May 13-19 in review

Monday we did our usual exercises, my physical therapy, bike ride. We went to the Arrival Center for training with Elder and Sister Cornish who are the baptistery team coordinators for Saturday.  The story:  

Elder Cornish was teaching us how to manage the arrival center.  The arrival center is nice with two large rooms, a children’s area where one parent can watch while the other parent attends the temple.  There’s a small hall size kitchen for fixing sandwiches or bottles for children, along with two shower rooms for preparing travelers for the temple.  Our responsibility is to make welcome and prepare patrons for doing baptisms, taking their recommends, giving them pink or blue cards and making sure they have their names so they are ready for the recommend desk.  Elder Cornish had just finished telling us about the showers when this group of men about nine, nicely dressed with dark complexions and dark hair.  Our leader was welcoming them and telling them that we have two showers.  They were finally able to get him to catch his breath and let him know that they were a group of students studying comparative religions and wanting to see the temple.  Then we were able to direct them to the real visitors center where they could get more information.  After they left, our group could hardly keep from laughing.  Our leader was so focused on his presentation that he was the only one in the group that didn’t notice they were not church members but Muslims.  But they did find out we have showers.

After training we went to the chiropractor hoping to get some help with my leg that did not have surgery.  Nothing 😒. In the evening we had a catered picnic, tacos with all our senior temple missionaries at the Nauvoo State Park.  Many couples just walked over from their apartments and the weather turned to thunder, lightening, and rain but not until we had some fun singing and jokes from a newly created quartet among us.  We gave one set of housemates a dry ride back.

Tuesday our regular 6 am shift at the temple. Ray was involved in sealings that day with Sister Albright and he was part of the group as Sister Albrights mother, who has crossed the veil, was sealed to her parents (Sister Albrights grandparents). He said it was very tender in that room. 

 I could hardly walk by the end of the day so Ray began rolling my leg with a juice bottle from the winery. 

Wednesday, Ray started the day with rolling the juice bottle on my leg.  After our temple service we rode the bike 5 miles and went through the Mansion house and Emma and Joseph’s house and then the front tire went flat just before we got home. And then he massaged my leg again before bed.

Thursday we have morning temple shift again, went home after for lunch (right now, the temple is closed for two hours between shifts). Then we went back at 3:15 to attend an endowment session.  I’m less dizzy now so when my legs both work, I’m going to be great!  But I was pretty discouraged at the end of the day as I could hardly walk and was in a lot of discomfort.  But the Lord ent me a lot of love via others:  Charity sent a picture of Resa with an Eiffel Tower shirt that said “I want to go to Paris”.  She said, “that’s the temple where Grandma and Grandpa live”💕. She knows we don’t live upstairs and every time she asks her mom, she tells her that we’re at the temple—so we must live there.

Friday we rode our repaired bike 4 miles around and stopped at the Browning Gun Shop and found Brother Davies and his wife of two years serving there in between his work for the pageant.  That was really fun to reconnect with him. He use to be in charge of the country fair before each night of the pageant.  Then we had our shift from 2-7 at the temple.  I again saw the Lords hand in my life as the temple coordinator complimented me on my handling patrons at the veil and I also received a messenger note that from Sister Cagape with love and saying she could see me in Lillie, my beautiful granddaughter.  Heavenly Father filled up my well.  

Saturday more exercise, bike riding 4.6 miles, of course daily scriptures and prayer.  We served in the baptistery 12-5. And after clean up, we went to eat at the Nauvoo buffet and joined another couple, the Despains who were also there.  During our shift at the temple, a man who makes cool things, had made me one and brought it to me at the temple.  It’s a white picture that you hold up to a light to see.  We went to the Dollar General and bought a small kiddie pool and it fits in the shower so I can soak one leg at a time which I used.

I’m so grateful to see and feel the love of my Heavenly Father in my life.   Thanks for being part of that through calls and texts and your friends we meet here and the dear people we have met on different missions and different places.  

