Bloomin' Bloomers!

Yesterday was amazing! The weather was great and even better the humidity has lessened. In the afternoon I have about an hour to myself before the next rehearsal starts, so I decided to go to costuming to ask them if it were at all possible for me and the three other girls who do family support this week could wear pioneer dresses for the fair. After going through the right chain of approval, they said YES!!! I am very excited for have my dream of dressing up as a pioneer in Nauvoo come true. This is legit! I went through the same costuming process that the family cast goes through. They have a huge room of all the pioneer dresses assorted by color. The color you wear is determined by which district you are in. I am in Anna Fordham's District, so I am going to wear red. We looked for my size, but they didn't have dresses made in my size, so they learned that they need to make them. Instead, I had to get a bigger size and they make it fit me. They pin in and hem the bottom. They do this for everyone who comes to the pageant, so you can imagine how busy they are! If they finish it, I should be able to wear it tonight for my last time leading the puppet show. Next week at the fair I will go around talking to people. I'm very excited!

The picture above is of Megan Chapple. We had a debate about who's slip (or whatever they called it back then) was bigger. She kept saying her's was and we didn't believe her until she took it off and whoa! it was huge!! We have a picture of four of us fitting into it at once! They told her it was an one size fits all, but there were definitly smaller ones!

Last night was amazing for many reasons. I got four referrals, three at the puppet show and one after the show. I am learning what approach is best and what questions are good to ask. It is much easier to talk to and testify to people after the pageant than before because people are so impressed and softened by the show. It really is so amazing! I don't think I will ever, ever get tired of watching it. I am blessed to get to see it so many times while I'm here. The finale is just incredible. Last night, like the first night, the weather was perfect and we had a huge crowd. The Spirit was strong and everything was just.... I don't even know what I can do to help anyone who was not there understand what it felt like, but it was amazing. Douglas, the youngest of the Chapples was asleep on my lap for the finale, but his grandma knew I wanted to talk to people, so she said that she would take me. I am so grateful because had she not, I would have missed a priceless and memorable experience.

I decided that I should just talk to everyone, whether or not they have a sticker that indicates they had already been talked to or even if they are members. I talked to the first couple I came across. It ended up being non-members, one from Illinois, and the other from Ugunda. I always start my converstaion with people after the pageant by asking them how they liked the pageant and then I ask them what part  of the pageant impressed them the most. This is a golden question that really opens up the way for really great conversations and testifying. This couple said that they were just really overwhelmed by everything, not just the pageant, but Nauvoo and the spirit and the people. They said something that made me want to ask them how they found themselves in Nauvoo. They said that they were wanting to get away for the weekend and online they saw something about Nauvoo and another place south of here. They just kind of decided to come to Nauvoo, not knowing what they were going to do or what they should expect. The woman asked me how someone could go into the temple and I explained to them that only members could and even then they have to have a special recommendation. I then explained and testifyed of the things that happen in the temple and it was just really amazing. The thing that really amazed me was as I talked about the temple and testified of famillies being together forever, they said that tonight was the first time they had ever heard of that idea. Wow. Having grown up in the church, I think we take that knowlege for granted sometimes and don't realize how it really does shape our lives. I asked them if they were interested in having the music from the pageant and they said that they already filled out a card for the cd. Before they left they said that they were so impressed by all that the people here were doing and he wanted me to thank everyone for them. Just as they were leaving, I really felt like I needed to plainly testify of what they saw and how the gospel has influenced my life and so I did. I really felt the spirit strongly as I spoke with them and even got emotional, which is a bit weird in a conversation like that. He responded by saying that he was glad that I had such a strong belief in my life and was thankful for all that we are doing here and that he will study it out for himself. I recommended him to visit http://www.lds.org/ and http://www.mormon.org/ to learn more about our beliefs. I really hope that he does and will see that the pamphlet from the anti's that he was holding is not true about us.

I love this pageant. I am so grateful to be a part of it. I know that this is where I am supposed to be and that I have been prepared to be a missionary here. This is my mission. I love the spirit that is here and the opportunities I have to serve and testify and learn from others. I do hope that I can come back next year or some year in the future to actually perform in the show, but I know that I am exactly where I am supposed to be this year.