Nauvoo: City of Joseph

Andrew and I had an amazing opportunity to visit Nauvoo, Illinois last weekend. Nauvoo is a city that the Mormons built when Joseph Smith was the prophet. It is a beautiful and historic city on the Mississippi River. My family met up there for our annual family reunion because my sister meredith was able to perform the part of Becky Laird, a fiery Scottish gal, in the beautifully done Nauvoo Pageant. Wonderfully enough, Aurora and Jeff played Joseph and Emma!

We started off by taking a wagon ride around the town and saw many homes and shops that have been restored. I captured this shot of the Mississippi River which the early LDS members had to cross on their trek west. There are many American Lotus flowers along the shore in this picture.

We were then able to watch vignettes performed in special spots around the town. In front of the Smith home, Jeff and Aurora performed letters that had been written between Joseph and Emma during many hard separations forced upon them because of unjust imprisonment or work that had to be done elsewhere. It was a beautiful insight into their relationship.

Jeff also performed a discourse that Joseph gave at the funeral of a man named King Follett. It was in the same grove of trees that it was originally given. This was the first time Joseph revealed to the members what happens after death. It was beautifully touching and wonderful to try to think about what comfort this would have been had I been there and heard this doctrine for the first time.

Before every vignette the Nauvoo Bagpipe Band plays. There were many Scottish immigrants who came to Nauvoo at this time. I love the sound of bagpipes. Here is a picture of the band.

We also stopped by the brick making building and learned about the intense process of making one brick. Nauvoo clay is red so the brick is also that color. Every family got a brick in the end. This is a picture of the finished brick inside the clay brick mold.

We got together and did our tradition of writing my brother Chet a message and then putting them in balloons and letting them go in the sky. I am glad that we can always do something to remember him while we are together.

There is a lot of corn and soy bean out in the plains of Illinois so I had to get a shot of Andrew coming out of the corn field. 

We were able to attend the Nauvoo festivities before the pageant. They have a fair set up and you play lots of games they would have played in the 1840s or make crafts, dance, do puppets, etc. Meredith beat Dan in stick pull and the picture below is my evidence. Andrew hurt his back playing against Dan and is slightly still in pain. Crazy enough my mom beat me, my sister-in-law Candie, and Meredith who  are all very active and fit women. I have got to start eating what she eats.

We also got a picture with Meredith dressed up as Becky, looking so beautiful and happy.

Her experience doing this pageant has changed her. We love her so much. After Andrew, she is my favorite person in the entire world. You could then say that my favorite people are in this picture above (well except for that kid in the orange shirt. Don't know him.) I admire her talent and energy. I love her sense of humor and her strength in her service to the Lord. I feel like I have helped raise her and I have seen her go through every up and down. I have sometimes been too much of a mother and other times I have just held her as she cries. Life is hard and I am so happy to see her where she is right now and see her becoming who she wants to be. I am still trying to get to that point too. She is an INCREDIBLE human being and anyone who gets to be a part of her world comes away feeling loved and uplifted because she is honestly a window to God's love. I could talk about her forever...

The pageant is so well done and professional. It simply testifies of the amazing work that was done in this city and the impact it had on the church and its people. Afterwards the cast talks to everyone and encourages us to think of people that might want to receive a CD of the music from it. I was on fire and me and Andrew wrote some names down. I have honestly had such a great Summer where I have been more focused on missionary work. I love it!

We visited Carthage Jail where Joseph and his brother Hyrum were martyred. I was able to have a better understanding of the context of the death of Joseph Smith. I was reminded that he sealed his work with his blood. I loved hearing the quote by Josiah Quincy Jr., Mayor of Boston in 1845 that said, "It is by no means improbable that some future textbook... will contain a question something like this: What historical American of the nineteenth century has exerted the most powerful influence upon the destinies of his countrymen? And it is by no means impossible that the answer to that interrogatory may be thus written: Joseph Smith, the Mormon prophet." Being the man who was called to be the prophet who re-established Christ's church on this earth merits that kind of title.

Here is one of the cells he stayed in for a bit. He stayed in many others like this when he was unjustly imprisoned on many occasions.

We went into the room where the angry mob shot and killed him and his brother. Here is the original door with the bullet hole next to the lock and in the middle of the door.

This is a shot of the outside of the small building which was actually a home as well. The window at the top is the one that Joseph fell out of after being shot.

While in Nauvoo, my family was also able to do something very powerful and that was temple work for our ancestors. We were able to seal family as recent as my great grandmother. I believe we did over 30 sealings. My mother worked hard to organize this so we could have this beautiful experience. I know Andrew and I have done many names and ordinances in preparation since we have been here in Manhattan. It was unlike other temple work I have done because I was with my family and we were doing the eternal work for people who made it possible for us to be here.

My family in front of the temple - minus Joy and Quin's family

It is in these holy places where I can be the closest to God on earth and it is here where I can feel about myself the way God sees me.

Andrew and I took a picture together too

It was a fun and very spiritually inspiring and uplifting trip. I wish I could spend more time with my family. I love them dearly and I am so happy to know that I am sealed to them for eternity.