June 7th 2022

The Temple Has Power To Change Us

This week I have pictures! It's been a fun week! I'll let the pictures tell the events, while I speak of some musings. 

I work in the office Monday and Saturday mornings. It can get pretty chaotic and people could choose to get impatient and testy but since it's the temple there tends to be a different atmosphere most of the time. Unfortunately last Saturday we had two sister service missionaries working in the office that had to be "let go" because they were not able to play nice. Being in the temple is such a great laboratory to developing Christ like characteristics. You absolutely know that everyone there is trying their best to be as loving and holy (covenant keeping) as they can be, so you are able to see lots of examples of goodness. And if you are introspective, you can use all kinds of situations to "put off the natural man" tendencies and change your behaviors, thoughts and hopefully your hearts to be more like our Savior. It is a great privilege and opportunity to smooth out our rough edges and not just "be in or go through the temple" but let the temple and it's spirit "be in and go through us" Being in the temple 5 days a week has really emphasized to my mind what is important in our lives and what we need to overcome as far as how we spend our time and what character traits we are developing. I find it's much easier to be loving and patient in the temple which tells me I have a ways to go when I'm out in the world and in my home life to make that a more natural way of being. Basically, choosing Christ or choosing to be holy at all times, in all things, in all places makes us new creatures and our world and home relationships will be more consistently positive, loving and peaceful.    

I'm grateful for the great blessing of being able to repent daily and find much joy in that knowledge and ability because of our Savior!  

We had a "break the fast" meal with two of our new temple missionaries. The Solomons and the Funks.

Dave's second cousin Casey Wells Hall (Dave's mother's brother's daughter Janet's son) is living in Nauvoo working for the Church and they ran into each other this week.  

I went on a walk and discovered an archeological dig at the site of the Times and Season's printing shop here in Nauvoo. 

They invited me to help go through the dirt. 

They dig scoops of dirt and then we go through it and 

try to find treasures. It was very fun!

I found a nail possibly 182 years old

I found a charred of possible 182 year old window glass.

They have found type print letters and pieces of ceramics. 

On that walk I found a turtle and it had a black slimy thing on it that I knew didn't belong. I pulled it off with quite a bit of effort because it was stuck on pretty good. You can see where it was on the upper right area near the head where a kind of triangle is a little more yellow.

This is what it was. I think it's a leach and I saved the turtle's life!

Cause, if it would have gotten to it's neck, it would be sucked to death. Yay for me!

It would shrink up when I got close to it.

and roll into a ball.... so interesting!

This was the view on my walk along the Mississippi River.

We went to the Chamber of Commerce in Nauvoo and learned the history of Nauvoo after the Saints were driven out. This is a picture of the Catholic School and auditorium that was west of the temple, which you can see where it was is just covered with trees. It closed down in 2001 after the Church bought the property in 1999. The complex was razed and the statue of Joseph and Hyrum are in the grassy area west of the temple. 

Another fun find in the Commerce building.