Teaching is Learning

I had a wonderful experience with a non-member visitor in June. She had come to Nauvoo with a group of seniors on a day tour, and had listened to our hymnfest-- the concert we do at 3:45 in the Women's Garden in which we all play hymns and bear testimony in between. I had born testimony in my announcement of one of the hymns that we can always trust God.  In talking to her afterward, we got on that topic and she shared with me her belief in trusting God, which was exactly what I needed to hear at that time and made both of us teary-eyed. The Spirit was so powerful as both of us were edified and rejoiced together! (D&C 50) I am grateful that the Spirit teaches all of us the same way, and that in being called to teach the gospel I am blessed to be learning it, as well.

Following the Spirit

Here is a quick thought about an experience I had:

I had a wonderful experience last Sunday when we were helping with the Trail of Hope.  I led a group down the trail.  It was full of Youth and I am allowed to bear my testimony at the very end.  Throughout the trail I was praying for what I could bear testimony of and when we got to the end I had this overwhelming feeling to talk about how God answers our prayers and that He is mindful of us every moment of every day.  He keeps us close to Him if we are willing to draw near unto Him.  Some people thanked me and others went on their way.  I don't know if they needed to hear it but I know that the Spirit was with me and I spoke truth. Then I went back to the beginning to take another tour (we had over 600 people waiting). I was talking with this family and they asked me to be the one that led them down. And at the beginning and the end I bore testimony.  It was a very cool experience, one that I will treasure always.  The mom of that family came to me afterwards and thanked me for the spirit that I had.  She said it made their experience that much more special. 

Testimony

I LOVE IT HERE IN NAUVOO!! I have learned so much from the saints then and now. I have come to understand the importance of the Restoration and how it affects us today. I know that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God. He was an ordinary man doing extraordinary things through the power of God.  I have also come closer to my Savior and Heavenly Father by bearing testimony everyday.  And I have come closer to Him in prayer. I can do nothing without Him.  Sister Peacock. John 14:31.

Trail of Hope

Although we as a band attended the Trail of Hope vignettes quite a while ago, I still wanted to share some of the sacred feelings I had. It was an incredible experience to walk the same path that the early Saints did at the time of their departure from Nauvoo, and consider their magnanimous faith. Though they left behind everything they had, they still trusted in their God to guide them to a better life. I have a greater desire to face my trials and unknowns with faith because of the experience: as I stared into the water of the river that they crossed, I could not help but feel gratitude for the trust which I can have in God, and renewed desire to go forward believing. I wrote a poem about the experience:

They walked here.

They left

lives and memories, homes and plans

In God's hands. They found strength

in the light which flowed

toward them from

the Temple

Where they had come to know God.

They left it

trusting they would come

to know Him

as He walked with them

down that old, old path

of Parley Street.

They didn't leave

behind all they had;

they embraced it.

All they had was hope

for peace through Christ.

Their hope

pulled their burdened handcarts,

lifted their weary feet,

and made the air with music ring

as they faced

the obsidian river.

Their hope

flowed from the Temple

to light the trail.

Their hope

flows from the temple still

to touch the hearts of present saints

who make the opposite journey:

toward the Temple;

who face obsidian rivers

hand in hand with Him

who walks with us

on Parley Street.

The gospel was and still is worth the sacrifice.

Back Again

This is a long time in coming, but I want to share the miracle of how I came to be here in Nauvoo. My story is a story of simple, but powerful miracles that shows that our Heavenly Father has a plan, and that it encompasses every single thing that happens to every one of us. It is story that begins, with a common cold.

My story of how and why i'm here begins one Sunday, In a Sunday around November 2010. During the cold winter months, many of us get get to suffer through a cold or other illness, and my little brother Sam, was doing just that. Because of this, my mom had to stay home to care for him. Being a great mom, she decided that since they weren't going to have a sharing time at church, she was going to go on the church website and have their own at home. Well, she opened up the page, and to her surprise, she saw this announcement that read something like "families wanted to be in the Nauvoo pageant." My wonderful mother was so thrilled with this, that she decided to apply to be in it, and see what happened. Well a few months later we got a call back, and we were accepted to be in the Nauvoo pageant.

