Sunday 26 July 2015

LDS Church History Road Trip 2015 (10 days; Kirtland, Palmyra, Niagara Falls, Chicago & Nauvoo)


Who: My Parents & I (Ben was good enough to let me go and be outnumbered by parents!!!)
Where: Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, New York, Canada and Michigan.
What: LDS Historic church sites tour + Hill Cumorah Pageant + Palmyra Temple + Niagara Falls + Chicago + Nauvoo Pageant + British Pageant
Distance: 1600+ miles
When: 8th July to 18th July 2015 (Road Trip 8th - 14th July; then 4 days in Nauvoo)

Chicago, Illinois
Wednesday - we arrived in Chicago! After a 6.5 hour flight we were tired... but it was 4pm and we were getting straight in the car to drive to Kirtland - a drive almost as long as our flight. One advantage, though, was having three 'pilots'. Roll on my first driving experience on the wrong ("right") side of the road!

We drove across state lines - and lost an hour somewhere along the way! I blame Indiana. That was a bit of a shock, as we were totally not anticipating that time change. Central Time Zone to Eastern Time Zone - who even knew that was a thing? Rather than arriving at midnight to our place of rest for the evening, it was past 1am. That's pretty tough to recover from... so we just kept things rolling - after all, you can survive ten days without sleep, right? 

Kirtland, Ohio
We woke up in Kirtland and it did NOT look like the above. 

Instead, it looked like this: 


Your eyes don't deceive you - that is a road that has become a river. We were shocked and horrified about this unwelcome precipitation on our first day in the USA. We dragged ourselves out for a breakfast comprising of waffles at a place I cannot recommend. Not many options in a tiny little place like Kirtland! 

Kirtland was once the base of our church (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints). They settled and even built a temple. 

It was amazing to walk around the historic sites of Kirtland. 


At the Visitor's Centre, we were able to walk around some of the rebuilt houses that were once the homes of the church members and of our Prophet at the time, Joseph Smith. 

And, thankfully, as we walked around we were handed umbrellas! 


We nipped back later to get this piccy outside the Whitney Store. Oddly, this store has an amazing feeling about it. Downstairs it was exactly what it claimed to be - a shop which sold all kinds of things: ribbons, food, tools; it was even a post-office. The back room was slightly more unusual. It was a trading post so that those without money could swap what they did have for things that they needed. This use was soon elevated when Newel K. Whitney became a Bishop of the church and this room became the first Bishop's storehouse, one of the ways the church provides for the poor and needy. 


Going upstairs in the Whitney store is yet more remarkable. When Joseph and Emma Smith lived in Kirtland, the Whitney family allowed them to live above the store. (They had their own beautiful house):


The Whitney store had no walls in the upstairs - it was basically a huge attic/store room for the shop below. When Joseph and Emma moved there, Newel K. Whitney had walls built to create a living space for the Smith family. One small, sacred room was the School of the Prophets - incredible things happened there and it was inspiring to sit and think of my relationship with Jesus Christ. The main room become a gathering place for the leaders of the church - many meetings were held in the Whitney store. Most amazingly, the revelation to build Kirtland temple and what it should look like was given there. Some of the leaders thought that building a log cabin would enable them to have the meetings they needed to and to have a place for the church members to gather in worship. But the Lord had something else in mind. 

That story, told by one of the sister missionaries that showed us around the site, made me think hugely of the aspects of my life where I think I have a fairly decent log cabin in mind. I'm striving hard to build it! But Heavenly Father, in His wisdom, has much more in mind. C.S. Lewis phrased it this way: 

“Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on; you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make any sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of - throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were being made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself.”

Talking to another sister missionary the same day (we went back for more!) she shared with us her thoughts that the plan Heavenly Father revealed for the temple is like us with our Patriarchal Blessings. We are given an image and a vision, and then we need to follow it closely to gain the outcome we want and that Heavenly Father has in store for us. 

The temple Heavenly Father had in mind in this case looked like this: 


And here we are:


After some much-needed refreshment...


... We traveled to the John Johnson home - about 30 minutes from Kirtland, and well worth a visit. It, too, was a place that Joseph Smith stayed when in this region. There were so many places here where it was just weird to take a picture - but we did it anyway! Through this front door, Joseph Smith was dragged by a mob who beat and tarred and feathered him. It's a place of sacrifice and faith. Upstairs in this house, revelations were given. The prophet had a home here with a wonderful family.


