Week 3: Shows are Finally Open!

05/29/2016 -- Last Sunday afternoon, we went to Carthage Jail, where Joseph Smith & his brother Hyrum Smith (the prophet and patriarch of the Church at the time, respectively) were martyred by a mob (in 1844). We toured it then performed "Be Still" (a short show consisting of quotations of how people at the time responded to the martyrdom) in the Visitors' Center there, where it used to be performed. There was so much power in it, and the Spirit could be felt so strongly! It was an indescribable experience as we felt both the sorrow at the loss of two great men and the hope of a bright future ahead for members of the Church in Nauvoo. 

This weekend, our shows opened. It is so great to be able to meet people who visit here. I love how people see my name tag and know that I am a missionary and will approach me to ask about our shows and about the history of Nauvoo and its significance to members of the Church. It is great to be able to share the Gospel and the Spirit of Nauvoo with both members and non-members of the Church.

I have been assigned to Cast B in the mornings, so I help with "Nauvoo Singers" and "Just Plain Anna Amanda" each 3 days per week. In our shows, we have already seen so many miracles. One is that I happened to save the light cues for "The Promise" twice, so when Elder Camp accidentally erased the most recent version of the show, we lost nothing. Another is that we were having trouble with a few mics before one of our preview shows and could not identify the cause, but after a prayer was said, the mics all started working perfectly, so we were able to start the show. It was amazing to witness how the Lord is mindful of us and is willing to help us overcome anything if we just ask.

Despite not being able to hear any of the mics through my monitor/speaker (only soundtrack is wired to come through), I have been able to hear every line that is a cue for me over the sound of all the machines in the booth and through a glass wall with only a small window across the booth from where I am. I do hope that we can wire mics to that monitor soon though to make hearing them a tad easier. I have really enjoyed doing lights for The Promise! I have never run a show longer than a week, so I am looking forward to this summer season of our shows. I am also looking forward to all the people I will be able to meet while here!

Pictures of (1) all of the techs in one of our two costumes, (2) the Nauvoo Temple, (3) the Mississippi riverfront from when we took a wagon ride around town, and (4) all of the techs with our scenic designer Carter Thompson (a stage YPM from 2012) on his last day with us.

Thank you so much for all your letters and

emails of support!

-Sister Sylvestre