Nauvoo Youth Conference

Our "kids" Danny, Cassidy, Serena, Ashley, Aaron & Michael

Our family in Nauvoo

Evan and I were blessed to be able to be Ma's and Pa's for our Stakes Youth Conference trip to Nauvoo.  We took Reagan with us.  He did a fabulous job the whole time.  So many leaders came up to me and commented, "has he really been as good as it appears he's been?", or, "Your baby really is a perfect baby, I can't believe it."  If I thought Reagan would be anything less than what I knew he would be I would not have volunteered us to be Ma's and Pa's.


On the bus, on our way to Nauvoo, 8 hr trip




Our first stop for lunch. Can you see his teeth?



Once we got there, there were a few YW leaders that weren't happy I brought Reagan and complained to Bro. Webber.  I felt bad.  I didn't want anyone upset with anyone for Reagan being there.  I knew Reagan would be great and show them all they were not wrong for letting us come on this trip and the kids in our family would not be deprived or miss any spiritual moments due to my son being on the trip.  I'm glad to say as the trip wore on and Reagan continued to do so well the leaders became nicer and nicer to me.  And treated us better.  I ended up having my own room, except for the last night.  We had a few youth sneak out the beginning of the trip and on the last day they needed a place to sleep.  They were going to move me to another room, but then asked if I was up to having them sleep with Reagan and I.  I thought that would be the ultimate punishment for them.  Reagan was already asleep, so they had to go straight to bed and no talking.  They got to lay there in darkness and listen to the other girls outside running up and down the hall, and playing until all hours of the night.  They also got the joy of being woken up a few times in the middle of the night from Reagan!  I was especially pleased with this since there actions woke up not only all the leaders that had to go looking for them, but all the youth as well because everyone had to wake up and line up for a head count.  So I was very glad my son woke them up and made their lives uncomfortable like they made everyone else's!!  Woo hoo!  Way to go Reagan!! =)



The sun was really in my eyes


The youth went to the Temple on Tuesday.  I'm so thankful they felt the spirit there.  I had been asking them how they enjoyed the exhibits and things we saw the whole time and never got much of a response, trying to have them write in their journals any special thoughts or feelings they had.  It never went over very well.  I was so happy that as we were walking out of the temple and I asked them how they liked the temple the 3 I was walking with blurted out in unison the joy and spirit they felt there!  It made my heart swell to hear them FINALLY get excited and have something to say.  And how happy I was they were excited about the Temple!!

While the youth were doing baptisms I was doing initiatory's.  I have not done those since I lived in WA.  one of the gals that was working with me was getting pretty sniffley, I was too the whole time but tried to keep a stiff upper lip.  By the end, before I left I couldn't hold my emotion any more.  Both of us seeing the other trying to hold back emotion seemed to give us both permission to let our emotion out.  We hugged before I left.  I love the spirit in the temple.  I love the sisterhood in the temple!  I love the temple!!  I wish I lived closer to a temple here.  It is really my favorite place to be.

The heat was so intense, we had to walk just about everywhere.  But our kids didn't complain.  I love how they put a spiritual tie to everything they teach you about the way the pioneers lived back then.  We went to the Post Office, as they tell you about the forms of communication back in the day they want us to remember that we can communicate with our Father in Heaven through Prayer.  We learned how they made barrels, and they tied it to being prepared.  Back in the day the more barrels a person had the more prepared they were.  We watched how they made rope, and were reminded about the strength of family ties and the how the bond makes us stronger when we are together.   While at the tin shop, we learned about the patterns they used to make their work easier and were instructed to make and follow the positive patterns in our life that will make our journey easier, like reading our scriptures, prayer, going to seminary and church etc.



Evan playing Stick Pull with our "son" Danny



I loved the testimony meeting we had at the end of our Youth Conference.  We had 6 kids in our family all but 1 of them got up to bare their testimonies.  That made me so happy.  It helped me feel like Evan and I did just what we were supposed to do, create an experience for these kids that will allow their testimonies to be strengthened in the Lord!