Dear
Family and Friends,
How are you all? It is hard to
believe we now have been on our mission for almost 16 months! How time has
flown by! I am sure it is because we are so busy with our many duties here in
the Nauvoo, Illinois mission. I try to sit down and write a letter every 2
weeks, but get so distracted by life, that I can’t seem to finish. I apologize
again, because it has been 3 weeks since
last writing.
The weather here has been crazy like
the rest of the United States! We have had rain almost every day; sometimes in
the morning, sometimes at night. It is always accompanied by lightning and
thunder storms too! It hasn’t even gotten hot yet, but is so wet, that the
farmers are concerned about too much rain for their crops. What an opposite
problem to the west, where they are experiencing a drought. Texas is also
getting overloaded with rain! We have had to move our outdoor program “Sunset”
inside to the West Theatre many times, and since it only holds 244, we have to
turn over a hundred guests away. But oh how green everything is from the
moisture! All trees, bushes, plants and flowers grow so much faster out here.
We are now averaging about 1,000
persons a day in the Visitor's Center, and that will triple starting July with
the 2 Pageants coming. The Core Casts arrived this past week to start
rehearsing (they have all the lead parts).
We are getting so excited! Tomorrow we all help set 3,000 chairs up on
the newly laid sod in front of the big outdoor Pageant stage. The bagpipers
arrived last night, and started to practice. This becomes a totally different
mission during Pageant time with all the people in town, and the hundreds of
cast members that come to perform in both the Nauvoo and British Pageants.
Martyrdom Commemoration
Tomorrow is June 27, and time for
the commemoration of the Martyrdom of Joseph and Hyrum Smith down at Carthage.
We aren’t able to attend, because we need to stay and keep the Visitor's Center
open. Since we went last year, we are allowing the “new” missionaries to go.
I’m kind of sad to miss it, but realize the importance of being here in town,
and “holding the fort down." There are usually hundreds of people that come to
honor these two fallen prophets. They setup chairs all over the grass in front
of the Carthage Visitor's Center. It
was a wonderful spiritual event last year.
Surprise Visitors & Connections
We had a surprise visit from a good
friend from Brea this past week: Buddy Reed, who was in Kansas City on business
and had an extra day so drove up to visit. He is in our home ward, and Elder
Schultz was their family’s home teacher. What fun we had taking him around to
the sites, and going to Carthage Jail together. His highlight was finding much
information on his ancestors who lived here; he is descendant of Ezra T.
Benson, great grandfather of Ezra Taft Benson. We took him to Land and Records
where he was able to put all of it on a disc to take home. We also made a
connection with the grandmother of one of our male YPMs named Elder
Hendrickson. His grandmother is Sister Simpson (can’t remember her first name)
wife of Woody Simpson, from the San Marino, CA ward where I grew up. She came
with her daughter Marilyn’s family to see them. They live in Thousand Oaks, and
the dad works with Myles Steimle, our son-in-law, in some kind of backyard
construction. What a small world when you get to talking! I love it that we
meet so many wonderful new people here and rekindle many old relationships with
past friends too!
The Ballroom Dance Company from BYU has been here the past two weeks, and what a wonderful, beautiful show they have put on every night, immediately following our Sunset Show. They are so professional, and their costumes are modest, but very beautiful! Their precision in all of the dances was amazing! Again, Harry introduced their show each night, and we have enjoyed getting to know all of them. I was even able to give them narration of wagon rides around Old Nauvoo.
Good News
We had some fun and exciting news in
our mission this past week. We work with Sister Sharon Watkins, a single senior
sister here who is head of the Public Affairs Committee. She is also from
Orange County, Laguna Hills area, and we served in the Newport Beach Temple,
but on separate shifts. We have become such good friends, since we have so much
in common (only a handful of us from California) and both grew up in the
Pasadena/Glendale area, only one year apart. We have shared many activities and
meetings together. Anyway, remember last letter when I told you about a man
named Elder Nickell, who services and fixes all the computers in the mission?
He is a widower, and also helps us a lot with Public Affairs. They have decided
to get married! We are so happy for both of them. They have been super
secretive and following mission rules, and their relationship has blossomed
from serving together in the PA Department. He lives here in Nauvoo, so they
are getting married in September after she is released from her mission. She
will move here to live permanently! After telling the Mission President, and
her companion, they shared the news with us! We are so excited, and now it is
out in the open, and everyone here is so happy for them!
Touring Nearby Places
We have been able to visit many new and wonderful places around Iowa and Illinois, such as Lincoln’s home and museum, Bishop Hill, Illinois, an old Swedish town, Bonaparte- an Amish community, and more.
John Deere Factory
Today was one of the highlights of
our mission. But today on our P-Day, we went with another couple to see The John Deere Factory up in Moline, Illinois
about 2 hours north of us. Oh my
goodness! It was one of the most educational and fascinating experiences I have
ever had! I wish all of you could come and see it! This happened to be the
warehouse of building their huge Combines! I couldn’t believe how big and
intricately built they are. They are as tall as a 2-story building, and they
are what the farmers use to harvest their grain crops, such as corn, wheat,
barley, soybeans, and more.
They took about 10 of us on trams around huge
factories, showing us all the steps from laser cutting the sheets of metal, to
the welding and painting of all parts (green of course) which are dipped in
huge tanks, to the assembling of the
parts, engines, and giant tires. It takes about 2 weeks to complete one
combine, and they sell for $650,000 each! There were about 50 on the assembly
line today, and they don’t build one until they have orders and paid for. They
had 2,200 employees at this one location. There are more JD factories all around
the city that make tractors, lawnmowers, and other farming machinery, but this
is the biggest! They said one wheat farmer in Russia bought 12 of them last
year! Yikes! How did he afford them, and to ship them over?
We continue to love and serve the
Lord every day in the Visitor's Center. We meet so many people from all walks of life.
And they come to Nauvoo to either learn church history and doctrine, or strengthen
their own testimonies, and those of their children. We try to help them have
those special “spiritual experiences”, by providing fun and wholesome activities, films, and tours of the
historic sites, which all have a “gospel message” given by our missionaries.
“Our (missionary)
purpose is to bring others unto Christ, by helping them to receive the restored
gospel of Jesus Christ and His atonement, through faith, repentance, baptism,
receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end.”
We recite
this purpose in all our training, district and zone meetings. I feel we have
been able to do that, since being on this mission. We love the Savior, and are
so grateful for the blessings He pours out on us and our family every day! What
an honor and privilege it is to represent Him; and such a small sacrifice to
give 21 months to show our love and gratitude to Him.
We hope you might consider and plan on serving
a mission some time in your life. It has been the most awesome experience for
us. Thank you so much for all of your love and support!
Love
Elder and Sister Schultz
(Mom
and Dad to some of you)