 While in Kirtland we also visited the Isaac Morley farm.

Places we visited in Kirtland area: 


After that, we had some food (at Longhorn Steakhouse) and got back into the car for the 4 hour trip to our hotel at Victor, near Palmyra, New York. 

Palmyra, New York
God bless America! The breakfast buffet at our hotel included waffles (make your own) with maple syrup. I don't think I love anything else in the world in quite the same way. I now know my answer to "If you could only eat one meal for the rest of your life, what would it be?"

Once we were full (and subsequently happy!) we set off to one of the places I was so excited to see because I've imagined it so many times in my life. The farm where Joseph Smith lived with his family when he was a 14 year old boy. He had questions about religion and decided to ask God which of the churches were true. He saw Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ who told him that the fullness of the gospel was not on the earth but would be restored. That event changed the world. It changed my life. It's no wonder I was looking forward to being there so much.  

(I recommend bug spray, I learned the hard way!)


The birds were singing and the light was streaming through the trees. It was a beautiful, peaceful and spirit-filled place. Their modest household stood on the site also. 


In the room upstairs, the angel Moroni appeared to Joseph Smith and taught him.


Alvin Smith, Joseph's brother who died, was building this home for his future spouse and for his parents to live in on their land. The family were uprooted so many times. They always ended up where they needed to be. I can learn from that!


Palmyra Temple was finished in 2000. It was dedicated as a House of the Lord on April 6th of that year - a significant date as it was the date of the church's organisation 170 years earlier. 

It's a small temple and we had to book to go inside as they have so many patrons. We were able to worship there which was incredible. The temple is full of stained glass depicting trees so you feel that you are surrounded by the sacred grove. 


One window is completely transparent - there's none other like it in all of our temples - and you can see out toward the Sacred Grove. If it wasn't for what happened in that grove of trees we wouldn't have temples or the priesthood power which allows us to make sacred ordinances. We wouldn't have the promise of eternal families. 


No wonder we were smiling!


The building where the Book of Mormon was first printed (5,000 copies) is nearby, in Palmyra. That was a fabulous place to visit. The Book of Mormon is vital in our understanding of the doctrine of Christ's gospel and it preaches and prophesies of Him. It is loved by members of our religion everywhere and is now published in lots of different languages and is filling the earth. It is a book with a promise. 


One witness of the Book of Mormon was a man named Martin Harris - we visited the place that his farm stood.


Each summer, in Palmyra, at the Hill Cumorah - where Joseph Smith found the record from which the Book of Mormon was translated - there is a big pageant! It's basically a play/show depicting events from the Book of Mormon. It's a great way to find out what we believe. Dad, Mom and I went two nights in a row - soaking it all in. Members of the church come from all over the place to be in the cast. 

The Hill Cumorah Pageant is performed to a backing track rather than with live vocals. It is a fabulous way of storytelling. There's lots of movement, fun costumes and colour. The climax of the show is the visit of the Lord, Jesus Christ to the americas after His resurrection. It's a powerful thing to see a depiction of Christ and imagine what it will be like when He comes again. We enjoyed seeing it. 



On Day 2 in Palmyra we climbed the Hill Cumorah to the statue of Moroni. We have a lot of statues of Moroni - one on each temple! Usually, however, we depict him blowing a trumpet - his message spreading to the earth - so this was different.


There's a beautiful Visitors Centre nearby where they play a few videos and explain some of the history. One of the videos really was gorgeous - it was about Heavenly Father's plan for families. I can't find the link but will post it if I do.


They also have a Christus statue - modeled after the one in Copenhagen! It was a good place to think.


The Peter Whitmer Farm, in Fayette, was a surprise to us - we didn't realise it was on the site of a massive Stake centre that doubles as a Visitors' centre. When we arrived there a family were fundraising for their Ward's youth camp. It was really cool to stumble across people like that. 


The Whitmer Farm was one of the places where the translation of the Book of Mormon took place. I kept imagining those words of truth pouring from Joseph's lips as the words that Mormon and Moroni recorded were spoken aloud for the first time (maybe ever - but certainly since they wrote!). It made me think of some of my favourite phrases from the Book of Mormon. 

