THE PURPOSE of STANDARDS

If you run your own company I may be preaching to the choir, but hear me out anyway. In my new calling as a cleaner for the Lord I have daily been reminded of the importance of standards to maintain quality control and consistency. Our little band of deep cleaners has named themselves The Nauvoo Blue Belle Shiners....Blue because of our light blue shirts and dark blue aprons, Belle because we're beautiful ladies, and shiners because we shine up physically and spiritually wherever we go! Here's a picture of us. I had to cut and paste one person in who was missing. This gorgeous house was in Carthage, IL.

WE have the honor and priviledge of developing the new standards and procedures for our department. We are strictly in charge of maintaining the churches missionary housing in Carthage and Nauvoo. We are developing the cleaning procedures so that anyone who joins our department or if we get a new manager, the high standards of cleanliness and order will continue.

Every day we DEEP clean (the way YOU might once a year) EVERY DAY. We pull out the fridge, oven, washer and dryer and clean under and behind. We remove the light fixtures and clean them, we clean the base boards and moulding, scrub blinds, windows, pull out beds and clean under and behind, wipe drawers, check kitchen and laundry inventory, toilets inside and out, hard water on shower and tub walls, drains, and on and on.

Every once in a while one of us will say to ourselves or to someone else, "GOOD ENOUGH! I'm tired of this blind or floor, or window" and if you saw how dusty/dirty/decrepit it was before we started on it you might say "good enough" too. But comparing to anything besides THE standard is disatrous for consistency and quality control. IF the standard is based on how tired you are, or whether your knees or back hurt, or if you were at odds with someone, or were never taught how to clean, it really couldn't be called a standard! You must compare to THE standard EVERY time and hold every worker accountable EVERY time.

When I get fed up or frustrated I take a break, do something else then come back and do it right. Sometimes a fellow worker will take over and finish it off. I will also step in when someone is just plain exhausted and can't be on their knees any more and finish. When our boss hears, "good enough" she will pop over and check it out and either give correction, or spell them off and finish it or ask someone else to. We all help each other. There's no judging only understanding and gratitutde, and lovingly holding each other to the standard.

In the end the new missionaries coming in have a really sparkling apartment or home. They are already tired and homesick and stressed from the big life change. Providing a clean and welcoming environment is just our way of saying, "You're safe, we love you, we're here for you"

In life God has given us his commandments...there are more than ten. Each one crafted lovingly to help you have the best experience here on earth. We mustn't compare ourselves to others. We can't say, well I'm OK because at least I'm not as bad as _____________." Nor can we say, "I'm never going to be good enough because I can never measure up to ____________________" Nephi 3:7 reads: And it came to pass that I, Nephi, said unto my father: I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them. That means everyone has the power to live up to God's Standard. Everyone. Our job is to support everyone in living the standards, give grace, and no making excuses for others or yourself...and it's GOD's job to make up the difference...not yours. So it's ALL good.

There and Back Again: Week 9

Merry Christmas to All and a Happy NEW YEAR!!

This past week was a beautiful week of working, a Christmas Eve dinner and talent show and devotional, and a quiet friendly Chrismas with our new mission friends. I love the christ centered focus, delicious food, and the fun Scrooge (Albert Finney) movie in the theatre! I am ALWAYS inspired by this movie and I've watched it every year since it came into being! I always cry at the end. I love the story of Ebenezer Scrooge. I collect versions of this Dickens Christmas Carol. I have all kinds of dramatic, musical, ridiculous, terrible, wonderful, beautiful, and operatic versions. Every December I will watch 10-12 versions of Scrooge. This year only once and it was on Christmas Day. At the time Dickens wrote this story there was a BIG rift between the secular celebration of "Christmas" and the sacred celebration of Christmas. I love how the message of the importance of family, service and caring and giving lead one to true joy. Also the message that you're never too old to repent and change. I believe that with all my heart. It truly is NEVER too late. There is nothing you have done or that has been done to you that Jesus Christ can not fix. In fact HE has already fixed it. You just need to come to Him and let him heal you. The BEST Christmas Gift of all!

