We are twenty-four of the young missionaries that have been called to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ through song and dance in Nauvoo, Illinois, a sacred temporary home for the early converts to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This is our story, of the miracles and lessons we have experienced while living where our pioneer ancestors did not so long ago.
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Sunday, July 7, 2013
The Sacred Trail Of Hope
From the story of:
Elder Leavitt
The Trail of Hope...wow-powerful, this is a series of vignettes we do at 12 stations down the trail that the Saints used to leave Nauvoo (it heads right to the Mississippi River). It takes place at night by torch light and is fascinating. At each station we reenact the journal entries of those who left Nauvoo and headed West. The Spirit of sacrifice is everywhere. Some of my most sacred and peaceful moments have happened there as we wait for and testify to groups of the reality of the Savior and these people's experiences.
I Love Nauvoo
From the story of:
Elder Partridge
Things I Love That Happen Frequently In Nauvoo:
- I love singing "of a living prophet" into the eyes of Sister McAllister and Sister Spittle.
- I love Elder Striplin's ridiculous "I've just discovered something awesome" face.
- I love pursuing and then being pursued by Sister Shaffer during 'Riverboats A Comin' and 'The Nauvoo Whoop-De-Do.'
- I love that whenever I'm looking for Elder Leavitt and Elder DeWaal at home, 70% of the time I find them praying.
- I love the moment right before Sister Porter and I run on stage at the beginning of High Hopes and River Boats; all I feel is love and faith.
- I love that my cup appears out of nowhere filled with water during lunch...along with a sneaky Elder Black.
- I love watching Sister Corkin be baptized for those who have passed on. I know the angels are rejoicing.
- I love how genuine Elder Nelson's hugs are.
- I love watching Sister Jorgensen whip her head around and say "But she really didn't!"
- I love seeing how high Elder Thunell's backflips are getting.
- I love fighting with Sister Welch while we waltz.
- I love when Elder Scott is testifying to visitors about the miracle of the quail.
- I love when Sister Allen yells "Am I nuts??"
- I love that when people are feeling stressed and overworked, Elder Collier knows just what to say.
- I love that when I feel the presence of angels, I usually see Sister Smith praying.
- I love watching Elder Anderson just walk past, quietly doing more work than anyone else.
- I love finding Sister Klingler reading the scriptures back stage.
- I love the silly faces Sister Osorio makes at me during Sunset By the Mississippi.
- I love the face Elder Mortensen makes at me every time he has to be patient because I did something stupid.
- I love making eye contact with Sister Elbert during Just Plain Anna Amanda.
- I love when Elder Davis runs in screaming with a day cap on.
- I love it when Sister Camp gives us a thumbs-up after we sing Golden Dream.
- I love being millimeters from Sister Shaffer's face while she tries to ignore me completely.
- I love it when Elder Camp says "Bangarang!"
- I love clogging with Sister McAllister.
- I love that most any time I feel a hand on my shoulder, I look up and see Elder DeWaal.
- I love catching Sister Spittle before she falls off the stage.
- I love watching Elder Nelson demonstrate how the cricket fiddles.
- I love receiving new counsel from a leader and watching Sister Corkin be faithfully obedient.
- I love it when Elder Leavitt hits me, points at his companion, and says "Who is that guy?"
- I love how powerfully Sister Porter bears her testimony.
- I love how humble and selfless Elder Black's prayers are.
- I love it when we gather together as a group of missionaries and sing 'Invocation' as one.
- I love singing "of a living prophet" into the eyes of Sister McAllister and Sister Spittle.
- I love Elder Striplin's ridiculous "I've just discovered something awesome" face.
- I love pursuing and then being pursued by Sister Shaffer during 'Riverboats A Comin' and 'The Nauvoo Whoop-De-Do.'
- I love that whenever I'm looking for Elder Leavitt and Elder DeWaal at home, 70% of the time I find them praying.
- I love the moment right before Sister Porter and I run on stage at the beginning of High Hopes and River Boats; all I feel is love and faith.
- I love that my cup appears out of nowhere filled with water during lunch...along with a sneaky Elder Black.
- I love watching Sister Corkin be baptized for those who have passed on. I know the angels are rejoicing.
- I love how genuine Elder Nelson's hugs are.
