Palmyra, Sweet Palmyra

6-16-13

We woke up early and started out for Palmyra. Everyone got dressed as we went along. We got there early enough for me to change too. As we went in to church it started raining. We had a very nice sacrament meeting. It went a bit long, but it was very good. A lot of it was about fathers because it was Father’s Day. 

When church was over we went to the RV, changed, and drove to the Sacred Grove. We wanted to be there by ourselves if possible, and it worked out fine. It was raining pretty hard, so we did some of our talking in the motorhome. As it let up a bit we went into the Grove and the trees protected us from most the rain. 

Walking in the Sacred Grove in the rain

Alexia praying in the Sacred Grove

We had some wonderful, sweet, powerful moments there as we talked about Joseph Smith and what was going on and the vision and what it meant. We sang, we testified, we read, and it was wonderful. We let everyone have some time on their own to wander a bit and pray and ponder. It was perfect, just perfect. When we were done we let people have some time for their journals while I made lunch. The Spirit bears such a powerful witness of that vision. It truly happened.

The Sacred Grove where Joseph Smith saw God

The Sacred Grove, spot of the First Vision Joseph Smith had

Jacob thinking in the Sacred Grove

We hated to leave the Sacred Grove

When lunch was over we went to the Smith cabin and the missionaries helped us talk about Moroni. Then we went to the frame house and talked about getting the plates. It was great.

The Smith family cabin, where Joseph Smith first saw Moroni

Upstairs in the Smith family Cabin, where Moroni appeared

From there we went to the Hill Cumorah. We had a nice time in the visitor’s center. Then we hiked up the hill. 

 

The memorial of Moroni at the Hill Cumorah

Jacob tried to pry up a rock like Joseph Smith did when he found the Gold Plates at the Hill Cumorah

Our time was ruined for a while because a few of the kids started screaming and acting so crazy and so loud that they had to be reprimanded. Then we had people getting so afraid of spiders and poison ivy that we couldn’t stay together for a while. But we talked about some of the visits of Moroni there and had a bit of an okay time.

Going up the Hill Cumorah

Not sure that the Hill Cumorah was as wooded in Joseph Smith's day

From there we went to Grandin Book Store, where we learned about printing the Book of Mormon. We talked about how important the Book of Mormon was and how well it worked out for Joseph Smith to get it printed there and how miraculous it was. It was a "grandin" time.

The dumbwaiter at the Grandin Bookstore where the Book of Mormon was published

A replica of the printing press at the Grandin Bookstore, along with replicas of the printed sheets of the Book of Mormon

Replicas of the drying printed sheets of the Book of Mormon

Then we drove to the Howell’s house. This is a family we met in Jerusalem that we really liked. They were so very kind to us. We were able to stay in a Baptist church parking lot behind their house. They fed us very well, and the kids played and played. We talked and talked. They were so very, very gracious. It was a wonderful time. They took such good care of us and the kids had so much fun.

Playing at the Howells