Tell After Tale: Nauvoo The Beautiful

On my birthday we pulled into Nauvoo and it was the most amazing gift to be there with my mom and sisters. My heart was so full that it was close to bursting. We pulled through the town and right to the temple. I was overwhelmed with how beautiful it is. Tears came to my eyes as I looked at it. From that point on, Nauvoo had captured my heart. I took so many pictures of it and I never wanted to take my eyes off of it. Gorgeous, absolutely gorgeous! It's incredible to me that the pioneers were able to build such a magnificent building.

We then went to our hotel. I am going to admit it. Nauvoo was not what we expected. We were all a little shocked and disappointed at first glance. Our hotel is on this main street place where there isn't much stuff. Nothing at all really. We thought all of that was Nauvoo because we didn't realize that all the historic houses and stuff were down lower. Once we figured that out we were so excited and I think all of us fell in love with it. It is so old and so pretty. The sun even seemed different there. The sun just seemed to glow gold over all the lush vegetation. Everything is so green and trees were everywhere. It was amazing to be there with the Mississippi River bordering it. It was hot and humid and it's crazy to think that we were in the same place that our wonderful Prophet Joseph lived. The air there is filled with a unique and spiritual charge. It's a town rich with a sacred history and I could feel it.
That night we went to look for a place to eat. There really aren't many options and everything was closed by the time we got to the eating point. Plus, we needed a few things from the store and I needed some different clothes. I hadn't packed inadequately for Nauvoo. I had packed for Denver. The problem was...there was no store. We ended up driving to a different town that had a Walmart and McDonald's. It seriously was a fun birthday dinner and little trip to town.

The next day we went down into the Smith family historic site owned by Community of Christ. We went to the Smith houses, Joseph's Red Brick store (it had amazing root beer), and to the place Joseph, Hyrum, Emma, Joseph Smith Sr., and Lucy Mack Smith are buried. It was emotional looking at their graves and thinking about the sacrifices they made. I'm so grateful for them and for the lives they lived. I kept reliving that gratitude throughout the trip and it did not stop.

After, we went on a wagon ride around Nauvoo and the historic sites. It was very informational. It helped us know where to go, what to visit, and what there was to do. I loved sitting in the wagon with all the people and listening to the missionary couples tell us about Nauvoo and the history. As we rode past all the little houses there would be an occasional senior missionary that would come out and wave to us. It was adorable. Every time I thought I reached the peak of my love for Nauvoo, something would happen that made me love it even more. As we rode around they told us that all the trees there were rotted so the pioneers had to send some people to Wisconsin to sent barges of trees down the Mississippi to have wood to build houses and other important buildings. It just made me realize how blessed we are today. We have so much technology and conveniences at our fingertips

The next day we went down to the other houses that are owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Our church. We went to John Taylor's house, Wilford Woodruff's, Lucy Mack Smith's house (it was adorable), the Blacksmith Shop, Browning's house (gun shop), and many other places. We would go from house to house and there were always a pair of senior sister missionaries or a pair of senior elders. They would take us through the houses and teach us the history there. We also went to a place that we learned about all the things the pioneers made. It opened my eyes to the work and time they put in just to survive. It was so amazing to listen to the stories and the sacrifices that were made. It was also amazing to hear their testimonies.

I absolutely loved the people there. When someone shares their testimony with me, I feel an instant link to them and it's such a beautiful thing. There were so many people there that I loved hearing from them and talking to them.
We went to the visitor's center at one point and we talked to a young sister missionary from Korea, I think. She told us about her family and about how she has loved being a missionary and the blessings of the gospel. I loved talking to her and hearing how the gospel is the same everywhere. No matter where it is, it is blessing people's lives and is organized in the same way. I love and am comforted by the consistency of the church.

At the Blacksmith Shop the elder that taught us about it got really emotional at the end of it as he shared his testimony. I think all of us were touched and felt the Spirit in the room. He had taught us how the pioneers made their wagons and how the blacksmiths made horseshoes. I think that's when I first understood that everything the pioneers did took so much time. Every chore, everything they built, any meal, anything took them days, weeks, or years. We were already feeling the Spirit and a deep appreciation for the pioneers and then he topped it off with his testimony.
At Lucy Mack Smith's house there was another senior sister missionary that touched my heart. She seemed really nervous public speaking, but she made a big impact with her testimony. The sad thing is that during this trip I can't remember what they all said in their testimonies. The great thing is that I remember what they made me feel. I do remember a story she told about Lucy Mack Smith. When the pioneers were trying to cross a river (I think Mississippi, but I'm not sure because Lucy didn't go on the journey west) it had frozen so the barge she was on could not continue. Everyone on the barge was getting scared. She stood in front of everyone and told everyone to start singing hymns. The ice cracked and they made it across and after they made it, the river froze over again. Faith is greater than anything. It wasn't necessarily the singing of the hymns that helped them make it across but the faith of that woman. She helped everyone become positive and faithful enough to make it across.
We heard countless stories of faith and each one filled me with the Spirit and gratitude. Gratitude for the pioneers and for the many members of the church throughout time that have sacrificed or lived in a manner to spread the gospel. Nauvoo made me want to be more fervent in sharing the gospel and in living the gospel. It taught me that I need to work harder, be more faithful, and to be more grateful. I have been given so much.
One evening we went to a play the senior missionaries put on. It was so funny and so cute! It was called, "Rendezvous". I loved it so much. They danced and sang their hearts out. It was so fun to see the missionaries we had been taught by throughout the day in the play. Every house we went to one of them would ask, "Are you guys going to Rendezvous tonight?". When we would say yes they were so happy. "It's my cast tonight!".
Another fun highlight was this little custard shop up by that main street our hotel was on. The lady that owned it and ran it was absolutely hilarious. She makes all the custards herself and they are all delicious! She thought I was so funny because of how much I loved her salted carmel custard. Oh man, it was amazing. You would think salty ice cream would be gross...no. Way, way delicious. I don't think I will ever forget her or the people I've mentioned on this trip. She was just so funny and talkative. On our last day she was just checking on her shop, but it was closed. She let us in anyway and got us all a custard and again, talked with us for a bit.
There was another lady that I got a kick out of. She was in John Taylor's house I think. While her partner taught us about the history, she walked next to me and cracked some jokes. We laughed and laughed. She was so sweet and so fun.
What else was funny about this trip was our car. The battery would die almost every time we turned it off and we had to find someone to jump it. There was nowhere to get a new battery so we would just leave the car running while we went into each place, hoping no one would steal it. It was ridiculous. On our way home though we ended up getting a new battery.

