The British Pageant 2013 - Ben's Perspective

The British Pageant 2013 - Ben's Perspective

When I married Harriet, I knew I was marrying into a musical family. I knew they had all done something theatre-ish to some extent, so I knew that at some point I would feel obliged to take part.

I must admit that joining Lichfield Stake Choir was something I felt obliged to do, but the fun I had taking part in that was something that has changed my whole attitude towards performing as a whole. I loved taking part and for the first time in my life, I looked forward to singing in front of a reasonably large group of people. When we performed as part of a choir, we performed in front of an audience of around 150-200, which to me was a pretty daunting task. The performances went well and I felt the buzz that comes from performing, while those familiar feelings of the spirit came as we shared the gospel through song.

After doing other musical things (Harriet and I sang a duet at a baptism – something else I never thought I would do), I have become more at home with singing in front of groups, so when the opportunity came to be involved in the first ever British Pageant here in Chorley, I knew we would be taking part in some way.

Harriet and I signed up to be a part of the Family Cast, which in a lot of other performances would be known as the ensemble. I have become more and more excited about this role and today took part in the first of what I assume will be many practice sessions where we do some singing and… wait for it… dancing. Another thing I never, EVER dreamed I would do in front of people. Just as before with singing, rather than denying myself the chance to see if I’m perhaps good at something else, I decided to just throw all caution to the wind and go for it. And guess what?? It was FUN! Fun? Dancing? Moi? And I even managed to get through a whole practice session without injuring either myself or some other poor soul unfortunate enough to be in my immediate vicinity.

Now that the fun side has been talked about, I want to talk about the other experiences I have had at the Pageant so far. Those of you that know me will know that Ben’s serious moments are rare, so here’s a chance to witness one.

Last night we were able to sit in what is now called “The Pageant Theatre” to watch the cast perform on opening night. I had already seen run-throughs of the plot, but when I first saw it performed properly, I connected with the characters portrayed so well by the volunteers on stage. I thought about when I moved over to live in Utah while at university and about how easy it was for me to do that. I traveled over on a plane, was able to speak to my family regularly and I even got to travel home at least once a year.

One scene of the pageant shows the main families bidding farewell to their home as they traveled by boat to a land they knew next to nothing about. I can’t imagine what they were feeling. I knew when I went over there that when I got homesick and missed the green, rolling hills of Rutland that I would just have to wait for a few months and I would see it again. I even moved back there when I finished my studies. The early British saints were leaving this beautiful country never to see it again. Some left behind whole families and sacrificed everything because they had faith that in the grand scheme of things, all would indeed be well, as the hymn goes.

I feel so humbled to be a part of this pageant in celebration of the first baptisms here in England 175 years ago. I feel my testimony of the truth of this gospel being strengthened daily, while I also feel so proud to be British. I feel proud of my heritage and immensely thankful to those who sacrificed so much to make my life so easy. I am grateful that I don’t have to endure the persecution they had to endure, but I am most proud of the fact that I get to share this gospel with others.

I loved the time I spent out in Utah – the “Zion” that was established for the most part on the backs of these hardy British souls – but I always kept a part of my country in my heart while I was there because I knew that my heart lay at home in England. Now, almost a year after being married to Harriet for time and all eternity, I know why the pull to return home was so strong!