Palmyra- Where it all began.

Alma 37

6 Now ye may suppose that this is foolishness in me: but behold I say unto you, that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass: and small means in many instances doth confound the wise.

7 And the Lord God doth work by means to bring about his great and eternal purposes: and by very small means the Lord doth confound the wise and bringeth about the salvation of many souls.

Joseph Smith was the prophet of the Restoration. All my experiences these past several days in Palmyra have further strengthened that testimony. Joseph Smith was that “means” that confounded the wise. The Lord brought about His “great and eternal purposes” through him in a remote corner of Northern New York hundreds of years ago. Those that visit those sacred grounds where the church was brought back in its entirety on the Earth have surely felt just as I did- both inspired and humbled. There’s an amazing spirit there that dates back to the 1800s. That ancient, sacred grove holds deep in its heart a soft gentle peace that testifies of Joseph Smith and the First Vision from nearly 150 years ago.

Just as he could not deny that experience that changed the world forever, I could not deny the validity of his story that the spirit bore throughout the small town of Palmyra. It’s an entirely unique experience to walk where he walked throughout his life, to see what he saw, to pray where he prayed, and at some points- to feel what he felt. He was born a normal boy, in an ordinary small town in a newly developed country, son to a wonderful mother and father- however that which occurred there, the man he was called to become, and that which he accomplished was nothing ordinary. A “small and simple” young fourteen year old farm boy in upstate New York saw God the Father and His son Jesus Christ- and the world was never the same.

Wednesday morning I ran frantically through Alex’s box filled rooms in his new house trying to gather everything that was mine before I made the first trip on the bike to Palmyra. In a way, that is where it all began, so I figured what better place to start the trip than Palmyra and the Sacred Grove? I will admit that as ridiculous as it may sound, I never actually packed up all my gear on my bike before; all I had was a picture and plan mapped out in my head that hadn’t made its way to the test tracks. So Wednesday morning as a got it all packed up my heart sank. The bike had to have been four times my size! It looked as though I was stacking a skyscraper of bags on the back of my bike that would fly off once I hit 23 mph. Although I confidently assured my worried mom that it would be okay, I wasn’t too sure if I’d even make it to Palmyra with all that gear on the back. I was nervous, but my high level of excitement seemed to throw some equilibrium in there.

The route to Palmyra that should’ve been no more than an hour and a half turned out to be twice that. First lesson learned- just stick to the toll roads. Although I got to pass through some of the prettiest back country highways that I’ve ever been on, I found myself staring at maps and the GPS a bit more than I had hoped. That bike was quite a sight to see as I pulled into the Joseph Smith Home visitor center. It seemed that some of the senior missionaries had caught sight of that bike and they greeted me at the door with smiles and questions. What are the chances that the first person I would meet in Palmyra would be from St. George? Elder Whipple was not only from St. George, but a descendant of one of the founders of that town! I spent this last summer working for the Forest Service, where one of our most popular trails in Pine Valley is the Whipple Trail. It was nice to feel right at home so far away from it.

Elder Whipple took me under his wing and immediately took me on a tour of the entire area including the Smith Log Home and the farm. The tour had such a spirit about it, especially after hearing the wonderful story of Joseph Smith’s search for the truth, and they open the back door of the Smith Log Home and show the short walk young Joseph must had from his home that early April morning on his way to the woods behind his house. It was a sight to see.

It was hard to shake my fear of not finding a place to stay for the night there throughout the tour. By the end I asked Elder Whipple if he knew of anywhere I could put up a tent, or anyone who had a floor I could sleep on. It still amazes me how much a family we all are, especially within the church. He quickly began to think of anywhere I could stay. He offered up his backyard, but later declined because there were sister missionaries that stayed there with him. He told me I could probably stay at Zion’s Camp (an area where senior missionaries and temple workers park their RV’s). He suggested I talk more with the temple president who I told him I would be visiting. I found out later that his questioning for a place to stay had made its way to the Hill Cumorah visitor center where the senior missionaries there the next day recognized me as the kid on a bike looking for a place to put up a tent.

I quickly changed into my church clothes in the visitor’s center and made my way up to the temple across the street with the hopes to do a session and talk with the temple president for a little while. Once I got in the temple I was set down in the waiting room as they hunted down the president. The first thing I noticed about the temple was the beautiful stained glass of the sacred grove each window had. It was my favorite part of the temple. The really interesting part was the West side of the temple faces the Sacred Grove, where President Hinckley had them put in normal clear windows that look straight to the grove rather than be covered by stained glass. It’s the only temple in the world where you can look out from the inside. President Hinckley asked them to do that so they could look from the temple to another sacred temple (The grove).

