We started out on Thursday morning, and drove to Harmony Pennsylvania (now called Oakland, PA) on the Susquehanna River where the Prophet Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdrey knelt to pray to learn about baptism, and John the Baptist appeared to them and restored the keys of the Aaronic Priesthood. The Prophet and Oliver were first baptized right there in the river. As we walked down to the river, we were the only ones around, and it was so peaceful. And the spirit was so strong as we stood by the river!
Then we drove on up to Victor (Rochester) New York to our hotel, and crashed for the night!
Friday morning, we got up early to get ready and we went to the 9:30 Endowment Session at the Palmyra Temple! The workers there were SOOOOO friendly and we truly had a wonderful time there. The temple is on a lot of land, so it's up the hill off the road, and the landscaping is beautiful! The stained glass windows of this temple were all trees, to make it look like the Sacred Grove! It was so beautiful!
After the Temple, we drove down the street to the Smith Farm where Joseph and his family lived when Joseph had the "First Vision" and when he obtained the Gold Plates. It was such an awesome feeling (at all these sites) to know that the Prophet had been there, and for what miraculous things took place! As we walked through the Smith's farm, the Sister that took us on tour, told us a lot of interesting stories about what took place there! There are two that stick out in my mind..... First, before the Smith's moved to Palmyra, they lived in Vermont. They had a large farm there, and for two years in a row there crops had not grown they way they should have, and Joseph's father told them that if the next year was bad, they would move because he needed to be able to take care of his family! And as luck would have it (actually the hand of the Lord), that next year if froze every month that year. So, they found this farmland in Palmyra and moved there. The Lord needed Joseph to be in Palmyra!
Another story that I found very awesome was that after Joseph had obtained the Gold Plates, he had a lot of pursecution and the mobs were always trying to take the Plates. On their farm they had a little barrel making shed where they worked to make some money, and Joseph would wrap up the plates and hide them under the wood planks on the floor. One day they felt impressed to move the plates because they weren't safe. So, Joseph moved them from under the floor to a shelf that held their grain and wheat and stuff, and that night the mobs came and tore up and destroyed the floor in the shop, but never bothered to check the shelves where the plates actually were!
We took our scriptures into the Sacred Grove and found a bench to sit on and read the experience that the young boy Joseph had in there. As he knelt to pray to know which of all the churches on the earth to join, God the Father and Jesus Christ appeared to Joseph, and told him that he should join none of the churches. Joseph was prepared and called to restore the Gospel of Jesus Christ on the earth again in this dispensation! How grateful I am for his eager desire to know the truth and for his faith and willingness and worthiness to do what he was called to do!
From there, we went into Downtown Palmyra and visited the Martin Harris farm and the publication site of the Book of Mormon! That was an awesome tour... to see how they printed and bound the first 5,000 copies of the Book of Mormon! So much intricate detailed work, all done by hand! Oh, how grateful I am for all those that helped to make the translation and publication of the Book of Mormon possible! I love the book. It truly does contain the fullness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ!
We finished off that day at the Hill Cummorah were Moroni hid the plates in the earth, and then appeared to Joseph (who was 17 at the time) and showed him where the plates were hidden! Joseph returned to that spot on the hill, every year for 4 years and was instructed by the Angel Moroni and eventually, when he was prepared, received the plates with the charge to keep them safe and to translate them into English! Joseph, and his whole family, received a lot of pursecution over the plates, but through faith and the dedication and help of many members of the church, Joseph finished the translation and printed and published the Book of Mormon! Unfortunately we missed the pagent because we were in Utah, but we are going to try and go back next summer to see it!
Saturday morning, we drove to Fayette, NY to the Peter Whitmer farm where the Book of Mormon was finished being translated, and where the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was organized on April 6, 1830. They figure there were between 40-60 people in attendance and they all fit into Peter Whitmer's little log home, while the Prophet Joseph stood in front of the fireplace and organized the church! What a spirit that was felt there in that little home, too!!!! It was awesome!
We then headed back home, stopping in Niagra Falls on the way! We didn't really have much time there (next time we go back, we'll spend a whole day there, probably!), but we did get some good pictures and we took a ride of the "Maid of the Mist".
We had a great weekend! I'm so grateful that we had the oppurtunity to go!!!
p.s. I took a lot of pictures, so I decided to put them on a slide show! Enjoy!