So, that next summer, we  went to Nauvoo for the two weeks we were in the pageant, and let me tell you, Nauvoo has a special spirit to it. From the first minute I got there, to now, I have felt it, and i know  now that it is because of the saints who sacrificed so much when they left, so we all could have that we do. I have felt that spirit whenever i have been here since. 

Well, we were in the pageant for that year, and we loved it so much, that we decided to apply for it again. By this time we knew that out of around 800 families that applied, only around 250 were accepted, so we figured that it probably wouldn't be our turn again to be in it, but we went for it anyway. I guess that is where we were meant to be, because we were called back again. Because we had already experienced it once, we were able to enjoy a lot more of the sites to see around Nauvoo, and I was able to go to the family living center and talk to one of the band sisters that was giving tours there at that time, and I had seen the band on the streets, and thought it would be something really fun to do, so when we got home from Nauvoo, I decided to audition. I sent in my video, and was called back, but I Live in Missouri, so they just had me send in another video, and I was accepted, and called to be a missionary out here in Nauvoo.

There's more back-story to it though. When I was younger, i actually played the violin in school orchestra, and i never considered learning a brass instrument. Only when my parents moved us to a small school in Missouri that had no orchestra program did i consider playing a brass instrument. I actually decided to play the trombone, and i learned that. Well, our band was missing an extremely important instrument, the Tuba, so I took it upon myself to learn it, and. Without that intricately mastered plan, I wouldn't be serving here today, and again, just goes to show the power, but also the love, god has towards us.

While I've been serving here, I am reminded again and again of our Heavenly Father's eternal plan for us, and I hope my story helps you all as well.

Pass it Along...

On May 24th, the Band Wagon stopped for our daily break at the end of Parley street over looking the Mississippi river. Elder Foster and I spoke with a family that were stopped at the spot with us. Elder Foster and I had a very wonderful experience with them and we spoke about why they were here in Nauvoo, that was the first time they had stopped in that spot in Nauvoo. They passed Nauvoo many a times driving from Ohio, and they admired our temple but that was the first day they stopped to really look at the temple and the beautiful site of the Mississippi river. They were a part of the Lutheran religion but didn't quite feel apart of that church and they loved how we the people of Nauvoo smiled and had a glow about us. In the middle of the conversation there Elder Brague called us to board the Wagon again. I quickly ran to the wagon and grabbed 4 reference cards to give the family; 2 Nauvoo Brass Band cards, 1 Mormon.org card, and 1 with Jesus and the children on front and the Articles of Faith on back. They happily took them and got pictures with us afterwards. I then boarded the Wagon and left with a smile and a wave with Elder Foster and the rest of the Band.

I didn't think much about that day until I was told 2 days later by our teamster, Elder Nun, about what happened after we left. The family decided to look around Nauvoo and see the sites. They viewed some places and later that day ended up in the Lands and Records building where Elder Nun was serving after the Wagon Ride. They were interested in learning more about the church and the gospel "light" that we all had. So, they received the Missionary's numbers and planned a meeting with them that week. That was wonderful news and I smiled deeply. Then I was told that during the meeting and others, they received a Book of Mormon and they were deeply into the discussions now and interested in the conversion process. The man of the family made the joke "Now I can convert my whole congregation to this gospel truth and light".

Elder Nun bore his testimony about this experience today in Sacrament meeting after his talk. How Beautiful a Truth this Gospel is. I have no doubt in my mind that the Family will be immensely blessed from accepting this gospel into their lives. I love this Gospel with all my Heart. 

The Twisted, Strait, and Narrow

Some paths are so twisted and hidden that once in a while you have to reach out and let Him guide you.

My name is Darrell Burton. Very shortly now I will be called Elder Burton for the summer as I will be a YPM (Young Performing Missionary) in Nauvoo. This is my rather long story about how I came to be where I am and where I'm going in particular regards to serving a mission in Nauvoo, Illinois for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day-Saints. I apologize beforehand for the length. Hopefully it helps someone somewhere somehow or if people just need to know..... I am not offended if you don't read it.

