August 16, 2015-Pageant Openings, loads of visitors, and our own family reunion

Dear Family and Friends,

            Whew! We made it through July! We kept calling it “the tsunami” because of how many visitors we were able to greet, help, teach and entertain. We had over 2,000 per day. The pageant people estimate that about 55,000 persons watched the two pageant in one month. It seemed we ran from one place to another; serving in the Visitor's Center, narrating wagon rides, setting up the sound system for the Sunset shows,  and performing Rendezvous twice a week. Then we ran to the pageants to help hand out brochures and programs. It was wonderful to take part in this second summer season. Elder Schultz was in Sunset every night, and we performed our “Summertime” song with his jokes, twice a week. Every night we were so exhausted we literally fell into bed.

            Part of our busy-ness was all the visitors who came to see us and experience Nauvoo and the pageants. We had 3 solid weeks of visitors that made this mission more wonderful. We had the young sister missionaries from last year come as a group. It was so fun to have them to dinner and hear about all their activities after their missions. Then we had Bart and Karen Grant, originally from our Brea ward but moved to Utah a few years ago. Then my 2 sisters Cheryl, and Dianne, with their spouses, my brother David, and my cousin Cindy and her daughter, Tiffany, came for a week, and we had great fun together. I got them tickets for the shows, and wagon rides and they saw both pageants. They also went to the Indian mounds, and the Amish store and village on their own. 

             Then after they left, my 2 nieces, Daunine and Kristen came with some of their families for five days and experienced it all.  My cousin, Kriss Gates and her husband, Ed, came for the weekend, and saw the shows and pageants. Also that weekend our former bishop Deric Lords, and his wife Debby, daughter Missy and grandkids came for 2 days. It was so fun to see them too!

Daunine & Kristen

Daunine, my sister-in-law Carol, Kristen, Stacie

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 Ed & Kriss Gates

"We just spent two beautiful days in Nauvoo! My cousin, Nancy, and her husband, Harry, are 

serving a mission there. It was our first time to be there in the summer to see t

he pageants and summer shows. We loved it!

Debbie & Deric Lords 

Shannah & Stacia

 Nancy's Family

From L to R: Tiffany & Cindy Karrington, Diane & Rick Ingram, Nancy, David Startup,
Steve & Cheryl Worsley

            Then to finally top it off, we had our Schultz family reunion with all eight of our children, all spouses (except for Brian who had to stay in Germany and take a test), and 23 grandchildren. They rented 2 big homes, and we had a blast!  It was a little crazy and hectic but we loved it! They saw the historic sites, went on wagon, carriage and oxen rides, and saw the pageants. 

          One of the highlights was doing a handcart trek together. Each family had their own handcart, and we only did a one mile, which took one hour. Everyone dressed in pioneer clothes, including the babies, and it was fun, but also hard work. I think we all gained a greater appreciation for the pioneers, and had just a taste of pushing and pulling together, through streams, up and down hills, over rocky terrain, etc. We also had our own Family Home Evening in the Seventies Hall, which was built to train missionaries, or the first MTC. We made lots of memories together that week, and it was sad to say goodbye to them all. Heather and Poppy stayed an extra day, and then Christy and Spencer stayed a whole week, which we really enjoyed the one on one time.

            We have had many wonderful missionary experiences this summer; we have planted seeds in the hearts of nonmembers, and helped strengthen members who came here. We especially have enjoyed sharing our testimonies with the youth who came with conferences and 2 EFY’s. We have been on our mission 17 months now, and would have been going home in a month, but we are staying until December. We have loved every minute of it, and look forward to four more months. We hope you are finding joy in serving the Lord in your various callings. The gospel is True!!    

Love, The Schultzes

April 15, 2015-Guest Bloggers, Carl & Lynnae Knapp (Nancy's Sister)

We just watched Harry and Nancy in their show called "Rendezvous" and they had lead parts and sang duets! A fun way to end our wonderful Nauvoo visit. We go home tomorrow and won't see them for two years !

(This is Christy, Nancy's daughter)

          Nancy's Sister, Lynnae Knapp, is only 1 1/2 years younger than Nancy. They have been close their whole life. She and her husband will be leaving to Guatemala soon on their 2 year mission so they decided to visit Nancy and Harry to see their life and tour Nauvoo.  These pictures have been taken from Carl & Lynnae's Instagram posts.

       We're on our way to Nauvoo, Illinois to see Sister Nancy and Elder Harry Schultz, thanks to the goodness and generosity our our wonderful sister and brother, DeAnne and Mark. We're sooooo excited and love them very much!

Here at the Nauvoo Stake Center. This is a missionary breakfast to say goodbye to all the departing missionaries.

We shared breakfast with all the missionary couples that were serving. We got to meet a lot of the people Nancy and Harry work with and their Mission President Gibbons.

