I have now been to Nauvoo 3 times, The first time I was 13 and with our youth group. The second time I spent a semester with BYU travel study, studying church history, we were based in Nauvoo. At that time, I just knew that it had to be rebuilt. I even asked the missionaries on the temple site what would it take to do so. He told me that the catholic school would have to be razed down (it was blocking the hill in front of the temple) and that someone would probably have to donate most of the cost, because there wouldn't be enough Mormons in the area to make building a temple there worth it on it's own.
But sure enough, all those things came to pass. There was a private donation that covered the cost, which included nice, new facilities for the Catholic school just a block over. (I am guessing on this detail, but it makes sense to me that it would be part of the deal struck with them) Amazing! and to think that the Lord helped some person get rich so he could donate that money (of course his/her name will not divulged, nor will they be given any special privileges, because that's just the way it's done)
Anyways, in it you feel the sacrifice and hope the early pioneers put into it. You feel the dedication and strength it gave them to cross those plains and forge those rives and push through those mud holes. It feels complete, like the circle has made a round back to wear it belongs. It almost feels like Zion has come again.
It is the essence of beautiful. Nauvoo- city beautiful.
