Serving in Nauvoo

My family has had the amazing opportunity to participate in several church-sponsored plays and pageants.  One of these was the Nauvoo Pageant.  As the pageant website describes, “the pageant emphasizes the prophetic mission of Joseph Smith and honors the sacrifice, faith and courage of the Saints who gave their all to build a city and a temple to their God.”  As a member of the pageant cast, my entire family was set apart as part-time missionaries of the church.  My family served in this capacity two summers in a row, and my life was richly blessed and enhanced by the things I learned and felt during those months.  We were able to use the stories of early pioneers in church history to connect with audience members from around the world.  The pageant connects with its cast and audience using authentic hymns and folksongs, lively dances, and true personal stories from the 1800s.  I learned during this time about how a well-written play can influence a considerably large audience from many different phases of life.  I connected with characters in the pageant and from history in ways I never could have imagined, including Joseph and Emma Smith, Brigham Young, and Parley P. Pratt.  Participating in the pageant taught me how music, lyrics, dances, sermons, lighting, and word choice influence how a play is performed and received.  I am so grateful to have had the chance to serve and learn in the Nauvoo Pageant.