Nauvoo trip

I was assigned to travel to Nauvoo, Illinois, with the Church's Young Men and Young Women general presidents from Sept. 22-25. What a busy, amazing assignment. 

I flew in Thursday into St. Louis and drove to Nauvoo early Friday morning, spending all day going from place to place with the leaders. But first I Facetimed my family from the temple and took this picture with my timer.  

The leaders held meetings with missionaries and potential missionaries and met with cast and crew of a new Church history film being filmed on site.  I also had such a fun time connecting with the area authority, who used to be my parents' stake president.

I ran into a family that my family knows. They are extras in the new film.

Saturday the leaders spent a lot of time with the youth from 17 surrounding stakes who came to Nauvoo or watched online to training meetings and devotionals. We also visited the set of the new film about the building of the Nauvoo temple. That story will be coming later. I wrote two articles in Nauvoo on the other events. I also got caught in two of the photographer's photos.

The Nauvoo Temple on the hill.

The Mississippi River behind me on the hill.

Sunday morning, I was back in St. Louis and went to sacrament meeting with President Lund as he attended the Parkway Ward. I went to church there as a teenager and it was a very tender moment for me. 

I was grateful to be home again Sunday afternoon with my sweet family! I shared with them my testimony of all the good work our Church leaders are doing, and the messages they shared with the youth — God loves you, and you have an important part to play in His work.