Day 8: Sacred Grove, Smith Homes, Hill Cumorah, Palmyra, EB Grandin Building, Laundry!

Today was a packed day, but not really because we had a lot of free time to spare at the end of the day. We started by all traveling to the Hill Cumorah to see the Angel Moroni Statue and hear some history about it.

Apparently Joseph found the plates in the Upper Western part of the hill, but we still don't know where exactly. Everything was cleaned up to get ready for the pageant coming up soon, and it looked really nice. It was cool to be so close to the Angel Moroni figure, it was awesome.

After we finished up there, we split into three groups (our tour buses) to visit the various sites in and surrounding Palmyra. My group started with the Smith Family farm. The Smith home is very small and short, but the replica they have made stands exactly where the original did, and that is where the Angel Moroni appeared to Joseph multiple times explaining what to do with the plates.

On the Smith Family Farm is also the home Alvin Smith was building for his future family (as he was engaged) and to share with his parents. He wanted it to be super luxurious for them, and was unable to completely finish it before his death. The Smiths did live there, but were later kicked out due to a misunderstanding, and had to move back to their original home. The cabin that stands there now is actually 80% original from the actual building Alma made and it was so neat to actually walk in the place where the Smiths had done their day to day activities.


Next we were able to go to the EB Granding Printing Offices where the original Book of Mormon was first printed, covered, and published. It was cool to see the things they had to do and realize how incredibly fast they put everything together and printed all of the pages off. They finished 5000 Books of Mormon in 7 months, working 12 hours a day and 6 days a week. It really was a miracle.


When we finished up there, we were able to visit the Sacred Grove for an hour. This time I just thought about what had happened there while I recited the Scripture Mastery of JS-H 1:15-20.

The thing that hit me the hardest today is that in that exact same calm, peaceful, sacred place, the Devil nearly stopped at nothing using is incredible power to try to stop Joseph from completing his prayer to ask God for wisdom where he lacked. But the thing is, it didn't work! The Devil can work so hard on us, but if we remain righteous and focused on the Lord's Plan, theres nothing we can't withstand (1 Corinthians 10:13).

The Sacred Grove is such a special place, I love it there. When you exit the grove, theres a clearing in the trees between the Grove and the Temple where the Temple overlooks the Grove, and it still gives me the coolest feeling just thinking about it.

After the Sacred Grove we were able to have some lunch and get some laundry done, finally, and thankfully. I spend the rest of my evening writing postcards, chatting with the Arizonians, and repacking all of my fresh, clean clothes. Tomorrow we have Sacrament Meeting early at 7am and we'll be heading out for Gettysburg at 9am, so I had better get some sleep. I'll try to add pictures tomorrow! Thanks for your patience!

Day 7: Niagara Falls, Peter Whitmer Farm, Palmyra Temple, Sacred Grove

We started out this morning in Erie, PA, and drove to our first destination of Niagara Falls. We rode the elevator down to the boarding area,

and they gave everyone a complimentary blue poncho as an attempt to allow us to keep ourselves dry.

We rode the Maid of the Mist into the falls and seriously got misted like crazy.

There were loads of seagulls and you could most definitely smell the salt in the water, but it was a good time, and the Falls are MASSIVE! Plus, I got to cross over into Canada! eh! It was a good time. I got to go to a gift shop and I bought my first main slew of souveniers. It was a blast!

We then jumped back on the bus for a few hours, and ate lunch at a random rest stop that happened to have like 6 restaurants to eat at.


We then jumped back on the bus on our way to the Peter Whitmer Farm, the place where the church was organized on April 6th, 1860, and where Joseph and Oliver translated the small brass plates, which included 1 Nephi to Moroni.

It was really cool to go there, and while we were in the Visitor's Center we were able to meet Elder and Sister Pinegar. Elder Pinegar was once the President of the MTC, and Sister Pinegar was a councelor in the Young Women General Presidency, and then was the Primary General President, so it was neat to talk to them.

When we finished up there, we were able to head to Palmyra, where we would be spending the night and the home of the Smith Family Farm, the Palmyra Temple, and the Sacred Grove.

We had a delicious dinner, and since we had finished at 8PM, we still had 2 hours to kill until we had to be back in the motel at 10. Me, Cher, Elysha, Manda, and Alan walked down to the Sacred Grove and each went our separate ways to spend some much needed alone time.

I loved it in the Grove, and when I had finished, finding my way out was really neat experience. Plus, when I finally made my way out of the grove onto the final stretch to the Visitors Center, theres a clearing in the trees between the grove and the temple, and it was so amazing to know that the Grove where the Lord and Christ appeared to Joseph Smith is being watched over by the Lord in His house.


Me and Cher left the grove together and came back to the motel and chilled with Jacob and the rest of our Arizona friends. Other than that, its been a very uneventful night, which is a good thing. I got some of the pictures to work, but theres still more I hope to add to this entry, just to show you how amazing it is out here and for you to get a visual of all the cool things we've been up too, and how its not all just sitting on a bus, which is how it feels.

