Sacred Grove

 

The Sacred Grove

When Joseph Smith was a 14-year-old boy, he went to a grove of trees near his house in Palmyra, New York, and prayed to know which church he should join. Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ appeared to him, and it became the beginning of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I am a member of this church, and I love it with all my heart. It has shaped my entire life, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

In 1907, the church bought the land where Joseph Smith had lived and the sacred grove. Visitors can see where Joseph Smith lived, and walk in the sacred grove where Heavenly Father and Jesus appeared.  I have always thought it would be so special to visit that site, but it seemed unlikely as it is so far away from Idaho.

In 2017, Matt and I headed to Boston, Massachusetts, for a conference we were attending. We were just going to go straight there and straight home, but then I had the idea that we could fly into Boston, and after the conference, travel to Palmyra to see the sacred grove and fly home from New York.

We enjoyed the conference, then we drove across Massachusetts and New York, and we made it to Palmyra. We went on a tour of the two homes the Smiths had lived in on the property. We stood in the home where the angel Moroni visited the prophet, and the spirit there was amazing. It was interesting to feel it so much in that humble space. After touring the homes, we were able to walk to the sacred grove and spend however long we wanted there. I don't know how to explain what I felt, but I felt this deeper appreciation and love for this gospel in my life. Just imagining that God was in this same grove of trees at some point, the same space that I was sitting in, felt miraculous. 

It was a rainy Sunday, which meant fewer people were visiting. It was just Matt and I in the sacred grove, sitting on a bench in the light rain. It had mostly stopped at that point, but it was wet. It was quiet and peaceful. I loved that moment and the feeling that came with that place. I'm so glad we went out of our way to be there. It was worth the extra drive.

We also went to the Hill Cumorah, where Joseph Smith received the Golden Plates. We went to the visitors center and walked around the hill to a monument. They told us about a fireside that was happening that night, and we decided to go back for it later that evening. 

The fireside was presided over by a senior missionary who just so happened to be one of Matt's mission presidents from his mission to Brazil. It was fun to meet him. Everything about that trip was surreal. It was something I dreamed of doing, but truly didn't think that it was possible, and it happened. For being a member of this church my entire life, it was exciting and energizing to be there, and I am so glad we had the opportunity to go. I love the Prophet Joseph Smith. I love that he desired to talk to God and had the courage to do it. I'm grateful that once he knew the truth, he held to it regardless of the opposition he faced. I appreciate his sacrifice and all that he worked for. It has immensely impacted my life. I am so grateful that God came and talked to Joseph Smith. It blesses me today. 

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