J and P in Old Nauvoo: MORE PICTURES AND NEWS

We are moving along rapidly here. We are now performing in two musical productions 4 nights a week, showing guests around 32 different historical sites, driving teams of horses around Nauvoo, and eating and sleeping when we can. But we are loving it.

The first musical is called "Rendesvous in Old Nauvoo". It is about an hour long, and tells the story of Nauvoo, in comedy, song and drama. All of the performers are senior missionaries, meaning we are all about 70 or older. Sort of a poor man's Palm Springs Follies, except we are fully dressed in pioneer clothes, and are a lot slower. The story essentially tells about the struggle of the Mormons to find a place to live and worship, being driven from place to place, and finally having to leave their homes, farms, and beautiful city of Nauvoo, which at that time held about 12,000 people, and was second only to Chicago as the largest city in Illinois. At the end, the people have a difficult choice to make....stay in Nauvoo and fight the mobs and the government militias and have many people killed, or follow their Prophet, Brigham Young, and his instructions from God to leave Nauvoo and travel across the plains to Salt Lake where they could be free.

Most agreed to leave, and thereafter, about 10,000 saints crossed the plains to the west. At the end of the show, there is the tearful scene of the saints leaving their homes, crossing the Mississippi river on the ice in February, and heading for the west.

At the end of the show, the cast all gathers outside the entrance to the theatre and the guests come out and talk with us about the show. One young man, about 22, came up to one of the cast members and asked, "Who does your makeup?". When the cast members told him we don't wear makeup for the show, the young man replied, "Then how do they get you to look so old?" That gave us quite a laugh.

The other show, "Sunset By the Mississippi" is lighter, more dancing, fun songs, etc. One of the songs we do is "All God's Creatures Got a Place in the Choir". You can see the Celtic Thunder group do that number on YouTube, just click on the link here and see what it looks like. We have some very talented young performers from BYU and other Utah schools who come and do the major parts for that show, but us older missionaries do the background singing and dancing... Some 450 youth auditioned for 20 parts in "Sunset", and of those 20, many will go on to sing and dance in the "Young Ambassadors" group or become professionals.

Heritage - A Place in the Choir - YouTube

Another song is "Mississippi Mud" clapping, waving arms, and other such stuff. Very fun to do.

If you are ever in Nauvoo, be sure and see these productions. Now for the pictures we have taken recently.

Following are a few pictures taken at the Nauvoo Pioneer Cemetary, headstones from about 1820, most are weather worn and you cannot read the inscriptions. But it was a beautiful peaceful place with many children buried here.

Tulips and beautiful trees at Nauvoo Visitors Center, Womans Garden

FINALLY, more of us....looking cute again.

Here is Pam in front of our apartment, ready for a day's work.

Here she is again with Jerry, both going to work. (Some of the sites we wear hats and bonnets, and some we don't. Depends on the site and what we will be doing.

Jerry works part of the time at the Blacksmith Shop, making horseshoes. Here is the Blacksmith shop and Jerry working at the Forge inside. He uses bellows, a coal fire in the forge, an anvil, and a big hammer.