More LONG Days

Friday was opening night here at the Pageant!!  We had an approximate attendance of 6500...not too shabby!  All of us are having a lot of fun making friends with members of the cast; people have come from as far as Japan, Nova Scotia, and the United Arab Emirates to be in it.  Performances end at about 10:30 then we have to change out of costumes, having a closing devotional, and drive 20 minutes back to our hotel (usually with an ice cream stop on the way :). So it makes for late nights.  Thankfully because we have no rehearsals the second week, we can sleep in a little later.  The toughest part of most nights though is hearing the protestors while we walk to our car.  They have no shortage of bad things to say about our church and what we believe, but I often think of the scripture that says that there must needs be opposition in all things.  It's also fulfillment of the prophecy that Joseph Smith's name will be had for good and evil among all nations.  Sometimes I actually feel gratitude for the protestors, for helping me realize how deep my testimony really is.  I love being here and sharing the message of the pageant.  Really it's about Christ.  We are here to invite people to come unto him and to teach that he's our Savior.  This year is the 75th anniversary of the Hill Cumorah Pageant and it's amazing to think the grandeur of the things were doing here, the people we're reaching, and the events that happened on this hill.