RETURN WITH HONOR
SCENERY: Clouds. Sign - “Heavenly Mansion 14967"
Chairs and blankets in a semi-circle. People in them (except for Sarah, Lott, Gerda, Carl, and Luke.)
SCENE I
Sarah and Gerda are standing off to the side. Chairs are set up for 25 people.
Sarah: Hi Gerda. Its been awhile since I’ve seen you. Isn’t this a great idea, a reunion based on our earth life.
Gerda: It sure is. It’s going to be fun to reminisce - and talk about the good old “days” on earth. And it’s going to be a lot of fun to use my earth name again.
Sarah: Its good to see you. The only time we get together is when we end up on a project together.
Gerda: I know. And it seems an eon ago, but it wasn’t that long.
Sarah: Right. But - don’t forget. This is an earth reunion - we use earth time as well as our earth names during this reunion.
Gerda: Oh, I know. It’s easy to forget. By the way, where’s Lott.
Sarah: Finishing up a Priesthood assignment. He’ll be here soon. Is Carl out with the crowd.
Gerda: I’m sure. You know how he is. Loves to be with people - especially his earth life relatives. He didn’t get a chance to be with them much on earth, and you know how busy we are when we get back.
Sarah: Busy - isn’t the word. Isn’t it great that these reunions will be happening forever. It’s nice not to have that earth time restraint on everything.
Gerda: It is, but somehow, when we were on earth, I thought we wouldn’t be so busy here - since there is not really a time element.
Sarah: Same here. But I guess we didn’t realize that no time boundaries meant that the activities would go on forever.
Gerda: Well, at least, everything I do here is a joy. Well, most of the time. Well, lets go over with the rest. The best part of this reunion will be mingling and reminiscing. It’s fun to hear about everyone’s earth experiences. They are all so different in so many ways.
Sarah: Right - and do you remember, we’ve got another “great grandchild” going down soon. He’ll have a million questions - won’t it be fun for all of us to talk to him about the experience he will have.
Gerda: Maybe we can calm down some of that nervousness - or make it worse. (Both laugh) (They walk over to chairs and sit down.
SCENE II
Luke: (Standing off to other side with Lott and Carl). It will be nice when I can come to these reunions and use my earth name. I wonder what it will be.
Carl: Yes, and it will happen before you know it. You aren’t down there as long as it seems once you get there.
Luke: I know. It seems you guys were gone no time at all.
Lott: But while you are there, it seems like for ever. One day down there is like an eon. Except its even different than that. It seems very different to have time restrictions because we don’t have them here.
Luke: I don’t mind telling you I’m nervous. I want to be one of the ones that returns back here with honor, but there are many who don’t. I hope I’m strong enough.
Lott: Try not to worry too much. After all - look what kind of home you are going into.
Carl: And look what kind of genes went into making up that body you are going to have. Half of them will be from me and Lott.
Lott: Who knows if that’s a curse or blessing. (All laugh)
Luke: I realize I’m pretty lucky.
Carl: Well, you’ve earned what you’re getting - now go visit with your earth ancestors and find out what you need to know. (All three go in and sit in chairs)
SCENE III
Lott Russon: Hi Luke. ‘Bout ready to go.
Luke: I think so. I still have a few questions to ask. Your name was Lott Russon on earth, wasn’t it?
Lott Russon: It was.
Luke: I wanted to ask you about your experience down there. What was the hardest part.
LottRusson: Well, I think I had mostly physical challenges. I was deaf at one time, and I constantly had injuries in the mining I did. I’m surprised my body made it as long as it did.
Eliza Smart: I can remember at the end of his mining experiences, his back had no place bigger than a pin head that wasn’t scarred. I lived in constant fear of losing my husband. And almost did.
Lott Russon: I still think about walking away from the mine the day you came and said the money had come for us to go to America.
Eliza Smart: I know. You wanted to go back and finish that last job -
Lott Russon: But you insisted I leave right them. I’m glad I listened.
Eliza Smart: I know. Everyone you were working with that day died in the accident they had as you were leaving the mine for the last time.
Lott Russon: I knew I had a mission in life, to bring our part of the family to America, but never did I know it stronger than that day.
Luke: I wonder if I will have physical trials.
George R: You could. You know, you helped in planning what would happen to you.
Luke: I know, but mostly, we just talked about that I want to progress, and that I’ll be given the challenges I need for that. We weren’t too specific on what challenges I would have.
George R: I think that’s how we all were. And I remember that after I got to earth, circumstances in my life prepared me to receive the gospel, by desiring to know the truth, before it ever came to England. You will be prepared on earth to accomplish what you need to do, whether it be through physical, or any other kind of trials.
Sarah Ann Holt: George and I were early converts to the church. We had been prepared well.
Luke: Weren’t you some of the original pioneers.
Sarah AnnHolt: Yes, we were. We went by wagon train to the valley in the mountain tops..
George R. From the time we left England, it took six earth years to get to Salt Lake Valley -
Sarah AnnHolt: And there was more than once that I wanted to give up.
George R. But we didn’t.
Luke: I had a lot of ancestors that were original pioneers. Who else?
Edward Steele: We Steeles were.
Hannah Hardy: So were the Eckersleys.
William E.: Well, you were, Hannah. I didn’t make it that far.
Sarah E. Yes, Dad died in St. Louis, and Mom became a pioneer.