Sunday 9:00 church. Groberg’s came for lunch, ham and cheese waffles, berries and lemon curd whip cream on waffles.  And tonight elder Groberg’s came over to assist Ray in giving me a blessing so I’ll be all well soon.

Be good, do good and see the Lords hand in your life each day.  He likes to be recognized. I love you, grandma Robinson with some help from Ray this time. 

Journal May 6-13

Ray dug up tulips on the temple grounds with other senior missionaries and tilled and prepared the planting area for the next plants.  I did wash, prepared food and then we went to Keokuk for another bike tire.  I am trying a new blood pressure pill (senior moment news😊❤️). 

May  7 (I’m a little less dizzy and still working on the physical therapy for my knee)

  Tuesday a typical temple day 6 am-12:30. Right now the temple closes when we leave at 12:30 for the day.  We were able to ride bikes again 4 miles but after 3 days without, I took ibuprofen. 

Wednesday Ray went to get the car as usual and I sat on cement right by the temple gate to wait.  I had a small bout of shingles last week on my stomach but this was so many stinging sensations, I tole Ray when I got in the car, the shingles  must be worse than ever—they always sting before they break out and itch and burn.  I adjusted my dress and zing, a wasp flew out and I rolled down my window.  We couldn’t believe it!  It was as big as my phone, the redness and my thigh swelled up like a grapefruit cut in half.  

Ray was asked to give Brother Groberg’s a blessing. He’s been just going out with seizures so Elder Cornish came over and they administered to him.  Ray remembered to bring blessed oil with him, that was nice.

The fun news of the day:  Dave and Ruth Thompson who lived in Jerome when we did, came to see us and stayed a couple of hours.  It was so fun to visit with them! 

Thursday we spent most of our time in the baptistery; Ray was the recorder and I was the card runner.  After every group of 5, Ray put the cards by the railing and I picked them up and took them to the desk to file in alphabetical order for the patrons to pick up and take for confirmations .  I was tired after an hour. We had quite a few in the baptistery.  After the patrons re gone, then our team cleans up the baptistery, taking wet stuff to the laundry and rugs, towels, jump suits…then we squiggly floors, bring in clean, dry things for the shift on Friday morning.  It really is a lot of work, so much more than what patrons see.

Friday was Angela’s birthday and our shift was in the afternoon on this day 2-7 except the second and fourth weeks, when two hours are added at the end so 2-9.  We were all so tired.  

Saturday morning we were finally able to ride the bike and in the middle of our ride, we stopped at the wheelwright/wainwright shop. The missionaries there were really good with lots of information. Captain John Robinson must have made wheels for the saints in Maine after he was converted on his ship bringing the early saints from Europe.  Then probably made handcart wheels at winterquarters.  The young band was on its ride through Nauvoo when they saw us on our tandem bike and the senior missionary recorded them playing “A bicycle built for two”. They were excited and so were we!  After four miles, we went to the apartment to shower before the temple.  We were in the baptistery again.  It’s a different team than Thursday but same work. We were released at 7:15 when the temple closed and we had everything cleaned up and ready for Tuesday morning.  After we went for Mothers Day dinner to KFC. It actually hit the spot for both of us.  We were hungry.  Then we went grocery shopping.

Yay for Sunday!  Church, then we had Elder and Sister Weed from Fallon Nevada over for dinner.  They left at 3:00 and then we had the family call.  After we just sat on the couch enjoying the warmth of the call.  Thanks for all who were able to get on.  We had a fulfilling Mother’s Day and hope all of you did.  One funny:  Ray wouldn’t let the Weed couple leave until they look over our family picture magnets

and pointed out all our missionaries coming and going👌❤️. 

We love you. Mom, Grandma, Elder and Sister Robinson

Red brick store

Our visits to the Red Brick Store in the past have been under the ownership  of The Community of Christ. The store was used as a retail outlet, with fun candies and souvenir items. I am sure that it was a fun destination for visitors.

