Day 6

Brenda did Rachel and Robin's hair and they looked lovely!

We stopped at the Temple Stone Quarry.

We toured the John Johnson Farm where Section 76 was received. It was a very nice home. It had been modernized but President Hinckley had them de-modernize it. They scraped off the paint to reveal the original colors.

Rachel read a scripture in the room where he received it.

Joseph was drug from this house to be tarred and feathered. He would preach from the front steps.

We saw Symonds Ryder's grave. He left the church when his name was misspelled in his mission call. His gravestone also has a misspelling! He was in the mob that tarred and feathered the prophet.

Founder of the Deciple (sic) Church

We had lunch at the Kumo Buffet in Cleveland. Eldon tried baby octopus!

Then we flew from Cleveland to Kansas City. We said goodbye to Pam and Neil and hello to Mike! We also got a new tour director, Mike Vielstich, and bus driver, John.

Day 7

We drove to Independence, Missouri. On the temple grounds Mike gave a talk about the Gathering of Israel. Rachel and Eldon gave scriptures. Brenda led us in singing "Come O Thou King of Kings."

Then we went to sacrament meeting in the nearby chapel. The congregation were mostly islanders! After lunch on the lawn we went to the LDS visitors center. And then to the Community of Christ Temple which is more like a museum. They are more friendly to the LDS than they were the last time we visited. They have some beautiful exhibits there.

Etching representing the Sacred Grove

The Tree of Life

Then we drove to Richmond and stopped at the statue of Alexander Doniphan who was a friend to the Mormons.

We visited the graves of Oliver Cowdery and David Whitmer.

Our next stop was Liberty Jail. Then had an excellent presentation.

"Why hast thou forsaken me?"

Joseph received some great revelations there

We drove at sunset by the Kansas City LDS temple that is under construction.

Day 8

We drove to Far West to the site of the future temple. Eldon and Sheryl gave parts about the Haun's mill massacre which was fitting since they have an ancestor, Jacob Foutz, who was wounded in the thigh there but lived to become a bishop in Nauvoo and then Salt Lake.

Brenda stood by the cornerstone of the temple and sang, "Be Still My Soul." Very fitting.

Be still my soul: when change and tears are past,
All safe and blessed we shall meet at last.

Then we drove to Adam-ondi-Ahman. It is a beautiful valley but there is nothing there to draw attention to it. It is where Adam and Eve went when they left the Garden of Eden (Independence) and where Christ will come.

We had lunch at the Cycles Restaurant in Gallatin.

On the long drive to Hannibal, Missouri, we shared ancestor stories. Eldon and I shared about the Fugls and Olsens who came from the same county in northern Denmark on the same sailing ship and same ox team company to Pleasant Grove. Ken shared about the Henry White family who were neighbors to the Smiths in Palmyra and ended up in Nauvoo. Sheryl shared about Jacob Foutz who was wounded at Haun's Mill. (The Whites and Foutzes are ancestors of Jenav Smith Olsen.)

In Hannibal we hiked to the top of a steep hill and looked at the mighty Missippi River.

Robin with her friend, Noah

There is a statute of Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn. The whole town is based on Mark Twain honorabilia.

Rachel whitewashing

Then we drove to Quincy, the town that welcomed the saints when they were driven out of Far West. It is a thriving town, blessed by their kindness. After dinner we heard a presentation by Dr. David Costigan, a world expert on Abraham Lincoln.

Day 9

First we went to a little monument down by the river where the saints crossed the frozen river to Quincy. Now there is a beautiful bridge.

We stopped in Warsaw in front of the inn where the mob gathered before the martyrdom and where they met afterward. Ken did a reading about that.

Then we went to Nauvoo and went to the visitors center first and watched a film. There is a beautiful statue of the First vision.

We enjoyed the women's garden.

Our tour director, Mike Vielstich with his daughter, Andrea

One of the surviving sunstones from the original temple is there.

We visited the Wilford Woodruff home as a group.

The visit to the temple was a highlight. It's beautiful. Eldon and Ken and the girls participated in baptisms and confirmations. The girls and their husbands and I went on an endowment session. The temple president gave us a tour up to see the sealing rooms. Some even went to the top and saw the bell tower. It was a wonderful experience to be in a temple together.

At night we congregated at the temple and sang "I Know That My Redeemer Lives."

Day 10

Nauvoo the beautiful! First we toured the sites the Community of Christ own--the Nauvoo House, the graves of Joseph, Emma, and Hyrum.

Then we could visit where we wanted. Sheryl and I went to the Cultural Hall and saw the beautiful quilts. There was even one from the 1830's. We visited the Family Living Center and learned about weaving and breadmaking and candle making. Eldon went to the Browning gun shop. We also visited the boot shop and brickyard.

Later in the day we went to the red brick store where in the upper room the first RS meeting was held, the first endowments given, and the council to leave Nauvoo was held.

After supper we drove to the Nauvoo Cemetery to the grave of Laura Clark Phelps and heard her story. There was a beautiful sunset.

We ate all our meals in Nauvoo at the Nauvoo State Park.

Day 11

We drove to Carthage Jail. Mike, the tour director told the story of the martyrdom and sang "A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief" which put us in a somber mood. The room where they first were put was dark and claustrophobic. It was sad to think about. Afterward Robin wanted to sing "Praise to the Man" on the bus, which we did. Mike then talked about how we are willing to die for the gospel, but an even more difficult question is, are we willing to live for it!

We drove back to Nauvoo for lunch. They surprised Eldon with a birthday cake. The kids got him a book called "Bones in the Well" about Haun's Mill from the Community of Christ bookstore.

Eldon and I went on a carriage ride. The driver reminded us of Eldon's Dad. 

 Then we spent some alone time in the Women's Garden.

While Eldon paid a visit to the blacksmith shop, I went in the post office with Sheryl and Jonathan.

Then we walked the trail of hope down to the landing where the Pioneers got on the ferries to cross the Mississippi. On the way we said goodbye to the beautiful temple on the hill.

On the bus to Garden Grove I read a part about how the Saints were moving to an unknown destination to establish an even better place where they could gather in peace. Sheryl led us in singing "Come, Come Ye Saints."

At Garden Grove the Community Club had prepared supper for us. They have named their high school the Mormon Trail High School and their mascot is the Saints! There are no Mormons there, but they are proud of the Mormon Trail and how their town got its beginning.

Day 12

The last day of our trip! We drove to Mt. Pisgah and met Farmer Brown. He owns a lot of land where Mt. Pisgah once was located and has done extensive research on it. He showed us how to find out where things were located by using divining rods that move when you cross earth that has been disturbed at least 18". So you can tell where graves and cabins and wells used to be.

Mt. Pisgah is significant because that's where the Mormon Battalion was mustered in, of which our ancestor,  Sam White was a part. 

Then we went on a wagon ride around his property and he pointed out where things used to be. It was cold so we could empathize with the Pioneers who spent the winter there in dug outs, cabins, or tents. We had a short testimony meeting and Jonathan represented our family by urging us to share the great gospel message we have with others.

We went to lunch which the Afton Methodist Church ladies made for us--probably the best of the whole tour. Hamballs and many salads and a variety of homemade pies for dessert! it was memorable.

Then we drove to Winter Quarters. The visitors center right next to the temple is very impressive. We walked up the hill to see the cemetery. We saw a touching movie about the pioneers. We appreciate what they went through for us.

On the way to the airport we sang "God Be With You" led by Sheryl and Eldon said the last prayer for the group. Although the trip home was long and tiring, it was nothing at all compared to the Pioneers' trip out west!