Our visit to Ohio, New York and Canada

We were lucky to visit Jen and Joel and their family. We had planned on all of us doing "Race for the Rure," in Cleveland. That morning it was raining and rained harder the closer we got to Cleveland. Since we were not prepared with rain coats, we decided not to do the race. The younger kids' t-shirts had to be picked up so Jen and I were dropped off so we could go get them. Even though we didn't do the race we still felt the excitement that the race brings. When we were back in the car we headed to Palmyra, N.Y. to visit the church history sites. We had got a suite at the Palmyra Inn. It had 2 bedrooms, a kitchenette, and the couch opened up to a bed. It was a fun time to spend together. It was nice to be able to cook dinner and not have to go to a restaurant. In the evenings some of us went to the lobby and played games as the others watched TV. The motel was within walking distance to the Palmyra Temple and the Sacred Grove. Dad took some of the children for a walk there, as we were fixing dinner. The next morning Dad and I walked with Thomas, Spring, Sammy and Mary. Jen and Joel met us there with the other children. The places we visited were: (not listed in the order we visited them)
Palmyra Temple:
It was so nice to walk around the temple grounds and feel the spirit that always abides at any temple. One interesting fact is that you can see the Sacred Grove from the temple. Pres. Hinkley, asked that some of the trees that were blocking the view be topped because he felt it was important that those visiting the temple could see the Sacred Grove. The windows of the temple have been engraved with trees representing the Sacred Grove. It's a beautiful temple.
Sacred Grove:
As we started to walk into the grove it was amazing how beautiful the area is. I could feel the spirit as I contemplated the miracle that had taken place there. I know for certain as the young boy Joseph prayed to find out which church was true, Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ did indeed appear to him. Even though the exact spot isn't known, I could tell I was walking on sacred ground. It was fun to talk to Sammy and Thomas (they were with Dad and I) about the event that had happened there.
Smith's home:
I was surprised just how close the Sacred Grove was to the Smith's family home. It was fun to see the home that the prophet grew up in. A few years later the family built a larger home. It was this home when the Angel Moroni visited Joseph. The bedroom was not very big with 2 beds in it. It was custom back them for 3 children to sleep in each bed. So when the angel appeared to Joseph, his 5 brothers were in the room asleep. It was also in this house where the gold plates were hidden as mobs tries to find them and where a lot of the translation took place. The bricks around the fireplace are the original bricks that were there when Joseph hid the golden plates under them. I know that Heavenly Father protected the places as they were being translated. Several times they were hidden to be protected from the mobs. The Lord protected them from being found. You can look up and see the temple from the grounds around the home.
Hill Cumorah:
As we walked around the hill and read about the statue that is built there I was once again reminded of the Lord's hand in restoring his gospel back on the earth. It was almost overwhelming to know that somewhere on that hill the plates had been hidden and kept safe until the time came for Angel Moroni to give them to Joseph to translate. I thought of Emma waiting at the foot of the hill as Joseph walked up to the sacred spot to meet Angel Moroni as he receive the plates. She had to have been a strong woman to stand beside her husband as he did the Lord's work to bring forth the restoration of the gospel.
Peter Whitmer's Home:
This is where the church was organized. In this small home about 60 saints were in attendance as they sustained Joseph Smith as prophet of the church. I'm sure it must have been an awesome experience. The visitor's center was amazing as a sister missionary reminded us that the church is the same today as it was when it was first organized as well as when Christ organized it. Another testimony that Christ is the foundation of our gospel. It is His church.
Grandin Building:
After Joseph had finished translating the Gold Plates he went to Egbert B. Grandin who owned a printing company to have him print the Book of Mormon. It was fun to see the way books were printed back then and to know that because this man was willing to take a chance with all the controversy to print it. Because of him all the members were able to purchase their own copy to read and study. Missionary work was able to begin as others were able to have access to the book. 5,000 copies were printed and available to the saints on March 26, 1830
Kirtland Temple and Historic Kirtland:
Dad and I were able to take Mary with us to Kirtland. It was interesting as we watched the move that preceeds the tour of the Kirtland temple and they refer to the church as The Church of Christ. I had been there once before and enjoyed seeing the temple again. It will be great when the day comes that our church has ownership of the temple again. It was interesting to see the N.K. Whitney store. We were able to be in the room where they held the school of the prophets. It was because of the concern that Emma had that lead Joseph to go to the Lord concerning the tobacco use of those attending, that he received the Word of Wisdom. We were also able to tour the Ashery, the sawmill which was built to provide the lumber for the building of the temple and the Whitney's home where Joseph and Emma lived for a while.
