I'm home!

Monday August 8, 2016

The following will be a bunch of random thoughts of mine...

On Saturday, August 6, the Nauvoo Summer Study abroad program officially ended as we pulled up to the Provo Amtrak train station. It was sad to part with all of my new friends, but it was soooo nice to be off of that train. We got on the train on Friday in Nebraska at about 10:30 pm and arrived in Provo at about 9:30 pm on Saturday. Sleeping in coach was almost impossible but I survived it just fine. I cannot remember how many generations back but the Johnson's were converted in Denmark and came to Utah by train. So by coming back to Utah by train, I was able to have an experience somewhat similar to theirs. The thing that bugged me the most about the the train ride is that there was not enough room for our luggage. We got on the train and the luggage bins were all full. It took us forever to find seats that we could place our luggage behind and by the time we finished and went to go sit down, our seats had been given away. In the end it all worked out, but it was super stressful.

On Friday we were able to go to Winter Quarters. Winter Quarters holds a special place in my heart and I am glad we were able to go. My ancestors experienced great hardship while there but I bet they were able to grow closer to God from their experiences. I decided to wear my dress that day to help me remember what a sacred place Winter Quarters is. We were also able to see the Winter Quarters Temple. My uncle was married there back in 2001 and I remember coming. It was really cool to come back and realize my memories of the place were pretty accurate.

I forgot which day it was but last week we were able to go to Haun's Mill. It does not take much to get me to cry and the events that happened at Haun's Mill are quite depressing. Our mini-vans got stuck in the mud a couple times while we were at Haun's Mill, so that was a little aggravating. Patrick Wilson gave a site presentation on one of his ancestors that was there during the Haun's Mill Massacre. Super depressing...

I hope to have the time this week to upload the majority of the pictures that I have not had the time to upload yet.

I am very glad I was able to be a part of the Nauvoo Summer Study program. My testimony has grown so much and my love for the prophet Joseph and the rest of the early saints has deepened. I wish everyone could spend as much time as we did at the church history sites. I was also very blessed to be able to learn from so many amazing church history scholars. This was definitely an opportunity of a life time!

Winter Quarters Visitor Center

Stuck in the mud at Haun's Mill

Update

I haven't had the time to upload my entries for the past week but they are coming. I am coming home this Saturday and will have time to tweak my posts and get them to the point that they are presentable. Can't believe that today is my last day on the trip....

July 30

I do not have time at the moment to write about the whole previous week, but I will say that we left Nauvoo this morning and are finally in Independence Missouri. I'll hopefully have time tomorrow or sometime soon to post pictures and write what I remember. :)

Hannibal and Quincy

So I'll be honest...I've never liked Mark Twain aka Samuel Clemens and we spent the day in his hometown today. If he wouldn't have called LDS women ugly I probably wouldn't dislike him as much as I have. I've never actually read his books, and I really should read them to get rid of my dislike for him. As I read about part of his life in one of the museums, I saw that some of his children died very young. That helped my dislike for him go down quite a bit.

We also learned about John Wood, a man who lived in Quincy Illinois that helped the Latter-day Saints when they fled Missouri AND when they fled Nauvoo. I am so happy that the saints stumbled upon the people of Quincy. They really needed kindness after all the trials they had to go through. I need to do some research to see where my ancestor Hosea Stout fled to after the Battle of Crooked River. I know that his wife will end up dying in Iowa, but I wonder if he was ever in Quincy.

July 21

Today I went to class as usual with my classmates in Nauvoo. During class I made the mistake of looking at my Facebook updates and saw that my dear friend Katie had passed away earlier that morning. I knew this day was coming but I did not want to find out through Facebook and in the middle of class. I left the class room and did not come back and people noticed. Tiffany came looking for me about ten minutes later, found me, and held me while I cried. A few weeks earlier her grandmother passed away so she knew exactly what I was going through. It amazes me how the Lord is able to place people in our lives right when we need them. My classmates were so kind to me today. (Alex bought me peanut butter, double stuffed oreos and chocolate chip cookies. A mysterious person left me a big box of puffs tissues with some salted peanuts by my bedside while I was taking a nap...so I do not know who to thank and several people gave me hugs)

I was able to pretty much spend the day alone to grieve which was what I needed/wanted. I took a nap, woke up and took a shower. I felt a lot better and started interacting with people a little bit more.

It's now 2:30 in the morning, I should be asleep but sleep has escaped me. (This is a little random... the power just went out...gotta love Nauvoo rain storms) When I went to bed all of the grief I should have released while I took my nap came out. I was able to talk to my mom on the phone for a bit but I was still a mess after the call. Several months earlier I bought an audiobook to prepare me for when Katie would pass. It is called "What's on the Other Side" by Brent Top. I never listened to it because I did not want to think about Katie being in the Spirit World. At about midnight, I remembered that I had the audiobook and started to listen to it. Brother Top's words have helped the spirit bring me peace. I am still really sad and I will probably still struggle a little each day trying to bring myself to the realization that Katie isn't here, but I know Katie is okay. I hope that I can keep this peace with me for the rest of my time here in Nauvoo. There is still more for me to learn here and I am very grateful that the Lord has made it possible for me to be here.

I plan to document some of my memories of Katie but right now is not a good time for that. I should be sleeping and shall attempt to do so now :)

Hosea Stout Pictures around Nauvoo

Some of the pictures I took of Hosea's property and the Trail of Hope plaques

(Hosea Stout is my 3rd Great Grandfather on my Dad's side)

This would have been Hosea's view from his property of the construction site of the Nauvoo Temple

Abraham Lincoln

We spent a day in Springfield Illinois and learned all about Abraham Lincoln. We went to his home, where he worked, where he and his family are buried, and the Lincoln Museum

Inside the Springfield Old Captiol. I thought that was for mail, it was like a filing cabinet

Lafayette!

Springfield Il old capitol

Lincoln Tomb

Not sure which, but some of that stone came from Utah!

Lincoln's headstone is huge! Lincoln is buried underneath that somewhere

Wife

If you touch his nose, it brings good luck....who comes up with these stories?

Cast of Lincoln's fist!

Lincoln's home. He grew up in a lob cabin and will work his way up to this

At the Lincoln Museum. Lincoln as a boy

Tiffany wearing a hat that some random Museum worker had

Mary Lincoln's wedding dress! So pretty!

Lincoln's head and hands

The Lincoln's at Ford's theater

Frederick Douglas

Alex being cute :)

John Wilkes Booth, don't mess with Alex Kyler