CHURCH HISTORY TOUR DAY 2: PALMYRA, NEW YORK, WHITMER HOME, GRANDIN PRESS CO. AND AMISH STORE

September 7, 2018

On our 2nd Day of our trip we drove to PALMYRA, NEW YORK. It was so green and beautiful and corn fields as far as the eye can see! Still hot and humid but we saw and learned a lot today!

 This is the Peter Whitmer Home. I loved this home. I felt the spirit so strong when I went in it. Joseph and Oliver lived here and translated many of the gold plates here. They would be upstairs and Mary Whitmer, who wasn't real excited they were there because of the added burden her workload would involve (She already had 10 kids to feed) would be working below them making meals and she would listen to Joseph tell Oliver what to write. As she listened she too gained a testimony and she was visited by a man (an angel) that showed her the gold plates. It buoyed her up and she never complained but was encouraging and she remained a faithful member of the church.

It was in fact, in this home where the church was organized. There were 6 members at the time and soon it grew. We had a small devotional here outside of the house and learned many things. This was a very special place and I felt it. This is where the first Sacrament was instituted and where Joseph Smith became PROPHET and PRESIDENT OF THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER DAY SAINTS!

 One story I love is that when David Whitmer asked his father if Joseph and Oliver could move in for a time because they were being persecuted, Peter, his father, said you can get them when the fields are plowed. They owned a ton of land and it was going to take several weeks. Well, they woke the next morning and miraculously, their fields had been plowed! Peter told David to leave immediately to get Joseph and Oliver! Wow! I love that. Eventually, The Whitmer Family was baptized and 5 of them saw the Gold Plates.

 This is the table where Joseph and Oliver translated the plates.

After leaving the Whitmer Home we traveled for a ways and we needed to stop for lunch. There wasn't anything near by so we stopped at an Amish Grocery Store. It was so cool! I can honestly say that everything we ate and bought from them was SO GOOD! They can cook! It started to look like Fall and it was getting me so excited for this season!

 I tried to take pics without them noticing I was trying to sneak photos!

 Here's me and Mom sitting in an Amish Swing!

Then we drove out to Martin Harris's Home. Holy Smokes! It was huge! I knew he was a wealthy man but this is huge in today's time, I'm sure it was a mansion in Joseph Smith's day. I love Martin Harris because he was willing to sell everything he had for the printing of the Book of Mormon. His faith was so strong!

 Look at those cool stones used to build his home! It was amazing to me!

Then we drove to the GRANDIN PRINT SHOP where 5,000 copies of the BOOK OF MORMON was made amid much controversy.

 This was so impressive. The amount of tedious time it took to place each typeset and word and everything it took to produce this book was amazing! I still can't get over it!

 They would lower the pages through this window and it goes down below and right next to where the Erie Canal was.

 I haven't really got in to much detail but today we learned a lot and I am so grateful to how many people aided Joseph Smith in this work of translating, and printing the Book of Mormon and then distributing it and teaching others so that we have the Church that we do today. I'm truly grateful!

 This night we just ate a restaurant in our hotel.

CHURCH HISTORY TOUR BEGINS. DAY 1: PRIESTHOOD SITE, SUSQUEHANNA RIVER

September 5, 2018

Our tour group hopped on the bus and for those who did not come early to see Philadelphia like we did, the bus driver drove around the city so they could see some of the sites. I explained to those who hadn't seen the sites before all the little info that we received on our tour so they would know what everything was. Ha! Ha! I guess I could always be a Hop On Hop Off Tour Guide if the need arises!

One thing I loved about Philly is that when vandals would paint or "tag" buildings, and get caught, instead of doing jail time they were sent to art school and then they would  paint murals on some of the buildings to help beautify the city. I love that!

 Here's a few examples of the art work. One on a building and one on a garbage can.

Before driving out of the city, we stopped and got out to take pictures of the PHILADELPHIA TEMPLE.

Then we hopped on our bus and drove to SUSQUEHANNA, PENNSYLVANIA:

We stopped at the CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER DAY SAINTS PRIESTHOOD SITE:
This is where JOHN THE BAPTIST conferred the AARONIC PRIESTHOOD on Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery, and where PETER, JAMES AND JOHN conferred the MELCHIZEDEK PRIESTHOOD on Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery.

We went into the church building to watch a small video and the missionaries explained what took place there. The Spirit was very strong there and I choked back tears. I know that what they said, was true.

                                              John the Baptist, Joseph and Oliver

                                               Peter, James and John, Joseph and Oliver

We then walked down a path to the SUSQUEHANNA RIVER where Joseph and Oliver BAPTIZED each other. I wanted my kids to see this place and so I "Marco Polo'd" them. I sure wish my kids were with me to feel what I was feeling and to see the cool sites we saw.

 SUSQUEHANNA RIVER where JOSEPH SMITH was BAPTIZED!

It was raining pretty good, which actually felt good to me after being in hot and stuffy Philly.

Joseph and Emma Smith were living with her parents when this took place. We got to go in the Hales' Home where they stayed. The Susquehanna River was just down this path and into their backyard really.

Joseph and Emma bought this small cabin from her parents, Isaac and Elizabeth Hale for $130

Then we walked over to the McKune Cemetery where Isaac Hale and Joseph Smith's infant son was buried. As you can see some of these headstones are very old!

Next we drove to Joseph Knight Sr's House. Joseph actually worked for him for some time and lived in his home as a hired hand. Joseph Knight believed Joseph's account of the First Vision and the Gold Plates and was a faithful member. He was a rich man and we got to go inside his home as well.

 The Colesville Branch would meet here.

They found this mallet in the home when they were reconstructing this home.

It was so amazing to see these homes where the Prophet Joseph Smith lived and spent time in.

Then we went to our hotel and my Mom had been collecting bags along the way and she was filling them up and I started laughing so hard when I saw her try to walk into the hotel with her luggage and all of her bags and Joyce rolling her eyes and saying "Judas Priest, Shirley!"  Well I started laughing  and then Mom started laughing and we couldn't stop. The next thing you know, we are waiting for the elevator and we couldn't hold it and we both ended up wetting our pants! It was so crazy! Our sides were hurting so bad from laughing we peed our pants!  Mom was wearing light gray pants and you could totally see they were wet! Ha! Ha!

That's what I love about being with my mom. We laugh so hard all the time till we can hardly stand it. Our stomachs ache from laughter. Life doesn't get better than that!