I thought it would be interesting to see how long the shortest day of the year (December 21, 2016) will be in Edmonton compared to other locations of interest.

PLACE                    SUNRISE         SUNSET          DAYLIGHT

Inverness *               8:57 AM           3:33 PM           6 hrs 36 mins

Edmonton                 8:49 AM          4:16 PM            7 hrs 27 mins

Nauvoo                     7:26 AM          4:42 PM            9 hrs 16 mins

Orem                        7:46 AM           5:04 PM            9 hrs 18 mins

Laguna Niguel          6:51 AM          4:47 PM            9 hrs 56 mins

* Inverness is the farthest north I served on my mission to Scotland. It is 276 miles closer to the Arctic Circle than Edmonton, hence, less daylight in the winter.

Today is our 47th wedding anniversary. This morning we celebrated by walking to John Pack's cabin site and to Nauvoo State Park.

John Pack owned two acres on the "Flats" at the corner of Main and Sidney Streets where the First Hotel (built in the 1840s) still stands.

Crooked sign at Main and Sidney

First Hotel

The hotel is now owned by the Community of Christ Church (RLDS). The sign in front states: "This is the south wing of First Hotel, one of the earliest hotels in Nauvoo. First Hotel was also referred to as City Hotel, Mill's Tavern (after hotel keeper Alexander Mills), and Masonic Hall Hotel."

According to court records, John and Julia Pack purchased the two acres (and probably the hotel) from Alexander and Ann Mills on 23 July 1845 for $1,600. They then sold the site to S. K. Lawrence and Seth Deckro on 16 January 1846 for $1,000.

Nauvoo State Park

This evening we attended an excellent presentation by R. Lane Wright entitled, "Testament in Stone, Symbols of Nauvoo Temple and Their Meaning." A version of his presentation is available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jp0XV6aHG8E.

Brother Wright shared the following statement by Roger P. Jackson, principle architect of the Nauvoo Temple reconstruction, regarding the rebuilding of the Nauvoo Temple: "Another reason this building has caught the imagination of the Church is the lesson from Luke 15 about something being lost and then found. When people lose something of significance, they go looking for it; they light a candle and sweep the house and seek it diligently (see vs. 5, 8). When they find it, whether it's the lost sheep, a piece of silver, the wayward son, or, in our case, the Nauvoo Temple, they call together their friends and say, 'Rejoice with me' (vs. 6, 9) because that which was lost is found."

Below is some information about Edmonton and the Canada Edmonton Mission:

• Edmonton City
• Population of 899,000.
• Capital of Alberta province.
• Home to North America's largest mall--West Edmonton Mall.
• Edmonton Mission
• Six stakes, four in Edmonton, one in Grande Prairie, and one in Red Deer.
• The six stakes have 71 wards and branches, five of which are young single adult units.
• The mission boundary extends just outside of Calgary north to the Arctic Circle.

One of the assistant temple engineers took our neighbors, Steve and Norma Smith, and us into the Nauvoo Temple tower. There is a spiral staircase that starts on the fifth floor and ends just under the domed roof on which the Angel Moroni stands. We saw the bell, which struck once for 1:00 PM, while we were in the tower. We stepped out onto the roof and saw the skylight that is over the Celestial Room. The sound of birds of prey is played regularly to discourage swallows, pigeons, and other birds from perching on the temple. The view of Nauvoo, Iowa, and the Mississippi River from the tower is spectacular.

John Pack was the 8th of 12 children born to George and Phylotte Greene. He married Ruth Mosher in Nauvoo on 21 January 1846.  He and Ruth had 9 children. He had a total of 8 wives and 43 children.

John and his older brother Rufus owned property in Nauvoo, and they both were Seventies. Below is a photograph of a page found in the Seventies Hall in Nauvoo.

Rufus later affiliated with the RLDS Church. He died in 1866 while living in Bartlett, Iowa. Bartlett is south of Winter Quarters, so he perhaps went that far west with the saints before deciding to stop.

Our mission call arrived today. At sunset we drove to the Mississippi River, where the Saints crossed over to Iowa, and got our family on a conference call. We then opened the letter and read it to everyone.

"You are assigned to labor in the Canada Edmonton Mission. Your primary assignment is to labor in the stake young single adult program." We report to the Provo Missionary Training Center on Monday, January 9, 2017. We are excited!

Along with 11 other couples we had dinner this evening provided by an Amish family in Bonaparte, IA (about an hour's drive west of Nauvoo). The family has eight children, including two sets of twins. The father and most of the children served the food, and we ate in his wood working shop. They prefer not to have their photograph taken, but here is a picture of their backyard:

It seems that most Amish families have bird houses for Purple Martins. They like the birds' company and they help keep flying insects (mosquitoes, etc.) in check.

The Purple Martin is the largest North American swallow.

The father and children were sociable, and the food was good. I asked the father about how the children are educated. He replied that they attend an Amish school for eight years, then they start working. Their primary language is German and their worship services are in German. They have no church buildings, but rather rotate their meetings from family to family meeting in either homes, barns, workshops, or sheds. A most enjoyable evening.

Beginning February 4, 1846, some 20 months after the martyrdom of Joseph and Hyrum, the Mormons were forced to leave Nauvoo and cross the Mississippi River into Iowa.

Before and after the Saints' departure, a series of private Nauvoo Temple dedications were held as portions were completed, including a dedication of the basement and baptismal font on November 8, 1841; the attic rooms for ordinance work on November 30, 1845; the sealing altar on January 7, 1846; and the temple "thus far completed" on February 8, 1846. The final private dedication occurred April 30, 1846.

The last dedication of the temple, conducted by Orson Hyde, was held May 1-3, 1846.

The temple was then abandoned and eventually destroyed by an arson's fire in October 1848. In May of 1850 a tornado knocked one wall down. The remaining three walls were eventually torn down for public safety.

Stones from the temple were used throughout the region for the construction of other buildings. There are at least two structures in Nauvoo still standing which were built with temple stones.

Arched wine cellar built in 1853.

Old Stone Church built in 1860 which is now a vacation rental.