Become as Little Children

One of my favorite experiences has been hearing the little kids come up to me and remember me from one of the shows that they saw sometime throughout the day.  It's so neat to know that we make an impact, but at the same time it shows the responsibility we have because of the impact that we make.  I also learned from the children on Trail of Hope one night as I was working as company captain.  Some of the kids were being talkative and noisy so I was worried that the others in the group would be bothered, but they didn't seem to be.  I had the thought come to me about the pioneer children who had left Nauvoo, and how they would have likely had the same enthusiasm, curiosity, and just plain child-like happiness about them as they walked down Parley Street.  They wouldn't have understood the reasons for leaving, or the hardships they would face as they traveled. At that time they only would have known that they got to go on an adventure.  They would have been so full of faith, trusting in their parents and not concerned so much with the things that would be left behind as they traveled towards a new home.  I took a lesson from this about how each of us can look at our Earthly journey the same way.  The Lord has prepared a new home for us where we will find peace and safety to live the way we want to, surrounded by the people we love, free of fear.  The trail will be hard, but the reward at the end will be worth it.  We can rely on Heavenly Father to provide for our needs, but we have to be the ones who walk each step of the way just as the Pioneer children did. They didn't know where they were going, they only new the direction they were supposed to take.  Its different for us, though we haven't seen our Heavenly destination, we do know the path and have great guides to bring us safely there.

1st Week of Miracles

This week has been so wonderful! I am being constantly reminded that the Lord showers tender mercies among us. We have truly been blessed. I am 100% sure that the Nauvoo Performing mission is the only place in the whole entire world that you could get 20 actors and actresses to learn, rehearse, polish, and open 5 full fledged musicals and vignettes, in such a short time. I am constantly in awe of the help that we receive on a daily basis from ones who are beyond the veil. I had the opportunity this past week to go to the Family History Center here in Navuoo and more particular, I have been thinking a lot about my Grandpa Davis and my Great Grandpa Terry. I had a very special experience on the trail of hope on Friday where I was almost sure that I felt them there with me testifying of those who have gone on before. Miracles happen in this sacred city. I have a very strong testimony of that. These next couple months will be ones of great peace as we full-heatedly jump into charity and humility.

I have to share this funny story: One of the vignettes that we do is called, Youth of Zion. In one part of it, I am supposed to hurtle a half fence that is actually not really a fence, but more of a wooden road block so cars don't park there. Anyway, as I was about to hurtle this fence for our vignette, I started to  jump and then somehow my foot got caught wrong and I totally fell flat on my back in the middle of a performance. Pretty humiliating. But, we all had a good laugh. I threw in a couple of good improv lines and it went over fine. Haha. 

I close with a Gaelic blessing: 

May those that love us, love us. 

And those that don't love us, may God turn their hearts.

And if he doesn't turn their hearts, may he turn their ankles.

So we will know them, by their limping.    

Support and Hope on our Journey

We've been blessed richly this week with great spiritual guidance and support.  Sister Spittle got strep throat and couldn't perform with us all day Friday (I told her that her present to me for my birthday was to get well) so we had to re-choreograph the dances and take her lines.  That happened much sooner in the season this time than last time I was here. :P We have been supported by angels as we perform with half the cast very ill with coughs and congestion which makes any singing very difficult. I believe fully that we are helping to bring souls to Christ, and as we are humble we will not fail. Thinking back over the week, I can only remember one brief period of time when I was not 100% engaged in every performance, and I regret not having done so. I think that Heaven is pleased with our efforts though, I'm grateful to be able to do better this next week.

We Cannot Fail

Well, somehow all of us have survived our first full week of performing all day, every day, in Nauvoo.  It has been an incredible experience.

There have been some incredible miracles that have happened here.  Miracles so incredible, in fact, that I don't know if I should share them, because I know that many people who might read wouldn't believe what I wrote.  But I can testify, Heavenly Father is an intervening God.  The thing is...His power on earth works by faith...and he cannot intervene in big, against-the-laws-of-nature, type of ways until we have received enough faith from Him, and then exercise it properly.  I am grateful for the tender whisperings of the Spirit that can tell us when God is ready and willing to grant an impossible blessing, on the conditions that we ask Him for it.

