Day 4. Sacred Grove, Palmyra, and Hill Cumorah

We are so blessed to get to go someplace so special as the Sacred Grove! The feeling in this grove of trees is not something that can be explained. It is beautiful, but deeply spiritual. To go here is to simply know without a shadow of a doubt that Joseph Smith went here to pray, just wanting an answer to his prayer. And he came out knowing more than any preacher on the earth at that time. He knew what he had seen, he knew God knew it, and he could not deny it. We also know that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ appeared here and we can not and will not deny it! One of the missionaries there told us that it took alot of courage for this boy to go and pray out loud (he never had prayed aloud before) but it took alot more courage to walk out of those trees and declare to the world what he had seen.

This is the log cabin that the Smith's first lived in on their farm outside Palmyra. In this cabin the Angel Moroni appeared to Joseph Smith. This home was on the property Hyrum had purchased next to Joseph Sr.'s property.

This is the frame home that Alvin built for his parents. Unfortunately for the Smith's they were only able to reside in this home for 4 years before the persecution became too intense and they had to leave. The golden plates were hidden in this home for 2 1/2 months and no translation was done here.

This is the Palmyra Temple. It is the only temple that has a clear glass window in the celestial room because it overlooks the sacred grove. We don't have anything to back up the story, but one missionary told us that the church was not able to clear the trees between the temple and the sacred grove because it was not church property. But an ice storm came threw the area and destroyed all the trees in the path blocking the view, so now there is a perfect view of the sacred grove from the temple's celestial room. It was the 100th temple dedicated.

This is the monument at the top of Hill Cumorah. President Hinckley was actually for the dedication on the way home from his mission in 1935 as a "tourist". It was dedicated by President Heber J. Grant.

Martin Harris mortgaged his farm to help finance the printing of the Book of Mormon.

Alvin died right before his parents house was finished. He had appendicitis, a doctor that they didn't know came to administer to him and gave him some pill sort of thing that was suppose to purge his system. After he died they figured out that what the doctor had given him had actually killed him. It had actually become lodged inside of him and he basically suffocated.

The Grandin Print Shop where the original 5000 Book of Mormons were printed.

The reenactment of Christ's visit to the Americas after his resurrection. It was a beautiful description of His blessing the children.

Before the pageant begins all the cast members are out by the seats to talk to people. We had our picture taken with the "wicked" King Noah.