Day 6: Amish Experience

The title of this entry explains it all. That is seriously all that we did today, so this entry probably won't be nearly as long as the others so far. We drove for 2 hours to Shipshewana, PA, a little Amish town, and stopped to have some lunch and experience the Amish. Me, Manda, Cher, Austin, Alan and JD ended up going to a pizza place and having a Pepperoni and Bacon pizza that was pretty good.

When we ate our fill, we went to this Amish Shopping Center called Yoder's and I got some postcards and a sweet Peanuts coloring book with some crayons to keep me entertained. It's cool because they have regular parking, and then buggy parking. Thats all that I could get pictures of because the Amish don't like to have their pictures taken for religious purposes.
Getting back on the road wasn't a positive experience because we still had 4 more hours of driving through multiple states to get to our destination in Erie, PA. We stopped at a rest stop in Ohio, and it still amazes me how everything is so green out here.
When we finally arrived in Erie at our motel around 9pm local time, there was the coolest sunset, and I was lucky enough to get off the bus just in time to snap a picture of it.
Its hard to see, but that is Lake Erie underneath the sun. I thought it looked pretty sweet. our motel room is huge tonight, and even has a jetted tub, so we're going to go take a bubble bath and have a good time. Our motel is even attached to an indoor water park called Splash Lagoon with waterslides and everything. I was going to go swimming with the bag over my arm just to have a good time, but its just my luck that it was closed when we got here. Oh well, its probably a good thing I didn't risk it.

So thats our fun for today! I even watched National Treasure again! And I think I'm all caught up on my sleep. Tomorrow we're going to Palmyra for the next two days. Its going to be a party. I miss everyone back home in Utah! Email me or something so I know you're still alive!

Day 5: Sites and Sounds of Nauvoo

Today we were able to spend all morning touring Old Nauvoo, visiting all of the sites and exhibits the missionaries could give us. After driving past the temple:

Our first stop was at the LDS Visitors Center. I was able to see one of the original Sunstones. This one is actually owned by the state of Illinois, but its on lease to the church for display at Nauvoo. There is one other one on display at the Smithsonian in Washington DC too.

After that, we were able to go inside and get some cool pictures by the Chirstus.
Next was the Relief Society Garden that is behind the Visitors Center, and I thought this statue of Joseph and Emma was really neat.
Then we had a group picture by the main statue in the garden.

While people were finishing up outside where it was chilly. I got to go inside and look around; take some pictures of the statues and displays, and learn more about the area. We talked to a Sister Orton, and she was a super cool sister from West Valley.

When we finished up at the Visitors Center and jumped on the bus to go to the Browning Yard. From there we were able to go to the Blacksmith shop where they showed us how to make Wagon Wheels and Horseshoes, and we all got a diamond prarie ring.

Afterwards, we were able to walk up to the Brickyard, and an older Elder, who was the sweetest guy, told us about how they made the bricks. After hacking them to dry them out, they would put them into stacks so as to be able to heat them up and dry them. The ones in the center near the fire would get too hot, and be very black and ugly looking, yet very strong. Those in the middle would turn the awesome, beautiful Nauvoo Red from the iron oxcide, and those on the outside would become yellow and wouldn't be very strong. After the bricks were done, they would build their houses 3 bricks deep, with the Red on the outside to look nice, the black in the center to act as the strong base, and the yellow on the inside so they wouldn't waste anything. If the yellow ones were heated a little more, they could become the beautiful Nauvoo red color like the others.

He compared this to our families, and it was really cool. The Red Bricks represent the Mother, because she puts on a good front to make the family look good. The Black ones, (aka Clunkers) represent the Fathers, because while they might not be very good looking, they're strong and hold the family up. Then, the yellow ones are like the children, because they are still in the process of becoming strong, thats why they are on the inside, to grow and be sheltered. I thought it was really neat.

While we were at the Brick yard, I could not stop thinking of some of my most favorite people, Mark and Diane Taylor. They both passed away a few years ago, but the last mission they were able to serve at was the Nauvoo Mission. I remember they had to come home early because Diane had a stroke, and after that her health continually deteriorated. They made sure to bring back Nauvoo Bricks for everyone in my family that they had made themselves just for us. They even put a "You are loved" heart sticker on the bottom with a tag that says Love, the Taylors. It was interesting, because as I was remembering them, I remembered the day Mark died, the same day as my Grandpa Bytheway, and it just so happens it was on February 9th, the same day of Hyrum Smith's birth (and, just to add another coincidence, Lori's birthday too!). Its probably just coincidence, but it was enough to make a memory in my mind of the people I love. The one thing I will never forget about the Taylors is that they never looked at people as Members of the Church vs. Non-Members, it was Members vs. Not-Yet Members. I believe that is true right along with them, and I miss them so much. I'm very glad I was able to go through Nauvoo and see some of the things they did and loved before they moved on from this life.

Our next stop was my favorite place out of the entire trip so far. We were able to go to the Smith Family Cemetery where the Prophet Joseph, his wife Emma, and his brother Hyrum are buried. It's owned by the Community of Christ church, but its such a sacred place. I loved it, and I felt the Spirit so strong. I know Joseph Smith was the true prophet specifically sent for the restoration. I am so thankful for him and his influence and steadfastness in bringing the Gospel to us that I know and love today.

