Christmas at E/S Williams

Christmas was fast but such a rewarding one this year. We are blessed, our children and grandchildren are doing great and they have had so many blessings, and we are being blessed also. Just knowing that the Lord loves us is wonderful. Our little Christmas tree and a Nativity Scene that we found in the closet is a sign that it is Christmas. E/Williams was so sweet this year, what a marvelous Christmas gift, what a beautiful remembrance of Nauvoo. A Bronze statue of Emma & Joseph, "Dancing". I love this greatly, I love my husband greatly.

During the month of Christmas our little Nauvoo Post Office is piled high with boxes, and little goodies and cards are stuffed into each little slot for each missionary. We acquired 2 boxes of Idaho potatoes and that is what we gave the missionaries this year with a little poem. They loved them, it was different than so many sweets (but they are good to). E/Henrickson, Sugar City, is our post man. This is the week after Christmas, this is our old fashioned mail room.

Christmas Dinner in Old Nauvoo

Christmas in Nauvoo is such a busy time, it's not filled with shopping or driving to Walmart it is filled with love, service, hugs and testimonies. Christmas in Nauvoo is how a Christmas should be. We served the day before Christmas, and Rendezvous Christmas Eve and served in our sites Christmas Day and had Rendezvous Christmas night. We thought of the dear Saints, years ago and their Christmas's.

Christmas Eve we sang Christmas Carrol's on the Temple Steps, in the rain, with 6 inches of snow. Then we hurried to the Stake Center for hot chocolate and goodies, and then some hurried to do their preforming at the Cultural Hall. Always hugging and laughing and serving all the while. Late into the night we sat up 33 tables to accommodate 266 people for dinner Christmas Day. The tables and decorations were splendid and so many willing to help.

Not a time to call your family, that morning we were busy making 500 rolls by 6:30 am, what a marvelous committee I had, S/Hughes, S/Light, S/Boehmer, S/Veteto. I told them it was like being Rel.Soc. Pres. again, these dear sisters have all been there done it. Our meal consisted of Pork loin, served with an orange-cranberry sauce, sugared glazed carrots & corn, a yummy Waldorf salad, home made rolls, pumpkin dessert and apple pudding, and of course Idaho baked Potatoes. You can't imagine how hard it was to get those. They actually came from Idaho Falls, the "Dutchman Store", (Amish) ordered them for me. It was the hit of the dinner.

Christmas time in Nauvoo

Months before Christmas I began making the little Nauvoo dolls for all 10 of our Granddaughters, and of course we had to make the boys a Nauvoo jump rope. It kept us busy late into the night doing all of this, but what fun. To us it made it more like Christmas, since Christmas day is still a working site day for us. Our little granddaughters named their dolls of the Nauvoo women that were here; Emma, Mary, Sara etc. Except for Paige she named hers Linda, she said"Well, Grandma's in Nauvoo. Isn't that cute, I rank right with the saints in the 1840's.

Our "Christmas Walk" began with caroling on the balcony in the Visitor Center, music from a local choir and the lighting of the 30 foot Christmas tree. What a beautiful site. The horses and wagons took the people down into 'Old Nauvoo' and some of the sites were open with the telling of early stories of Christmas and then marvelous refreshments served at the 'Family Living Center'. E/ Williams was able to be on the wagons that night; it was a very cold night. A spiritual nativity scene in the 'Cultural Hall', with narration and song; the true meaning of Christ, and Christmas.

Our 'Rendezvous X-Cast' had our Christmas Social, we went to a little community in an old school that had been turned into a restaurant. We ate in the gym, it was decorated for Christmas and the food was quit good. Except for the no taste coconut cream pie, and the big heater was quit loud for our program. You know the typical old 1940 schools. We had a great time, fun and games and even Santa came. Our 'X-Cast' is like our family here in Nauvoo, we are with them 4 nights a week, preforming. S/Stevens, S/Dayley, S/Hill, S/Sandstrom, S/ Williams, (great Sis.)

Tin Shop and Wilford Woodruff Home

We tell of Mr. Stoddard and his family and we show how he made tin items. The tin shops were very popular, buckets, lanterns, skimming pans, tea pots, everything was made out of tin, even the 50 foot flying angel was made out of tin for the first Nauvoo Temple.

