Work and Miracles!

I should share with you my tender moments of last week.  A few years back I chose the greatest New Years resolution ever that was to have faith not fear.  So I worked on having more faith and less fear for a whole year.  It proved to be a touchstone in my life.  As you know I am down in Orlando testing.  The testing for the 1st graders is going very slow.  We were suppose to be done with our school on Friday but it appeared that we would be there until after Thanksgiving.

Another problem came up and I realized we were not going to reach our numbers of 100 children in 1st and 3rd grade.  On Tuesday my mind was called up if you will to this year long experience that I had a few years ago.  This wasn't the first time this had happened.  So I knew this was what I needed and it was a prompting from above.

I turned in prayer and asked Heavenly Father to enlighten my mind as to how I could accomplish this goal.  I set to work it out...  things were laid out in order for me.  I saw what needed to be done.  The goals were lofty and I wasn't sure if the would be attainable.  But I knew Heavenly Father knew what he was doing.  So on Wed I prayed that my abilities would be extended.  That his tender mercy would seek me out.  It was granted.

As the day went on I also saw I needed to pray that the Lord's Tender Mercy would fall on those who were testing with me.  Friday came and I asked my prayer that morning that not only would my abilities would be extended but my testers abilities would be extended as well and we would be able to accomplish the goals I had set.

As I went through the day I watched once again in amazement how even the slowest testers were working fast.  By the days end we had finished 38 1st graders.  I was given more permission slips for 1st grade that took us well over 100.  I was given 6 permission slips for 3rd grade bringing us to 93.  My Friday was a day of modern miracles.  I felt so in awe that thank you just didn't seem to be enough.  What a wonderful Father we have.   The words seem to lack adequacy to fully express what happened, how I felt and how tender those mercies were. 

Oh how great are the tender mercies of the Lord.  He is truly a kind and loving Heavenly Father who cares about what we care about and when we ask for his help he extends our abilities far beyond our abilities.

LeClaire Who??? LeClaire What? LeClaire Where?

So Bruce and I discovered that we love the same show called American Pickers.  He told me their place was only an hour or so away.  I said what are we waiting for ....  lets go!  Bruce looked up their website and got the address.  He did see their hours were pretty short...  12:00 pm - 4:00 pm but we decided to go check them out non the less.  We were not disappointed.  The American Pickers is located in LeClaire Iowa.  I said LeClaire what?  As we drove we discovered there is another famous American who also came from LeClaire. 

Buffalo Bill!  That info might win you a million dollars on a game show.  

115 1/2 Davenport Street Le Claire, IA 52753

I had the GPS plugged in but how do you put 1/2 into the address?  Fortunately as we drove up the street Bruce said.... I think I see it.... 

 We were just about to leave when Mike Wolfe pulled up in his old VW truck.  He was bring up the garbage cans for the store.  It was cool and he was soooo nice.  Someone left on their step these isle markers.  Mike's comment...  people are always leaving junk here!!  Anyone want them?  I of course never look a gift horse in the mouth.  Alyse had him sign it.  

He was so nice.  My camera was about to die and he took a ton of pictures with us.  I was so excited to see/meet him.  He said if he had keys to the store he would have let us in.  But he didn't. 

I know be jealous! 

Iowa you steal my heart!

Alyse and I met Bruce and Midge in Nauvoo Tuesday afternoon and then went back to Iowa City with them.  We had so much fun. It was about this time that I became fascinated with barns.  Oh my they are wonderful to look at.  Bruce and Midge taught us about "Quilt Square Barns."  As we were driving to Iowa it started to rain pretty hard so it made it harder to see these  new found delights.  I told Mike I wanted to go on a barn quilt tour.  Want to come?

Bruce, Alyse and I drove all over in Bruce's blue 65 Mustang WITH the top down.  He drove us over to Kalone where the Amish folk live.  What fun it was to see the homes and to listen to Bruce as he drove us around.  I learned that the Amish put steel wheels on their tractors and such.  I guess rubber isn't used.  I also learned that you can tell an Amish home because it has no electric or phone lines running to the house.  And of course there was usually an Amish carriage in the yard.  No matter what you think about the Amish you have to take your hat off to them for living the way they do in this world and in today's mass media makeup.  This first car is not an Amish family...  it's out of order but it is way to hard to move so...  you get to see it first! 

Wow that's a lot of people in one car and family! Alyse and I passed this car on our way home... just had to get a picture. 

An Amish grocery store. Those are propane lights you see.  Very fun store to walk through. I found some cough drops my mom use to use that I hadn't seen in years.  This is a place I need to go back to someday.

Amish Farm!

I have always loved looking at barns but this was amazing.  These were barns made with sweat and hard work.  Barns that were probably built with the help of a community.  Amazing.  I love the Midwest.  There is nothing better and no better people then those who live in the heartland of America. 

Amish horse and buggy!

Lots and lots of corn and soybeans.  I learned another tidbit of information.  Do you know how many ears of corn grow in each stock?  ONE!!  That is generally the rule of thumb.  This is field corn for the livestock.  The soybeans are beautiful when in bloom but I kept thinking.... those little things can kill my husband.  Pretty to look at but not so much to eat!

Largest truck stop in the world.  It was huge. 

One thing I do miss living in Tallahassee is the open and flat land.  For those who haven't been to see us yet we have more trees than people here.  While I love what Tallahassee looks like I do miss seeing a horizon!! 

This is the biggest cross I had ever seen.  Too bad I can't remember where it was...  but it was massive. 

