July 26, 2015

Dearest Loved Ones, Well, I guess Elder Murset emailed you about the next few Sundays, but let me clarify. This email will be my last email of substance if that makes any sense. My last email with good info/experiences (if I even get any in with the remaining few minutes I have). Next week is our Sociable (Fireside in Nauvoo terms) and we rehearse all day and then do 2 performances that night. That being said, they are only giving us 15 minutes to email next week. So...what to say in my last email with the 3 minutes I have left... One thing I have been working on a lot recently is de-cluttering. We live in a cluttered world with many distractions and things competing for out attention and it is hard to hear the spirit sometimes. Elder Camp shared with me something I have been trying to implement and that is taking time each day to just turn everything off and clean out the noise and garbage and distractions from our minds. It may only be 10-15 min. a day but as we do this and pray, we can receive answers and be in better communication with our Father in Heaven. That is all I have time for sadly. I love you all. It is all true, I know it! Sincerely Yours, Elder Joyner

July 19, 2015

Dearest Loved Ones, Elder Holland was here this past week on his family vacation and he came and saw our show. It was sad because he was trying to enjoy time with his family since July is the General Authorities' month off yet there were still mobs of people going up and bugging him and trying to talk and meet him. He snuck him in right before the show started and we were at the top of the stairs in the theatre waiting to go on and he entered that way so we were able to see him and he shook each of our hands and told us good luck. It was very nice. That night we had a special meeting with the mission and he shared his feeling with us about Nauvoo and how we really do live Zion here and how special this place is. I believe it! This really is Zion and it has been peaceful and perfect and I don't look forward to going back to the world in 3 weeks. Going off of Zion, pageant is really enjoyable backstage with the family casts. We try to make an environment similar to that of the temple where it is sacred and we whisper and can listen to the show and learn and have gospel discussions. One thing we do also is have random prayer groups for those on stage. Just randomly we will pull a few families together and ask them to join us in prayer with us to pray for those currently performing onstage. It was wonderful and that truly is a Zion atmosphere. I hope you all enjoy your week here in beautiful Nauvoo and that you let Nauvoo change you and you can feel of the wonderful spirit here. You have your own opportunity to live Zion for a week! Love you all! It's all true, I know it! Sincerely Yours, Elder Joyner

July 12, 2015 - One month left!

Dearest Loved Ones, Welcome to Nauvoo where we have 50F nights and 70F days! Gah! This weather though! We have been so blessed and fortunate to have such great weather and rain! From what we are told this is unusual and very rare for summer here in Nauvoo. What a blessing! Although today is hot and this week will apparently be quite warm. I forgot to mention last week a really sweet gift we all received that I will treasure forever. They recently re-roofed Carthage Jail and one of the Senior Elders who was apart of that took the original wood from the Jail roof and mail each of us picture frames. How cool is that! So I can say I have original wood from Carthage Jail! I only have time for a quick story. So yesterday before our first show I saw a lot of our group very tired and sleepy and lethargic and I decided we all needed some energy and pumping up. I remember many times on my first mission how hard it was some days to leave the house and have the energy and desire to go out, but some days you just had to force yourself and do it. Same here! We have to serve with all our heart, might, mind and strength even when we are tired so I decided to remind everyone! I went around and individually gave every member of our cast a pep talk and sending them good energy vibes. I don't' know why but I had a lot of energy and that helped me. I began pumping them up an inspiring and reminding them to serve and preach the gospel through our show with everything they got. By the time we performed everyone was pumped and we had great performances the rest of the day. During the show I was backstage giving mid-show pep talks to keep up the energy and I also passed out the cookies mom sent in the package I got yesterday so it came at quite an ideal time. Thanks mom! By the time I went to bed I was exhausted from helping everyone else but I went to bed happy knowing that I tried to serve with all my might and strength. Well, I love you all very much and am thankful for you support! I can't wait to see you all this week and share my mission with you! It is all true, I know it! Sincerely Yours, Elder Joyner