The GIFT of a TESTIMONY or The Trials of a Middle School Teacher

While looking for something else, I came across a letter I wrote to my daughter, Autumn, when she was on her mission to Russia for 18 months. I will share it. It is my gift to you as well. That's the great thing about a testimony. It truly is the gift that keeps on giving. Little did I DREAM when I wrote it that one day I would be on a mission and that it would turn and re inspire me!

Dearest Autumn (Sister Cullen) As you may recall, I’m teaching 3rd period Choir (6th-8th grade), 5th period Recorders (6th grade)and 6th period rotation (7th-8th grade). That last class has me EXHAUSTED! Truly..it’s physically challenging having to be around such chaotic dark energy with 33 little flashes of light showing the goodness that’s accessible and then trying to catch that light and fan it into something self sustaining! Yesterday I tried to have all the teams work physically on their ootm problem. Two tables were balsa wood, one was vehicle, one was supposed to be creating stuff with rubber bands to change the wording of something, ring a bell, and sound an alarm...etc. ONLY one of me, running in circles...trying to keep people on task. Boys hopping teams, putting tracks on their heads, gluing each other with crazy glue, I finally had to shut them all down and have them clean up and sit quietly on the floor. It was CRAZY...Someone had glued the new boy’s back pack zipper closed (he speaks NO English)...it was terrible. I gave them all a talking to about how we can not have any negativity...EVEN IN JEST! This was a mean prank. They seemed to care. I let them out AFTER the bell rang. Luckily it’s a 3 day week end. I had bus duty, then came back to my room to clean up the messssssssssss....they had supposedly cleaned up..hahah! Poor Ephraim was so tired of waiting for a ride home. It didn’t help that I am on my period and am being drained of my blood and energy...hahaha. The next week after making them sit and watch youtube videos and take notes for two days I decided to give it another try. I had this really fun idea of using some industrial sized lasagna that Reg bought for a spont. Each piece is about 2.5 feet long! I gave each team two pieces of dry lasagna, a 3 ft piece of string, a clothes pin and four balloons. Their task...... Using only these materials and your pencils and notebooks, make a set of tracks that everyone is holding so it doesn’t touch the table and roll the balloons along the tracks and make them go uphill, downhill and jump a gap in the tracks. You may not touch the balloons with your hands except to place them on the track in the first place. It was supposed to be a 10 minute opening exercise. “Go” I said...they immediately started crumbling the lasagna, shredding the string, (one boy was sawing the string back and forth across the back of his chair...melting a line in the plastic.) they poked holes in the balloons with their pencils, stabbed each other’s balloon from other teams, put the balloons in their mouths, pretended they were condoms, pretended they were pregnant...one boy tied a balloon to a string and started batting it around his head squealing (I’m pretty sure he’s on the spectrum now).... I was zooming around the room saying, “Stop loves”,” tell your body no, brother”, “NO STABBING! THAT’s DANGEROUS”, “Five more minutes...FIVE more minutes...are you solving your problem?” FORTY “MINUTES later ?i rang the chime....They settled down.. “Team one, show us your solution!” Team one looked at each other accusingly. “We’re not leaving until your show us your solution.” They grabbed the rubble from their table, two students had tried to do something...they cobbled a track of sorts and made the balloon go uphill , downhill, and for the jump, one girl had put the clothespin on the string and pinched the only balloon they had left and it slid across the gap like a zip line. “Ours was dumb!” one team member lamented. “YES,” I agreed, “BUT your zip line idea was AMAZINGLY CREATIVE and that’s what we’re looking for in odyssey of the mind. Do more like that.” “TEAM TWO..you’re next”...suddenly teams 3-6 started scrabbling. I head remarks such as “You