Blue Cast Day 9: With the Lord's help, nothing is impossible.

Sorry for the delay (assuming you've been waiting for this that is!). Written yesterday but had no time to post it!

I can’t believe it’s Monday already! Where did the weekend go?!

So Friday at Pageant…

The morning was spent taking it easy and going slow – with the morphine out of my system I felt a lot more with the program but was trying to follow advice and not overdo things! In the afternoon Elder Holland and Elder Nelson (two more Apostles) came to see us and took the devotional. It was amazing. When I lived in Abu Dhabi, Elder Holland came over for one of our Stake Conferences in Dubai so I loved having another opportunity to hear him speak. He told us about when they were looking for a Temple site in Chorley; he found the site where the Temple currently stands and knew it was the right place. On his way back to Solihull, he pulled over and called President Hinckley to let him know. When President Hinckley heard how big the site was he responded that it was too big. Elder Holland replied “We’ll use it!”

“That’s what I’m afraid of!”

It shows the foresight Elder Holland had; that site now holds a Missionary Training Centre, a Family History Centre, Accommodation Centre, Distribution and a Stake Centre in addition to the originally planned Temple. Plus for the last three weeks it held a marquee that could house 1500+ people.

Ben (one of the narrators in the pageant) had arranged a version of ‘Nearer My God to Thee’, linking it with the Pageant theme for the choir to sing for the Apostles. It was brilliant, very moving.

After the devotional I attempted to run through one of the dances, but unfortunately my head decided it wasn’t quite ready for it! Beth (our fab choir director) had kindly said that I could rejoin the choir if I wasn’t up to family cast again. So back I went into the choir. Initially I felt pretty down about it, like I was letting down my district and my ‘moving with joy’ partners. Everyone was so supportive and reassuring though, I love them all for it. Looking down from the choir on Friday, knowing the people onstage personally was a very different experience than the week before. I felt quite emotional watching and not feeling a part of it with my district family. But what really got me was the moment that Heber C Kimball arrived in England and said that he felt inadequate to teach the people. I felt very moved to realise that I’m not the only person who feels inadequate at times; even Apostles of the Lord have their moments where they feel that way, and I found the reminder very reassuring. There will always be times when we feel inadequate for the task ahead of us. But when those times come I need to focus on what I do know; that I am a daughter of God, and with His help, nothing is impossible (Philippians 4:13 - "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me")

Blue Cast Day 8: Surround yourself with those you can trust.

Thursday's post (a bit late!):

So today I was pretty out of it for most of the day. I was in so much pain in A&E that they gave me morphine (which I never want to have again!) – the doctor was giving it to me and telling me to let him know when the pain stopped.

“Is it still hurting?”

“Yes.”

“Now?”

“Yes.”

Repeat a few times, then cue a warm tingly feeling – but not in a good warm tingly way – and me going “I don’t want anymore!”

Doctor: “That’s good because I’ve just finished the dose.”

After that I was out for the next hour or so. Apparently that was a good thing because my sister told me afterwards that the police had to take someone out of A&E for kicking off. At least I slept through that!

Due to the dose they’d given me I was in and out of it for much of the morning. When I finally managed to get up (no hair washing as I have to keep the area they glued dry for 5 days!) my sister arrived shortly after – she and her husband stayed in Chorley last night to make sure I was alright today. She took good care of me, making sure I was eating and drinking and not overdoing things.

This evening Elder Ballard (an Apostle) came and spoke to us for our devotional. To be honest I think I was still a bit out of it as I don’t remember all that he said. It was great to have an Apostle with us though, and several General Authorities of the Church too. Since I couldn’t be in the pageant tonight (doctor’s orders were to take it easy today L ) I sat and watched it for the first time. I was one aisle and one seat away from Elder Ballard and his wife which was pretty cool! The woman who sat next to me was the wife of the Prague mission President (I’m pretty sure that’s what she said at the end but like I said, I was a tad out of it!) and was lovely. She and her husband had come over especially for the Pageant and she really enjoyed it.

