God Be With You Till We Meet Again

We were on the bus first thing this morning en route to Carthage. We arrived there to find the jail amid sun-drenched flower gardens surrounding the bronze statue of Joseph and Hyrum. Here we toured the jail and saw the upstairs dungeon room where John Taylor's wounded body was hidden by Willard Richards, saving his life. We looked down from the window where a bullet hit John Taylor's watch and threw him back into the room. It was from this same window that Joseph's body fell, landing near the well. It is a peaceful place. Here we said farewell to Brent & Eddy's kids, Matt and Sarah, who had been our traveling companions in Nauvoo.

The three-hour bus ride down to St. Louis went quickly as information and presentations from the group continued. I loved hearing Brent quote Brigham Young’s response to the trial of Joseph & Hyrum’s assassins; “I'd rather have a six shooter than all the lawyers in Illinois.”

As we approached the airport. We all sang, “God Be With You Till We Meet Again”. Brent & Eddy accompanied us on the harmonica and violin. My eyes filled with tears as the song came to an end. Once again, it has been a privilege to share a spiritual feast with dear ones.

It Takes a Long Time to Grow an Old Friend

9-11-2009

Our day in Nauvoo began with a visit to the properties that were owned by Joseph Smith in Nauvoo. The RLDS Church now owns them. Kevin Bryant, a very congenial and competent guide took us though. We first passed the Nauvoo House which Joseph had envisioned as a 5 story structure, made of limestone like the temple, that would house 300 guests. It was intended to be an L-shaped building but because it was in competition with the temple for time and resources to build, it was never more than 2 stories high. Widowed Emma remarried; she and her husband, Lewis Bidamon lived there and it was here that Emma died. She renamed it the Riverside Mansion.

We went on to the Smith burial ground just outside the Homestead, Joseph and Emma's first home in Nauvoo. After the martyrdom Emma secretly buried the bodies of Joseph and Hyrum under the Nauvoo House to protect them from desecration. Later the graves were moved just outside the Homestead under a small wood frame building they called the “B” house. After Emma and her children had died, the location of the unmarked graves was forgotten. In 1928 there was heightened concern in the Smith family that the graves be found because a new dam had been built at Keokuk and the Mississippi River at Nauvoo was rising some 20 feet. No one knew exactly where the graves were and feared the bodies would be washed away. Fervant prayer and searching helped in finally locating the graves. At that point the Smith family reburied Hyrum, Joseph and Emma side by side in their current resting places with lovely markers and maintained by the Smith Family Association.

Most of their time in Nauvoo, Joseph and Emma lived in the Homestead, which at that time was only two rooms with an upstairs. Joseph earned nothing as president of the church. His income came from his job as recorder of deeds for Nauvoo. He was paid 12 ½ cents for every 75 words on a deed he wrote and two dollars for every deed recorded. It wasn’t until he became mayor of Nauvoo that he earned the significant amount of $400 a year. As he and Emma found themselves constantly giving housing and meals to visitors, they decided to build the Mansion House in hopes that visitors coming to see them at a hotel would be willing to be charged for food and lodging. They moved into the Mansion House the winter before Joseph’s death. In their upstairs bedroom closet was a false wall to allow Joseph an escape or hiding place in the attic. He had another very well hidden hiding place in the cellar/foundation. It was so well hidden in fact that the those restoring the building didn’t realize what is was and destroyed it in the re-building. It was here during a Christmas Ball that Porter Rockwell showed up, unshaven and disheveled. Party guests thought he was a Missouri mobber until suddenly Joseph recognized him with a hug and warm greetings.

After lunch we headed to the 70’s hall which they said was like the first MTC since it was used in training the missionaries that were sent from Nauvoo to some 50 countries in the first ten years of Church existence. From here we walked along Parley Street’s Trail of Tears, which has been re-named, “Trail of Hope.” Most of the 12,000 residents of Nauvoo left to go West; one in ten of them died along the way.

The day’s highlight was going together to an endowment session at the Nauvoo Temple. It was our way of celebrating Richard and Kathy Black’s fortieth wedding anniversary. Temple President and Matron – Wayne and Joan Peterson, treated us royally. President Peterson told us some history of the temple as we met together in the chapel before the session. I had forgotten some of the beautiful architectural details on the interior; sunstones atop each column, a wonderful circular stained glass ceiling piece with a sunburst in the center, the phases of the moon encircling the middle and a border of stars along the outside edge.