idiot you popped our balloons! You did too!, You broke our pasta! “ As they began to find a real solution each team stood and showed their solution. I was able to find ONE REAL thing to compliment on each one..miraculously. The bell rang to end school. We had two teams left. “NO ONE IS LEAVING until everyone has finished” There was an uproar. “NO I shouted above the din, you wasted your time...you’re not leaving.. they quickly settled down and teams five and six anxiously and quickly showed their “solutions”. Now the room was a WRECK...the floor looked like we had thrown three garbage cans around. “OK I announced...clean up before you go.” Now they got mutinous making comments about missing the bus, parents waiting, illegal, etc. Suddenly I realized they were going to storm out past me. I crossed my arms, blocked the door as they pushed against me and started singing “Clean up Clean up everybody everywhere, Clean up Clean up everybody do your share.” The people against me backed up in confusion. I started up again..deciding, “ I’m quitting tomorrow anyway.. I might as well go for it.” I sang louder and louder over and over and over again. Until it got so awkward for THEM that people started cleaning up, others started singing too. Some hid behind the white board trying not to clean up but I pointed to them and sang louder until they came out with confused and bewildered faces and cleaned up. Soon the floor was spotless, but I didn’t stop singing, so they stacked the chairs (AHH I thought, I’m never stacking the chairs again!)...I kept singing and suddenly one big guy folded up his table and placed It against the wall. (AHHH I thought, I’m never doing that again either!) The room was completely in order. I opened the door and let them out thanking each one....when they were gone I went to my desk and put my head down....then I got up and walked out to the car. All I could think of was...I can’t do this...they’re too untrustworthy, this was a dumb idea...we don’t have enough supplies and accountable people to help to keep everyone on task. I need THREE more tables (Custodian said there were no more tables!) some groups were on the floor! Ugh!..It was sweaty hot too. My air conditioner in the class is broken and seems to be blowing HOT air...sweat was pouring down my back like when we were in Shang Hai, China!...I got home and drank a ton of water and flopped on the couch and began praying for a good idea, anything, permission to quit, hahahah...and ZONKED out for 4 hours! I suddenly woke up from a dream. In the dream I was teaching at the X-Men school...for special children...you know, like Wolverine, Storm, invisible boy, etc. I was doing OOTM with them and they were creating AMAZING and wonderful things. I was filming the complicated machinery of some very cool balsa wood designed marble maze and complimenting the team. They were all pleased, but the energy in the room still felt chaotic like at any time the students could blast each other with fire, power, ice, etc. but they didn’t because I was there and I helped them control their powers and I was immune to their powers somehow. I was not afraid. I mentioned to someone that there was a new kid coming to class, an ice boy. I wondered out loud what a boy made of ice would look like when he walked in the door. He was as white as paper...no features, but wore dark clothes and sunglasses. “You want to know how an ice boy moves around?” He said in a belligerent and threatening voice, “Come shake my hand and you can find out for yourself!” He growled, implying that he’d use his powers on me to freeze me. I continued filming the project I was filming and cheerfully stated, “I’d LOVE to shake your hand, get over here and meet me” I knew his powers were useless on me. I woke suddenly...with two thoughts in my head...call the dads in the class and see if any of them are available to volunteer in class and help monitor each team. And TWO: Call home depot and ask for glue so everyone could have a GOOD working bottle. I called the dads that had come to my mind and left messages. I called Home Depot and talked to the manager on duty.. Her name was Lyn. “I KNOW ALL ABOUT Odyssey of the