Wind Symphony: A Mission in Miniature

Being in Wind Symphony is one of my greatest blessings and joys. Not only do I get to experience awesome music, but I get to interact with incredible people. This past year, I've really worked on paying attention to the other instruments in the band, and I tell you what . ..something about listening as a whole really makes me feel even more involved in the group.
Perhaps something that you don't know is how I prepared for the opportunity of being in Wind Symphony this year. Knowing that this would be another touring year, I was excited for the prospect of having another wonderful tour experience of literally sharing our joy of music through the Gospel.
But, I did have my doubts. Although I was playing my instrument all summer long, during late summer when I received the music for the auditions for ensembles, I wondered if I would be placed in the Wind Symphony for the third year in a row. Because of our rigorous schedule in Nauvoo, I knew I wouldn't have much time to practice the audition music, and I knew there were several better players than me who were also auditioning. But this being my last year in a band (most likely), I wanted to end with a bang, I guess. I didn't pray so hard to be in the Wind Symphony just because I wanted to visit Korea and Japan. I prayed so hard because I wanted to be a part of Wind Symphony to experience friendships with my peers in such a way that can only be experienced through three weeks of traveling together. I wanted to meet and experience other cultures; I wanted to meet and influence other children of God that I had yet to meet. I wanted to be a part of something bigger than myself--something that has the power to express our joy and love of the Gospel without using any words at all. I prayed so hard because I wanted to be a missionary again. Maybe I wanted a way to have a part of Nauvoo again, only with a significantly larger missionary band. Perhaps my spiritual preparation is what allowed me to be a part of Wind Symphony this year, despite my limited physical preparation as a practiced in our furnace of a basement in our Nauvoo house wearing a T-shirt and bloomers. With that thought in mind, I have a feeling that the greatest joys of this Wind Symphony tour will not be tangible souvineirs, pictures, or memory books from Asia. I can only imagine that the greatest joys from this tour will be the moments when I get chillbumps from playing the music, the moments of accomplishment when I nail that difficult passage of music. The greatest joys will be the time spent in the Seoul Temple and the moments when audience members come up to us with tears in their eyes because they loved our music so much.
How beautiful is it then to realize that for me, this year of Wind Symphony began and will end as I serve as a missionary. Regardless of my limited practice time last summer, the Lord blessed me because of my service in Nauvoo. And I'm hoping that the people and opportunities I come in contact with in Asia are only just a foreshadowing of the greater joys and blessings I will experience in Peru. Perhaps it's not coincidental that I received my mission call on the day of our last concert, or that Dr. Peterson announced my mission call to the entire audience that night.
So, as I'm beginning to pack my bags to leave the States for a few weeks, know that I am more blessed than you can ever imagine. The Lord does answer prayers in such amazing ways like only He can.