I'm sitting here trying to figure out how to start this entry, taking deep breaths and thinking about all that this week has in store for me. This summer has been great for me. I've grown and I feel that I can face things with a better perspective and greater hope than I have ever before. The summer's now over and it's time to get back to work. I have mixed feelings about that, but overall, I know that things will be good for me.
This past week it was great to reunite with friends I haven't seen all summer or longer. It felt to be with them and catch up. One of my previous roommates returned from her full-time mission in Nauvoo, IL and it has been a pleasure being with her again. This week I also started meeting some of the new people who have moved into my ward. I am very excited to meet all the new people, but I am also a bit anxious.
Yesterday was a crazy day with visiting teaching, home teaching, mission homecoming, church, cooking dinner for friends, Relief Society meeting, and ward prayer. I felt like I was running around anyway, but I encountered lots of new people and it really overwhelmed me. It's ironic that I feel so overwhelmed with all the new people because I've been in the same ward for 5 1/2 years and have gone through this transition so many times before. But for some reason it is different this time. It may be my calling as Relief Society secretary and knowing I have the responsibility to get to know all the sisters. It could be my desire to apply all I learned from my pageant experiences to my interactions in the ward. Or it could just be the fact that everything around me changing. I feel like this is the most I've seen the ward change in one transition-maybe 3/4 of the ward is new. Some of the other long timers in the ward like me have left, although there are still two others who have been here about as long as I have. It's comforting to see them and others who have been in the ward for about 3 years. My ward has always been amazing and unique in the kind of people who come to it. There is a reason why I've stayed in the same ward for so long! I am not worried about the quality of the people at all, I just feel overwhelmed to get to know them and not feel so lost in the crowd. I've always had problems in big crowds, but from my experience in Nauvoo, I know what I can do to handle it. I guess it's just too much to take in all at once.
Good news is that my ward is going the extra mile and having about 4 activities this week: ward FHE, activities on Tuesday and Wednesday, and a boating activity on Saturday. It will be crazy, but good. It will give me a chance to get used to having a large ward again and to get to know more people on a individual basis. It is best if I think of individuals rather than how big the crowd is, I think.
Other changes going on in my life:
I am starting work again this week. This first month is training and getting the classroom ready. I am part-time again ( insert sad face here) and I will be working in a part-day afternoon class in Provo. I will be working with new teachers, at a new time, and in a new classroom. I'm excited for all of this, although I am a bit anxious about it still. I guess that is just me having a hard time with change, which is normal for me.
Like a mentioned earlier, I have a new calling, Relief Society secretary. I am really excited about this calling! I already love it! It is giving me a whole new perspective on Relief Society, particularly visiting teaching. I am serving with some amazing and really fun sisters.
I got a new retainer, to replace the one that I lost at the top of Mt. Timpanogoes. This one is much, much better than the other one. I can actually eat with it. I'm grateful for that because it will avoid awkwardness and grossness on any dates I might go on this semester. :) Also, I have to eat with the kids at preschool, so it will make things so much easier for me.
I have a new roommate, although she is really great and fits well with the apartment. The changes regarding roommates is that none of us are dating anyone and that our schedules are changing. I won't be seeing my roommate Savannah much at all for the first block of classes. I'm really sad about that. I'm not sure about the rest of my roommates, but from here on out, it will be crazy trying to still do things with my roommates like I want to.
Overall, my life is really good. I am happy. I am excited for the newness of everything... really, the newness of me as a result of this summer. I've made goals and have great expectations for this coming semester.
I congratulate you if you actually read all of this. I just needed to get this out there and figured an update on my current adventure would be appetizing to some. I feel a bit better now. :)
Monday, August 30, 2010
Sunday, August 15, 2010
I came, I saw, I conquered.
This summer has been good for me. I start work at Head Start again tomorrow and class starts again a week later. I made a roommate slide show this past week and it was then that I realized how many great things I've done and how much I have grown this summer. I will never forget this summer and the things I learned. Even my accident in June doesn't diminish the good feelings I have. I feel refreshed and ready to begin a new school year and welcome in all the new people into my ward.
Yesterday I ended my summer with a BANG! I hiked Mt. Timpanogoes! It was HARD and LONG, but worth it. Mt. Timp is maybe the second hardest hike in the valley (Lone Peak being the first), but it is still a major accomplishment for anyone. As you know, I've been hiking and running all summer long and this still tested my limits. Steep cliffs, steep trail, very rocky valley make for a very exhausting experience. It really was an experience, not just a hike. It took my group (6 of us) 6 hours to get to the summit. We started at 5:40 AM and got there at 11:36 AM. We started up the trail at too fast of a pace, so we were really feeling the exhaustion early on. Some of the group only went to the lake and turned back. Two in the group went down from the summit 2 hours faster than me and the bishopric member I was hiking with. I am a slow hiker normally, but I was even slower on this one. Lucky for me, Br. Scott is a slow hiker, too, and not just to pity me. I reached the bottom at 5:40 PM. Yep, that's 12 hours! Normally it takes people 8-11 hours. You're crazy fast if you do it in 8 hours and you probably have to be super fit to do that. We saw many people who camped out so they wouldn't be doing it all in one day, which is super smart. We also saw people who hiked it over night to see the sunrise or just because. They are CRAZY! This trail is really scary at some points even in the daylight! I don't know how people do it at night. Besides, they miss all the beautiful views we saw the whole way.
If you want to have an idea of how exhausting it is, let me tell you. Basically I was running on instinct. Time and technology were foreign to me on the trail. So, when my phone starting ringing when I was at the lake, it was really weird. We had cell reception the whole time. I think that's a great thing because there are so many spots that if someone got hurt, that would be handy. Back to my point, I was so exhausted that I couldn't remember stuff that I had done only minutes or hours ago. We dropped water along the trail so we could have water coming down without carrying it all the way to the top and we had a hard time remember where some of the drops were even though they were clear when we dropped them. Also, when I was at the top, I seriously don't remember taking my retainer (for my fake tooth) out to eat some snacks (which I ended up not being able to do), but I did and I LOST IT! I didn't realize it until I had already left the top and there was no way I was going to walk back up the trail to find it. Besides, it probably fell down the cliff when I stood up so it wouldn't have been there anyway. So, now I have to buy another retainer. It should be alright, though. I am just grateful that I survived this hike without serious injury! It was a really awesome way to end my summer adventures. Below are the pictures of the Mt. Timp hike.
The little white speck on the hill is where the summit is. We had to hike around the back of that mountain to get there.
The Lake
This picture doesn't do justice for how hard this section of the trail way. It is a valley of rocks with a steep cliff entrance and a very long steep trail exit. The whole way through is painful when you're already exhausted.
