Returning with Honor: the last email from Nauvoo
Thank you all for following Sister Greenwood's adventures in Nauvoo! Her time as a missionary is quickly coming to an end, and she will be returning on the 15th of this month. There will be one more post after this with pictures of her returning home, but after that this blog will not be updated further by me (Jessica) but rather turned over to Casey to do with as she sees fit. Again, thank you for following Sister Greenwood's mission. We know that the Church is true, and that Casey's service to her Heavenly Father has touched lives, including and especially ours as her family. We pray that you all have been touched as well.
-The Greenwood Family
i can't believe this is the last email i will send. i get home august 15 and while i am excited to see my family and keep in touch with all my new friends via the glories of social media and cell phones, i am honestly going to miss the peace that not having a cell phone has provided me hahaha.
our director titled this past week "happier week" and the upcoming week will be "happiest week." we have striven to find joy in every moment through the new trials we have faced this week, including our general director being taken to the hospital after having a stroke. however, the lord has truly blessed him for his service here and he is healing quickly.
my biggest challenge lately has been my voice. after staying surprisingly strong all summer long singing all day every day, lately it has been so exhausted that I've been on vocal rest almost every day for the entire week (and some of last week) except for the promise, which the lord has helped me to continue to do. however, it has been kind of fun when i have been on vocal rest, because i get to bring out my disney performer side <3 My afternoon cast calls this GSL - Greenwood Sign Language bahaha.
also can i talk about how much i have embarrassed myself this week because it's hilarious. While pantomiming a story i crashed into Elder Cottam's plate at lunchtime and practically gave myself a black eye for one (it really is bruised)!!!!
my morning cast has had many special experiences together this week, including two wonderfully spiritual days at Carthage. we read the plaques along the path to the jail together as a cast and the spirit strongly testified to me that Joseph Smith's words are true. He saw the father and the son. heavenly father and his son jesus christ restored christ's true gospel through this uneducated, humble farm boy who became a great leader through the power of god.
in addition, elder sykes and i had a really cool conversation yesterday with a guy who is doing research about nauvoo and the YPM program for church leadership! it was awesome to be able to discuss how even though we are as some say "just singing" we are doing as much missionarywork and saving as many souls as proselyting missionaries because music is the universal language. we discussed a variety of other things, but we are both so passionate about the ypm program.
during the promise elder joyner fell off the back wall, so that is the thing that everyone has been dying about since tuesday. it was hilarioussssssss!!!!!!! he didn't get hurt because the fall wasn't that far, but gosh it was funny. we got it on video too so that was inspired #thechurchistrue
pageant is over now and we are all so sad... i'm amazed that we got to be a part of it! we sang in front of the temple as we watched it being lit last night after the pageant and it was such a beautiful moment. the spirit among the ypms is so tangible.
on friday the spirit prompted me to have my afternoon nauvoo singers cast sing "i know heavenly father loves me" for a woman and her husband and she was in tears because it's her favorite song. i know that the spirit gives us promptings so that we can help others to feel god's love for them.
i can't even think about leaving this beautiful place and these amazing people... but i guess i'll be home soon... love you all.
-The Greenwood Family
i can't believe this is the last email i will send. i get home august 15 and while i am excited to see my family and keep in touch with all my new friends via the glories of social media and cell phones, i am honestly going to miss the peace that not having a cell phone has provided me hahaha.
our director titled this past week "happier week" and the upcoming week will be "happiest week." we have striven to find joy in every moment through the new trials we have faced this week, including our general director being taken to the hospital after having a stroke. however, the lord has truly blessed him for his service here and he is healing quickly.
my biggest challenge lately has been my voice. after staying surprisingly strong all summer long singing all day every day, lately it has been so exhausted that I've been on vocal rest almost every day for the entire week (and some of last week) except for the promise, which the lord has helped me to continue to do. however, it has been kind of fun when i have been on vocal rest, because i get to bring out my disney performer side <3 My afternoon cast calls this GSL - Greenwood Sign Language bahaha.
also can i talk about how much i have embarrassed myself this week because it's hilarious. While pantomiming a story i crashed into Elder Cottam's plate at lunchtime and practically gave myself a black eye for one (it really is bruised)!!!!
my morning cast has had many special experiences together this week, including two wonderfully spiritual days at Carthage. we read the plaques along the path to the jail together as a cast and the spirit strongly testified to me that Joseph Smith's words are true. He saw the father and the son. heavenly father and his son jesus christ restored christ's true gospel through this uneducated, humble farm boy who became a great leader through the power of god.
in addition, elder sykes and i had a really cool conversation yesterday with a guy who is doing research about nauvoo and the YPM program for church leadership! it was awesome to be able to discuss how even though we are as some say "just singing" we are doing as much missionarywork and saving as many souls as proselyting missionaries because music is the universal language. we discussed a variety of other things, but we are both so passionate about the ypm program.
during the promise elder joyner fell off the back wall, so that is the thing that everyone has been dying about since tuesday. it was hilarioussssssss!!!!!!! he didn't get hurt because the fall wasn't that far, but gosh it was funny. we got it on video too so that was inspired #thechurchistrue
pageant is over now and we are all so sad... i'm amazed that we got to be a part of it! we sang in front of the temple as we watched it being lit last night after the pageant and it was such a beautiful moment. the spirit among the ypms is so tangible.
on friday the spirit prompted me to have my afternoon nauvoo singers cast sing "i know heavenly father loves me" for a woman and her husband and she was in tears because it's her favorite song. i know that the spirit gives us promptings so that we can help others to feel god's love for them.
i can't even think about leaving this beautiful place and these amazing people... but i guess i'll be home soon... love you all.
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