Serving & Baking Beehive Brick Oven Bread

Hello Everyone,

Hope you have had a good week. My how they fly! Part of that could be because I didn't send an email until Tuesday this week.

I served in the Brigham Young home, print shop, Lucy Mack home, John Taylor home, and the Family Living Center.  We give school tours but of course no religion is taught.  Many times the students go home and bring their whole family back which is what is best anyway.  The kids are very well behaved and grateful to come to Nauvoo.  I think it would be a great field trip.

While taking some school kids through the John Taylor home, some of them commented that he seemed to be a very kind man.  I'm glad they can feel the spirit of the home. I love hearing about these great, humble people.  They were so kind and shared all they had with each other. 

Elder Long has great experiences with those who go on carriage rides, wagon rides, and oxen rides. He comes home so happy and usually a story about some cute little kids that just loved the rides.  He is learning how difficult it can be at times to drive the wagons through unexpected obstacles, like a cement truck that can't read the "Do Not Enter" signs. He said that it's amazing how much responsibility you feel driving loads of people, keeping them safe,  and ready to  understand all that is being taught.  He loves every minute though.

I baked my first batch of beehive brick oven bread.  It's quite the process for the Elders to get the fire going and then the final ashes out of the oven before the bread goes in.  While that is happening , the bread is being made and rises.  It takes about 2 hours for everything to be ready to go in the oven.  The first half of the  batch (4 loaves) bakes for about 20 minutes.  The second half of that  batch (4 loaves)  takes about 30 minutes because the oven has cooled.  During the summer, to have enough bread for the high volume of visitors, a second and sometimes third batch of bread is made, totaling up to 24 loaves a day.  The oven has to be reheated in between batches.

We had mission training/conference this week with Elder Zwick of the seventy.  It was very inspiring and he let us know that we are God's tools to let others know and come to Christ. We were also told the process by which missionaries are assigned to the various missions.  Each missionary goes where the Lord wants and needs them.  I am grateful and honored to be in Nauvoo.

We love serving here and can feel hearts being touched each day.  The Lord knows and loves each of his children and knows each of us by name. It's a rich and wonderful adventure being here.  We love sharing it each week by email and would love to see you come to Nauvoo.

This is the Lord's work and Joseph Smith is the prophet that brought it back to the earth for our salvation.

Love, Elder and Sister Long