Here we are as we were entering the Sacred Grove.
I didn’t know this, but there are MANY paths and trails thru the sacred grove. There were moments we were worried if we would get lost. You could spend a couple of hrs in there easily.
It’s fall time here and the grove was still beautiful with lots of green. I would LOVE to see this place in the spring with all the fresh green grass and trees and wind flowers.
You can’t help but wonder when you’re walking thru the grove, “it’s THIS the spot?” and while no one knows the answer to that, it is cool to look at the trees and think, “some of THEM were here to witness what happened that day”. The tree and rocks are still here. And that is a cool thought.
As we were walking we were trying to be ever so reverent, whispering and trying not to talk too much. It was very hard for the kids, usually when we come to woods it’s to play, not to meditate, but they did their best and I’m very proud of them.
There are lots of little benches along the pathways so you can just stop sit down, look around and be quite while you think about things. If you ever get to go, make sure you plan lots of time so you can do that. It’s so worth it.
When the vision was over, Joseph said we laid on his back looking up. Here are some of the leafs we saw looking up from where were read.
I always thought that when I went to the sacred grove I would get a leaf and keep it in my scriptures to remember that day and moment in time. Just something tangible to rube while you remembered that time ya know? But before we came to the grove we were told not to take any leaves or rocks and to not leave anything behind. I was SO BUMBED! I wanted SO badly to be able to get a leaf for all my loved ones and mail it to you saying, “look here! Your own leaf from the sacred grove!” but since, they have asked us not to do that… I wasn’t able to get anyone a leaf, or even one for myself… so… I decided that instead of taking a leaf, I would take a PICTURE of a leaf and print it off and put it in my scriptures! If you would like to do the same – rock on. This is a leaf that was on our bench as we read and prayed about the story of the First Vision.
I think these pictures will mean a lot more if you read it too and look thru the pictures again, you can get the GAK information from here: http://lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?hideNav=1&locale=0&sourceId=706ef48fa2d20110VgnVCM100000176f620a____&vgnextoid=198bf4b13819d110VgnVCM1000003a94610aRCRD
We came across a lot of chipmunks, squirrels and even a snake! The snake FREAKED me out!! I was the only one who came across it. I was walking down a path alone and it was RIGHT next to my leg! AAh! I wouldn’t have even noticed it except it moved itself out of the way and it made a rustling sound in the leaves. EVERYTIME after that when I heard a rustle in the leaves, I kind of twitched hoping it wasn’t a snake. At least it wasn’t a mean snake. It really only moved a little out of the way so I wouldn’t step on it.
In my final thoughts about the sacred grove, I just want to end by leaving my testimony; the Spirit has testified to me that Joseph Smith saw God our Father and Jesus Christ. I know that they did appear to him, and they did talk with him. Joseph was a prophet of God and the one to restore the church to it’s fullness just as the scriptures said it would. I know those things to be true, and I leave theses words with you in the name on Jesus Christ – amen.
This is going to be a little hard to explain, but there were times in the grove when you walked thru, you were hit by something, nothing physical, it’s just … something. Like you know when you walk into a bathroom when someone’s been taking a long shower and it’s all misty and hot. The moment you walk in you hit a wall of mist and that makes all your senses switch on saying “this is different!”. It was kind of like that. You would be walking along and all of a sudden your whole body’s senses would kick in saying “this is different!” and yet when you looked around, there was nothing tenably different. It was like a 6th-spiritual sense I guess you could say. It was just a very cool experience.
Before we came, I printed off from the church’s website, the information about the grove from the Gospel Art Kit. I read it in the car on our way up here so it would be fresh in our minds. But we did something I’ve always wanted to do. When we came to a spot that was very pretty and had a bench to sit on, a spot that felt private, we didn’t see anyone coming or going… we as a family sat down on the bench and read the story about the first vision. We then knelt down on the ground and prayed that we, as a family would gain assurance from the Holy Ghost to testify to us that Joseph Smith was a prophet and what we read happened here was true. We did receive that witness. It was such a wonderful magical moment as a family to be there, and experience that. It was just a wonderful moment. Full of happiness, joy and peace. We all then got up, hugged and kissed and decided it was time to go.
These are picture of the spot where we read and prayed
These are picture of the spot where we read and prayed
When the vision was over, Joseph said we laid on his back looking up. Here are some of the leafs we saw looking up from where were read.
I always thought that when I went to the sacred grove I would get a leaf and keep it in my scriptures to remember that day and moment in time. Just something tangible to rube while you remembered that time ya know? But before we came to the grove we were told not to take any leaves or rocks and to not leave anything behind. I was SO BUMBED! I wanted SO badly to be able to get a leaf for all my loved ones and mail it to you saying, “look here! Your own leaf from the sacred grove!” but since, they have asked us not to do that… I wasn’t able to get anyone a leaf, or even one for myself… so… I decided that instead of taking a leaf, I would take a PICTURE of a leaf and print it off and put it in my scriptures! If you would like to do the same – rock on. This is a leaf that was on our bench as we read and prayed about the story of the First Vision.
I think these pictures will mean a lot more if you read it too and look thru the pictures again, you can get the GAK information from here: http://lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?hideNav=1&locale=0&sourceId=706ef48fa2d20110VgnVCM100000176f620a____&vgnextoid=198bf4b13819d110VgnVCM1000003a94610aRCRD
We came across a lot of chipmunks, squirrels and even a snake! The snake FREAKED me out!! I was the only one who came across it. I was walking down a path alone and it was RIGHT next to my leg! AAh! I wouldn’t have even noticed it except it moved itself out of the way and it made a rustling sound in the leaves. EVERYTIME after that when I heard a rustle in the leaves, I kind of twitched hoping it wasn’t a snake. At least it wasn’t a mean snake. It really only moved a little out of the way so I wouldn’t step on it.
In my final thoughts about the sacred grove, I just want to end by leaving my testimony; the Spirit has testified to me that Joseph Smith saw God our Father and Jesus Christ. I know that they did appear to him, and they did talk with him. Joseph was a prophet of God and the one to restore the church to it’s fullness just as the scriptures said it would. I know those things to be true, and I leave theses words with you in the name on Jesus Christ – amen.
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