Now that the store has been purchased by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day-Saints, the store will (it  seems) be presented in a different way. When we visited the store a couple of weeks ago, the shelves were bare. There were three missionary sisters there to greet us. The sisters explained that they were not sure how it may be presented in the coming weeks but that it would probably be presented the way it may have looked in Joseph Smith's time, with commodities and grocery items as they may have looked at that time; with nothing for sale.

The missionaries talked to us about the store and how it was used and then invited us to go upstairs and see how the building was used up there. We saw Joseph Smith's office and (i think), Willard Richard's office. There was also a large room where meetings were held including the first meeting and organization of the Relief Society.

The missionary then said that Joseph Smith recorded some of his revelations in the office and also that the "Wintworth letter" is thought to have been written there. The Wintworth letter contained the Articles of Faith. She asked us what our favorite Article of Faith was. I could not think of a favorite Article of Faith at the time but later I chose one that had increased meaning to me in connection to our mission assignment in the Temple.

The third Article of Faith:

We believe that through the atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the Laws and Ordinances of the Gospel.

(We help provide the ordinances to many of Heavenly Father's children in the Temples).

Another part of the Wintworth letter contains the "Standard of Truth" , which the missionary invited us to recite with her. (many missionaries are encouraged to memorise the Standard of Truth and recite it often in District Meetings). It  always stirs my soul, and I think "who writes like this?"

The Standard of Truth has been erected: no unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing; persecutions nay rage,mobs may combine.armies may assemble, calumny may defame, but the truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly, and independent, till it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every country and sounded in every ear, till the purposes of God shall be accomplished and the Great Jehovah shall say, "the work is done". 

     Joseph Smith Jr.

The Red Brick Store was actually re-built by the Community of Christ on the original spot. Now our missionaries are able to give meaningful tribute to the history. 

I love you all

happy days from Nauvoo

Mondays

I’ll have to say I love mondays. We get to stay in bed until 6am, I get to eat breakfast, I have time to wash clothes, exercise my knee, and do some baking. AND find the missionary emails to read?!  

Monday April 29:  we rode the bike 5 miles

Tuesday: I had left my recommend in the temple and the presidency wasn’t there yet to let me in so finally a sister said she would go to the fourth floor, find my bag and get it out of my pocket. Ugh. Hoping to do better this week. 

I discovered one of the ladies here is related to Lucy Gibbons from Bountiful and Renee Packer—-they are all sisters, maiden name Wood. She said we are related to the Woods from Burley. Their father was Grandpa and Grandma Stokes bishop there. 

We, all the senior couple missionaries were blessed to attend an endowment session at 11:30 today. Right now there are only two endowment sessions a day. 

We rode the bike 6 miles today

Wednesday we rode only 5—6 turned out to be too much as I had a lot of swelling. 

Thursday we did seal some families, we were trained in the Nauvoo baptistery area, and Sarah sent me a dicky for my neck and it works great!  And after our temple time we went to Keokuk and had Mexican food. Their green sauce has lime in it and very different and yummy. We started our bike ride but got rained out in two blocks. We came home and played Chinese checkers!  Yay😂. Dad won. I discovered why I like to play———-I love the bright colors!

Friday, of course you understand I just tell the extra things we do. Every day we are in the temple. I exercised and rode the bike four miles. 

Saturday we rode about four miles and discovered a flat tire so we had to walk back. We are assigned baptistery on Saturdays so we were trained there again.

It was interesting because four Elders came in to do baptisms and there was a black girl that wanted to have it performed for her names in Haitian. The temple printed it up, laminated it and one of the Elders seemed to know how to read and pronounce it.  The girl was just beaming, her own native language!  After our session at the temple at 7:30 we drove over to Keokuk and purchased a new tire for the bike. 

Sunday after church, we drove to the old Nauvoo cemetery, dad took some pictures. Groberg’s stopped over and saw BYU tv on and asked dad to come make theirs work. He did and showed them how to do it. So that was fun. At 5:00, we went to Palmer’s apartment and broke the fast with them and two other senior missionary couples, everyone brought something. We stayed and visited until 8:00 pm. 