Mind!” She said (she had been involved with it in Vallejo), “Can you be here in 10 min?” Daddy Reg came with me and Lynn gave me EVERYthing I needed for FREE. We just loaded up my cart and she walked me past the cashier. As I walked out to my car I saw a man ahead of me... The spirit said, “TALK TO HIM” so I did. It was awkward...”UH Hi...do you have any kids in school?” “ No...why?” he said. “Uhhh I don’t know..I think you looked familiar” I lied. Ugh...”are you a teacher?” he asked. “Yes! “ I said and briefly explained I was looking for volunteers for my class. Come to find out. He used to be a homeless bum on the streets but had pulled himself up by his bootstraps and was now a successful marketing guy, married and had just moved to Windsor! Soon he was taking the information down to come in and help once a week! Then he asked me, “Do you believe in God?” “YES!” I answered. “I believe he asked me to talk to you.” “So do I. Do you believe in Jesus Christ?” “I am a true follower of Jesus Christ!” I smiled. “ Can we have a prayer?” He asked. “YES!” I said. So his wife and I held hands while he prayed mightily to Heavenly Father for me and my class” We had tears in our eyes...it was surreal. Then as I turned to go back into the store (Reg was still inside fidgeting in the nuts and bolts isle)..I saw a home Depot worker with a load of cardboard (flat and tubes)..”Hey, what are you doing with that stuff?” I asked..”Tossing it.” He called out. “ Can I have it?” I called...”SURE” he sounded surprised. I put it all in my suburban... I am SO ready for when school starts up again. I am not saying I think the kids will be ANY different, but I feel like the Lord is on my side and sending angels to help me. So let us see how it goes! The next morning Spring called just after devotional to tell me something cool about her English class. I told her she was SO GREAT! And Doing so well in college. “It’s not me mom!” she interrupted. “It’s the Lord. “ She had dedicated her first year to Jesus Christ. Doing all things in His name. She had written out a covenant and read it out loud in private..covenanting that if He would help her to remember and understand what she was taught and help her be a good student she would do such and such..” I was inspired by her faith. When we hung up I got out my journal. I wrote out a covenant...”Heavenly Father, if you will send angels into class with me, and help the students to pay attention and learn, and give me good ideas to help them I promise to love those students like you do.. I promise to not get offended by anything they or their parents do. That’s all I got.” I then felt inspired to make a chart...the top read “WE have respectful hearts” then I wrote the team member’s names on 6 hearts and when they settle down respectfully as a team their heart goes up and when they don’t it goes down. Each heart is on a piece of string that moves up and down when pulled from the back of the board. When 6th period came I was armed and anxious...I had classical music playing as they came in and the air actually felt CLEAR...as if evil spirits had been stopped at the door and only children allowed in the room...there was no chaotic/dark energy and the kids felt a difference and really settled down. I explained to them about their need to develop respectful hearts. How our activity the last class was supposed to be 10-15 min. and because of their disrespect to the materials and each other and me it took over the whole class! They listened. They worked and they left...I decided I could make it one more day. So that is my birthday present to you Autumn...a story of not giving up in the face of despair and exhaustion. The Lord IS on our side because WE are actually on HIS side...hahahah He is sending his angels to help you and me in our area of His vineyard and sweat is pouring down our pretty backs, and we need ICE water, but on we trudge on wracking our brains for solutions and His work will be accomplished as we are guided by His spirit! I am so grateful for you. I am grateful for the honor of being your mother. I LOVE it that you are on a mission learning vital tactics for living the rest of your life! Happy Birthday!!!

