The temple is closed for its
2 week cleaning. So we have become
tourists of sacred holy sites for a couple of weeks. Lucky us! This is a picture of the Mississippi River taken from the Smith Family Cemetery.
On Sunday evening we took a drive and stopped at the site where the Prophet Joseph Smith, his wife Emma and Brother Hyrum are buried.
These trees are gorgeous, Eastern Redbud (thank you google). Behind the top picture is the Smith Homestead and to the right in the background is the Mansion House.
On Monday we had a farewell
BBQ at the park for two missionary couples going home.
The Williams' (our host couple) and the Allred's with Sister Simons.
Elders Russell, Williams and Simons
Elder and Sister Hendricks and Sister Davenport
Sisters Williams, Moon, Allred, Massey, O'Brien
We are able to freely travel
within the temple district, however if we want to travel
past the boundaries we
have to get permission. We were able to go on
Brother Dunn’s Missouri Church History sites tour on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Three years before he died, Adam called his righteous posterity into this
valley and bestowed on them his last blessing (D&C 107:53–56).
In 1838 Adam-ondi-Ahman was the location of a settlement of
between 500 and 1,000 Latter-day Saints.
The Saints abandoned this settlement when they were expelled from Missouri. Before Christ’s Second Coming in glory, Adam and his righteous posterity,
which includes Saints of all dispensations, will again assemble in this valley to meet with the Savior (Dan. 7:9–10, 13–14; D&C 27; 107:53–57; 116).
Doctrine and Covenants Section 116
Revelation given to Joseph Smith the Prophet, near Wight's Ferry, at a place called Spring
Hill, Daviess County, Missouri, May 19, 1838:
Spring Hill is Named by the Lord Adam-ondi-Ahman, because said he, it is the
place where Adam shall come to visit his people, or the Ancient of Days shall
sit, as spoken of by Daniel the prophet.
Revelation given to Joseph Smith the Prophet, near Wight's Ferry, at a place called Spring
Hill, Daviess County, Missouri, May 19, 1838:
Spring Hill is Named by the Lord Adam-ondi-Ahman, because said he, it is the
place where Adam shall come to visit his people, or the Ancient of Days shall
sit, as spoken of by Daniel the prophet.
This is the group that went, seven couples. This is the site of Adam's altar.
Davenport, Ludwig, Thompson, Williams, Russell, Burns, and Moon
This is called Preacher Rock. Joseph Smith would stand on this rock and
preach to the people down below in the valley.
You can hear easily when someone speaks from the rock. This area was full of houses in the 1830's.
A tree was planted at each home location.
A tree was planted at each home location.
We stopped in the town of Gallatin. This sign is in the town square. It tells of
Adam-ondi-Ahman, Joseph Smith, and the alter.
Then it was on to Far West. This store was not here 20 some years ago when we were here last.
It is a nice little store with lots of church books.
Here we are in Far West on the temple lot.
The cornerstones were laid and dedicated but the temple was never built.
The Saints were driven from Far West before they could construct the temple.
Excavation for the foundation of the Far West Temple, measuring 80 by 120 feet,
was accomplished by more than 500 men in half a day on July 3, 1837.
Far West was headquarters for the Church from the time that the Prophet Joseph Smith
arrived on March 14, 1838 until the expulsion of the Saints in the spring of 1839.
On April 26, 1838 Joseph Smith received a revelation from the Lord accepting
Far West and commanding that the temple be built.
The cornerstones were laid for the Far West Temple on July 4, 1838 in the following order:
southeast by the stake presidency, southwest by the elders quorum presidency,
northwest by the bishop, and northeast by the teachers quorum presidency.
At the cornerstone laying for the Far West Temple, President Sidney Rigdon gave his famous
Independence Day oration. The speech's passionate declarations fueled tension between
the Saints and the citizens of Missouri, eventually culminating in the issuance of
Governor Lilburn W. Boggs' extermination order on October 27, 1838.
Despite the great risk of danger, five apostles--accompanied by several others--returned to
the Far West Temple site just after midnight on the morning of April 26, 1839
in fulfillment of prophecy. A large stone was rolled on the southeast cornerstone
as recommencement of work on the foundation, and the apostles left to
prepare for their overseas missions.
It is a beautiful, peaceful and holy place.
This cornerstone was where Wilford Woodruff was ordained an apostle April 26, 1839
In Richmond, Missouri there is this marker and a white picket fence to show where the Richmond Jail was located. Richmond Jail was where Joseph Smith rebuked the guards who were
holding him and several other church leaders.
Following his arrest in Caldwell County Missouri in late 1838,
the Prophet Joseph Smith was taken to Independence, Jackson County,
and then on to Richmond, Ray County. He and a number of others were taken
to this site throughout the period when a hearing or courtof inquiry was being held
in the court of Judge Austin King, later governor of Missouri.
Scholar Max Parkin writes that with all the turmoil involving Mormons in 1838,
the town of Richmond had to use three different sites for jails.
The one referred to as the "old vacant house" housed the
Prophet Joseph Smith and several others. On one particular night,
the Prophet could no longer bear to listen to the horrid oaths and
tales of the guard who boasted of atrocities committed against the Saints.
The chained Prophet rose to his feet and, in the name of the Lord,
rebuked the guards.
They ceased their speaking and quietly waited out their shifts of guard duty.
