Showing posts with label Hill Cumorah Pageant. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hill Cumorah Pageant. Show all posts

 My older brother has a picture hanging in his room of the Sacred Grove which he received after serving on the Hill Cumorah Pageant Work Crew. Below the picture is a quote that reads, “What happened here changed the world. Let it change your life.” This quote is a stirring reminder to me of the significance of the restoration and the effect it has on the world and each of our lives.

Preach my Gospel states, “As Joseph sought truth among the different faiths, he turned to the Bible for guidance. He read, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him” (James 1:5). Because of this passage, Joseph decided to ask God what he should do. In the spring of 1820 he went to a nearby grove of trees and knelt in prayer.” He described his experience in Joseph Smith History 1:16-17: “I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me. . . . When the light rested upon me I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other—This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!” (Joseph Smith—History 1:16–17).  Joseph was told that none of the churches contained the fullness of Christ’s gospel. Christ’s church was restored to the earth again by the hands of Joseph Smith.

Following in the footsteps of my older brother, I applied and was accepted to be on the Hill Cumorah Pageant Work Crew. While on the work crew, I had the opportunity to visit many of these historical sites. Before we arrived in Palmyra though, we were encouraged to memorize The Standard of Truth which says, “Our missionaries are going forth to different nations…. The Standard of Truth has been erected; no unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing; persecutions may rage, mobs may combine, armies may assemble, calumny may defame, but the truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly, and independent, till it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every country, and sounded in every ear, till the purposes of God shall be accomplished, and the Great Jehovah shall say the work is done.”  This statement made by Joseph Smith is incredibly profound. God’s work cannot be stopped. The efforts made by Joseph Smith’s persecutors failed because Joseph was truly called as a prophet of God to restore this gospel on the earth.

I would like to share a few experiences I had while serving in New York. I had the opportunity to go to the Sacred Grove three times while in Palmyra. Each time, I felt a remarkable peace as I sat and thought about the beauty of the gospel. The spirit felt in the grove allowed me to feel closer than ever before to my savior. One afternoon, after walking through the grove, all 26 members of the work crew and the leaders climbed into the upper room of the Smith’s log home and read through Joseph Smith History about the restoration. I couldn't help but think how amazing it was that such a large task was put into the hands of a farm boy living in very humble circumstances. After reading Joseph’s account, we all walked back to the Hill Cumorah. This was a very humbling experience for me. I never put into perspective the distance that Joseph had to walk to retrieve the plates. It was a very long, hot walk. It was much harder work than I had ever imagined. This served as a lesson to me that good things require hard work and sacrifice. It is worth the hard work and sacrifice that is necessary to gain a testimony of this gospel.

Though the gospel has been restored to the earth and has changed the world, we still need to let it change our lives. Ultimately it is up to each individual to decide whether or not they accept this gospel. We need to read and study the book of Mormon and gain a testimony for ourselves that it is true. We cannot rely on others testimonies. They can be a remarkable strength, but only if we have already laid the foundation. You don’t have to go to these places to receive a testimony. A testimony can be grown anywhere as long as you invite the spirit and have an open heart.

I know that this gospel is true. I know what I have felt while reading my scriptures and I cannot deny those feelings. The first vision really happened. Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ did appear to a 14 year old boy in the Sacred Grove and he restored the gospel to the earth again. The Book of Mormon is another testament of Jesus Christ. We have a living prophet on the earth today, Thomas S. Monson, who leads and guides us through the direction of Jesus Christ. The restoration has changed the world. “Let it change your life.”
While I was in Palmyra, I had the wonderful opportunity to attend sacrament meeting on the Hill Cumorah. The spirit was amazing even though we were all exhausted. (I believe at one point we counted 15 of the 26 work crew members sleeping during the meeting. I'm no math major, but that seems like a fairly large portion.) Those that stayed awake had the chance to hear some amazing talks. There were three standout statements/analogies that I thought I would share with the guys that fell asleep and the rest of the world. They really touched me and I hope that they can inspire you as well.