At the Saddle
View from the Saddle
I made it!!! Below is the lake we hiked by and the glacier some people slide down.
Mountain goats were everywhere!!
There were 3-5 really pretty waterfalls along the trail.
Yesterday I ended my summer with a BANG! I hiked Mt. Timpanogoes! It was HARD and LONG, but worth it. Mt. Timp is maybe the second hardest hike in the valley (Lone Peak being the first), but it is still a major accomplishment for anyone. As you know, I've been hiking and running all summer long and this still tested my limits. Steep cliffs, steep trail, very rocky valley make for a very exhausting experience. It really was an experience, not just a hike. It took my group (6 of us) 6 hours to get to the summit. We started at 5:40 AM and got there at 11:36 AM. We started up the trail at too fast of a pace, so we were really feeling the exhaustion early on. Some of the group only went to the lake and turned back. Two in the group went down from the summit 2 hours faster than me and the bishopric member I was hiking with. I am a slow hiker normally, but I was even slower on this one. Lucky for me, Br. Scott is a slow hiker, too, and not just to pity me. I reached the bottom at 5:40 PM. Yep, that's 12 hours! Normally it takes people 8-11 hours. You're crazy fast if you do it in 8 hours and you probably have to be super fit to do that. We saw many people who camped out so they wouldn't be doing it all in one day, which is super smart. We also saw people who hiked it over night to see the sunrise or just because. They are CRAZY! This trail is really scary at some points even in the daylight! I don't know how people do it at night. Besides, they miss all the beautiful views we saw the whole way.
If you want to have an idea of how exhausting it is, let me tell you. Basically I was running on instinct. Time and technology were foreign to me on the trail. So, when my phone starting ringing when I was at the lake, it was really weird. We had cell reception the whole time. I think that's a great thing because there are so many spots that if someone got hurt, that would be handy. Back to my point, I was so exhausted that I couldn't remember stuff that I had done only minutes or hours ago. We dropped water along the trail so we could have water coming down without carrying it all the way to the top and we had a hard time remember where some of the drops were even though they were clear when we dropped them. Also, when I was at the top, I seriously don't remember taking my retainer (for my fake tooth) out to eat some snacks (which I ended up not being able to do), but I did and I LOST IT! I didn't realize it until I had already left the top and there was no way I was going to walk back up the trail to find it. Besides, it probably fell down the cliff when I stood up so it wouldn't have been there anyway. So, now I have to buy another retainer. It should be alright, though. I am just grateful that I survived this hike without serious injury! It was a really awesome way to end my summer adventures. Below are the pictures of the Mt. Timp hike.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Diamond Fork Hot Springs
My roommates, friends, and I went on this beautiful hike in Spanish Fork. My mom and sister Amanda, and her friend Emily are in town, so Amanda and Emily came with us, and that was a lot of fun. The hot springs are BEAUTIFUL! I had so much fun putting my head through a hole in a rock to go through the waterfall and then swimming around in the natural hot tubs.
As we hiked up, I noticed that the water changed a different color. It looked kind of misty or foggy. As we got to the hot springs, I learned that it was whatever is in the hot springs that made it that way. The interesting thing, though, is that there was red water and blue water. The red water was really hot and the blue water was usually warm or cool. The waterfall was cool water, but directly below it and to the right was really hot water because that is where the head of the hot springs is. On the left side it was cool water. We got there fairly late, so the light was not good for pictures, but they are still pretty good so you can get an idea of the beauty of this place.
Word of caution if you ever decide to visit here: People do skinny dip. Fortunately for us, the people there at the same time as us had a little bit of decency, but some in the group did have some extra unwanted scenery. I didn't, so I am glad about that!
As we hiked up, I noticed that the water changed a different color. It looked kind of misty or foggy. As we got to the hot springs, I learned that it was whatever is in the hot springs that made it that way. The interesting thing, though, is that there was red water and blue water. The red water was really hot and the blue water was usually warm or cool. The waterfall was cool water, but directly below it and to the right was really hot water because that is where the head of the hot springs is. On the left side it was cool water. We got there fairly late, so the light was not good for pictures, but they are still pretty good so you can get an idea of the beauty of this place.
Word of caution if you ever decide to visit here: People do skinny dip. Fortunately for us, the people there at the same time as us had a little bit of decency, but some in the group did have some extra unwanted scenery. I didn't, so I am glad about that!
In the picture below you can see the red and blue water.
Above is the head of the hot springs. It just bubbles out. It is very hot water!
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Rejoice, again I say, Rejoice!
A couple hours from now I will be headed across the Mississippi River on my way back to Utah. It's hard to believe I've only been here two weeks because I have learned and grown so much. Yesterday I finally had a chance to visit the flats and see some of my favorite sites. As I sat at Joseph Smith grave, the Nauvoo Brass Band played the hymn "Rejoice! The Lord is King," hymn number 66. I found it very fitting for how I was feeling at that moment. Usually upon reaching the point where I know I will soon be leaving Nauvoo again, I am sad and depressed and think of how my leaving is similar to how the early saints left. This time it is different, although I think my feelings are more like how the saints felt when they left than I earlier thought. I feel to "Lift up [my] heart, Lift up [my] voice" because of the experiences I've had. How could I not rejoice? I have fulfilled many of my dreams-being a missionary for the church, being a part of the pageant, wearing a pioneer costume here, and even, as of last night, going on stage. (That happened because someone fainted during a scene and she was needed in the next scene, so they hurriedly asked me if I would take her place on that scene. It is one of the most powerful scenes of the pageant where the temple is being raised up, so I am incredibly grateful to have been a part of that.) To me it is evidence that God is mindful of my righteous desires and when I am engaged in His work, He blesses me according to my needs and wants.
So much is going through my mind and heart right now that I can't express. I feel that I came here for a purpose (everyone does) and I feel that have accomplished that purpose, plus some. I came here knowing it was a choice opportunity and that I was here for someone else, not me. It turned out that I was here for more than just one person and people were here for me in return. If you ask anyone in my cast why I was here, they would probably say my example of being a missionary. Everyday without fail I've had at least one person ask if I was on a mission or have or will serve a mission and had them comment on my skills and testimony. It is humbling to be told that since that is always been my desire. Last night I got 11 referrals and had extinsive conversations with some very special people after the pageant. I bore pure testimony to them and it felt good and right. Two of these people was a non-member couple. They were ripe and ready to harvest after the pageant last night. As I spoke with them and bore testimony, even when they were interrupted by others, they would immediately turn back to listen to what my companion and I had to say. They were drinking it all up. They already will be getting a cd and so I invited them to learn more about the church as I bore testimony of it's influence and benefit in my life. It will be a treasured experience that I won't soon forget.
