Sunsets and Fireflies
This Wednesday marks my fourth week of being here in Nauvoo! We've officially opened 4 shows now!! Sunset by the Mississippi, THe Love of the Savior Sunday Concert, Trail of Hope, and The Promise. It's been a busy week but it's really exciting to see the fruits of our labors as we finally get to perform some of the shows we've been working on for the past month!
I've especially enjoyed doing Trail of Hope in the evenings! It's such a peaceful and tender experience. I really enjoy stepping into the lives of the early saints and telling their stories! I love to watch the sunset on the Mississippi. I love to watch the sky turn pink, orange, and red. I am experiencing some of the most beautiful sunsets I've ever seen. I especially love when the sun is down and the stars come out. The sky is so beautiful and peaceful and the stars look amazing. I love standing under the stars and just thinking about how the early saints stood under the very same stars. I love to watch the fireflies as they fly across the grassy fields. Nauvoo is so beautiful. Which is why I'm not even a little bit surprised that Joseph Smith changed the name from Commerce to Nauvoo. Nauvoo means beautiful place and it sure is true to its name. I just love being here!
I've been reading Saints in my personal study and I'm really just reading the section where the saints are in Nauvoo and I am absolutely loving it!! I love the stories and it just makes it twice as special to be here.
I also am really enjoying performing, but since we have so many performances everyday not all of 'em are gonna be winners. I'm not going to have a flawless performance every show... or ever! But there's a couple things that ease the sting of a crummy performance. One evening this week while we were performing Sunset I just kept messing up on little silly things and I was feeling sad about my performance. But after that we always go out and talk with the visitors! I met some really great people and the girl came up to me and talked about how she loved fiddling because she was a violinist and she asked if she could play my violin and I said of course! I gave her my violin and she played me Ashokan Farewell! The same arrangement that I had played as one of my audition pieces when I auditioned to be a Young Performing Missionary! It was such a sweet experience to get to talk with her and my night was completely turned around! Meeting the visitors enhances every performance so much! Because as a missionary I am here for them! And also I don't want to get too focused on the performances and my personal performance. Because it's not about me. The Spirit will filter out our mistakes!
After one of our shows a visitor came up to us and told us how much he loved the show and how he just felt su h a strong spirit. He said he loved being in Nauvoo watching the missionaries because he said, "I love watching the gap between me and my Heavenly Father get smaller."
How tender is that!! I loved it!
I got to do personal study on the banks of the Mississippi river the other day! It was gorgeous! Everyday I feel so blessed to be here. and I feel extremely blessed to have been called to a mission where I can speak the language I've grown up learning.
Last thing! Why are we afraid to simply follow Christ? "I'll answer dear Lord with my hand in thine." He is holding my hand and He won't ever be the one to let go. I want to testify about the truthfulness and reality of our Father in Heaven. And I love being in Nauvoo!
And that's all I have to say about that! I love all of you!!!
And that's all I have to say about that! I love all of you!!!
catch ya on the flippity flip!
Sister Fox
also P.S.
send me your address if you want a cute Nauvoo postcard!
Here is her week 5 email home:
Yehawwwww I Love Stick Pulls!
Hello near or far family and friends!
I am just chunking along here with rehearsals and performances! And I had a stick pull with another sister and I won. Thought you’d all like to know!
The 70’s hall (the early Saints MTC) smells just like my grandma Fox’s house!
We have opened 3 new vignettes! Women of Nauvoo (which I love! It’s about the origins and organization of the relief society), Go Ye Into the World (about early Saints going on missions), and Youth of Zion (Mary and Caroline Rollins)! I love these little vignettes and stories where I get to share the stories of the early Saints!
I loved seeings friends in Nauvoo this past week!! I love making connections and finding people that I know! Nauvoo is such a wonderful gathering place for later day Saints today just as it was back in 1840!
I love the stage sisters! They are just the sweetest, funniest, most talented women I’ve ever met! I’m so blessed to be able to serve with them but also to have such wonderful friends even after we leave Nauvoo!
Since we have so many shows and vignettes that means we have LOADS to memorize! And I am not very good at memorizing so I was a bit nervous for that! But I am happy to report that I have not had any troubles memorizing! I mean I’ve definitely had to work hard, but I also know that I am set apart and have a little extra help!
The other kind of interesting thing about performing for 3 months is that I have to find new motivation for performing! Because usually I perform with high energy because of the adrenaline! But here I have to find new motivation, and I’ve decided that I need to pick a new goal/reason for performing well each night! I’ve decided that some of my mine are performing for “the one” or sharing the excitement and spirit of each show! And before one of our performances of sunset I met a kid named will! And so my motto for the show was “where there’s a Will there’s a way”! Because the shows are just getting harder to do! Especially sunset by the Mississippi because the heat and humidity are just getting more and more intense! But despite that I still love being here so muchhhh!
I love meeting little families and youth groups!! Because even though every day for the YPMs is the same (same dances, same songs, same shows) each day is new and different because of the people that we get to meet and the conversations we get to have!
The stage elders brought us cookies this week and sang us a song! It was so awesome! I just love being here with such crazy, fun, talented missionaries!
Being on a mission gives so much perspective. Just seeing and finding the pure life of Christ on the daily is so good! I love living in a world where everyone is kind and good and willing to serve and love! Nauvoo and the missionaries and visitors here are heaven on earth!
❤️❤️❤️
Have a killer week my luvs!
Sister Fox
-Bethany-
-Bethany-
A picture from the sister of a friend in our ward. They made the connection and now I have this little gem.
By the "Singing Tree"
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