Nauvoo Pageant, opening night

I stayed up far too late last night, and woke up tired. Our district had been assigned to help clean up the school, so we went over there around noon. Our assignment was to pick up trash in the gym, hallways, and some of the bathrooms, sweep the halls, and do some basic maintenance of the bathrooms. So of course we cleaned all the bathrooms, swept the gym, beat out the floor mats, swept the hallways, and did someone's hair. Well, the last one my mom did, but we had to wait for her. Someone in blue cast was trying to do her own hair, and my mother volunteered to help.

We actually patronized one of the fine business establishments in Nauvoo for lunch. Then we learned how to make shoes. On the way back to the condo, we again patronized a business establishment, this time to buy some frozen custard. It was delicious. And we got ready to go pageant.

We first met as a cast at the chapel for a brief but touching fireside. As we left, we noted that the sky had become ominously gray and the wind was picking up. A few minutes after we got to the pageant site, the rain began. It rained fairly steadily until a few minutes before the pageant ended. It's hard to visit with people before the pageant when most of them are running for shelter. Also if you have no idea how to hold a conversation. Which I don't. Anyways, the pageant thankfully started, although a bit late, and we did it. Strangely, my vest's coloring somehow ran through to my white shirt, leaving a greenish-black stain all over the back. And I got mud on my pants. Both pairs. (My costume includes two pairs of pants. We change clothes to become progressively lighter throughout the show. At least, some people do. I really only become lighter right before the finale, when I change from dark pants, a coat, and a black vest into light pants and no vest.)

Afterwards we were supposed to talk to audience members and convince them to give us referrals. I didn't do so well at that. I only struck up a conversation with one family, and it petered out. Then when I left, nearly everyone was being talked to. (Rain seems to have a restricting effect on the size of the audience.) So my tally of missionary experiences rests at exactly nil. I guess there's always tomorrow. It had better not rain.