on our way. . .

Adam has only been on an airplane once in his short little life. He doesn't remember it though; he was only 4-months-old. So this, to him, was a first. As we boarded our flight to Rochester, New York on our way to Palmyra, he was noticeably nervous. I tried to calm his fears, but somehow he had heard bits and pieces lately of some airplanes and helicopters crashing and so that was on his mind.

It didn't take long, though, for him to realize that flying in a big airplane was pretty cool! The flight attendant brought him apple juice (his drink of choice which he rarely gets at home) and some cinnamon cookies. Combine that with his Thomas the Tank Engine that he brought from home and, well, does life really get any better than this?

Not for a 5-year-old, it doesn't.

the purpose of the pageant

Each night the pageant starts at 9:15 p.m., just at dusk, but the crowds start arriving much earlier than that. Many people show up early in the morning to save seats. Starting at 7 p.m. we are all dressed in costume and out in "the bowl" (the field in front of the hill) mingling with the crowd. The purpose of this is not only to welcome them and let them take pictures with us, but to share the gospel with them. We have this great opportunity to talk to them about The Book of Mormon and explain what the pageant is about. We explain to them what our role is in the play and then share with them a scripture that pertains to our part. It is an amazing 2 hours that we get to spend with people who literally have come from all over the world to experience the pageant. I love this time of the day. The feeling in the bowl is amazing. Last night, as John talked with one woman, he said to her, "I hope you feel something wonderful tonight as you are here at the pageant." She replied, "I already do." For the 2 1/2 weeks we are here, we get to be missionaries. Before we came to pageant, we were assigned to study several chapters of "Preach My Gospel" then once we were here we had classes taught by the sister missionaries that prepared us further to be missionaries. So this is THE purpose of the pageant; to bring others unto Christ. What a blessing to be able to share this message with so many people. I love it.

Hill Cumorah

Probably like most people, I have a mental list of “Really amazing things I’ve done in my life.” My list is quite long. I’ve lived in England , traveled Europe and Russia , done humanitarian work in India and Nicaragua , etc. I have to say that the experience I have been having over the past 2 weeks ranks high on that list. Very high.

We’ve been at the Hill Cumorah since July 1^st and I've hardly had 2 minutes to sit down and journal my experiences. So far I have taken over 1200 photos. Unfortunately, Brooke’s laptop won’t read CR2 files and since all my photos are shot in RAW, well, I’ll have to wait until I get home to post some. (I'll try to remember today to take a few in jpeg. I hate to post anything on my blog without at least one photo!)

In the meantime, I just wanted to write a little about our experiences here. When we arrived at the Hill, we had to audition for certain parts. Haylie wanted to try out for a much coveted dancing part but wanted me to try out with her. I agreed, knowing FOR SURE I wouldn’t get chosen for dancing. Those who wanted to try out were taken to the grassy area in front of the Hill. The choreographer taught us all a funky little dance and then for the next one and a half hours we danced and danced and danced while several directors watched and watched and watched. Soon they started to pull people out and they were handed a card that said what their dancing part was in the show. " Shocked" is an understatement when I describe how I felt when I was pulled out and given the part of “Ceremonial Dancer!” I soon found out that “Ceremonial Dancer” was code for “Harlot!” (My mom wondered if I was type-cast. Thanks mom!) Brooke was also chosen as a Harlot (like mother like daughter). There are 7 of us total. The directors had no idea they had chosen a mother/daughter team but I'm so glad they did because it has been so fun to do this with Brooke. I am twice the age of all the other girls, so I feel a bit like "the Mother Harlot." We are in two scenes; one is the Lehi scene where Lehi is warning Jerusalem of their wickedness. Our group is dancing in front of the people of Jerusalem trying to “entice” them. Our costumes are AWESOME.

I was cast into 2 parts. The other is a “New World Woman” which is so wonderful. Adam and Brooke are in this scene with me and we get to kneel at Christ’s feet when he ascends. It is beautiful and I cry every night when we do this scene.

I am also happy to report that Haylie got a dancing part as well. She is a “Harvest Dancer” and is in the most DARLING scene! After Lehi’s family arrived in the Americas and had settled, things were happy and lovely (for a while). That is her scene and she is so cute in her part.

John auditioned for the part of Alma and he got it! He is the BEST Alma I have ever seen! ;) He LOVES his part, especially when he is fleeing from King Noah. He leaps down the stairs and runs all over the stage while others are trying to catch him. This part is so him and he does an amazing job.

Matthew is a King Noah citizen so he gets to be in the same scene as John. He is wicked and cheers on King Noah. He has a great time.

I knew this experience would not be easy, but it had turned out to be a lot harder than I anticipated. Last week was SO intense; extreme hot and humid temperatures in which we practiced in all day. We have very long days and very little sleep. I also discovered that all my running/biking/swimming/elliptical/weight lifting that I do 6 days a week was not enough to physically prepare me for dancing and hiking up and down the steep Hill Cumorah many times a day. Holy cow. Being a harlot is so demanding! Who knew?!

All last week I could not go up or down stairs without bracing myself on the hand railings and I waddled like I was 9 months pregnant! Motrin became my best friend, as did the hot tub in our hotel. I am much better now, thank heavens, and now I can really move like a seductress! ha ha

We have performed 5 shows and have 3 to go. This is one of those things that I don’t want to end. I am dreading it. The spiritual growth my family is experiencing, the dear friends we have made, and the deeper love and understanding that I am gaining of The Book of Mormon……all these things are priceless.

As the show begins each night, we Ceremonial Dancers are on stage looking out at the audience as we wait for our cue to dance. We kneel there for a couple of minutes before we start dancing, waiting for the spotlight to come to us. As I knelt there Saturday night waiting for our cue, I looked out at the vast audience (yes, it included Donny Osmond). There are 9000 chairs and ALL were full. There were still others on blankets and camping chairs. These people literally come from all over the world to see this pageant. As I looked out, it hit me. The magnitude. The power. I was humbled and felt an overwhelming appreciation to my Heavenly Father for allowing this opportunity for my family not only to grow spiritually but to be able to share the word of God with all these people. The spirit at the pageant is surreal despite the protesters outside the gates. It’s amazing how quickly the Spirit takes over once people enter onto the field. The sounds of the yelling and screaming only a few feet away miraculously fade away.

I am so grateful to be able to be able to share the gospel in this amazing way.

(Lots of pics to come!)