- I love watching Sister Jorgensen whip her head around and say "But she really didn't!"
- I love seeing how high Elder Thunell's backflips are getting.
- I love fighting with Sister Welch while we waltz.
- I love when Elder Scott is testifying to visitors about the miracle of the quail.
- I love when Sister Allen yells "Am I nuts??"
- I love that when people are feeling stressed and overworked, Elder Collier knows just what to say.
- I love that when I feel the presence of angels, I usually see Sister Smith praying.
- I love watching Elder Anderson just walk past, quietly doing more work than anyone else.
- I love finding Sister Klingler reading the scriptures back stage.
- I love the silly faces Sister Osorio makes at me during Sunset By the Mississippi.
- I love the face Elder Mortensen makes at me every time he has to be patient because I did something stupid.
- I love making eye contact with Sister Elbert during Just Plain Anna Amanda.
- I love when Elder Davis runs in screaming with a day cap on.
- I love it when Sister Camp gives us a thumbs-up after we sing Golden Dream.
- I love being millimeters from Sister Shaffer's face while she tries to ignore me completely.
- I love it when Elder Camp says "Bangarang!"
- I love clogging with Sister McAllister.
- I love that most any time I feel a hand on my shoulder, I look up and see Elder DeWaal.
- I love catching Sister Spittle before she falls off the stage.
- I love watching Elder Nelson demonstrate how the cricket fiddles.
- I love receiving new counsel from a leader and watching Sister Corkin be faithfully obedient.
- I love it when Elder Leavitt hits me, points at his companion, and says "Who is that guy?"
- I love how powerfully Sister Porter bears her testimony.
- I love how humble and selfless Elder Black's prayers are.
- I love it when we gather together as a group of missionaries and sing 'Invocation' as one.
Catching Fireflies
From the story of:
Sister Elbert
July 4th is my favorite holiday. I love the festivities, parades & fireworks, barbecues, and all sorts of laughter that happens. But most of all, I love it because it is a holiday that you can spend outside in the beautiful sunshine with everyone. I was so grateful to spend the day with my Nauvoo family and sing, dance, laugh, and eat delicious hamburgers (shout out to the Meyers!). My favorite moment of the day was when we gathered around a tall oak tree on Main St. to practice Youth Of Zion. Twilight was settling in, you could hear the distant thunder of fireworks, and the fireflies were resplendent. Because I'm not in YOZ, I got to have a free moment where I could soak in the beauty of Nauvoo and the splendors of a special day. Sister Jorgensen and I let loose and ran through a small grove of trees and caught fireflies in our hands. That short time of freedom and innocent laughter brought me happiness I cannot describe. So often do we forget to be simple, and just enjoy life! Even in the Nauvoo bubble where missionaries wear pioneer clothes we can get caught up in a hectic schedule and forget to breathe in our surroundings and love life. This was taken out of a journal entry on June 17:
Oh how beautiful, the glory of God. We witnessed His love for us in the form of the most stunning sunset I have ever laid eyes on. The majesty that was painted around Nauvoo testified of the glory and power of our Lord. As I beheld my surroundings and the beautiful, colorful canvas that filled the sky, I felt of the love the Lord has for me...I had been searching to find peace, but didn't realize I was blessed with the ability to find the beauty in all things and feel of Gods love that way. I've spent so much of my time walking with my head down. Instead of worrying about not tripping over my feet, I need to look up and feel the love.
This week, as our schedule gets absolutely crazy, my goal is to find peace in my beautiful surroundings. What better way is there to recognize the love of God than to soak in the beauty of His creations.
Oh how beautiful, the glory of God. We witnessed His love for us in the form of the most stunning sunset I have ever laid eyes on. The majesty that was painted around Nauvoo testified of the glory and power of our Lord. As I beheld my surroundings and the beautiful, colorful canvas that filled the sky, I felt of the love the Lord has for me...I had been searching to find peace, but didn't realize I was blessed with the ability to find the beauty in all things and feel of Gods love that way. I've spent so much of my time walking with my head down. Instead of worrying about not tripping over my feet, I need to look up and feel the love.
This week, as our schedule gets absolutely crazy, my goal is to find peace in my beautiful surroundings. What better way is there to recognize the love of God than to soak in the beauty of His creations.
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