Afterwards, we were invited to see the spiral staircases, the baptistery, and the president and matron’s offices. Encased on the main floor are the apron and slipper worn by Mary Fielding Smith when she was one of the 6000 endowed before the temple was abandoned. Joan took me to the main floor Assembly Room and showed me the arched window above the priesthood pulpits. Here the saints wrote upon the wall of their abandoned temple, “The Lord has accepted our sacrifice; Come after us!”

Our last supper together was at the Nauvoo House buffet, where we gave our wonderful guides, Brent and Eddy, a statue of Joseph and Hyrum at Carthage to commemorate our appreciation to them for making this experience together possible. We all commented on how nice it was to travel without worrying about where to go, when where and what we would eat, what reservations/tickets had to be obtained. Doug Hammer summed it up by saying, "It's great! I just get on the bus, get off and eat, get on the bus, get off and eat. . . ." It was so great for us because Brent and Eddy had done all the work - and our meals were excellent! I only had one turkey sandwich the entire trip! As we left the restaurant I saw a plaque hanging on the wall that said, “It takes a long time to grow and old friend.” It reminded me of the strong feeling I had that evening at the temple, that one of the profound blessings in my life is the friendship of these lovely friends.

Nauvoo!

We awoke to sun shining on the Mississippi this morning. We made one quick stop in Quincy to see the site of the Lincoln/Douglas debate. Jeff, Gary and Bob paused long enough to strike an appropriate Lincolnesque pose. Then we headed up river towards Nauvoo.

It was a special treat to hear about Darcy's ancestor, Jonathan Browning, on the bus from Darcy and Gary and then from the tour guides at the Jonathan Browning restored home in Nauvoo. As we entered the building there is a plaque recognizing Browning's family contribution to the restoration. Below the names of many of her aunts and uncles was Darcy's mom's name, Janet Southwick. At Brigham Young's request, Brother Browning stayed behind for 6 years in Winter Quarters and worked diligently supplying Mormon immigrants with firearms in preparation for their journey to the Rocky Mountains.

Jeff and I used our free time this afternoon tracking down the location of Hyrum Smith's home. We learned that he had a home on Water Street and a farm in the area above and behind the temple. His home is believed to have been built up on a raised wooden foundation. Thus, no foundation or archeological remnants have been found.

Brent and Eddy had made special arrangements for us to have a private meeting in the upper room of the Red Brick Store. We had costumes borrowed from a Nauvoo production and did our own re-enactment of the brethren organizing the Relief Society directed by Eddy. Rich, Jeff and Jon took the opportunity to bear their testimonies to us and we sang "Praise to the Man!"

We ended our day with a catered dinner in the park followed by entertainment at the Cultural Hall where the Nauvoo missionary couples put on a musical stage production. We stopped to see the glowing, beautiful temple at night on the way to our hotel.

When we visited the Wilford Woodruff home today our guide told of his departure from Nauvoo. He finished his home only a month before leaving it to head west. He never expected to see the city, his home or the temple again. As he gazed back on the temple he said a prayer that God would remember the sacrifices of his saints. The sister guide said she believed that prayer has been answered by the restoration of Nauvoo.

Spiritual Highs Amid Persecution

The day began with a smile as Brent related how he had mistaken the hotel’s gravy (as in biscuits and gravy) for oatmeal at breakfast. Yummy!

We left in a rainstorm but found ourselves at Far West in lovely, cool summer weather. Here we found a plaque commemorating the birth of Jeff’s great-grandfather. Joseph F. Smith, son of Mary Fielding and Hyrum who was born in a cabin nearby. A lovely monument and well-maintained grounds mark the site designated for the Far West temple that was abandoned when 5000 saints were forced to leave their homes here and relocate in Illinois. Detailed accounts were given of their experiences here, perhaps the most touching was Peggy Wade’s about Emma Smith.

Joseph had prophesied that the twelve would leave for a mission to England from this spot April 26, 1839. Before that prophecy could be fulfilled Gov. Boggs had issued the extermination order and the Mormons were driven out of Missouri. In order to fulfill the prophecy the apostles traveled back the 200 miles to Far West and under cover of darkness at 1:00 am the morning of April 26^th, set the final cornerstone at the temple site and pledged themselves to fulfill their mission. (Each of the four cornerstones represents a group of priesthood: the First Presidency, the Melchizedik priesthood, the Aaronic priesthood, and the 12 Apostles) Wilford Woodruff and George A Smith were ordained apostles in this setting and joined Brigham Young, Heber C Kimball, Orson Pratt, John E Page, and John Taylor as missionaries. The guys stood by the final cornerstone and waved to us to commemorate the apostles’ farewell.