I loved having the opportunity to watch from the audience, but really missed being a part of it tonight. I’m reminding myself to continue counting my blessings though as everyone I saw today was so kind and caring; the medics who helped look after me yesterday, members of my district family, my dance partners, and my choir family from last week to name just a few. My roommates have been fab, I will really miss them when we all leave here! After the performance I headed outside as I needed fresh air, and Natalie (one of my sister’s sister-in-laws) spotted me and insisted on walking me back to my room. I was really grateful to her as I was feeling a little bit woozy by then and needed to lean on someone in order to feel safe walking back! Hopefully tomorrow I’ll be fully back to normal, though I have been offered the chance to return to the choir if I’m not up to being onstage yet.

As I was trying to think of something profound to title this post, the first that came to mind was 'Don't do drugs'! I had never had morphine before, and now that I have, I hope I never need it again. Did it relieve the pain I was in? Yes. But I found it scary to feel such a lack of control over my limbs and to feel so out of it. I learned that if you are in a position like that, it's important to have people around you that you can trust to help you, like my sister and friends who I feel very blessed to have had around me.

Blue Cast Day 7: Count your blessings.

So I’m a little late catching up on yesterday’s blog…but I’ll get to the reason for that in a bit.

As I was reading in 2 Nephi 26 yesterday, verse 31 really seemed to jump out at me; ‘…the labourer in Zion shall labour for Zion…’ President Kerr has told us several times that here at pageant we are creating our own little Zion, our own place for the pure in heart. It is so true, I love it being a part of this, a place where we all look out for each other and genuinely care about each other. And we are here for Zion – none of us are being paid to get onstage every night, or to sing in the choir, or to paint the stage. We are here because we want to be; because it feels right to be here.

We were given the day off yesterday, so after enjoying the feeling of not having to set an alarm, I met up with a couple of friends and we did some family history work. I love that family history is just like piecing together a puzzle; it is such a good feeling to discover your own ancestors and know that they are a part of your family.

As we were working on family history I started to get stomach ache. I carried on for a bit before going to lay down, and figured I could make it through the show, especially since my sister and her husband were coming to see it. I got ready and made it to the chapel for our evening devotional which was great. After our district meetings it was time for pre-pageant activities. Not feeling up to much, I went to the theatre to see my sister who had arrived before making my way back to the chapel. I was walking along the corridor when I went completely dizzy and felt sick and the next thing I knew I was waking up on the floor with a head wound! I guess I just wanted to be dramatic because somehow I woke up on the opposite side of the corridor, despite clutching onto the wall of the side I was on. No idea how I managed that!

The medics here are fantastic. They cleared the corridor in no time, checked me over before moving me and managed to help me move out of the way as quickly and safely as they could. Once I was cleaned up a bit they arranged for me to be taken to hospital. I felt awful because each of the three dances I am in I have a partner for, and I didn’t want to let anyone down, but they were very reassuring that they would get the message to the relevant people. Sarah (my sister) also insisted on going with me to the hospital. She was great to have around although I feel bad that she missed it. I’m hoping she’ll be able to come back to see it before we finish on Saturday as it is an amazing experience. I got more than a few odd looks dressed as I was in Victorian-style clothing but they seemed to understand once my sister explained (I think most people in Chorley/Preston have heard of the LDS British Pageant by now!)

The aftermath - once the bleeding had stopped!

I don’t know if there was a reason for me to pass out and whack my head (the doctor put it down to lack of food – I hadn’t eaten dinner because I wasn’t feeling great and so didn’t feel hungry – but it wouldn’t be the first time I’ve missed a meal because I felt ill and I’ve never fainted quite so dramatically before!), but as strange as it sounds, I have a lot to be thankful for. My sister (who works in a hospital) was around to go with me and help me out, I didn’t gash my eyes or break my nose when I passed out, there are numerous wonderful Priesthood holders here able to give Priesthood blessings when needed, and I have great roommates (one of whom stayed up until gone midnight to make sure I was okay). Sarah and her husband even stayed over in Chorley so they could check on me today and bring me things like dry shampoo since I’m not allowed to get the front of my head wet for 5 days as they glued the cut closed.

So all in all, I am really counting my blessings J

Blue Cast Day 6: Energy begets energy.

We did it! Opening night and I'm still buzzing.

This morning we began at 9am running through a few scenes before doing a full run through. At one point when talking us through a scene, Alex reminded us to have energy, to really let our individual/family 'stories' shine through. I love her words to us; that energy begets energy, that the more we could give in rehearsal, the more we would be able to give tonight. That was so true! But back to rehearsal...