There and Back Again: Week 8

It's Hard to believe that December 22 marked the 8th completed week from when we drove away from Windsor! If I could be more consistant with posting these (Like EVERY Sunday lOl) Then the dates would be better..hahah BUT the gist is the same. Last week end Autumn and Aaron drove an hour south from their home in Iowa Citya and we drove an hour north from Nauvoo and met at the Dicken's Christmas Party! I must say I am SOOO grateful for people who care to do such things. The room was decorated MOST beautifully, the parlor games were fun and engaging. We met many nice people...we met some good friends from Nauvoo there! That was fun and of course every minute spent with McConegheys (Autumn and Aaron) is a TREAT! The food was wonderful and the dancing was so well taught and expertly selected that our whole group was able to pick up on them and they were beautiful. The food was delightful in texture, taste, and presentation. Total Farm to Table deliciousness. It ended with glorious caroling around the piano. AHHH I was born in the wrong century!

On the way home from this magical experience I got word from my family back in Oregon that my father had had a serious fall and broken his back. Talk about going from a high to a LOW! Such is planet earth. He had been putting his scooter away, like he always does and somehow fell, hitting his head knocking himself out and breaking his back (vertabrae completely severed) A nephew who was living there was tossing a dirty diaper in the outside trash and found him there. EVER the optomist when asked how long he had been there he sarcastically said, "only about 5 min." My funny and nurturing daddy, In his late 80s, cancer survivor, stroke survivor, survived 35 thousand volts in his 20's (construction accident), And he just keeps exerting faith in Christ and working...He rather reminds me of that crazy knight in the Monty Python movie..."I'm not dead yet!" as he continues to fight and serve Jesus. ANYWAY We (about 60 of us) started fasting for him immediately as the next morning he underwent a 5 hour surgery. I am grateful to my siblings who live there and help mom and dad with all that they do! MIRACLE of MIRACLES this dangerous surgery he was probably not going to survive went very well and the nurses had him walking with a walker the next morning. Unbelieveable. God is all powerful and all knowing and all loving. I was ready to say goodbye to dad and be OK with it and that time will come, but today is not that day.

This is our family when I was ten years old. Nathan is the baby and sweet Ali was yet to join our family. Because of Jesus Christ our family will be together forever. Our ancestors on the other side of the veil and our decendants who are coming are as active in our lives as we allow them to be. Because of Jesus Christ we will all live again in perfect and whole bodies with all of our mental capabilities. It truly takes away the sting of death and the grief. I feel my family on both sides supporting me and each other. There is so much more to this life than one can imagine and I'm learning more and more every day as I study the scriptures, put my faith into action, attend the temple, and talk to God all day long.

Merry Christmas!

Happy Anniversary FOR ETERNITY!

On Wednesday, December 18th Elder Cullen and I Celebrated our 31st Anniversary by working, then attending the Nauvoo Temple to do work for our ancestors. Reg and I were sealed for time and all eternity in the Oakland Temple. Temples are the only place where priesthood authority resides to bind families together forever. Every temple has it's own beauty and feeling inside and out, but the ordinances there are the same and purpose is the same. To bring families together forever. I love to see the temple. Every morning we drive past it, and ever day after work as we walk to the parking lot, we look up on the hill and see it sitting on the bluff like a great guardian Angel looking over our fair city of Nauvoo glowing night and day. It's a very peaceful and beautiful place to be.

You can click https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/temples/why-latter-day-saints-build-temples?lang=eng to find out more about temples and other wonderful things that take place inside.

There and Back Again Week 7

We've just finished our first Month in Nauvoo and these wonderful people are like family to us. They check on us when we're sick (Elder Cullen missed a week of work!), they bring dinner and treats...just because (Think 50 special grandmas and grandpas...missing their families and all nurturing each other with the best treats and food in the world.) They go on driving adventures with us, play games, sing, play instruments, and work darn hard in the freezing weather. I couldn't ask for a better group of people to work with.

Speaking of COLD weather....we had an ice storm which scared us. We canceled all driving and walked the one block to the store to get something but regretted it.. SLIPPERY SAM!!!! We ended up trapsing across people's lawns because they had more traction and would hurt less when we fell. The side walks were suicidal. I've never experienced anything quite like it. Here are some pictures my daughter took of her front yard! She lives in Iowa City 2 hours from us.

YAH...that's ICE because it was raining in sub zero weather...My question is...why wasn't it snowing?? I'll have to go to Google University to figure that one out. LOL Love you all!

The Power of Fasting and Prayer

Over a decade ago I ordered a VHS called transformations that showed real examples of the power of fasting, prayer, and faith in Jesus Christ. I KNOW that through faith in Jesus Christ we CAN change the world...start in your own heart, then watch the power of God do His work through you. Doubt not, fear not. Please watch this video and start your miracle now! This is Part one. Part Two is below.

SLOW is FAST and CLEAR is KIND!