On our last evening, we went to Parley Street. Parley Street is where the pioneers lined up to cross the Mississippi and begin their journey west. If you go to Nauvoo now there is a memorial called, The Trail of Hope, along Parley Street. This may have been my favorite thing about the trip, along with the temple. As you walk down The Trail of Hope, there are plaques that have real journal entries from the pioneers. They are spaced down the road and once you reach the end there is the Pioneer Memorial where there are the names of the pioneers that didn't make it to Zion. The Spirit was so strong as I walked down the same street the pioneers walked on. As I read each journal entry my heart pounded with gratitude and headache at the same time. All of them were different. Some would talk about how hard it was to leave or how hard the trek to Utah was. Others would be hopeful and happy. Some talked about the miracles that happened along the way, but the one that hit me the most was Wilford Woodruff's.

"I was in Nauvoo on the 26th day of May, 1864, for the last time, and left the city of the Saints feeling that most likely I was taking a final farewell of Nauvoo for this life...I looked upon the Temple and City as they receded from view and asked the Lord to remember the sacrifices of his Saints."

As I read that my heart hurt for him. How hard could that have been? I think it was harder than we can even imagine. They find a place of refuge and build a temple of the Lord, dedicating their time and resources to build it. Looking at how gorgeous and intricate that temple is, it's hard to believe that the pioneers built it originally. Just by reading what Wilford Woodruff said, you could tell how dearly they loved their temple and then they were obedient and faithful enough to leave it.

In my last post I mentioned that we listened to audi clips from the church historian, Sister Black. I learned so many things from that. I didn't know that much about the history of Nauvoo until I listened to her.

When our Prophet Joseph Smith was martyred, the pioneers built Nauvoo up to be a memorial to him. Nauvoo is also called, The City of Joseph. Brigham Young told them to build their houses as their testimony of Joseph. So they started making the houses with brick and made fine things to furnish them. And when it came time to leave their beloved city they made sure that everything was perfect and in order. They did that even though they knew that they were leaving impeccable homes to their persecutors. Another journal entry along Parley Street reads:

End of the Trail of Hope

After I finished walking down the street I was at the edge of the Mississippi. I looked across it and thought of the turmoil the pioneers went through and I thought of the power of faith. I looked at myself and asked myself if I would have done what they did. If I would have been strong enough, brave enough, or trusting in the Lord enough. And then I thought, am I those things today? Am I doing all I can to live the gospel and do His will? Because if I'm not doing that today, I don't think I could have been numbered among those valiant saints. I am immensely grateful for them. For the lives they lived and the examples they set and for the sacrifices they made so that I am able to be apart of the gospel today. I am so blessed because of them.

That was our last night in Nauvoo and the next day as we drove away, I stuck my head out of the sunroof of the car and took one last look at the temple. It was hard for me to leave and again I was reminded of how hard it was for them. I can't comprehend it.
Our final stop before we headed home was Carthage. Carthage, Illinois, is where the Prophet that restored the gospel, Joseph Smith, and his brother Hyrum were martyred. There is not a whole lot I can say about it because I can't find the words to match what I felt there. I didn't know what to feel. As we walked in there are plaques with scriptures on them and the story of Joseph's life. And as we walked through the jail they told us about what happened and about who was there. We saw all the rooms. What rooms they stayed in for what period of time. And then we entered the room where the mob came and took their lives. I felt sick to my stomach as I walked past the original door with the bullet holes in it. We then all took a seat and listened to a recording. It kind of gave you the feel for what happened that night. The part that got me what when a man that was acting as, John Taylor, sang, "A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief". I couldn't hold back the tears. I really can't describe what I felt. It was a tangle of emotions, but I know that some of the things I felt were reverence, love, gratitude, and a deeper respect than I've ever felt for our beloved Prophet Joseph Smith as well as for Hyrum Smith. I cannot comprehend the life Joseph lived or the sacrifices he made or the persecutions he endured. I cannot comprehend his faith, perseverance, and commitment. I love him with all my heart and I know he was a Prophet of God and that he restored this gospel. I am so grateful. My testimony was strengthened throughout the trip.

After such an absolutely incredible trip, birthday, and experience it was time to leave Illinois and head back to Utah. I'm so grateful for my parents and family for making my birthday so special. I'm so grateful that they would make my dream of going to Nauvoo come true and I'm so happy I was able to share that experience with my mom and sisters. I can't wait for the day that I able to return and feel the air of Nauvoo again.