I began and ended my mission here by reading Alma 26. It really describes how I feel:
1 And now, these are the words of Ammon to his brethren, which say thus: My brothers and my brethren, behold I say unto you, how great reason have we to rejoice; for could we have supposed when we astarted from the land of Zarahemla that God would have granted unto us such great blessings?
2 And now, I ask, what great blessings has he bestowed upon us? Can ye tell?
3 Behold, I answer for you; for our brethren, the Lamanites, were in darkness, yea, even in the darkest abyss, but behold, how amany of them are brought to behold the marvelous light of God! And this is the blessing which hath been bestowed upon us, that we have been made binstruments in the hands of God to bring about this great work.
4 Behold, athousands of them do rejoice, and have been brought into the fold of God.
5 Behold, the afield was ripe, and blessed are ye, for ye did thrust in the bsickle, and did reap with your might, yea, all the day long did ye labor; and behold the number of your csheaves! And they shall be gathered into the garners, that they are not wasted.
6 Yea, they shall not be beaten down by the storm at the last day; yea, neither shall they be harrowed up by the whirlwinds; but when the astorm cometh they shall be gathered together in their place, that the storm cannot penetrate to them; yea, neither shall they be driven with fierce winds whithersoever the enemy listeth to carry them.
7 But behold, they are in the hands of the Lord of the aharvest, and they are his; and he will braise them up at the last day.
8 aBlessed be the name of our God; let us bsing to his praise, yea, let us give cthanks to his holy name, for he doth work righteousness forever.
9 For if we had not come up out of the land of Zarahemla, these our dearly beloved brethren, who have so dearly beloved us, would still have been racked with ahatred against us, yea, and they would also have been bstrangers to God.
10 And it came to pass that when Ammon had said these words, his brother Aaron rebuked him, saying: Ammon, I fear that thy joy doth carry thee away unto boasting.
11 But Ammon said unto him: I do not aboast in my own strength, nor in my own wisdom; but behold, my bjoy is full, yea, my heart is brim with cjoy, and I will rejoice in my God.
12 Yea, I know that I am anothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will bnot boast of myself, but I will cboast of my God, for in his dstrength I can do all ethings; yea, behold, many mighty miracles we have wrought in this land, for which we will praise his name forever.
13 Behold, how many thousands of our brethren has he loosed from the pains of ahell; and they are brought to bsing redeeming love, and this because of the power of his word which is in us, therefore have we not great reason to rejoice?
14 Yea, we have reason to praise him forever, for he is the Most High God, and has loosed our brethren from the achains of hell.
15 Yea, they were encircled about with everlasting adarkness and destruction; but behold, he has brought them into his everlasting blight, yea, into everlasting salvation; and they are encircled about with the matchless bounty of his love; yea, and we have been instruments in his hands of doing this great and marvelous work.
16 Therefore, let us aglory, yea, we will bglory in the Lord; yea, we will rejoice, for our joy is full; yea, we will praise our God forever. Behold, who can glory too much in the Lord? Yea, who can say too much of his great power, and of his cmercy, and of his long-suffering towards the children of men? Behold, I say unto you, I cannot say the smallest part which I feel.
17 Who could have supposed that our God would have been so merciful as to have snatched us from our awful, sinful, and apolluted state?
18 Behold, we went forth even in wrath, with mighty threatenings to adestroy his church.
19 Oh then, why did he not consign us to an awful destruction, yea, why did he not let the sword of his justice fall upon us, and doom us to eternal adespair?
20 Oh, my soul, almost as it were, fleeth at the thought. Behold, he did not exercise his justice upon us, but in his great mercy hath brought us over that everlasting agulf of death and misery, even to the salvation of our souls.
21 And now behold, my brethren, what anatural man is there that knoweth these things? I say unto you, there is bnone that cknoweth these things, save it be the penitent.
22 Yea, he that arepenteth and exerciseth faith, and bringeth forth good bworks, and prayeth continually without ceasing—unto such it is given to know the cmysteries of God; yea, unto such it shall be dgiven to ereveal things which never have been revealed; yea, and it shall be given unto such to bring thousands of souls to repentance, even as it has been given unto us to bring these our brethren to repentance.
23 Now do ye remember, my brethren, that we said unto our brethren in the land of Zarahemla, we go up to the land of Nephi, to preach unto our brethren, the Lamanites, and they alaughed us to scorn?
24 For they said unto us: Do ye suppose that ye can bring the Lamanites to the knowledge of the truth? Do ye suppose that ye can convince the Lamanites of the aincorrectness of the btraditions of their fathers, as cstiffnecked a people as they are; whose hearts delight in the dshedding of blood; whose days have been spent in the grossest iniquity; whose ways have been the ways of a transgressor from the beginning? Now my brethren, ye remember that this was their language.
25 And moreover they did say: Let us take up arms against them, that we destroy them and their iniquity out of the land, lest they overrun us and destroy us.
26 But behold, my beloved brethren, we came into the wilderness not with the intent to destroy our brethren, but with the intent that perhaps we might save some few of their souls.
27 Now when our hearts were depressed, and we were about to aturn back, behold, the Lord bcomforted us, and said: Go amongst thy brethren, the Lamanites, and bear with cpatience thine dafflictions, and I will give unto you success.
28 And now behold, we have come, and been forth amongst them; and we have been patient in our sufferings, and we have suffered every privation; yea, we have traveled from house to house, relying upon the mercies of the world—not upon the mercies of the world alone but upon the mercies of God.
29 And we have entered into their houses and taught them, and we have taught them in their streets; yea, and we have taught them upon their hills; and we have also entered into their temples and their asynagogues and taught them; and we have been cast out, and mocked, and spit upon, and smote upon our cheeks; and we have been bstoned, and taken and bound with cstrong cords, and cast into prison; and through the power and wisdom of God we have been delivered again.
30 And we have suffered all manner of afflictions, and all this, that perhaps we might be the means of saving some soul; and we supposed that our ajoy would be full if perhaps we could be the means of saving some.
31 Now behold, we can look forth and see the afruits of our labors; and are they few? I say unto you, Nay, they are bmany; yea, and we can witness of their sincerity, because of their love towards their brethren and also towards us.
32 For behold, they had rather asacrifice their lives than even to take the life of their enemy; and they have bburied their weapons of war deep in the earth, because of their love towards their brethren.
33 And now behold I say unto you, has there been so great love in all the land? Behold, I say unto you, Nay, there has not, even among the Nephites.
34 For behold, they would take up arms against their brethren; they would not suffer themselves to be slain. But behold how amany of these have laid down their lives; and we know that they have gone to their God, because of their love and of their hatred to sin.