A Week ago we got a new boss...I'll call her Sister J. She looks SO young but she had adult children and grandchildren. She is a bright light and is continually modeling Christlike behavior. Because she's new to this department and the rest of us are new too there is a LOT we have to learn together. She taught us that "SLOW is FAST" meaning, if we are patient and take the time for EVERYONE on the team to learn how to do everything....then later on we'll all be able to work very fast because everyone will be properly trained and everyone will know how to do every task. We can totally divide and conquere many assignments at once. My job has been to document everything the team has identified as problematic...unclear procedures, missing items, faulty or redundant tasks. This has been quite an undertaking. Every time we think we have it all "Tied up with a bow", we get a new assignment and we find we're still bumbling around and things need to be added or deleted or clarified. Today was particularly frustrating and I could tell our morale was slipping. We were divided into teams to check out some Young Sister Missionary Housing. We thought it was just a check of the exited missionaries home. It ended up being a deep clean and it took each team 4 hours and we still hadn't finished. The Basements were the scariest... Ancient and spidery...lol We realized we had forgotten to put dust caps in our totes...our heads were inches from the spiders..we didn't get our normal lunch/snack break because we had all left our food at the office "knowing" these homes only take us a couple hours. So we were both tired and hungary and thirsty...and yet, no one complained or lost their temper. They stayed kind and considerate of each other. At our end of day feedback council, many people expressed their thoughts on how we could have done this better. We were direct, unaccusing, and kind and it ended up being a very productive day. Sister J was so grateful for the feedback and so grateful for everyone's work, their comments and observations. I added MORE edits to our inventory lists and protocols. Tomorrow we will test them again on another assignment. I can't wait until this "slow" part is over and we can start being FAST! LOL Actually I am extremely grateful that we're here now at this SLOW time to learn all of this. In March hundreds of people will be staying here to be in the shows and help with the thousands of visitors...We will not even have time to think. So...grateful for this learning period. I can feel Heavenly Father blessing me with energy and strength.. My knees don't even hurt walking up and down stairs...it's a miracle.

There and Back Again: Week 6

WE LOVE OUR JOBS!!! Elder Cullen is making hundreds, maybe thousands of picket fences to protect young trees from the deer, to put around archeological digs (old basements and foundations), and unsightly other things to make Nauvoo safe and beautiful. He's also repairing an OX cart that got broken from an OX going coo coo. Those guys are STRONG!

Reg says, "The door didn’t close easily so I got to fix it. The Mansion House was the second residence of Emma and Joseph in Nauvoo. It was great to be in this home alone. I was visualizing the Smith family living, working, and entertaining in this home."

I am LOVING my job! I need to take pictures of me doing my job! LOL This is a picture of our rear view mirror on the way to work at 6:50am.. Do you see it's 11 degrees!! Today it was 50 degrees and we went out without jackets! I guess we're acclimatizing. ALSO THIS WEEK we had FOUR performances for Christmas. One on Thursday we had a Caroling in Carthage gig, two on Friday, I had a harmonica performance....OH my! We just started two weeks ago, we were not good, but we were brave. Friday night our Celtic Community choir did an hour performance, then again on Saturday night. Autumn and her boys (Emmet age 7 and Taran age 2) came down Friday to experience the Nauvoo Christmas Walk. There was a wonderfully beautiful and Sacred creation in the Activity center as it was decorated like Jerusalem and as our group walked from "scene" to scene, it would come alive and tell the part of the Nativity and people who saw Christ as a baby or child. It was very cool. The angels are some of my friends from housing where I work. videos and pictures posted below. Having Autumn and the boys here for the weekend was a delightful treat. ALSO, due to the new aquisitions from the Community of Christ.... this week The Collections/Artifacts care department and the Housing Dept separated and we got a NEW boss. Because Housing has never been it's own department we got to work with our new boss to create OUR own way of doing things. It was SO fun to team build, and Sister Barnard and I got to document all of the protocals, procedures, and Inventory lists for each type of housing (Missionary, Guest, Pagaent) We also made a huge list of questions, purchasing needs, and tasks to do. We will NEVER be bored. It was EXTREMELY satisfying to be allowed to work on organization and creating documents so that ANYONE could now start working with us and know what to do. It's all written out. I really really love my job here. I feel My Savior helping me to have energy and strength to do what needs to be done. I spend hours cleaning, DEEP cleaning and organizing and I have joy. That's the fun part. The infamous harmonica performance (we had only been practicing for two weeks! BUT it was a very family like environment..fun and funny) The more professional Celtic Community Choir! I LOVED it. Wish I could post the whole thing

We REALLY loved having the McConegheys here!

