Christmas Joy. 12-27-15

The most special part of Christmas for me was finding a couple of hours on Christmas night to listen to Christmas music and sit by my companion's small tree. As I reflected, I was overpowered with the Savior's love for me and His gift of complete peace and happiness with my life. How blessed we are to have the Savior and the restored gospel. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! I love you.

Christmas Day 12-27-15

Christmas Day I had fun opening a few small gifts with my two new companions, Sisters Jensen and May. Then the mission had a Christmas dinner and short program at 1:00 pm which were very nice. That night I played the piano for our cast to perform Rendezvous for a full house.

Christmas Caroling 12-27-15

Next, the temple and site missionaries and the community sang Christmas carols from the steps of the Nauvoo Temple. That was a memory I will never forget!

Christmas Eve. 12-27-15

What a wonderful Christmas week it has been! I got to talk to all of my children and my parents, and I had a wonderful time with the missionaries.

On Christmas Eve all the single sister missionaries had a lovely dinner at Sister Hardy's house (where I lived for 6 days). We had such a fun time together! Four of them did a cute skit for us!

Merry Christmas to You! 12-20-15

Sunday eleven sister missionaries sang a trio arrangement of my song "Come and Kneel" for sacrament meeting at the mission president's request. It was beautiful and a thrill for me.

My wish for each of us this Christmas is echoed in the words of my song...

Come and kneel at His feet
And know that He is real
Put your hand in His
And let your heart heal

Come and kneel at His feet
And look into His face
Come into His family
And feel His warm embrace

The Miracle of Christmas. 12-20-15

Saturday and Sunday nights were the huge Miracle of Christmas production. It was so powerful, using participants from all the surrounding communities. It featured a 70-voice choir, orchestra, children's choir, live nativity, and video projection. I sang in the choir. I wish you could have seen it. It really filled us all with the spirit of Christmas. I am on the front row to the left of the big wreath.

Fwd: The Miracle of Christmas. 12-20-15

Begin forwarded message:

From: Claudia Goodman <claudiagoodman7@gmail.com>
Date: December 22, 2015 at 8:33:15 PM CST
To: claudiagoodman7.nauvoo@blogger.com
Subject: The Miracle of Christmas. 12-20-15

Saturday and Sunday nights were the huge Miracle of Christmas production. It was so powerful, using participants from all the surrounding communities.  It featured a 70-voice choir, orchestra, children's choir, live nativity, and video projection. I sang in the choir. I wish you could have seen it. It really filled us all with the spirit of Christmas.  I'm on the front row to the left of the big wreath.

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Fwd: The Miracle of Christmas. 12-20-15

Begin forwarded message:

From: Claudia Goodman <claudiagoodman7@gmail.com>
Date: December 22, 2015 at 8:33:15 PM CST
To: claudiagoodman7.nauvoo@blogger.com
Subject: The Miracle of Christmas. 12-20-15

Saturday and Sunday nights were the huge Miracle of Christmas production. It was so powerful, using participants from all the surrounding communities.  It featured a 70-voice choir, orchestra, children's choir, live nativity, and video projection. I sang in the choir. I wish you could have seen it. It really filled us all with the spirit of Christmas.  I'm on the front row to the left of the big wreath.

Joseph Smith's Birthday. 12-20-15

Here is another picture of that window. During this week when we celebrate both Joseph Smith's and Jesus Christ's births, I pay tribute to this great man who restored the gospel to the earth in these last days. I know he was a prophet of God!

"Joseph Smith, the Prophet and Seer of the Lord, has done more, save Jesus only, for the salvation of men in this world, than any other man that ever lived in it...He lived great, and he died great in the eyes of God and his people; and like most of the Lord's anointed in ancient times, has sealed his mission and his works with his own blood..." D&C135:3

Memories at Carthage 12-20-15

This past week I got to work at the Carthage Jail for the first time. It is such a special place. I feel that I am walking on sacred ground. You can see the bullet hole in the door that took Hyrum's life. The picture of me is taken through that bullet hole in front of the window that Joseph jumped out of as he was being shot.

My Companions 12-20-15

Here are my two wonderful companions - Sister Jensen on the left and Sister May on the right.

Merry Christmas! 12-20-15

Merry Christmas Everyone! It's about to happen - and yet I think it has been happening all month!

Shawn came to visit me on Friday. We had such a fun celebration with our traditional Christmas Eve foods! We ate our slush in the car so we could listen to Christmas music!

IT'S CHRISTMAS! 12-13-15

Nauvoo is really decked out with Christmas boughs and wreaths. It's so Christmasy in all the sites. We are practicing for the big Miracle of Christmas production next weekend. There's no shortage of things to do. How I love the spirit that's here. I feel so close to the early saints who built Nauvoo and to the Savior. And Christmas helps bring it all in focus. Merry Christmas!

GETTING IN SHAPE. 12-13-15

You might be impressed to know that I am doing exercise and clogging classes in the mornings with some of the sister missionaries to stay in shape. It's fun!

Single Sister Party! 12-13-15

Friday night the mission president, President Gibbons and his wife, had all 9 of us single sisters over for dinner and games. We had such a fun time and felt so special! My two new companions are Sister May on my left and Sister Jensen on my right at the back. I'll post a closeup of them next week.