July 5, 2015

Dearest Loved Ones, This week has been quite a week! We have seen so many miracles in so many ways this week and I receive more and more a confirmation of how much God loves us and is watching out for us. I don't have a lot of time because I was taking care of some other business, but we really did have some amazing miracles this week. E. Hendrickson hurt his ankle pretty bad and within a day he was back dancing and even on the raked pagaent stage. I had a rough week being over exhausted and fatigued and had no physical strength. I received a blessing and was able to feel better. Elder Camp always tells us to pray and call on the spiritual angels to helps us because we will receive help and we deserve it especially when we are tired and can't feel like we can go any further. Mom, I have always read in my emails and letters on this mission and my 1st how my great-grandparents and ancestors are watching over and helping me but I never understood how or why. Well I said a prayer before one performance asking for physical strength and help. Well at one point during the performance I was feeling out of it and need a boost and I just had a thought or image of Great Grandpa ED. It was very random and very brief, but now I feel like he as one of the spiritual angels sent to help me and I'm grateful for that. Pagaent Starts this week! It is all true, I know it! Sincerely Yours, Elder Joyner

Sunday, June 28, 2015

Today at 5:38 PM Dearest Loved Ones, So I don't have much time, as usual, but here we go... We have been getting soo much rain this season which keeps things cool and nice! A lot of tornadoes in surrounding areas. I love the rain storms and am glad we get them since Utah gets nothing. So pageant has officially rolled into town! We started 7am rehearsals this week on Friday and Saturday and we will continue this upcoming week. We begin performances just a week from Monday. Which means that more and more people will be coming into town. Already for this upcoming week all of our performances for "The Promise" is sold out every day, both shows. With Youth Conferences, EFY, Pageant Family Casts, Family reunions, etc. there are a lot of groups that come to Nauvoo. Pageant is already so much fun. We had lunch with the core cast this week and they are a great group and it will be fun to be with them. I can't wait! So the most memorable experience of the week had to be yesterday which was the commemoration of the Martyrdom of Joseph Smith and Hyrum Smith. We were able to participate in two services. The first being at noon at the Smith Cemetery for the Community of Christ Church and the second being at Carthage Jail for our church. Both services were special and beautiful. For the Community of Christ, we just sang and elders number and a sisters number. For our program at Carthage we performed our Carthage Vignette that we usually do on Sundays, the senior missionaries did a musical number, as well as the Young Sister Missionaries, and then our mission Pres. Pres. Gibbons spoke. We did it all outside to accommodate everyone and it is said that there were 1,100 in attendance. It was beautiful. I wish I could tell you more but time is short. I just want to leave you all with my testimony that I am grateful for the Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum. I know he truly was who he said he was and he did a great work for the salvation of man. I know that if a young boy with a simple question can get an answer from a loving Heavenly Father that today we too can receive personal revelation from God. I love you all and love our family full of missionaries. It is all true, I know it! Sincerely Yours, Elder Joyner

Sunday, June 21, 2015

My Dearest Loved Ones, We are halfway through our mission tomorrow! How crazy time flies! Wow! This was such a fast week! It seems like I just emailed! First off, Happy Father's Day Dad! Hope you enjoyed it actually being home and being with family this year. I'm thankful for you and the sacrifices you have made for me and our family. I'm grateful for your example and love. So I hate how I have like no time to write...bah! This mission is hard! Anyway... So I wanted to tell of a special family I met last week. I won't post names for the blog's sake but it was this father and his daughter who was 23 who had Downs Syndrome or another disability very similar. They live in Wisconsin but he is from Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico!!!! That was so neat! We talked about Hermosillo and it was so cool! I don't believe in coincidences because I know God is in every aspect of our lives. His daughter who has special needs really loves theatre and musicals and they told us of a recent trip they took to NYC to see some shows and she just loved it. She didn't really talk much, but all she would really respond if you tried to talk to her was "yeah". But she loved theatre and so just this man and his daughter came to see our shows in Nauvoo. I loved watching her during all of our performances. Her face would just light up with the biggest smile and she would pay such close attention to everything. I felt really special watching her as we performed "Anna-Amanda" and testified through the story of the show that everyone has divine potential and infinite worth. One of the most memorable experiences was seeing her as we began singing "Invocation" before our show and how you could just see the spirit light up in her and how happy she was seeing us sing. I thought of her father and all the sacrifices he had probably made in his life for his family and how he took the time to come with his daughter who didn't talk much and he probably couldn't have much of a conversation with her, yet out of love took the time to take this trip with her and love her. Anyway I'm out of time. Geez! I didn't even get to say anything.. I love you! It's all true, I know it! Sincerely Yours, Elder Joyner