Wickedness Never Was Happiness

..then will I make weak things become strong unto them

By small and simple things are great thing brought to pass

Remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye much build your foundation


After all of this spiritual wonder, we hit the mall. It seemed essential. We actually went to an Amish supermarket called Sauders which was fascinating. 

After the pageant we got some shut eye, ready to move on the following day!

 Places we visited in Palmyra area: 

Niagara Falls, Canada Side
In Summary: WOW! 

I don't need to tell you anything in words. Pictures will completely do. 
Note that I was the only one on the Hornblower without a poncho on. 






It was a really hot day - a great one for slushies! 

The Longest Drive: Customs and Cheesecake Factory
When we drove through customs to go through Canada to Chicago, we managed to get into the only lane with a US border-control chap who decided to play 'bad-cop'. Oh dear. I suppose what I can say for him was that he was thorough. And, to be fair, we had fun. 








By the time we'd driven half of our journey (about 5 hours out of the 9 or 10) we were desperate for food. 

It had long since been in our plans to get to The Cheesecake Factory while we were in America. I had heard rave reviews from almost everyone. I honestly doubted it could meet expectations. And it didn't. I didn't expect to feel like crying because it was so hard to choose! I wanted everything on the menu and everything was delicious! 


 I would definitely be the size of a whale if I lived near one of these restaurants. I'd also be broke.

Chicago, Illinois
We only had one day in Chicago. We were told by a fabulous man at the hotel that we needed to go to Garrett's popcorn and act like we were from Chicago. With this in mind, we wondered how exactly we were supposed to achieve this. We have "British" tattooed all over us.

We were tired and got into the centre of Chicago by about midday. Popcorn and a sports shop (so I could buy Ben a Cubs Baseball cap) were the first priorities when we got off at Washington station.







Chicago was easy to navigate via bus and metro/train. It was also fun to ride the L!


We took an architecture tour on a boat which was a great way to see Chicago at a glance. I found the big city so energising and fun. I don't think I've really been to a skyscraper city like that. I was staring upward, with my heart pounding, for most of the day. 








After the architecture tour, we went to Millennium Park and I was so excited to see the Bean! Honestly, it's the most ridiculous thing but it's amazing. So clever and such a beautiful piece of modern art. 





As we walked through the park, there was a band practising for a concert. We took a moment to stop, have a paddle and listen to the lovely music.


So, we didn't do museums or galleries of even go up a skyscraper. But most important of all, we enjoyed Chicago and especially their pizza!






Places we visited in Chicago: 


 Nauvoo, Illinois
We really felt when we woke up on Tuesday morning like we had the tiniest journey to do - it was only 4 hours now to get to Nauvoo. I realise that rhymed. I'm just going to leave that alone. 

We decided that as there were so many people we wanted to see in Nauvoo, the chances of us leaving Nauvoo to go to Carthage were slim, so we visited Carthage on the way to Nauvoo. 

Personally, I'm glad we did it that way around because I would have found it even more emotional to be at Carthage after seeing Nauvoo. In Carthage Jail, the Prophet Joseph Smith and his brother, Hyrum, were killed by a mob. We visited the place to remember the Joseph Smith and the amazing way he lived - he made sacrifices throughout his life, this was the conclusion of his mortal life. 




While we were at Carthage we met a family that had just been in Nauvoo and knew Jonathan and Becky. Jonathan is on the production team of the Pageant, and Becky is playing Leonora Taylor and Jane Benbow in the pageant. The family we met were really eager to tell us about their experiences with them. It was a great introduction to coming close to where they were. 

As we approached Nauvoo, we discussed the fact that we needed to be calm and not stampede in and embarrass Becky and Jonathan. Of course, we forgot all of that when we pulled up! 

Nearing the stage, we could see all of the cast members rehearsing. It was the middle of the day and all of a sudden we heard a familiar voice. Her line was about kisses to loved ones - I can't remember it exactly - but we stood at the side of the stage blowing kisses. After the line was delivered, Becky ran off stage to see us. It was awesome to be reunited there! 


Nauvoo Day One
Where to start when describing Nauvoo? 