35 Now have we not reason to rejoice? Yea, I say unto you, there never were men that had so great reason to rejoice as we, since the world began; yea, and my joy is carried away, even unto boasting in my God; for he has all apower, ball wisdom, and all understanding; he comprehendeth all things, and he is a cmerciful Being, even unto salvation, to those who will repent and believe on his name.
36 Now if this is boasting, even so will I boast; for this is my life and my light, my joy and my salvation, and my redemption from everlasting wo. Yea, blessed is the name of my God, who has been mindful of this people, who are a bbranch of the tree of Israel, and has been clost from its body in a strange land; yea, I say, blessed be the name of my God, who has been mindful of us, dwanderers in a strange land.
37 Now my brethren, we see that God is mindful of every bpeople, whatsoever land they may be in; yea, he numbereth his people, and his bowels of mercy are over all the earth. Now this is my joy, and my great thanksgiving; yea, and I will give thanks unto my God forever. Amen.
I don't know how many people have or will be influenced by the things I have done here, but I know that I can leave here rejoicing for what I have tried to do and what they have done for me and for the many seeds I have planted.
When visiting the sites yesterday, I felt like I needed to go to the Heber C. Kimball home. I love visiting the homes anyway, but I really felt like I needed to. I soon learned why. The sister missionary guiding the tour told me about the Kimball family crest that was hanging in the front room. She said that the words on it translated mean, "Courage, not fear." It really impressed me. That is exactly what the early saints had as they worked to establish Zion where ever they were. At the end of the tour, the sister felt that she needed to bear her testimony. She testified that we never go through trials alone IF we ask God in faith for help and the things that we need. She said that when Joseph Smith went into the grove, he KNEW that he would recieve an answer to his prayer. That is the kind of faith we need when we ask God. I know from my own experiences that God hears prayers and fulfills all His promises to His children, so I can also ask in faith KNOWING that God will grant me the help that I need according to His will. I can pray with that kind of faith and have the help I need as I go through trails. When she testified of this, I thought about my walk down Parley Steet and the impressions I had this past week when I did that. I am never going to walk down the equivalent of Parley Street in my life alone. I have friends and family around me to support me and bear the trial with me. I am never alone. At church today one speaker said that as we leave Nauvoo, Nauvoo is in us, we take a part of it with us. It's not a tangible thing I am taking with me, but something inside of me. I know that a part of me is staying in Nauvoo, too.
So, although I may shed tears as I leave, they are more joyous tears of rejoicing than they are of saddness. I will be back. I don't know when and I don't know now what my purpose will be, but I will be back and I am taking a bit of Nauvoo with me. Nauvoo has changed me once again. I hope to apply what I have learned to be a better sister, daughter, friend, roommate, visiting teacher, gospel teacher, and eventually a wife and mother.
So much is going through my mind and heart right now that I can't express. I feel that I came here for a purpose (everyone does) and I feel that have accomplished that purpose, plus some. I came here knowing it was a choice opportunity and that I was here for someone else, not me. It turned out that I was here for more than just one person and people were here for me in return. If you ask anyone in my cast why I was here, they would probably say my example of being a missionary. Everyday without fail I've had at least one person ask if I was on a mission or have or will serve a mission and had them comment on my skills and testimony. It is humbling to be told that since that is always been my desire. Last night I got 11 referrals and had extinsive conversations with some very special people after the pageant. I bore pure testimony to them and it felt good and right. Two of these people was a non-member couple. They were ripe and ready to harvest after the pageant last night. As I spoke with them and bore testimony, even when they were interrupted by others, they would immediately turn back to listen to what my companion and I had to say. They were drinking it all up. They already will be getting a cd and so I invited them to learn more about the church as I bore testimony of it's influence and benefit in my life. It will be a treasured experience that I won't soon forget.
I began and ended my mission here by reading Alma 26. It really describes how I feel:
1 And now, these are the words of Ammon to his brethren, which say thus: My brothers and my brethren, behold I say unto you, how great reason have we to rejoice; for could we have supposed when we astarted from the land of Zarahemla that God would have granted unto us such great blessings?
2 And now, I ask, what great blessings has he bestowed upon us? Can ye tell?
3 Behold, I answer for you; for our brethren, the Lamanites, were in darkness, yea, even in the darkest abyss, but behold, how amany of them are brought to behold the marvelous light of God! And this is the blessing which hath been bestowed upon us, that we have been made binstruments in the hands of God to bring about this great work.
4 Behold, athousands of them do rejoice, and have been brought into the fold of God.
5 Behold, the afield was ripe, and blessed are ye, for ye did thrust in the bsickle, and did reap with your might, yea, all the day long did ye labor; and behold the number of your csheaves! And they shall be gathered into the garners, that they are not wasted.
6 Yea, they shall not be beaten down by the storm at the last day; yea, neither shall they be harrowed up by the whirlwinds; but when the astorm cometh they shall be gathered together in their place, that the storm cannot penetrate to them; yea, neither shall they be driven with fierce winds whithersoever the enemy listeth to carry them.
7 But behold, they are in the hands of the Lord of the aharvest, and they are his; and he will braise them up at the last day.
8 aBlessed be the name of our God; let us bsing to his praise, yea, let us give cthanks to his holy name, for he doth work righteousness forever.
9 For if we had not come up out of the land of Zarahemla, these our dearly beloved brethren, who have so dearly beloved us, would still have been racked with ahatred against us, yea, and they would also have been bstrangers to God.
10 And it came to pass that when Ammon had said these words, his brother Aaron rebuked him, saying: Ammon, I fear that thy joy doth carry thee away unto boasting.
11 But Ammon said unto him: I do not aboast in my own strength, nor in my own wisdom; but behold, my bjoy is full, yea, my heart is brim with cjoy, and I will rejoice in my God.
12 Yea, I know that I am anothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will bnot boast of myself, but I will cboast of my God, for in his dstrength I can do all ethings; yea, behold, many mighty miracles we have wrought in this land, for which we will praise his name forever.
13 Behold, how many thousands of our brethren has he loosed from the pains of ahell; and they are brought to bsing redeeming love, and this because of the power of his word which is in us, therefore have we not great reason to rejoice?
14 Yea, we have reason to praise him forever, for he is the Most High God, and has loosed our brethren from the achains of hell.
15 Yea, they were encircled about with everlasting adarkness and destruction; but behold, he has brought them into his everlasting blight, yea, into everlasting salvation; and they are encircled about with the matchless bounty of his love; yea, and we have been instruments in his hands of doing this great and marvelous work.