Sunday, June 14, 2015

This is transcribed letter from Dayne’s handwritten letter this week. He spent his email time writing Elise a final email, so not much time on the computer. I tried to resist making grammatical corrections as much as possible, but there may be a comma or two where he didn’t have one. *Fun Fact: this took 1.5 hours to write! June 14, 2015 My Dearest Family, So I thought I was doing really well this week because I had a list of things to tell you, but since I got busy writing Elise a last email, I didn't have time. That is okay because this is fun writing a letter! Like the good old days before email. And I can actually do this being in the states and all. And it's better this way because I have more time, I can say more, and think things out. Like I said, thanks for the package of cookies! All the Elders loved them and it was fun getting it. This whole mission and same week getting mail thing is so new to me and so fun. This week was such a good week and we had so many great experiences and tender mercies from the Lord. Sometimes I don't know what to write since other parents post everything. So I try to tell you things you won't hear from others. I think some things I will repeat. So Dad says you heard about the little incident… Yeah… Ha ha it was hilarious! We were doing a performance of “The Promise” and it was cast B so I was William. There is this one song where a lot of chaos and things happen on stage. Well at this one point one Sister grabs my arm and pulls me in the opposite direction. Well this particular day, another Sister was not in her right spot and as I was pulled on one arm to turn around, my other arm went flying and hit that Sister straight in the face… and it was kind of hard. It all happened so fast and was hilarious. I had a hard time keeping it together. Later, when she told me her side of the story, she said I like almost knocked her out and she went black and couldn't see for a bit and had to just stand there singing trying not to fall down as she tried to regain her sight. The funny thing is that it just happened again yesterday! Only I didn't hit her as hard and it was on the collar bone, not the face this time. But it was still hilarious! Funny quick thought so you get a sense of our group’s personality: our group is very social and crazy and has a super hard time focusing. Groups in years past have not had this problem so we are quite special. Anyway, Sister's Spittle’s little sister who was a YPM in 2013 was here visiting this week and as we were preparing for a show our group was normal doing what we do and she walks in and the first thing she asked Sister Camp (one of our directors) if we all suffer from ADD. It's pretty bad! That's embarrassing! Imagine how hard it is for this introvert to be so surrounded by crazy, loud extroverts all day. We had the interesting opportunity to sing at a wedding this week. There is a couple who are not members that some senior missionaries have been working with. The couple wanted to get married and asked the senior couple if there was anyone in our church who could do it. They said of course and contacted the Bishop here. The ceremony was small and took place outside in the Women's Garden. The couple was dressed in pioneer attire which was cute and those in attendance were the senior couple and the Bishop's family. And that was it. We didn't stay for the whole service, we only went and sang two songs then left. It was neat though, and spiritual. I wouldn't be surprised if 2 baptisms come out of it someday. Like I mentioned last week, the Young Ambassadors have been here for these 2 weeks performing their show on the outdoor stage after our “Sunset by the Mississippi”. At first and for a while, we were intimidated by them and nervous, but it turned out to be really positive experience. Last Sunday we were able to attend their fireside and afterwards they were going to come to the “Trail of Hope” that night but there was some super bad weather (we ended up losing power at our house) and we had to cancel the Trail for the night. They came to see our shows on Thursday and they were a great audience. Wednesday they were making plans to come see “Trail of Hope” after their show because their director really wanted them to see it and felt it would help them. Well as we began the Trail that night, we were nervous because of a really bad storm that was heading our way. We were all praying all day that the weather would hold off so we could do the Trail. As we began the Trail we had a lightning show! Off to the west, across the river there was intense lightning. It was incredible to watch! So powerful and beautiful actually. It was a blessing that it was just lightning and not thunder. And that it was in the heavens and not touching ground or else we would probably cancel. As the night went on the lightning became more and more intense and started circling around us going to the north in addition to the west. As the last of the groups were ending the Young Ambassadors showed up and they were able to start the Trail. As