After finishing up and having lunch in Nauvoo, we drove 4 hours to our current stop at Joliet, Illinois. Tomorrow we will be visiting the Amish! Hopefully I'll be able to get some very cool pictures! We'll be in Palmyra in 2 days, and I'll get a better picture of the Actual Nauvoo temple when we go back next week to do a Baptism Session in the temple. I'm so excited.

Day 4: Mississippi River, Mark Twain Riverboat, Carthage Jail

We were able to leave rainy Independence, Missouri this morning to go take an equally rainy ride on the Mark Twain Riverboat. Even though it was rainy and cold at the first, it was a good time, and me and Alan had an amazing time.



This is the place Trenton got married to a girl from Salina when he was on the trip, so I took it for entertainment purposes.

After we finished at Hannibal, we drove about an hour and a half to Carthage Jail, the location of the martyrdom of Joseph and Hyrum Smith, and it was so cool to be there.

I remembered being outside the house when I was little, but actually being in the jailhouse was a whole new experience, and it was really amazing to be in the exact place where the Prophet Joseph took his last breath,

and they even have the original door with the bullet hole that the bullet that killed Hyrum made. They don't allow pictures in the actual room off the martyrdom, but I got some cool ones of the outside window.

Other than that, we spent a lot of time on the bus, and we're now in Nauvoo, Illinois. We'll get to spend most of the day here tomorrow, so we had a meeting explaining the layout of the town. I'm very excited to go see the sights since its been so long since I've been out here. I want to get a nail ring that actually fits me! So, we're watching That's So Raven, and I'm heading to bed. I'll update you tomorrow!

Day 3: Adam-ondi-Ahman, Far West, Liberty Jail, and Smartie Searching

Today was the first day we really got into site-seeing and delving into Church History. Our first stop was Adam-ondi-Ahman, which is basically a HUGE (1.5 miles by 4 miles) piece of land owned by the church. It has important meaning on many levels.

First, it was the place Adam was sent to after he was cast out of the Garden of Eden (which is where I'm sleeping tonight in Independence, Missouri); the Nephites stayed there for a time; Joseph Smith dedicated it as an outdoor temple, which is why all the barbed wire fences are painted white;

and it is the place where the worthy will be called to gather when the Lord comes for the Second Coming.

It was so incredible when we were there; Brother Jenkins asked us what we would want future generations to know about Adam-ondi-Ahman and I just thought, if they don't understand anything else, they need to live worthily to be there when the Lord presides over His Sacrament Meeting. It was beautiful, and very much enjoyable besides the paranoia of being eaten alive by ticks like the guy was by ants in Indiana Jones.


After we finished there, we were able to go visit the Preachers Rock and it was neat to see how the acoustics in the valley work. It was better than the exhibits at the Tabernacle!

After we finished up at Preacher Rock, we got to visit the area known as Far West.

Not much was there other than a memorial and the cornerstones. I have I feeling I have been there sometime before. It was cool to hear Bro. Monsen tell about the Battle of Crooked River, and then to see how each cornerstone represented something, the lesser priesthood, the higher priesthood, and First Presidency, and the Quorum of the Twelve. I didn't know that.
Liberty Jail was the next stop and it was seriously the craziest thing. My family came out to some of these church history sites when I was younger and my Uncle Riley lived out in Iowa, and I totally remember visiting Liberty Jail! Justin said the prayer when we were there! It was like ultimate deja vu, but it was incredible!

Not only remembering it was cool, but the Sister missionaries that were there had some awesome testimonies of what had happened there and about the revelation of the 121-123 sections of the D&C. I enjoyed it very much. I learned that after it was Liberty Jail, it fell apart, and some guy used the remains to build his house, and then died, so they reconstructed it, and now its enclosed by the visitors center.
I just thought this one was a neat view of Joseph through the small window through the 4 ft. thick wall.

It was a really cool day going to all of those sites and getting into the meat of the tour. When we finished up at Liberty, we went to dinner, and I got permission from Brother Jenkins to run to the grocery store by the restaurant so I could get some Smarties.
We had been told for FHE we would be having a talent show, so I decided to show off my Smartie trick, but after going to 2 gas stations, there were none to be found, and I was getting nervous. I even tried to do it with Ice-Breakers Mints and Tic Tacs, but to no avial. When I found the bag at the grocery store, I told the lady they were like the only place in Missouri that sells smarties, and she looked at me and said, "I thought we were the only place to sell Dark Chocolate Snickers!" I didn't even know Dark Chocolate Snickers existed! It was a good time.
The store was like Hy-Vee Food & Drug or something like that. Plus I got a Jones for a dollar and it was sweet. I was able to do my trick for FHE and I had an extra good time!

Today was also Memorial Day, and as I was thinking of people to remember, I realized its the 2 year anniversary of me witnessing the tragic jump of the fatal BASE jumper in Twin Falls, ID. Its not the most pleasant memory, but my most significant Memorial Day memory. Crazy stuff. . . Thats all for today!