Yesterday's dress rehearsal for me, though fantastic, felt quite hectic. I was still learning my cues (and I admit to a bit of panic at times about whether or not I'd remember them in time!) and felt that I needed to rush between scenes in order to be in position in time. Today's run through, for whatever reason, felt much calmer. We knew where to be, we had time to breathe in between scenes and we all pulled together to help each other be ready. I love my district group (I'm in the Heber C Kimball group). What amazing people. There are three families plus me, and they have made me feel part of their families already in the few short days we have had together.

The children are such examples to us all - the youngest girl in our group was running across the stage at one point when we were having a prayer, and as soon as the word 'prayer' was whispered she stopped and folded her arms reverently to pray. When we're standing backstage waiting to go on she is so good at being silent (all the children are, it's amazing!) and will even tell others to be quiet by tiptoeing over and putting her finger on her lips.

Tonight's performance proved Alex's words from earlier in the day totally right. There was so much energy (I even remembered all the dance steps)!

I was told by someone tonight (who had seen all the performances so far) that this was the best night yet. I am so thankful to the Red Cast who performed last week - the only reason we are able to push ourselves as much as we have is because they laid a solid foundation for us to build on. I saw them perform and they were incredible. I'm so grateful to them for doing such an amazing job that we really do have to stretch ourselves to the limit in order to improve on it - we are all the better for it. 

Blue Family Cast Day 5: Stay focused and listen to guidance.

Today was the day for our Blue Cast dress rehearsal. Beginning at 9am we ran through various scenes, particularly those with dancing in (thankfully my calf muscles are feeling much better than they were!) I managed to get the ending right on a dance that had been giving me some trouble, and was so pleased that I’d managed it that I fist pumped...not very Victorian of me, oops! Thankfully I managed to avoid doing that again (probably because I didn’t do the ending quite so well after that!)

We spent the morning and a portion of the afternoon going through scenes, and ‘cleaning’ them up. As Alex (our artistic director) reminded us, when Nephi (in the Book of Mormon) was commanded by the Lord to build a ship, the ship wasn’t the important thing – the important thing was that they got to the Promised Land. Still, the ship needed to be watertight. So it is with this Pageant – the performance is not the important thing; the important thing is that people come and feel the Spirit, that they feel uplifted by what they see and hear, and that their hearts are touched by it. But in order for that to happen, we need to give it our all, to do our very best to share our story – our heritage – with them.

Later in the afternoon we did a full run through. It made me realise just how quickly an hour and a half can go – when you are running it continuously there is very little time to do anything but check when and where you next come on and get into position! Fortunately it went pretty well.

I was fed again at dinner today – by the same friend who fed me yesterday J She has two girls who are in the family cast with us (as well as a son in the core cast) and they are fantastic, full of energy and so enthusiastic about being here. I loved sitting in the dining room/lounge as families and friends crowded in to eat, sharing the food they’d made with others and talking and laughing together. It’s a wonderful atmosphere.

After that it was time to get ready for our dress rehearsal this evening. A friend of mine arrived yesterday to join the choir for the week – I haven’t seen her for around 7 years so it’s great to see her again! I attempted to help her with putting her hair in a Victorian style and discovered my talents lie elsewhere (and I apologise to her for that!). Still, I managed a passable attempt and hopefully someone more skilled will be around to help for opening night tomorrow! If not I’m sure I’ll improve with practise…right?!

Then came the dress rehearsal...it wasn’t perfect, and we made mistakes, but we learn from those mistakes and tomorrow will be better than ever! I realised again how tough it is being in the family cast – in the choir you are onstage the whole time and just have to listen for the music cues (which takes concentration enough!). In the family cast you have to be aware of music and dialogue cues, to know where to enter and where to exit at each point, and stay very focused! When we aren’t onstage we wait in the ‘Green room’ (a large tent behind the theatre) and Martha (the assistant stage manager) lets us know via the speakers which districts/groups are needed for each scene. She’s great at doing that, repeating it several times so that it’s clear for anyone who may have missed the first time, but we need to be so focused and listen carefully or it’s easy to miss it, since we need to keep the volume on the speakers turned down as the sound carries through to the stage area if we don’t.