they started the Trail the wind got stronger and the lightning intensified even more. The storms seemed to be all around us except for in Nauvoo. It seemed like a circle and in the middle was Nauvoo with no rain or storm yet. Just as the Young Ambassadors started the last station on the Trail, raindrops started. It wasn't a hard rain, just a few drops. They were able to make it through the whole Trail and they were very grateful to us to allow them the opportunity. As they finished, the rain started more steadily. It was all such a tender mercy and blessing from the Lord. He heard and answered our prayers and held the storm till we were completely finished. I was a company captain that night so I was able to go down the Trail with a group and as I went down the trail, I couldn't help but marvel at the lightening. What a gorgeous site it was and I reflected of the greatness, the power and glory of our God. How beautiful his creations! All of his creations and he has given it all to us. Every single thing we have in this life comes from Him because He loves us. He is so great and is the Almighty Creator that he created this beautiful place we call Earth for us! He has such great power and majesty. As we finish the Trail, some of us went out to sit on a fence overlooking a big field and watched the lightning. We sang hymns like “Master the Tempest is Raging” and “How Great Thou Art” and “How Great is our God”. In this mission I have felt more of His love and feel like I understand Him more. I keep feeling like my first mission was a converting mission for me where I was converted. This second mission I consider a “fine-tuning” mission where I am “fine-tuning” my knowledge and gaining a deep and greater understanding of things. I am growing in my relationship with God and learning how to constantly “de-clutter” and rid my mind of the distractions and things of the world and tune into the spiritual and listen to the Spirit. This is definitely a practice I want to take with me the rest of my life and to constantly “de-clutter” my mind to be more in tune with the Spirit and my Heavenly Father and His will. I would invite you all to do the same. It is amazing! We have another neat experience with the Young Ambassadors. They visited Carthage on a weekday and since we do our Carthage vignette on Sunday only, they didn't see it. Their director really wanted them to see it because he felt like their group could really benefit from it and needed it. It was hard to coordinate schedules, but on Saturday, between our two shows of “The Promise” we presented our vignette for them. Our Carthage vignette is easily the most special thing we do and most sacred. We were a little bit uncertain how it would be because it was written to be performed at Carthage, but the Camps (directors) assured us it would be alright. We spiritually prepared ourselves as we entered the room the Spirit was so there. As we performed the vignette the Spirit was so strong as we testified of the prophet and his brother Hyrum. The Spirit was so thick you could cut it with a knife! By the end, there wasn't a single person without tears in their eyes who wasn't touched by the Spirit, including us. It was powerful and the Spirit really used us to reach them! We're also able to go see their show this week one night which was fun. I just have one last thought I forgot to mention about “Trail of Hope”. When we were doing it that night of the storm, there were so many people who came and it was said that they counted around 400. That is quite unusual to have so many so early on in the season and on a weekday. As Sister Camp was reflecting on this and wondering why so many had come, she told us that she had the impression come to her that it was because we prayed them here. And that's so true! The past few weeks we have been praying and fasting for those who would come this summer. We prayed that those who were unsure would make the decision to come and experience Nauvoo. This all came about because last year’s group was obedient and they had doors and opportunities open to them that had not been opened in the past. Our group wanted to do the same and was wondering what it could be that we could participate in or be our opportunity. Elder Camp felt impressed that our group would be able to reach out to many and touch many that groups in past years haven't and that this year there would be many more visitors for us to touch. Ever since then we started praying for visitors now it is being fulfilled. This mission is the best! I love being able to teach and testify by music and theatrical performance! I love you all so much and I'm thankful for all your love and support and sacrifices in my behalf. I hope this letter was kind of fun and different. Maybe I'll do it every so often. Have a great week! I love you all! Alex, I'm still waiting for that mission call! I got so nervous checking email today. Hope it comes soon! Cole, thanks for the notes and emails! You're the best! It's all true, I know it! Sincerely yours, Elder Joyner

"The Nauvoo Elders"