E/Williams and I did serve together one Sunday at the Wilford Woodruff home. I was so excited, we never serve together he is always at the Mission office on Sundays. We weren't very busy, he let me do all of the tours, wasn't that nice of him. The Mission office sent a couple over to talk to him about serving on a mission here, he wanted to be a teamster, right now E/Williams is looking for teamsters. When Woodruff built his home he didn't want to be cold, he put a fireplace in each room. Pres. Woodruff was quit a missionary, he loved his missions, would do what ever Joseph asked of him and was an honest man with his fellowmen, enough that after he was run out of Nauvoo he came back to fix a hole in his ceiling of his home, he wanted to leave his home in good repair.

Hard working 'Amish'

E/Williams and I were touring the country side on our "P Day" and talked to some Amish Brothern. We had been watching a new business going up, the Amish was building a motor repair store, they always had their buggies and horses tide up to the hitching posts and always 5 or 6 men working. E/Williams is getting into the buggies and horses they have and wanted to ask were he could find a man that made them. The men gave us the directions. The Amish are very nice and easy to talk to, always willing to help. We found out the man was just down the road helping put a roof on a newly wed couples house. We rounded the corner and this is what we saw. There were about 17 men on the top of that roof, it looked like an ant hill. There were also about 3 men on the ground helping to take the shingles up, remember no electrical items what so ever. (Do you think we could get that many Elders at one time to help put on a new roof?) In the yard there were a dozen or so buggies and horses. The man we wanted to talk to came running down the conveyor belt and I think as soon as he saw our pickup the prize came up on a buggy. They don't like their pictures taken, so we never have any to show you but I discretely took these out of the pickup window, I hope I was discreet. While we were there visiting with them an old hay wagon came into the yard with about 3 young boys on it. They were driving a team of big horses, had a couple of milk cans on the wagon, I guess they were delivering milk. Two very little boys were hauling wood into the house.

They live such a simple life. If anything happened to this world, they would never know, they could just keep on with their life.

Serving in the Family Living Center

The 'Family Living Center' is a place were visitors can come and see how the people in Nauvoo worked and provided for their families and homes. There are many demonstration areas. Bread is made each Monday morning in the Bustle Oven. Each visitor can have a taste of it. It is good tasting bread. I can't imagine making bread by hand and cooking in a brick oven, but there are some sisters who do a marvelous job. Where is my 'Bosch' and electric oven when I need it.

Each family can make a rope to take home with them. This 'Nativity Set' is made out of rope, and displayed at the family center. Rugs are made from the weaving looms, a missionary can have a small rug to take home if he wishes, other rugs are made for the homes and sites. The tree ornaments are little candles that are made here, each child receives a candle and the little dolls are made out of left over threads from the rugs. Also little ropes are tied together for ornaments.

Spinning is demonstrated here, this Sister brought her own spinning wheel and she spins yarn and makes her own sweaters, gloves and shawls. So many talented people. Again I would have to buy mine at the store. But I am making baby booties and baby shawls so I guess I am a little bit Nauvoo period.

Missionaries in Nauvoo

I am sorry we don't have many pictures of E/Williams, but he seems to wear this suit and stay at the mission office each day. But his days are exciting, he always hears of the call center happenings and the referral cards we receive, it is exciting when we can report of someone wanting to have the missionaries contact them. He is doing a marvelous work, he is kept very busy, there will be about 5 new missionaries coming this month, he meets them and trains them. Right now he is trying to finish the year end budget for the mission. All the missionaries love him.

S/Kathleen Hughes and myself served at the 'Sarah Granger Kimball' home together one Sunday. It was a special place for her to be where she was in the General Relief Society Presidency. This little home is where the 1st Rel. Soc. was actually started. Sarah and her seamstress decided to start making shirts for the brothern that were working on the temple. Joseph Smith said he had better things for them to do all so, and that's when he organized the Rel. Soc. I love working with S/Hughes, she is not only a marvelous women she has a great sense of humor. We have served together many times in different capacities.

When the Young Sister Missionaries come back to Nauvoo, just before their mission is complete they get to be in Rendezvous, S/Alexander was Jed and Annie's daughter in our final song of "This little town". She was a marvelous missionary. We loved her.