Kalona Amish Community, New Temple Missionaries and Young Performing Missionaries

This past week we went to an Amish community in Kalona, Iowa which is close to Iowa City.  We visited a Bakery, Gift Shop and Store, and a Creamery.  It was raining very hard and the roads were mostly not paved in that farming community.  We then went to a home of a very nice Amish family who served us dinner - along with about 50 other Temple Missionaries.  It was very good food.  They usually don't allow photos of them to be taken so we didn't take any during dinner.  However, we did go on a buggy ride afterwards.  Below is a picture of us outside the buggy before we got inside for a short ride. 

On Thursday we welcomed 30 Temple Missionary couples who will be serving here for six months.  We have been attending training sessions in the temple with them yesterday and today.  We are looking forward to getting to know them better and serving with them.  With the temple opening on Monday they are needed here since the temple will be open 6 days a week (Monday - Saturday).  

We get to see the Nauvoo temple every day.  You can see the temple from many miles away and it is very visible from where we are at below (in the Flats area) west of the temple.  This is a view of it from the west (looking east).  This is the main entrance of the temple.  What a beautiful, sacred building.

Earlier this evening we had a dinner at the Nauvoo Stake Center with all of the Temple Missionaries, Temple Presidency and a few others.  After dinner the Young Performing Missionaries came and sang a couple of songs for us.  They will be here until the middle of August.  They will be involved with some of the plays and will do other performances.  We look forward to seeing them over the next few months.  Below is a picture I took of them.

Young Performing Missionaries