When Robert and Martha Ludwig arrived in Nauvoo, Illinois, on December 30, 2007, the sun was setting over the frozen Mississippi River. President Ludwig, the new Illinois Nauvoo Mission President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, had no idea that the Mississippi River froze over during the winter, and Sister Ludwig said that he wondered, “What did we get ourselves into?”
After previously serving as a president of the Colorado Denver South Mission, President and Sister Ludwig were called to the Illinois Nauvoo Mission for two years. But two years extended to three—and then four. “We were thrilled,” Sister Ludwig said. “We love Nauvoo.”
Illinois Nauvoo Mission
The Illinois Nauvoo Mission is somewhat unique from other LDS Church missions. Most missions are known for clean-cut, well-dressed young men and women who ride bikes or walk door-to-door to share the gospel message. In contrast, the majority of Nauvoo’s missionaries are senior couples and sisters. Instead of riding bikes and going door-to-door, they dress in 1840s costumes, greet visitors at historic sites and visitor centers, perform on indoor and outdoor stages, give wagon and carriage tours, assist with holiday events and historic re-enactments, and serve in the community.
During their four years in Nauvoo, the Ludwigs have supervised over 700 senior missionaries, approximately 140 young performing missionaries, and 80 young sister missionaries. “All have become great friends and blessings in our lives,” Sister Ludwig said.
In the wintertime when Nauvoo is quiet with few visitors, 100 to 150 senior missionaries keep Historic Nauvoo alive. “By June, July, and August, everything moves a hundred miles an hour with Pageant, Sunset, Rendezvous, historic sites, and other activities,” said senior missionary Kristy Nicolich. This is when approximately 200 senior, 20 young sister, and 40 young performing missionaries join together to entertain audiences.
“For four years the Ludwigs have put their shoulders to many wheels in Nauvoo,” Sister Nicolich said. They greet and entertain guests, feed scores of people, care for and encourage missionaries, hold meetings and make assignments, attend musical and other performances, and supervise and participate in holiday events and historic re-enactments.
Hospitality
Nauvoo is a destination place for travelers from around the world, and sometimes leaders of the LDS Church stop by. In 2008, President Dieter F. and Sister Harriet Uchdorf and their twin grandsons, who had just received mission calls, came to Nauvoo and stayed in the mission home with the Ludwigs. In June of 2009, President and Sister Ludwig welcomed members of the Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra during their summer tour and stop-over in Nauvoo. On October 9, 2009, President Thomas S. Monson arrived in Nauvoo and visited historic sites, met with missionaries, and attended the senior missionary musical “Rendezvous in Old Nauvoo.”
President and Sister Ludwig’s children and grandchildren have come to Nauvoo and participated in church, historic, and community activities. In 2010, the Ludwig’s two youngest children were married in the Nauvoo Temple. A son and his family live in Iowa City, Iowa, and their young children frequently stay in the mission home and experience Nauvoo with their grandparents.
In addition to welcoming guests, the Ludwigs have fed Young Performing Missionaries (YPMs), young sister missionaries, senior missionaries, community leaders, and performing groups who come to Nauvoo. Joan Peterson, former Nauvoo Temple Matron, said, “After every Nauvoo Pageant performance, the YPMs went to the Ludwig house to build sundaes with 20-plus toppings. Sister Ludwig did the same for others who came to perform.”
Rebecca Powell, a former senior missionary, wrote, “Sister Ludwig is an excellent cook, and she had us over, in groups of course, at least twice during our mission–once when we arrived and once before we went home. That’s a lot of meals! She’d let us bring salads or desserts, but she had the main dish.”
Nauvoo Temple President Spencer J. Condie described mission home meals. “Shortly after we were called to serve in the Nauvoo Temple, we received a phone call from our predecessor, President Wayne Peterson. He described the commercial establishments in Nauvoo, quickly adding that President and Sister Ludwig operate the best restaurant in Nauvoo. Several dozen meals later we can attest to the truth of that assessment.”
Care and Encouragement
Sister Hadley from the Illinois Nauvoo Mission office said, “President Ludwig is extremely concerned about every missionary and the individual needs of each one and works tirelessly to insure that all aspects of the mission are thoughtfully considered before decisions are made. Sister Ludwig is our head cheerleader, and she does her job so energetically.”
