What a fast three weeks this has been! Every time I think about what day it is I first think about how long the day has seemed, then have a quick moment of shock at the date. Someone put it very well in Sacrament last week, weeks last a minute, days last forever, and lunch never comes. Actually lunch does come and it is always delicious. The Meyers are a missionary couple called specifically for food preparation for the YPMs. They do such a great job and are lots of fun. Anyways... on to the real meat of Nauvoo! The Spirit here just keeps getting stronger and stronger. I can't believe it getting better but I know it will because we are just getting into the times when we can start doing more missionary work because we get audiences now!
We had our first rehearsal of our Trail of Hope vignette sequence on the actual trail earlier this week and it was such a great experience. We only ran the cast I'm not a part of (because we alternate each night) so I got to walk the trail and see everyone do their vignette and it was powerful. We truly get to bear testimony when we present them and the power is doubled because we are not only sharing our own testimony, but also the testimony of the individual we are portraying through the journal entries. At the end of the trail, a family that had come to a few of our other rehearsals throughout the day expressed their gratitude for the spirit they had felt. The Mother thanked us for loving her children, remembering them and calling them by name. The father bore testimony that, with each site they visited, every production they saw he felt his heart being expanded by the Spirit. It was really touching. We walked back up the trail and sang a bunch of hymns and other songs that we have learned. There is one song that is used for the Trail of Hope that the Elders sing called "Old Old Path" and as we sang it I felt like we were singing about our own experiences here in Nauvoo. Here are the lyrics-
There's an old old path where the sun shines through,
All the dark storm clouds from its home of blue.
On that old old path made strangely sweet,
By the touch divine of His blessed feet.
Find the old old path, will be ever new,
For the Savior walks all the way with you.
In that old old path all my friends most dear,
And I walk with them with the Savior near.
Tis an old old path shadowed vales between,
But I fearless walk with the Nazarene.
On that old old path made strangely sweet,
By the touch divine of His blessed feet.
Those words come close to describing what if feels like being here in this sacred place when so many were forced to sacrifice their homes and belongings, their temple, sometimes loved ones, and head west for their safety and faith. That sacrifice made this a most sacred place. I know that the angels of those who went before are here ministering to us and are a powerful part of the work that is here. Nauvoo is truly a city of miracles, of refuge, and of peace. All of the things the Prophet Joseph Smith hoped it would be when he led the saints in its founding and construction.
I bear testimony that Heavenly Father is mindful of the work here, and of all of his children. Already missionary experiences are occurring and we've just opened our shows yesterday. I know Joseph Smith is a prophet of God, and the church was restored in this dispensation through him and other great men of the day. We all owe such a debt of gratitude for the gift they gave us and I have felt the spirit of that gift here in Nauvoo, the city beautiful, the city of Joseph and the saints, the city preserved through sacrifice and now exists as a tool for teaching and preaching the testimony of the early saints. I couldn't be in a better place right now.
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