"The British Pageant: 'Truth Will Prevail' invites all to enjoy the blessings that come from seeking and following God's truth. Performances of the British Pageant were Wednesday and Friday evenings from July 11th through August 5th." (Nauvoo Neighbor Newspaper, Summer 2017 edition)
We attended nearly every one of the performances, each one was very inspirational. As part of the finale each night, all of the missionaries serving in Nauvoo were invited to join with the Pageant cast in singing "Called to Serve", "O Say What is True", and "Redeemer of Israel".
O, Say What is True
Tis the Gospels flame which enlightens the minds of all men.
Lord, grant us the power to serve in Thy name;
That these lands may be blessed in Thy glorious rein.
The missionaries all wore dark pants and skirts and white shirts with our badges which bear the name of Jesus Christ. It was powerful to be part of that sacred experience as we marched together singing as dedicated full-time servants of The Lord. This is something which we will never forget which has greatly increased our faith and devotion to our calling as missionaries for Jesus Christ.
Here are some pictures which were taken by one of our friends, Sister Campbell, who serves as a District Worker (Those who live in the Temple District and work in the Temple, but are not missionaries).
Front Row (L to R) Perez, D. Peterson,
2nd Row- Sear, Despain. 3rd Row- Lawson, Cole, De Luc
The Missionaries on the Left side. We are next to the stage in the front.
"The spirit of the British Pageant is captured in the words,
'I go because my Master calls.'
'I go because my Master calls.'
Actors portraying early members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from the British isles sing these words as they depict the departure of these faithful Saints from their native land to answer God's call to gather in Nauvoo."
"First performed in 2013 on the grounds of the Preston England Temple, the British Pageant shows how seekers of truth in all ages and places desire to learn and follow the truths of the Gospel of Jesus Christ as taught by God's chosen messengers."
"The Pageant portrays the ministry of Apostle Heber C. Kimball, the assignment of all the Apostles to serve in England, and the faith and sacrifice exhibited by early converts as they embraced the Light of the Restored Gospel." (Nauvoo Neighbor, Summer 2017)
"Between 1837 and 1841 there were two apostolic missions to the British Isles. In 1837-1839 Heber C. Kimball and Orson Hyde established the first mission, concentrating in the area of Preston and the Ribble Valley. Their efforts saw about 1,500 people baptized into the Church. From 1839-1841, nine members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles labored in Britain and added another 4,000 converts to the Church. These missions were extremely important." "These missions were a manifestation of the early LDS recognition of the Divine command to take the Gospel 'into the world' and to gather to Zion those who would accept the gospel message. Even as Jesus had commanded His apostles anciently, so had he done with His apostles of the nineteenth century." ("Missions of the Twelve to the British Isles", Harold B. Lee Library)
"Between 1837 and 1841 there were two apostolic missions to the British Isles. In 1837-1839 Heber C. Kimball and Orson Hyde established the first mission, concentrating in the area of Preston and the Ribble Valley. Their efforts saw about 1,500 people baptized into the Church. From 1839-1841, nine members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles labored in Britain and added another 4,000 converts to the Church. These missions were extremely important." "These missions were a manifestation of the early LDS recognition of the Divine command to take the Gospel 'into the world' and to gather to Zion those who would accept the gospel message. Even as Jesus had commanded His apostles anciently, so had he done with His apostles of the nineteenth century." ("Missions of the Twelve to the British Isles", Harold B. Lee Library)
We could feel the power and conviction of these early Missionaries throughout the British Pageant. Here are a few pictures from this marvelous production to help explain the magnitude and spirit we partook of each night at the British Pageant,
"Truth Will Prevail".
"Truth Will Prevail".
Each night, the flag ceremony preceded the Pageant,
accompanied by the Bag Piper Band
The Pageant began by telling how in the 1500's, people were burned at the stake for teaching and reading the Bible in the English language. Even within homes, you were forbidden by the King of England to read the Bible in English to your own family members.
(Their Aunt and Uncle are Temple Missionaries with us)
The Finale
" It was by FAITH that all this was accomplished" George Q. Cannon
The Pageant Core Cast presented a special fireside for our missionaries one Sunday night.They performed 2 of the Vignettes from the Pageant, The Apostles on Missions in Britain and the King Follett Sermon. The spirit was powerful and their testimonies filled the room. We had an opportunity to greet each cast member personally and feel of their love of the Lord.
