Nauvoo's weather on February 4, 1846 was about -17 degrees. Winds howled and blowing snow hindered the Saints progress. We can only imagine the suffering of those days. Our 2017 weather was about 21 degrees, a far cry from the -17 degrees, but we certainly got a flavor of what it might have been.
The Nauvoo Legion was an arm of the Illinois State Militia. When it was activated in 1841, it had six companies of one hundred men each. In 1843 a newspaper from St Louis noted the "Nauvoo Legion cohorts numbered some four or five thousand". Elder Gross marched for my 3rd great-grandfather, John H. Moore, a lieutenant in the 2nd company | Sister Rasmussen, the doctor's wife, walked with her grandson. |
Elder and Sister Moench are thrilled to be a part of the exodus! "It's just so cold. How could they do this?" Sister Moench kept repeating. "It is so cold." It was an "ah-ha moment" for me. I responded. "They stuck together." Indeed, the Saints did stick together. Women helped each other through snow, mud and childbirth. Remember. Remember. We are deeply indebted to them. | Sister Stroud. We are really going to miss you! |
Sister Mary Cluff will be leaving us in a few days. She has played for our cast in Rendezvous and we will miss her terribly. The couple to the right is our mission president, Elder Garth Hall and his wife, Sharon. They hosted all the missionaries in their home at Christmas. For you Oregonians, you might know him from Oregon State football. He was a coach there for several years. |
I would challenge you to know your own ancestors. Learn about them. Study their lives. Learn of their struggles and their strengths. In so doing you will feel a connection with your own roots, and come to understand who you are and where you came from.
May Heavenly Father bless you and keep you in his tender care. Love in Christ.
Elder Thomas Gross and Sister Harleen Gross