I have a lot of time to ponder and stare at my manly hairy arm while I am waiting for groups to come my way on the Trail of Hope.  I stare at the hair on my arm, because in the firelight, it is the only thing I can see.  ;)  Just recently, I was there pondering the mysteries of the world, and I saw the next group approaching in the distance.  I had the distinct feeling that there were some people in that group that desperately needed to be touched by their experience on Parley Street.  As I began relating the experience of Edwin Alfred Pettit sitting on the bench, the wood snapped and I fell to the ground.  As the piece of the fence that had broken fell, it hit the tiki torch lighting my station, and I caught it just before it landed on a small child!  Peaceful feelings gone, I did my best to beg any inkling of the Holy Ghost to be there as I finished Edwin's story.  Most people were staring at the tilting torch nervously instead of at me... I was dismayed that perhaps I had lost my chance to touch their hearts.  However, at the end of the night, Sister Porter related an experience she had with what I recognized as that very same group.  They felt the Spirit very strongly, and knew that many of the people in that group needed to feel the Savior's love for them, and they did.

I know that when God has a great work for His children, there will always be opposition.  There will always be excuses to give up and go home, or distractions to keep us from looking where we need to look.  But, if our hearts are in the right place, our Father in Heaven has power enough to eliminate the effects of that opposition, and allow the end result to be as if those mistakes never happened.  I know that as we continue to give everything with have to and for our Savior, He will use us as instruments for miracles...and we should never worry that our work is in vain.  With God, it is never in vain.

I am beginning to understand more and more that Nauvoo is not the spiritual Zionistic bubble that it is because of its location or history.  The veil of forgetfulness is thin here in Nauvoo because it is packed with completely faithful and dedicated Saints of Christ.  It is their faith and their virtue that allow Nauvoo's history to become a shining force for the Spirit to bear witness.  I hope to be one of those Saints for the rest of my life, who can be a conduit for the atmosphere of heaven to pour through, wherever I may be.

Nauvoo Miracle

This week in Nauvoo I have seen and felt the angels. I say these things with a surety in my heart that I know they are true. I have been very ill with bronchitis that has disabled me from singing or talking very much and my head has been so congested that my hearing has been diluted. As I was singing as Eliza R. Snow this week in Trail of Hope, I could feel the strength of the Lord helping me to get through each song without coughing. As I was singing to a particular group of youth, my voice stopped working. I knew immediately that I had to stop or else I would suffocate in a heap of coughing. In that split second I pleaded to the Lord to strengthen me, and specifically for the strength of Eliza R. Snow to be with me so I could finish singing. Miraculously I continued singing with no interruption. And then I heard something in my right ear. It sounded like the buzz of a bug, and I thought it was my ears playing funny tricks on me because of my congestion. But I paid attention and I could hear a voice, singing a beautiful harmony along side me. My voice became stronger and clearer than it had ever been before. I know it was Eliza R. Snow singing beside me. I heard the angels again as we sang the finale in our show "High Hopes and Riverboats". When we all join in together and sing 'All is well, all is well.' I could hear a faint chorus singing alongside us, and I could feel the presence of the saints. I heard it again the next day as we sang Invocation on the balcony. I know that we are here to do a marvelous work, and that the Lord sends his angels, the saints, to aid us. 

The Lord is in Charge!

I am so grateful to be serving here in Nauvoo! It's incredible, I see the Hand of the Lord and his miracles every day. We just finished our first full week of shows. All 10 of the stage sisters, except for me and another sister, were seriously ill this week. Bronchitis and strep throat have been been the plague. Yet, with great faith and fervent prayer, we have been able to carry on and perform 4+ shows a day as our usual schedule demands. Not only that, but I personally was blessed with great energy and strength and I saw my companion, who could barely sing before a show, sing perfectly in performance. It was miraculous. There have been tornado warnings, and torrential rain, yet it has not impeded us from doing the Trail of Hope or our Sunset by the Mississippi. It's amazing! This is truly the Lord's work. He is in charge! This week has strengthened my testimony. I know God lives. I know Jesus Christ is our Savior and Redeemer and I know He is very aware of each of us. I know He loves each of us. How grateful I am to know this!

