Ninety-eight Northwest Florida youths of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have returned from a trip to Nauvoo, Ill.
It's a significant town in the LDS church's history.
Youths of the Fort Walton Beach Stake — which includes Crestview, DeFuniak Springs, Sandestin, Fort Walton Beach and Baker — just finished a year of studying church history.
During their visit, stake members saw colorful pageants, singing and dancing, boot making, book binding, gun making, brick making and blacksmith shops.
The experience enlightened youths who attended, according to youth leaders Holly Tew and Paul Lawson, both of Crestview.
"Youths were enlightened as they … learned the history and sacrifices of the early saints — in particular, our prophet, Joseph Smith, and his brother, Hyrum, whose testimonies were sealed with their untimely deaths at Carthage Jail," Tew and Lawson said in a statement.
"They were uplifted as they participated in sacred ordinances inside the newly rebuilt Holy Temple. The musical productions presented by missionaries and volunteers of the Nauvoo Pageant delighted hundreds with song, dance and stories of courage, faith and testimony.”
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Northwest Florida youths visit historic Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints sites