My meeting with President Sherwood in the temple was a quick conversation where we both shared his dinner in a small kitchen by the waiting room. He is a wise, loving and intelligent man that didn’t want to talk much of his own self at all. I figured I would be able to hear some great stories from a temple president as I’ve never previously spoken with one, but as he told me- “I put my pants on the same way as everyone else, one leg at a time.” He was witty. “What can I do for you,” he asked. I tried to tell him I just wanted to hear how it was to be a temple president and what he liked best about it. He told me that his favorite part is that he gets to work with the best people in the world- those that work there and those that are guests. He shared with me as well the joy he finds as he gets to help create eternal families. “What can I do for you,” he asked again. It seemed he knew more than I was willing to admit. “Do you have a place to stay?” He asked. President and Sister Sherwood kindly opened their doors for me and gave me a room to put all my gear and a bed to sleep on for the two nights I was there. I will always be thankful for their kind gesture.

I’m beginning to live every photographer’s dream. Mornings and nights filled with opportunities to take pictures in the best and most stunning light when God paints the sky, and days filled with sightseeing and exploring. A travel photographer’s nights are short in the summer and long in the winter. You sleep from light down to light up. If you pass up a sunrise or sunset, you pass up your best opportunities. My first morning in Palmyra was spent at the temple and then the Smith farm while the light was still soft. I managed to walk right into some breathtaking scenes and was so lucky to have found them.

I was planning on making it to a session at the temple at 9:45, but fell asleep editing some of my morning pictures. I woke up, and opted for the 11:00 session instead. I had time to run to the sacred grove and get some pictures now that the light was shining straight into the grove. On my way there I stopped back into the visitor’s center to get a quick drink of water. I realized as I opened the door that I had walked right into a tour- the sister missionary talking to the family quickly invited me to join their tour- the same I had done the evening before. For some reason I decided to join. Not even a full day earlier I had done the same exact tour, and here I was sitting down doing it again with no clue as to why I had said yes. Maybe it was because the sister missionary was pretty, or maybe I had nothing better to do. Regardless, I think there was a reason why I stayed. I found out quickly that the family that I was on the tour with was out visiting their son who a year earlier had moved to Manhattan to pursue a career in music. After a quick conversation and an exchange of numbers, I had found one person to meet up with in Manhattan! At the moment I have no where to stay, and no one I know- and I’ll be there within a few days! It was such a relief to at least make acquaintances with a member there.

I had to break away from the tour a little early and run up to the temple for the session I was about to once again miss. On my way out of the parking lot a nice local girl from the singles ward in Rochester quickly struck up a conversation with me about my bike and offered to show me around sometime while I was in Palmyra. How I appreciated a friendly face to talk to! I gave her a card, asked her to text me, and was off! I changed into my church clothes at the speed of light. If there was an ESPN special on speed dressing, I would take the title undefeated.

Four things amazed me in the temple. The peacefulness was stunning. The beauty was miraculous. The workers and guests were like family to me instantly. And lastly, I was amazed at how everyone thought I was either on a mission, going on a mission, or just getting home from a mission. According to the way things seem to work with my family, I won’t start looking my age until I’m lying in my coffin.

We all know that we are a family, but somewhere in between road rage and daily stress we tend to forget that. That temple parking lot was speckled with out of state license plates, and despite our differences of lifestyle, interests, experience, age, or race- in the temple we were a family. I imagine that’s what led President Sherwood to say that he works with the best people. They are our literal brothers and sisters. Heaven will be something like that one day I imagine.

I went to Hill Cumorah to see the visitor center there and was, just as previously, welcomed lovingly. I asked a sister missionary to play the audio demonstration in front of Christ’s statue there in Spanish- the spirit of your mission language never dies. What would it have been like to be there with Christ? How would it have felt to walk with Him and the Disciples? What did his voice sound like? We can only wait eagerly for the day we will meet our older brother again.

I asked the sister missionary there if they had many foreign visitors come by. She said they do, and began to tell me that a few weeks earlier they had a family of Muslims interested in different religions stop by the visitor’s center. She sat them down with her companion after nearly giving them the whole first lesson, and played that same audio for them as they sat in front of that magnificent statue of Christ. After it played the man stood up and said, “I’ve never seen anything like this before. The way you portray Christ is different than any other Christian religion.” He went on to explain that he is used to a more sad, suffering and dark Christ than the kind and warm Savior we know and love.  

I am so thankful for the knowledge we have of our Savior. The love He offers is overwhelming. He truly is our older brother, friend, example, and our Savior. He is the light of the world.

With only a little more time before the sunset and a much needed pizza dinner with my new local friend, I hurried over to the Book of Mormon publication site. The church recently remade the shop where E.B. Grandin printed and published the Book of Mormon for Joseph Smith. Throughout the entire course of the tour I began to piece together all the feelings I had had over the past 36 hours as I visited the Smith Farm, the temple and the Sacred Grove. I began to realize something I had never realized before- that Joseph Smith was someone just like you and I.

I was told that the night before Joseph Smith had prayed for the first time in the grove behind his home that he purposely left an axe back there so that if anyone asked him where he was going so early, he would have an excuse. My first thoughts that came to mind were- Well I would want an excuse too if I was planning on going to say a prayer in the woods. I put myself in his shoes and realized that my brother’s would have made fun of me if I woke up one morning and told them I was just going to go pray in the woods. I don’t know if that’s how it was for Joseph Smith, but I imagine it had something to do with that. It helped me to realize that as amazing of a man that he became, he was a boy just like I was.