I loved being part of the family cast today; the way we all worked together and helped each other to remember to stay quiet when waiting to go on, watching the children interact as quietly as they could with each other (often turning it into a game), and being part of my district ‘family’. I’m hoping that as I get used to where I need to enter and exit the stage each time I’ll be able to enjoy the moments more. Ben (our Assistant Music Director) summed up what I learned tonight when he said it showed how much we need to focus and listen to the instructions we are given despite the noise or distractions that may be going on around us, otherwise it can be easy to miss our cues. And isn’t that just like life? We have to listen carefully to the promptings of the Spirit (some might call it instinct or intuition) to know what we should do at certain times; like how best to reach out and help another person. But what is so wonderful and merciful about it is that our Heavenly Father is patient with us; if we miss our cue He will find a way to gently nudge us in the right direction. Having said that, we have to remember that it is our choice each time, He will never force us. If we respond to His cues, we will have success and be in the right place at the right time, ready for whatever He has planned. But if we choose to ignore it, we will miss out on what could be a great moment in our lives.

Blue Family Cast Day 4: Be not weary

For the first time in awhile I might actually manage to post this the same day that I write it! (It’s unlikely to last, sorry!)

As today is the Sabbath, we had sacrament meeting at 9am. Chorley has four wards (that I’m aware of anyway, it could be more!) so we met in the pageant theatre to avoid disrupting their meetings. Two cast members were asked to share their testimonies and it was great to hear how pageant has touched their lives and the Spirit they have felt here. I loved that we sang a cappella; Beth (our choir director) leading us with all four parts clearly audible for each hymn. Even though I’m losing my voice I couldn’t refrain from belting out the closing hymn with everyone! I’m grateful to be in the family cast this week – I don’t think my voice could hold out another week in the choir! That said, it doesn’t stop me from humming/singing the pageant songs spontaneously. They are so compelling I just can’t seem to resist!

After sacrament meeting, the family cast were asked to stay to learn the songs. I was allowed off the hook as I’ve been here for choir all week, and initially planned to nap for a bit. Instead I ended up talking with a friend and had a great time getting to know her better. We have been choir buddies all week and shared in the emotion of each night, particularly with the finale songs. I will miss being up on the bridge with her and my other friends in choir, though many have left anyway.

This afternoon we rehearsed the opening half of the pageant. It might seem unusual to be rehearsing on the Sabbath day, until you consider that this is not your typical production run to make a profit, but a pageant that shares the truth we know, meant to uplift and inspire those who attend. We had fun going through the scenes where families are grouped together and it was great to spend some time getting to know members of my Blue Family Cast district (group) better. The children in our district have amazing amounts of energy, they are great!

We were expecting to rehearse again after the fireside (church meeting) this evening, but at the end of that half of rehearsal we were told that we had done so well that we could have the evening off and come back ready in the morning! It really was a blessing of the Sabbath – an extra measure of the Spirit to help us do better than usual.

Dinner was a great opportunity to get to know people better – one of the lovely women in my district had invited me and several others to dinner and the kitchen was filled with cast and choir members making their dinners, talking and laughing and even occasionally bursting into song (usually pageant ones though I did hear a couple of random ones thrown in for variation!) I love that the feeling of unity doesn’t end when we step off the stage or leave the pageant theatre each day. There really is a spirit of Zion here. The members of the choir for this week arrived today so we are looking forward to their voices blending together each evening this week. I know I've mentioned it before, but the music really does add another level to this pageant.

This evening’s fireside was so uplifting. I love that our Pageant Presidency are able to share humorous moments as well as very spiritual ones. President Roberts shared a scripture with us found in Doctrine and Covenants 64:33-34: “Wherefore be not weary in well-doing, for ye are laying the foundation of a great work. And out of small things proceedeth that which is great. Behold the Lord requireth the heart and a willing mind.” That is so applicable to us here! We ARE tired, but keep on giving. We are giving the Lord our hearts and willing minds in this and it is the small things that are making this pageant so great.

President Kerr reminded us that our time here is not an experience that lasts for a limited time; a week, a month, a year…but an experience that will be with us, part of us, for the rest of our lives. I am so grateful for that reminder.

