Vacation Day 6-- Sacred Grove and Smith Farm

You can probably see all the sites in Palmyra in just a day, but we chose to spread it out over a few days so the kids wouldn't get tired of sitting and listening and trying to be reverent. The problem we didn't realize is that there is not much else to do there in Palmyra :)

One of the places that we most wanted to be special to the kids was the Sacred Grove. We came during the time of the Hill Cumorah Pagaent so we knew there were tons of people in the area wanting to do all of the same things we wanted to do, so we decided to get up early and go to the Sacred Grove before tours even started anywhere. We hoped it would be quiet and peaceful, and it was. I think we saw only 3 or 4 other people there. This wonderful place is where Joseph Smith humbly came to pray, hoping to receive an answer to his question, which church he should attend. There was a lot of religious fervor at the time and everybody believed and interpreted things so differently. This fourteen year old boy really, truly wanted to know what to do. He wanted to do what was right. After pondering James 1:5 he decided he must ask God what we should do. It was in this quiet wooded area near his home that he went to pray. The heavens were opened and God the Father and His beloved Son, Jesus Christ appeared to Joseph. They told him to join none of the churches, none of them were the church that Jesus had established on the earth.

This is a story we have told to our children. It is a story that both Greg and I believe literally happened. You can feel the reverence of this place even though it has been nearly 200 years. I was amazed at how peaceful and reverent the kids were. We were there over an hour and enjoyed feeling knit together as we thought about and talked about the things that had happened here. I will be forever grateful for that earnest prayer offered by a young boy.

We were also able to visit the two Smith homes as well. I was once again reminded of all that was required of these earliest of Saints. They sacrificed so much. What they established then is such a blessing to me and my family now. It makes me want to more fully devote my life to the Lord and His work here on the earth.

After a lovely morning we had to step back into our normal life a little bit. I had to do laundry! I hadn't been to a laundromat since the beginning of our marriage. Liz and Jake stayed with me (what was I thinking?!) at their insistence. Greg took the others on a walk to a nearby cemetary where Alvin Smith, Joseph's brother, was buried.

We still had plenty of time to spare so we found a movie theater and all went to see Toy Story 3. It was nice to be in an air conditioned building doing something we don't do too often. It ended up being a really nice day (except for the laundry). How blessed we are to live in this day and age when we know so much about the Gospel of Jesus Christ and know that Christ's church is once again on the earth.

I know that this is a terrible picture (remember this is Greg's phone since our camera was giving us fits), but it is all we have.

This is Adam. Greg is going for some kind of effect here.

Ben at the Sacred Grove.

This is between the two Smith homes. Can't you tell how reverent they were :) They were great, actually, but here they are having a little fun. I don't know if you can tell how sweaty and hot they are and it was only 9 or 10 in the morning.