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.
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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.
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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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