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The theme of restoration is present everywhere in Nauvoo.
The magnificent Temple that crowns this "City of Joseph" proclaims
it boldly to the world. More quietly, the tidy brick houses and other
buildings, which once housed a wide variety of small businesses and
contributed to the fabric of this community, add their voices to the
message. They have been meticulously and patiently restored.
They inspire constant conversations about the subject. The
foundations, which were built here so long ago, have become the footings
upon which this Illinois Nauvoo Mission rests.
Last Sunday, Elder Endter and I served together in the
Seventies Hall. I want to share some of its inspiring history with
you.
The building is called the Seventies Hall because it was
built and used by the men (about 490 in number, at that time) who were
called to be Seventies in the days of Old Nauvoo. Like those
Seventies that were appointed by Jesus during his lifetime, as Christ's
gospel was restored to the earth, men were set apart to share it by early
leaders of the church. They wanted a place where they could gather
together to study and learn the things they would need to know in order to
fulfill their church callings.
They commenced their work in the fall of 1843, upon a
beautiful piece of land that was donated by one of their members.
They began their endeavor with no money.
The dedicated men of the Seventies Quorums made bricks,
provided all of the labor and materials, and raised the funds needed to
erect a grand building. However, the work didn't proceed without
opposition. By March of 1844 the brick structure was nearly two
stories high. While the wall was still "green" it was
struck by a tornado, which destroyed not only the wall, but smashed the
floor it fell upon. The men were, understandably, discouraged, and
many were ready to quit the effort.
Brigham Young surveyed the damage and said, "...it's
the best omen in the world: and showed that the Devil was mad, and knew
that the [Seventies] would make his kingdom shake and tremble."
His advice to the men was to "double your diligence and put her
up again." This they did, making the second wall one brick
thicker than the fallen wall had been.
By the first of May they had the hall "closed in".
It was completed and dedicated for use by December of that year.
For the next two years, it housed a spacious meeting room, as well as
a museum of articles which were carried back to Nauvoo by missionaries
returning from their fields of labor abroad, a well-catalogued library, and
a doctor's office.
After the exodus of the Latter-day Saints from Nauvoo in
1846, the building was sold by Church Trustees, to a man who intended to
use it for the Presbyterian Church. It became known as the First
Presbyterian Church of Nauvoo.
It was later sold to the Catholic Church and used as a schoolhouse.
During this time, the top story was removed and the interior spaces
divided. Eventually a two-foot addition was made at the east wall,
before the building was sold in 1915 for $50.50, and razed for materials by
the buyer. Between the time it was built and the time it was torn
down, the building was used for many purposes. There missionaries
gathered to be taught. It was also the site of dances, family
gatherings, lectures, presentations, council meetings, photography,
political gatherings, and Sunday worship .
The land it was built upon had been used for agricultural
purposes for a number of years, when the LDS Church acquired it in 1962 for
$3,500. The foundations of the original building were found
"just below plow level", and the excavation and restoration got
underway. Today, along with the Temple, it stands as a reminder of
the faith, determination, and dedication of the men who conceived and built
it. It is, to me, a symbol of restoration. 
It is a reminder to me not to give up, when all appears to
be lost.
. So
often, like those discouraged Seventies, I too have been tempted to give up
in response to opposition. In the future, when I feel tempted to
impulsively "uproot" instead of patiently fertilize, tend, and
water, I will try to recall Janet's story and think of my Dad on his hands
and knees, making that decision to trust and to wait. It will try to
remember that "all
things work
together for them that love the Lord." Even
storms.
And finally, this simple little thought: last week I made
dinner after church. This small kitchen, with its very limited
counter space got messy very quickly. 
As I began tidying up, I was reminded (by the sight of all
the piled-up, dirty dishes) that in order to make a nutritious meal, it is
necessary to first make a mess.
I know that the Lord works with this truth. Oftentimes
the circumstances of our lives seem like they will never be in order again.
It would benefit us if we could remember, in times like these, that
perhaps our Father in Heaven, who knows and loves us more than we
could ever imagine, is busy "cooking up something special" for
us...something we know nothing about. Perhaps, just as the foundation
of the Seventies Hall and the Nauvoo Temple, had to be hidden underground
for a time before being rediscovered and built upon again, "life as we
know it" must be hidden from our view. During stormy times such
as these, the most important thing we can do is to remember and to trust in
God's promises to us, His children.
 
Jesus Christ admonished us to "Take my yoke upon you,
and learn of me...for my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." I
have pondered upon that scripture for the past week or so. I have
asked myself, "What yoke does
Christ use to make His very heavy burdens light?" I have come
to the conclusion that one interpretation of the yoke that he employs and
wants to share with us is his complete
trust in the wisdom and love of His Father. Christ
absolutely knows
that His Father in Heaven has a plan, which will succeed. Our Father's
greatest desire is for the eternal life and immortality of His beloved
children. He wants to spend eternity with all of us! If we believe in Him, we will
trust Him. We will wait. We will stand "steadfast and
immovable" through our trials, knowing that our Father is bringing us
home, according to His plan, and will, in time, restore all things for our
good.
On May 26th of 1846, Wilford Woodruff wrote in his journal,
"I was in Nauvoo...for the last time, and left the city of the Saints
feeling that most likely I was taking a final farewell of Nauvoo for this
life. I looked upon the temple and city as they receded from view and
asked the Lord to remember the sacrifices of His Saints."
The Saints did not know, when they left Nauvoo, that someday
their descendants would return
They come in pouring rain and in blistering heat to this
bend of the Mississippi River, to find their ancestors: to honor them,
to ask question about their lives, about their sacrifices, and to draw
strength from them. Every day we visit with family members of the
amazing saints who lived here so long ago and built this community, then
turned their backs on all that they had built and followed a prophet
westward. We see the fruits of their labors, even though they did not
have that privilege in their own lifetimes.
Oftentimes, I am struck by the impression that those early
saints are nearer than we know, watching gratefully, fairly bursting with
love, as their descendants come through the doors of their homes or
businesses, as they come into the buildings that they labored to build,
seeking their fathers, seeking their fathers' wisdom and faith through
trials...seeking to bolster their own.
On June 27th about 200 of us gathered at Carthage
Jail to remember the martyrdom and honor the lives of the Prophet
Joseph Smith, and his devoted brother, Hyrum.
  Our
hearts turn to them, and to the many dedicated brothers and sisters who
gave up their lives so that we could enjoy, with our families today, the
blessings of the Gospel in our lives. Personally speaking, my own
family has been greatly blessed by their sacrifices and their resolve to
pass those blessings down through the generation that would follow
them, to us. I am
reminded of a quote by Elder Neal L. Anderson:
"When we look at our own lives, we must be
prepared to look forward into the generations that will follow us, for our
footprints will be seen in homes and on paths where we will never
walk."
Every day, here in Nauvoo, the hearts of the children turn
to their fathers. Every day, I see the sacrifices that were made long
ago, bearing fruit in the lives of the posterity of those Saints. I
hear their voices echoing down through the years, and add my voice and my
faith to theirs, "All is well.
All is well."
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