The Young Preforming Missionaries - aka The YPM's


     We can't end our blog with out paying tribute to a special group of missionaries.  One of the delightful things that happens in Nauvoo every summer is the arrival of the Young Preforming Missionaries (YPM's).  These consist of very talented and capable singers, dancers, and band members who play brass instruments to accompany the various performances.  They have to pass an audition to be selected to be in this group.  Their mission is for about 4 months and they work their hearts out from dawn to dark providing the entertainment that makes Nauvoo such a pleasant experience for all the visitors. They have to learn approximately sixty songs by heart and the roles included in the three plays and dances for the two pageants.  They are assigned different cast groups and these roles are rotated so that there is more than one performer prepared to present a particular part. In addition they do several concerts and vignettes around town and over in Carthage.  They also performed for special occasions such at the Commemoration of the Martyrdom in the Joseph Smith Cemetery and the flag raising for the Fourth of July which added additional music to honor the occasion.  The dancing is very vigorous requiring a great deal of stamina.  And they do all this dressed in their pioneer costumes of long skirts and long sleeves no matter what the temperature or humidity.  We are sharing a few of our favorite shots from their performances. It was hard to choose because we loved every minute of our time with them.


Sunset By the Mississippi
The half hour before the show begins the children are invited to come up and make a hat, pick an instrument, and march in the Children's Parade around the seats to a rousting march played by the Nauvoo Brass Band.  The young preforming missionaries assisted in making it all happen. In the blue shirt in the middle is grandson Benjamin.
  

At the beginning of the program they gave a tribute to all the branches of the Armed Forces.  As the band played the various theme songs for each branch, the site and preforming missionaries presented the flag of each one.  Members and veterans of the military were invited to stand and be recognized.
Elder Nelson stood for the U S Navy


The YPM's joined with the senior site missionaries and the Brass Band to put on a fun, fast moving show called "Sunset by the Mississippi"




One of the favorite songs is called "My Achy Breaky Heart."  The classic line in it was, "Someone stomped on my aorta!"

The Sad, Sad Cowboy was sooo dramatic while the popular cow smiled on!

The Nauvoo Brass Band
They had their own horse drawn wagon to take them around town to their various concerts and gigs. 

The girls got to wear the same dress all summer long!

Brass Band Marching and doing Formations in "Sunset By the Mississippi"

Melodrama
One of the skits was a classic melodrama with the widow about to lose her mortgage, the villain threatening to take it away with peril to her life, and the hero running in each time to save the day.  There was lots of audience participation and laughs for all.  In this picture the widow is laying of the ground holding on to the hero's leg as the villain is about to get caught. All the heroes were chosen out of the audience to help with the skit.

These are some high-stepping boys in the song "Grandmother's Feather Bed!!


Another play that they put on was called "The Promise." It was presented in the large auditorium of the Visitor's Center.  It is about Nauvoo in the early 1840's.  The opening narrator asked the question, "Is it a history, an intrigue, or a romance?  Perhaps it's all three!"  Photography was not allowed in the show so this is the only picture we have. One of the most touching scenes in the play is when the saints in Nauvoo get word from Carthage that Joseph and Hyrum have been shot. They did a nice job putting you in the scene so that you would be able to imagine how that would have felt if you had actually been there. It brings tears to my eyes as I write this.

Before each show the cast stepped out onto the balcony and sang a warm-up song over our heads a Capella. It was called, "Where Two or More are Gathered" and it was sung so tenderly and sweetly that it really brought the spirit.  It was the signal that the show was about to begin. 

Young Preforming Missionaries singing from the balcony


After the play the cast came out for a meet and greet.  Jen's kids wanted a picture with their favorite missionary/cast members.


The third play was called "Just Plain Anna Amanda."  It was presented in the Cultural Hall and is geared towards the children though the adults in the crowd enjoyed it too.  It is about a girl who doesn't have enough confidence to be happy with who she is.  She wishes people would call her and treat her for herself instead of because of her relationship with someone else.  By the end she knows she has worth because of who she is.  This cast below was our favorite, if it is okay to pick favorites! Before the show they came out on the sidewalk to greet the people on their way into the play.







A scene from "Just Plain Amanda Amanda"

A couple of nights a week the YPM's  preformed vignettes at each of the stations along the Trail of Hope.  They portrayed various people who left Nauvoo during the winter of 1846 by quoting from their journals.  It was done after dark by the light of a kerosene lanterns.  As we walked along the trail and thought about how hard it must have been to give up everything to leave for the West, I felt so much gratitude for their faith and sacrifice.

Preparing for the Trail of Hope.

Singing about "Dear Nauvoo" before the presentation of the Trail of Hope


The YPM's also had a large supporting role to play in the two pageants presented this summer.  The core cast are all professional actors who carry the story line with the speaking parts but the missionaries had a big role to play in filling out the chorus and dances.










This is the finale of the British Pageant. If you look closely to the left of the lady in the green outfit standing at the back near the center, you can see us on the end of the missionary group who came in at the last to support the message that the missionaries are an integral part of the gathering in the last days.  We especially loved the British Pageant because it portrayed the story of our own ancestors who were converted by the early missionaries in Britain.


Finally the sad day came when we had to bid farewell to these outstanding missionaries and put them on the bus to send them back to college and the rest of their lives.  They were dear to us because they also came often to the temple and we had a many opportunities to mingle and serve them.  Several received their endowments while they were there in preparation for their upcoming mission calls.
A few of us were selected to come early and prepare breakfast for the YPM's before they left for the airport.  Even though it was very early, we were happy to sacrifice some sleep to serve them after they had served us so long and so well.

President and Sister Irion (back to us) and Sister McKay (pink sweater) of the Presidency were on hand to set out the food.

It was our assignment to collect the donated hams and bring them heated and ready to serve from the Smith's electric oven.  We also brought cinnamon rolls and orange sauce for the ham.


In the basement of the Visitor Center there is a kitchen and dining area (called the Bistro) where these missionaries were fed during the summer.


The bus arrived and it is time for final hugs and good-byes.
 President Irion is still serving up oranges and bananas.

And of course they sang one last song for us before they left.
"Heavenly Father Loves Me"

It's not easy to sing when you are choked with emotion, but they did a wonderful job of filling our hearts with love and gratitude for the blessings of being able to serve in this historic location where Joseph Smith and the restoration of the Lord's gospel took place. These missionaries brought the spirit in a profound way that helped us all.















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