During the summer of 2010 I was trying to decide when to submit my mission papers, if I should go to a semester of college first or just wait until I turned nineteen and go on a mission. Through much thought, and prayer I decided to go to a semester of college first studying trombone performance at USU, and turned in my papers when I was able to. I had the date set for when I was able to leave just after classes would finish. On October 31st I received a phone call from my bishop who informed me of the mission departments concerns for a couple of things with me serving a mission, amongst those concerns were trouble sleeping, eating disorders, social anxiety, and depression. I was advised to see a counselor and resubmit my papers after about six months of being free from the emotional chains holding me back. For the next two semesters I struggled with many things and saw a counselor. School didn't go so grand and neither was I. I was raised and expected to serve a mission, and not many people understand/understood the setbacks, and the pills I was trying didn't help and some made me really sick. The unfulfilled expectation to serve didn't help anything and neither did everyone not being able to understand why I wasn't gone already.

At the end of the semester I had a good friend, Tori, who went and served a service mission in Nauvoo playing trombone in 2011, which I thought was so extremely cool, but I didn't think much of it except I was jealous that she could play the trombone as a missionary. Anyways, I went off pills and started to rely more on friends and exercise. I got a job doing production work on grave shift, so sleep got a lot worse, but I was doing well emotionally, I had found a girlfriend and we had talked about plans to get married after I got back from a mission. Everything couldn't have been more perfect. About a year after the first attempt I started my papers again. With my interview with the stake president it was decided to wait one month more and if all was well with emotional and another concern my mission papers would be submitted. My girlfriend dumped me very shortly after that and my grandmother whom I loved very much passed away within two weeks of the interview. Along with the grave shift my emotional well being plummeted dramatically and I no longer felt capable at the moment to continue with those plans to serve and I decided I would get back to trying to be completely well emotionally, and without leaning on a friend as I had done. I told the stake president not to send in my papers. I believe many still don't understand why I was unable to serve a full time mission then either.

I had taken the semester off of school planning to be going on a mission, and while waiting for the next semester to start again so I could go back emotions got much worse. When school started things picked up, and it turned out ok. During the summer I returned to my grave shift job and things dipped a again, but I had strong friends who lifted me up. Fall semester of 2012 started and I started seeing a counselor again. My friend Tori thought it'd be cool if I auditioned for the Nauvoo Brass Band as a Young Performing Missionary. I started to think about it and had determined to start auditioning but I hadn't started it yet.

One night, rather late in the evening, after having a particularly bad day emotionally I decided to go for a walk past the temple in hopes of being uplifted somewhat. I didn't make it that far that evening. Less than twenty yards out of my apartment I got a phone call, much later in the evening than I would have ever expected from anyone, nonetheless a stranger, and even more so from an elderly person as far as I could tell from the voice, and the conversation that followed was even more surprising.  Some days or weeks or so earlier Tori had given my phone number to Elder Brague, who was the director of the Nauvoo Brass Band that I was thinking about auditioning for. I spent the next half hour or so talking on the phone with this very happy little elderly gentleman whom I didn't know at all. He talked to me about Nauvoo and had been told by Tori that I was a decent trombone player. He told me that he was excited and looking forward to hearing me audition and we talked a little about emotions and he gave me some advice. He asked if I had ever served a mission before and I told him I had not, to which he responded that I'd be a return missionary at the end of this coming summer. What I most got from the phone call was a divinely timed, and I'm sure inspired by The Lord, phone call from an extremely happy elderly man who lifted my spirits and made me excited to try out and audition for the Nauvoo Brass Band as a missionary.

Though I was still struggling with emotions everything started to fall into place and work out. I feel very strongly that The Lord has let me go through my harder times so that He may build me up for His purposes, one of which is this service mission in Nauvoo. I know that He Lives and loves me personally and there were lessons which were hard for me but that I needed to learn so that I can be of greater use to Him. I don't know what those purposes are yet but I feel that Nauvoo is the start of my journey and everything has fallen into place for me to be going there now. I sent in my DVD audition and told Elder Brague that it was in. A couple weeks later I was informed of the call back live audition to be held in Salt Lake City in the beginning of January. I had started seeing a counselor for my emotional struggle again and we were making great progress and relatively fast compared to prior experiences. The beginning of the week following my audition in Salt Lake Elder Brague called me to officially extend the offer for me to be in the Nauvoo Brass Band and to start my paperwork to be called and set apart.