The weather here is perfect. We love you all. Btw, Brother Palmer served in the Philippines when he was an Elder.  That was fun for us to hear about. ❤️. 

Our sort of regular schedule

Tuesday we get up at 5 am so we can be at tHe temple at 5:50; we get our temple clothes on and report to our meeting at 6:20 on the third floor after we pick up our schedule for the day. Mostly we are rotated every 30 minutes. We work until 11:30. Then we may have a meeting after. When we get home we have lunch, take a nap( do dishes) and go for a bike ride. We are up to 5 miles now. Read scriptures I’d we didn’t get it done and relax. I make some kind of snack for evening and we go to bed.

Wednesday is almost the same but start is an hour later 7:00-12:15. This last Wednesday we biked to the sewing room and they offered to hem my temple dress and make a scarf out of the hem, which I will try to use for my neck and see if that works to ward off the air conditioning. Our neighbors, the Groberg’s, he is a documentary film maker, they know Raymond from the old stake.  They lent us his film on the Nauvoo Temple, “Sacred Stone”. It was really greatly inspirational.

Same schedule on Thursday except I left my recommend in the temple so I had to wait to get permission to go in and I forgot another dress since I had taken my other one to be hemmed, so I had to borrow one from the temple.  So you see what being upset set me up for for the next day.  

Thursday same schedule

Friday I made sourdough bread and it turned out perfectly. So I took some to the neighbors, Groberg’s and some to the counselor in the temple presidency. 

Our schedule on Friday is 2pm-7:15 pm (our schedule said) but after we got to the temple we found out that the second and fourth Fridays are two hours later because the wards and stakes have an extra endowment session for their conferences.  Before we went to the temple we had our bike We finish at the temple after 9pm.  But I had a wonderful day. A girl just came up to me in the celestial room and gave me a hug and made friends. Later the next day she was looking for me because she forgot my name and wanted it in her journal. Wasn’t that so nice!

Saturday schedule was 12:15-5:00pm. Dad had a neat experience in the sealing room.  He was asked to help there in a session and the patrons were Joseph Smoths third great grandson. That was really neat. 

We rode our bike and went to a restaurant that opened the day before on Main STREET. IT WAS HAMBURGERS AND HOT DOGS. funny. We went to Groberg’s with the other two couples that live in our building, the Wilkerson’s (he had a PHD and couldn’t get a job except teaching high school). , the other couple are Whittier’s from California.  He started with his dads company and it was going out so he was clever and made a new company out of it. We visited and played a game “ Buzz Word”. It was a lot of fun

Sunday we went to church in the ward we’ve been assigned 9 am in Nauvoo.  It was Aprils birthday and we were invited to Groberg’s for dinner (roast beef, potatoes, carrots, peas, gravy, rolls.  😊. I know you were waiting for the food😊. And I took dessert:  lime truffle pie.  It turned out yummy👍. Between church and dinner, we drove to Carthage and went to the jail and enjoyed our time there visiting the sight of the martyrdom.  It was a precious week.  I’m very grateful to have my own picked companion of 54 years almost. Since were the longest married in the family, I’ll say that it gets better.  Hold on during those times that feel difficult—this shall pass away.  A covenant relationship is the true plan of happiness. We’re all becoming, not arriving.  We love you all, Mom, Grandma

Repentance by Grandma Robinson

 I guess this is why I come on missions so might sins can become clearer to me.  So as in bountiful the temple leaders stress being kind, loving kindness—no matter what someone is wearing or looks like AND we want to accommodate everyone as we are able. Everyone is doing their best.

