Call's Called To Serve: Only 1 trek this week, missionaries on vacation

Sunday July 24, with only one trek scheduled this week most of the missionaries were gone for a vacation. We took advantage of this time and left Sunday morning to see family in Iowa. Sister Call's daughter Alyson Sabin Tregaskis and her husband David and five month old daughter Olivia, moved there a month ago so David could start medical school. We left go go and see them. We drove to Kearney Nebraska for the night. It was fun to read the history of the area as we drove along..

Monday July 25, we stopped at the Winter Quarters Temple and Mormon Trail Center at Historic Winter Quarters, and Kanesville Tabernacle at Council Bluffs. Since we are on this mission thinking about Pioneers everyday these sites mean so much more to us since this is where they left from to travel by handcarts to Utah. We loved the tours by the missionaries there and enjoyed the few hours there.

At Winter Quarters Mormon trail Center,. Sister Call with the apron and bonnet, ready to pull the cart.
.This is the actual size of the carts, a lot smaller then the ones we have on the ranch.

Winters Quarters Temple, love the stained glass windows

The monument at the pioneer cemetery is to honor those pioneers who had to bury a loved one.
This has so much more meaning being on this mission.

Kanesville Tabernacle .A statue of, Brigham Young, Heber C Kimball,and Willard Richards
They were sustained as the first presidency

We arrived at Alyson and David's in Des Monies about 5:30 and we loved seeing their cute apartment while he is in medical school and loving and getting to know little Olivia.

Tuesday July 26, we were up early and off to Nauvoo for a few days. This was Elder Call's first time there, and Sister Call's third time. We knew we had the week off so before our mission we had made reservations at the Nauvoo Inn and Suites, such a nice place to stay and close so the baby could nap if needed during the day. We saved seats at 2:00 pm for the Pageant tonight, and headed to the Brick Yard to learn about making the bricks in Nauvoo and get our brick replica. Then we toured the Lucy Mack Smith house that has the steepest staircase in all of Nauvoo. The Pendleton House and School where they taught spelling of how the word sounds not how we know how to spell it. Next was the Print Shop and learned where a lot of the saying come from like learning to mind your P's and Q's and what dingbats are. Then John Taylor's house with the story that sister Call loves about him going back for the Rocking Horse for his son after they were driven out. Sister Call's relatives go back to John Taylor so she always love visiting his home. The Post Office was interesting to learn how they mailed letters and wrote letters back then to save space.

Elder Call, getting his first Nauvoo Brick

David Tregaskis and Olivia, in the Printing Office

Alyson and David ans Olivia enjoying the tour of Nauvoo.

Elder and Sister Call at the John Taylor home

Elder Call loved the Browning Home and Gun Smith Shop, all the interesting guns and how he made them, he grew up on a farm but didn't want to be a farmer and how he loved guns and studied them and was an amazing gun maker. He was so dedicated to the church and every 10th day he closed his shop and would work in the temple. We loved the Stoddard Tin Shop and the tools they had to make all the tin pans.

Elder Call loved seeing all the old guns

David, Alyson, Olivia Tregaskis

We enjoyed the production of Sunset by the Mississippi. This production Sister Barton was in charge of while they were serving their mission . The Senior Missionaries and Young Performing Missionaries did such an amazing job. The Nauvoo Brass Band was fun to listen too. What a fun hour spent.

Sunset on the Mississippi Production

Tonight was the Nauvoo Pageant and what a fantastic job they did. They even perform on a slanted stage so you can see. So many families involved in this and little ones up so late at night. They built an amazing Nauvoo Temple on the stage. Such a tender mercy for us that we were able to be there at the same time as the Pageant.

One of the scenes form the pageant

Amazing Pageant where they built this Temple on the stage

Wednesday July 27, today is our ninth wedding anniversary. We went to the Nauvoo Temple. No better way to start the day then at the Temple. We loved it there with all the furnishings the same as in Pioneer times. We then had another wonderful day touring Nauvoo, the woman's gardens with the statues of Monuments to Women, at the visitors center, a carriage ride through the country side of Nauvoo and out to inspiration point, and learned so much history along the way.

Elder and Sister Call, just finished attending the Nauvoo Temple.

Such a beautiful Temple

The monument if front of the Temple of Joseph and Hyrum Smith

We loved the Temple

Elder Call at the gardens behind the Visitors Center

Sister Call in the Statue Garden of monuments to Women

Alyson and Olivia

The cookie treat at the Scovil Bakery was so fun. David ran into members from his mission, so fun for him. We learned how they made rope in the Family Living Center and got a length of rope, and saw candle making, bread making and barrel making. We went in the Lyon Drug store and they had a really fun microscope that David was fascinated with. Brigham Young's home was really interesting with all the plates that they had found on the property, and the rocker that they should make for homes today.