According to Sister Nicolich, Sister Ludwig “keeps count of the number of grandchildren left behind as their grandparents serve in Nauvoo.” A senior missionary in the carpentry shop made a sign for Sister Ludwig to keep track of the numbers. “Last summer 2,000 grandchildren did their part to send grandma and grandpa on their mission to Nauvoo.” In addition, President Ludwig hangs pictures of his missionaries on a bulletin board behind his desk, and he interviews the summertime YPMs and makes sure they are having a good experience.
“President Ludwig deals with everything calmly and courteously,” Sister Nicolich added. “He always has a word of prayer before we talk in his office. He wants to do what is best for us, and he wants to know how we and our families are doing. He asks about our health. After all, we’re not 19 and 20 year olds.” Joan Peterson noted that the Ludwigs look after senior missionaries with health problems as their own children.
Meetings and Performances
Sites in Historic Nauvoo are open seven days a week. Before missionaries go to the sites, they conduct prayer meetings in the Visitors’ Center, Seventies Hall, and Cultural Hall, with President and Sister Ludwig rotating their visits to each place. Once a month, the missionaries all meet in the Visitors’ Center for zone conference, where President Ludwig stresses that they bear testimony of the Savior at each historic site.
Throughout the year, President and Sister Ludwig attend performances by senior missionaries, YPMs, and Nauvoo Pageant casts. “We have seen ‘Rendezvous’ over 500 times,” Sister Ludwig said. “Rendezvous in Old Nauvoo” is a one-hour musical comedy about the early Saints who built Nauvoo in the 1840s and left in 1846. Senior missionaries perform this play six evenings a week. During the winter, audience attendance can be pretty sparse, but the Ludwigs are usually seen in the Cultural Hall, cheering on the actors.
In July, the YPMs and core and family casts perform the Nauvoo Pageant on an outdoor stage. For three years when Wayne and Joan Peterson served in the Nauvoo Temple, “we attended every pageant except one, and the Ludwigs were always there,” Joan Peterson said.
“There were nights when it rained and rained and rained. I didn’t want to miss any of the pageant, and neither did Sister Ludwig.”
In addition to watching the pageant, the Ludwigs have supported the YPMs who play in the brass band.
“I wanted to be part of the Nauvoo Brass Band,” Sister Ludwig said. “For four years I have played a banana in that band.” The banana is like a maraca that makes noise when shaken. “Even my grandchildren are learning to play the banana,” Sister Ludwig said. “My husband and I gave them their own instruments.”
During the summer, senior missionaries and YPMs present “Sunset by the Mississippi” on the outdoor stage east of the Visitors’ Center. “Sunset” is old-fashioned variety show with singing, dancing, instrument playing, and humorous entertaining. Senior missionaries even perform a melodrama, complete with piano accompaniment and cheers and boos from the audience when a damsel and her poverty-stricken family are duped by a scheming villain. President and Sister Ludwig have been “Sunset’s” most faithful spectators.
Occasionally, Sister Ludwig has been called on stage for an impromptu performance. “When Vocal Point was in town two years ago,” Sister Ludwig said, “my birthday was in the middle of the concert. They called me on stage and sang a special song to me. I had no idea they would do this.”
Holiday Activities
“Each holiday has found a fun ‘special delivery’ by President and Sister Ludwig to keep everyone’s wheels rolling forward in this great work of Nauvoo,” Sister Nicolich said. “Last Easter they delivered a plastic egg with candy treats and a note that said, ‘We wish you a very happy Easter. Thanks for being eggs-actly what we need in this mission. You are an eggs-ample to all. We love you.’ They also delivered a quote from President Benson about the Savior’s resurrection.” Rebecca Powell added, “They didn’t leave their treats on the doorstep if no one was home either. They’d come back until it was delivered, with a cheery message of love.”
What do senior missionaries do in Nauvoo at Christmastime? Early in December Historic Nauvoo hosts a live nativity, storytelling at historic sites, wagon rides, and homemade goodies. “We’ve been away four years, and we’ve never felt lonely,” Sister Ludwig said. “There’s a feeling of family—and an old-fashioned feeling of Christmas with the sites and Visitors’ Center decorated. And we don’t have the distractions and rush of Christmas as the rest of the world does. We feel the true meaning of Christmas.”