My Angel Friends

Just ONE more reason why we love serving here!!

Christmas Devotionals for EACH DAY of December!

Last year on my youtube channel I recorded a Christmas Devotional for each day of December. Each 5-10 min devotional includes a sing a long Christmas Carol, a verse of Scripture, and a cozy Christmas Story. Please Enjoy! These devotionals came from a book my mom made me 30 years ago and are an integral part of my children's Christmas memories and they can be just that for you too! It will help you to focus on Jesus Christ every day in a fun way.

There and Back Again: Week 5

Elder Reg Cullen got the job he wanted!!! Carpentery and woodworking. He is so happy. He got to install a door the other day. There is also another part of his job. The new guys gets to sweep! LOL

I also got a job I wanted (since I wanted them all) I get to be with Dobby! I'm a house elf. HAHAH Actually it's quite fun and this week we were going to town cleaning the historic houses and decorating for Christmas and then setting up for two BIG meals: Thanksgiving lunch and dinner for over 100 people. I got to use my creative skills to decorate and make beautiful displays. I was in heaven. PLUS the people I'm working with are really kind, fun, hardworking people. WE got to decorate the President's house too and his wife gave us hot chocolate and she and I played a piano duet and now we've been asked to perform in church on the 22nd. LOL

The cold weather has started! It was 17 degrees this morning as we headed into work. It hurt! and they say it will get colder. But our hard work keeps our blood going so that's fun. As I was sorting photographs in the attic I came across a picture of OLD Nauvoo in the late 1800s. It was sort of like the Three Little Pigs. There were SO many houses back then but those who built their houses out of sticks (wood) their houses are not here any more.. They dissolved into the swamp. Only the BRICK houses remain.

There and Back Again: Week 4

Question of the WEEK: Will Sister Cullen (Heather) be allowed to learn how to drive the snow plow? I have put in my request! LOL Doesn't that look amazing? I think the first test is can I climb one story up to get to the cab. This thing is as tall as my house. So speaking of what job will I be doing....We arrived at Nauvoo LAST Wednesday, a mere five days ago. We had interviews by the head maintenance leaders and were then taken on a tour with another couple to see all the different options we had to serve. It was very much like Hogwarts! Different Houses included: Appliance repair and electrical, Glass cutting and repair (historic glass is harder to cut!), wood working and carpentry (learning to make doors with beveled adornments with NO nails (period style)and other items, small engine repair, automotive repair, irrigation installation and repair and maintenance, Green houses (think professor Sprout!) and landscaping, housekeeping (Dobby and company), HVAC, welding, etc. We were asked to list our top three interests, I couldn't choose. I told them to pick the one no one wanted or was hardest to fill and I'd see if I liked it. They are praying about the assignments and will tell us tomorrow morning before 7am devotional.

This is a picture of our condo complex. Maintainence missionaries don't live in historic Nauvoo. I have called our humble abode "The Shire" because its' over the hill, small, and full of merry and lovely powerful friends who love each other and work hard.

Historic Frolick: On our preperation day we went to Hanibal, MO to visit the Mark Twain Museum and sites. IT was absolutely wonderful. I highly recommend it to anyone who has enjoyed any of Mark Twain's books.

Spriritual awareness: Today at church a sister compared us to untrained horses and Jesus as the horse whisperer. He stands at the middle of the pen and the horse soon learns that there is more peace and rest as it learns to come to the master in the center of the pen. The pen being our world. Whisperers also require the horse to give them BOTH eyes, because horses eyes are on the sides of their heads their vision is two dimensional, also because they are prey, not predators, they need to see behind themselves to survive. When We give Christ BOTH our eyes we are are in essence telling Him, "I trust YOU to watch my back and I will do whatever you ask me to do." Here's hoping I become tame here. NEIGHHHHHHHHH!