Nauvoo & Carthage

On our trek back across the country from North Carolina to Utah, we made sure to make the most of our drive and make some pretty incredible stops along the way. The most memorable stop that I will cherish forever was in Carthage & Nauvoo, Illinois. 

(Bullet hole from the bullet that killed Hyrum)

We thought we would only be there for a couple of hours, see a couple of things, and then head on our way. But boy were we wrong! We started off in Carthage by going to the jail where the Prophet, Joseph Smith, was martyred. We were able to go on a tour and walk through the jail and see exactly where Joseph Smith had been. It was such an incredible and moving experience! We literally got to sit in the windowsill that he fell through when he died. 

The Spirit in that room was unlike anything I had ever felt before. It might seem morbid to some to visit the place where somebody was killed, but it is not like that at all. Going there, you are reminded of what Joseph & Hyrum died for and you become so much more grateful for their sacrifice. They are the ultimate examples of staying true to Christ in the face of adversity. Those that killed our beloved prophet hoped that by doing so would be the end of the Latter Day Saints. But just because our Prophet had left the earth didn't mean that the gospel was no longer on the earth. He restored the gospel to the earth and I am eternally grateful to him. It really was an experience I will never forget. He truly was and still is a man of God. Because he listened to the Spirit, I have so much to be thankful for. 

Where we learned about dingbats, p's & q's, "cut to the chase", upper and lower case letters, etc. so fun!

Mississippi River

Joseph Smith's home

After we visited Carthage, we headed up to Nauvoo. Again, we thought we could walk around for a minute and leave. SO WRONG! We got to go to the Browning Gunsmith Shop, The Printing Press, John Taylor's home, and so many other fun places! And we even got to do a session at the historic Nauvoo Temple. Oh my goodness....so beautiful! 

We ended up spending the whole day enjoying all of the historic sites and falling behind on our travels, but it was so worth it! We don't know when we will be going back there but it really was such a special experience to go there as just the two of us. It gave me a whole new understanding of what life would have been like back in those times, and has increased my love and appreciation for all of those Saints back then that were so faithful and strong, regardless of the hardships they endured. I hope I can be at least half as strong and faithful as they were.