Blessed part 6

Ever since I was 16 years old and had experienced my first time of being in the Hill Cumorah Pageant I put it on my "Life's Goal's List" of returning someday with my own children to be in the Pageant.

This was a dream come true for me.

I felt like I lived it all over again through my children, 

knowing what they were experiencing and feeling.  I was determined to get back and do this Pageant with them as soon as possible because I knew that my kids needed this experience.  The last several years had been very hard for them.  Some were questioning certain values that they once believed.  Some were questioning why life had to be so hard.  Some just had hard stuff thrown at them and were confused.  I knew that taking them back to Palmyra New York was the answer.  

I knew it!

So, when we didn't get accepted the first year I literally called the President on the phone and told him that my family needed to be there.  He never got back with me.  It turns out that the timing wasn't right.  I applied again and this time we got accepted.  

It was the right time.

To watch my kids feel the Spirit; to watch them hold their chests at feeling the 'burning of the bosom' and say, "Mom can you feel that?"; to see them cry at feeling the Spirit, to watch their eyes watch certain parts of the Pageant; to know they bore their testimony and say, "I know the Church is true"; to see their JOY and happiness at being around some of the most sacred places on Earth; to hear them talk about experiences of Spiritual moments that happened; to hear from other leaders what amazing kids I have; to watch my children perform their parts; to watch the kids walk around in their costume and feel happy with the part they play; to watch Kaden want to reach up and touch Jesus' hand; to watch my children serve others; to see them get excited when something Spiritual happened; to watch them make life long friends; to watch them cry with their whole heart at saying good-bye to these friends; to hear the silence in the car as we drive away from the Hill; to hear them talk about how no one will understand the amazing 2 weeks they had just experienced because there are no words to explain it...

THAT IS WHY I TOOK MY KIDS TO THE PAGEANT.

It was all worth it! 

The exhaustion, the mosquitos, the lack of sleep, the driving across the country alone, the amount of money spent... it was ALL worth it for my children to have this experience.  

I am so grateful!  

This was us right before we locked up the trailer and said good-bye to it for the last time.  It was a lot messier than we had thought and took us a lot longer to clean.  But it was a great home to us.

Looking at these pictures remind me of the feeling I had during this time.

It was worth it and 

it is true.

These pictures are now hanging in our house...

... along with the scripture reminding us all that 

"if any of you lack wisdom let him ask of God that giveth to all men liberally and upbraideth not

and it shall be given him."

We can all know for ourselves that the Book of Mormon is true.  We can ask and find out for ourselves if Joseph Smith was a prophet and if we have a living Prophet on the Earth today.  We can pray to know which is the church that Heavenly Father wants us to be part of; the church that has the authority of God.

Because if those things are true, then that makes ALL the difference.

It is all true 

and I pray that my children remember it for the rest of their lives.