We woke up and got things ready to start our drive to Nauvoo. We left a tad later than we wanted to so we changed up our plans just a bit. Instead of going to Nauvoo first, we decided it would be better use of our time to stop at Carthage Jail and then be able to dedicate the following day to touring Nauvoo.
It took us just over 3 hours to drive to Carthage. The kids did really well! We all really enjoyed driving through the country and alongside the Mississippi River. The landscape was beautiful! It was filled with a lof of rolling hills, farm land, and groves of thick Aspen trees.
We got to Carthage around 3 pm and went inside the visitor center to start the tour. This is one of the places that I have always wanted to visit since I was little and gained a testimony of the Prophet Joseph Smith and the Church. We sat down and watched a video about the Prophet Joseph, then we were able to go into the jail itself. While going through the jail, we all felt a very powerful spiritual presence. We knew that this place was scared and that it was where a prophet of God sealed his testimony with his own life.
We were able to see the different rooms that the prisoners were housed in before going into the upper room where the prophet staying and ultimately lost his life. We touched the bullet hole on the door that killed Hyrum Smith. We stood by the window that Joseph Smith fell from after being shot. I can’t really describe all the feelings that I was feeling. Since the restoration of the gospel through the prophet Joseph Smith, the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has been faced with opposition. In the early days, that opposition required the saints to make tremendous sacrifices which took the lives of many and drove them to leave their homes in order to find peace and freedom from religious persicution. I can’t even begin to imagine how much the saints suffered at the hands of wicked men. But through it all, they were able to stay strong and continue to build up the church. This is a great testament to me that this church is true!! While in the the room, I asked Vanessa and Owen to tell me how they were feeling. They both said that they felt a warm and comforting feeling. I was then able to tell them that what they were feeling was the Holy Ghost testifying to them that Joseph Smith was a true prophet and that he lived and sealed his testimony with his life. It was a sweet and special moment that I hope we will never forget.
What a blessing it was to be able to go and visit such a sacred place. It was really neat to see and feel of the spirit that is present there.
After seeing the jail, we grabbed a bite to eat before heading to Nauvoo to check into our cabin for the night. Our kids get so excited at the mention of a cabin so I thought they would really enjoy staying in one on our vacation. It sure didn’t disappoint! They were in heaven! Our cabin was big enough to sleep all 9 of us and it even had a loft. It also had a full kitchen and two baths which made dinners and breakfast easy!
We wanted to see some of Nauvoo before things started to close down for the night. We were able to go to the visitor center and get some maps of the area and information on what we could do while there. We found out that Mark’s cousin Matt and his family were actually in Nauvoo too! We saw his wife riding a bike around the town while we were driving around. Again, what a small, small world!
We then made our way up to see the temple. What an amazing site it is! It sits on top of the hill over looking the valley and the Mississippi River! It is absolutely beautiful and so neat to see standing once again. What a tremendous blessing to have it there! Owen really was awe struck with it. He kept saying, “That’s our temple and we get to go inside someday!” Sariah also kept pointing to it and saying “Temple!” I think we all felt that same excitement and joy when seeing it.
After visiting the temple, we went and watched the show, “Rendezvous in Old Nauvoo. It was a fun show. The kids only lasted for about 45 minutes before they wanted to go. At least they were able to last that long. We all were pretty tired so we went back to the cabin, fixed some dinner, and went to bed. It was an eventful second day to our vacation!