Within that next month I have been able to stop seeing a counselor because I have been able to step out and progress enough that it was no longer needed. It has been now two to three months since then. It doesn't end there however. Satan doesn't want anyone to go on missions and I am no exception. Depression was still struggling at times and I wasn't as strong as I needed to be. Following about a month or so of being really low again I decided to actually go and do the small things that I wasn't very strong with, but that everyone knows you need to do. I was going to church and I occasionally read my scriptures and said my prayers, but they weren't as strong habits as they should be. I started to read my scriptures in depth for an hour or so every day and the difference was immediate. The promise of reading the scriptures being a protection from the adversary and a great cure from emotional struggles is a very tried and true promise. It works. The Book of Mormon is a true and living testament of Christ, and it got me up the next step.

The next week I put a rock on my pillow to remind me to say my prayers and further closer my relationship with Heavenly Father and with scripture study has exponentially changed my attitudes. I have been able to talk to people and say hello when I used to not be able to. I have been more optimistic about anything then I generally ever have been before. I have been able to step out of my comfort zone, and my thoughts and actions have been much more uplifting to myself and others. I have found another really close friend whom I may never have found, but I am not leaning on her emotionally and I feel that I can now have strong relationships built in good things that may or may not end up going somewhere, but most importantly it won't shred my life if it doesn't work in the end. I have learned to be an extremely open and caring person that I can tell my story to anyone who really asks or wants to know. I know that it's ok to cry once in a while and that things will work out in the end, and I know that it won't kill me to be vulnerable and that in irony there is actually strength in being vulnerable. I have a testimony of Christ and His atoning Sacrifice. I know that we can feel peace in this life and the life to come. I know God knows and loves each and every one of His children and that our trials are preparing us for things to come. Without having struggles I would be a very different person than I am today, and I wouldn't be going to Nauvoo. I wouldn't have the opportunities to learn and prepare for whatever it is that Nauvoo is preparing me for. Nauvoo is where I am supposed to be and I have a testimony about this great and marvelous work.

Sincerely,

Darrell Legrand Burton

(Elder Burton by the end of this week)

A Marvelous Work Is About To Come Forth

Hello, I am Sister Brittany Brunner, and I am a Missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I, along with many others, will be serving in the Nauvoo Brass Band Service Mission. When Thomas S. Monson made the announcement back in October for the women's age changes for missionary service my heart swelled with joy! I, a girl who had loved this gospel her whole life, now could give others this gospel to love too!

I had planned on serving a mission after 2 semesters here at Utah State University because I have scholarships and a promise to educate myself to fulfill. Around January-time I started thinking about when I would submit my papers and how to prepare myself. I did not know about the Nauvoo mission opportunity at this time. On a Monday in January, I was talking with a good friend who had gone on this mission in the past and she told me all about it. Everything seemed so wonderful and I was so proud to know her and to have learned about that amazing experience in her life. On Wednesday, 2 days after learning about Nauvoo, I was sitting in English and the thought came to me to pray about Nauvoo. So there in English class I had a mini conversation with God, and...well, immediately after I turned to my friend and with a surprised expression on my face I said “I’m going to serve in Nauvoo this summer”. God has a marvelous work in store for us, I have the desires to serve god, blessed, I am called to the work (D&C 4). I cannot wait until I get to start my many moments in pure joy and utter disappointment serving my God. I know this Church is true and I am a sure witness that God exists and loves us far beyond what we can imagine. Blessed be the people of Nauvoo, for God is sending me there for a reason and the hearts I touch, I am sure, will change my life more than I can possibly imagine. God be with us till we meet again.

