A Journey Marked by Miracles

The city of Manti, Utah changed significantly after the Mormon Miracle Pageant ended in 2019. Summers that for 52 years had echoed with auditions, rehearsals, and performances — welcoming over 100,000 visitors annually — grew silent. Local businesses struggled, community pride dimmed, and youth who once unified in service and faith were left with long, idle summers.

At the dinner table on Thanksgiving weekend in 2022, a family member suggested creating a new pageant — one rooted not in Latter-day Saint history, but in the unifying, multidenominational theme of freedom. That idea immediately lit a fire. Work began at once, and soon after, in a locally organized meeting, the new pageant found its name: The Spirit of Freedom.

Volunteers were soon approached by a professional in the Christian film industry who offered to write the script — but in December 2023 he had to step back due to career advancements, leaving only a concept: an outdoor musical about the founding of America. As a songwriter, Ned Armstrong decided to move the project forward himself. Sitting at the piano with George Washington and Benjamin Franklin in mind, he began to play — but the song that flowed from his fingers told the story of an English minister and his family seeking religious liberty.

The social media group was asked if anyone recognized the historical pastor who had entered his thoughts. An amazing response came: a short history of Reverend John Lothropp with the note, "This may be your man." Quick research confirmed that Lothropp was a champion of religious freedom in 1600s England — imprisoned for preaching according to scripture rather than the state church, his wife dying while he was in prison, his children left to fend for themselves. Like his direct descendant Joseph Smith Jr., he could not deny his testimony of Christ. Eventually exiled to America, he helped shape the religious liberty Americans now cherish.

After learning this history, musical inspiration flooded in at a pace never before experienced. Original songs about faith and freedom streamed through at a skill level that felt far beyond the composer's own. Within two months, 17 original songs had been written.

Realizing permission would be needed to adapt Exiled into pageant form, Ned reached out to author Helene Holt — only to discover she lives just 30 minutes away. When he called to explain the project, she enthusiastically gave full permission to adapt her work, and then mentioned she had also written a screenplay based on the book and offered it as well. Her husband, Tom, then joined the call, sharing that he had written and arranged eight additional songs for a musical adaptation — and gladly offered those too. "This was an undeniable manifestation of the hand of God at work."

Local playwright Kory Howard then generously agreed to prepare a pageant script drawing from Helene's book and screenplay. Months later, just after completing his initial draft, a surprise email arrived from Ora Smith, author of The Pulse of His Soul: The Story of John Lothropp, a Forgotten Forefather. Ora had heard about the pageant and felt inspired to offer a full content edit — spending six months improving historical accuracy, refining dialogue, tightening the runtime, and formatting to professional standard.

The only remaining need was background music for each scene. At a conference in October 2024, Ned sat down next to a man he had never met named Hamish Reeves. On a whim he asked if Hamish composed musical scores. He did. After hearing just a few details, Hamish volunteered to score the entire production. He has since composed 23 breathtaking scene scores, each interweaving with the melodies of the existing songs. Just one year after the discovery of John Lothropp, there was in hand a professionally written and edited draft, fully arranged songs, and a masterful score — all contributed entirely by volunteers.

Since the pageant's inception, dozens of contributors have joined the effort. All who are involved are convinced that Jesus Christ is personally orchestrating this work on the earth. There is no song He cannot write, no history He cannot bring to light, and no score He cannot compose. From the void of silence left by any loss, Christ can create a new masterpiece.