VIEWS OF THE SACRED GROVE

When we first arrived in Palmyra we wondered if we would ever see Spring!  This is how the trees in Palmyra looked when we arrived in April.  This is in the valley below The Hill Cumorah.

The Palmyra New York Temple is the only temple that has a clear window to look out of.  It is built so we can see the Sacred Grove from the lobby of the temple.  Today when I stood at the window looking out the trees no longer looked like winter sticks but like the picture below.  I said to those standing by, "Oh, look The Sacred Grove Trees are finally getting leaves"!  A Brother Brown said, "It's looks like the 'Re Leaf Society' has  finally been working".  It took me a minute to catch what he said, but I have been giggling every time I looked out the window today.   What a good Society we belong to!  See the great service we may be assigned on the other side of the veil!  Hurrah for the "Re lief" Society Sisters!

Not only are the trees in the Sacred Grove leafing, but the apple trees are in bloom!  The hill country is loaded with apple tree blossoms, and of course Elder Bushman had to drive to see them between shifts at the temple.  No rest for the weary.  The orchards were full of beautiful trees and worth the drive.  Johnny Appleseed was busy in upper New York! (John Chapman, the tin pot hat man, was a nurseryman and a missionary)  Also good job "re lief" society, the apple trees are also loaded with leafs!

Sister Adair served with us in the OKC Temple.  When we were called to this mission she gave me a copy of this book.  It is the story of Willard and Rebecca Bean and their mission call in 1915 to Palmyra...which ended up lasting 25 years!  They were newlyweds at the time.  The book is awesome...a must read for any member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  They resided on the Joseph Smith Sr. farm and helped the church obtain the Hill Cumorah and many of the historical places here .  I was so excited when we arrived here and I could look up the many historical 

sites in this book.

 

 Then to my delight I learned that "Palmyra" Bean's, (Palmyra was the oldest child of Willard and Rebecca born in Palmyra) daughter and her husband are serving a summer 6 month mission with us.  Her name is Pam Smith & her husband is Emery.  I think she thinks I am a wierdo because I get so excited when I see her.  Below is a picture of Elder & Sister Smith.  I doubt many of the missionaries even know who she is, she is so low key and unassuming.  I had her sign my book and have bombarded her with questions about her grandparents.  She only remembers them as old, old people.  However, my enthusiasm has had its rewards.  She signed my copy of the book.  She just brought me a poem and a letter, about living on the Joseph Smith farm, that her mother wrote about living here in Palmyra.   They are in her original handwriting when she was a teenager.  I am one lucky person!

Lake Ontario: Sodus Bay Lighthouses:

We were going to Stake Conference in Syracuse New York so decided to take in some more sights on our way down to our evening meeting.  This Bay on Lake Onterio had these lovely lighthouses and tons of Yachts...The area was so beautiful.

We also went to Sauder's Mennonite Country Store in Seneca Falls, New York

Several of the missionaries had been there and raved about the food.  This day they were giving free hot dogs, soda's, ice cream, etc.  They had ballon's and hay rides.  We purchased a New York Atlas, some graham cracker pretzels, cheese curds, chocolate peanuts, chocolate sunflower seeds and some chips....yum was the word!  The women clerks wore the Mennonite clothing and covered their heads with little white bonnets.  They looked beautiful.  I read that the bonnets are because of a quote in 1 Corinthians 11: 26.  I guess with my hair cut short I wouldn't need to wear a bonnet...if I were a Mennonite that is.  I'm sure we will stop there again during our travels.  

STAKE CONFERENCE IN SYRACUSE NEW YORK
We enjoyed attending the Saturday evening session and the Sunday morning session.  We are beginning to know the members from the Cortland Ward and are feeling a bond with them.
The Cortland Ward did the music.  Saturday night they had a group of string players. Most played the violin.  They were fantastic.  Today they had a choir and sang two songs.  The audience & the women in the choir joined in the last two verses of the closing song "The Spirit of God" while the men sang the first two verses.  It was a very spiritual song to end the meeting with.  The Stake Presidency was changed and a new Patriarch was announced.  I loved this quote given last evening by Sister Moss especially after associating with the Mennonite group yesterday:
 “If it has been demonstrated that I have been willing, before Heaven, to die for a Mormon.  I am bold to declare before Heaven that I am just as ready to die in defending the rights of a Presbyterian, a Baptist or a good man of any other denomination.  For the same principle which would trample on the rights of the Latter-day Saints would trample on the rights of the Roman Catholics or any other denomination who would be unpopular or too weak to defend themselves.”  Joseph Smith, 1846

I pray we will not have to defend ourselves from our government again in the future.  I pray we can continue to have Freedom of Religion in America.  I am looking forward to a Zion society once again as promised in The New Jerusalem, beautiful Zion.  I sure wish this pain I have been suffering in this tabernacle of clay could be the travail that could help bring down The City of Enoch again.  One thing I know for sure is The Pageant will be held on The Hill Cumorah in July and it will spectacular....and just perhaps soon we can recognize Mount Zion, as written about in The Book of Mormon.  There was a very sacred event that happened in The Sacred Grove in the Spring of 1820.  Hosanna, Hosanna, Hosanna to God & The Lamb!

We just returned from a Missionary Fireside on the many versions of "The First Vision".  We sang this amazing song:

Elder Jon G. Neeley wrote the above song as he drove through Oklahoma on his way to their Palmyra Mission from California last year.  He had just listened to Elder Bruce D. Porter's talk in May of 2013 General Conference.  Elder Porter inspired Elder Neeley to rewrite these words to this tune.  It is to the tune of "Oh, What A Beautiful Morning".  I hope all of our Oklahoma family and friends enjoy reading these words and singing this version of Oklahoma. 

There's a grove by the side of Palmyra....Oh, what a beautiful morning!