Performing, sharing the gospel and feeling the Spirit at the Nauvoo Pageant

Other examples offer glimpses of what it’s like to be a part of the Nauvoo Pageant. When we hear a crew of teenage boys vigorously singing “Scripture Power” as they disassemble the stage’s temple set late after a performance, or we see a small child dance the “Highland Fling” with joyful exuberance, or we share an intimate missionary moment with a member of the audience, we know we are involved in something special. When we form lasting bonds of friendship with fellow cast members who we met just days ago, or we break from rehearsals to perform temple ordinances in the Nauvoo Illinois Temple for our ancestors, or the Holy Ghost strikes us unexpectedly as another line from the pageant is uttered during a rehearsal or performance, we perceive that this is the Lord’s work. When we listen to our own child humbly express how the pageant has brought her closer to Jesus Christ, we know that participation in the Nauvoo Pageant is an abundant spiritual feast that has permanently blessed our family.

Perhaps our three older children explained it best. We asked them why they liked being cast members of the Nauvoo Pageant, and each one separately responded with a statement about how the pageant makes them feel. To quote our oldest teenage daughter, Leah, “It’s feeling the Spirit, meeting great people and sharing the gospel!” Is there anything better than that?

Aaron Blight, his wife Jessica and four children drive more than 1,000 miles from their home in the Berryville Ward, Berryville Virginia Stake, to be part of the family cast in the Nauvoo Pageant.