As I was listening to the speakers during the fireside, I had a few thoughts. The first was that everyone here has made sacrifices to be here. Those sacrifices – to me at least – somehow equalises us all. Perhaps because of that, we are willing to serve each other and lift each other, and the Lord is blessing us for it. We are able to cope on less sleep than usual – and still keep smiling! We are able to perform to a standard that people with our rehearsal time should not be able to perform to. We are living the gospel and loving it. President Kerr also shared a comment made by the BBC cameraman that visited earlier this week – apparently he had never seen a happier bunch of people, which brings to mind a scripture found in 2 Nephi 2:25: “Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy.”

There is great joy here in Chorley, and I hope that any of you who are still without tickets will find a way to get here so that we can share it with you.

Red Choir Day 7 (final day!), Blue Cast Day 3: A Marvellous Work and a Wonder

I know I keep saying it to people, but this pageant really does keep getting better and better.

Today began with the Blue Family Cast meeting together in the marquee/theatre and running through some scenes. We needed to know when to come in and when to exit. After a morning of doing that I thought things were going pretty well – my aches weren’t disappearing but at least my calf muscles were able to rest from all the dancing (sorry, the ‘moving with joy’ as we call it here! The reason being that we can all move with joy – we might not all be able to dance!). Then after lunch we learnt a new dance and ran through the two we had already learned. Fortunately the new one wasn’t as taxing for me, but the other two are a lot more energetic and boy am I feeling it now!
This evening’s performance was the last performance for the Red Cast. Although some are staying (including our wonderful core cast), many are leaving tonight so it was an emotional time for them. I will miss them all, but found I didn’t feel too sad because I know I will see them again. The friendships we are building here are not temporary ones for the duration of our stay, but lasting ones. I am blessed to be part of both casts; the dynamics of each cast are very different, but equally wonderful to be a part of. I love my choir family, and will miss being with them this week. But I already love my BFC family. We are having such a great time learning the dances (despite my aching calf muscles!) and I look forward to spending this week continuing to learn and grow with them.
Before the pageant tonight, Alex (our artistic director) gave us some points to work on and made a few changes. Change is the rule here, and I feel that one reason for that is to stop us from becoming complacent. As soon as we start getting complacent, we risk losing the Spirit, and the pageant would not be what it has been. By Alex (and others heading up the pageant) making changes when they feel prompted to do so, we are kept focused and reminded that our goal is to share the truth we know, and to bring others closer to their Saviour, Jesus Christ.
For me, tonight’s performance was the most powerful one yet (I know I said that about last night’s, but honestly it just keeps getting better). I hope I’m not giving too much away when I say that as the choir we represent the ancestors – those who have gone before. My family and friends all know how hooked I got on family history a couple of years ago. I really have felt the spirit of Elijah (Malachi4:6). Tonight I felt close to my own ancestors as we sang together and watched what was going on below. I could imagine them watching us and I am so grateful that as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints we know that they will have the opportunity to hear the gospel.
Several people afterwards told me how impressed they were with the performance, and how wonderful the choir was. As a teacher, I have seen the effect music can have on the children I work with, and it truly can lift us and teach us in ways that nothing else can.
I spoke with some ladies afterwards who had travelled by coach from Scotland – what a journey for them! One is a great-grandmother, and it was lovely to hear her experience of the pageant and how moved she was by it.

To borrow the words of the prophet Isaiah; this truly is “a marvellous work and a wonder.”

Red Choir Day 6, Blue Family Cast Day 2: Pick yourself up and continue.

It just keeps getting better!

This morning began early with rehearsal for the Blue Family Cast beginning at 9am. I headed to the Stake Centre (the church building here) beforehand to post yesterday’s blog and found guys already there busy hoovering and cleaning from the night before. There are so many people working behind the scenes here to make this pageant possible, it’s pretty overwhelming when you stop to think about it.
So today we spent the morning learning another of the dances. Without revealing too much to those of you yet to come, I’m going to be Scottish for that particular dance. Wish me luck! We also spent time going through several of the scenes. I love that I’m now seeing the pageant from a totally different perspective. There is so much energy and enthusiasm in the family and core cast. Watching the core cast interact, they really are like one big family.
Today one of the core cast opened his mission call during rehearsal – everyone was so excited for him and being able to share in that moment with him and his family was fantastic.

