We woke up bright and early and left Burlington, Iowa to head to church in Nauvoo. Thanks to Waze, we ended up with a rather scenic hour-long drive (which could have been closer to 20 minutes). But it really was beautiful, and we finally got our first really good look at the Mississippi when we crossed over into Illinois. We also got to see the Nauvoo Temple on the hill overlooking the river, and it was just gorgeous.
We made it in time for 9:30 am church, along with 850 or so other Saints. I've never seen so many people in a Sacrament Meeting!! They actually had two Sacrament preparation tables to accommodate the masses. The meeting was wonderful. The band Gentri had apparently been in Nauvoo for the weekend doing a performance, and a couple of the members were in the congregation. The bishop decided to deviate from the program and ask them to perform their fireside performance on the fly! And they accepted! Well, it ended up only being the low tenor and the pianist, so when he got up he had to change the number since he didn't have the range to perform the one the bishop had requested. Instead he decided to sing "How Great Thou Art"...and he did a beautiful job. It brought both Danny and I to tears, and it felt like a little hug from Luke. Definitely a tender mercy, and an answer to prayer that we would feel Luke near us and know he was aware of us.
After church was over, it was time for lunch. This had been a sticking point in our plans as we prepared for the trip. There are no fast food restaurants in Nauvoo...or anywhere really very close. Nauvoo is kind of our in the middle of no where. We couldn't check into our bed and breakfast until 3:00 pm. We had originally tried to figure out if we could pack a picnic lunch and then find a way to also have a picnic-isn dinner...but we couldn't get the logistics to work very well. The only restaurant available was the Hotel Nauvoo, which had a buffet during the day on Sunday. Figuring that basically every tourist from church would have to go there to eat lunch, we expected a restaurant packed to the brim with Mormons in church dress. Surely the atmosphere would be such that we would feel okay having to pay for a meal on Sunday.
Turns out, not so much. I have no idea what everyone else did for lunch, but not many went to Hotel Nauvoo. It attracted more of the biker crowd, honestly. Older people smoking in groups on the lawn outside the restaurant. It was kind of loud and dark in the restaurant. Danny and I regretted our decision pretty quickly, but we were kind of stuck at that point. So we ate. Now, the food was actually really good...and we could eat our fill knowing that we would only be having sandwiches and chips for dinner. The kids especially loved the buffet. So no, it wasn't what we were expecting. And yes, we wish we had made a different choice. But...it was still an experience!! And a good lunch. :)
After lunch, we made our way to Carthage Jail. It was only about 20 minute from Nauvoo. With it being Sunday, we thought it would be a perfect time to visit and a way to keep (or re-invite!) the Spirit to be with us on the Sabbath. The weather was absolutely perfect. And the spirit of that place was palpable. We were on the lookout for a sister missionary who is the niece of my dear friend Beth. We found her and her companion, and after visiting for a few minutes we were sure to get a picture that I could send to her mom. :)
We spent a few minutes in the visitor's center waiting for our tour to start. When it was our turn, we were shown into a small theater in the visitor's center where we watched a short movie. It was an excerpt from a talk by Elder Holland about the Prophet Joseph and his brother Hyrum. How the way they died was a testament to who they were and what they believed. He testified of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon, and the validity of the Restoration. Interspersed with clips of Elder Holland's address were scenes from other church films depicting the martyrdom of Joseph and Hyrum. It was a very powerful experience for me, and the Spirit witnessed once again to my heart that Joseph Smith is indeed a prophet of God.
After that, we entered the jail. Our senior missionary guides explained how things were in the jail at the time of the martyrdom. How the jailer and his family lived in the jail, and that they were so impressed with Joseph, Hyrum, and the men that were with them that when the threats began they gave up their room to them thinking the men would be safer there. We went through the dungeon room, and spent a few minutes there before making our way up the stairs to the bedroom. We saw the bullet hole in the door that took Hyrum's life. We sat in that room and listened to journal accounts of that day. We listened to a portion of "A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief". And the spirit was so strong. I struggled to keep my emotions in check, as I could feel the death of those great men. Their spirit has stayed in that room, and have made it a hallowed place. We had to leave all too soon, and as we made our way outside I continued to struggle with my emotions. As we walked outside and I turned to look at the window from which Joseph fell, I was overcome with the feeling that this was the place where my Joseph Smith died. MY prophet. I've always had a testimony of Joseph Smith. But on this summer day, at Carthage Jail, I realized that everything I have and everything I hold dear...including my hope of an eternal family...is because of Joseph Smith. My Joseph Smith. I don't have a family line that links me to that great man, but we share a kinship in this great gospel. And as I realized this my tears fell freely in gratitude for all he did for me. Our afternoon in Carthage is surely one of the highlights of our vacation for me. And I'm so grateful for my sweet husband who wrestled Joey the whole time and allowed me the quiet experiences I had there.
