The Rolling Foxes Summer Tour Day 4-- The Most Beautiful Sound

Tuesday morning we began with a visit to the Old Nauvoo Burial Grounds.  There was no one else there and it was quiet and beautiful an peaceful.  This was Abe's and my fourth trip to Nauvoo together.  Each time we've visited this cemetery.  Many of the stones are so old they are illegible, but the spirit here is undeniable  

Everyone kind of went off by themselves for a bit.

This little girl!  She was Miss Personality in Nauvoo.  I think every YPM knew her name and she was  quick to raise her hand and volunteer for anything and everything.  So talkative.  She didn't walk places-- she ran, or bounced, or pranced.  She sang constantly and never ran out of energy.

We visited the Family Living Center and learned how to make barrels.

I don't want to brag or anything, but I think I could have been a gifted cooper (barrel maker).  

Just kidding.  I'm quite sure that would not have been the case, but it was pretty fun putting barrels together.

It was also a lot of fun to load up a wagon with all the food we'd need for our tri west.

Made packing for this trip seem easy!

The Nauvoo Brass Band was around town and so much fun.  They were taking requests so I requested "'Stars and Stripes Forever".  It made me so happy:)

Youth of Zion the Singing Tree.  They have quite a large selection of songs they perform.  I just wish it had gone on for longer.  That was pretty much the theme of our time in Nauvoo-- just wanting more.

We loved watching the little vignettes about the youth of Zion.

Sister Fox and Sister Whiting (one of my favorites) played Mary and Caroline Rawlings-- the teenage sisters who salvaged the pages of revelations that were tossed out into the street in Independence when the printing press was destroyed.

They are not companions, but they are quite frequently together in their casts.

May I draw your attention-- if you haven't already noticed-- in almost every picture of Greta, she is totally posing with her left leg turned out and her hand on her hip.  I assume this is the natural outcome of two Miss Riverton sisters:)

When the missionaries walk away they go arm in arm down the street.  Which is absolutely adorable and so strange to see missionaries walking arm in arm like this.  This is definitely the most unconventional mission!

We took Bethany and Sister Leichman to lunch at the Red Front for burgers and hot dogs.  There are very few dinning options in Nauvoo right now.  Church sites are open, but COVID hit the town's economy really hard.  We were just glad something was open!

Next up-- the wagon ride around the town.  That was really enjoyable.  One of the funny things as we went around was the number of senior missionary couples and regular sister missionaries who would look at Faith's face and ask her-- do you have a YPM serving here?  We'd say YES and they'd say, "I knew it!  You look exactly like her!"  A compliment to them both!  We sort of felt like rock stars being Sister Fox's family.

From so many vantage points around Nauvoo, you could look up the hill to see the temple.  It's all about the temple here.

The oxen wagon ride.  Similar to the horse drawn wagon ride, only slower and shorter.  But actually, this was quite informative about why the pioneers took teams of oxen across the plains rather than horses.  

Note Greta's pose.

Before the show of The Promise the missionaries come out on the mezzanine and sing a couple hymns.  They are a choir of angels.

We didn't take any pictures during the promise, but we quite enjoyed it.

Sister Whiting and Sister Fox again.

When these missionaries come on stage they are so alive and energetic. And at the same time they are exhausted!  I am so amazed and impressed that they keep bringing it every single time.  I'm sure they are being sustained by a much higher power than themselves.

The kids enjoyed doing the picture scavenger hunt in the Visitor's center to earn their Nauvoo bricks

This was a picture we were happy to get.  On this tour that included the Brigham Young home, the blacksmith's shop and the Seventies' Hall we had the most wonderful sister missionaries give us our tour-- Sister Patterson and Sister Hays.  Stay tuned for more on them.

Grandpa Brigham.

Something that really warmed my heart was big siblings helping little siblings as we went around Nauvoo.  Little legs got tired and stronger arms were always willing to give them a lift.  

Some rides were really more of surprise attacks! Ha ha ha!

The Blacksmith shop was a favorite among several kiddos.

The blacksmith made us a couple little horseshoes with thrilled the little kids.

It was a really great tour and at the end we talked about why President Hinckley changed the name from "Trail of Tears" to "Trail of Hope"  Cannon shared some beautiful thoughts about trusting God will take care of us.  I shared that our God is a God who always makes things better, not worse.  Even when things seem really awful sometimes.  That is a temporary condition.  Overall, it is always an upward trajectory.  Hope for something better.  Hope that God can and will heal our hearts and there is always growth and improvement and joy in our future. Because of Him.  I was so grateful for the missionaries constantly bearing testimony and pointing us to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ and the temple.  We just soaked in the spirit for three days.

Then it was time for "Sunset on the Mississippi" again.  The first night was so amazing-- I thought, there's no way they can bring that again.  BUT THEY DID!  Incredible!

While we waited for "Trail of Hope", the kids had a blast catching little frogs and lightening bugs.

Bethany is not normally one of the guides that takes a group of visitors down to trail to watch roughly ten little scenes where the YPM's act the part of an actual Saint who left Nauvoo during the exodus.  

Then Bethany would step out and do her part(s) she normally does.  She was Sally Randall and at another point she accompanied Eliza R. Snow on her violin.  I LOVED "Trail of Hope".  So moving.

Elinor took this awesome picture.

This one too.

Clark, Beth and Els-- the college kids. 

I don't have a picture of the last things we did on Tuesday, (before we collapsed into our beds).  Families of the YPM's are often invited to join them for the evening devotional.  That evening it was in the Seventies' Hall.  After some of the band sisters did the devotional, we all sang "Nearer, my God to Thee".  I have never.  NEVER.  in my entire life heard a sound like those powerful, beautiful voices singing together in that pioneer hall.  It was the most beautiful sound I've ever heard in my entire life.  That was my favorite moment of my time in Nauvoo.