Happy Birthday, Gina!

Having celebrated our 22nd year anniversary this month and now both of us being 44, we have now been married for half of our lives. Big whoop? Well, we are excited about it. To celebrate Gina's birthday, the boys and I decided to make her a nice dinner. Sterling, our Norwegian Pancake maker was very enthusiastic about doing a crepe dinner for her. Devin wanted to have several courses and they both volunteered to be waiters and servers for our dinner for two. Stopping by the store on my way home from work, Sterling gave me the shopping list. We had to figure out what pimentos were but then couldn't get the lid off so we never used them anyway. A few other items were secured and I was on my way home. The boys were already hard at work. Sterling had the crepes going and Devin was busy making cookies. I started in on the filling and in about 5 minutes we received a phone call that Rachael had been hit with a stick at field hockey practice and needed stitches over her eye. With some trepidation in my heart, I left Devin and Sterling alone with three active burners on the stove, a crepe maker in action and not a spare inch on any of the counters. I pretty much stayed in constant phone contact with Devin. Rachael indeed needed stitches so I took her to the hospital. Gina went back home and took Sterling to soccer practice so Devin was left to finish up. By the time Rachael and I got home the boys had everything ready. The table was set for two, complete with sparkling cider, candles, cloth napkins and servers in dress shirts and ties. Our first course was a very nice strawberry salad. We were then given broccoli cheese soup (which I didn't even know was on the menu). A most delicious chicken and pea crepe dish was our main course, followed by strawberry chocolate crepes for dessert. It was extremely well presented and tasted fabulous. Great job boys! The hour it took me to do every dish that we own in the house was worth it.

Our Forever Family

Yesterday was our anniversary, or as Gina and I like to call it, "Our family's birthday." It is hard to believe that we have been married now for twenty two years. Where did the time go by? I was scheduled to volunteer at the Spanish speaking clinic last night and we are planning on going out to eat tonight, but when I arrived for my shift the building was dark, locked and vacant. I was a little miffed as I had confirmed my shift just a week ago and this is the second time they have done this to me now. As I started to drive home, I looked at the clock and had the thought that I could take Gina to the temple and we could do sealings together.

You see, in our temples there are those who have the authority as did Peter to bind in heaven what is bound on earth. There are no limitations of mortality on us. When we were married it was not "until death do you part," but "for time and all eternity." As this authority is not limited by mortality it is able to be offered to those who left this life without having the opportunity to have done so while here on earth. It is the same principle as baptizing for those who have died as described by Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:29. When Gina and I went to the temple, we kneeled across the altar to each other and the same vows that we took twenty-two years ago were spoken, only we were doing so in the name of a couple that had lived previously. They as spirits still have their free agency and are able to choose whether or not to accept our gift to them. That said, I certainly felt a spirit of love and gratitude in that room and look forward to some day meeting them. We now have something in common, we now share the same anniversary!

Looking in Gina's eyes, thinking of eternity, was a powerful experience. Parley P. Pratt, one of the early apostles who lived at the time of Joseph Smith and whose character was the narrator of our pageant, said the following on learning of this wonderful doctrine, "It was from him [Joseph] that I learned that the wife of my bosom might be secured to me for time and all eternity; and that the refined sympathies and affections which endeared us to each other emanated from the fountain of divine eternal love…I had loved before, but I knew not why. But now I loved–with a pureness–an intensity of elevated, exalted feeling, which would lift my soul from the transitory things of this groveling sphere and expand it as the ocean. I felt that God was my Heavenly Father indeed; that Jesus was my brother, and that the wife of my bosom was an immortal, eternal companion; a kind ministering angel, given to me as a comfort, and a crown of glory for ever and ever. In short, I could now love with the spirit and with the understanding also.”

A Refreshing Return

We could not stay away! Being in the red cast, we performed first but that meant we did not have the opportunity of watching the other casts perform the pageant. We decided we would drive up on Friday for one last Nauvoo experience. Karalee had to work early the next day and we have sent Sterling off with Grandpa to Lake Powell for the week, so Devin, Rachael, Gina and I headed up after work. We drove through torrential rain most of the way. No matter, a little rain was not going to stop the pageant, nor our enthusiasm for seeing it. When we reached the Iowa border, the road was shut down due to flooding. No matter, we'll drive up to Fort Madison and cross the river there. As we got closer and closer to the river, we became more and more antsy and anxious to be there. Nearing the bridge, Gina commented, "let's hope the drawbridge is down." We payed our fee and within seconds of getting on the bridge, alarms sounded, the barrier came down right behind us preparing to lift the bridge for a coming barge. It was quite a bit up river and we would have been sitting, waiting for a long time. Whew! That was a close one.

