Springtime in the Arboretum or (as Cole would say) Doc and Pam by a Tree

The Morton Arboretum is truly magnificent this time of year. We didn't discover the Arboretum until June last year so we missed all the spectacular spring blooms. But not this year! Wow, isn't Heavenly Father's creation amazing!

Last year the Arboretum hosted an artist who assembled a twig house called Xanadu. This year an artist has made wooden sculptures of insects that are lovingly called "Big Bugs". A humongous ant is placed near one edge of the East side that is visible from the tollway. Other "Big Bugs" include a spider, bee, dragonfly, preying mantis, beetle and a series of ants. We'll be taking more pictures of them through the summer. The display was ready last Friday for Arbor Day. Arbor Day is the only free admission day of the 365 days a year the Arboretum is open.

Some of the daffodils are beginning to fade but the tulips and flowering trees are just gorgeous.

We have been using the Arboretum as our training course. It's 4.5 miles to run the full loop on the East side. We haven't measured the distance yet of the West side. The flora and fauna change almost daily. Near the upper edge, the leaves of the hardwood groves are starting to bud.

Illinois is so lush and green right now. It makes me understand just a little of the hardship the Saints encountered when they left all of this and arrived in the desert of Utah.

"Charlie's Angels" Chicago Tour

Sisters Ludwig (Illinois Nauvoo Mission shown in the middle) and Erickson (Illinois Peoria Mission pictured on the left) drove with their husbands to the Mission Presidents Seminar in Chicago on Fri., April 18.

I offered to be a tour guide and take them into Chicago. What a great time we had exploring the "Windy City".

The reason I call this entry the "Charlie's Angels" Tour is we were walking down the sidewalk near Millennium Park and a black man handing out flyers said, "Whoa, Charlie's Angels!" We couldn't stop laughing. We decided Sister Ludwig was Farrah Fawcett, Sister Erickson was Kate Jackson leaving me to be Cheryl Ladd. Pretty funny, huh.

Riding the Blue Line train was new to me. We've always taken the Metra. I was a bit nervous but it worked out well and it gave the Sisters a feel of Chicago transportation. The station was located right next to their hotel. The 45-minute train ride took us to Daley Plaza. We enjoyed chatting with each other and others on the train. I handed out two pass along cards. The Corner Bakery Cafe near the Ford Theatre where "Wicked" is performed was less than a block away from Daley Plaza. After a scrumptious lunch we were off to Millennium Park, the "Bean" and Crown Fountain.

The day was gorgeous in spite of the earthquake that occurred around 4:30 a.m. The weatherman had forecast an 80% chance of rain, but we only felt a sprinkle when we returned to their hotel that evening.

Our next major event was touring the Art Institute of Chicago. Oh my, I was impressed! We saw paintings by Monet, Renoir, Picasso, Van Gogh and multiple other artists I had never heard of before. We especially liked the picture of the nuns walking in Paris. The colors were muted but most pleasant. If I had to label the picture we took by that painting it would have to be "Five Spiritual Women."

After our dose of culture, we hoofed it down Michigan Avenue to the Chicago River and the Wendella Boat Ride. We were the first in line for the 4:30 p.m. boat tour. While Sisters Erickson and Ludwig waited in line, I found a nearby Walgreens and bought bottled water and Fannie May chocolates. What's a trip to Chicago without Fannie May! The wait wasn't too long and we enjoyed the rock of the boat and all the great information about the city. Sister Ludwig said the boat ride and narrative were her favorite part of the day.

Debarking from the boat, we walked a few more blocks north on Michigan Avenue to the Grand Lux Cafe. We were seated quickly and enjoyed dinner looking over the city streets. The sisters really enjoyed the sensational flavors of their dinners. Sister Ludwig and I chose the pan roasted chicken and Sister Erickson had the pot roast.

After dinner we strolled back to Daley Plaza to catch the Blue Line train back to the hotel located near O'Hare Airport. I insisted they buy some Garrett popcorn--another Chicago delicacy.