In my first tour Elder Whipple showed me a spot of the Smith Home where they still had the original whitewash from the Smith family on the inside walls. There was a spot that if you looked closely you could see behind a dresser where it hadn’t been whitewashed in a perfect square against the wall. The elder told me that although they don’t know why exactly that was, the man the refurbished the home for the church told them that he thought Lucy Mack Smith had probably asked her boys to whitewash the walls, and as any boy would, instead of painting behind the dresser, they just painted around it.

It took three years after the first vision before Joseph Smith heard another word from the Lord. Three entire years! He mentions briefly that he had felt badly about the way he had behaved in his childhood and on one night while praying to ask forgiveness and see if he would still have a role to play in God’s plan, Moroni appeared to him. Joseph Smith wasn’t born the man he became. He was a boy. He was a good kid, but ornery and childish as are all boys! For years after the first vision he behaved most likely in a way that many of us have in those turbulent teenage years.

Joseph was preordained to do a great work. But just because he was so, doesn’t mean he was born ready. He had to go through life just as we do. In fact, as a result of the magnificent blessing that he had to see Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ he had to pass through trials and temptations we will never be required to go through. There are those that criticize Joseph for his mistakes and faults- and in all honesty, I don’t know what is true and not true according to the things people say about him. What I do know however is that he was an amazing man. He was no God. He was not perfect. He did change the world. He did see God the Father and Jesus Christ. He did restore the gospel. To expect perfection from a man is nothing short of insanity. The only one we may ever expect perfection from is our Lord Jesus Christ. My time in Palmyra confirmed my testimony of Joseph Smith. He was a boy like I was. He became an amazing man through the caring moldings of God throughout his trials and blessings. He was a prophet. My testimony does not depend on what he did wrong if it is that he did anything wrong. That testimony lies within everything he did right for every single one of us. Think of the trials he had to pass through. What would make a man continue on through that fire if it weren’t for good?

He was fourteen when he had the first vision and the tormenting and teasing about what he claimed to have seen began then until the day that he died. How many fourteen year old boys do you know that could handle such ridicule for so many years? Why didn’t he just give up at some point?

“Why persecute me for telling the truth? I have actually seen a vision; and who am I that I can withstand God, or why does the world think to make me deny what I have actually seen? For I had seen a vision; I knew it, and I knew that God knew it, and I could not deny it, neither dared I do it; at least I knew that by so doing I would offend God, and come under condemnation.”  -Joseph Smith

The opposition Joseph Smith had to face would be a testimony to the validity of this gospel on its own. From the moment of the first vision to the day he was martyred- his life was in constant ridicule. What led other’s to violently oppose him? There are other religions in this world that maintain beliefs that I don’t share or don’t agree with, but nothing in me has ever hoped to destroy their faith and dedication to their religion. In fact, I have deep respect for anyone that holds true to their beliefs- be them true or not.  

I love that God loves us all to such a degree that he will bless us individually with an answer to our prayers about the truthfulness of this gospel. Each member of the church holds dear to their hearts an entirely unique conversion story. We all can do just as Joseph did, and get on our knees, humble ourselves, have faith, and pray to know the truth. Although we may not see the Lord as he did, we will be blessed to receive an answer by the soft feeling of love that that same Spirit that lingers in the grove bears to us as an answer to our prayers.

It was never easy for our Savior. We will never be required to go through the trials and fire that He had to go through. Not nearly on the level of our Savior, but still on a great level did Joseph Smith pass through things we will never have to experience. It was not easy for him either. It was never easy for anyone, so why do we often expect it to be that way for us? Life will not just be handed to us on a silver platter. Life is meant to be lived. It’s the soil that’s meant to be worked and turned, so that eventually our hard daily labors can provide us with the fruit of eternal life. Never give up in the process of such a great cause. At times life is beautiful and others it’s a disaster- we must realize that our trials often times build and shape us even more than our blessings.

When we give all that we can- God puts in the rest of the work we cannot do. Joseph Smith was called to be a prophet; but that doesn’t mean God made his life easy and glamorous- anything but that. Instead he passed through horrible things, which eventually shaped him into an amazing man that millions still respect many years after his death. The pioneers were asked to leave their homes and move hundreds and hundreds of miles through rough conditions to the West where they would have their new colony. God never made it easy for them, he only made it possible. Likewise life will happen with us if we keep a chin up and push through the good times and bad.

We don’t need to see God to know He is there. We don’t need to meet Joseph Smith to know he was a prophet. We don’t need to hold the golden plates to know that they contain the record that the Book of Mormon was translated from. All we need is an doubtless humble faith and hope. It’s the recipe to the truth that Joseph Smith restored God’s church once again and for the final time upon the face of the Earth.