Beautiful sunset on the Mississippi River

Sunday, June 7, 2015

Dearest Loved Ones, Well this past week we hit our one month mark! Can you believe it! We have already been here one month and have accomplished so much! It is hard to believe that we are already 1/3 of the way done. Time sure flies and I'm sure the next few months will be no exception especially when pageant rolls around in a few weeks. This week has been super! I love Nauvoo and I love being a missionary! There is nothing better! I love how I am constantly growing and changing and working on my imperfections and becoming better and better. That is one of the best things about missions is how much you can change so quickly in a short amount of time and become nearer to Heavenly Father and more in tune with the spirit. I think there is no better place than Nauvoo where we are free from worldly clutter and distractions and can focus on the spirit. This is such a magical place! It is beginning....every is getting sick! I'm scared! And in Nauvoo when one YPM gets sick all the YPMs get sick. We have had to alter performance schedules a few times and switch out people from casts because of throat issues or people on vocal rest, etc. It started with just a few, but now more and more are getting sick. The BYU Young Ambassadors arrived this week. There will be here for 2 weeks performing and then after them the BYU Ballroom Group comes in for 2 weeks. They perform their show each night right after our "Sunset By The Mississippi" show. We haven't seen them perform yet, but will get to go this Tuesday and I believe that tomorrow (Monday) they are coming to see all of our shows. It has been interesting hearing reactions from guests and other Senior Missionaries who have gone to see their show. We do similar things in that we sing dance, but many have told us that they like us better because we have more spirit driven shows and testify more. Tis true! But I thing the YAs are still great and I'm excited to see their show Tuesday. I know a few of them. I wanted to share my testimony of the Priesthood Power. I have always had a deep love and appreciation for the priesthood, the power of God. I especially love priesthood blessings and have come to really know with a firm knowledge that they come from God. For some time I have been feeling like I wanted a blessing and I felt that there was a certain Elder who needed to give it to me. I was contemplating it for the past 2 weeks almost but never really found the right moment. Well, one day this same Elder comes to me and tells me he needed a blessing and I was supposed to be the one to give it to him. That night I gave him a blessing and then after he gave me one. He asked if there was anything specific I was needed the blessing for and I told him that just whatever the spirit told him. I have received 2 of the most powerful blessings in my life while being here in Nauvoo and this was one of them. The blessing started off with surface things but then began going deeper. Many of the things in the blessing were things I needed to hear and know without even knowing that I needed to hear them. These were things that the Elder giving me the blessing wouldn't know to say, but only a loving Heavenly Father who is actively present in my life and watching over me. I was so spiritually overcome that I began to weep, which doesn't happen too often for me. I have come to know and feel the love of God and how He is ever present in our lives. I have a testimony of Priesthood blessings and know that they come from God. It's all true! I know it! Sincerely Yours, Elder Joyner

This is at Carthage, Illinois with Elder Hendrickson. They performed "No Ordinary Brother" portraying Hyrum and Joseph Smith

Sunday, May 31, 2015 - "No Ordinary Brother"