On Monday we were given the opportunity to participate in an endowment. I didn’t wear my ear muffs or my neck fur, thinking that it wasn’t hot yet so the air conditioning wouldn’t be on in the temple. Since my surgery on my ear in 12th grade, my ear and neck have been sooo sensitive. I was miserable in the session.  My neck and ear hurt so that I wrapped my hands around my neck as best I could.  We’ll, on Tuesday I now knew that I needed my neck fur and ear muffs.  We’ll, within an hour, I was taken to the clothing and asked to remove my fur and substitute a shawl. I was embarrassed and upset (hurt). No explanation of why I wear it—just that it was distracting.  My response outside was good but I had troubled feelings. This did not jive with what they said.  I knew I had to repent. These leaders are Gods servants, ordained and set apart.  

Now my insights from October 2022 general conference, Elder Kevin Pearson:  speaking of the sacrament “that they do always remember Him”. My notes:  no matter—joys or sorrows, ALL things bear witness of Him.  It’s my challenge to find Him and let all experiences show me how to be like Him.  I can trust His plan to help me change and become. I can feel joy in the tempest, knowing and trusting, He will change my heart and sanctify me through the process.  Hurting can purify me. Joy can bring me strength and hope. 

Be in holy places—no matter where we are; keep Christ as our companion, our goal. 

So this was a big one for me.  The couple was doing the best they knew how.  They were set apart.  And I can thank my Savior for letting me see my own weaknesses and repent. I haven’t change overnight but at least I know it’s my opportunity and it’s up to me whether it’s a blessing or a curse.  (I’m working through it). 

So this is just to bless your lives when you come upon a hurt.  You can turn to our Lord Jesus Christ. He can purify me.  I’m so thankful to know where to look for my own “troubled” feelings and where I can turn to be purified and sanctified.

We are still going through training. And making friends and riding bikes 4 miles plus.  

PS. The next day after, I lost my recommend, I forgot my temple dress and I had an earache and neck ache and I had left my packet where we were not suppose to leave it. Knowing I wanted to repent and getting there is not immediate yet but I’m on my way. 

I love you all. I’m so thankful for your testimonies. Do all the things you learned in primary and we’ll find ourselves all together with Him here and hereafter. 

Grandma Robinson

Nauvoo Temple Mission News

We started packing for this mission as soon as we got our call. You would think we wouldn’t forget anything😔Our purple pillows!  We tried sleeping on rolled up blankets. Ugh. We ordered new pillows and they came today👍👌💕

We were set apart Sunday at 4:30 by President Kevin Eubank with Bishop Bills, Nathan and Jonathon assisting. That was so nice. We were blessed that our family at home would be blessed and taken care of.  (So watch for the blessings and tell us about the ones you see with the Lords hand. ). We were promised we would be protected in our travels. We were told that we had been chosen for this particular assignment in this particular place. People will be drawn to us and those on the other side of the veil, their presence will be felt and known by us.  Our children and grandchildren and great grandchildren will be influenced by our example.  This service will bless our family around the world.  We will come to know with even greater clarity of the mission of Joseph Smith and the restoration of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Any challenges will be resolved and will not interfere with our service.

We stayed overnight in motels Tuesday and Wednesday and swam and walked in both pools and soaked in both hot tubs. We stopped Thursday and purchased fresh food before crossing the bridge into Nauvoo.  Our host couple, Elder and Sister Whitney met us at our apartment with the key and helped us unload the car and fed us a wonderful dinner. 

Friday we woke, read our scriptures, ate sourdough pancakes with blueberries and blackberries and lemon curd syrup and bacon. Stirred up crumpets for the rest of the week and went for a bike ride 2 miles. Whitney’s showed us the mailroom, sewing room, and checked out the goods at the winery (grape juice, crackers, popcorn…). 

Saturday read scriptures, toured the newly acquired Red Brick Store. All the things are gone but the dialogue by the missionaries is better than candy , Dad said.  We went to Keokuk for a few more groceries. 

Sunday our church is at 9:00 in Nauvoo and at some point we’ll have a primary assignment there.  Our new friends, the Grover’s live next door and have the same assignment. We had them over to eat on Sunday lunch and we were all set apart by a member of the Temple presidency. 

It’s been busy and fun!  Love Grandma Robinson