Palmyra, Niagara Falls, and Kirtland

Before I begin writing about our trip, I wanted to start off by saying something important to me, and I hope to others. I have many friends who I love and respect, and they are not of my same faith. They don't share my religion or don't view it the way that I do. That is okay! I hope, in spite of this difference, I can share something that will brighten your day. I stray from going too personal in fear that I might offend someone. I can't hold back sharing my beliefs because I might offend someone. I can't control someone else taking offense. I hope that through this post I will be able to convey the sacrifice that others have made for us so that we could feel the love of our Father in Heaven on a daily basis, and know of His very real existence. This is a precious gift that I cannot thank pioneers, ancestors, and past faithful people enough!

Lee and I decided to take a trip to Palmyra, New York, to see where our church (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints) was first organized after the fulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ was restored. We visited the home of the Joseph Smith family and walked the Sacred Grove. We didn't have a tour guide in the Sacred Grove to prove to us the place where Joseph Smith saw our Father in Heaven or His Son, Jesus Christ. I can share for myself that I felt of truth and I felt the power and witness from the Holy Ghost. For me, that special feeling of the Holy Ghost was enough to know that this event (the First Vision) took place there.

I wouldn't be honest in saying that my testimony of Joseph Smith has come easy. For some, there is no question and they accept it readily without doubt. For me, I had to think about it in my mind time and time again. I would pray for a witness that the Book of Mormon was true, and I wouldn't feel what some talk about. I always feel it is true when I study it, but I didn't receive an over powering confirmation. I studied a book written by Lucy Mack Smith, Joseph Smith's mother. It was a personal history of her son. It was while studying that book that I received an answer for myself. I learned that this wasn't just a family built up and deceived by a lying son. His mother knew without a doubt that her son had had the special experience of witnessing God and His Son.

In Palmyra, we also visited the Hill Cumorah and the Grandin printing press where the Book of Mormon was first published.

Lee and I then visited Niagara Falls and enjoyed the Falls in their magnificence. The pictures were the best I could get with my camera, but they don't compare at all with the beauty there. We had a great time walking up to the falls and getting soaked. They call the experience a "hurricane" because as you are standing under the falls, that is what it feels like. The falls have a loud "roar" as thousands of gallons pour down, and yet the roar is a flowing and peaceful sound. I think I enjoyed the falls a little more than Lee did. He enjoyed it a lot but teases me by saying, "How many angles of the falls do we need to see?!"

Our last stop was Kirtland, Ohio. There we learned of the further growth of our church. We learned where many of the revelations in our scriptures took place. The revelations bless my life because it gives me a clear picture of what I have to look forward to in the next life. One of the revelations, the Word of Wisdom, happened in a small room upstairs in the community's store. This one revelation is a great blessing to me.

The history of it all is so amazing because it has brought us to where we are today. We have 13-14 million members of our church worldwide. Yet, it was the single acts of faithful people that made all the difference. The Whitney family gave up all they had to help sustain the church. They did this because they knew that Joseph Smith was a Prophet of God.

I am grateful for pioneers who have shaped and blessed the life I have today. Not just Mormon pioneers. I am talking about founding fathers of America. I am talking about my own family members who traveled across the sea for something better. I am talking about parents who paved a new way for me. I am talking about grandparents who work hard to leave a legacy for me. I am talking about teachers who inspired me. I am talking about my dad who joined the church in order to have an Eternal family.

Enjoy the pictures. We sure enjoyed this experience!

The Hill Cumorah visitors center

The stage used for the Palmyra Pageant, put on every year by the church and volunteer members

On top of Hill Cumorah

The home of Joseph Smith as a young boy

A view of the Sacred Grove directly behind us

The Sacred Grove

David Whitmer home, where the first church meeting was held

Before getting wet!

And After. :)

After receiving the Word of Wisdom, men threw their pipes and tobacco in this fireplace as an expression that they would never smoke again.

The Johnson farm, where Joseph Smith was tarred and feathered.

This little boy wanted a picture with us. With the okay of his parents, we got a picture.