how to use the social media, post gospel subjects, follow up, share the gospel with all of our friends and families- all those we come in contact with. We will be held accountable for not approaching them. All of us! This may be their only contact with an LDS person. Please have courage and open your mouth, and invite people to come to an activity, or see a movie, or go on Mormon.org and view profiles- and make sure you have posted a profile, so you can ask them to see yours! We also see hastening through genealogy work. Every day there are new additions to Family Search.com- we are being trained weekly on how to submit names for temples. And remember, they need YOU  to go do the work in the temple. Make it a HUGE priority. Okay? You will receive so many blessings.We have been promised by prophets, that angels will literally watch over us and our children, if we go to the temple- we need this especially in these last perilous days, when Satan’s forces are all over!

I better close now. We are serving in the Visitors' Center today- six days a week now! We don’t get to wear pioneer clothes and go into the historic sites anymore. We are directors of this important starting point for all of our visitors. We are helping plan several youth conference groups itineraries- over 5,000 youth came last year from all over the United States; 150,000  approximately visitors here last year; 60,000 in July alone during the 2 pageants. We feel a great responsibility to help them all have a wonderful, spiritual, meaningful experience here.

We love serving the Lord here in Nauvoo, and look forward to each new day, and being able to touch people’s lives. Thank you for the letters and notes you have written to us. We love you all so much!


Love from Elder and Sister Schultz

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