The John Johnson Farm:
This farm is part of the church's history because this is where Joseph and Emma were living when the mobs broke in and took Joseph to tar and feather him. It was cute as we entered the bedroom where this event took place, Mary remembered the movie from Historic Kirtland, where they took Joseph. She asked me if that was where he was when the mean men hurt him with that black stuff. With tears in my eyes I explained to her that the men who did this to Joseph were mean men. Joseph didn't let it stop him and still preached a sermon the following day. Having seen all these places it really helped confirm my testimony of the restoration of the gospel. It made it real as we saw the places that Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ and the Angel Moroni had appeared to Joseph. I could feel the pain and the joy that the saints felt and endured. Thanks so much Jen and Joel for taking us to these special places. It was so special to see these places and to share our testimonies with one another. I'm looking forward to the day we can have a family reunion there as we share these events with the rest of the family. One of the couple missionaries were telling us that the church is restoring these places more for the members than the public to help sustain and edify us as our testimonies are strengthend by visiting them. That shows me just how much the Lord loves us and wants us to return to Him.
Niagara Falls:
On the way home from Palmyra we were able to stop at Niagara Falls. What a great experience. The falls are breathtaking. We decided to take a ride on the Maid of the Mist to get a close look at the falls. We were all given rain ponchos in preparation of getting soaked. Mary was a little afraid to go and I told her I'd hold her hand the whole time and nothing would happen. She was a little trooper. The closer we got to the boat the tighter she held my hand. As we boarded the boat and the whistle blew she really squeezed it tight. It wasn't long and I noticed her grip loosening and soon she had let go completly. She was even brave enough to go look over the rail of the boat. Dad and I took Thomas, Spring and Sammy into Canada since we had passports. As we walked across the bridge into Canada they kept talking about how neat it was to be going to a foreign country. When we reached Canada they realized it's not much different than the USA. We walked down to the end of the falls and enjoyed the view of the falls. When we returned to the USA we saw the falls more from the top and walked around the different trails they have there. It was an amazing day.
Special times with the kids while we were there.
Thomas:
* Seeing how excited he was to get his percussion set
* Going to his piano lessons and listening to him and his teacher play the duet of "The Restoration"
* Laughing when he missed the bus
* Playing "Ticket to Ride"
* Dad taking him to school when he missed the bus
* Seeing him in the morning as he left for school
* Listening to him playing prelude at church on the organ
* taking him into Canada
Spring:
*Walking to the bus stop with her and Sammy one morning and seeing how much she cares and helped Sammy
* Playing "Ticket to Ride"
* Watching her fix lunch for the kids after church
* helping her sew her purse
* taking her into Canada
* letting us use her bedroom
Sammy:
* Seeing how excited he was every morning as he waited for the time to leave for school
* laughing with him as he told me things just get hidden in his brain
* reading about dinosaurs with him
* watching his soccer game and seeing him smile the whole time
* Walking to the bus stop with him one morning
* taking him into Canada
Mary:
* taking her to Kirtland with us
* listening to her talk (she sure loves to talk and never runs out of things to say)
* watching her mother Gideon
* reading stories to her
* holding her hand when we rode the boat at Niagara Falls
Joshie:
* Him teasing me when I'd say, "I Love you, Joshie," and he'd reply, "I love you, Mom."
* The phone call from him when he went pee in the potty chair for the first time
* watching him and Mary play so well together
* holding his hand as we walked around the many places we went
* tucking him into bed and telling him I loved him
Gideon:
* feeding him the many times I got to
* taking him outside for a walk on Sunday when he was fussy
* seeing his smile as he played on the floor
* watching him play tug-a-war with Scout