Day 14 - Oh Give Me Back My Prophet Dear

Today we got up early and went to church at 8 am. We went to the ward where all the missionaries go. It was packed and the energy in the room was great! After sacrament we left and went to the Nauvoo Cemetary where we held our own Sunday School.

Then we went to Carthage Jail, the site where Joseph Smith was martyred. Carthage Jail was different for me than I thought it would be. I wasn't sure if I would be sad or uplifted. I didn't really experience much of anything while there. It was very cool to see the jail and hear the story of his imprisonment and his death. The bullet hole is still in the door to the room where he was attacked. While there I was reminded of a song written by an LDS artist, Rob Gardner. The song is John Taylor singing after the death of Joseph and Hyrum Smith. I've included lyrics here.

O give me back my Prophet dear,
And Patriarch, O give them back;
The Saints of latter days to cheer,
And lead them in the gospel track.
But oh! they're gone from my embrace,
From earthly scenes their spirits fled;
Two of the best of Adam's race,
Now lie entombed among the dead.

Ye men of wisdom tell me why,
No guilt, no crime in them were found,
Their blood doth now so loudly cry,
From prison walls, and Carthage ground.
Your tongues are mute, but pray attend,
The secret I will now relate,
Why those whom God to earth did lend,
Have met the suffering martyr's fate.

O give me back my prophet dear.

After getting back from Carthage, some of us went back to Old Nauvoo to see some more of the sites there including Joseph Smith's home and red brick store as well as his gravesite.

It was interesting to see how some of the sites in Nauvoo are owned by the LDS church while others are owned by the Community of Christ. I was a bit taken aback and saddened by a conversation I heard in the Red Brick Store (owned by the Community of Christ). The woman seemed to hold nothing but disdain for the LDS church. I left there as quickly as I could because I didn't like the feeling there.

We all gathered at Zion's Mercantile where we were served our final meal together as a group in Nauvoo. We had a short awards ceremony where we each received an award which characterized something about each of us from the trip. We laughed a lot.

From here we walked down Parley Street and down the Trail of Hope. This is the road the pioneers walked down to exit Nauvoo. It leads right up to the Mississippi River and led to the ferry at that time. As you walk down the road, there are several short stories and quotes from pioneers who were in Nauvoo. It was very sobering. I kept looking back at the temple up on the hill as I walked down the path. I imagined the pioneers doing the same thing, looking back at their precious temple that they had worked so hard on, only to leave it. We arrived at the Mississippi just in time for the sunset. It was a beautiful night and a great experience. Few words were spoken as we all walked the path and reflected.

We met back at the Seventies Hall where we held our final testimony meeting. Wow, what a meeting. Everyone was so spiritually full and had a lot to share. We were all in tears as each person shared experiences and personal witnesses that they had received on this trip. The meeting went on for hours but I hardly noticed the time. Again, I was sad to leave and to go to bed that night because I didn't want to lose the feeling.