A LDS Sunday assignment for us as Temple Missionaries

To this point, you, my readers may think that all we do is play based on the pictures we post from our two week break while the Nauvoo Temple was under maintenance work.  We are back as ordinance workers in the temple as of last Tuesday the first of May and we do have an assignment away from the temple on Sunday.  We are assigned to the LDS Branch in Mount Pleasant, Iowa.  The branch there is small in numbers but they have a nice meeting house.  The Branch President asked us a couple of weeks ago if we could help out in the Primary.  Last week we taught a Primary class as the regular teacher could not come at last minute.  We had about nine children from age 4 to 9.  Another class was for the older children from 10 to 12.  It went well and we enjoyed it very much.  We remembered their names and could greet them this week by calling them by their names and made friends.

As part of the Primary there is a singing time and an instruction time activity before the children left for their classes for a lesson and a gospel activity such as coloring or a game. The children in this branch are very receptive and most can control themselves during this time.  I say this as there are many children with special needs.  We seem to get it to work alright.  You know that God loves these children as well as others and rely on the adults to be compassionate and helpful.  No one know why there are so many children these days with special needs....but it's there and we can't avoid our stewardship or else we will have to answer to a higher authority.

I snapped a couple of pictures of Elder Al up front of the group during instruction time.

This is Sister Sowell during the sharing time. 

 She is the wife of the branch President and is also bi-lingual. 

Primary Do click this link for further information on Primary.

May 2018 New Missionaries arrived and the Maintenance break has passed

This past week we had 26 new Temple Missionary Couples arrive. This week was their orientation and training and the Temple reopened this past Tuesday May 1.  On June 1 the summer schedule will start and sessions at the temple will be open Monday through Saturday.  Monday will be 8 am to noon and Tuesday through Saturday 8 am to 6 pm. We will be very busy.

A few pictures from around the flats that we took recently.

Elder Al standing next to a replica of a Sun Stone from the original Temple Building of 1845

A pair of Geese with their newly hatched Goslings taking a swim in the Mississippi River

The home of Heber C. Kimball.  A really beautiful home.

4-24-18 A tour of a John Deere Combine Factory

A guided tour that took 2 hours to see how precise the Combines were made.  Very impressive.  We could not take pictures inside the factory for security purposes but we did take pictures of the finished product inside the showroom.  It was huge.

This combine is huge. One costs about $500,000 to $600,00

Looking out the window of the combine

Al at the wheel of the combine

Kathy standing next to the wheel of a combine

Kathy sitting in the wheel

At the wheel of a combine

Senior Missionary excursion to the Amish Country in Kolona, Iowa 4-23-18

We participated in a group excursion to the Amish Country in Kolona, Iowa to see an Old Amish Museum and some buildings.  Other things we experienced was a Amish buggy factory and an Amish farm.  We had a great lunch at an Mennonite home.

 Amish Buggy at a Amish Farm.  But notice a piece of machinery next to it.

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Quite a site.  The buggies are equipped with tail lights and blinkers as required by light.  A car battery supplies the electricty

 Have to have a picture of us in the new buggy.

Newly completed buggy ready for the customer

Framed with wood and metal. Places to put LED lights and battery

Beautiful upholstery

Baby calf at the Amish Farm

Bat Dog....haha..Beagle Puppy barking out of the window of the barn

Cute shot of the puppy peaking over the edge of the barn

Huge old Anvil at the buggy factory

Corn stored for feeding cattle and pigs at the Amish Farm

Old treadle Singer sewing machine at the Amish buggy factory

Singer Sewing machine -- treadle or foot operated.  It is used for heavy stitching as in leather

Photo courtesy of Elder Gary Weight from the Temple Missionary Group

We had a delicious lunch of baked chicken, mashed potatoes, peas, dressing and homemade bread made my this lovely Mennonite family with the matriarch being the main cook.  Her daughter to her left and flanked by two adorable granddaughters that helped serve the food to each table.  The tables were very big and I will post pictures of tables when I get them from other Missionary couples.

The Following photos are courtesy of Sister Kathy MacKay

This lady made us all a delicious lunch

All of us at the Mennonite home having a delicious lunch

This is the way they plow

A Visit to the museum of Anhauser-Busch Beer Brewery

Even though we do not subscribe to drinking alcohol, we did take a tour of this brewery. Our tour guide, Page, was very respectful of our status of being LDS Missionaries and answered questions as to the beginnings of the brewery and how beer is made and how the Clydesdale horses became a mascot of sorts for the company.  We appreciated her tour which educated us on how two men from Germany started a company that survived the prohibition of alcohol.  It is also impressive on how clean everything is and how ornate the various areas of the brewery is. The company treats their employees well.  We enjoyed our visit.....even though we do not drink alcohol.

 Us inside the museum where the horses are kept and the wagons used over 100 years ago.

This Clydesdale Horse is in an outdoor pen for viewing by the guests. The Horses are well taken care of with baths daily and food to the precise portion. There is a special farm for the Clydesdale horses where they are bred, trained and also a place for retiring Clydesdale horses. The average age of the lifetime of these magnificent animals is 20 years.  There is a special cemetery for deceased horses.

The front of the museum

The Clock Tower at the Brewery

Al and tour guide Page in the room of the aging vats of beer. The odor we noticed most was of the grain that was used and the fermentation taking place.  Not the most pleasant odor.

Kathy at the well kept and ornate level of the brewery.

The Arch in Saint Louis, Missouri. The Gateway to the West

Kathy is very frightened of heights and was adamant about NOT taking the ride to the top of the arch.  Once she saw a video on how the enclosed cars go to the top and how safe it was to look out the windows, she agreed to go to the top.  All was well and we both enjoyed it.

An art impression of the building of the Arch, Gateway to the West

The Missouri River

A view of the capitol building that was a mile away from the Arch

Elder Al and Sister Kathy at the top of Arch.  We made it. The video presentation of the step by step building of the Arch is what was most frightening.  That is the only time that Kathy felt queasy.

Looking up at the Arch

A Unique shot of the Arch between two buildings.

A visit to the Lewis and Clark Museum

The Lewis and Clark Boat House and Museum

We visited this museum and viewed a film on how Lewis and Clark undertook an arduous expedition to reach the Pacific Ocean.  We learned much on how difficult this was.