A funny thing happened when we were walking on the sky walk by the hotel. A black man looked at Sister Ludwig, said something like mmm, mmm, mmm and blew her a kiss. Again, we couldn't stop laughing. When she told her husband about the incident she said, "I think that man was hitting on me." This was Sister Ludwig's first visit to Chicago. Both expressed appreciation for the fun day. They were happy to return to the safety of the hotel and their husbands, but I do think a great time was had by all.

The tour was complete with great food, sites and sounds that only Chicago can give. Even more dear are the friendships and memories made along with laughter. Sister Ludwig kept saying, "Oh my, this is nothing like Nauvoo."

Nauvoo--City Beautiful

Fulfilling our assignment, we hit the road to Nauvoo, IL, St. Louis and Independence, MO.

Our first stop was beautiful Nauvoo. There is just something special--something sacred about this small corner of the earth. This time I was especially moved by the plaques on the path of the Trail of Hope on Parley Street where the Saints fled across the Mississippi in dreadful conditions. What faith; what devotion; what testimony! Maybe because we have four expectant mothers in our family right now or maybe because the Spirit had tendered me, but I found Zina Huntington Jacobs Young's quote so poignant:

"There on the bank of the Chariton River, I was delivered of a fine son. Occasionally the wagon had to be stopped that I might take breath. Thus I journeyed on. But I did not mind hardship of my situation, for my life had been preserved, and my babe was so beautiful."

We met the new Nauvoo Mission physician Elder Don Smith and his beautiful wife. They invited us to their home for lunch and we got a chance to learn about them and their family. One thing that's so wonderful about the Church is you can know people for just a short time and feel like great friends. That was true of the Smiths.

What dynamic people the new mission president and his wife are! Both are giants in Spirit! The Ludwigs were such gracious hosts. They invited us to a scrumptious salmon dinner and allowed us to join in their new missionary welcome social complete with pie and ice cream. The mission board proudly reads 1,397 grandchildren. That's the amount of grandchildren the seniors in Nauvoo have left behind. It didn't include the total from the newly entering missionaries. President Ludwig told of his conversion and bore such strong testimony. He gave the following quote:

"No senior missionary finds it convenient to leave. Neither did Joseph or Brigham or John or Wilford. They had children and grandchildren too. They loved their families not one whit less, but they also loved the Lord and wanted to serve Him. Someday we may meet these stalwarts who helped to establish this dispensation. Then will we rejoice that we did not seek the shadows when a call to missionary service came from the prophet, even in the autumn years of our lives. " Elder Russell M. Nelson , Oct. 2004


Nauvoo is sacred ground. The Spirit whispers easily there.

The last picture is of our tiny, little room at the Nauvoo Family Inn and Suites. The room was so small, we had to use the ironing board as a desk. The bed was suppose to be full size, but I think it was an extended twin. I slept fine, but Elder Mendenhall said he was holding on all night so he didn't fall off and the seam of the mattress was always in his way. It was kind of an April Fools joke we played on ourselves.

One Year and Counting

We just had to take a picture on March 26, 2008--our one year anniversary of entering the mission field. It was one year ago we entered the MTC and the whirlwind of our mission began.

We couldn't help but think back to what we were doing last April Conference. We had completed a week of training at the MTC and were looking forward to almost a week of training in Salt Lake. Kody, Rachelle, Doc and I all watched conference in the basement of the Spanish Fork home. After conference, we continued packing.

Then off we went to the Mission Presidents Seminar in Omaha, Nebraska with the Pathfinder packed to the top. Elder Mendenhall jokingly said we'd have to eat our sandwiches outside of the car because there simply wasn't room for even one more thing. We arrived in Lombard, Illinois on April 11.

Coincidentally, we will be traveling to Omaha, Nebraska and attending their Zone Conferences this Thursday and Friday. Elder Mendenhall will be examining several missionaries he's had contact with by phone.


We also received word today that Elder James Babcock and his wife Janet from Jerome, Idaho have been called to replace us in September! To our knowledge, this will be their second medical mission.

Time is fast approaching when we will be home and our mission in the North America Central Area will be a dear and tender memory. But for right now, we've work to do.