Joseph Smith

We went this morning to the Joseph Smith Historic Site.  It is owned and under the direction of the Community of Christ Church. They have a visitor center with a sunstone and a moonstone block from the original temple. It’s amazing to see what those stonemasons created with simple hand tools. Also there were some other artifacts and some beautiful paintings done by Joseph’s last son David who was born just after the martyrdom. They do a tour of the Homestead, the Mansion House and the Red Brick Store. Learning about the prophet Joseph and being in the places where he lived, taught, and worked really makes your testimony of him grow. Why would anyone go through what he did for something that wasn’t true? How could anyone accomplish what he did without the power of God?  I know more firmly than ever that he WAS God’s chosen prophet and he DID restore Christ’s true church. We are more blessed than we realize to have the gospel in our lives. Every day I am surrounded with the evidence of the faith and courage and testimony it took to give it to us.  We must carry it on and pass on this wonderful legacy.
The third picture is the Red Brick Store. Joseph ran the store for a while and The upper floor is where many important things happened in the church - Relief Society was organized, missionaries sent out, apostles given the keys to lead church, even the beginning of temple ordinances done here.
The bottom picture is the rebuilt Nauvoo House. It was intended to be a large 5 story hotel but was never completed in Joseph’s time.

Dad is standing in front of the Homestead - The log part was Joseph’s first home in Nauvoo. 

This is the Mansion House - Joseph and Emma lived here later.  It was built to accommodate the hundreds of visitors and guests who came to Nauvoo. 

Add caption