What a busy week.  I was officially released from working in the gardens until my hand recovers (Carpel Tunnel) and it still hasn’t gotten any better.  I worked in 5 different sites and what a wonderful experience it was.  A few years ago Tiffany Presgrave did a spotlight on me for Relief Society and she asked me if I could have any job what would I chose, for some reason I said tour guide.  That’s what I am doing only it is in some very special places.  I served in the 70’s Hall, Stoddard Tinsmith, Lucy Mack Smith Home, Heber C Kimball home twice.  Each one was different but I really liked the Heber C Kimball home the best.  We have a site book with a script we need to follow.  We don’t memorize it but personalize it.  There is a lot of additional information and so when I go to a site I have not worked in I try to read as much about the site as possible.  It’s not until you work in the site and see what you are working with that it comes alive.

On Sunday evening I was thinking about my good friend Julene Jenkins (Schenfield) and her living in Woods Cross Utah.  On Monday my first official day in the sites the first person to come in was a single sister that was from Woods Cross Utah.  My mouth dropped open and when I asked her if she knew Julene Jenkins, she said yes she is in my ward.  Now someone was listening to my thoughts and brought this lady to me.  We had a nice visit and she left, only to return an hour later with a message from Julene – please go back to the 70”s Hall and give Carole Johnson a big hug from me (which she did).  I love Julene like a sister and we go way back (34 years) when we served in the Placerville Ward library with 2 newborn babies. 

I especially loved working in the Heber C. Kimball home.   On Thursday we started off right away with visitors and by the time I did the second tour it was as if this was my house and I was showing it to my friends.  We had a lull in the early afternoon so the sister I was working with (Sister Johnson) and I got acquainted.  Then we had a run on large groups coming in, one in particular was 2 ladies (one had a cane) that were very slow due to being very large.  They did not want to go on the tour with the other Sister Johnson so I did the tour.  I could feel the spirit as I taught about the house and was amazed at what I was remembering and conveying.  After the tour the older one needed to sit down so I took her into our little sitting room (for our use only).  Well to make a long story short, they stayed for 45 minutes (no one else came in during this time and Sister Johnson joined us after her tour left).  These 2 women told us their whole life story and what a tragic life they have lived.  The younger one’s ex-husband tortured her unmercifully and tried numerous times to kill her.  She had to go into the victims witness protection program and had 6 different identities.  When they finally left both of us Johnson’s just looked at each other and said WOW we are so blessed. The ladies hugged us and thanked us for being so kind and helpful to them.  I felt like a psychologist.  The mother had abandoned the daughter when we was a baby and they connected after 20 years at a family reunion and then after another 20 years they both found the church and now are living together in Indiana.

We were busy for the rest of the afternoon ending with a single black man.  We are not to take any single men on a tour alone, so we went together.  He said maybe 2 words the entire time and it was really scary.  Found out later that he toured other sites and it was the same thing.  He just shook his head to a question so we didn’t ask too many after the start.  Not sure if he was hard of hearing or if there was a language difficulty. I got to leave at 3:00 when another Sister came for her shift.  I felt just drained but again I felt the Lord’s presence in this home and got to serve there again on Friday.  Friday I was companions with another Sister and for the 1^st 4 hours not one person came in.  We just talked and went over some very informative material that is in another book.  Heber C. Kimball and his great grandson Dr. J. Leroy Kimball were wonderful men.  It was Dr. Kimball that started the restoration of what Nauvoo is today.  He bought Heber’s home as a summer home, but people kept coming by and wanting to tour the home.  Finally when he went back to Salt Lake (this was in 1954) he told the brethren about the interest that was there and in 1962 they made him president of the Nauvoo Restoration Inc.  He was responsible for what Nauvoo has become, he died in 1992 living long enough to see his vision come true.

I had an interview with the Mission President at 4:00 so I was getting ready to close the site when a family came in at 3:45.  The man had on a t shirt that said Chiropractor. I asked him if he was a chiropractor and when he said yes I asked him about my carpel tunnel.  He examined my hand tapped my wrist (which made me jump).  He said I have severe carpel tunnel but said if I would do exercises with my hand and ice it along with wearing a brace at night I might be able to not have surgery.  I took them on a tour and was 15 minutes late for my appointment with the Mission President.  When I told him about the Chiropractor he was interested as he too has it but not the extent that I do. 

We had 2 performances for Rendezvous and don’t get home until 10:00 we decided to go to dinner in town.  There are not many restaurants in town and the one we had a 2 for 1 coupon for was not yet open.  We decided to go to the fancy hotel for their salad bar.  When we walked in guess who was there – the 2 ladies I had talked with yesterday.  They invited us to sit with them and we again heard much more of their stories, only this time Jonny got to hear them too.  They had tickets for Rendezvous and saw us do our acting and singing.  After the show I found them and thanked them for coming.  Again they gave me a big hug and thanked me for being their friend.  This is what it is all about!!!  The older lady told me “I didn’t think I would ever see you again, but I am sure we will see you in the Celestial Kingdom”.  Sure hope she is right.

I could go on and on but my carpel tunnel is also affecting my typing.  Now I need to go and ice it before we have to go to another meeting tonight.  We have the BYU ballroom dancers here for a fireside. We saw them perform on Wednesday night.  Yes even Jonny stayed to watch them.  Talk about professionals!! I could just see Michael Christensen in this production.   They enter an international ballroom contest every year and since 1982 they have taken 1^st place, that’s how good they are and it is all free here.