--Deseret News August 7, 2013
From Parley P. Pratt's Autobiography he said this of Joseph Smith,
"On a sudden he arose to his feet, and spoke in a voice of thunder, or as a roaring lion,
uttering, as near as I can recollect, the following words:
'SILENCE, ye fiends of the infernal pit. In the name of Jesus Christ I rebuke you,
and command you to be still; I will not live another minute and hear such language.
Cease such talk, or you or I die THIS INSTANT!'
He ceased to speak. He stood erect in terrible majesty. Chained, and without a weapon; calm, unruffled and dignified as an angel, he looked upon the quailing guards, whose weapons were lowered or dropped to the ground; whose knees smote together, and who, shrinking into a corner,
or crouching at his feet, begged his pardon, and remained quiet til a change of guards.
I have seen the ministers of justice, clothed in magisterial robes, and criminals arraigned before them, while life was suspended on a breath, in Courts of England; I have witnessed a Congress in solemn session to give laws to nations; I have tried to conceive of kings, of royal courts, of thrones and crowns; and of emperors assembled to decide the fate of kingdoms; but dignity and majesty have I seen but once, as it stood in chains, at midnight, in a dungeon in an obscure village of Missouri."
This is Pioneer Cemetery in Richmond where the graves of Oliver Cowdery and
Jacob Whitmer among other pioneers are located.
This monument honors the Three Witnesses of The Gold Plates;
Oliver Cowdery, David Whitmer and Martin Harris.
After leaving Richmond we headed to Liberty Jail.
It is referred to as a temple jail as many revelations were received while here.
Joseph Smith was unjustly confined in Liberty Jail from December 1838 to April 1839
along with several other Church leaders. Joseph suffered helplessly, knowing that
the Latter-day Saints were being driven from Missouri under an "extermination order"
from the governor. The prophet and his companions were imprisoned in a rough
stone dugeon measuring 14 by 14 feet with a ceiling just over 6 feet high.
Only two small barred windows allowed light and air into the cell.
The six prisoners suffered from winter weather, filthy conditions, hunger, and sickness.
While in Liberty Jail, the Prophet wrote letters to his family and the Saints.
His correspondence contains some of the most poignant revelation found in scripture.
In this miserable jail, Joseph learned that his sufferings were still not comparable to
those of the Savior, as the Spirit whispered to him:
"The Son of Man hath descended below them all. Art thou greater than he?"
He was taught that in the end "all these things shall give thee experience,
and shall be for thy good."
In early April 1839 Joseph and the other prisoners were allowed to escape,
and they fled to safety in Illinois.
We had a great tour, Elder Gary E. Stevenson had just been there last week. The sister
missionary who did our tour, gave Elder Stevenson a tour! How cool!
The next morning we visited Independence, Missouri and the temple site.
"August 3, 1831, Joseph Smith Prophet and Founder of the Church of Christ,
with seven other Church leaders, dedicated this site for the Temple
in the City of Zion, where this Church believes the Lord will come to
His people in the Last Days."
In 1833, Joseph Smith and Frederick G Williams Prepared this map for the city of Zion,
to be built in Jackson County, Missouri. It featured a complex of 24 temples in the center
of the city area surrounded by10-acre city blocks with half-acre home lots.
The city was never build, but many of the plan's basic ideas were later used in
Latter-day Saint settlements.
of the city area surrounded by10-acre city blocks with half-acre home lots.
The city was never build, but many of the plan's basic ideas were later used in
Latter-day Saint settlements.
We had a great tour of the Visitors' Center in Independence, Missouri. A highlight
was the missionaries singing "I Believe in Christ" for us.
was the missionaries singing "I Believe in Christ" for us.
The Visitors' Center has an original 1830 edition of The Book of Mormon
Before heading home we stopped at the Kansas City Temple for a session. It is a beautiful temple. The Assistant Matron gave us a little tour of the Brides' Room, a Sealing Room, and the Baptistry.
On Thursday it was a little rainy, but we drove over to Carthage Jail and took the tour of
where Joseph and Hyrum were martyred. The Spirit is so strong in the jail,
Joseph truly was a Prophet of God.
Here we learned how the pioneers made bread; baking it in the beehive oven and then eating it! Yum!!
These are round rug weavers, and the triangle looms are for making shawls.
These Elders are weaving rag rugs.
We learned how to make rope.
This is a demonstration on how they made barrels.
This is the Stoddard Tin Shop.
The Browning Home & Gunsmith Shop is a favorite.
The Browning's had a great view of the Temple from their backyard.
At the Webb Brothers' Blacksmith Shop we got a Prairie diamond and mini horseshoe.
Seventies Hall is next door to the blacksmith.
where Joseph and Hyrum were martyred. The Spirit is so strong in the jail,
Joseph truly was a Prophet of God.
We just love this statue of Joseph and Hyrum. They were always together, in life and in death.
Friday we drove to Quincy. This monument stands where the Mormons crossed the
Mississippi to Quincy. The city took them in and befriended the Mormons.
A blessing after being driven from Missouri by the mobs.
There are original Nauvoo Temple keys in a museum in Quincy.
On Saturday we went to some of our favorite places in Nauvoo. We started in the Family Living Center. This is the candle demonstration.
Here we learned how the pioneers made bread; baking it in the beehive oven and then eating it! Yum!!
These are round rug weavers, and the triangle looms are for making shawls.
This is a demonstration on how they made barrels.
