The first site we visited here in Nauvoo was the Brickyard.  The wood here wasn't very good, so the pioneers who could afford it made their homes of brick.  And they made the brick from three ingredients that were here in abundance:  clay, sand, and water.  They would mix those ingredients together in a big "bowl" in the ground, kind of like a Bosch.  What they had then was called "tag" and they had some frames that they threw the tag into to form a brick.  Those were still soft, but they let them dry out for awhile.  Once they were dry enough they would stack them up into what looks like a little house, and built a fire inside.  That fire kept going day and night for quite awhile, and it took about 60 cords of wood to get them made.  Some bricks that were closest to the fire came out too dark, some that were on the outside weren't hard enough to keep out rain, and some were just right.  When a house was made they made the walls three blocks thick.  They used to just right ones on the outside, the ones that were took dark were hidden in the middle, and the ones that were light were on the inside.  There are missionaries here who make bricks all day.  They are small and decorated to say Nauvoo.  We have one in our living room at home.  But instead of building a fire and using all that wood, they bake them in an electric kiln that gets hot enough to take only a couple of days to cook.

Nauvoo the Beautiful

I haven't written in this blog for a long, long time!  But now that we are in Nauvoo, I want to share all the interesting things we are learning and seeing.  Nauvoo is right by the Mississippi River.  Last Wednesday we drove across the Mississippi on a bridge to Ft. Madison, and then down to Montrose.  That's where this picture is taken from.  When the pioneers left Nauvoo in February, 1846 this river was frozen, which made it easier for them to cross.

14 September 2010

Dallin: "I didn't know he would be so soft."

The Taoist Temple in Cebu is a Chinese place of prayer. There is a sign where you go into the "temple" that tells you how to know the answer to your prayer. It says you should throw these little blocks on the ground and how they land tells you what your answer is. I'm thankful that I know about the Holy Ghost and how to pray to Heavenly Father and get answers. Some people have some very different ideas, don't they? When the missionaries teach people how to pray, it changes their life. When you open this blog, you might want to go to the bottom and read about the last picture first. It might be easier for you to understand. I love you so much, Grandma

Elder and Sister Burton are from Salt Lake City. Their children wanted them to serve a mission and are helping pay for them to be here. They are both artists, and Brother Burton has been making little model Filipino houses when he has some spare time on Preparation Day. He gave one of these houses to us and we will bring it home with us. Aren't they cool looking? Brother Burton plays the piano, and he is using the keyboard in this picture to teach people how to play. Not very many people here know how to play the music for singing in Church. I am glad some of you are learning how to play so when you go on your mission you will be able to play songs for church. Some branches sing without a piano and it's harder that way.

Elder and Sister Outcalt are grandparents too. They came to the Cebu Mission in June. Bryce and Spencer, Sister Outcalt is the aunt of someone in your ward, Matt Holyoak. This picture is taken at the place where a new church house will soon be built in Tubigon. We really like the Outcalts. They are excited to be missionaries here. They are helping the new members of the church learn how to be leaders. They are helping young men prepare to serve missions. They are such good helpers for Heavenly Father.