Nancy and I are standing near the Indian Burial mounds from the people who died between the ages of 300 B.C. to 500 A D here along the Mississippi River.

This is Carl and I with Tomassi and Irene, where we just visited their beautiful round home and They are related to the Wolfgramms. They have 14 children and 58 grand children.

We are here with the Tukuafu family that are Tongan and are related to the Wolfgramms two or three generations back, they live here in Nauvoo and we have come to meet them. They built this beautiful "round" house.

They make instruments and sing together.

Irene plays the "Lyre" that she made.

This is a bread knife and she's cutting the bread she made.

Sister Tukuafus woodworking shop. 

Stopped to see the temple quarry where they made the ancient stones for the original Nauvoo temple. Sorry about all the different pictures, but I promised Aunt DeAnne I would send her everything we are going to visit and see.

Guess who we just ran into and found out is going to live right next door to Nancy and Harry, here in Nauvoo? Yep, Phil and Susan, Knapp, our Bro and Sis-in-law who are called to serve here and they just arrived today!

Found this house in a little town, close to Nauvoo and it was settled by the Mormons. Read the plaque.

On the wagon ride before conference.

Carl and I are on a horse drawn wagon ride, through Nauvoo. This is our view of the Temple.

Carl and I sitting on the wagon as we finish the tour.

We got a minute remembrance tour and climbed 12 flights of stairs up to the very top of the tower. We has been there.

In front of the temple after a temple session.

We are here in the Nauvoo Visitor's Center watching conference with Phil and Susan! Who would have ever thought this would and could happen, just 4 weeks before we leave to go on our Mission to Guatemala. They just arrived yesterday, and they have been given a house to live in, literally right next door to Nancy and Harry! Wow, "the Lord doth truly provide". We are having such a great time here, together with the Schultzs and the Knapps.

Carl and I In front of the Nauvoo House , D&C 124 that's mentioned in there.

Carl in front of the first Joseph Smith home, called the "Homestead House."

This is the 3 Head Stones of where Joseph, Hyrum, and Emma Smith are buried, outside of the original Smith home, in Nauvoo.

We are upstairs in the Red Brick Store House where all the meetings took place and where the first Relief Society met. Last weekend, for the Relief Society anniversary they had a special meeting and got permission to have it up here in this room and this is where Nancy was able to give the closing prayer, because she was an actual descendent of the Smith line.

Carl in the Store House.

We're having Easter breakfast here, next door, with Phil and Susan, obviously I'm taking the picture!

This is Carl just standing in front of where you walk down the sidewalk. If you look straight behind him, is the Carthage Jail. We will be sending a lot of pictures with regards to that because that's where we visited today.

This is me standing at the top of the stairs where the mob came up to the room where Hyrum and Joseph Smith were martyred.

Carl is pointing to the hole in the door where the bullet came through and shot Hyrum in the face.

We are standing in front of the window where Joseph fell out of the window when he was shot and fell to the ground below,

We are standing on the ground where Joseph fell out of the second window, next to the little well. It was a really neat experience to be able to go back and see all of this today between the two sessions of conference.

We are with 4 other missionary couples, having a traditional Easter dinner, after conference, here in Nauvoo,

This is me, on a Horse drawn carriage ride, with Carl and we stopped to see across the Mississippi River.

• This is Joseph Smith's farmhouse that is up on the bluff, 3 miles out of town from the city of Nauvoo. Joseph and Emma and their four children lived here while they farmed.

This is part of the posted names who are buried at the little Nauvoo cemetery where we have come to visit today. Obviously they have moved Hyrum, Joseph and Emma to be buried right there in Nauvoo.

Carl and Harry leaving the cemetary

Me standing in the old, original cemetery that many of our Smith ancestors were buried here.

More Smith family names that are buried in Nauvoo cemetery.

We drove down by the river and Nancy showed us the original little, Old StonyArch bridge that the Saints built to get across the canal, going down to the river.

Ok, me standing in front of Lucy Mack Smith's , where she lived at the time of the martyrdom!

Nancy and her friend standing upstairs!

Me sitting on the tiny little narrow stairs going upstairs at Lucy Mack Smith home.

Lucy Mack Smith's tiny "laying-in-room" for the elderly or pregnant women so they didn't have to go up the "narrow" stairs! It was placed right in the middle of the living room area, so they didn't have to miss out on the socializing and visiting of that women who came to visit.

We are in the Visitor's Center with Nancy and Harry and they are showing us around. This is one of the only 3 remaining, original sunstones on display here. It was a very emotional, yet awesome feeling as we stood and realized it's sacred meaning. We are so glad we came here to Nauvoo! Hopefully you have enjoyed all of my posts.

         This is a picture of Estel Neff, who is the great-great-great grandson of Kathryn Smith, sister between Hyrum and Joseph. He joined the church 19 years ago and we met him in his gift shop, here in Nauvoo. The picture behind us is of them on their 65th Anniversary.