Cole and I were so excited the whole 9 hours driving from Tennessee to Illinois. watching the GPS and the Mississippi River before we finally reached Nauvoo. We rounded the corner, up the hill, and this came into view:
That night, my parents, Cole, and I got to see the Nauvoo Pageant. It was so incredible, and the perfect way to start our time in Nauvoo!
One of many of the beautiful paintings in the hotel. This one is my favorite!
The next day at church, we went to the Nauvoo Ward building and it was PACKED! The bishop made an announcement that Sister Elaine S. Dalton, the Young Women president of the church, would be meeting with the youth that evening and that all the young men and young women were invited to come! Like, oh my goodness!!! I was super excited!! It was so cool to see her in person, and she was absolutely beautiful! I got a chance to meet her and talk to her. She said, "I saw you sitting there in the front. You are so beautiful! You just glow!" I noticed how she would stop and talk to each of us individually, giving us her full attention. I even met her husband, and he is SO funny!
I honestly believe I had the best company. I roomed with not one, not two, but SIX girls! I walked into the crammed room with four bunk beds, three outlets, and one bathroom wondering, "Is this going to work for a whole week???" Well, let me tell ya, those girls over the week became like sisters to me, and somehow we were able to make the lack of space work haha :)
Yeah, we just had the temple right there, everyday :)
We painted John Taylor's pocket watch on our banner :) It blocked the bullet when he was shot at by the mob in Carthage Jail, and it saved his life!
First stop was at the Pioneer Cemetery.
Touring Old Nauvoo was wonderful. It was so neat to think that the Saints walked these streets, that this is where so much history important to the Church actually happened.
The Red Brick Store that Joseph and Emma owned. :) It's also where the Relief Society was organized and where some of the first endowments were done.
My friend Holly and I at the graves of Joseph, Emma, and Hyrum.
We walked the Trail of Hope...
And to the shore of the Mississippi where the Saints left Nauvoo. It was such a reverent moment to be standing there with each other.
I found these names in the pavilion by the river. I dont know if they were related to me, but they're just as good as family to me. Seeing this made the experience feel so much more personal.
At Carthage Jail.
The next day was amazing! We toured Old Nauvoo and did baptisms at the temple. :)
Excited about our bricks, are we? ;)
The Taylor Company in front of our namesake's home and Printing Office:)
The story of this little wooden horse was so touching. John Taylor carved this rocking horse for his son when he was really little. He took this horse everywhere, and loved it more than anything. When the Saints had to leave Nauvoo, John Taylor's son knew better than to ask if he could bring his toy horse on the wagon. They could only bring the bare necessities, and although it broke his heart to leave it behind, he never said a word about it. As they traveled, John and his wife kept asking him what was wrong. He just shook his head, not saying a word.
As he put his son to bed one night on the trail, John asked him once more what was the matter.
"Please tell me what's bothering you. I can't help you if you won't tell me."
His little lip trembled, and he whispered, "My horse..."
Nodding his head, John Taylor kissed him goodnight. That night, he mounted his horse and rode for miles all the way back to Nauvoo. He quietly sneaked into his abandoned home, got the wooden horse, and rode back with it tucked under his arm.
The sister missionary who told us this story continued on to say," Our Father in Heaven is the same way. He wants us to ask him when we desire something that is important to us. He doesn't want us to keep quiet about it. 'Ask and ye shall receive'..."
The Printing Office :)
And this was a big letter!! In the Printing Office, you go in and learn where the phrases "Upper Case", "Lower Case", "Cut to the Chase", "Laid to Rest in a Coffin" and "Ding Bats" came from. Life made so much more sense when we left that place haha :)
"Ding Bats" are pretty things that take up space-- so next time you're called a "ding bat" you can take it as a compliment ;)
In the Cultural/Masonic Hall
Aren't we just super cute?:)
Talk about a Throw Back Thursday ;)
Hey, you gotta live life to the fullest, why not ride a fake sheep, princess-style? YOLO ;)
Pioneer girlies :)
Prairie Diamond ring from the Blacksmith :)
The girls decided just to wear our Sunday clothes all day, but the guys wanted to keep their white shirts and good shoes clean, so we helped them carry their stuff. ;)
"Guys, pretend like we're walking!!" Haha i love them so much :)
In the school house :) She was the cutest little sister missionary ever!!
This song was a big part of our time in Nauvoo. It seemed that we heard it everywhere we went, so we would sing and listen to it as we walked through Old Nauvoo :)
Found these two names in the list of missionaries at the Seventies Hall. I intend to do some family history research to see if I'm related to them (fun fact: one of my brother's name is Daniel Hitchcock!)
And for the highlight of the week: the temple.
I love going to different temples around the country to do baptisms. I've been inside some gorgeous temples, but Nauvoo has to be my favorite. There's just something about that place, something so special that makes you feel so much closer to heaven. Everywhere we went, you could see angel Moroni peeking over the treetops, a constant reminder to us of who we were in the Lord's eyes.
Last company devotional by the temple!
Free time!
This cracked us up ;)
Ze dannnce babeh! All the chicas in my company :)
One thing I've learned in my three years of EFY: you will say goodbye about 100 times to the same people before you actually leave!
Jeremie and Daniel were so sweet-- one last EFY escort, and to my gate before my plane took off! Such sweethearts, I miss them so much already! Jeremie has been in Ecuador for the past few weeks. Go check out his blog
My friend Holly went to a Church History museum and saw the actual pocket watch that belonged to John Taylor. How cool is that?:)
The best part about Nauvoo is the impact that it still has on me today. I had to jump right back in to school the week after EFY ended, and anytime I felt like the world was starting to have its influence on me, anytime I felt sad, stressed, or even lazy, all I had to do was think about a moment from Nauvoo and I was immediately straightened back out. I have little reminders everywhere to keep me in that state of mind: a picture of the Nauvoo temple, my brick, a necklace with the blue and red star design that's on the temple, a piece of wood with "Nauvoo Pageant" burned into it, a small sunstone that resembles the ones on the temple, the EFY music, and allll my pictures :)
Here are some of the lyrics to my favorite EFY song, "Best Days of Our Lives":
"I never knew
That the moments could get better
But they do.
'Cause He knows my story and what I'm going through.
I know the greatest days are waiting up ahead..
Waiting for me and you, and
Lookin' back
I never saw this in the future, but here we are
Now
Here with all our friends
And here we go.
But I won't say goodbye cause this won't be the end
To the best days of my life...
And now I see a bigger picture
From a place that I could never see before.
There's so much waiting up ahead
So many memories and I know that there were more...
But I won't say goodbye cause this won't be the end
To the best days of my life."
These days in Nauvoo were some of the best days of my life.
Love always, Katherine
