2nd Family Gathering

Not more than a week after the Carr Family Gathering, the Woodruff clan decided to repeat Church history and come from all over and gather to Nauvoo, Illinois. I forget sometimes—when I’m busy with work, my church calling, and all the other little things that fill up my day—how much I miss being around my siblings and parents. Seriously, between Heather’s and my family, we have about the two coolest families in the world: the most generous and wise parentsJ, the most adorable nieces and nephews (only to be outdone by our future kids), and the most fun and quirkiest siblings (which includes their spouses, too). Heather and I feel very fortunate.

Well, back to the gathering. Thanks to Mom and Sarena’s excellent planning, we were in Nauvoo for the last week of the pageant. So the day after most of us arrived, we all went to the pageant. There were pioneer games for the whole fam beforehand, things like horse shoe, potato sack races, log sawing races, etc. As the sky darkened, the play started. It was certainly no Broadway musical, but it was very well done and really made me think about all the sacrifices the early church members made. The pageant alone was well worth coming out to Nauvoo.

That week we spent at a rented house which sits on a hilltop and overlooks the Mississippi River. It was a beautiful location, perfect for watching the sunset, and the house and yard were a good match for all us Woodruffs. There was a pool in the back, too, which was indispensible on all the hot and muggy days.

So we passed the week with all sorts of activities. We interviewed and recorded Mom and Dad one night, which is a great tradition that we’re starting, thanks again to Sarena and Adam. We all were able to go to the Nauvoo temple together, which was fantastic. The temple was absolutely stunning on the inside with the detailed murals and the dark and rich colors. We also spent a while in Nauvoo and Carthage seeing all the church historical sites. Carthage was a surprisingly moving experience. I am always impressed with how kind and patient Joseph Smith and Emma were to all around them, no matter the circumstance and no matter whether the people were enemies or friends. They are good examples to follow. As for restored Nauvoo, it was kind of hit and miss as far as some of the sites were concerned. Some, like the brickyard, the blacksmith, and the family activity center were very good about catering to the mob of kids we had with us. Others, most notably the bakery, seemed to lack any clue that kids need to be “entertained,” not lectured to. Thankfully, everyone survived the outdoor pioneer game station, although it was close with Dad and Tyson’s joints and back popping during the stick pull. J

To really get in the pioneer spirit, we all went on a 2-mile handcart trek to experience just a bit of what the early church members experienced when they were forced to leave Nauvoo. We crossed the mighty “Missouri” and “Mississippi” rivers (although they were actually only little creeks). It was surprising how hard it was to navigate some of those hills. It was really deceiving. On a few, I didn’t think it would be that hard and then on the way up, gravity starting giving me some trouble. Thankfully, my sturdy pioneer-like wife was beside me most of the way. And the fact that our handcarts were empty probably helped a little, too.

We also had a good time with the marshmallow guns. Tyson, our ex-FBI specialist, taught us how to construct them. And we spent a good couple of hours tagging each other with slightly moistened marshmallows. It was a great week, and just remembering it makes me a little sad that it’s over. Can’t wait for next year!