8.24.2009

We got to Palmyra late Thursday night and checked into our hotel. Friday we spent the day going to the Smith family farm and the Printers where the Book of Mormon was printed. I learned so much.

Did you know that the first home they lived in when they arrived in Palmyra was really Hyrum's house and on his land? They parents had bought 100 acres and Hyrum bought 80 right next door (even though he was only a teenager). They built his home first (which is the one Joseph prayed in and recieved the visits from Moroni) then later built a frame house on the family farm. But even that was Alvins house (however he died during construction).

Frame House, where the gold plates were hidden under the hearth.


I was suprised by the Sacred Grove. I was imagining walking to a bunch of trees and seeing the exact spot Joseph had the first vision, you know the one in all the pictures. But it was a huge grove with walking trails and benches. It was beautiful and so peaceful. As soon as you walk in it's like every sound is muted. I loved it.


That night Brad and I went through a session in the Palmyra temple. The temple is up on a little hill that over looks the Sacred Grove so Pres. Hinckley gave them permission to put clear windows on that side of the building. Right as you walk past the recommend desk you can see right out to the grove. It was beautiful. The rest of the windows are stained glass pictures of the Grove. It was gorgeous.

View of the temple from the Sacred Grove.

We spent Saturday at the Hill Camorah and the Whitmer farm. Have you ever noticed that there are 5 Whitmer's that were witnesses to the Book of Mormon? Well I have. The Sister Missionary taking us on the tour at the farm pointed out to me that not only did the Whitmer sons witness to it, but Hiram Page and Oliver Cowdrey were the husbands of the Whitmer daughters. Even their mother was shown the plates. The Whitmer's were one very righteous family. I didn't have my camera then, but it was an amazing experience. I'm so glad we got to experience it.

For dinner on Saturday we stopped in downtown Palmyra at a little diner called "The Grill and Chill." The missionaries recommended it to us for it's portion sizes. The kiddy meal was a 1/4 pounder. It had some awesome ice cream also.

My nephew Josh with a kiddy cone. Outrageous, I know.

2 comments:

Traci said...

what does an adult cone look like??

Missy said...

It had like 6 scoops. Massive!