Illinois Chicago West Mission: Nauvoo Temple Trip!!!

Just got back from the temple and it was AMAZIGNG! Nauvoo is the place to be. I can't even explain how awesome it was to be able to go to such a historic place and attend the temple there. I wish I could go more often because it is such a spirit booster. I learned so much that I hadn't picked up on before and it made me want to try harder, be better, and to give more of myself so that I can help others get to the temple and experience these wonderful blessings. There's always more we can do no matter how good we are currently.

This has been a whirlwind of a week, but it has mostly been good. First we had to move Phillip's baptism to next week... The bishop decided that there couldn't be two events happening in the building at the same time. There was a memorial service being held in the gym for someone's mom that died, but for some reason we couldn't have had the baptism on the OTHER SIDE OF THE BUILDING where the baptistry is. We had to try to move the time to accommodate and we had to make about 100 phone calls to all the auxiliary leaders because things kept changing. About an hour into this mess I just had to stop and pray and tell the Lord, "Whatever is your will, let that happen!" I don't think it is my place to give permission to God about what to do, but I did. Ends up that it is going to have to happen next week. I trust that God may have had a purpose in making it so it was not this last week. I have to trust and respect the bishop's authority, but I still was upset about it.

A couple cool things that happened this week:

First we went down to Monmouth to visit some people and do some finding. We went to stop by this one lady who we had met a few weeks prior who said we could come back. We went to the address that we put into the areabook and when we got there I knew that that was not the house. We went farther down the street to where the real address was, I put in 329 when it was actually 829. Turns out the old woman wasn't there. We also knocked on a less active mans home who lived across the street from her, he wasn't home either. I kept having this feeling like go back to 329. I pushed it off a couple times, but it kept coming back. So I said Elder Butterfield we have to go back to 329. Well we did and there came a man to the door by the name of Dan. Turns out he already has a Book of Mormon and has been through the Nauvoo temple when they were having the open house. He said he couldn't go in now because he's a "Laman" and they won't let him in. So he has been reading the Book of Mormon off and on since he got it. He said we could come back anytime he was home. It was super cool.

Second, we went to stop by a less active home as request from the bishop, see I respect his office(; We went there and knocked on the door. First of all this place is an old insane asylum that they converted into an apartment complex. No locks on any doors besides the door to the outside. There's all these random hallways and there's like no lights and if there is one it flickers. Like honestly... classic stereotypical insane asylum. It would make for a sick Nazi zombies map. Anyways we go knock on their door, they say come in, I say okay, pay my 1250 points, and push open the door ready for crawlers to come out (That's a zombies reference). Needed a gas mask, so much smoke poured out of the room, like literally poured out. You could see it falling out of the room like a fog machine. The guy turns around and sees it's us and screams, "It's not a good time elders!" We left, but we didn't make it 5 steps before his drunken wife came out and walked us to the door (By walked I mean waddled and stumbled and used the walls to balance and side steps and back peddled and all manner of drunken steps). Don't drink alcohol.

Well after we get back out to the main lobby (There were no meteor stones, I checked) She sat down on the couches with us and apologized for us having to see them like that. We talked for a while then her husband came out and was in tears. He apologized for yelling and explained that he was just so ashamed that someone from the church had to see them like that. He said no young man on the Lord's errand should have to see such evil. He was really sincere. He just broke down and was apologizing and was saying that they needed to get back into church, but that they felt so ashamed for starting alcohol and smoking that they felt like they were unworthy to come back to church. It was amazing to just see a grown man, with a sweet beard by the way, would just open up so much to a couple young guys like that, granted he was a little under the influence of the "honesty syrup". We bore our testimony about the cleansing power of the Atonement. They just soaked it in. They began to realize the power of the Savior's Atonement. It was pretty amazing to be there and help someone realize that there is hope. Such a great testimony builder. Alma 7:11-13; 34:8-17

There are more things I could tell you about, but I feel as though I have waxed eloquent. I will send out some pictures of the temple and stuff. Love you all, and I love to hear from you so keep me updated on what's goin on. (:

I forgot to include this in the group, but we got to stop at Carthage jail on the way to Nauvoo this morning and see where the Prophet Joseph were martyred. The spirit was so strong there as it was in the temple.

1. the original door where the bullet went through that Killed Hyrum Smith

2. the room where the martyrdom took place

3. the prison room where John Taylor was dragged by Willard Richards

4. outside of the jail. Joseph fell through the window and onto the ground, crawled over to the well and died sitting up next to it.