Stop #3: Carthage & Nauvoo Illinois

Monday April 21, 2008We started the day by driving down to the Carthage jail. This is the site where Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum Smith were martyred on June 27, 1844. This was one of our favorite places that we visited. Outside the jail there were many statements by Joseph Smith that they had on plaques. One of them read, "When a man has offered in sacrifice all that he has for the truth's sake, not even withholding his life, and believing before God that he has been called to make this sacrifice because he seeks to do his will, he does know, most assuredly, that God does and will accept his sacrifice and offering, and that he has not , nor will not seek his face in vain." - Joseph Smith, Jr (1835)
Here are some pictures of the jail
After Carthage we drove over and toured historic Nauvoo. There is sooo much to see in Nauvoo! It is a beautiful little town. It was amazing to see what the saints were able to built with what little resources they had. The temple is unbelievable! It is so amazing to me, the faith they had to do such great things! And then to leave it so willingly in order to follow after a prophet's voice, which essentially is the voice of the Lord God himself. The spirit of that town was one of meekness and perseverance and all who visit can only feel for themselves a desire to give all that they have to the building up the kingdom of God here on the earth and the edification of zion.
During our time in Nauvoo we were able to visit the houses of various leaders & other members of the church during that time such as: Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball, John Taylor, Lucy mack Smith, Wilford Woodruff and others. It was humbling to see the sacrifices and efforts they would each put forth in working to provide for their family, building a home, and caring for the land; all so that their family would have a roof over their heads and sufficient food and clothing. Often times the man of the house didn't live there most of there time while their families resided in Nauvoo. The men would often be called to leave for months at a time to go out where ever the Lord had called them to preach the gospel, thus leaving all they knew and loved behind. That also taught me a lot about the strength and faith of the women of the church during that time, who sustained their husbands in their mission calls and also cared for the children and home during their husbands absence.We were also able to learn of how they managed to live during those times. We went to the brick yard, where we learned the process of making bricks in order to build homes. We visited the black smith who taught us how they made tools, wagons, nails and other crucial items needed around the house. What surprised me there was the value of a nail. Nails were so difficult to make and thus so expensive that when moving they would often burn there house down simply to gather all of the nails that had been used to build the house. Next, we visited the Family living center where we learned how to make a rope, rugs and carpets, pottery, and candles (now that was almost as cool as the nail facts). Then, we went to the print shop. There we learned of the delicate process used to make the town news paper. I know that it is important to keep up on what's new and hip but I never truly understood how important it was to the Saints during that time because really that is what kept the entire town informed on what was going on in the community as well as in the church and the world. And seeing as how information, as far as I understand it, is the key to wisdom and power I have decided to keep myself up to date on current events by watching the news when I work out in the morning. Anyways, we also went to the tin shop and learned of all the things they made out of tin; the bakery so we could learn how to make bread in bustle ovens; the gun smith to learn how to make guns, and a few other places that, like the gun smith, will just blow you away.Nauvoo is a beautiful place and the peace one feels there is of the spirit. He testifies that the sacrifices given up unto the Lord there were indeed accepted of the Lord. I know that my testimony was strengthened there and because of that wonderful experience I have gained a greater appreciation and honor for those who helped and even gave there lives in building a foundation firm on the teachings of Jesus Christ and His church so that i can enjoy it's blessings freely today.
(only one more stop left to post . . . Kirtland, OH!!)