William E.: I remember how grateful I was in this life when I found out that Sarah was going to marry again and have help getting across the plains. I admire Robert Crompton who married her and helped her and my four little girls get to Salt Lake.
Sarah E. Yes, and the fifth little girl was born in a rainstorm, near the Platte River, under a wagon. We didn’t know if our little sister would live for awhile.
Hannah Hardy: I think that night, and the two months after when both the baby and I were sick was the hardest of my trials, even a little harder than losing William and our baby boy in St. Louis. You know how it is down there. Just when you think it couldn’t get worse - it does.
Luke: Oh great! Well, I know I won’t be a pioneer.
Lucy Charles: Oh, you will in your own way. We always had our families physically close by to support us. You are going where you have to communicate with them long distance.
Edward Steele: That’s true, but when we left England, we had to communicate by slow mail with the ones we left behind. We never did see them again in that life. It was hard. Luke will get to use all these new fangled inventions for communicating with is earthly family.
Luke: You were both pioneers too, weren’t you?
Lucy Charles: Yes, and we had the ususal crossing the plains trials.
Edwared Steele: But of course, it didn’t end there. It was hard once we reached Salt Lake, but we built a nice place for ourselves and two little daughters.
Lucy Charles: The hardest part was having to watch our daughter deal with her trials. It would have helped if I would have understood better that her trials were necessary for her progression.
Edward Steele: Yes, we just thought she was making a lot of mistakes.
Lucy Charles: But, that’s how most parents are on the earth. We just don’t understand what is necessary for progression, so we worry a lot.
Adah Lucy Steele: I did make some mistakes, but who doesn’t, and I learned so much. It was hard being part of that generation that made the desert “blossom as a rose”. It was a rough and wild time in history. But I feel I made a success of my life. It was
Sarah Ann: You certainly did. You were my mother-in-law. It took us awhile to get to know you because you had your parents raise Edward, but you accomplished so much. I always admired you.
William Walker: When I crossed the plains, and after I got to the valley, I had several experiences with Indians. And I believe you are right, Adah Lucy. The hard part for me was after we got to the valley. Of course, I married twice and had 16 children to raise.
Adah Lucy: I remember that. And you didn’t have those wives at the same time, did you?
William Walker: No, I wasn’t a polygamist. That experience would be hard.
Luke: (To Sarah Ann) What was your greatest trial.
Sarah Ann: Lots of hard times, but hardest came at the last when I had to come back here and leave my young children. I wanted to stay longer and see them grow up, but when I got here, I realized that I had done the right thing, and I could still see them, and help them from here.
Edward Charles: That was the hardest time for me to, when Sarah Ann had to leave. But, it was hard being raised by my grandparents, rather than my mother. But I now understand what I learned from that experience. I resented it somewhat on the earth, but no longer.
Luke: I think I’ve heard from all of great grandmother Sarah Adelaide’s relatives that are here at the reunion, haven’t I.
Grace Mary: Not quite. We were the parents of Joseph Wrigley who was married shortly to Adah Lucy, and was the father of Edward. We also joined the church in England, and became pioneers.
Thomas: I was raised by wonderful people, who prepared me for the gospel, but they weren’t my earthly biological parents.
Thomas: Yes, there is. I know my own mother died when she gave birth to me, and so my father had another family raise me. But this has nothing to do with the experience you will have Luke.
George William: One thing you won’t have to do is deal with plural marriage like our son did.
Mary Ann: That’s right. We too, were pioneers, thinking everything would be wonderful once we reached the valley.
George William: And in some ways it was, but our trials weren’t over.
Mary Ann: But, as I wrote in my earthly journal, “I have passed through many trials, but the gospel of peace brought joy and comfort to my soul.”
GW: That’s what got me through the time I had to spend in prison away from my wives and families. Another thing that helped a lot was music. It was important to my whole family.
Luke: Sarah Russon. Weren’t you one of the wives? There were so many earthly Sarahs that it’s easy to get you all mixed up.
Sarah Russon: I was and It was hard being the second wife. I was so glad my sister Mary was the other wife. It made it easier.
Luke: Is she here today.
Sarah Russon: No - she had another reunion to attend. But she’ll stop by in awhile.
Luke: What a variety of experiences. Too bad Grandpa Maurice and Grandma Doris isn’t here to tell me about what my own time will be like.
Lott: First of all, they are still needed there. When their mission is done, they’ll come back, and probably gladly. But, things are changing so much now days that it’s even different for them than it will be for you. None of us can even imagine what earth life is like now.
Carl: We had a lot of physical trials, and we gave up a lot for the gospel, but your experience will be entirely different.
Gerda: You have the modern “space age” to contend with, with all its amazing technologies.
Sarah: And even harder, you have more choices, more temptations, more mental stress.
Luke: I am really getting nervous.
Carl: Don’t. Your earthly parents and family will help you a lot.
GW: And keep in mind, Luke, it’s not so much where the trail lies, but how you travel it -
Grace Mary: And whether you stick to it - as we all did.
Gerda: You are right, Grace Mary, but lets lighten up this conversation. There were a lot of funny things that happened, things of joy and laughter.
Sarah: There certainly were, but Luke will hear much of that from his earthly family. Certainly, this family knows how to find humor in all things.
Lott: But Luke, let us give you one last piece of advice. It is your earthly family motto.
Carl: Yes, Luke. Remember to do everything you can to -
All Relatives: RETURN WITH HONOR. .
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