The start of our seven day adventure began at 3:45 am in order catch our plane at 6 am. With a layover in Dallas, it took 5 hours on airplanes to finally arrive in Kansas City. Our return trip seemed a lot longer because it was preceded by 5 hours of driving from Nauvoo to Kansas City. By the end of that last day, both of Lurlynn’s ankles were swollen like elephant legs, and Dave was walking like an old man with his cane. Nonetheless, the trip marks an apex in Lurlynn’s life and provided a great opportunity to film more vignettes for our music project.
Upon leaving the airport, we set the GPS for Independence, MO. After driving just a few miles we went around a bend and beheld the Kansas City Temple. It was dedicated only a few months ago. It was right next to the freeway so we took the exit and decided to see if we could go in. We found out that they have some unusual hours. All the people were leaving the temple as they told us that they hold 3 morning endowment sessions, close their doors for a few hours, and then re-open for an additional 3 evening sessions starting at 5pm. We ending up coming back the next day and attended an endowment session. Then, while we were peeking into one of the sealing rooms, we were asked to help there as well. What a privilege and blessing!
The rolling hills, green with miles of corn and soy beans, were enchanting; but wreaked havoc on our telephone reception throughout our trip. The cumulus clouds either covered the sky or were nowhere to be seen. Near 80% humidity accentuated the summer heat and could be felt radiating from the earth. Evening breezes cooled things off each day as the sun went down making for comfortable strolls in the twilight.
Independence is also the home of the RLDS (Community of Christ) church. In the past few years, about 100 splinter groups have left that church. They call themselves the “Restoration Branches.” The RLDS temple is there with its distinctive spiral heavenward. They do not conduct ordinance work in their temple. It’s more like a congregational hall than the sacred edifice we understand our temples to be. It is a pretty building, though.
The Community of Christ church seems to be removing itself from the Prophet Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon which are the common denominators between all of the splinter groups in the area. Church buildings are as plentiful there as they are in the Salt Lake Valley! It would certainly be an interesting place to live, and most likely confusing to an investigator searching for truth. Those who are converted would need a strong testimony, and not just join for the sociality or convenience.
We gave one of our pass-along music CDs to a receptionist at the RLDS office building we visited. There is a domed hall much like the ‘Bountiful Bubble’, with two pipe organs, a couple of thousand seats, and a stage. It would be fun to perform there; the acoustics were lovely.
Liberty, MO is about 25 miles north of Independence and is the location of the jail where the Prophet Joseph was kept for about 4 winter months. The jail there was a two-level building with 4ft thick walls made of brick, stone, and timbers. The lower level was only accessible through a hole with a ladder and was about 6ft deep, making it difficult for tall men to stand. It was there that he wrote the most beautifully touching letters to Emma and received some of the most beautiful revelations. Sections 121 and 122 of the Doctrine and Covenants have been healing balms in Lurlynn’s life and are surprisingly filled with messages of tenderness, peace and hope; surprising considering what was going on with the Saints and the Prophet at the time they were received.
Far West, MO is about another 25 miles northeast of Liberty. It is where the Saints came when expulsed from Independence. The city once had a population of over 5,000 ... but today is just fields.
By now it was after 9 pm. We called Mark Anderson and he said he would meet us there at Far West and take us to his home. We are glad he did because he lived out in the country a few miles away, but it would have been very difficult to find! The next morning we were up at 6 am (5am Utah time) and were our way to Adam-ondi-Ahman.
We then headed over to Kansas City and got a motel, freshened up, and went to serve in the Temple.
The next morning we were on our way to Nauvoo, IL. When we crossed over the Mississippi River into Illinois, we stopped at Hannibal, MO.
We next proceeded 35 miles north to Nauvoo, IL. About half way up, Dave had a severe kidney stone attack. We called John to see how his kidney stone attack felt. When it sounded very similar we contacted Dave’s doctor back in Salt Lake and they indicated we needed to get to the emergency room at a hospital. We decided to continue on to Nauvoo but upon arriving there we discovered there was no hospital nearby and that we would have to go another town about 25 miles away!!
Dave felt impressed to get a blessing … he knew where the young adults and their group were staying, so we drove over there. The youth were there but we couldn’t track down the bishop. We asked several of the young men to give Dave a blessing. As Dave tried walking into the hotel, he collapsed in parking lot. The young men helped him into the hotel where he received a very powerful blessing. He was blessed that he would be made whole and things would be okay. After the blessing Dave stood up without pain and walked unassisted to the car. We checked into the Hotel Nauvoo (built in the 1800’s) and then proceeded to the Nauvoo Pageant. Dave was completely pain free and we even danced a waltz where the festivities were held while the young adults stood around in amazement. What a tremendous spiritual experience for us and for them!
Nauvoo Pictures –
This bagpipe brigade introduced all of the activities.
Emma and Joseph
The finale of the pageant had the cast pointing to the temple on the hill as it became lit up. What a beautiful site!!
There was a Nauvoo Brass Band, a bagpipe brigade introducing dramatic vignettes, chariot rides pointing out various points of interest, wagons pulled by oxen with story-telling guides, square dancing, pioneer crafts and games, food, and a genealogy connections search station where Lurlynn discovered she is 5th cousin to Emma Smith!
One of the things Lurlynn realized during the pageant was particularly life-changing. She knew Joseph played with the children, and was criticized for it. She knew he had suffered pain in his leg all of his life from bone surgery he endured as a child. That story, in itself, is pretty amazing. During the pageant, when Joseph said, “You’ll have to forgive me. I just like to make fun moments for the children whenever I can.” She realized that he was trying to give the children something that he never had... He had been persecuted by adults who should have been his kind mentors or friends all of his life. Also, these children had been traumatized by mobs because their parents believed Joseph, trusted in God, and obeyed. Life back then was hard anyway without all of the many expulsions, mobbings, death and violence towards them.
