June 28, 2009 Crossing the Plains Sunday the Choir, Orchestra and all related travel companions faced the grueling 12 hour trek across the Midwest, from Oklahoma to Colorado. The morning was sweetened by the testimony and faithful stories of President Robert Keyes, Norman Oklahoma Stake President, as he shared some of the efforts of the church members in Oklahoma who promoted the Choir concert in this area. His humble yet stirring expression of gratitude confirmed what many had already felt the night before at our performance. Challenges and blessings in the lives of faithful Latter-day Saints have no boundaries of time or space. Sacrifice has been on the minds of Choir and Orchestra members as some were able to identify ancestral graves in those quiet and sacred pioneer cemeteries visited in the past week. Others thought of the struggle and subsequent resting places of family members along the trail that our buses followed. The typical scene at a rest stop. (Click to enlarge). It’s true that our journey in 2009 is on a paved road inside an air-conditioned bus with ample provisions: however, in many ways it’s the same as the mid-1800s journey of the pioneers. It was the “fire of the covenant” that created the inward drive which moved the pioneer companies forward. This same “fire” is evident in the Choir members today. Almost traditionally, once a Choir tour is announced, great opposition follows personally for members of the Choir. Why? There is a great force for good that goes out into the world when the Choir sings and sends praises to the heavens. No matter what the challenges before and during a tour, Choir and Orchestra members are a pretty happy bunch! (Click to enlarge). Past tours bring memories for some individuals of jobs forfeited, battles with cancer, even the death of loved ones while away on tour. Not many years ago during a tour, one brother received word that his son had drowned in a lake while celebrating graduation from high school. That night as the men of the Choir sang, “Bring Him Home,” a poignant memory was created for all present. Another similarity between the two journeys is, like the pioneers of old, the Lord watches over the Choir and Orchestra, performing many miracles in their behalf, collectively and individually. Those who have responsibility for organizing the tour have seen numerous extraordinary examples of divine intervention. Barry Anderson recounted one of those as the Choir and Orchestra stopped for dinner in Hays, Kansas. Finding a place to feed 569 people in the middle of the prairie isn’t a simple task. Barry told of the special help he had finding accommodation for the dinner at Ft. Hays State University through the assistance of local Church leaders. Several of them were on hand to serve the touring company a delicious meal at the time and place it was needed. No one knows more about the miracles--both large and small--that take place on a tour than Choir Administrative Manager Barry Anderson. (Click to enlarge). Those traveling on tour are the recipients of the tender mercies of the Lord such as these, knowing that He is ever-present and mindful of their unique circumstances, creating the heartfelt refrain, “Happy day, all is well.” By Beth Breinholt, 1st Alto