Dearest Loved Ones, How fortunate I was to have some of you visit me this week! It was so fun for you to be here and to see you at all the performances. I hope more than seeing me, you enjoyed the spirit here and the messages shared. It was super fun! I feel like I don't have much of an email to write since half of my email list was here, but I'll share some stories. So one I can't shake from mind is from Friday night on the Trail of Hope. I was Company Captain and was socializing with the crowd as they were waiting in line to go on the trail. One teen girl came up to me and asked if I was the one who performed as William in the 4:30PM performance of "The Promise". I said that I was and then she asked how we got my head to be bald for the show. *Smack in the face* Geez! Haha! I was super proud of being able to grow out my hair long and to maybe have something on my head and then even with all I think I have someone comes and calls me bald. Haha! I thought it was funny! When I told her nothing and that I wasn't bald, I just have thin hair, she was embarrassed and went away. Haha! We were able to go to the temple this week for the first time. Since we have opened the shows and now have a more regular and constant schedule, we will be going to the temple every week on Thursday mornings. They open at 7AM just for us so we can do baptisms. There isn't a lot of time to do endowments, but they may try and work one in for us sometime. One of our Sisters got her mission call and has been waiting to open it till her mom was here. She finally opened it last night and she is going to New York, New York--Spanish Speaking. That is exciting and I'm just you will hear about it on Facebook but just thought I would throw in my 2 cents. Like I said, I was company captain on the Trail on Friday which means I was able to take a group down the trail instead of performing in it. It was so special and spiritual hearing from my fellow missionaries and hearing their testimonies come out as they tell the stories of the Saints leaving Nauvoo. I love Trail of Hope! It is seriously one of my favorite things we do here. I also love these YPMs to death! We have such a great group of people who are just wonderful! I have thought how in the real world theatre and entertainment industry, it is very competitive and everyone is paranoid about how talented other people are. I have thought recently how all of us here are talented. Or maybe I should say how we are all talented in our own ways. It is great how we all come together and there is no talk of someone being better than another or this person can't sing or can't dance. No. We all have strengths and weaknesses and we all come together in one cause and one work for our Father in Heaven and the result is beautiful and glorious. Sure the shows are cheesy at times but they help share the gospel and bring they spirit and I love the focus we all have when performing and how we can be in tune with the spirit as we perform. I feel this mission has really been something good for me and something I have needed to refocus myself and to improve. I love being able to improve my relationship with my Father in Heaven and to focus on service and serving Him and His Children. I think of all my peers and friends who are off doing other summer activities or internships, etc. and to think of what I am here doing. They may be helping themselves personally with their future and work, but I get to help others regarding their spiritual lives and salvation. I would not want to be any other place right now! Well, I am at a loss for things to share. I hate having so much to share that it is overwhelming that I can't choose what to share. I should just start making a list throughout the week to keep track. I love you all so much and am thankful for you love and support. I'm grateful for the sacrifice and time that you made to come out here this past week and I'm sorry that I didn't spend heaps of time with you. It is all true! I know it! Sincerely Yours, Elder Joyner

Sunday, May 24, 2015

What a crazy week and we sure all worked so hard this week! We finally opened our shows! Friday we had preview performances for the Senior Missionaries and then on Saturday we officially opened. It is hard to believe that we are no longer in the rehearsal period but in performance mode! We worked super hard to get everything ready and polished this week for our audiences and it has paid off. This mission is interesting because much of what we do is plant seeds and rarely if at all do we see the fruits and results of our labors. But this week we heard some great fruits. Last week I told you of a special performance opportunity we had for a YSA group to sit in on one of our rehearsals. Well we received a message this week from the former YPM that was in the group that came. She thanked us for our performance and for letting them come. She told us of a few miracles that came because of our performance. We were no where near perfect, but the group really felt the spirit and they have kept talking about it ever since. One girl in the group now wants to auditions for YPMs next year and then another who was borderline deciding whether she wanted to go on a mission or not decided that she should go. And all because of our show and the spirit they felt. Before time is potentially up, I wanted to tell you of this neat family that is here this weekend! It is the Speirs family! I guess it is Josh's Uncle who came with his family to see the grandparents. I think his name was Cliff or Clifton? But the kids are Jacob, Rachel, Levi, Josh, and Luke. They are great! We have all loved getting to know them and they love to come and see us in the shows and talk to us. We have only known them for a day but now we are all good friends! I tell ya, the YPMs become celebrities here! One of the best parts of the past 2 days has been talking to people after shows! It is so fun to talk to families and individuals and hear their stories. Our mission president has been talking to us about finding "the one" each day. The one person you are meant to inspire, uplift, and help out. It is great to talk to people after shows about what they thought and felt in the shows and then bearing testimony of the gospel. It's the best! I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY!!!! So I was wondering if anyone wanted a fun Sunday activity or "no school, bored all summer" activity . I would really like to know and learn more about ancestors that we have who might have come to or lived Nauvoo. I have like no time at all so it would be fun if any of you find any stories or info that you could send to me. There is a monument here at the end of the Trail of Hope that has the names of all the Saints that died in the crossing out west. I found Robert Dowdle and also James Loader who we are related to. It might be fun to know some stories to think about this week when you come. We just got back from our first time performing our Carthage Vignette! It was powerful! The spirit was so thick and tangible. You could feel it! Such a powerful vignette. Well, my time is about up and I am at a loss of words. So many stories to tell and experiences to share that I can't share them all. It's overwhelming the things I want to share! I hope everyone has a fantastic week and it will be great to see Mom, Elise, and Grandma and Papa this week. I invite you all to spiritually prepare yourselves to come to Nauvoo this week so that you might have spiritual and meaningful experiences and have your testimonies strengthened. It is all true! I know it! Sincerely Yours, Elder Joyner

Sunday - May 17, 2015 ~ And So We Begin.....

