Palmyra, New York

We left New York City and drove the five hours up to Palmyra, New York. We stayed the night at the Palmyra Inn. It is a very large,clean hotel, run by Mormons. It had Ensigns in the lobby and LDS artwork on the walls. I am sure that during the Summer when the Hill Cumorah Pageant, and Youth Conferences are in full swing, this hotel is hopping! It was the off season, so it was pretty empty while we were there.

We stopped first thing at the temple grounds the next morning. 

There was a family at our hotel that we met at breakfast. They had a Sister Missionary with them. She was just ending her mission and her family had come out to pick her up, and tour the sights in Palmyra. She had been one of the missionaries that gave tours, so when we ran into them at the temple grounds, she told us a bit about the area.
The picture above is of the windows on the side of the temple. When it was constructed, President Hinckley directed that the windows be left clear in the center of the building. These are the only clear windows installed in any temple. The reason is that there is a perfect view of the Sacred Grove out these windows. The trees are kept trimmed down so that the view is not blocked. A good reminder of where the guidance that led to the building of all temples originated.

The entire sight of the temple is built on property that belonged to the Smith family. There is a nature path the runs along the side of the temple.
This rock wall was constructed by Joseph and Hyrum Smith. It is still here today. It runs through the trees that border the temple lawn.
Wally ran away into these woods while caught up in his imagination. So, I was very frustrated that I had to repeatedly yell his name out over the temple grounds to get him to come back.
Our morning started out a little rocky that day. The kids were excited, and restless from driving the day before, and they were being very impulsive.
The nice family of the sister missionary told us at breakfast that they were waiting for the elevator at the hotel with Wally. They said he told them he was taking the stairs because it was slow. So he ran to the staircase and went up. When they got off the elevator at the top, Wally was standing there triumphant! He then very boastfully told them, "Ha! I beat you! Elevators are for wimps!"
Del and I were in a little bit of shock, and quit embarrassed when they told us this story!

Luckily, they thought it was funny, and just to show us there were no hard feelings, they gave us hand warmers for our pockets. It was a very cold day, and the kids liked having warm, cozy pockets!

The next stop we made was the visitors center. We toured the Smith farm.
This is the log home that the family built when they first arrived in Palmyra when Joseph was ten years old. Eleven people lived in this log home.
Joseph's parents were diligent in teaching their children on spiritual matters. The family studied the bible, and had many questions about the truthfulness of religious messages being taught in the area at the time.

The moment of the tour that most struck me actually happened inside this log home. The sister missionary told us about the family's faith and desire to do what was right with the Lord. She then said she likes to open the back door of the cabin so that we can see the direct path from there into the sacred grove. As she opened the door, I was overwhelmed with emotion! The Spirit touched me in that moment, and I was reminded of the curious innocence of Joseph Smith. From the moment of the First Vision, until the end of his life, everything he did was focused around going about the Lord's work of restoring the Gospel to the Earth.
The act of having a question, and walking out his back door, to the woods where he felt he could find some security to ask for an answer was very touching to me. My favorite moment of the trip.

As we walked from the log home to the frame home the family built, there was a clear view of the temple through the trimmed trees.
This is where Will threw one of his hand warmers from the nice family over the fence. We lifted Walker over to retrieve it. Geez! Our reverence was astounding, I'm sure!

The family moved from the log home, to this frame home, just down the road. Alvin Smith had actually started building this home before his death. He was engaged when he passed away from what is believed to be appendicitis. The Smith family finished the home after his death, and planted the tree to the right of the house in memory of Alvin. The death of his brother affected Joseph very deeply.

This home is significant because it was the first spot the Gold Plates were hidden to prevent them from being stolen from mobs.
Men repeatedly forced their way into this home, and other buildings around the farm, causing constant stress to Joseph. The persecution became so intense, he was forced to take the plates to Harmony, PA to translate.

The frame home's kitchen is also the location that Martin Harris told Jospeph Smith that he had lost the 116 pages. Joseph Smith paced the home for the remainder of that day in great agony of the soul. Del and I were able to reflect quit a bit on the forgiveness offered through our Savior after this story. It was touching to be in the home this occurred.
The Smith family lived in the home only for a couple of years before they had to sell it and move back into the log home, due to financial distress.
The home was purchased in the early 1900's by the Church, and made into a mission home for the mission president, who ended up serving in the area for over 20 years. His goal was to soften the hearts of the local people to Mormonism. He founded the Hill Cumorah Pageant.

As we walked to the Sacred Grove, we talked to our children about what a faithful and obedient family the Smiths must have been to have been trusted with all of the responsibility they were. We passed the apple orchard Moroni appeared to Joseph in as he climbed over a fence, and instructed him to go tell his father all that he had seen in visions during the previous night.
This stop brought even more respect for the Smiths, and a renewal of our commitment to try to do what the Lord asks of us. To try to be more like the Smith family.

I read out loud, Joseph's account of the First Vision as we entered the Sacred Grove. The Sister Missionary reminded us that Joseph saw the First Vision in early Spring. So the grove probably looked very similar to what it does now. Not so much the way artist generally portray it in full bloom.

Life was just beginning to return to the Grove. Moss at the base of the trees was the only Summer like color. It was very bright, quiet and peaceful. It was also pretty cold.

I loved the exposed roots of this huge fallen tree. A great metaphor of the need for our roots to grow deep in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

I unfortunately did not get a picture of the E.B. Grandin print shop! I loved this spot! The visitors center is built around the original building, which is amazingly preserved. E.B. Grandin was born one year after Joseph Smith, and died of pneumonia only one year after Joseph was martyred. He was only in the print business for a few years after the printing of the Book of Mormon in his shop. He took the job reluctantly, as there was a lot of push back about printing it in the community. But he decided to look at   it strictly as a business decision.
The process of any kind of printing, let alone a leather bound book in the mid 1800's is a daunting one! The fact that five thousand copies were produced, uninterrupted by mob violence, is a miracle! All of the perfect circumstances to bring this to pass were certainly orchestrated by the Lord.

Thankfully, because one of the buildings owners took out a load bearing wall in a renovation after Grandin sold the shop, the top floor was remarkably preserved because it was not safe to use.

The decision to print the Book of Mormon produced a life changing book for millions of people throughout history. I am sure that E.B. Grandin did not realize those five thousand books would be so influential at the time. It is amazing how we all have a purpose in this life, and we may not even know what it is while we are doing it.

We made a fairly quick stop at the Hill Cumorah visitors center. They have a really nice video presentation. We drove up to the top of the Hill and took some photos of the memorial to the prophet Moroni.

The hand of the Lord in the lives of all those involved in the coming to pass of the restored Gospel is so poignant in Palmyra!
The fact that a young Joseph, only ten, and on crutches from a surgery to the bone in his leg, would move to a new area of the country, only three miles from where an ancient prophet would bury an ancient record is nothing short of a miracle. The sacrifice of his family from that moment on is almost overwhelming to imagine.
This was a powerful testimony building experience! I hope that this trip remains in the memories of our kids! We need to plan to take them back when they are teenagers! It is certainly worthy of more than one visit!