One of the favorite places in Nauvoo

David Tregaskis and the family he knew on his mission in New Jersey

A missionary demonstrating how to make rope, it was amazing and fun to watch.

They sure did a lot in this store, fun to think of all the business happening there every day.

Elder Call in the Store

A favorite place is the Webb Blacksmith shop and we all received a prairie diamond ring made out of a nail. This is what some used to be engaged on the trail when they could not use anything else to be engaged. Seventies Hall had a lot of history where instructions were given before the men left on missions, and a museum in the upstairs of things found from the excavation

A missionary showing how to make wheels

Elder Call outside the Seventies Hall

Inside the Seventies Hall

David and Olivia enjoying the park and watching the ducks

The last stop was the Red Brick Store. There is so much history here with the Relief Society started.
Also Joseph Smith had his office, and some Temple ordinances given here before the Temple was finished.

The Red Brick Store, so much happened in this store

The missionaries do an amazing program in the Cultural Hall, the production is called Rendezvous in Old Nauvoo Then there was a cool Country Fair before the British Pageant. A lot of the things they have there are the same as on our treks, a Hoedown, stick pulling, tug of war, doll making, and braided material for necklaces, bag pipe playing, stick games, braided rug making, and games for little kids. There is a whole park full of games. The British Pageant was just as wonderful as the American Pageant. They made a big sailing ship on stage at the end;

The Senior missionaries do an amazing job acting in the play Rendezvous in Old Nauvoo, lots of fun.

British Pageant

British Pageant, they make a boat on stage. A beautiful night, a great cast.

Thursday July 28, David and Alyson went to the temple today and we were able to tend Olivia, a treat for us. We then went on a wagon ride around Nauvoo. Just when we finished we had a nice little rain storm to cool everything off. The Riser Boot Shop was our next stop, and learned so much of how they made the shoes and all the time that went into making shoes back then. We stopped in the Land and Records office to find out what property that Anson Call owned. This is Elder Call's great great grandfather. We went and cheeked out some of his land. One piece was right across from Brigham Young's home. It is so neat to picture him as great friends with the Prophet.

The horses ready to pull the wagon around town

A missionary telling about the Riser Boot Shop and how they made shoes.

Elder and Sister Call and Olivia , learning where Anson Call owned property in Nauvoo.

David and Alyson on the wagon ride around Nauvoo.

Three generations, loving the beautiful flowers around the city

Heber C Kimball's home was next. This was one of the homes that lasted, and the people who lived there had many people come and knock on their door and want to look at it before the restoration of Nauvoo. Wilford Woodruff house had his original hat box he used for all the missions he went on and also an original quilt. We saw the Nauvoo Temple Quarry where they got the stone for the original Nauvoo Temple and also the rebuilt Nauvoo Temple. The last home we toured was Sarah Granger Kimball Home. .

Elder Call, and the Tregaskis family

The hat box that Heber used on all his missions.

The original quilt in the home of the Kimball's

Elder and Sister Call at the quarry

We then had a beautiful drive down the Mississippi River to Carthage Jail. Very humbling place, to think of what happened there on June 27, 1944 when Joseph and Hyrum were murdered.

Olivia and David in Carthage Jail

David, Alyson, Olivia in Carthage Jail, the window where Joseph Smith was shot.

Carthage Jail, top window is where Joseph Smith was killed.

Elder and Sister Call and David,,Alyson, Olivia, at the memorial statue of Joseph and Hyrum Smith at Carthage Jail.

Friday July 29, we had a relaxing morning playing with Olivia and that afternoon, we went on a tour of the State of Iowa Capital building. There is so much history there, and our tour guide was amazing. The tour was about two hours long and we went up into the dorm, which is impressive and learned all about Iowa. There is also a modal of the USS Iowa that is in California, we will have to put that on our to do list when we are in California again.

Iowa State Capital Building

Replica of the Battle Ship Iowa

Looking up at the dome in the Capital, it was breathtaking.

A closer look at the inside of the dome. The flag is real and is hanging on piano wires..

We had a nice stake dinner on the new BBQ with the Missionaries Elder Adams on his one month anniversary from Mesa Arizona, and Elder Skougard on his one year anniversary from St George Utah. David gave him a tie that he wrote on the back of it for him to remember him by. We don't get to feed them very often in Utah so this was a real treat.

Dinner with Elder Skougard, and Elder Adams

Saturday July 30 we went to the Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden. Sister Call loves flowers and it was impressive. We checked out David's Medical School and we are so excited for him to start school there next week. He is attending Des Moines University. We had a fun night tending Olivia while they went out to dinner, something they will have little time to do together once school starts.