Patience is heavenly, Obedience is noble, Forgiveness is merciful, and Exaltation is Godly, and any that holds out faithful to the end shall in no wise lose his reward. A good man will endure all things to honor Christ and even dispose of the whole world and all in it to save his soul.
Joseph Smith Jr.
And Hyrum Smith
1844
Today, Sunday, we slept in late (9am) because we stayed up until 11pm Saturday night. We went to church at 11 am, but just sacrament meeting because the Bishop kindly asked the visitors not to stay for the other meetings as there weren't accommodations for all of us in the classrooms (the chapel, cultural hall and stage were crammed with people). It was fast Sunday and we enjoyed a nice testimony meeting. One testimony I really enjoyed was about a teen convert. