August 20, 2015 - Thursday in Carthage

Today we officially begin our last week in Carthage.  We have had such a life changing experience serving here over the last 5 months.  We have met some absolutely wonderful youth groups and leaders, and have shared our testimonies of the Prophet Joseph Smith with thousands of guests.  As of today, we have had just over 55,000 guests whom we have seen come to Carthage since April 1st of this year.  The experiences will fill volumes, many of which are included in this Blog!  

Here is one of those groups that I had the sweet experience of teaching about Joseph in our tour today.  There were 44 individuals who came from Toronto, Canada, as a youth group, and joined with me on this tour. I was so grateful for their attentiveness and interest in the events of Carthage during the last days of Joseph and Hyrum's lives, on June 25th, 26th, and 27th of 1844. I told them they were going to be on the Blog and here is their picture as they prepared to leave on their bus today after our tour together;

Toronto, Canada Stake Youth Conference

I spent over an hour with this group, during the tour and, after the tour, and answered their wonderful questions.  We ended up taking the entire group because we had been sent a new missionary couple today, who did not feel comfortable giving a tour.  That meant that since mom was already in a tour, I was going to need to take the entire group, and it was a good decision.  They stayed close together and were engaged and very attentive to the information.

As always, mom and I were up early this morning and got ready for the day.  We had our morning devotion and prayers both together, and separate.  It is interesting to note that during our prayer time together,  we almost always include prayers for the guests that come to Carthage.  We want them to have a positive experience while they are here.

While I was waiting for the Toronto Youth group to arrive, I was out on the brick-way enjoying the beautiful Fall weather.  The air was crisp and a slight breeze was blowing, and the area around the Visitors Center was serene and quiet.  I then saw a man walking through the courtyard and thoughtfully reading the monument signs along the brick-way.  I approached him with a good morning greeting, and asked if he was here for a tour.  It so happened that he was a pastor who was giving a sermon later today and he was just enjoying the peacefulness of the grounds.  

Well, here is what I did.  I explained the history of the Carthage Jail and the events that took place here on June 27th, 1844, to our Prophet Joseph Smith.  He seemed to acknowledge that he knew about Joseph and appreciated my telling him a little about the Martyrdom.  It was a good opportunity to help expose him to the sacredness of the grounds and the feelings we have of the events that took place here.  Were any seeds planted?  I'm not sure, but he knew that I knew that we had a Prophet of the restoration as he was "passing through" these sacred grounds!

Mom and I went to Rendezvous tonight and enjoyed the one show we had.  I am gearing up for my debut as Editor but no date has been set.   But I know that it is coming so I'd better go and get one more practice in before I retire for the evening!  Thank you for checking in with us tonight!