Isn't it amazing that a place can just immediately feel so sacred to you? It was heavenly. Nauvoo means "beautiful" in Hebrew. I've never even tried to imagine Nauvoo - it seems like a place from another time to me so much so that I didn't really imagine I would ever be there. I am so grateful I got to be there. 

The performances of British and Nauvoo pageants had started for the summer already so things were in full-swing when we got there. Becky showed us around the Pageant Head Quarters (PHQ) and we met the friends she's made there and saw a few of the wonderful faces we already knew: 


We watched the "Women of Nauvoo" vignette and then had the privilege of attending a cast meeting. Each night before a performance the "Core Cast" (speaking roles who are at Nauvoo all summer) and the "Family Cast" (groups of individuals who come for two weeks and form the pageant ensemble) meet together to be uplifted. In this specific meeting, Elder Holland - one of the Apostles of our church - was in attendance and addressed the cast. It was an amazing experience to hear him thank them from a Grandfather's perspective - he was grateful that viewing the pageant could strengthen his own family's faith. It was brilliant. 

We went to participate in pre-pageant fun and sat to watch the performance with the Beasleys (Becca and Carol!) and with the Cartwrights - Melanie, her Mother-in-law and niece.


The pageant was beautiful and excellent and uplifting.


Afterwards, we took part in a pageant tradition - we went to Annie's for frozen custard. The flavour of the day was salted caramel - my favourite! 

The whole first half-day in Nauvoo was a whirlwind of smiling faces, sincere conversations, a wonderful place and a great feeling. 

Nauvoo Day Two

We got up and went to the Nauvoo Temple. I was awed by the beauty, the feeling of eternity and the wonderful knowledge that the people who sacrificed to build the Nauvoo temple originally are now so awed to know it stands once more and that we worship in that holy place. The temple is adorned with suns, stars and other beautiful decoration. It is easily the most beautiful building I have ever seen - though the feeling of peace that comes from being there biases me somewhat.




Next, we went to the pageant field to race for seats. They decided it wasn't fair that as soon as the pageant finished people would rope off seats to be used the following night - it detracted too much from the feeling. The solution has been to tell people seats can be reserved from 1pm. So the firstcomers line up and at 1pm we all run. I taught some of our neighbours the English term "argy-bargy" so I think I did my bit to create a good atmosphere! 

To return to our Nauvoo experience we saw the vignette "Letters of Joseph and Emma" by the Mansion House where they lived. It started with a beautiful song and then there were loving words spoken that were written by a man to his wife; and the words she wrote back to him. It brought the people, now buried nearby, to life again and it was a powerful reminder of love and family.



The sites around the Mississippi side of Nauvoo are owned by the Community of Christ so we took their tour to see Nauvoo House, The Mansion House, The log house and the Red brick store.






After that, we headed off to the King Follett vignette - re-enacting part of a speech Joseph Smith made at a friend's funeral which was full of beautiful doctrines about why we're here, who we are and where we are going. 

Jonathan and Becky were able to squeeze in dinner with us - they were (and are - they're still there) so busy! Then it was PHQ for pre-pageant meeting (Ray Robinson spoke). 

There's a variety show the Young Performing Missionaries and Senior Missionaries of Nauvoo put on just before the pageant which we attended. It was so amazing to be immersed in the American culture- you wouldn't see anything like it in england! We howled with laughter, especially at the old men singing about how despite being old they were going to be the next film-star.


Finally, we got to see the British pageant once more! It was in it's infancy in England 2 years ago but is now blossoming even further from this wonderful creation that we all loved being part of to something even more refined and beautiful. It brought back a lot of emotions. Especially as they sang their farewells to their native lands. The accents were fantastic too - lots of Americans were playing British characters and they had practised hard to get it right! It was nice to see the care that was taken to try and keep it all British.



Post-pageant: Annie's! (Where else?!) 

Nauvoo Day Three (16th) 
On Day Three in Nauvoo, the weather was terrible. We were looking forward to seeing the "Trail of Hope" vignette; and were really glad that the cast performed it - though instead of down Parley Street they performed in the Seventies Hall. It was beautiful to see the interactions of the cast as they usually are spread out down the trail.

There was time to see some of the sites of Old Nauvoo so we took time wandering (and running to avoid rain!) down the street to the Cultural Hall, the Bakery, the Tin smiths, the Brownings gun shop, Brigham Young's home etc. The weather was extremely temperamental.



