June 7, 2014 - Sunday

We got off to an early start today with our 8:00am Sacrament Meeting in Nauvoo.  Josie and Tom had all the family ready for our trip into Nauvoo by 7:20am this morning.  We rode in together and arrived at the Stake Center by 7:50am and just as the storm clouds were bursting.  We all got into the building before anyone was seriously soaked!

The fast and testimony meeting was pretty much the standard testimonies and some travel logs.  However, when Zac leaned over and asked me to go up with him to share his testimony, that all changed.  We had about 10 minutes left in the meeting and I was so proud of Zac wanting to share his testimony.  Now, here is the picture; the meeting had over 600 missionaries and visitors.  Zac and I walked up to the stand and sat with 3 waiting folks that wanted to share their testimonies.  What a privilege it was to sit there with my precious grandson Zac.  My heart was racing because this really was a very special opportunity to be there with him in such an historic setting.  

One of the folks waiting to share her testimony is one of our Carthage missionaries.  She was involved with a father and a young daughter who came to Carthage this week.  This daughter was about 11 years old.  As she was walking up the entry sidewalk with her father she paused and told her dad she was feeling the Spirit very strongly.  She then asked him if it was OK to take off her shoes because she thought she was walking on sacred ground.  Another young performing missionary stood and bore a strong testimony about his experience in Carthage when "the Elder" led the tour in the jail and spoke about Joseph and Hyrum.  He said that this Elder taught about Joseph and Hyrum in such a way that changed his life and his perspective about the relationship Joseph and Hyrum had.  That was pretty special because he was talking about me....

But the choice testimony came from my precious grandson, Zac.  He stood in front of over 600 seasoned missionaries and visitors and shared a marvelous testimony of the Gospel.  He was so very mature and complete in his testimony and was the perfect example of how a testimony should be given in a Sacrament Meeting.  If President Monson had been there, he would have marveled at Zac's wonderful testimony.

Since the time was almost over, I had the chance to share a brief testimony and commented how much I treasured the title of "father" and now "grandfather".  Then, Zac and I walked back to our seats near the middle of the cultural hall as the meeting was closed.  I could not have been any more proud of Zac and his wonderful testimony of the Gospel.  What a marvelous opportunity this turned out to be for both of us!!!

Now, June 7th is an interesting date in Church History.  I have included a post here of the importance of this date:

Opposition to the Prophet and the Church

By June 1844, animosity against the Church had greatly intensified. Some citizens in Illinois were discussing driving the Saints from the state, while others were plotting to kill the Prophet. Some of those who were conspiring against the Prophet and the Church were former members of the Church who had apostatized. On June 7, 1844, William Law, who had served as Second Counselor in the First Presidency, and other apostates printed the first issue of a newspaper called the Nauvoo Expositor. In an attempt to inflame the public against the Prophet and the Church, these men used this newspaper to slander Joseph Smith and other Church leaders. Joseph Smith, acting as the mayor of Nauvoo, and the majority of the Nauvoo city council recognized that the inflammatory newspaper would lead to mob violence against the city. They declared the newspaper a public nuisance and ordered that the Nauvoo Expositor press be destroyed.

Joseph and Hyrum Are Falsely Charged

“As a result of the [destruction of the Nauvoo Expositor] by the mayor and city council, Illinois authorities brought an unfounded charge of riot against the Prophet, his brother Hyrum, and other Nauvoo city officials. The governor of Illinois, Thomas Ford, ordered the men to stand trial in Carthage, Illinois, the county seat, and promised them protection. Joseph knew that if he went to Carthage, his life would be in great danger from the mobs who were threatening him.

“Believing that the mobs wanted only them, Joseph and Hyrum decided to leave for the West to preserve their lives. On June 23, they crossed the Mississippi River, but later that day, brethren from Nauvoo found the Prophet and told him that troops would invade the city if he did not surrender to the authorities in Carthage. This the Prophet agreed to do, hoping to appease both government officials and the mobs. On June 24, Joseph and Hyrum Smith bade farewell to their families and rode with other Nauvoo city officials toward Carthage, voluntarily surrendering themselves to county officials in Carthage the next day. After the brothers had been released on bail for the initial charge, they were falsely charged with treason against the state of Illinois, arrested, and imprisoned in Carthage Jail to await a hearing. Elders John Taylor and Willard Richards, the only members of the Twelve who were not then serving missions, voluntarily joined them” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith [2007], 529–30).

We then left the Sacrament Meeting and headed back to Carthage.  The rain had stopped and we got to take some pictures of the Nauvoo Temple.  Then we went back to the Visitors Center in Carthage and got there about 90 minutes before we were scheduled to open, since we left right after Sacrament.  Mom and I were then able to give our family one more tour of the jail and spent about 30 minutes in the martyrdom room and discussed the gratitude we all have for Joseph and his role as the Prophet of the Restoration.  It was such a special opportunity for us.

Then we got to go back to our home here in Carthage and break our fast together.  And the meal we broke our fast with was one of my very favorite meals!  We had hash browns, pancakes and eggs... and, of course, those pancakes were properly dressed with peanut butter, syrup and whipped cream!!

I have such a deep respect and feeling of gratitude for Joseph and Hyrum!