 

Perhaps it was sharing in that moment that made tonight’s performance so incredible. In my opinion it was the best night yet.

I was fortunate enough to have my ‘second parents’ come tonight. They emigrated to Canada when I was 18 and though we have seen them several times since, it has been at least a year since I last saw them. So to see them here was SO great! They enjoyed taking part in pre-pageant activities and when I saw them afterwards they said it was fantastic. Mary said it made her proud to be British!

I also got to see one of the girls who was on Young Women’s camp when I got dragged into going last year. She had travelled for around 5 hours to get there after being on camp all week – I’m very impressed! I overheard two ladies talking during the pre-pageant events this evening, saying how much fun it was and that everyone was so friendly. It really made it hit home to me how the experience begins for our guests the moment they arrive. What is so great is that we’re not faking anything – we genuinely are happy to see you all and have you come. Without an audience we would have no pageant.

A scripture was shared with us tonight during our evening devotional, Doctrine and Covenants 100:5-6, where the Prophet Joseph was told that he would be given the words to say in the very moment he needed them. The scripture was likened unto us in that as we have faith, we will know what to sing in the very moment. This was a lesson for me in having faith – I have to admit here (Beth, if you’re reading this, please skip this part!) that I have found it a bit tricky to remember which song comes in when, so with the help of a friend I had a cue sheet stuck to the side up where we sing (out of sight of the audience of course), where we could sneakily check which song was coming up next! I have also been known to forget words on occasion. After hearing that scripture at our devotional tonight I decided that I needed to have more faith, so I didn’t look at the cue sheet once. And I did remember all the words! (I nearly missed a couple of cues because I was so involved in what was happening onstage, but once I began I remembered all the words!) What a blessing.

My Stake President was there with his family tonight. I asked him afterwards what he enjoyed the most about the pageant. Amongst other things, he said that he enjoyed the peripheral things – the children playing, just being children and things like that – that it is the small moments that make something like this so special. And it really is – by small and simple things are great things brought to pass, and it is certainly the little things here at pageant that add up to make such an incredible evening night after night.

Those of you that know me well are fully aware that I am not the most coordinated or graceful person. During rehearsals this morning we were asked to share things we’d learned. For me, it was that we all make mistakes (I know I was making plenty!) but that we can pick ourselves up and continue. I truly believe that is applicable to our lives, not only to the dances I was learning (or trying to!); we make mistakes every day, but because of the Saviour’s atonement we can repent and move forward with our lives. If we are sincere in our repentance, He will not let it hold us back; He would have us keep moving forward in our efforts to become more like Him. Sometimes this requires the help of others, just like when we made a mistake or missed a step in the dance, with the help of our partner or group we were able to keep going and pick it up again. I know that my Saviour loves me, and that He loves each one of us. That He lived and died to give us the opportunity to return to live with Him after this life is over. That is the truth we want to share. That is the Truth that will prevail.

Red Choir Day 5, Blue Family Cast Day 1!

Just a side note:
Those of you reading this will notice that I'm posting a day after events happen - I apologise but we are finishing pretty late so I'm writing my blog after each performance then posting it when I have wifi the next day :)

Well today marked the start of my crossover period; for the next few days I will be rehearsing as Blue Family Cast during the day, and performing as part of the Red Choir in the evenings. The BFC (shortening as I’m typing this while very tired!) registered around 10am (including having our mug shots taken – I’m hoping these aren’t going to come back to haunt us in the future!). 0nce the majority had arrived, we headed into the chapel to meet together and hear from those heading up the pageant before being put into our districts (groups). So I am now part of the Heber C Kimball district (BFC) as well as part of the John Benbow district (choir)! We met in our districts and shared some of our reasons for being part of the British Pageant. For me, the initial decision was for myself; I wanted to get out of my comfort zone and auditioning for the Pageant seemed an ideal way to do it. I didn’t get a main part (obviously, since I’m in the choir and family cast!), but the audition itself was such an amazing experience, nothing like what you would expect an audition to be, that I wanted to continue being a part of it. No one was competing with each other to be the best, we were all working as a team to do our best together. The Spirit was strong and we all had such a great time – how can you not want to be a part of that?!

After our district meetings and lunch we met in the theatre to run through one of the dances. Over the last few days I’ve thought being in the choir was tiring and hot – but after this afternoon I have newfound respect for the core and family casts! We were hot and sweaty but having the time of our lives. The children were brilliant, such enthusiasm is infectious.

