Beautiful Palmyra

Since we were already in Boston, we couldn't be THAT close and not go visit Palmyra. Palmyra is about a 6 hour drive from Boston. So we decided to hop in the Palmyra is the birthplace of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Palmyra is the place where Joseph Smith knelt to ask a question of God. After reading in the Bible, James 1:5, to be exact, he decided he needed wisdom. He needed to know which of the churches, if any, were true. Although many good people believed in Christ and tried to understand and teach His gospel, they did not have the fullness of truth or the priesthood authority to baptize and perform other saving ordinances at that time. They had inherited a state of apostasy, as each generation was influenced by what the previous one passed on, including changes in the doctrines and in ordinances, such as baptism. So Joseph went to a special place. A huge grove of trees, behind his house and knelt to pray. In response to that humble prayer, God and His Son, Jesus Christ appeared to Joseph. Click here for Joseph's own account...in his own words.

I have always wanted to visit the Sacred Grove. So much happened there. The world changed because of what happened there.

We visited the Sacred Grove in late April-- LOOK AT THE TREES!!!! No leaves at all!!! All the pictures depicting the First Vision are full of leafy green trees! It was probably not so when it actually happened-- just in case you were wondering. The Sacred Grove was so incredibly peaceful and serene. We visited late in the afternoon on Friday and then went running through the Grove early Saturday morning.

This is the beautiful Palmyra temple, seen through some trees. The Sacred Grove is about a 5 minute walk from the temple.

Joseph Smith Log home

Inside the Smith home

These four corners on a cross-street in Palmyra all have churches on them. You can see the 4 steeples behind me. This place really was a place of "religious excitement"! What a neat thing!

Alvin Smith's grave





Actual ink stains and splatters on the wall from the printing of the Book of Mormon

Here we are at the Hill Cumorah Visitor's Center. This was a wonderful place. The missionaries here were great. There was a very strong spirit there that we really enjoyed.

Here I am petting the cat the Sister Missionaries have affectionately named, Moroni. He basically 'lives' on the grounds of the monument. He was quite friendly.

I was thrilled for the opportunity to visit Palmyra. All of my life I've heard about these places and pictured them in my mind and seen them in paintings or in movies. As a teenager, I decided to pray about the Book of Mormon; about Joseph Smith and about what he said he saw. I wanted to know for myself. If something like that did indeed happen, wouldn't it be important for me to know? If God and His Son appeared to a boy and gave him instructions and if this boy found a record of a people that lived on the American Continent anciently-- that claims to be another testament of Jesus Christ, wouldn't it be important for me to know about these things? To read them myself? To ask God if they're true? If those things were all true, God would want me to know about them, right? Yes, He would. I gained a testimony that the Book of Mormon is true and that God, our Heavenly Father, and His Son, Jesus Christ, did infact, appear to Joseph Smith. I am grateful for the ability to pray to God and that he answers our prayers.

What a gift is prayer.

If any of you reading this haven't read the Book of Mormon, or wonder about those "nice Mormon neighbors" you have, but know nothing about their beliefs, visit this website. You don't have to take my word for any of this. You can find out for yourself.