Stop #2: Missouri - Liberty, Independence, Far West, Adam-Ondi-Ahman

Well, we finally made it all the way to Pennsylvania! Can you believe it!? Our apartment is great, very big! But we'll get to all that later, first let us fill you in on Stop #2!
Sunday April 20th we left Iowa and headed down to Missouri.
Our first stop of the day was the Liberty Jail in Liberty, MO. The church built the visitors center around the jail. Here is a picture of what it looks like from the outside . . .
And here is the inside . . .
Here the prophet Joseph Smith, along with other members and leaders of the church (Sidney Rigdon, Hyram Smith, Alexander McRae, Lyman Wight, and Caleb Baldwin) spent the bitterly cold winter of 1838-1839 unjustly charged with treason as their families and church were also being persecuted and driven from Missouri. It was a painfully refining place for Joseph and the others, but today, rather than thinking of it as a place of great suffering, it is to us a sacred place where faith was tested and found. A place where the voice of God was heard again as He spoke to a living prophet. This is a place where revelation was given, not only for members of this church, but for all mankind.
Here are some of the revelations from God given to Joseph Smith while in Liberty Jail:

1. The Soul Cry of the Prophet Joseph Smith unto God within these Prison Walls at a Time of Trouble and Hardship: Doctrine and Covenants 121:1,2
1 O God, where art thou? And where is the pavilion that covereth thy hiding place?

2 How long shall thy hand be stayed, and thine eye, yea thy pure eye, behold from the eternal heavens the wrongs of thy people and of thy servants, and thine ear be penetrated with their cries?

An Answer from God:
Doctrine and Covenants 121:7-9
7 My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment;

8 And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph over all thy foes.

9 They friends do stand by thee, and they shall hail thee again with warm hearts and friendly hands.

2. The Principles of Righteous Dominion
Doctrine and Covenants 121:41-44
3. The Principles of Unrighteous Dominion
Doctrine and Covenants 121:37
4. Rights of the Priesthood Connected With the Power of Heaven
Doctrine and Covenants 121:34-36
5. The Power of Faith and Virtue
Doctrine and Covenants 121:45-46
Elder Neal A. Maxwell wrote, "It wasn't until the prophet was physically confined that his mind was fully liberated . . . The double walls, four feet thick, kept Joseph and his companions in, but they could not keep the spirit of revelation out."

The second stop of the day was Independence, MO. Here we visited the temple lot which was dedicated by the prophet Joseph Smith on August 3, 1831. Today the lot is owned by three separate churches: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Community of Christ, and Church of Christ (Temple Lot).
Here is a picture of the Community of Christ Temple. This is also taken from the Temple Lot.
Our next stop of the day was Far West, MO. The Saints moved to Far West in 1836 and dedicated a temple site. By 1838 there were an estimated 5,000 people living in and around Far West (Today it looks like maybe 50 people live around there). It was while the Saints were in Far West that Governor Lilburn Boggs issued an "extermination order" demanding the Saints leave Missouri. This is also when Joseph Smith and the others entered Liberty Jail.
Here are a few pictures of us on the Far West temple site . . .Our last stop in Missouri was one of my favorites, Adam-Ondi-Ahman. The spirit here was amazing. The valley is so beautiful! We stood on the hill looking down for quite a while as we pondered the things that have taken place here, and those that will take place on this sacred land. To walk in the same path of our ancient ancestors was an amazing experience. I hope you all have an opportunity to visit these places soon. Here is some scripture on Adam-Ondi-Ahman: Doctrine and Covenants 107:53-57
Here is a picture we took of Adam-Ondi-Ahman . . .
This concludes our adventure in Missouri. We ended the night by arriving at our hotel in Keokuk, IA, just outside of Nauvoo, IL (our next stop!) and right next to the Mississippi river. For early Saints, Missouri was filled with unbelievable trials, but it was also a time when their faith was strengthened. In Missouri leadership was developed, lessons were learned, examples were given, faith was strengthened, and foundations were laid that we benefit from today. This trip has greatly increased our gratitude for those early pioneers, for all that they did, for their strength, faith and perseverance. Many of the blessings we have in our own lives today result from the choices these pioneers made. We have realized how truly indebted we are to these early Saints.
(Tomorrow, I'll post Stop #3 - Nauvoo, IL!!)