16 Therefore, let us aglory, yea, we will bglory in the Lord; yea, we will rejoice, for our joy is full; yea, we will praise our God forever. Behold, who can glory too much in the Lord? Yea, who can say too much of his great power, and of his cmercy, and of his long-suffering towards the children of men? Behold, I say unto you, I cannot say the smallest part which I feel.
17 Who could have supposed that our God would have been so merciful as to have snatched us from our awful, sinful, and apolluted state?
18 Behold, we went forth even in wrath, with mighty threatenings to adestroy his church.
19 Oh then, why did he not consign us to an awful destruction, yea, why did he not let the sword of his justice fall upon us, and doom us to eternal adespair?
20 Oh, my soul, almost as it were, fleeth at the thought. Behold, he did not exercise his justice upon us, but in his great mercy hath brought us over that everlasting agulf of death and misery, even to the salvation of our souls.
21 And now behold, my brethren, what anatural man is there that knoweth these things? I say unto you, there is bnone that cknoweth these things, save it be the penitent.
22 Yea, he that arepenteth and exerciseth faith, and bringeth forth good bworks, and prayeth continually without ceasing—unto such it is given to know the cmysteries of God; yea, unto such it shall be dgiven to ereveal things which never have been revealed; yea, and it shall be given unto such to bring thousands of souls to repentance, even as it has been given unto us to bring these our brethren to repentance.
23 Now do ye remember, my brethren, that we said unto our brethren in the land of Zarahemla, we go up to the land of Nephi, to preach unto our brethren, the Lamanites, and they alaughed us to scorn?
24 For they said unto us: Do ye suppose that ye can bring the Lamanites to the knowledge of the truth? Do ye suppose that ye can convince the Lamanites of the aincorrectness of the btraditions of their fathers, as cstiffnecked a people as they are; whose hearts delight in the dshedding of blood; whose days have been spent in the grossest iniquity; whose ways have been the ways of a transgressor from the beginning? Now my brethren, ye remember that this was their language.
25 And moreover they did say: Let us take up arms against them, that we destroy them and their iniquity out of the land, lest they overrun us and destroy us.
26 But behold, my beloved brethren, we came into the wilderness not with the intent to destroy our brethren, but with the intent that perhaps we might save some few of their souls.
27 Now when our hearts were depressed, and we were about to aturn back, behold, the Lord bcomforted us, and said: Go amongst thy brethren, the Lamanites, and bear with cpatience thine dafflictions, and I will give unto you success.
28 And now behold, we have come, and been forth amongst them; and we have been patient in our sufferings, and we have suffered every privation; yea, we have traveled from house to house, relying upon the mercies of the world—not upon the mercies of the world alone but upon the mercies of God.
29 And we have entered into their houses and taught them, and we have taught them in their streets; yea, and we have taught them upon their hills; and we have also entered into their temples and their asynagogues and taught them; and we have been cast out, and mocked, and spit upon, and smote upon our cheeks; and we have been bstoned, and taken and bound with cstrong cords, and cast into prison; and through the power and wisdom of God we have been delivered again.
30 And we have suffered all manner of afflictions, and all this, that perhaps we might be the means of saving some soul; and we supposed that our ajoy would be full if perhaps we could be the means of saving some.
31 Now behold, we can look forth and see the afruits of our labors; and are they few? I say unto you, Nay, they are bmany; yea, and we can witness of their sincerity, because of their love towards their brethren and also towards us.
32 For behold, they had rather asacrifice their lives than even to take the life of their enemy; and they have bburied their weapons of war deep in the earth, because of their love towards their brethren.
33 And now behold I say unto you, has there been so great love in all the land? Behold, I say unto you, Nay, there has not, even among the Nephites.
34 For behold, they would take up arms against their brethren; they would not suffer themselves to be slain. But behold how amany of these have laid down their lives; and we know that they have gone to their God, because of their love and of their hatred to sin.
35 Now have we not reason to rejoice? Yea, I say unto you, there never were men that had so great reason to rejoice as we, since the world began; yea, and my joy is carried away, even unto boasting in my God; for he has all apower, ball wisdom, and all understanding; he comprehendeth all things, and he is a cmerciful Being, even unto salvation, to those who will repent and believe on his name.
36 Now if this is boasting, even so will I boast; for this is my life and my light, my joy and my salvation, and my redemption from everlasting wo. Yea, blessed is the name of my God, who has been mindful of this people, who are a bbranch of the tree of Israel, and has been clost from its body in a strange land; yea, I say, blessed be the name of my God, who has been mindful of us, dwanderers in a strange land.
37 Now my brethren, we see that God is mindful of every bpeople, whatsoever land they may be in; yea, he numbereth his people, and his bowels of mercy are over all the earth. Now this is my joy, and my great thanksgiving; yea, and I will give thanks unto my God forever. Amen.
I don't know how many people have or will be influenced by the things I have done here, but I know that I can leave here rejoicing for what I have tried to do and what they have done for me and for the many seeds I have planted.
When visiting the sites yesterday, I felt like I needed to go to the Heber C. Kimball home. I love visiting the homes anyway, but I really felt like I needed to. I soon learned why. The sister missionary guiding the tour told me about the Kimball family crest that was hanging in the front room. She said that the words on it translated mean, "Courage, not fear." It really impressed me. That is exactly what the early saints had as they worked to establish Zion where ever they were. At the end of the tour, the sister felt that she needed to bear her testimony. She testified that we never go through trials alone IF we ask God in faith for help and the things that we need. She said that when Joseph Smith went into the grove, he KNEW that he would recieve an answer to his prayer. That is the kind of faith we need when we ask God. I know from my own experiences that God hears prayers and fulfills all His promises to His children, so I can also ask in faith KNOWING that God will grant me the help that I need according to His will. I can pray with that kind of faith and have the help I need as I go through trails. When she testified of this, I thought about my walk down Parley Steet and the impressions I had this past week when I did that. I am never going to walk down the equivalent of Parley Street in my life alone. I have friends and family around me to support me and bear the trial with me. I am never alone. At church today one speaker said that as we leave Nauvoo, Nauvoo is in us, we take a part of it with us. It's not a tangible thing I am taking with me, but something inside of me. I know that a part of me is staying in Nauvoo, too.
So, although I may shed tears as I leave, they are more joyous tears of rejoicing than they are of saddness. I will be back. I don't know when and I don't know now what my purpose will be, but I will be back and I am taking a bit of Nauvoo with me. Nauvoo has changed me once again. I hope to apply what I have learned to be a better sister, daughter, friend, roommate, visiting teacher, gospel teacher, and eventually a wife and mother.
Friday, July 16, 2010
19 Referrals
Last night I got 19 referrals, the most ever in one night. I love being a missionary! The pageant president asked me to talk again at the missionary meeting before so that I could tell people what I do. One man came up to be before the pageant started and said he applied what I said and he got 11 referrals. That is how many I had at that time, too, so that was cool to know that I helped him.