After the pageant we drove down to the Mississippi River and saw where the Saints had crossed the river. Lurlynn saw a firefly light in a grassy area near the Mississippi River, but only one. It was disappointing since Dave had hoped to show her the magical sight of many sparkling glowing spots floating in the air. It might have been too hot since they are famed to be plentiful during the spring there.
The Mississippi River holds special significance, not only in the history of the United States expansion and commerce, but in Church history as well. A favorite story is the one where the Saints had to leave Nauvoo and the Mississippi iced over enough that they could cross its wide expanse by foot. Emma sewed pockets into her skirt to hide translation documents as she led her children across the frozen river while Joseph was unjustly kept in prison.
In her later years, Emma lived in a home on the shores of the Mississippi River near the dock. She is said to have enjoyed sitting by her window watching people come and go. She would wave her white hanky at loved ones as they left.
The next day we toured Nauvoo, went on a buggy ride around the city, went to the visitor’s center, and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. We attended a presentation of The King Follett Discourse presented by the man playing Joseph Smith in the pageant. This vignette was moving. We also attended a presentation outside of the Joseph Smith mansion which dealt with the letters between Emma and Joseph. The actors portraying them did so with such tenderness and humor as to convince us that their portrayal was accurate. It was fun.
“I do not intend to please your ears with superfluity of words or oratory, or with much learning; but I intend to edify you with the simple truths from heaven.” – Joseph Smith, King Follett Discourse.
Later that night we attended the Pageant again. The next day we were off to Carthage, MO.
Carthage, MO is where Joseph and Hyrum were martyred in the jail there. The jail looked much like a regular home. There was a room upstairs with iron bars like a cage, and a regular room where the Prophet Joseph and his brother Hyrum were martyred.
Interestingly, some media of the time called it an “assassination” because Joseph was running for President of the United States. Even though he had a little pistol and fired off a couple of shots in defense, it was murder. There was a lot of political tension about slavery at the time because the Church taught against slavery, but were living in a slave state; and the country was about to go to war over it all. All of these things may have played a part in that dreadful event.
In the room of the martyrdom, we felt a very strong yet tender witness of what happened there. It was as though the blood which had soaked into the floorboards was crying out in testimony, and spirits were standing guard at the sacred spot. Several years ago, Francine played “A poor wayfaring man of grief” in the room there for some of the descendants of Joseph and Emma. Dave was privileged to participate along with her.
It was moving to think about the similarities between this horrific act, and the events leading up to the Great Atonement. Both had false witnesses and secret trials. Both had sympathizers who were powerless. Both were mocked and ridiculed, tortured, offered disgusting food, betrayed by friends, and buffeted by Satan.
We learned that all places where a martyr falls becomes sacred ground. Life is the most valuable gift of mortality. That’s why the taking or the creating of it has the most focused intention by the Commandments… and by the Adversary. That’s why those who give it for the Lord’s Name are honored. It’s the same with places where innocent children are killed. Wars have been fought all over those rolling hills. You can feel the sacredness of the land, even amid the attempts of Satan to influence people there.
Lurlynn wrote this poem:
CARTHAGE BLOOD
Holy is the ground where spills blood
of the innocent for My name’s sake.
Holy is the place where a martyr gave
the most sacred and complete gift.
A similitude of Mine own sacrifice,
a token of My Son’s gift.
Angels remain as sentinels;
standing guard and bearing witness.
Later that night we went to the Nauvoo Temple and enjoyed an endowment session. What an experience! The temple is beautiful!! We were overwhelmed with the significance of the sacrifices made by the Saints in order to receive the blessings of the Temple ordinances. We try not to take those things for granted and appreciate all the blessings available to us in these latter days and in this country.
On Sunday we attended church with the temple missionaries. Sitting right across from us was a family from our old ward in Sandy. We learned that Sister Susan Easton Black was going to give some firesides that night for the missionaries. We attended both. They were very interesting. She first spoke on the history of the temple in Salt Lake and in the other fireside she spoke about the kidnapping of Joseph Smith which led up to his martyrdom. She has a 2nd home there in Nauvoo because of her love for the area. She said she tells her students that they need to visit Nauvoo at least once in their lifetime. “Your eternal salvation may not depend upon it, but don’t chance it!” She bore strong witness of the restoration and of the Book of Mormon. She said that she has studied all of the Prophet Joseph’s letters and everything he wrote, and testified that his style is completely different and he definitely did not write the book.
On Monday we got up early again (what else) and did baptisms for the dead in the Nauvoo Temple, and filmed some additional shots at the hill next to the temple and down by the river. Then we were off for a 5 hour ride to the airport and another 5 hours on planes.
On the flight back, Dave sat next to a young 18 year old boy who was off to marine boot camp in California. He had never flown in an airplane before so Lurlynn traded seats with him so he could look out the window. He was awed by the beauty of it. Dave visited with him during the flight and discovered he was a member of the RLDS church. They had a good discussion and the young man asked Dave if he would pray with him. He then told Dave that he couldn’t have sat next to anyone better and thanked him for thoughts and advice. He gave Dave his mother’s email address so that we could stay in touch.
We finally arrived home after midnight! What an experience! What blessings we enjoyed. Dave never had any additional problems with the kidney stones and never had to go to the hospital. Lurlynn’s ankles are back to normal again and life goes on. Our paradigms have been added upon, but life does indeed go on, and we are grateful for each moment of it.
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