The Pageant Bagpipe Band performed before each Vignette, as well as holding Street Concerts daily in downtown Nauvoo. We attended a Vignette entitled, "Women of Nauvoo", in the Relief Society Garden by the Historic Visitors' Center. This included Emma Smith, Eliza R. Snow, Ellen Briggs Douglas, and other women of Old Nauvoo sharing their experiences along with their love for the Relief Society. This society began with a handful of sisters under the direction of a prophet of God. It has since grown to be the largest women's organization in the world. It was a beautiful presentation. What a blessing it is to belong to this inspired Relief Society Sisterhood.
After the Pageants ended, we were still blessed with one more week of having the Young Performing Missionaries (YPMS) here with us in Nauvoo. This group of talented young missionaries have brightened our Summer and filled all of our hearts with smiles and love and hope for the future of the Church. They have served faithfully day and night to make the Nauvoo experience memorable for everyone, including us! On August 12th, we attended their final performance of 'Sunset on the Mississippi'. Some of them are returning to college and some of them are leaving to serve full time missions this very week. They will always hold a special place in our hearts for all of the joy and love they brought with them to Nauvoo. Farewell to our dearly loved and appreciated YPMS!
Here are some fun pictures showing the rousing fun we enjoyed through the "Sunset on the Mississippi" performances of our fabulous YPMS. We only wish they could perform for you! We loved watching Sunset over and over again. However, the place we really fell in love with these amazing YPMS was in the Nauvoo Temple!!!! They came on Thursday mornings early before their 9 AM rehearsals and as many other times as their demanding schedules allowed. It was a blessing to serve with them in this sacred place. They are talented and gifted and blessed and humble and giving, always giving, bringing endless joy to everyone.
Elder DeWitt, Elder Canteros , and Elder McDonald
Finale-"If you add all the love in the world, Take away all the hurt and the pain....
There'll still be some love left over, There'll still be some love left over..."
A powerful message both felt and heard as they all "Signed" while singing
She graduated from Dixie College the day she came to Nauvoo
She is a student at BYU Provo
Sister Chaput and Sister Holbrook, Companions
Sister Holbrook plays the Clarinet and leads the parade each night!
Elder Chen and President Irion
They must have been companions in the Pre-Existence!
Elder Chen plays a mean violin!
Meanwhile, some very interesting things have been seen around our home here in Old Nauvoo! For a couple of weeks we had discovered garbage spread around our yard in the early morning. About the 3rd time this happened, we decided it must be those little masked bandits, Raccoons! So, we notified the FM department and they brought over a Raccoon Trap and set it out near our garbage cans. Just 2 days later, when we woke up we heard whining noises outside our window. We went outside and sure enough, inside the trap there wasn't just one Raccoon, but two. It appeared to be a mother and her not so small baby. They were petrified and had good reason to be! The FM people came and took them away. They told us that they take the Raccoons way out of town and spray paint them, something they do not like, trying to discourage them from returning to our delicious garbage buffet. We haven't seen them since! They were kind of cute sitting in that trap, but not the kind of pet you want to have around for long!
Speaking of our walkway outside our front door, here is the beautiful flowering bush that has been in full bloom the past few weeks. We aren't sure what it is, but the flowers resemble a Lilac bush and a Hydrangea, however, they have no scent. Since we aren't allowed to plant anything because they want it to look like authentic, natural growth here, we were delighted to have these flowers suddenly appear to admire.
As always, the Mississippi River continues to provide us with interestingly beautiful and breathtaking views. We never knew that we would fall so in love with this amazing river at the end of our street! Here are some photos of the magic we have been feeling from The Mississippi River during the month of August.
No Mississippi River post would be complete without sunset pictures! This gorgeous sunset was last Sunday night, August 13th. It is so sweet to be able to walk 15 minutes down our street and be standing at the water's edge of this mighty river.
Just before sunset that same night, a barge happened to be passing by the very spot where we were standing en route to the Locke on its way downstream. We have seen dozens of barges, however, seeing one pass right in front of you magnifies their size and your realization of how powerful the tug boat is that powers the barge along. We have mentioned this before, the fact that each barge can hold up to 870 semi truck loads of cargo, mainly corn or soy beans or coal. That is a BIG load!
To end our blog post today, we share with you some pictures of our beloved Historic Nauvoo Temple in the Summer. No matter the season or the gardens that surround this sacred Temple, the spirit is strong, both inside and out. Not a day goes by that we don't give thanks to The Lord through our prayers and our service for the great blessing of being "Called to Serve our Heavenly King" in His Holy House.
We testify to you that "Truth Will Prevail" throughout all eternity!
We constantly send our prayers and love your way.
Elder and Sister Peterson in Nauvoo
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