Art Thou Better Than He?

 We went to the Liberty Jail.  I was quite disappointed in the tour.  We started at the visitor center just across the street from the RLDS church headquarters.  The Sister missionaries were good and the experience sweet.  We then drove to Liberty.

At Liberty we were with a larger group, not as personal.  I lost my hearing aide and that was a Hugh frustration until i found it caught in my mask.  The words were sweet and thought provoking but not the kind of spiritual experience that we had at Carthage.  However, it was a bit of a defining moment for me personally.  Since retiring in 2016 I have really struggled.  I have been depressed and frustrated feeling I have little to offer, but as i listened to the Savior’s words to Joseph in Liberty Jail I saw more clearly my own struggles.  We have had them, I have felt lonely and hopeless and as though the world was collapsing on me many times.  Sometimes I felt like my prayers were not answered.  But this, this is the answer, this is the time that my prayers are being answered.  He has always heard me but the time was right.  I have been more faithful than I give myself credit for.  The joy and ease of these days does not equal shirking.  I feel more at peace than I have been in a long time.

We ended within another short devotional and testimonies at the site of a monument to the 8 witnesses.  What a powerful sweet trip.  I am so great full to be here with Becca and Brent and the kids.

Day 2 Nauvoo

 I didn’t record the frustrations yesterday as we tried to get into our second tour.  They wouldn’t us all go together because they only let 8 to a group due to Covid.  There had been a schedule issue and we missed our appointment and were having trouble getting in to another one.  Most frustrating but we knew to start in the welcome center on Friday morning.  The Visitor Center had a few amazing displays.  My favorite was a cut out of the temple interior and because we were unable to go in it was great to see.  

Friday we went on two tours.  The first was to William and Caroline Weeks, The architect of the temple.  We walked through a display of through a display of the stones and the process by which they were prepared for the temple. The West Grove of trees was visible below the temple above the Edward And Anne Hunter Home.  Then we walked down to the William and Ester Gheen home.

Between tours we saw Brother McFarlan from Lancaster.  He is on a mission in Nauvoo as a teamster and fit the kids in for a carriage ride.  It was good to see him and he was so kind to us.

The second tour on Friday, was a visit to the shoemaker and the newspaper.  John Taylor run the print shop where they printed the “Times and Seasons” and the “Nauvoo Neighbor”.

We also visited the temple during the day.  The view from the temple looked down over the Mississippi River and was breathtaking.  I commented to Jeff that one was God’s creation for man and the other man’s creation for God.  

We had devotional number 3 on Friday Night and Brent led it.  He spoke about the Hymn “Come,Come Ye Saints and William Clayton who wrote it.  It was such a sweet message to end a sweet day.  Becca baked pies she had bought and they were yummy as well.

You Can’t Do Better Than That

 Saturday was a crowning day for me.  We stared the day in Nauvoo again with another tour.  We visited the homes of Orion Hyde, Heber C Kimball. And Wilford Woodruff.  Agin they were interesting but as great as these men were not particularly spiritual.  

Then we drove to Carthage.  This was possibly the most impactful visit for me.  They showed a video by Elder Holland to start and he always evokes emotion from me.  I found the tour to be interesting but when we walked into the room where the martyrdom occurred I could really feel the spirit.  The Sisters sang “A Poor Wayfairing Man of Grief” and the spirit just continue to grow.  It was quite humbling to be there.  

Becca then led us in the fourth devotional.  She shared a talk by Elder Holland called “Lessons from Liberty.”    We then had a short testimony meeting and the spirit was so powerful.

We finished the day with a 4 hour drive to Kansas City, Missouri.

The City Beautiful

We went to Nauvoo today and I was finally blessed to walk down Parley street, something I had hoped to do with Matthew.  It was so sweet and I thought about him the whole time.  Parley Street was all I had hoped it would be .  The spirit was strong as we walked and read the places along the way.  Standing and looking out over the Mississippi River invoked a bit of melancholy and pride that these before us had such courage, faith, and hope.  We returned in the evening to see the performing missionaries share different stories.  The evening was beautiful and sweet but the personal family experience was far more spiritual.

Before the Trail of Hope We went to Brigham Young’s home and heard stories of his family and saw where they met for the twelve to lead the church.  From there we went to the Wainwright to learn how wagon wheels were made, the Blacksmith and Farrier to learn about smithing and horseshoeing.  This wasn’t really new to me I have seen my father and brothers do it many times.  

 

We also went to the Seventy Hall where we were given callings to dispel rumors and raise money for the trip west.  This hall would have had a cultural hall on the ground floor and a meeting hall upstairs.

 

We had a second tour Thursday afternoon.  It was interesting but not as spiritual as the first and i could have been finished after Parley Street so everything else was a bonus.  We toured the bakery and the home of  the gunsmith Browning,  Both were interesting but not particularly spiritual.  The bakery had one of two remaining plates commissioned to raise funds for the church.

We finished the day with a program from the performing missionaries, an evening trip down Parley Street and a stop at the temple.   the temple was beautiful at night but we had no idea what we missed at night until we returned the next day to look out over the river.  As we walked down Parley Street looking back at the temple was bittersweet as we were reminded how much they had left behind.

I didn’t write Wednesday because we spent 8 hours in the car driving from Columbus to Nauvoo.  Becca, Brent and the kids spent the morning visiting Brent’s Aunt and Uncle.  We drove with the triplets and listened to the book “Dad is Fat”.  It was a good time.

Growth

Today we traveled to Kirtland Ohio.  We started at the visitors center and they led us on a tour of the Whitney Store, the exterior of the Whitney home, the Asher, the saw mill and the building Rx where patriarchal blessings and priesthood organizations were set up.  

It was a thrill for me to see the Whitney Store.  I loved the story of Joseph telling Newell “you prayed me here”.  To be in the room where the School of the Prophets was held was so sweet.  To know that the Father and the Son appeared there was awe inspiring to me.

We then walked up to the Kirtland Temple.  It was beautiful but lacked  the spirit.  I was disappointed that we were unable to go inside.

We had lunch and attempted to go to the Morley Farm but were disappointed that there was nothing to see there. We had our second devotional.  I shared about sacrifice using Romans 8:16-18.

We finished with a trip to the Johnson Farm before driving to Columbus.  The Johnson farm was a thrill as they pointed out the cutting edge features of the house and the spiritual experiences that occurred there.  The tar and feathering of Joseph and the revelations received there.  Especially the 76 section and the spiritual visitations that accompanied the revelation.