Love From Elder & Sister Freestone
Pat Freestone
Hello to all of you, hope you are doing well! We have been serving in the temple for two weeks and loving every minute!
Tuesday (11/11) was another amazing day in Nauvoo! Normally the temple is only open in the morning on Tuesdays. Tonight we were asked to help with a special endowment session for a group of historic site missionaries. They work long hours and it is difficult for them to be able to attend the temple during their regular hours. It was so sweet and they were so appreciative. We were richly rewarded for our service as the heavens put on a spectacular show of northern lights. We watched them dance and sway in the clear, freezing night, it was so worth being cold! Wednesday (11/12) dawned less cold with less colorful foliage. Just like that, the leaves turned brown and the wind blew most of them off the trees. At the end of our shift, I had an hour of training to be an assistant sealing office coordinator. My trainer was excellent and my head was swimming! I commented that the Sealing Office was Mission Control of the temple and she did not disagree. I have so much to learn. We have discovered that Wednesday afternoons are the perfect time to return to the temple as patrons and do our own temple work.
We had the afternoon session on Thursday (11/13) and had the delightful privilege to stay after and help clean the temple. We worked on the 5th floor which had two beautiful sealing room that are used for living sealing. It is also where the spiral staircase is to the bell tower. Although no one is allowed to climb up there, I got to wondering why a bell tower on the temple.
In the 1840s, the original Nauvoo Temple's bell served as one of the primary signaling devices for the community:
- 1 Calling people to worship: It was rung to call members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to church services and other meetings.
- 2 Signaling work times: It was used to call workmen to their daily labor on the temple itself.
- 3 Sounding alarms: As anti-Mormon persecution increased, the bell was frequently rung to alert the local militia to mob attacks or other dangers, such as during the Battle of Nauvoo in 1846.
- 4 Community functions: Brigham Young intended to have a high watch tower with a bell and light signal to rouse the surrounding inhabitants of the area for various reasons.
#4 reminds me that the Prophet is the watchman on the tower. In a Jan. 9, 2022 young adult devotional address, Elder Rasband said, “Of all the things I could address, I have just one piece of advice that covers almost any circumstance you may face and will help you stay true to the Lord your God:
Choose to follow God’s living Prophet. He is our watchman on the tower.
Choose to follow God’s living Prophet, and you will never be distanced from the Lord Jesus Christ.
I promise you that as you heed the counsel of the Prophet, you will have patience with your situations and with your challenges. You will find the inner strength to square your shoulders and press on. The Lord will bless you when you follow the living Prophet.”
After serving in the temple early Friday (11/14) morning. We took a tour of the Smith Family Homestead, the family cemetery, the Nauvoo Mansion, and the brick store. This included the upstairs where the Relief Society was organized, where revelations concerning temple ordinances were received, and where Joseph Smith bestowed prophetic keys upon the twelve apostles. This week’s Come Follow Me, how about that!
Every Saturdays, we start our shift at noonand finish at 5:00pm. It is the perfect time to walk out the front doors of the temple and catch a magnificent sunset over the Mississippi, The statues of Joseph and Hyrum against the setting sun is a stirring sight.
We attend Sunday (11/16) church here in Nauvoo, 1:00-3:00. This gives us an hour after to choose one of the historical sites to visit. The guides at the visitors center suggest that the blacksmith shop would fit our timeframe as well as being warm on a brisk afternoon. We marveled at the time and effort it took to craft the items needed for homes, farm equipment and animals. Back in the day, the wheelwrights in seven blacksmith shops, had an enormous task to make the wheels uniform so they could be interchangeable on the fleet of wagons when 20,000 people were forced out into the bitter cold unknown by the ruthless mobs. The shop we visited was the last farewell on what is called the Trail of Hope as exiles left their beloved City of Nauvoo. Their stories are so heartbreaking, they were so brave and valiant to the covenants they had made with God. They have left a legacy of faith and hope that we honor and try to emulate.
We wish you well in the trials and tribulations you face this week.
D&C 128: 22 “Brethren, shall we not go on in so great a cause? Go forward and not backward. Courage, brethren; and on, on to the victory!”
You are in our prayers! Love you all so much.
Chris & Pat
