We got up leisurely this morning and went to church in a local ward. It was just like home, except for the 800 visitors like us who filled every empty space in the building. It was a good service with the topic of Christ-centered Homes.
After returning to the hotel to change and eat lunch, we headed to Carthage to visit the Carthage Jail. Carthage is about 25 miles away. At the site of the jail, we enjoyed a short musical tribute to Joseph and Hyram Smith put on by the summer performing missionaries. Then we took a tour of the jail and the room where the Prophet Joseph was killed. There is a sober spirit, but deep spirit at that place. We enjoyed being there.
We returned to Nauvoo via a road along the Mississippi River. It is very full and we stopped along the way to enjoy the river. Once back Nauvoo, we visited several of the historic sites. The kids voted the Browning Gun Shop as the most interesting. It was interesting to see the guns the Brownings invented and to see how guns were made in the 1800s. We also stopped at the brick shop, the post office and the wheelright, wagonright and blacksmith shops. We ended at the edge of the river where the wagons boarded rafts to cross the river. There is a wall there with the names of those who didn't make it to SLC. On that wall is one of my ancestors, Jan C Van Dam. He died of exposure after riding on the roof of an over-crowded train trying to get to Nauvoo with his young family. His pregnant wife continued on with their four children and his aging parents. She died on the plains after giving birth to a daughter and my great-great-grandfather Huibert Van Dam, who was 11 at the time, drove the team of oxen to the valley. It helps my perspective to connect with stories like that.
After dinner at the hotel (and a period of rest!) we attended a fireside at the outdoor stage. It was a musical that co-opted Broadway tunes to tell a story of family, faith and generations. It was fun and the kids enjoyed identifying the co-opted songs.
We drove about 60 miles (mostly to Carthage) today.
The Internet connection isn't good enough to upload pictures. I will add them when we get to a better connection.
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