Mission.

Hey guys, I made it, I'm here in Nauvoo! It is really beautiful and so green! My companion is my good friend from BYU, Katie Wilde, we were joking about being companions, and then it actually happened, isn't that cool? I was also assigned as the driver of the mission van. It's a huge 12 passenger chevy 3500 van. I'm glad I have truck experience from driving the F-150 so much, even though this thing is much larger.

There are 10 sisters in the band and 7 elders. I am the second oldest sister and there are 2 elders that I think are older than me. None of the elders have served missions before and most of them are 19. Most of the girls are about 19 as well and we have 2 girls that are 18.

The band sounds really good, except for my section, which is really frustrating for me. We're playing on mellophones and it's taking us a while to get adjusted to them. Elder Blackinton is pretty frustrated with us, we can tell, but there's not much else we can do. Elder B is the best director I have ever had. He is extremely talented and really knows his stuff. I'm already a better player and understand a lot more about interpreting the notes on the page.

Nauvoo is awesome. oh, speaking of which, get your reservations for a hotel NOW if you haven't already, most of the hotels are already completely booked for July... anyway, yeah, it is gorgeous. We went into the Lyon Drug Store and the shelves were full of jars of psyllium and digitalis and the like. Because we're missionaries, the senior missionaries let us go places in the houses that others aren't allowed to go. We went to the top of the Cultural Hall where there is a ballroom and in the basement of the bakery. Sister Wilde and I are collecting things that they hand out at the sites for free. We have a brick, a prairie diamond, a horse shoe (they made it in front of us and gave it to me cuz it was my birthday), a string button toy thing, and a ginger snap (which we ate).

We went to the temple this morning. It is beautiful. When you go into the baptistry, you are on the same level with the oxen and then you walk up the stairs to the font. There is a big stained glass window behind the font of Christ and John the Baptist. Make sure you make an appointment to do baptisms when you come. Endowment sessions are on the hour.

I can be e-mailed at this address by anyone but I can only respond to immediate family. I hope you guys are doing well and Nick and Rachel both had fun at prom. I expect photos.
(This is Rachel, I'll be doing this for Sarah for four months!)