Temple View Home. 12-13-15

The very best part is that the Nauvoo Temple is right across the street from our house! The temple president lives on one side of us, and the Temple Arrival Center is on the other side. Here is the view from our front porch. I love going to sleep and waking up to my breathtaking view of the temple!

Luxury Home 12-13-15

My new home is luxurious. It is built for 8 young sisters and has 3 fridges, 2 dishwashers, and 2 stoves in the big tiled kitchen. With only 3 of us, we each have our own bedroom and bathroom. There is a piano in the living room.

ON THE MOVE AGAIN! 12-13-15

Another exciting week. The big news is that I moved again! Since no more new missionaries will be arriving until spring, the mission president felt that it is not wise for me to be without a companion for such an extended period of time.

So another companionship and I will live in the large, newly remodeled home for 8 young sister missionaries until March, since they are outbound until then. The only downside is that I don't get to try out my new garage that is now all finished except the door, and my new house doesn't have a garage. Oh well!

I moved Friday on my P-Day. The other two sisters will move in next week. Here's my new house. My bedroom is upstairs on the right.

Deck the House! 12-6-15

Melissa sent me some decorations that really filled me with the spirit of Christmas, especially after watching the First Presidency Christmas Devotional. What a glorious season of the year!

I hope all of you have gotten to watch the two 3-minute videos at Christmas.mormon.org or #asaviorisborn. They are excellent.

The Messiah. 12-6-15

Saturday night was The Messiah, presented by the local communities and missionaries. I think it was the first time I have listened to it instead of performing it since I was a little girl (My schedule didn't permit me to attend the rehearsals.) It was in St Peter & Paul's Catholic Cathedral next to the temple, and the acoustics were amazing.

Live Nativity #2. 12-6-15

We got to present the live nativity five times! The mission presidency were the wise men. I felt like I was in heaven! (As an angel, maybe I was!)

The Live Nativity. 12-6-15

In the Cultural Hall Sis Jensen (a wonderful director, pictured below) and I directed the Live Nativity, which most people said was the highlight of the Christmas Walk.

You know it was a dream-come-true for me! I wrote the script which included Nephi and a quote from "The Living Christ," directed the music, and sang in the angel choir composed of single sisters.

The Christmas Walk #2. 12-6-15

There were luminarias along all the walkways and large barrels of fire with carolers singing around them. Some of the shops had missionaries telling Christmas stories in them. There were hot chocolate and cookies at the Family Living Center.

I didn't get to see much because I was doing the live nativity the whole time, but it was just like a Christmas fairyland everywhere. I walked around afterward to take these pictures and was filled to overflowing with the spirit of Christmas!

The Christmas Walk 12-6-15

Friday night was the annual Christmas Walk. We all gathered in the Visitor's Center for the tree lighting, where I accompanied the choir.

There were garlands along the fences, wreaths on all the buildings and horse-drawn wagons with jingle bells on their harnesses.

A week of Christmas! 12-6-15

Merry Christmas Everyone! It has been busy and my internet was down for a couple of days, so I'm posting late for last week. What a wonderful Christmas week it has been!

Thursday night the missionaries went Christmas caroling in Carthage. We had a wonderful time singing around the town square and visiting with the residents of Carthage.

The Gospel Makes Me Happy! 11-29-15

It's getting dark earlier and earlier, and the weather is getting colder and colder. But my garage is getting closer and closer to being finished. Yay!

Here's the sunset walking home from a site. I feel so grateful for the warm glow of the gospel fire that lights up every part of my life. I love you all. Have a great week!

Looks Like Christmas! 11-29-15

I had Thanksgiving dinner with twelve other missionaries from two districts. It was really good. I forgot to take pictures. That evening I played for Rendezvous to a full house.

Christmas is coming right on the heels of Thanksgiving. All the sites are decorated now, and I got to wave at a horse drawn wagon passing by. It's all decked out for Christmas, too.

I am rehearsing the live nativity most nights after Rendezvous. Here is the angel choir composed of single senior sisters. The Christmas Walk is this Friday, Dec 4, and we will all be in costume that night. A lot of Christmas activities are happening, so it will be a busy week.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING! 11-29-15

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone! What a wonderful time of year to make memories. It was so good to hear from many of you!

I got to work in the Seventies Hall on Thanksgiving day. Pres & Sis Gibbons brought fudge around to all of us, which made us feel loved and special.

Live Nativity. 11-22-15

I'm meeting lots of choice visitors and working on the live nativity for the Christmas Walk on December 4th. I even re-wrote the script for the nativity. Doesn't that sound like something I would do!

Here's the initial practice for the live nativity. It will look awesome with the set and costumes. The single senior sisters (including me) get to be the Angel choir, which I am directing. We're not in this picture.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!!! I love you!

Brrr. Here Comes Winter! 11-22-15

We had our first snow of the season Saturday morning along with some freezing cold weather. I can hardly wait till my garage gets done. It's making steady progress.

Thanksgiving Celebration. 11-22-15

We had a Thanksgiving dinner Saturday for new converts and investigators from a large area around Nauvoo. The guests saw a movie at the Visitor's Center, took a wagon ride, and visited some of the sites.

I got to help on the setup and played piano background music for 2 hours during the dinner. It was lots of fun. We had about 120 people. I got a picture before they came, but none during the dinner because I was playing.

Thanksgiving Preview 11-22-15

Hi everyone. Time is flying ever faster. Here's a picture I took while walking to my early morning exercise class at the church. Sunsets and sunrises are spectacular here!