I loved Far West.
I loved the entire trip, and I'm going to say "I loved____" about every place i visited. Because the whole trip was just incredible, but i loved Far West. It was tender. We climbed off the bus, and walked onto the grounds that had been dedicated decades ago for a temple that was never built because the Mormons were ordered to leave Missouri by the Governor.
Let me preface my next statement by clarifying that we, and i mean LDS church as a whole, do not worship Joseph Smith. I won't take a lot of time to explain everything we believe concerning him as a Prophet or leader, instead i'll refer you to the following websites if you're interesting in learning more about why we revere him and his teachings:
So, back to Far West.
There a lot of places on church history tours where you can say, "We think Joseph was here, because of this or that" but this place, the dedicated site in Far West, we know Joseph was there. That was cool. I walked where Joseph and Hyrum and Parley and Wilford walked.
One of the professors was giving his lesson and when he was finished, the other professor had been on the phone and he told us all that Sister Monson had passed away and we all sang, "God be with you till we meet again."
How grateful am i for the temple! And for a belief in eternal families. Thomas will see his Francis again someday, and they will be together forever.
After the song, we continued our lesson and then were given a few minutes to walk around before leaving.
How do i describe the confirmation that happened there?
It was a soft, constant feeling in my heart that I am in the right place. meaning Rexburg, Idaho. and also Far West. It was a quiet whisper that I'm doing the right things in my life. And a small push to keep doing those good things.
My testimony of Jesus Christ is mostly made up of little moments.Yes, there are some specific things that were big, and made a big difference in the way i lived past a certain point. But for the most part I believe in the Savior of the world because of every time I've sung a hymn in church or read a passage of scripture that perfectly coincided with my day. I am who i am, and i believe what i believe because of a thousand tiny things that cement me where i stand.
Far West, Missouri, for whatever reason, was one of those little things. nothing significant happened there. there were no shouts of thunder or earth moving miracles. just one more step was taken toward who i hope to be. But it was a good step. A confident one, and one that gave me pride and worth.
Just another drop of oil in my lamp. Another rock in my Happy Wagon.
small, but not unnoticed.
"another drop of oil in my lamp" Melissa you're making me want to do a Nauvoo post... but really though. That longing you're talking about? That began for me in my semester of touring all these places. So many temples, living next to a temple, just made me want to be inside! With everyone I love! I had always dreamed of getting married in the temple, but Nauvoo was where I started to really want to go THROUGH the temple, not just to get married but to receive my endowment and learn and feel that absolute peace that you can feel every day through the Holy Ghost, but in the temple more fully! I remember standing outside the Winter Quarters temple staring through the stained glass just wanting to be in there. So yeah. I get it.
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