Our First Family Visit to Palmyra

One night, early October, when I was putting my boys to bed, Jacob asked me who wrote the Book of Mormon. So we had a nice little talk about Joseph Smith and how he was given the plates and translated them. And then I told him that all this actually happened in New York, not far from where we lived, and so Jacob became really excited and asked if we could go see the place. So being the good parents we are, we decided to go to Palmyra that very weekend! We figured it would be a great time of year to go, the weekend after Conference, and enjoy the fall colors on our drive too. 

Somehow I got talked into driving us the 3 hours there, so I didn't get a ton of great pictures of the leaves changing, but it was a pretty drive- until it started raining after it got dark, but we made it in to our hotel Friday night. 

Saturday morning I got to do a session at the Palmyra temple, while Luke stayed back to watch the kids. It's always neat going inside a new temple- this one is very small but I was so grateful to be there since I hadn't made it to the temple all year!

While I was inside, Luke took the boys over to the new visitor center by Hill Cumorah, and once they picked me up we drove into "town". I had been here as a kid but forgotten how small of a town it really is! But I did remember the 4 churches on every corner. It's no wonder there was so much confusion about religion back in Joseph Smith's time. 

After getting some lunch and stopping by the LDS bookstore, they conveniently have the old printing shop next door, so we did a little tour. 

It was neat to see how the Book of Mormon was published all those years ago and to be in the same building where it had all happened. I felt like I re-learned a lot of things that day!

And since I missed seeing Hill Cumorah earlier, Luke drove me to the top so I could see it again. I remember coming as a teenager with my family to see a pageant done in the summer, and it's something I would like to come back and do with the kids too. Such a special and neat place.

We then went to see the replica of Joseph Smith's childhood home, and his room in the attic where he had an angel visit him. 

From the cabin, we could easily walk into the Sacred Grove- the woods where Joseph went to pray about which church was true and Heavenly Father and Jesus appeared to him. Although there had seemed to be lots of visitors, when we went through the woods it seemed as if we were alone and it was quiet. It was also the most beautiful fall day, and so I really felt the Spirit and enjoyed our walk around those woods.

We talked with the kids again about why these woods were sacred, and everything we had seen and learned on this trip. I hope it is an experience that they will remember! (Well- hopefully at least Jacob.)

Most of all, I felt peace and a gratitude for my family. I was grateful for the wonderful weather that we were experiencing so that we could enjoy the beauty of this special place. I felt grateful that we now lived in an area where we could visit sites like this, and will be able to experience many more day trips as a family. Each one of them bring me so much happiness and I love that we were able to set time aside to experience this trip together. We had a great first visit to Palmyra and hope to be back again soon!