Once we’d rehearsed the dance several times, I had just over an hour to shower and change for tonight’s performance and grab some dinner (fortunately I’d pre-ordered, and it was delicious)!

Yesterday we had rain pouring down until the pre-pageant activities, today the opposite – the sun was shining and we were all wishing we had electric fans (not that we could take such modern conveniences onstage!). The guests (aka the audience) all seemed to be having a great time on the activities – some of my family were visiting tonight and my niece loved her peg doll, and my nephews their spinners.

The show itself was, if possible, even better than last night. We were reminded beforehand by President Kerr that this is not about us. There are no stars in this performance. We are all here because we want to share the love we have for the gospel, for the truth that we have found. And with our beginner/amateur abilities and our weaknesses, it is truly the Lord who makes up what we lack. And that is the magic of the Pageant. That is why our guests have such a wonderful time, because they feel something, they know that there is something different about this pageant; that difference being that this is the Lord’s work, not a West End production.

I asked some people afterwards what their favourite part was. So many responded “Everything”, others “The music!”, one boy said that his favourite part was when the banner was unfurled, because it was twisted! Yes, mistakes are made during performances! But that is part of the beauty of this pageant – we are doing our best, and no one minds if mistakes are made because after all, we are only human. And as I have said before (and will no doubt say again!), Heavenly Father is making up for what we lack.  One of our guests replied that the best part of it was having us all gather together to share what we know.

For me, the best part of this pageant is the way that it touches lives. Being a part of that is just incredible, and I am so grateful for the opportunity to be here and take part. The tiredness that I felt at the beginning of the week? It hasn’t vanished completely. But I have strength and stamina that I wouldn’t have if I were keeping the hours I’m keeping at anything other than this (apart from possibly EFY, which I go to in just over a week!). I love walking around the Temple grounds here each day hearing people spontaneously start singing one of the songs, or humming along as they walk. As someone put it last night, ‘There is great power in music.’ How true that is.

Red Choir Day 4: "It's gonna be EPIC!"

That was what one of the children said this evening when President Kerr (the President of the Pageant) asked if anyone had any comments or questions. And he was right! But let me backtrack…

Today was wet and rainy, and made us grateful that we have such a large, solid marquee to perform under. The family cast and core cast were up and working from 8:30am, while those of us in the choir were fortunate enough to not be needed until 1pm. We ran through some scenes and had a great time up on the bridge which is where the choir are positioned throughout (even getting a little carried away and dancing along with a couple of the faster paced songs!). At one point I was so involved in the production itself that as I moved along the stage I completely missed a step and stacked it! Nice to know my usual grace hasn’t abandoned me onstage (sorry, there will be no pageant outtakes for those of you wishing to see it!)

Yesterday some of us – okay, me! – were really flagging, feeling SO tired from all the standing around. Today I had no more sleep than before, but so much more energy, and this seemed true of all involved; choir, family cast, core cast and all. Truly President Kerr’s words have been proven, when he blessed us all with the stamina and energy we needed for this pageant.

I had the opportunity to speak with several people before the performance, and it amazed me how far some people had travelled – we had people visiting from Denmark and America as well as nearer places like Wales, Manchester and Bournemouth (okay, not so near)! Some were excited, some were curious, and it was great to see such diversity amongst those visiting. The pre-pageant show was filled with people trying on clothes for their Victorian-style photo, playing games, researching their family history and dancing along to the folk band. We had so many people thank us afterwards, and tell us how much they had enjoyed it. Because, as Arthur Ashton says, this really is all of our stories.

I thought last night’s dress rehearsal was amazing. But tonight topped it completely. The vibrancy, the energy, the emotion; just incredible. What really amazes me is the children; being in the family cast they were up and working from 8:30am this morning and they kept on going until we finished just after 10pm! And they are so excited and enthusiastic for it!

We were reminded this evening before we began that the work that matters requires everyone. How true that is. The stage crew, the lighting and sound technicians, the costume team…we could not pull off something like this without them. I am so thankful to be a part of something like this, something where we are all on the same team; pulling together, having fun, and sharing our love for the gospel with others.

Tonight really was epic.