Dear Friends:
This is the third blog post about our trip to Nauvoo, Illinois
We started the day at Camp Nauvoo, like most of the days here, with our amazing Food Committee putting on a fantastic meal. Today, it was all about french toast sticks. They were a well-oiled machine on this morning:
We followed breakfast with a special camp-wide devotional at Camp Nauvoo. Our Stake President traveled to Nauvoo to help support the youth of the Stake. He conducted the short devotional, and we took advantage of beautiful weather and an incredible view:
Following the meeting, we had a little free time for the kids. An awesome volleyball game broke out, as well as other games around the camp:
The rest of the day was given to the families to explore historic Downtown Navuoo. There is so much to see and do in Nauvoo, that the families were spread across town. I took advantage of a couple of hours to accompany my own family to some of the historic areas.
We started at the Printing Office. This is where the town newspaper was published, and the kids learned just how difficult it was to actually set the type and produce a publication twice-a-week
We also walked to the burial site for Joseph and Hyrum Smith. Again, it was a sacred place. The view from their home was beautiful.
Across town, our youth were learning a lot about early pioneer life in Nauvoo. In the Family Living Center, they learned to make rope, bake bread, loom carpets and much more.
Another great part of the Nauvoo experience, are the street performers that sing and dance throughout town. They are mostly college students that devote their time during the summer to entertain visitors. I really loved them:
While walking through town, I tried to check-up on some of the kids. I loved talking with them and hearing about their impressions of all the historical sites.
Elsewhere, some of the kids were treated to a bagpipe corps, playing through the main street:
I found one of the families, enjoying Nauvoo. This Ma and Pa were spending some quality time with one of their “kids” who happened to be autistic. I loved watching the gentle service they were rendering on behalf of this young man:
My wife and I took the kids to the Brick House, where they helped us learn about the process that the early Saints used to make the bricks used in building houses. It was an extensive process, but the results are homes that still stand firm today. At the end of the tour, they presented each family with a specially-made brick. I thought it was really beautiful:
I met up with some of the other leaders, and grabbed this quick shot…they’re a fun bunch to work with:
One of the last tours that I was able to attend with my family, was the Blacksmith Shop. We learned about the process used to refine metal and, more importantly, create wagon wheels. When the Saints were forced to leave Nauvoo, after Joseph Smith was murdered, they headed out of town and their path led them to the blacksmith, for wheels to make the journey across the Plains.
Just past the blacksmith, was the continuing path that the Saints used to leave town. Along this path, the Church has constructed what they call the Trail of Hope. Along this 1/2 mile part of the road, they had plaques with quotes from the Saints, written in journals while they were leaving Nauvoo. Many of these quotes were simply heart-braking. Yet another poignant reminder of the sacrifices made by the early Saints:
At the end of the Trail, there was a memorial built to honor the early Pioneers. There, they listed the names of the Saints that made their way across the Mississippi River. We found some relatives listed there, too:
Later that evening, we took all the youth to the famous Nauvoo Pageant. This is an incredible production. Prior to the start of the show, many of the cast are involved in a “Country Fair” where they share pioneer games, music and dances with everyone who will be attending the show. My own kids had a blast, playing in the games:
Many from our Stake were able to talk directly to cast members and learn about the service they perform during the summer as part of the production
It was fun to watch some of the kids participate in square-dancing, complete with a live band of period musicians:
Many of the young men loved the pioneer handcart pull - where they raced against each other with hand-made carts:
As the time grew closer to the start of the performance, we led the youth to their seats, where we had fought valiantly to save them hours before (an amazing story, all by itself):
The production was glorious, as expected. The messages really resonated with our youth, as the early life in Nauvoo was portrayed.
A special moment in the show was when they finally finished building the Nauvoo Temple (using sets on the stage). The set piece was dropped, and the lights on the actual Nauvoo Temple lit up the structure at just the right moment. It was a powerful experience:
I really enjoyed the pageant, or at least most of it. I had to spend some time with security and local paramedics, as one of our kids experienced an epileptic seizure during the performance. Everything turned out OK, but it was a tense 30 minutes as she was assisted by show staff.
Overall, it was a wonderful day in Nauvoo…and I’m glad I was able to share part of it with my own family. I’m so grateful to the Church for providing so many amazing experiences for our youth.
That’s it for now…join me next time for the last blog post about the trip to Nauvoo. Lots of great pictures on our final day in Nauvoo ; )
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