By the time we drove past the school, by the condos and through town we could hardly sit still. There was standing puddles of water everywhere, the skies were dark but there were just a few drops falling. The weather held, even clearing by the end of the pageant. It turned out to be one of the least humid and most pleasant evenings we have seen in weeks. Perfect.

As we neared the parking lot, we spotted Devin. Oh wait! That would be another cast member in Devin's costume. Later, looking for Rachael in the crowd I realized that the reason I couldn't find her was that I was looking for a pretty young pioneer girl in a red dress. After the pageant was over, Devin said he found himself coming up to a complete stranger and asking them how they enjoyed it. It felt so natural being there. We could have easily stepped back into our old roles.

Best of all was seeing some of our friends. Rachael and Devin were so excited to see the Wadleys, the Shirtliffs and others. Gina and I found Charly right off and loved visiting with her. While talking with her, I turned to find Brad (who plays John Taylor and was my partner for the healing scene) staring at me with his jaw dropped in amazement. He could not believe what a shave and haircut would do to my appearance! We all got a good laugh out of that.

The pageant was wonderful. There indeed were many scenes that we never saw and even more that we could appreciate even better, being farther back watching the whole performance. We were touched by the message portrayed on stage, reminded of the warmth and joy that comes with knowing God, his son Jesus Christ and following His plan for our happiness.

We Went Joyful

It has now been almost a week since leaving Nauvoo. Despite coming home to a mountain of work and its accompanying stress, I found myself surprisingly content and happy. I have found myself striving to do as many little things as I could this week to keep that feeling with me all the time. I know that I am not the only one. I came home a bit early Thursday to find Karalee and Sterling creating music videos on the computer to the the Nauvoo soundtrack. I love it! Rachael spent four hours "talking Nauvoo" with her friend Annaleah on their way to EFY (Youth Camp). This truly has been the greatest thing we have ever done as a family.

As I prepared my Sunday School lesson for tomorrow, I feel like I found the answer. The lesson is about Solomon and the temple that he built to the Lord. After the Israelites dedicated it to the Lord, the account reads, "On the eighth day he sent the people away: and they blessed the king, and went unto their tents joyful and glad of heart for all the goodness that the Lord had done for David his servant, and for Israel his people." (1 Kings 8:66). We, too, have been blessed by the Lord. We are so grateful that He has blessed us to once again have temples in our midst. Through His holy priesthood power, our families are knit together-sealed-for this life and all eternity. What a great blessing!

Thank you all for letting us share this experience with you through our blog. The music soundtrack is available to anyone that would like a copy. If interested, let me know by email (mpf9973@gmail.com) and I can arrange to have it sent to you. P.S.-Who is that young guy with Karalee and Sterling at the ball game?

Our Trail of Hope

What a glorious day! Low humidity, clear skies, a wonderful way to complete our Nauvoo experience. I woke early and took Dad down to see the Trail of Hope vignette we had done on Thursday. When we arrived at the station where Charly was, it hit me that this was my last day in Nauvoo. We were leaving under much better circumstances than did the early saints, certainly, but we have grown to love this place and love the people we have met. Like them, we face an uncertain future but will do so with faith and the joy of the gospel of Jesus Christ in our hearts made firm by the covenants we have made in his Holy House.

Charly portrayed a person with the name of Sally Randall. Dad and I wondered if she could be related to our Randalls. Dad's grandmother's maiden name is Randall. Well, we headed to the Land and Records center and started looking up names. We found my triple great grandfather, Alfred Randall. All of a sudden we found histories that we had never known before. He was baptized early in the history of the church by Elder Orson Hyde. He recalled helping to clear the ground in Kirtland for the temple and helped build the one in Nauvoo as well. He was ordained an elder and assigned to be in the Qurorum of the Seventy by Heber C. Kimball, another of the twelve apostles. We then read how he accompanied Joseph Smith when he was taken to Carthage. He heard the threats of murder from the crowd and went to the Governor, to no avail. It recounts how he was forced out of the jail, down the back steps on the point of a bayonet. I recalled the feelings I had personally of standing as a witness to this event and realized that my ancestor had actually done the same. I recall the words of the pageant, "When you are here, we are here," and I felt close to heaven and close to family.

