Our trip to Palmyra
The Hill Cumorah
My wife, my son, and I took off this past week for an adventure to Palmyra, New York. Our destination includes some important Mormon landmarks including, Joseph Smith’s home, the Hill Cumorah, the Grandin Press, the Palmyra Temple, and of course, the Sacred Grove. If you’re not Mormon, just think of it as a pilgrimage of sorts, to the place where the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints sprang into existence.
Although this was a vacation for us, we approached the trip with some degree of trepidation. Most people will discount such events as mere coincidence, but whenever the West family takes a child to the temple, it seems to bring on some tribulation. The Adversary paints a bulls-eye on us and the fiery darts the apostle Paul spoke of start to fly. In the past, forays to the temple were preceded by car trouble, sickness, even outbreaks of head lice. We always manage to weather these disruptions, but it does make planning a trip to the temple akin to climbing up a flagpole in an electrical storm.
This time was to be no exception. We had some car trouble the days before our departure and we had to get the brakes worked on. With freshly serviced brakes, we set out to New York last Sunday, a few hours after church. We drove several hours and stopped just north of Philly. The next morning, I checked the oil and topped it off. At the next break we stopped for, smoke was coming out from underneath the car–not a good sign.
At first, I thought maybe I had spilled a little bit of oil while topping it off and that it was burning off the back side of the engine or dripping onto the exhaust. This was really concerning because we had a car fire last year and lost that car. I found a water hose at the station and sprayed down the undercarriage, hoping to wash away the oil, hoping that there wasn’t anything more major wrong, like a blown head gasket or a blown main engine seal.
The Log Home
At the next stop, a couple of hours later, the smoking is even worse. At this point, we’re just about to reach the New York state line, hundreds of miles from home. I called a family council and we discussed our options. Sandee and Al were in favor of pressing on, getting the car looked at once we reached our destination. I agreed that this was a better plan that turning around and going back home. We were about three hours away from Palmyra, assuming the car would hold up.
After a brief break, we loaded up into the car and, as I started to pull out of the rest stop, we had almost no brakes and the car would not go into reverse. I jiggled around with stuff for a few minutes and we managed to get rolling. We queried the GPS and found a nearby garage to get the car looked at.
Somewhere near Harmony, Pennsylvania, we sat there glumly in the dirty waiting room of the mechanic’s garage, hoping that the repairs would not cost us the rest of our trip. After a couple of hours waiting for parts to be delivered, we were out the door with a patched up (not fully repaired) vehicle for less than a hundred bucks. We had the same family council discussion and the decision was the same as before, so we set out once again for Palmyra. I’m glad we stuck to our plan.
We arrived in Victor, New York near Palmyra around dinnertime on Monday, exhausted from stress and the long drive. We found that our inexpensive hotel room was actually very nice and comfortable. It was a more than pleasant surprise. After dinner at Denny’s the world seemed to be a little brighter.
The 'Frame' House
On Tuesday morning, we called up the temple first thing. We hoped to be able to squeeze in on a session to to some baptisms. This was the first time for our youngest son to be able to attend the temple and we were hoping to be able to share that experience together as a family. Our older kids all went to the temple with youth groups from our old ward. Although I was one of the bishopric members who went along with those trips, my wife usually went in to do endowments. This time we hung together to do baptisms. The temple was able to squeeze us in with a large EFY group. For the uninitiated, EFY is a kind of youth conference for 14-18 year-olds. We were lucky they were able to fit us in with such a large group.
Since our session was not until noon, we decided to visit the Joseph Smith home site. It was really enjoyable going to visit the log home where the Smith family lived and where the angel Moroni appeared to Joseph and revealed the location of the gold plates which contained the Book of Mormon. The missionary who led the tour testified of the reality of that event and the Spirit was very strong. She asked us if anyone could share an experience about how their life had been impacted by the Book of Mormon. Everyone kind of looked around at each other, being reluctant to speak. There was a family from Utah who had several kids, a couple of non-members, and the three of us. I felt like I should speak up, so I related how the Book of Mormon had come to me and that I gained a testimony of it before I ever set foot in a church building or attended a church meeting. I had a testimony before I met any missionaries. I knew by personal revelation that the Book of Mormon was true. I testified how it had affected my life, leading me to serve a mission, to marry Sandee in the temple, and all the good things that came into my life up to the present day.
Grandin Press
We strolled up to the “frame house” that Alvin Smith had built for his parents and looked around some. As time was getting short, we decided we would go to the Grandin press first and return to the Sacred Grove later. We enjoyed the tour at the building where the first copies of the Book of Mormon were published. I especially enjoyed some of the paintings by C.C.A. Christiansen, a pioneer Mormon artist. From Grandin’s we zipped back to the Temple for our baptismal sessions.
At the temple, we got to stick together and do the baptisms and confirmations as a family, even though we were with the EFY group. It was a very spiritual experience, personally taking our son to the temple. I couldn’t help but think of Jesus and his parents, Mary and Joseph, and how they took him to the temple when he was 12. That’s the way it’s supposed to be. Parents should take their children to the temple.
In the Palmyra Temple, we had a remarkable experience before we left. The temple workers took the three of us to a place down the hall from the temple entrance. Unlike most temples, which don’t have any windows that you can look out of, this one has a window that overlooks the Sacred Grove. I can’t begin to describe the profound spiritual feelings and the emotions it generated to stand in a holy place, looking at the place that God the Father and Jesus Christ appeared to the young prophet Joseph Smith in 1820. It’s hard to describe, but it was wonderful. The sense that heaven came down and touched the earth on that spot is very tangible in that environment.
During the rest of the day, we visited the Grandin press where the Book of Mormon was published and we enjoyed the presentation of the missionary sister that escorted us through the building. We went to the Hill Cumorah in the afternoon and hiked up the hill. It really is quite a hike. The West family is a pretty fit bunch. We all work out, run, lift weights, cycling, etc., and Alma and I do judo. Even so, the walk up the hill is a pretty good workout.
The Sacred Grove
I can’t help but think, as I looked at the profile of the hill from the front and the side, that it doesn’t look like a natural structure. The ancient peoples of the Americas, like those in Cahokia, were mound builders. It made me wonder if the Hill Cumorah was “built” by the Nephites or their predecessors instead of being a natural formation. There is a statue of Moroni at the top with some bas-relief sculptures about the testimonies of the Three and the Eight Witnesses. It was a really special experience to share the details of those testimonies and the circumstances that surrounded them with my son–right there on the Hill Cumorah where the very plates those eleven witnesses saw laid for 1400 years.
In the evening, near sunset, we went to the Sacred Grove. We had the place completely to ourselves. The sun was low in the sky and beaming in through the trees. It was silent, except for the sounds of nature, crickets, cicadas, etc. The only thing that marred perfect enjoyment was a kamikaze mosquito who was intent on devouring us!
We left Palmyra the next day with wonderful memories and our hearts full of gratitude. Our car functioned OK for the rest of the trip (because we had already gone to the temple!) and we went down to visit our oldest son’s family. We had a great trip and it’s good to be home. We loved the Palmyra area and it was such a blessing to visit the Church sites there. We’ll look forward to going back again someday.
(Among the other problems we had, Sandee’s camera wouldn’t charge, so the pics above are from JosephSmith.net and LDSChurchTemples.com).
Greg West