Angels Heed the Call

This week, many sisters were sick with various things. I, too, was ill with fever and chills but only for a day. I worked, with a prayer in my heart, knowing the Lord would provide. With no energy in my body, I could not fulfill my calling of moving or setting props. It was then that I decided to ask my Lord for help. I started with lifting a fence. After placing my hands on the fence and my faith in the Lord, I lifted it. Yes, it was still heavy but it was moving to where it needed to. Then came a large barrel. It's awkward shape makes it hard to move but when I started to push it, it rolled right into place. I'd never thought to roll it! Lastly, I picked up a chest and tried to slide it into a shelf above my head. I was on my tip toes and pushed with all my strength but it seemed to be caught on something. I said out loud, "Please, help me." And the chest slid in perfectly, with no hindrance. I know angels take care of and look after us. Even more so, I know God looks after us because He loves us.

Tornadoes, Trails, and Testimony

HEY FAMILY!!!!!

Boy things are going great here! Another busy busy week has gone by and I can't believe how fast the time is flying! Can you believe that I'll have been here for an entire month on Friday!? EEEeeeee. Nauvoo is just so wonderful and I can't wait to have you come here and get a taste of the amazing spirit I feel every day. 

Alright... what's new with me... hmm... WELL... (MOM DON'T FREAK OUT :P) We had a tornado warning last week and were hurried out of our houses to the basement in the visitor's center. I was taking a nap in our house when we heard this scary alarm go off outside and we were woken up by the girls running around the house frantically shouting, "TORNADO WARNING! BE IN THE VAN NOW! WE NEED TO GO!" I have never experience a tornado warning but lemme tell you... as SOON as we stepped outside we were SOAKED and I was almost blown over by the furious winds. HOLY COW it was crazy. The sky was a scary green and we quickly ran into Sister Camps car and she was off. It was pretty scary... I didn't realize how scarred I was from the firestorm in 2003 until that night when we were sitting in the basement of the Visitor's center waiting for the storm to pass. On a lighter note, it did indeed pass and we're all fine! PHEWF!

We also started shows on Friday! It was such a blast oh my goodness. I met so many amazing people and we became close to many families. I LOVE KIDS! Holy cow... they basically attack you with hugs when you're Anna Amanda. They just love that show and I feel so blessed to have the opportunity to perform in such a fun role. We have literally been going 12 + hours every day dancing our pants off and singing our lungs out. I would not be able to do this in any place other than Nauvoo. I haven't lost my voice once! It's amazing! Also, I strained a part of my hip and couldn't walk the rest of the day last week. Strains in my body usually take about 3-5 weeks to heal but after a blessing, icing lots, and being very cautious, I was able to be up and dancing normally within 4 days! Miracles have been happening everywhere here. It's truly amazing :) What was so cool about that experience was when I was still in a lot of pain I would go up on stage and dance carefully so that I wouldn't forget the choreography and I wouldn't feel the pain while I was on stage. Right when I exited the stage the pain returned. Coincidence? I think NOT! :)

My favorite part about this entire week was probably performing the Trail of Hope for the first time on Parley Street. We performed vignettes of original journal entries written by the Saints on the very road they left Nauvoo. The spirit here is so overwhelming... it is like nothing I have ever felt before. I cannot even explain it in words... but just imagine a time when you have felt the spirit strongly and multiply it by 50 haha. I'd say that's pretty accurate ;) While performing my vignette for Margaret Gay Judd Clawson it honestly felt nothing like acting. I originally had thought that this would be much like performing a monologue but it was nothing of the sort. I knew the words I was saying were not mine. Before we started I knelt and prayed that I would be able to remember the words and to portray the message the way Margaret wanted me to. Groups of people came station by station to hear our message and it was difficult to hold back tears. The words just... came. I didn't have to think about them in the slightest bit. I felt the strength, love, hope, and charity that Margaret must have felt for her family and Nauvoo. I felt a small portion of what the saints felt that night... it was amazing. When we went to stand by the edge of the Mississippi River where the families and their handcarts trudged through the bitter cold over the icy river we began to sing Come Come Ye Saints under the bright moon and stars. I could see them travelling with hope, not knowing where they were to go, but having faith in the journey. We bore our testimonies through honest words and were able to touch souls. Even if it was just one person, it still makes all the difference. We are here to plant seeds and I know that Trail of Hope is one of our most powerful spiritual tools because I have felt it soften and change my heart. I am so humbled by this experience and am so happy I get to do it every week for the whole summer!