Jeff Dickamore, who portrays Joseph Smith in the pageant gave a vignette of portions of the King Follett sermon. It was at King Follett's funeral and talks about amazing gospel principles and truths. It was very powerful to hear Jeff do it. It was as if I were listening to Joseph Smith give it himself. And with Jeff's added testimony before and after, it was incredible.
My cast is performing! Those are my kids and friends!
Walk down Parley Street with the Buckners.
View of temple from Sarah Granger Kimball home front yard. Pretty amazing.
Sarah Granger Kimball home. She is one of the women who helped start the Relief Society by sewing shirts for temple workers. This home was here when before Nauvoo was begun, when it was Commerce. It managed to survive everything after Nauvoo and stands here today. Pretty cool.
Jeff Dickamore, who portrays Joseph Smith in the pageant gave a vignette of portions of the King Follett sermon. It was at King Follett's funeral and talks about amazing gospel principles and truths. It was very powerful to hear Jeff do it. It was as if I were listening to Joseph Smith give it himself. And with Jeff's added testimony before and after, it was incredible.
My cast is performing! Those are my kids and friends!
Walk down Parley Street with the Buckners.
View of temple from Sarah Granger Kimball home front yard. Pretty amazing.
Sarah Granger Kimball home. She is one of the women who helped start the Relief Society by sewing shirts for temple workers. This home was here when before Nauvoo was begun, when it was Commerce. It managed to survive everything after Nauvoo and stands here today. Pretty cool.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
"Nothing can erase what Nauvoo has given us"
I am so grateful to be involved in the Nauvoo Pageant and have the opportunity of going to one of the most beautiful and historical temples in the church. On Tuesday, many of the people in my cast and I did a session in the temple. It was awesome! Afterwards we went up to the fourth floor to wait for a sweet treat. The windows of this room were the red, white, and blue stars that you see at the top of the temple from the outside. How cool is that?! It was awesome to look through it and see the Joseph and Hyrum statue and look across the Mississipi. But it got better! We were taken in small groups to climb up a narrow and steep staircase to the top of the temple tower where the bell is! It was super hot, but awesome! I climbed up as far as I could and touched the top of the dome and then I touched the bell! It rang while were were up there, so that was cool. The view of the tower was incredible. If you think the view coming out of the temple is awe inspiring, that was nothing to this! You could see for miles around and everything was just so beautiful. I couldn't help but picture the city blocks filled with houses and carriages and the early saints walking around.
That night my cast performed it's first show. It was a little down because I was backstage and not able to watch them or perform with them, but now I know that I am performing in a different, but just as important way.
Yesterday was awesome, too. I did sealings and inititories in the temple before going down to the baptistry to help the youth in my cast do baptisms for the dead. I love it down there because it brings back memories of my first experience in Nauvoo when I went there every week. Going to the temple to do the work has a even special feeling with it when I know that this is the place were it all was restored again. This is the place where my ancestors were endowed and sealed to their families for eternity. This is the place where they first learned of baptisms for the dead and first did those. It is sad to think most of them never saw it finished, but it has often been quoted here that Joseph Smith saw the temple illuminated in a vision. What temple did he see? The one they built or this one? We know they could not have illuminated their temple back then, so it is amazing to think that he probably saw this one. This is his temple that he dedicated to the Lord. It is just so inspiring to see it and be around it everyday.
In the missionary meeting before the pageant last night, I was asked to be the one who begins the congregation in reciting "The standard of truth" quote. It is a very powerful quote that talks about how nothing can stop this church from progressing. I was honored to do so because I know that it's true. I feel it when I am here and especially as I am serving as a missionary here. So many times these past two weeks I have felt like Alma in the Book of Mormon as he was serving his mission. The joy of testifying and bringing others to Christ is like nothing else. Wanting to preached to all people and help them feel the love and blessings of the gospel fills my soul. All these things gave me power and motivation last night as I went to the fair. I have started having companions to go with to talk to people. The Buckners like to compete for referrals, but I really just want to talk to people and testify. However, yesterday I had in the back of my mind that it would be nice to get 10 referrals that night, although it would be a stretch. I first talked to people with Josh Buckner, who is 16 or 17 and then I went with Sarah Chapple who is 14. I had many good conversations and got 3 referrals. Although, I went up to a large youth group and strongly challenged them to each give two referrals by the end the night. I was bold with them, but I have a feelings they will follow through. I just wish I could have followed up with them after the pageant, but that is impossible with the crowd.
Last night was my cast's second peformance and I was the kid catcher on the front side of the stage, so I got to watch and record parts of the pageant. I recorded parts that have lines that have come to mean things to me or are ones that are just funny. The whole thing is good, so I recorded a lot. :) While watching it I was really impressed by everything it said about the temple and it's blessings. I was especially impressed as it talked about families being together forever through the sealing power in the temple. I think it was because I had just done sealings in the temple earlier in the day, but it really increased my testimony of eternal famililes and what it much have meant to them to know that their families would be together forever whatever happened as they went west.
After the pageant I went around with Sarah as my companion. After most everyone had left, we had 9 referrals!!! I wanted to get one more to make it 10, so we went to a new bagpiper and got one from him. I got a total of 13 referrals last night!!! It was incredible! It's not so much about the referral cards as it is about the people who will be getting the cd of the pageant and having access to the spirit that it brings. I am excited for tonight.
I titled the blog as I did because that is what we printed on our cast shirts and it is very true for me. I've learned things here in visits past, but I've learned so much about myself and about the gospel and the early saints that will never be erased. Mostly I've learned how to be a missionary, what works, what doesn't, and how easy it is to testify to people of the truth.
One last thing. This morning I went down the trail of hope with lots of people in my cast. I was able to walk down with the Buckner family and my two family support friends. Members of the core cast stood along the trail and portrayed different said and things that they said. It made it come alive and even more real. I felt chills as I heard the horse hooves coming down the street as carriage drivers took people down Parley street that way. The people, the sounds, just everything made me feel like the early saints were there. Someone was playing a violin, and in the distance we could hear the bagpipers playing by the Mississippi river. In the past I have always walked down Parley street in solitude because I wanted to feel the Spirit and sacredness of it. However, I realized today that I was missing out on the greatest experience ever. I realized that not one of the early saints walked that trail alone. Every thing we heard and read as we walked down the street testified of how much hope and faith the saints had as they were leaving. They were sad, but not sorrowful or depressed, which are the feelings I usually feel when I walk down that street. Today, however, I began to understand a little better how they had that hope. They were not alone. Just like I had an adopted family to walk down the trail with who I know love and care for me, the early saints, who had little to nothing and even some without family, walked down Parley street as a community--family. The Zion-like community brings faith and hope and bouys a person up and let's them know that it's going to be okay. The other things that I feel led them to go forward across the river with faith, joy, and hope is their knowlege that they were following God's prophet and they had made covenants with God in His holy temple. Brigham Young has a quote where he called it "The fire of the covenant." It is what gave them the strength to leave and the strength and motivation to go back to rescue others who were stuck on the plains years later. The covenants gave them peace, power, protection, and perspective to endure the wilderness.
