Palmyra (Just a note -- we don't have a good wifi connection so we will load the pics when we get home!!! Or to another location!!!)

May 29, 30 Palmyra was really great. We were able to see the beginning of such a wonderful blessing: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We started off by going thru a session at the Palmyra Temple. The workers there are called to a six month temple assignment. They were all so nice to talk to and very cordial. The temple was a neat experience because it overlooked the Smith Farm and the Sacred Grove. There was a definate feeling of the House of the Lord being on Holy Ground. We were able to go to a session and soak in the spirit in the Celestial Room. It was a small temple but one with a strong spirit. We then were able to go to the Smith Farm and see their homes; again, I wasn’t able to go into the log home (which was expected) where Joseph had seen the angel Moroni many times. But the grounds outside were a Holy place as well. We then went to the permanent home of the Smith Family and learn more how they ran their farm.

This was the place where Joseph hid the gold plates many times while trying to keep them out of the hands of the mobs. It was neat to see the craftsmanship of Alvin (Joseph’s older brother) who had built the home so him mother and father could live out their old age in comfort. We then were able to go to the Sacred Grove and enjoy the peace and quiet of the wind whispering thru the trees. I never realized how big the grove was, but the entire place was holy spot. I was in the same place where Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ had visited the young prophet and I could definitely feel the presence of the Holy Ghost. What a remarkable experience Joseph Smith had and I was there in the exact same spot.

After the Sacred Grove we went to the E. B. Grandin Publishing office where the first 5000 copies of the Book of Mormon had been printed. The missionaries there showed us what it would be like for the Book of Mormon to be published in 1830. The Book of Mormon is so special and I know it is true. I am grateful for those that sacrifice so much so that we have it readily available to read in our homes.

We then circled back around to the Hill Cumorah and went up the back side of the hill and saw where the plates had been buried. Again, what a special experience it was to see where the Angel Moroni visited the young Prophet and where Joseph Smith dug up the plates. I never realized how steep and how difficult it would have been for him to escape those who were after him. I thought about having my parents’ take me out of my chair and log-roll me down to the bottom.

We didn’t!!! The next morning we went to the Peter Whitmer Farm and saw where the Church was organized and the Book of Mormon translated. The missionary there asked me and another return missionary, that was visiting, to bear our testimonies in the language of our missions (Tagolog and Madagascan). I was grateful to bear my testimony, out loud and in Tagolog, at the door steps where the church had begun 179 years ago. That was a neat experience. It is an amazing thing to be able to look back and see what six men started with the Lord’s help, the Standard of Truth has been erected.

One thing I never realized was how far apart these places are from each other. I always thought they were a stone’s throw from one another, but it would have taken Joseph and others more than a half days walk in some cases to go between sites. Palmyra and the surrounding places have definitely taken me to a better understating and a stronger testimony for all that had transpired there. Now on to Kirtland.

Rain Soaked RV

After two days of driving in the rain and getting turned around a little bit we made it to one of our stops, the John Johnson farm, in Hiram, Ohio. I was able to get into the house, the doors were wide enough and the floors strong enough to hold me. That in-and -of- itself is a blessing. I wasn’t able to go upstairs, which was expected. But I was able to visit with the host missionary and an older gentleman from England. It was fun to be able to talk with him and the missionary about how special this place really was. (Side note, the English gentleman said, “Cheerio” when he left – like a real Englishman!!!) I have a new found respect for the distances and the places that the pioneers had to travel and also for what they had to go thru, especially the Prophet Joseph Smith in order to build up the kingdom. This was the home the Prophet Joseph Smith started translating the Bible. It was neat to learn a lot about the Johnson family and how much they had sacrificed for the Church. Here also Joseph Smith was dragged out of the home and tarred and feathered. The twins he had adopted were sick and the little boy was left in the cold during the night and ultimately died. It was really special to see where this had actually taken place. I could feel the spirit so strongly there. Just being here in the place where the prophet lived and walked is definitely a special feeling. After the John Johnson farm we headed to New York to see Niagara Falls. It was impressive to see how powerful the water was and how large the falls actually are on the Canadian side. Tomorrow is on to Palmyra.

The Day Before

The night before we are about to leave Palmyra New York in order to go to the church history sites. Ever since knowing that we were going to go on this church history vacation I had set a goal to finish reading the Doctrine and Covenants. What a remarkable feeling it was to accomplish this and to feel the Spirit so strongly as I read the revelations given to Joseph Smith in Kirtland, Nauvoo, and all the other places he received revelations from.

Now I have the opportunity to go where he was and to strengthen my testimony of him being a Prophet of the Lord. I am so excited to have the opportunity to go. Just to have the opportunity to feel the Spirit so strongly is definitely worth the 2000+ miles we will be traveling.