That They May Accomplish

My first semester at BYU-Idaho, Elder Brague came around to one of my band rehearsals. He explained his calling and how the Nauvoo brass band was made up of elder and sister missionaries who serve there from May to August.  He then directed us to look at a website with audition information. At the time I thought that spending a summer in Nauvoo as a missionary would be a fantastic experience, so I followed the link he gave us.  As I looked more and more into it, I found that I really wanted to serve there that summer, but quickly realized that a summer in Nauvoo would always conflict with my fall/spring track at BYUI. So much to my disappointment I closed my browser and went back to my practice room.

Flash forward to this last fall semester. As my religion elective I chose to take FDREL303, Teachings of the Living Prophets. (Excellent class by the way. What better homework assignment is there than reading conference talks? :)

As General Conference approached we had more and more discussions as to how to effectively listen to and take notes. Something my professor, Brother Hammond, encouraged us to do was to take notes which were more than just what the speaker said.

"We learn through the spirit," he said, "So why not write down the promptings and feelings that have when first listening?" "We can always go back and re-read what was spoken, but will we always remember the things we felt when we first listened?"

I was very lucky and my mom was able to get me three tickets to the Saturday morning session and so me and two of my best friends took a road trip down to Utah. Growing up in New York, I'd never been to conference, so I was really excited to finally get to go.

As we sat there that morning and President Monson came out, everyone stood. I have never heard 20,000 people be so quite in my life. :) And as we stood I knew in my heart that this man was The Prophet of God.

After the opening song and prayer he then stood and gave his historic address. I looked to either side of me, to my two friends and noticed that we each had started crying. The spirit was so strong. Looking back all I can really make out from my notes is,"I'm going on a mission!," "When is the soonest I can be prepared to go?"

I met with my Bishop in Rexburg, but due to complications with my papers I decided to put off finishing them till I got home at Christmas. Around Halloween Elder Brague made his rounds again at BYUI. This time I knew that I shouldn't be afraid to take off time to go to Nauvoo.

With the help of a very dear friend, a Nauvoo alumni, I submitted my initial audition tape. I was overjoyed to get the email with my callback, but knew that I would be home off-track in New York for the live auditions. I scrambled to pack my apartment, finish projects, take tests, and make a final audition tape at school. We finished recording minutes before the piccolo and recorder were due for the semester and my friend said he'd send the DVD in for me. (Honestly getting everything done that day was a miracle.)

Flash forward to Christmas Day where I got a text from my friend saying, "Merry Christmas! btw I can't find your recordings...where did you save them?" After scouring through his hard-drive we realized that I hadn't properly saved them on his computer and they were now lost. So now I'm two weeks closer to my audition deadline and don't have access to the facilities and equipment I did for my previous recording.

With a prayer in my heart, I borrowed my friend's piccolo and shot my second tape with my dad and his iPad. I knew that if it really were God's will for me to go to Nauvoo, He would make my best effort good enough.

A few days later, shopping in Target with my mom, Elder Brague called to invite me to Nauvoo. The people there must have been a little confused as I eagerly paced through the isles smiling and bouncing around like a kid at Christmas.

Since I'm home working most people are already confused as to what I'm doing with my life, and I've found that my mission call itself is an opportunity to strike up a conversation about the church.

I'm so grateful for all that my Heavenly Father has blessed me with. I'm so excited to be able to share my testimony every day this summer and help to bring joy to others as they learn more about the restored gospel of Jesus Christ, and in turn, come to better know their Savior.

‘Til then!

Plans Changed

My name is Richard Lyman. I have played trombone for ten years and served a full time ministerial mission to Australia. I had no intention of participating in the Nauvoo Brass band, even when a friend of mine called me and suggested I give it some thought. Things changed, however, when she invited me to pray about it and see if the Lord wanted me to go. This worried me, as I had plans to work full-time over the summer and save up for another semester of college and possibly purchase a new trombone. I told the Lord my plans and He made it clear to me that my plans needed to change. I did some more pondering and praying, and began to see this was what the Lord wanted for me. I then gave Elder Brague a call, and here I am. The Lord, no doubt, has a plan for me and all of his children. I look forward to the privilege of serving Him in this capacity.