1. We must paddle through adversity.


The brother giving this talk explained that while kayaking in a turbulent river, the only way to maintain complete control over the rapids is to paddle faster than the current. Though the water may be intimidating and unknown, it is completely conquerable as long as you are the one in control. As soon as you stop paddling, the river will take you where it wants. (And often times it isn't where you'd like to be.) He compared this kayak trip to our life which is full of relentless challenges and temptations. As long as we keep paddling forward, we can direct ourselves through the difficult times, but when we decide to float, we lose our control. We don't want to let life sweep us away. The world is way too scary to float.


2. We are spiritual beings.


I loved the perspective I gained with this one. We truly are sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father. He sent us here to gain a body, so we could be tested through trial and grow as a result of those challenges. Though life is hard at times, we can turn to our Heavenly Father for comfort, peace, and help. He loves us and wants us to return to live with him and we can. When challenges come, you need to remember that you are a child of God and he will help you if you let him.


3. We must enjoy to the end.


This one is such a simple truth. Life is full of so much joy. Why miss it?
I had the opportunity to be on the Hill Cumorah Pageant Work Crew last summer and it was awesome, so I applied to do it again and was selected to return as a district leader for the 2013 Work Crew. The Work Crew is in charge of constructing the stage for pageant before the cast arrives and then they help out with backstage special effects and spotlights during the run of the show. We then take the stage down after the cast leaves. It is a crazy amount of work, but totally worth it.

During the month we are there, we stay in a garage behind the hill which we call the wind tunnel because it has a garage door at each end to allow for air to move through. (It gets pretty stuffy and smelly with 26 guys living in there.) A bit of fresh air is always nice!
 We sleep in bunks. You become pretty close friends with the rest of the crew when you live together for a month...


 That's a picture of the day room where we gather for daily lessons and evening devotionals. It's pretty cozy when we're all crammed in there.
 Our food tent and our caterer, Rod. He keeps us alive while we are busy constructing the stage. Mealtimes were always a favorite of mine. I LOVE food!!! (And Rod made good food.)

This was our play area. Once rehearsals start, the work crew has more time to relax. I was on the light crew so I had more time during the day than the ground crew because we could only practice once the sun went down. Apparently it's tough to see spotlights shining in broad daylight. Who knew.

 We all showed up the first day ready to work!
 Here is the stage before it starts to look like it does during performances. The facing on the side really does make it look like rock. That's stage 5 as posts and beams. They use a lift to put in a few of the beams because the posts are too tall to reach from the ground.

 The leaders put in the grand staircase while we go eat. It is much too heavy to put in without a forklift.
 We had the opportunity to visit a lot of the church history sites while we were there. This is the Joseph Smith Log Home. The first Sunday we were there, we all went to the second story of the cabin and read the account of the Angel Moroni appearing to Joseph Smith in that very room. The spirit there was incredibly strong. We then got to walk 3 miles back to the Hill Cumorah to understand the trip that Joseph had to take to get the gold plates. It was very humbling to see the work that went into restoring this great gospel to the earth.
 This is the 2013 Hill Cumorah Pageant Light Crew. We became very good friends. The harnesses kept us safe as we climbed up our towers.

We got to go to the Palmyra Temple 3 times for baptisms. I love the spirit I feel while I am in the temple. Being with all of the other members of the crew was the cherry on top.
We went on a tractor ride with the primary. It was AWESOME. Those kids are crazy funny are so excited about life. They are a good example to me of something to strive for.
 The sister missionaries who trained us and the rest of cast to interact with the audience before the show started. They were awesome as usual and always had a smile on their face no matter how early it was. (They met with us at 7 am for three days because we weren't able to make it to the afternoon cast training sessions.)

This past month was marvelous! I made a lot of great friends and my testimony of the gospel was strengthened immensely. I love the spirit I felt while I served on sacred ground. I feel like I have grown a ton. I am now even more excited to serve my mission! It couldn't come soon enough!!!