We reserved our seats for the pageant, went to Annie's for waffles, then went to the ' go ye into all the
world' vignette in the Seventies Hall.

We looked round John Taylor's house then went to the women's vignette again.

One of the most wonderful things about being in Nauvoo was spending time with people. Paul & Mel Cartwright fed us a fantastic dinner of jambalaya. After dinner all of the cast members went off to getting ready; which left us with the two little ones. I was thrilled! Alice and Rachel are beautiful, happy girls who are so much fun to be around. Cheerios went flying. :)

The Cheerio-Munching Nose-Grabber :) 
I had some of Becky's things so when we got down to the pageant grounds I went backstage in search of her. Couldn't find her! Not with all of the help in the world! But while there, I managed another cuddle with Alice which was well worth being there. Though she has got this nose-grabbing thing going on at the moment which is pretty distracting!

 They started the performance of the Nauvoo pageant and the heavens opened. Mom and I ran backstage and stood with some family cast members. The rain slowed... There were clouds surrounding the stage but a clear patch above our heads. Mom and I returned to our seats and began to sing hymns- everyone around us joined in. Then the pageant came back on. The cast were so pleased to find that everyone stayed. It was incredible! 


Nauvoo Day Four (17th) 
As it was my last opportunity to go to the temple, I got up in the morning early. It was the best way to spend the morning of the last full day I had in Nauvoo.



We saw more sites: Heber C. Kimball's house, Wilford Woodruff's home, the Brickyard, the Blacksmith/Wagon maker, Sarah Kimball's house.




We hit Annie's again for waffles. Of course.

I also went to do a bit of shopping - the Fudge Factory was aaaammaazing! I also enjoyed browsing at Zion's merchantile.

The final pageant we saw with the British pageant. After the pageant it was frozen custard and going with my sister to see the fireflies down in the fields by the condos the cast stay in. It was a great way to end my final day!




Last Day (18th)
The very last thing, fittingly, that we did the morning I left was to go the Trail of Hope. We had more luck this time with the weather, so the trail was spread along the way that the pioneers would have left Nauvoo as they started toward the Salt Lake valley. Looking back at the temple it was painfully evident what they left behind - but their faith brought so many blessings to those who made the journey and to their posterity. They were able to find the place prepared for them and establish the community they wanted to.



There is a beautiful statue of Joseph Smith and Brigham Young looking out across the Mississippi river, sharing that vision of where the saints were going.


Places we visited in Nauvoo area: 

  • Carthage Jail
  • Visitor's Centre
  • Annie's Frozen Custard
  • Nauvoo Temple
  • The Mansion House
  • Nauvoo House
  • Log-houses (Smith family)
  • Graveyard - where Emma, Joseph and Hyrum are buried
  • Red Brick Store
  • The Grove (near the stage!) 
  • Seventies Hall
  • Cultural Hall
  • Iron smiths
  • Browning's gun manufacture
  • Bakery
  • Post Office
  • Brigham Young's Home
  • Heber C. Kimball Home
  • John Taylor Home
  • Wilford Woodruff Home
  • Brickmaker's
  • Wagon maker/ Blacksmith
  • Family Living Centre
  • Sarah Granger Kimball House
  • Vignettes performed by the cast of the Nauvoo and British Pageants
  • (I've probably missed lots out!)



My trip home was a pretty interesting one, too. As my parents were coming home a few days later and doing the 8 hour round trip to Chicago two days before they needed to do the 4 hour drive their themselves seemed pretty silly - so I booked a plane from Burlington to Chicago.

If you ever get the chance to do it - do it! It cost less than a train ticket to London would ($53) and was a beautiful way to see the vastness of America.





So - that concludes my very long blog about the trip! If you're planning anything similar I would love to hear from you and would be happy to answer questions.

We didn't really know whether so much would be achievable in 10 days. While it was jam-packed and sleep was a bonus if we could get it, this was really doable - especially with 3 drivers.

We were really fortunate to have the time we did in Nauvoo - there was so much to see that it was kind of overwhelming at first. There was more we could have done - for example, the Young Performing Missionaries were constantly around doing things and it would have been fun to see some of the ticketed performances they put on but we just didn't have the time in the end.

I'm sure I'll go back again someday!


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