We went back to Nauvoo once we were done at Carthage, and it was time to check into our bed and breakfast! We figured we'd do that, change out of our Sunday clothes, and then go explore Old Nauvoo for a bit and enjoy our picnic dinner. We had seen a picture of the outside of the B&B on the website we used to book it, but we were still totally impressed when we pulled up. This was a period home! It was built during the saint's time in Nauvoo, and Wilford Woodruff and Brigham Young even taught in the parlor! There is a legend that Joseph Smith was hidden in the basement at one point, and for that reason alone the owners have never done anything to the basement. They are still the way they were when Joseph may have touched them. :) The floors and window wells are all original, and the home was breathtakingly gorgeous. Staying the night there was going to be a treat!
It was already pretty late on Sunday, so the Visitor's Center was just closing as we got there. Danny was able to run in and snag a map for us though. We decided since we were there we would check out the Garden of Women first. I was particularly excited to see this garden, since I had read a lot about it on various blogs about Nauvoo. And it didn't disappoint. It was gorgeous! The garden itself was beautiful, and the sculptures were breathtaking. I particularly loved the one of Emma and Joseph, especially having just come from Carthage.
The sculptures depict the different stages of a woman's life, and the different roles and gifts that women have. It was so neat to see a whole garden dedicated to being a woman, and reminded me of the incredible role it is to be a daughter of God. We even had a little fun with Joey and one of the statues... :)
Johnny had been having a tough day. I think the lack of sleep was catching up with him, but he needed a serious attitude adjustment. In the Garden of Women there was one statue of a mother and her son, and I wanted to pose with Johnny by it for a picture. But he refused, so we moved on. He was still being an ultimate pill during our picnic dinner, and eventually I lost my patience and told him he had lost the privilege of being with our family for our fun Nauvoo picnic if he was going to be so unhappy. I sent him out into the meadow to be alone, and then of course took a picture of him sulking. :)
We continued our dinner, and after a few minutes John approached me with a fist full of, well, we'll call them wildflowers even though I'm pretty sure they were just weeds. :) He said he was sorry, and that he realized that his bad attitude was ruining the day. Danny and I were so proud of his apology, that for once came without arguments or explanations or justifications! And we were all so happy to have our Johnny join us again.
Now, the most important part of our Sunday in Nauvoo was that it was Claire's 10th birthday!! We packed some of her presents with us so she could open presents from Sophie, Johnny, and Joey on her actual birthday. Everyone was excited to have her open presents...except maybe for Joey, which kept picking up her presents and throwing them as far as he could. That boy! Claire got some rock candy suckers, a beading set, and a fashion design kit that could be used in the car. We love our Claire Bear, and Danny and I can hardly believe she's been in our life for a whole decade now. We literally couldn't imagine our family without her. :)
Once we were done with dinner the kids were adamant that we go see the Mississippi River. It worked out perfectly, since the Trail of Hope down Parley's Street was the best access to the river and we wanted to do that too. Danny was anxious to find his family names on the memorial by the river, and it was neat for me to see my children find the names of their ancestors. Again, it was the same feeling I had in Carthage. I've always been bothered by my lack of pioneer ancestry, but watching my children find their family names made me realize that those were my family names now. I guess you could say I've been grafted in!
The Mississippi River. Oh my goodness, I had no idea rivers were so big! The water looked seriously dirty, but it was still gorgeous. We let the kid play on the bank for a few minutes, and then I just had to get a picture with all our feet in the Mighty Mississippi! Well, almost all of us. Danny was busy reading plaques. :)
Since we were at the bottom of Parley's Street, we ended up going backwards and heading up the street...towards town. Opposite of the saints on their exodus out of the city. They put all their possessions in these wagons and left the beautiful city they loved, heading into the unknown with untold difficulties waiting for them. As we walked the street and read the plaques containing journal accounts, I could feel those saints waiting for hours on Parley's Street for their turn to cross the river. It was almost like time was layers in this special city. There were many modern conveniences, and the Church has done an incredible job with it. But you can feel the history on every inch of it. You can feel the lives lived there, the love of God and of family that built that beautiful city from a swamp land. I could see the hoop skirts swishing on the dirt roads, and the children running around. The sound of wooden wagons, and looks of longing back at a temple they had given everything for. I could see it all in my minds' eye...only it was more than that. It was more...palpable. It was an incredible experience for me, and again made me feel like I was a part of this story. Because I am. If it hadn't been for the sacrifice and faith of those early Saints, I would not have the blessings I have in my life. I am so grateful for their legacy, and hope to carry it forward into the generations that will follow me. Reading all of the journal entries posted throughout the city rekindled in me my desire to continue to write our family history. I hope I can follow their great example in at least that one thing.
After our time on Parley's Street, we drove through town on our way back to the Sanders House. Once there, we basically got ready for bed. We had one more day left in Nauvoo, and we knew we would want an early start so we could see and do as much as we could. We had two rooms and a bathroom to ourselves, but the rooms were on separate levels. Danny and I weren't comfortable sleeping a level away from our children, especially with other guests in the house. So it ended up being a girls sleepover and a boys sleepover! We found monogram robes in the girls room...so the girls had to get the full B&B treatment! :)
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