“Every Christmas Eve we gather on the temple steps to sing Christmas carols,” Sister Ludwig said. “The first year we sang, the weather was cold and we froze. Last year a light snow fell, and the scene was picturesque. After the caroling, everyone gathers at the church for hot chocolate and Christmas cookies and breads.”
On Christmas Day senior missionaries enjoy a delicious Christmas dinner and program at the church. “The sites are usually open on Christmas Day and we usually do ‘Rendezvous’ every Christmas night, but not this year because Christmas fell on Sunday,” Sister Ludwig said.
Historic Re-enactments
“Another highlight of our mission has been the commemoration walks,” Sister Ludwig said. Each year on February 4, several hundred missionaries, out-of-town visitors, and local residents re-enact the Mormon exodus on the day the early saints began crossing the Mississippi River for the Rocky Mountains. “In 2009, the second year we were here, the day was gloomy and dense with fog when we walked. We couldn’t see the temple. I remember walking to the river’s edge and seeing only 10 feet ahead. Here I had an epiphany about the early saints. They didn’t know where they were going and what they were going to do. They were just following the Prophet with faith. It was a humbling experience, and I received a stronger connection to them that day. It became visibly real what they were doing as I stood and looked out at that fog.”
Another re-enactment the Ludwigs have experienced is the organization of the Relief Society in Joseph Smith’s Red Brick Store. Every March, the Ludwigs have watched this re-enactment performed during the Nauvoo Women’s Retreat. Site and temple missionaries also commemorate this event, and Sister missionaries ride in horse-drawn carriages to the Red Brick Store for the dramatic re-creation.
Site and Temple Missionaries
The Ludwigs have developed lifelong friendships with the Petersons and Condies, Nauvoo Temple presidents and matrons, during their years in Nauvoo. “President Ludwig felt strongly that the temple should be part of his missionaries’ experience,” Joan Peterson said. “So he made it possible for them to go to the temple on their preparation day or when they had a few hours available.” During the winter months when fewer visitors come to Nauvoo, senior site missionaries have more time to attend temple sessions. Temple presidents also encourage temple missionaries to support the site missionaries by watching “Rendezvous” and visiting historic sites.
Community
“We have become good friends with Community of Christ leaders, Catholic fathers, Mayor McCarty, and those who have lived here for a long time,” Sister Ludwig said. “Bob has served on the Interfaith Council and represented the Church’s stand at the Nauvoo Interfaith Symposium, which is held twice a year. Different faiths in Nauvoo participate in this symposium, and people in the community become informed of others’ religious beliefs in a friendly way.”
Goodbyes and Hellos
Nauvoo has a special spirit that draws people to visit and urges them to return. “Everyone needs a Nauvoo experience,” Joan Peterson said. “You can’t take Nauvoo out of the people who serve there.”
Sister Nicolich noted what Susan Easton Black said that “you can take the people out of Nauvoo, but you can’t take Nauvoo out of the people.” Elder and Sister Nicolich retired in Nauvoo after being full-time site missionaries, and they currently are fulfilling a church service mission in Nauvoo. “This is a sacred place, and it touches hearts,” she said. “It’s a healing place. It touches people—even non-members feel that spirit.”
In her concluding thoughts, Sister Ludwig emphasized the “awe” of Nauvoo. “Before we came to Nauvoo we were counseled: Just make sure you never lose the ‘awe’ of Nauvoo. This has remained an awe-inspiring experience for us. We counsel our missionaries, especially the YPMs, to never to lose the ‘awe’ of Nauvoo and make it commonplace. This has been an incredible privilege and a life-changing experience for us.
We’ll never forget our time in Nauvoo.
”
On January 16, 2012, Russell Gilliland and his wife, Karen, will begin their service as president of the Illinois Nauvoo Mission. Missionaries and townspeople wave armfuls of love to the Ludwigs as they depart for their home in the West, and they wave armfuls of love to the Gillilands as they leave their home in the West to serve in Nauvoo.
Rosemary Palmer is Nauvoo, Illinois, correspondent for Meridian Magazine.