I wish I could put into words all the feelings and thoughts I've had on this, but I know that there is a reason why they had to finished the temple and be endowed before they left. I know that the saints took the Zion-like community with them across the plains and that is how they made it through. That feeling is still here. They are here. The pageant begins and ends with the lines, "When you're here, we're here." The final scene of the pageant movingly explains why that is. They took with them what they built in Nauvoo and taught it to their children, and they taught their children and it has been handed down from generation to generation until now we have the church that we do. Coming to Nauvoo is like experiencing the seeing the roots while tasting the fruit. You can feel the early Saints here every where. This place is sacred. Yes, the weather is terrible... it's hot, you're always wet with sweat and dehydrated, but you get used to it because everyone who comes here, comes for a purpose and I feel it in everything I do and with everyone I meet.
That night my cast performed it's first show. It was a little down because I was backstage and not able to watch them or perform with them, but now I know that I am performing in a different, but just as important way.
Yesterday was awesome, too. I did sealings and inititories in the temple before going down to the baptistry to help the youth in my cast do baptisms for the dead. I love it down there because it brings back memories of my first experience in Nauvoo when I went there every week. Going to the temple to do the work has a even special feeling with it when I know that this is the place were it all was restored again. This is the place where my ancestors were endowed and sealed to their families for eternity. This is the place where they first learned of baptisms for the dead and first did those. It is sad to think most of them never saw it finished, but it has often been quoted here that Joseph Smith saw the temple illuminated in a vision. What temple did he see? The one they built or this one? We know they could not have illuminated their temple back then, so it is amazing to think that he probably saw this one. This is his temple that he dedicated to the Lord. It is just so inspiring to see it and be around it everyday.
In the missionary meeting before the pageant last night, I was asked to be the one who begins the congregation in reciting "The standard of truth" quote. It is a very powerful quote that talks about how nothing can stop this church from progressing. I was honored to do so because I know that it's true. I feel it when I am here and especially as I am serving as a missionary here. So many times these past two weeks I have felt like Alma in the Book of Mormon as he was serving his mission. The joy of testifying and bringing others to Christ is like nothing else. Wanting to preached to all people and help them feel the love and blessings of the gospel fills my soul. All these things gave me power and motivation last night as I went to the fair. I have started having companions to go with to talk to people. The Buckners like to compete for referrals, but I really just want to talk to people and testify. However, yesterday I had in the back of my mind that it would be nice to get 10 referrals that night, although it would be a stretch. I first talked to people with Josh Buckner, who is 16 or 17 and then I went with Sarah Chapple who is 14. I had many good conversations and got 3 referrals. Although, I went up to a large youth group and strongly challenged them to each give two referrals by the end the night. I was bold with them, but I have a feelings they will follow through. I just wish I could have followed up with them after the pageant, but that is impossible with the crowd.
Last night was my cast's second peformance and I was the kid catcher on the front side of the stage, so I got to watch and record parts of the pageant. I recorded parts that have lines that have come to mean things to me or are ones that are just funny. The whole thing is good, so I recorded a lot. :) While watching it I was really impressed by everything it said about the temple and it's blessings. I was especially impressed as it talked about families being together forever through the sealing power in the temple. I think it was because I had just done sealings in the temple earlier in the day, but it really increased my testimony of eternal famililes and what it much have meant to them to know that their families would be together forever whatever happened as they went west.
After the pageant I went around with Sarah as my companion. After most everyone had left, we had 9 referrals!!! I wanted to get one more to make it 10, so we went to a new bagpiper and got one from him. I got a total of 13 referrals last night!!! It was incredible! It's not so much about the referral cards as it is about the people who will be getting the cd of the pageant and having access to the spirit that it brings. I am excited for tonight.
I titled the blog as I did because that is what we printed on our cast shirts and it is very true for me. I've learned things here in visits past, but I've learned so much about myself and about the gospel and the early saints that will never be erased. Mostly I've learned how to be a missionary, what works, what doesn't, and how easy it is to testify to people of the truth.
One last thing. This morning I went down the trail of hope with lots of people in my cast. I was able to walk down with the Buckner family and my two family support friends. Members of the core cast stood along the trail and portrayed different said and things that they said. It made it come alive and even more real. I felt chills as I heard the horse hooves coming down the street as carriage drivers took people down Parley street that way. The people, the sounds, just everything made me feel like the early saints were there. Someone was playing a violin, and in the distance we could hear the bagpipers playing by the Mississippi river. In the past I have always walked down Parley street in solitude because I wanted to feel the Spirit and sacredness of it. However, I realized today that I was missing out on the greatest experience ever. I realized that not one of the early saints walked that trail alone. Every thing we heard and read as we walked down the street testified of how much hope and faith the saints had as they were leaving. They were sad, but not sorrowful or depressed, which are the feelings I usually feel when I walk down that street. Today, however, I began to understand a little better how they had that hope. They were not alone. Just like I had an adopted family to walk down the trail with who I know love and care for me, the early saints, who had little to nothing and even some without family, walked down Parley street as a community--family. The Zion-like community brings faith and hope and bouys a person up and let's them know that it's going to be okay. The other things that I feel led them to go forward across the river with faith, joy, and hope is their knowlege that they were following God's prophet and they had made covenants with God in His holy temple. Brigham Young has a quote where he called it "The fire of the covenant." It is what gave them the strength to leave and the strength and motivation to go back to rescue others who were stuck on the plains years later. The covenants gave them peace, power, protection, and perspective to endure the wilderness.
I wish I could put into words all the feelings and thoughts I've had on this, but I know that there is a reason why they had to finished the temple and be endowed before they left. I know that the saints took the Zion-like community with them across the plains and that is how they made it through. That feeling is still here. They are here. The pageant begins and ends with the lines, "When you're here, we're here." The final scene of the pageant movingly explains why that is. They took with them what they built in Nauvoo and taught it to their children, and they taught their children and it has been handed down from generation to generation until now we have the church that we do. Coming to Nauvoo is like experiencing the seeing the roots while tasting the fruit. You can feel the early Saints here every where. This place is sacred. Yes, the weather is terrible... it's hot, you're always wet with sweat and dehydrated, but you get used to it because everyone who comes here, comes for a purpose and I feel it in everything I do and with everyone I meet.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Performing this week!