Wow! This week went by super duper fast! So little time and so many experiences to share as usual. Let's get started! I'm so excited for you all to come! Not to see me or to see me perform, but more so that you all can feel of the magnificent spirit that is found here, feel and learn more about the Saints and have your testimonies strengthened. One of our Sisters that cooks for us related a really neat spiritual experience to Elder Camp (our director) who in turn told it to us. She said that on her previous mission here a few years ago, she was on the Trail of Hope (trail that the saints walked down to leave Nauvoo) and she was pondering about the saints and the angels they always had helping them. There are always stories of Saints not being able to go one more step or push their handcart anymore and then felt like someone was helping them along and and pushing them and their carts for them. Well, this sister said she was pondering and asking God who those angels were that were helping the Saints through their trials and she said she got a pretty strong impression that it was those of us serving here in Nauvoo! We were the angels that helped the Saints cross the plains and help them in their times of need because we knew one day on this earth we would be serving here in Nauvoo and telling of them and their hope! In turn, as we are now here serving and going through rough patches of rehearsals and shows and we are so tired and feel like we can't rehearse or dance anymore, it is those same saints who are helping us portray and tell their stories. How beautiful! Yesterday morning we had our first "performance" opportunity. There was a former band YPM who was down here with her YSA group from Michigan and asked if her group could come sit in on our rehearsal. Usually that isn't allowed, but the Camps felt very strongly that we needed to perform and share our message for them. So yesterday morning we all put on our costumes for the first time and performed our full-length show, "The Promise". Before each show we always go out on the balcony of the visitor center to sing for our guests as a way to invite the spirit and welcome our guests. As we went out and sang our "signature song" as I like to call it, "Invocation", I looked at all of those YSAs and know and felt that the message and story we were about to present to them was one that they needed to hear. It was a decent run through of the show and we still have some work to do in the next 6 days (AHH! Soo soon!) but the spirit was most definitely present and I feel like we were able to uplift and strengthen their testimonies. Afterwards, as usual with all shows, we were able to go out and talk to them and learn about them and doing the missionary thing of testifying and inviting. It was great! It got me so pumped to have visitors and open our shows and to be able to talk to people and invite them to come to Christ and to help them invite others as well. We just got back from Carthage just barely for the first time and man it was one of the most spiritual experiences we have had so far while being here. We went to have a tour, but also to rehearse our vignette that we will be performing there on Sundays. **NOTE: When you come, you HAVE to make sure to plan a trip out to Carthage on a Sunday to see our Vignette and to feel of the beautiful peace and sacred spirit there. The catch is that it is limited seating so you have to have tickets in advanced to assure you make it. We do it 2 times each Sunday. I don't know how early they will let you reserve tickets, but I would try way in advance (like maybe months?) because I'm sure when word gets out it will be crazy and everyone will want to go. This is only the 2nd year they've performed this Vignette so it is very special and powerful!** The moment we arrived at Carthage there was a very beautiful peace that was there and you could tell it was sacred ground. I would compare that peace to the peace of the temple--so strong and tangible. We watched a little video presentation then we through the jail. Our Senior missionary guide tried to get us through everything pretty quickly so we could have the max amount of time in the upstairs room as we could. It was so powerful, everything! When we got into the room, the spirit was so strong and our guide did a beautiful job retelling of the all the events that occurred on the night previous and day of the martyrdom. He closed the door and had two elders reenact what happened with Joseph and Hyrum. It was interesting and I never knew that as the bullet entered the door and struck Hyrum, it hit him on the left side of the face because he was looking and Joseph and sharing one last moment with him. It was so powerful and everyone broke down. After we listened two a narration, we all sang a song "No Ordinary Brothers" from our show. I sing an arrangement of that same song in the Carthage Vignette. It has beautiful lyrics that testify of the Joseph and the work he was doing and the support Hyrum provided. Afterwards we blocked and rehearsed our Vignette and had a few minutes to walk around the site. It was so amazing the spirit felt there! It is wonderful the message we share that the death of Joseph didn't end Mormonism and the great thing is the church and gospel continue and live on today! Wow! I just can't wait for you all to be here and to have these amazing experiences. I would invite everyone to come. If you were debating whether to come or not COME! If you were not planning, COME! This is sacred ground and you will be changed by your visit. I would invite you as you do come to prepare yourselves spiritually to have a spiritual experience while you are here and let the spirit and the testimonies of the saints uplift and change you for the better! I love you all! It is all TRUE! I KNOW IT! Sincerely Yours, Elder Joyner