We do many shows every day. There are no breaks and we don't technically have a P-day. I love it so much and I can't complain because of the pure happiness I have felt throughout this entire journey. Even when I am feeling sick, tired, sore, or like I can't go on any longer, the Lord steps in and carries me the rest of the way. He will make up the difference if we as Him in faith :)

I have never been so busy in all my life and I have never been so happy. This mission is turning me into the person I want to become. :) I am so excited for you to come!!! ahhh!!! I want to share the spirit of Nauvoo with everyone.

Anyways, I'd better wrap this up. I miss you all and hope all is well back home! Thank you for all you do and for all your love and support. I couldn't do this without your prayers. They really have helped me stay happy and alert through the touchest times. I am able to give 110% to every show here because of the Lord and your prayers :) So thank you! I cannot say that enough.

There is so much more I could say... I just want you to know I love you and I love this Gospel. Miracles are happening every day here and I look forward to sharing all of the many details with you. *cough* MOM *cough*. ;) 

Until we meet again!

Sister Spittle

Come, Come Ye Saints

I must tell you about the day before our final dress rehearsals.

We began the day by going through High Hopes and River Boats.  Before we do the show, we usually line up on the balcony and sing "Invocation."  We almost didn't because we were running late  and we were only rehearsing.  I had gotten ready faster than most, and I had the strong but unnecessary urge to walk out into the main lobby of the Visitor's Center.  I walked out there, and I saw a family with a bunch of kids running around that immediately caught my eye.  I walked past them, three times, intrigued but trying to remain inconspicuous (which is very difficult in formal pioneer garb).  I ran back in to beg Elder Camp that we go out to sing on the balcony, because I felt that it would really bless them, and as I entered, all the missionaries were lining up to go out and do just that!  For some reason, he had changed his mind!

We sang.  The family I had seen before seemed especially surprised and touched.  They were so touched, in fact, that they managed to get themselves into the theater to watch our dress rehearsal. In the cast we were doing, I don't have any lines...I prayed for my fellow missionaries and for that family the whole time.

Turns out, because they saw us there, they also found out about our "Just Plain Anna-Amanda" rehearsal that would be happening in a couple of hours.  They showed up!  Afterward, we met them outside.  They were visiting from Arizona, learning about some of their ancestors from Nauvoo, and we told them the little we know so far about the city.  They said they were hoping to see Parley Street sometime before they headed out.  Just so happens, we were having our first and only rehearsal on-site for the Trail of Hope that very evening!  We told them they should come.

Many hours of rehearsal later, we got into the van to head to Parley Street...and it was starting to rain!  Worried that the rain would interfere with that family coming to the Trail of Hope, we said a prayer to Heavenly Father as we were in the vehicle that the rain would stop.  It stopped immediately.  I admit, I wasn't as in tune with the Spirit as I should have been (or maybe I was?  I'm still not sure), because during and after the prayer, I didn't feel like that would change anything, as for some reason, I didn't feel like that family was going to show up.

But then, one of the elders, a mind-blowingly spiritually mature and faith-filled man, turned to me in the noise of everyone's excitement in the sudden weather change, and said, "You know your role!  Pray!"  Humbled by his faith and my inadequacy, I began to pray fervently in my seat to know the will of the Lord concerning His angels.  I had the impression that the family was questioning whether to come.  I pleaded that Heavenly Father would send His heavenly Nauvoo missionaries to physically push them out their front door, that they would head to Parley Street.  It was confirmed to me that this was right.

Feeding off of the immense increase of faith among twelve elders who just watched rain miraculously stop, I continued my supplication, asking that angels would whisper to whomever would say the prayer for our group, that they might be inspired to utter the words necessary to invite the pioneers to attend us on the Trail of Hope.  I prayed that each of the Saints we portray would attend the stations as we spoke.

We arrived.  As we all fell out of the van, Elder Camp told us all to go home and practice our lines.  We were cancelling rehearsal because of the rain.  The elders were disappointed and worried...but I had asked for heavenly messengers to do specific things, by the Spirit, so I was more excited than anything to see how this would pan out.  As we were all turning around to go home, the sisters burst out of their van and asked if we could all pray together before we went home.  Before praying, the elders sang "Old, Old Path," which will be the custom on the Trail of Hope once we begin.  Elder Camp asked Sister McAllister to pray.  As she prayed, she paused, and asked that we could be aware of the angels surrounding us, and that we could bear testimony with them as the time came.  My heart leaped at this new answer to prayer...a foreshadowing of impending miracles.

