Love From Elder & Sister Freestone

[Pat Freestone]

Well Hello Once Again,
Hope you are all doing well.
The clock seems to be ticking faster on this precious time of being missionaries in Nauvoo. It seems that in a blink of an eye the trees have exploded in blossoms and every color of green. Does this spring thing beauty really happen every year around the world? We just can’t get enough of it!!! And just to take every advantage of the outdoors, on Monday (4/20) we missionaries had a picnic at the Past Times Pavilion. It is in the center of old Nauvoo and walking distance for all of us. We are so very fortunate to live right here in the flats and to be able to walk this historic city nearly every day. With the site missionaries walking by in their pioneer clothes, we are constantly in a time warp, sliding back and forth between the 1840s and 2026. New missionaries, site, temple, and YTMS (Young Teaching Missionary Sisters) continue to arrive every day gearing up for summer! 
It was great to be back serving in the temple this week. We have had an intense training schedule to get the new Temple Missionaries up to speed. We also transitioned into the temple summer schedule with extended hours and additional appointment opportunities. We are ready for all of you to come visit!!!
Another highlight of the week was beginning my first organ lesson. It was awesome! Sister Conover, who lives here in Nauvoo, donates her time and shares her talents with temple missionaries like me who have a dream to play the organ in the Nauvoo Temple Assembly Hall! It is a gigantic dream and every day I somehow whittle out a sliver of time to practice on the organ at the church building. With God, nothing is impossible!!!
After being gone for three weeks, today we attended our little branch in Washington, IA. They are always so welcoming and were anxiously waiting to extend an assignment to be the Sunday School teachers for the 12-18 youth class. Yep, all 17 of them. We are super excited to begin next week because, as you all know, the lesson is about the Children of Israel building the Tabernacle and its similarities to our modern day Temples. How perfect is that? (If any of you have ideas for hands on activities, we welcome your input. )
It is a beautiful assurance of God’s love for His children throughout history.  
Exodus 25: 8 And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them.

Just think of that! The God of heaven and earth desires to dwell “among us!” That is a beautiful incentive to attend the temple often! 

As stated in the Come Follow Me lesson this week, “Perhaps the most important similarity between modern temples and the ancient tabernacle is that both, if understood correctly, strengthen our faith in Jesus Christ and fill us with gratitude for His atoning sacrifice. God wants all of His children to enter into His presence; He wants “a kingdom of priests” and priestesses (Exodus 19:6)… He parts the veil for us and empowers all of God’s people to “come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy” (Hebrews 4:16).”

Just as the Tabernacle was a little piece of Heaven on Earth, so it is with Temples in our day. 
May we all find ourselves there often, worshiping our God, our Savior, our Redeemer, rejoicing in His love, mercy, and perfect plan!

Love you all so much, until next week, 
Grandma & Grandpa, Mom & Dad, Chris & Pat

PS-Raining today and the ants 🐜 continue to march into our house “Ten by Ten, (I think I heard the little one stop to say, “Let’s sing it again!” Someone forgot to tell them they were supposed to march “down, into the earth, to get out, of the rain! Boom, boom, boom! ”🤯