So Many Miracles...

Dear Everyone!

Wow...wow. So many miracles have happened this week. I will start with the best part of the week. Since I don't have much time, I will dive right into it. So, Sunday night, we find out that Elder and Sister Camp have been connecting with the missionary department in Salt Lake City to try and get the "Trail of Hope"vignette that the pageant people do while they are here, so that us YPM's could do it. They've never let the YPM's do them before. Well, long story short, Monday, we ended up getting permission to do them and Monday night we received our scripts and started memorizing. This might not make a whole lot of sense if you haven't been to Nauvoo and seen the Pageant core cast do the "Trail of Hope" vignette, but basically we have the opportunity to portray real people and their stories of when they lived in Nauvoo and had to leave to go west. We ended up memorizing the scripts in 24 hours and started performing. Our first night we had 140 people show up. It really was a miracle and we feel so blessed to be able to have this opportunity. Since then, we have performed them in the morning and the evening and have had over 500 people come so far. We will be doing them this week too, as well as another vignette we got permission to do, "Youth of Zion." Basically this week was like just as busy as the pageant weeks, if not busier. It has been incredible! For the trail of hope, Sister Pettit and I portray Sarah and Elisa Leavitt. It's a story of a mother and a daughter. In it, I am the mother, and I talk about how my husband sang, "Come let us anew," before he passed away. Elisa and I sing it together. "Blessed are the dead that died in the Lord, yea" saith the Lord, "For they rest from their labors and their works do follow them." It is like the coolest experience ever to be portraying actual people who tell their stories of when they were leaving Nauvoo to go west. I have been able to feel of their spirits and am so grateful for their sacrifices. I seriously can't imagine my Nauvoo experience without this. It is so incredible. My testimony has been strengthened so much this week. We have had so many amazing experiences with the YPM's where we have felt the love of the Lord so strongly. I know that our Heavenly Father loves each and every one of us. I love my sisters so much, and the Elders. We are like family.

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LOCATION: Parley Street West of the Seventies Hall
HOURS: Always Open
All Sites, Tours, Shows, and Rides at Historic Nauvoo are FREE!

The Trail of Hope is a moving experience year round

In the concluding dedicatory session of the Nauvoo Temple, President Hinckley of the LDS Church, made a special request of all those who were then in Nauvoo. He asked everyone to take a few minutes to “walk down Parley Street to the waterfront,” to the landing on the Mississippi River from which the early Mormons departed Nauvoo and crossed into Iowa on their westward trek. He asked people to leave behind the comfort of their air-conditioned cars, to walk along this historic path and take time to read the plaques along the Trail of Hope.

Thirty markers contain quotes from journals and letters of early pioneers as they got ready to begin the great trek to the Rocky Mountains. Click here to read the quotes on the markers (PDF).

At the edge of the river stands the Pioneer Memorial and “Exodus to Greatness” Monument. The Pioneer Memorial contains the names of many of those who died along the Mormon Trail and surrounds the “Exodus to Greatness” Monument, a stone mounted bronze frieze of the Mormon Trail.

The two pictures below are of the carriage ride traveling down Parley's Street and Sister Pettit and I sharing our testimony on the 'Trail of Hope'

Another cool story, so we normally sing two songs on the balcony before each show of High Hopes and Riverboats. Those two songs are Invocation and Nauvoo. Well, this week, we added a third one...Joy! Yes, we have now been singing Joy on the balcony. It is such a joyous experience. I can't wait to share it with all of you that read this, because basically when the YPM's and I sing it, we just feel so much love for each other, and for everyone we are singing too, and for this beautiful place. It brings us joy!

Elder Hazen, Elder Rose, Elder Elwood and Elder Toon singing on the balcony

In other news, we had a butterfly living in our house this week, but he was kind of narcoleptic. We named him Stanley. He ended up not being able to fly very much but was still alive for a little while. It's actually kind of sad and then he ended up dying. Then yesterday, we had a butterfly landing on us yesterday when we were walking to lunch after working in sites. Sister Aramaki and Frisby and I were together. Since Sister Frisby and I had been working in the Brigham Young home that morning, we named the butterfly Brigham, and he let us hold him for like a half hour. Only in Nauvoo, do butterflies just land on you and let you hold them. I love it.

Susan Easton Black is here again. She spoke to us today. What a remarkable lady. Her husband passed away a couple weeks ago, and she wanted to come visit Nauvoo again. Sister Black said, "You can leave Nauvoo, but Nauvoo will remain with me for the rest of my life." This gospel is so true! Hurrah for Israel!

Sincerely yours, Sister Paulsen



 These pictures are from the visit of my Aunt and Uncle and my cousin James Parry.   JP received his endowment in Nauvoo temple while he was here. It is so fun to see family in Nauvoo! They saw 'High Hopes and River Boats', and all the other shows! It was still pretty hot in Nauvoo that week, so Sunset by the Mississippi was indoors again. Aunt Patricia even captured a good pic with her cell phone of Elder Johnson and me.  Before they left, they came to see me at the Nauvoo Post Office where I was giving tours that day. So of course I gave them a tour!  Thank you Aunt Patricia and Uncle Robin and JP!  You will be an awesome missionary!

 

 

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Here are a few pictures from our YPM Talent Show.  All of the YPM's perform and share their many talents.  Elder Elwood, Elder Toon and I did an arrangement of 'Nearer my God to thee'.  Elder Toon sang and Elder Elwood played the cello during the beginning and then sang a harmony part with Elder Toon and I. Here we are practicing, what little time we could. I thought it was beautiful.