Last summer was a whirlwind summer, where three of the Taylor kids got married in one year. One of the weddings was at the Nauvoo Temple. I had never been to Nauvoo and had always wanted to go, ever since I became a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, about 16 years ago. It is replete with history and stories of the pioneers of the Church. I was looking forward to this part of the summer more than anything else, and could hardly contain my excitement as we drove into town. The thing that I did not expect to feel was the ‘spirit of the pioneers’.
As I walked through the streets, and visited the historic sites, and imagined the times when the pioneers of the Church lived and raised their families here, I could literally feel their strength, their sacrifice and their spirits, as they strove to do what the Lord wanted them to. It was overwhelming for me and at times, I would just find an old stoop in front of some store, sit down and have tears pouring down my face, both in love and gratitude for their deep sense of faith and love for God. Nauvoo is a special place for me and it will always be 🙂
In 1839, early members of The Church of Jesus Christ inhabited this place, and transformed it from marshlands to a place of peace and beauty, lush green hills and meadows, lovely little brick homes and a place bustling with industry and life, colors and children and a loving, faithful community. Sadly, they were forced to leave this ‘paradise’ they had helped create, amidst persecution and death. But leave they did, with unwavering faith in God.
Today, Nauvoo is designated as a National Historic Landmark and many of the early shops, homes and public places have been restored or rebuilt, so we can get a taste of what life was like for the pioneers and learn of the history of the Church in those times. What makes this place even more special is that Aaron’s grandfather, Grandpa Taylor, was in charge of some of the restoration project of Nauvoo and oversaw much of the work that was done to restore it to its original state. Nauvoo provides several activities for those who visit and one of the most widely attended and celebrated event is the Nauvoo Pageant.
The Nauvoo Pageant was first performed in 2005, to celebrate the 200th birthday of Joseph Smith, the founder of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Since then, the pageant has been a crowd favorite and with an enormous cast of 480 volunteers, many of whom pay for all of their expenses, they re-enact the times of the pioneers and portray their lives in an excellent fashion. It is a wonderful production that should not be missed, if you happen to visit Nauvoo.
A few pics of the volunteers dressed in period costumes:
The pageant under way with the Nauvoo Temple as a backdrop.
We had a such a wonderful time watching the pageant, running into some old friends, spending time with our large family and enjoying the good cheer and lovely music.