In the afternoon we went to another vignette portraying how the early saints left to go on missions all over the world. A powerful spirit of love and dedication came over us. With such feelings in our hearts we headed to the chapel for our cast testimony meeting. I knew I needed to express some of what I have been feeling inside. I stayed relatively composed, thankfully and then sat to be fed by our new dear friends and my family. Sterling, Devin and Rachael gave the most inspiring testimonies. As Rachael told of the ways in which she feels the Savior's love and how special that makes her feel, I cried tears of joy, knowing many of my prayers were being answered. Devin spoke of being humble and teachable and Sterling discussed how he was told he would be given strength in the blessing given by our bishop prior to our experience. He said that he didn't at first understand what that meant but felt he had gained understanding these last two weeks. I felt that I was the richest man in the world. What more could I want in life than to see that my children love the Lord and have felt his guiding influence?

With joy in our hearts for the experience we have had here, we performed for the last time. We stayed and talked long after, exchanging hugs, tears as well as emails. We knelt together as a cast thanking God for our blessings and in a blink of an eye, our experience was over and yet it is not. In the words of Robert Laird, "I've got a feeling, this is just the beginning." We will return home with a renewed determination to live life more fully, to love each other a little better, to be the Lord's disciple more fully. "Nothing can erase what Nauvoo has given us."

Praise to the Man

In the morning we went to the Visitor's Center with my parents and watched the Joseph Smith movie. It is a very touching depiction of his life and role as a prophet of the Lord Jesus Christ. It outlined many of the trials that he and the early saints experienced but more importantly the faith and resilience they showed in their convictions. I've seen it before but was touched even more so this time as we depict many of the same scenes in the pageant. We stand as witnesses to the role he filled in restoring the church of Jesus on the earth and are honored to do so.

The much anticipated Cast Talent Show occurred early in the afternoon. We were definitely more the comic relief as we sang our rendition of "Peanut Butter and Jelly" in harmony with our hand painted cardboard costumes. We had fun with it and looked past being embarrassed. Good job you guys!

In the afternoon, my parents and I went to "The Grove" to hear Jeff portray the "King Follet Address." He does so such a great job in his character and we have loved getting to know the great person that he is off the stage as well. The address discusses the eternal nature of our souls, that we lived before we came to earth and will continue to exist for eternity after we leave this existence through the mercies of our Lord. We learn that God is our very Father and that we are truly created in His image. He talks of mothers having their children again and of families that are eternal. Wonderful truths.

We had wonderful weather for the pageant. We loved visiting before and after the show. It is so much fun to see my children scattered throughout the fair ground mingling with our guests and having a great time. We can't believe that we only have one more performance. How we will miss this wonderful experience.

And We Went On Our Way, "Rejoicing!"

Our day in Nauvoo started early but in such a beautiful way. We gathered down on Parley's street at 8 AM for the "Trail of Hope." Along the way the core cast portrayed various journal entries describing the feelings of those that were forced to leave behind this beautiful city. They carried with them their faith in God and a hope for better things to come and the knowledge that they would be sustained in their trials.

We went to the temple with the cast youth in the afternoon. It is so beautiful to see their faces, full of the same faith as those who came before. It has been so much fun to see these young people get to know each other. It is like we are now a family of 125. We'll be sad to leave our new friends but hope to stay in touch as well as we can. After the temple we visited Gina's friends, the Brimhalls who also are working in the temple. They fed us root beer floats (can't get too many of those) and then we scooted off to have our family portrait done in costume.

For our cast meeting, Rachael and I sang "I Need Thee Every Hour" with the choir. I have loved participating in the music here. Our leaders are so good at bringing out the best in us. We had a great district meeting where most of the kids shared some of the feelings they have felt while being here and off they went, "Rejoicing!"

The preshow visiting was especially fun since Mom and Dad arrived. What a joy it was to see them. We also were thrilled to see Dayna, Brynne, Braden and Megan. Two members of our home ward came as well. Devin commented about how he was a little more nervous, knowing people in the audience! I'll have to admit I felt a bit the same myself. It was an absolutely beautiful evening and all went well.

The night ended back at the Jr. High School for a cast dance at 11:30 PM. Way past my bed time but the kids had an absolute blast. It was a full day, a day of rejoicing all around.