Carthage Jail Sociable

Today was a rather unusual day.  A  couple of weeks ago I was asked to do some research on the Carthage Jail in preparation for a "Sociable" (Nauvoo word for a Fireside with all the missionaries in the Mission) scheduled for today, February 23.  In our site book, (which gives all the history we are to use in our tours) for the Carthage Jail, it states that once the jail was deactivated and sold to individuals, it was purchased by one James Monroe Browning in 1871.  The site book states that he was not related to Johnathan Browning, the  famous gunmaker who joined the Church in 1842 and moved to Nauvoo.   I have questioned this and found through help of the senior missionaries at the Family Search Center that he lived near Carthage and was 11 years old at the time of the Martyrdom and purchased the Jail when he was 38 in 1871 and lived there for 30  years. He was always cordial to visitors who stopped and asked to see the Martyrdom room, but never appeared interested in the Church. (of course there were no Church members in Carthage nor Nauvoo until the 1930's).
It turns out that he is a direct NEPHEW of Johnathan Browning!!  This was a big surprise to everyone.
 The organizers of the Sociable asked me if I would present my research findings in today's meeting.
I was very surprised to find that I shared the program  with Craig Dunn, a local historian that has written several books on Nauvoo, and Susan Easton Black Durrant who is now a Temple Missionary  who has written more than 120 books on Church History while she was at BYU.
It was a very enjoyable experience, and humbling to be on such a program.
I so love being a Missionary here in Nauvoo.  Every day presents experiences which strengthen my testimony of the truthfulness of this the restored Gospel.  I have had so many witnesses of the instrumentality of Joseph Smith in this restoration.  How humbling to walk in the very places where so much of what he did occurred.  I can almost picture him, and others as they struggled to make Nauvoo and the Church the doctrinal marvel that it is today.

Nauvoo Exodus Re-enactment

Today, Feb. 8, 2014, we had a re-enactment of the Exodus of the population of Nauvoo, which began on Feb. 4, 1846.  It was a very sober event, thinking of the feelings of the Saints as they drove their wagons down Parley St. to the Mississippi River and then waiting in line as the ferries took them across one by one.  The weather cooperated in helping us feel the discomfort they must have felt as the waited such a long time for their turn to cross.  The temperature was 14 degrees F.  and a light snow was falling and a stiff breeze took the wind chill  down.  Fortunately we have clothes to ward off the cold, which the early Saints did not.  They must have froze terribly while they waited, and worse when they finally got over to Montrose where they did not even have a home to protect them from the elements.  Only a tent or to get under their wagon, as the wagon was so loaded they could not get in it.

 We assembled at the Family Living Center, at 6:30 am. about 1 1/2 miles from the river, and had a nice breakfast and a program reciting excerpts from several of the Saint's journals.  Then we went outside and walked along side of the wagons to the River.  I was part of the Nauvoo Legion, which at that time numbered about 4 to 5 thousand. We marched in front of the group of missionaries and local and visiting members who came, some from Utah, etc. just for this re-enactment, and when we got to the River we had a flag raising ceremony and another program, and sang Come Come Ye Saints.  A very touching experience.

 There were  about 350 people total who walked in the procession

 They carried flags representing every nation that was in the original group.

After the program many of them went out on the ice of the Mississippi River, which is still frozen over and covered with a lot of snow from the two heavy storms that have come through in the last two weeks. Sister Ririe even ventured out onto the ice!
Experiences like this continue to keep us humbly thankful for the peace we enjoy today as compared to the lawless mob attacks the they lived with,and for the comforts of today compared to their constant struggling with not enough food, not enough clothing,or shelter, etc.  We must not take what we have for granted, but must be ever more greatful and dedicated to their memory and sacrifice.
After the events we staffed our assigned sites for visits.  During one of my tours at the Brickyard I discussed with a group from Utah, how we could honor what they did, in our lives today. Very thought provoking and emotional interchange was had.
It is our greatest desire that our children, our grandchildren, our nieces and nephews, and our brothers and sister honor their covenants and live up to the legacy these faithful Saints left for us to follow.  In that only, is true happiness found.
We love this mission!

Our Amazing District!

                                                     This is our Awesome Don Carlos District

       We planned a neat meeting at the Willard Richards home.  Remember Willard Richards was an apostle and was with the Prophet in Carthage jail when he was martyred.  The amazing prophecy Joseph made to Willard was, Willard you will see bullets flying on both sides and your friends dying on your left and right, but you will not have a hole in your garment. (He made that prophecy about a year before the martyrdom) That is exactly what happened.  He was a big 300# man, and the room was very small, but he and John Taylor survived.  He without a hole in his garment (a little nick on his ear) and it was a miracle John Taylor survived.  He had 4 bullet wounds and survived to be our third Prophet.  The law of two witnesses came into play here.  If we didn't have their testimonies, we would only have the mobs account of what transpired in Carthage.  Joseph sent all of the other apostles on missions so they wouldn't be involved.
      His home is now a Bed and Breakfast, down on the flats where all of the old Nauvoo sites are.....The owners were so gracious to allow us to  have our meeting there and gave us a very interesting tour.  The folks in our districts are the Gifford's, the Russell's and the Mayne's.  We love our district, they are amazing people.  They inspires us to be better.  As District leaders we meet each month and have a training on a topic that comes through the Zone leaders from the Mission President. It is always a challenge to find interesting ways to teach people who are giants in the Gospel.  We feel they should be teaching us....and they do!  We are so lucky to be here and are learning so much!