Love from Elder & Sister Freestone

[Pat Freestone]

It is a glorious day in Nauvoo! The perfect day for a picnic in the Nauvoo State Park, just up Parley Street across the highway and walking distance from our apartment in the flats. The Temple Missionaries along with everyone who serves in any capacity in the temple, came together for fun, fellowship, and food! And boy oh boy these midwestern people are incredible cooks!!! 

Earlier this morning the Temple Missionaries were invited to a special preview tour of the new Temple Visitor Center. It is stunningly beautiful. I wish you could all come and walks through every room. I got a little teary at the baptismal font replica that had prices of the original stone and oxen inlayed into it. The artwork is spectacular and focuses on the Savior teaching in the ancient temple. And the new film that was created just for the visitors center is so tender and touching!! The early 1900 Tiffany stained glass window was salvaged from a church that was being torn down. The purchaser donated it to the Church. It is the first thing you see when you walk in the front door and one of the supervisors, who has been working on the project for three years, said that this beautiful rendition of the Savior will strike a familiar chord with all Christians who enter. Many will remember the stained glass windows of churches from their youth and exclaim, “That’s my Jesus!”

We are eagerly looking forward to a Missionary fireside with Elder Gong prior to the dedication on June 27th. 

The sensational weather of today was a welcome break in the weather of a gray and stormy week. On Thursday morning (6/11/26) it seemed as though the sun forgot to rise. The rain came down in torrents and the sky was heavy and ominous. While serving in the temple that afternoon, the tornado warning siren sounded almost steadily for a couple of hours. At one point we had a youth conference group of 60, seek shelter in the foyer of the temple, and our foyer is tiny. There were several tornadoes sightings in some of the nearby towns and once again, we were safe within the walls of God’s Holy House. It is times like this that we recall President Hinckley’s prophetic words in the 2002 dedicatory prayer, “ Preserve this Thy house from the storms of nature and destructive elements of all kinds.“ 

President Nelson words continue to echo in our hearts, 

“Whenever any kind of upheaval occurs in your life, the safest place to be spiritually is living inside your temple covenants!“

How profound! In this world where threatening clouds frequently darken the skies around us, the sure knowledge of safety in our covenants is a golden ray of sunshine and a hope of glorious new day-just perfect for a picnic! 

Love you all!

Grandma & Grandpa, Mom & Dad, Chris & Pat

Sent from my iPhone