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!!!