Adam-ondi-Ahman was the scene of a picnic lunch under the trees in this lovely natural garden. We met John Bundy, whose restaurant provided our lunch. He was leaving after delivering our food but felt impressed to come back and talk to us. The result was discovering that John Bundy owns lands in nearby Seth that were previously owned by Jon Dibble ‘s ancestor, Philo. Later Jon recounted a story for us. Philo was one of many of the saints who watched their dream of Zion dissolve in the face of persecution. One night however, during the time they were being driven from Missouri, Philo was rewarded by seeing a vision of the city of Zion, it’s gates, it’s flower beds, it’s celestial beauty.

The group walked down to the overlook and saw part of the 3,500 acres owned by the Church. From this vantage point we could see Spring Hill and Tower Hill. We were told that the soil here is exceedingly rich and that water is abundant. The church is putting in water wells able to support the needs of 300,000 people. We spent some time sitting on the lawn overlooking the valley. Lori told us the story of Heber C. Kimball and Brigham Young leaving for their second mission to England. They and their families we ill from fever bred in the swamps of Nauvoo. Still, as Brigham & Heber's wagon approached the crest of the hill leaving the city, both with great effort stood up in the wagon, waved goodbye to their wives & children and called out, "Hurrah for Israel." Lori's family has shared this story through the years and as their daughter Melissa left them at the MTC for her mission, she turned and called to them, "Hurrah for Israel." We ended by signing Scott’s favorite song, “Adam-ondi-Ahman”.

Jeff talked the bus driver into stopping at an Amish bakery for treats as we got on our way. We saw lots of hard working Amish women and tasted some of their baked goods. Doug gave us a fascinating report on Joseph Smith’s presidential campaign en route to Hannibal. We stopped briefly and found everything here closed.

Our evening meal in Quincy included dinner guests, David and Mary Costigan.

David is a retired professor of history at Quincy University. He shared with us some of his vast knowledge of the civil war, the Lincoln-Douglas debate that occurred here and the generosity of the people of Quincy towards the exiled Mormon refugees who had been driven out of Missouri. I was especially impressed when he told of Lincoln’s concerted efforts to develop his style of oratory. How he drew extensively from the Bible and from Shakespeare. Lincoln was able to quote long passages from Shakespeare’s plays. Many of his now-famous phrases come from the bible. For example, “a house divided against itself cannot stand”. Lincoln taught himself and learned out of the best books.

The Titans Assemble - Again

Thanks to Study Group chairs, Rich and Lori Boyer and to our tour guides, Brent & Eddy Ward; we're back on another Mormon Heritage Tour. This time in Missouri and Illinois. And our numbers have grown. Everyone has returned from last year's group - Wards, Dibbles, Cannons, Blacks, Sandbergs, Hammers, and Bryce are back. This time Bryce has his new bride, Peggy, with him. First timers, Camerons and Boyers are here joined by Brent's sister, Claudia Ward, and Gary's brother-in-law, Robert Taylor.

Brent and Eddy wasted no time getting us on the road. First stop - Independence, Mo in Jackson County. Brent accompanied our singing with his harmonica and we learned that the site dedicated here for the temple actually encompassed 63 acres of land in anticipation of some 24 buildings. After checking out the "temple lot" we went into the uniquely cone-shaped temple of the Community of Christ (formerly RLDS). The entry to the spiral dome is through a doorway that represents the Sacred Grove in Palmyra. The glass is 3/4'' thick and carved like Lalique. It is spectacular.

Then we were on our way to Richmond to see the statue of Alexander Doniphan and the site of Joseph's imprisonment before being transferred to Liberty Jail. Here also we saw Oliver Cowdery's grave in a lovely little cemetery with a section commemorating the three witnesses of the Book of Mormon. David Whitmer's grave was in another cemetery nearby.

At Liberty Jail, our guide told us to watch for symbols in the room. On our way out we pressed her about the symbols. She told us that if we noticed, there is no doorknob on the interior of the jail. Therefore, the jailer would be imprisoned in the building as well as the prisoners until someone came to let him out. What in our lives imprisons us? Can we let ourselves out? There are bars in two walls of the jail. If one looks through them, the picture of the Savior in the next room is aligned perfectly to be seen through the bars. She believes that whatever kind of prison we may be in; we are not there alone. The Savior will be there with us. Lastly, she had us take note of the ceiling. Above this "prison temple" are symbols of the sun, the moon, and the stars. These are symbols found on the Nauvoo and Salt Lake Temples.