Manti Pageant

We just got back today from the Mormon Miracle Pageant that was held in Manti, Utah.  It was first performed in 1967 to a crowd of about 2,000 people.  Today, they estimate that nearly 80,000 people are in attendance during its eight day run.  Stephen and I hadn’t been to it in probably twenty-five years since the kids were little.  They perform on the southern slope of the temple hill with the Manti Temple as the backdrop.  The pageant includes three separate, but related faith-promoting dramatizations:  stories from the Book of Mormon, the experiences of Joseph Smth, Jr.; and then the journey of the Mormon pioneers who followed Brigham Young to Utah.  It has a lot of pageantry and grandeur which makes it great.  The hard parts of the whole experience are waiting until 9:30 for it to get dark enough to perform, sitting on the hard metal chairs, and trying to keep warm as the evening gets progressively cooler/colder. 

Stephen stuffing flyers at Information Booth

There were three missionary couples from Cove Fort assigned to work in the information booths.  We weren’t one of them but we went over anyway and helped until the performance started.  As full-time missionaries we were blessed with being able to eat the famous BBQ Turkey Dinner that they sell throughout the town for free.  I love this turkey since it tastes like steak but is actually healthier for you.

Last Sunday on the way to the fort I noticed something laying along the side of the road.  As I got closer, I noticed that it was a snake and made a big circle around it.  It wasn’t the same color as the ones we have been seeing around the fort so I walked back for a closer look.  I have to say that I was a little surprised when I noticed that at the end of its tail that there were 4 or 5 buttons.

Rattle snake like I saw on road

Blow snake hiding at fort

Friday, I had just finished a tour with a mom and her two daughters when they went to look at a horse trough and jumped back fast.  There was a snake behind the trough.  It’s head didn’t look like a rattler, but the coloring did and I couldn’t see its tale well enough so I went to get one of the FM Elders to take care of it. I am now walking more on the asphalt than on the shoulder of the road.

Monday was a great day for tours.  Stephen and I took a Baptist couple from NC through the fort.  They asked some really great questions and, with the help of the Holy Ghost, we were able to successfully answer all of them.  One of the last questions they asked was the LDS belief about the Godhead.  I shared the 1^st Article of Faith and they came back with the Godhead is just one being with three purposes just like an egg.  I was very impressed with Stephen’s response when he said that an egg actually has three separate parts and that they work together for one purpose.  I thought that was quick thinking on the spot.  They didn’t want to leave their names or take a Book of Mormon but it was still exciting to talk with them.  Stephen and I then were assigned to a group of young men that were visiting the fort.  I was very surprised when Elder C asked me to do the pre-set (getting people in the right attitude to try and think of names of families and friends that might benefit from hearing the Gospel).  Then at the end of my tour with the group of young men, Stephen asked me if I would take over his tour.  I thought that it was a bit odd, but I agreed to do so.  It was a pleasant surprise to find Courtney Nelson standing by one of our trees surrounding by her siblings.  I had a great time taking them through the fort and being able to catch up on things in the Nelson/Sherwood family as well as in the ward.  Stephen and I are very grateful for the visit and for the box from home that she was gracious enough to drop off for us. 

 

                                                                                      

This seemed like movie week as we saw two separate films.  Monday night we watched 17 Miracles for Family Home Evening.  It is the show that played in Fresno for a couple of nights last year and is about the Willie’s Handcart Company.  It was really a good film.  Everyone in Utah is currently talking about Ephraim’s Rescue that is playing in some of the theaters.  It is the story of another handcart rescue.  They say they originally wanted to include it in 17 Miracles but it would have made the show way too long.  If it comes to Fresno/Clovis it might be a great FHE activity.  On Wednesday, we went to Richfield to do our shopping and also went to the theater to see Man of Steel, the new Superman movie.  It seemed to me like it went on forever especially since we all know that Superman will win in the end.  They could have easily cut out about half of the fighting scenes and I would have been a happy camper. 

We had one of the other missionary couples, the Burrs, invite us to drive out to the obsidian

beds with them.  They are located about twenty miles west of Kanosh on “improved” roads (dirt with gravel and rock).  Luckily, one of the other Elders had drawn a map with instructions on how to get there since we seemed to just be driving through grazing fields with not a lot of landmarks to guide us.  We finally found them.  I thought that we would just be finding little chips of obsidian but we were able to pick up large chunks of the stuff.  We thought we were taking a lot when we filled up an 8 ounce Cool Whip tub, but it was nothing in comparison to the 5-gallon bucket that Elder Burr brought out.  I’ll be interested in seeing what he does with all of that.  The Burrs are definitely from the area as Elder Burr was flying down the road where Stephen would probably just be going at about 10 mph.

While geocaching in Clear Creek Canyon this week, I came upon an interesting discovery even though I didn’t come up with the cache.  While climbing through the underbrush, I came across a tunnel with a big metal door at the end of it.  Stephen went to ask about it at the Visitors’ Center at the Fremont Indian State Park.  Seems as though I had found a cave/tunnel where the government stores dynamite and other explosives.  The ranger was pretty impressed that we had run into it. 

Thursday and Friday, I had some very interesting conversations with a couple of our visitors.  The first conversation was just being friendly since the guy was not on a tour.  He mentioned that he was a descendant of Nicholas Paul, the chief stonemason for Cove Fort.  He is actually the guy who built the fireplaces, chimneys, and arch on the front of the fort.  I had a great time sharing information with this visitor about his ancestor and learning more.  It has too be a great feeling having ancestors that you know a lot about and are extremely proud of.  Someday, I hope to make that same type of connection in my family.  Anyway, we talked for about thirty minutes until his wife sent one of his daughters to collect him.  Then, if that wasn’t exciting enough, the very next day, on my first tour, the family was 5^th and 6^th generation descendants from Nicholas Paul.  I had such a good time talking back and forth about their grandfather.  This was a great family because their ten year old immediately asked us if she could hug the missionary.  That does not happen every day.  This little girl is SO excited to get older so she can serve a full time mission. 

This morning we woke up in our car in Stephen’s grandfather’s driveway.  We had made

arrangements to stay at his house through his aunt.  His cousin had the windows opened airing the place out, but he forgot to leave the door unlocked.  At 11:45 at night we were in no position to try to break into the house.  At least with the cold temperature and the early sunrise we were definitely up in time for church.  We actually had time to wander the city cemetery in Mt. Pleasant looking for Shelley, McArthur, and Burnside relatives.  I really love the way the headstones today have the names, and sometimes birth dates, of all of the people’s children.  What a great help for geneaologists.

Time to get ready for our shift.  Hope your week goes well.

Linda