Carthage Jail

 One of the places Alyse wanted to go was Carthage Jail.  We had a very nice sister missionary who was from Hawaii.  It always brings a sense of sadness to my heart when I go here but it was in the building that prophecies came to pass!

On June 25, 1844, Governor Thomas Ford of Illinois told the state militia that Joseph and his brother Hyrum were "dangerous men" (History of the Church, 5:563) and guilty of treason. The two brothers went to Carthage, Illinois , to deliver themselves up to the "pretended requirements of the law" (Doctrine and Covenants 135:1), according to the demands of the governor. Joseph Smith said of the event, "I am going like a lamb to the slaughter; but I am calm as a summer’s morning; I have a conscience void of offense towards God, and towards all men. I shall die innocent, and it shall be said of me—He was murdered in cold blood" (Doctrine and Covenants 135:4).

The fireplace inside the jail/home. 

After delivering themselves up, Joseph and Hyrum were confined in Carthage Jail. The men were accompanied by John Taylor and Willard Richards, members of the Church administrative body known as the Quorum of the Twelve. The four men remained in the jail for two days, during which time the jailers treated them well and friends visited them. On June 27, 1844 a mob, made up of members of the town militia who were in charge of protecting Joseph, overran the jail. The mob, later described by John Taylor as men who were "armed" and "painted black" (Doctrine and Covenants 135:1) entered the room in which the men were being held. The room was on the second floor of the jail, at the top of the stairs. The mob forced the door open and poked their gun barrels into the room. They began shooting, despite efforts by Willard Richards to deflect the gun barrels with his walking stick. Hyrum Smith was shot multiple times and died, falling to the floor. John Taylor was also shot in several places. He was not killed but sought refuge by rolling under the bed. Joseph Smith ran toward the window where he was shot in the back from inside the jail and shot in the chest from outside the jail. He either fell or leaped out of the window, landing on the ground outside the jail, where he was again shot by members of the mob. The Prophet Joseph Smith died at that time. (See History of the Church, 6:602-618, also Doctrine and Covenants Student Manual, 348).

 This is looking out the window of the downstairs bedroom.  The days were so hot that the jailer brought the Joseph and the others down so they would be more comfortable.  He then realized that anyone could see inside and knew there there were men who had said they wanted to kill Joseph.  So he moved them back upstairs. 

 The dungeon room where some of their time was spent.  This is where John Taylor was drug to hid him from the mob.  What was not known at the time is the weight of the straw and the straw in his wounds were what saved his life.  John Taylor had more work on this earth.

 The window in the dungeon cell.  Didn't give forth much light. 

 I loved the floorboards in the home... these happen to be in the room where Joseph and Hyrum were killed. 

 The window on the second floor.  This was the jailer and his wives bedroom.  So it wasn't as secure as it could have been.  But both Joseph and Hyrum had pistols with them.  

On June 27, 1844 a mob, made up of members of the town militia who were in charge of protecting Joseph, overran the jail. The mob, later described by John Taylor as men who were "armed" and "painted black" (Doctrine and Covenants 135:1) entered the room in which the men were being held. The room was on the second floor of the jail, at the top of the stairs. The mob forced the door open and poked their gun barrels into the room. They began shooting, despite efforts by Willard Richards to deflect the gun barrels with his walking stick. Hyrum Smith was shot multiple times and died, falling to the floor. John Taylor was also shot in several places. He was not killed but sought refuge by rolling under the bed. Joseph Smith ran toward the window where he was shot in the back from inside the jail and shot in the chest from outside the jail. He either fell or leaped out of the window, landing on the ground outside the jail, where he was again shot by members of the mob. The Prophet Joseph Smith died at that time. (See History of the Church, 6:602-618, also Doctrine and Covenants Student Manual, 348).

 The bullet hole from the inside.  Hyrum was pressing against the door and a ball went through this door and into his head.  Hyrum is dead

John Taylor and Willard Richards were both present at the martyrdom and survived. John Taylor, who later became the third President and Prophet of the Church, wrote: "Hyrum was shot first and fell calmly, exclaiming: I am a dead man! Joseph leaped from the window, and was shot dead in the attempt, exclaiming: O Lord my God! They were both shot after they were dead, in a brutal manner " (Doctrine and Covenants 135:1).

 A picture of the door shut looking into the room where Joseph was shot and killed.  It shows the window perfectly.  Like many of "the Lord's anointed in ancient times," they sealed their works with their own blood; "in life they were not divided, and in death they were not separated"

 The stairs leading up to the upper level of the jail/home

The window Joseph fell from

After Joseph was shot he fell from the window and landed next to this well.

Joseph Smith, the Prophet and Seer of the Lord, has done more, save Jesus only, for the salvation of men in this world, than any other man that ever lived in it. In the short space of twenty years, he has brought forth the Book of Mormon, which he translated by the gift and power of God, and has been the means of publishing it on two continents; has sent the fullness of the everlasting gospel, which it contained, to the four quarters of the earth; has brought forth the revelations and commandments which compose this book of Doctrine and Covenants, and many other wise documents and instructions for the benefit of the children of men; gathered many thousands of the Latter-day Saints, founded a great city, and left a fame and name that cannot be slain. He lived great, and he died great in the eyes of God and his people; and like most of the Lord’s anointed in ancient times, has sealed his mission and his works with his own blood; and so has his brother Hyrum" (Doctrine and Covenants 135:3).