Right at the end of the prayer, a man showed up that Elder Leavitt had invited.  This caused Elder Camp to let us all go down the Trail of Hope and watch each other do our vignettes.  Just as I had finished mine, the family drove up at the beginning of the trail.  We all anxiously remained in our places...everything had fallen together perfectly.

I sat on the fence, preparing for them to approach me.  I bowed my head in prayer once more, this time in gratitude.  Filled with the Spirit, I asked that each Saint would be able to speak through each of the missionaries, and that they and all other angels there would walk the trail with us.  I know that this is not a request for every night, but for this night, it was.

No surprise, I was stunned to silence and quiet tears as I watched each of the Saints stand in testimony with each missionary.  Heavenly Father allowed me to see the invisible reality of what was happening there that night.  When we reached Elder Thunell and Sister Shaffer, I fell apart.  The angels were speaking through their mouths.  At the end of each vignette, those that have passed on joined us as we moved to the next.  I was weeping with gratitude by the time we got to the Narrator.  For some reason, I always expect with surety that what I pray for will happen, but I am always surprised by the beauty of the harmony in which it occurs.

Elder Leavitt's station was the most incredible of them all.  He was the Narrator at the end of the Trail.  I wish I owned the words to describe the experience.  Hundreds of Saints stood behind him, filling the immense field he spoke in front of.  Singing, in testimony with his own.  It was more than I could bear.  It took every ounce of energy I had to keep from falling to my knees like a dramatic fool.

I know that God knows how to bump two groups together for the edification of one another, like the YPMs and that sweet family in Nauvoo.  I know that we are attended, aided, supported, reminded, encouraged, and loved by angels far more than any of us are aware.

I had a very strong impression, heading home and regaining my composure, that tonight I should pray for something very bold indeed.  This group of YPMs is very different from the others, in a way that I believe God has been setting up for a long, long time.  I feel that our Heavenly Father desires that each of the young performing missionaries in Nauvoo this summer have their eyes open, even just for a moment, and see the spirits of those that walk the streets of this City Beautiful.  That is going to take an awful lot of faith...but I know it is possible.

We do not need to see such things to believe...in fact, we are condemned if we feel that way.  But sometimes, Heavenly Father allows us to see things anyway.  Not because it is necessary, but because He loves us, and because we have lived in such a way to be ready for such an experience.

I cannot wait to see what this summer holds.

Old Old Path

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.

Full Moons

What a wonderful week! This week we opened up all of our shows. It has been many miracles put together to make it all work. I know that there have been angels on both sides of the veil helping us to put it all together.

I wanted to share a really wonderful experience that Sister Smith and I actually had while we were on the Trail of Hope. for those who have never been to Nauvoo or don't know what the Trail of Hope is, it is the street that the saints who left Nauvoo in 1846, traveled on one last time before they made their exodus across the west. We as Young Performing Missionaries represent those who walked that street and recite journal entries. Sister Smith was playing Elisa R. Snow and I was actually playing the Violin for her. She sang the song that she wrote; Though Deepening Trails (pg 122) when we got to the trail that night, the stage for us to perform on was literally perfection. the temperature was cool, the humidity was rather low, there was a slight breeze, and the moon was perfection. It was perfectly full and I felt like God himself lassoed it down to be a little closer.

In the midst of that Sister Smith was having an allergy attack. She could not stop sneezing. So, After saying a prayer, and relying on the lord, a group came down the trail. I actually recall having 9 groups come that night. Sister Smith didn't sneeze one time the whole entire performance. Then, was the realization moment of the miracle. Not 15 seconds had passed by after the last group when she sneezed again. We looked at each other in realization of the small but powerful miracle and testimony which had taken place.

There will be many, many miracles throughout this summer as guests start arriving to Nauvoo. I am excited to share my testimony with them of the spirit that here is ever so present. I know that God lives and that he loves us. I know that he will continue to bless us as we give him our all.

Oh... Another real fast story. Last night we performed sunset by the Mississippi on the outdoor stage in 60 degree weather. While I was grateful for the coolness, but those of you who play instruments will understand that it is difficult to play in the cold. And for me, it was hard to play Devil went down to Georgia on the violin. My fingers would NOT warm up and I was struggling to play at the tempo that I needed to to give a good performance. I know that angels were present as my fingers slid across the fingerboard. When I finished I never had felt better about a performance.

The Lord is doing his work, piece by piece. Nauvoo is a testimony of that to me and to the world.