Happy Mother's Day Greeting

Sunday - May 10, 2015

Wow! I don't even know where to begin! It is crazy that it has only been a week since we arrived here in Nauvoo because with all we have been doing and accomplishing it feels as if we have been here weeks and even months! So much has happened this week and I will try to share a little bit, but we only have 30 min so I will see how much I get in. When we arrived last Friday we got on a big charter bus and drove to Nauvoo. The trip was abou 3.5 hours and we started right away learning our music for the shows. When we arrived to Nauvoo we were fed dinner at the Mission Pres.'s home and got to meet the presidency. It was so neat coming up on the bus and when we were a little way out we could see the Nauvoo temple situated on the hill and it was so majestic and powerful. The next three days we spent basically 14 hours each day learning our music for all our shows. Our musical director, Sis. Willmore is the director for the Bells on Temple Square and she takes personal time to come out every year to help the YPMs. So we only had 3 days to work with her before she got back. Before she left, on that Sunday (only the second day we were there) we had already cast our 2 shows and also 3 other Vignettes that we perform. The rest of the week we spent blocking and staging our main show "The Promise" and we have already blocked that whole show and most of us are already mostly off book with lines memorized. It is so crazy to think of everything we have accomplished in just one week. Our Choreographer arrived yesterday so now we start dancing! The Lord truly has been with us all this week and we have had so many tender mercies and help do accomplish all we have accomplished. Some special activities we have participated in thus far include a wagon ride tour around historic Nauvoo, seeing the senior missionaries' show "Rendezvous in Old Nauvoo", singing in church for Mothers Day and many other things I don't have time to tell. You all HAVE to take advantage of all there is to do here when you come! There is so much and the best part is that it is all FREE! The best part was seeing the senior missionaries perform! You have to go see their show! It was the cutest thing I have ever seen. They LOVE the YPMs and I mean LOVE us! We are celebrities to them! they were so excited for our arrival and now that we are here we are just engulfed by their love! They were nervous when they did their show because we were in the audience! They are the best! Haha! Probably the best part of everyday is lunch time! We have 2 senior sisters who have been called as our YPM cooks and man do we have the best meals! They really do it up for us and spoil us to death! It is super healthy and delicious and just great! I have already experienced how Nauvoo is such a special place! It feels so familiar and there is just a beautiful and wonderful spirit here! We all feel as if we've come home! I love rehearsing our shows and thinking of those wonderful saints so sacrificed so much to build this beautiful place and how it was taken from them. I can't wait to keep rehearsing and increasing my testimony and even better for visitors to start coming to be able to share the gospel with them. We are constantly told how we are missionaries first, performers second. We are missionaries who perform, not performing missionaries. I love that! We are most importantly ambassadors to the Lord and our duty is to teach and uplift and spread his gospel with our talents. Our shows are a little cheesy at times but they have great spirit in them and I know we will change lives by telling the stories of the Saints. I wish I had more time, but I don't. There is so much to say and so many experiences to share, but I guess I will just have to wait till August to really share. Also sorry you don't have more pictures, but I guess through the facebook group you will get some? It is all true! I know it! Sincerely Yours, (Finally once again,) Elder Joyner

Nauvoo - Finally!!!

Elder Joyner's 1st day in Nauvoo...... And couldn't be happier!!!