I am very excited for my Blue cast. They are performing this week! We had a dress rehearsal last night and they did fantastic! Granted, I was backstage and didn't see it. I will get to see them on Thursday and Friday when I am one of the kid catchers sitting up front in case a kids runs off the stage, or falls off. It's happened... From the comments I heard, they did amazing and I am not suprised. They worked so hard and have learned their parts so well. I plan to record my favorite parts of the pageant as they perform it, so you can see it. It is truly an incredible pageant.
Last week I decided to be bold and ask the costuming people if I could wear a costume at the country fair. They said yes, but for some reason it was up for debate and so I wasn't sure if I could keep it. I haven't heard so far that I can't keep it, so I will be wearing it again tonight and I am pretty excited. I am going to put some pictures of things I'm doing and if I have time I will caption them. In just a bit I will be going to do a session in the Nauvoo temple. I am VERY excited about this!!!! Because my cast is performing this week, I have freetime during the day to see the sites and rest. Yesterday I did the tour of the sites owned by the Community of Christ. I found it very ironic that I had to pay three dollars to have a tour of Joseph Smith's homes when if he were here, he would have welcomed all of us in, showed us around and even fed us and all for free. The tour person even said that they welcomed everyone to there home. It just made me kind of sad and wonder what Joseph would think about that.
Enjoy the pictures!!
Kids LOVE catching little frogs and fireflies. They are really easy to catch and fun to hold.
Two of the core cast got food poisoning the night before this, one plays Parley and the other plays George Fordham who is supposed to be in this scene where he asks the prophet to tell the story of the first vision. Here is little brother David, the blonde one in front, did his lines for him and I thought this was the cutest picture ever.Another funny story is there is a scene where two little kids get stuck in the mud and Joseph pulls them out. One day at rehearsal, Jeff, who plays Joseph, said his line to the kids wrong and kept doing it until he just said something like it. Then, he changed a line. He is supposed to say, "Don't mind the mud, we all get stuck sometimes," but he changed it to "Don't mind the lines, we all forget them sometimes." It was very funny.
This is a powerful scene of the martydom. Joseph and Hyrum walk off the stage together side by side. At the performance, the whole stage is dark except for a spot light on them that follows them as they walk off the side ramp into the audience then the light leaves them. It is very powerful.
My former roommate Annette Miles is serving a mission this summer in the Nauvoo Brass Band and I saw her while visiting the sites.
Back stage of the show just before it is starting. You can see the metal piece of the temple that they eventual put cloth on and put up.
Finale scene, also very powerful. I can't put it into words you have to come and see it for yourself!
Easton, Kate, and Lauren backstage with us between scenes they are in. They are my favorites... I have lots of them here.
View of puppet show. I won't be doing this this week, but I did last week. This week I will go around talking to people doing missionary work!!
Easton needed naps during morning rehearsal so I held him and watched. One time he fell asleep with a chocolate in his mouth and got it all over my shirt sleeve. We pulled most of it out, but when he woke up, he ended up eating the rest of it.
All the kids and family support after an amazing time playing water games at the high school.
My district family, the Chapples. I help them do their hair in the evenings. They've kind of adopted me these two weeks.
I had to take this picture... it's a classic.
We got our dresses!!
The other family that adopted me, the Buckners. Br. Buckner was a session director of EFY that I had. The oldest son is missing in this picture, so we will take another one. They are lots of fun. I feel like the boys are like my brothers, we tease each other so much.
Backstage view of the show.
Last week I decided to be bold and ask the costuming people if I could wear a costume at the country fair. They said yes, but for some reason it was up for debate and so I wasn't sure if I could keep it. I haven't heard so far that I can't keep it, so I will be wearing it again tonight and I am pretty excited. I am going to put some pictures of things I'm doing and if I have time I will caption them. In just a bit I will be going to do a session in the Nauvoo temple. I am VERY excited about this!!!! Because my cast is performing this week, I have freetime during the day to see the sites and rest. Yesterday I did the tour of the sites owned by the Community of Christ. I found it very ironic that I had to pay three dollars to have a tour of Joseph Smith's homes when if he were here, he would have welcomed all of us in, showed us around and even fed us and all for free. The tour person even said that they welcomed everyone to there home. It just made me kind of sad and wonder what Joseph would think about that.
Enjoy the pictures!!
Stone Arched Bridge, just south on the highway about 1/4 mile of Nauvoo. A scene of the Joseph Smith movie was filmed here. I know why... It's beautiful!
Kids LOVE catching little frogs and fireflies. They are really easy to catch and fun to hold.
Two of the core cast got food poisoning the night before this, one plays Parley and the other plays George Fordham who is supposed to be in this scene where he asks the prophet to tell the story of the first vision. Here is little brother David, the blonde one in front, did his lines for him and I thought this was the cutest picture ever.Another funny story is there is a scene where two little kids get stuck in the mud and Joseph pulls them out. One day at rehearsal, Jeff, who plays Joseph, said his line to the kids wrong and kept doing it until he just said something like it. Then, he changed a line. He is supposed to say, "Don't mind the mud, we all get stuck sometimes," but he changed it to "Don't mind the lines, we all forget them sometimes." It was very funny.
This is a powerful scene of the martydom. Joseph and Hyrum walk off the stage together side by side. At the performance, the whole stage is dark except for a spot light on them that follows them as they walk off the side ramp into the audience then the light leaves them. It is very powerful.
My former roommate Annette Miles is serving a mission this summer in the Nauvoo Brass Band and I saw her while visiting the sites.
Back stage of the show just before it is starting. You can see the metal piece of the temple that they eventual put cloth on and put up.
Finale scene, also very powerful. I can't put it into words you have to come and see it for yourself!
Easton, Kate, and Lauren backstage with us between scenes they are in. They are my favorites... I have lots of them here.
View of puppet show. I won't be doing this this week, but I did last week. This week I will go around talking to people doing missionary work!!
Easton needed naps during morning rehearsal so I held him and watched. One time he fell asleep with a chocolate in his mouth and got it all over my shirt sleeve. We pulled most of it out, but when he woke up, he ended up eating the rest of it.
All the kids and family support after an amazing time playing water games at the high school.
My district family, the Chapples. I help them do their hair in the evenings. They've kind of adopted me these two weeks.
I had to take this picture... it's a classic.
We got our dresses!!
The other family that adopted me, the Buckners. Br. Buckner was a session director of EFY that I had. The oldest son is missing in this picture, so we will take another one. They are lots of fun. I feel like the boys are like my brothers, we tease each other so much.
Backstage view of the show.
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