Nauvoo & more

For our honeymoon we went to Palmyra and Kirtland and promised ourselves for our 5th anniversary we would finish the church history tour by going to Nauvoo. Since we are expecting another little one shortly we decided we better make the trip while we can; and 10 months before the 5th anniversary is pretty close. So we booked our flights, got ready.

Thoughts of the early saints and their sacrifice still lingers heavily on my mind as we have just returned from this trip and been at the places the early members of the church lived, loved, died, suffered and yet were great blessed. They were an example of faith, and courage as they were willing to sacrifice everything for those things that mattered eternally.

Following are some of my thoughts, or insights gleaned from the different places we went:

Independence: It was interesting to note how much the saints wanted Zion, and tried to build up Zion. Yet it wasn’t time and they weren’t quite ready. We need to work on building Zion in our own hearts. This is the spot of the cornerstone of the Independence, Missouri Temple.

It was also interesting to read that the civil war passed through Independence, and there was a big battle here. This highlighted one of the blessings of the saints being driven to the west. While the rest of the country was embroiled in the Civil War, the saints were focusing on building and colonizing in the west.

Liberty Jail: It impressed me how horribly their sufferings were in this jail cell. Living for months on so little food in the freezing dark dungeon, knowing that their families were being driven out of Missouri. Yet they trusted in the Lord, they looked to Him, they had to humble themselves and they became more refined here, more like the Savior. D&C122:7 “…all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good.”

I love that Joseph Smith received revelation regarding the priesthood in this lowliest of spots. D&C 121:41 “…No power or influence can or ought to be maintained by virtue of the priesthood, only by persuasion, by long-suffering, by gentleness and meekness, and by love unfeigned…” They did not learn about the priesthood as they were leading in their majesty and might but when they were at their lowest, humbly relying on the mercies of the Lord for theirs and their families very lives.

With only straw for warmth beneath them, as was the humble circumstances of the Saviors birth, Joseph received revelation on how to be more like God. D&C 121:45-46 “Let thy bowels also be full of charity towards all men, and to the household of faith, and let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly; then shall thy confidence wax strong in the presence of God; and the doctrine of the priesthood shall distil upon thy soul as the dews from heaven. The Holy Ghost shall be thy constant companion, and thy scepter an unchanging scepter of righteousness and truth; and thy dominion shall be an everlasting dominion, and without compulsory means it shall flow unto thee forever and ever.”

It truly was a temple prison, a refiners fire, and a place where they drew closer to God as they looked to him in their sufferings.

Far West: This place had an amazing spirit about it. So peaceful and beautiful. When we walked onto the grounds, it felt like walking onto temple grounds, definitely a holy place. D&C 115:7 “Let the city, Far West, be a holy and consecrated land unto me; and it shall be called most holy, for the ground upon which thou standest is holy.”

I could just imagine how the people loved this land and how hard it was to be once again driven out.

 

Adam-Ondi-Ahman: A spirit of reverence fills this place. It does fill my heart with hope and joy to think this is the land where Adam blessed his posterity and where Adam and Christ will come again one day.

Carthage: I don’t know why I was smiling in this picture because I actually felt more like crying when I came out of that jail. It pulls at the heart strings to hear the story of how Prophet Joseph Smith and Hyrum were murdered in cold blood here. I felt the bullet hole, still in the door. There was no pretense about it, they gave their lives for their testimonies.

Ramus: A place near Nauvoo where my ancestors, the Johnson family, settled. Some of them died here and some died on their way to Salt Lake. They all remained firm and strong in their faith and testimonies. The town is now very small and called Webster. It was kind of nostalgic to stand on the place where they lived and went about. The first pic is of some of Joel Hills Johnson land here. The second is where they build one of the first meeting houses.

 

Nauvoo: This place is amazing, so much deep history; this city was built with hope, love and sacrifice and sadly left in faith with much sorrow and loss. It was those things which are eternal that were important to those early saints, as they sacrificed everything else. They leave a great legacy and example for us to follow.

It was amazing to attend and see this magnificent temple.

One of my favorite parts about Nauvoo was the spirit the senior missionaries brought there. They allowed us to feel the spirit of Nauvoo and taught us truths along with the history. Smiles were always on their faces and testimony on their lips, and a welcome wave in their arms. We went on horse drawn wagon rides and even ox cart rides with them as they told stories of Nauvoo. We believe we came at the best time of the year, it was green and beautiful and not hot yet, it very personal and quiet, just before the arrival of the summer crowd.

The walk down Parley Street was very moving. To imagine what it was like for them to leave their beloved beautiful city behind, to look back at that beloved temple they had sacrificed so much for, to leave friends and loved ones, and cross that river never to return. Many in the freezing cold, with only a few of their earthly possessions, yet they had made covenants and received their so desired temple blessings which gave them their strength. Would I have been so strong?

We also had lots of fun exploring on bikes, taking pictures of rainbows, and checking out fun new things like the Mississippi. I would say the bike rides would rank up high on my favorite thing to do in Nauvoo.

There were so many great things to learn in Nauvoo! We loved learning how they transformed a swamp into a “beautiful place”. We learned about how they lived, worked, played, and everything in between. A few of the things we learned were: how they made bricks, how shoes were made, how they were able to create and operate ovens for baking, how early guns were made and improved, how oxen were trained, how they made wagon wheels and tin pails, how candles were made and kept, what they did for entertainment and relaxation, and so much more.

We stayed in this amazing little place, the Willard Richard’s Inn, right down in old Nauvoo. It is an original building from the time period, and we learned they even performed endowments in the upper room here before the temple was completed. The family that lived there was fun, and we saw amazing thunderstorms at night.

 

I feel like I glean little insights on a lot of things that I didn’t know before. It was amazing to get away together on this trip which was filled with history and testimony.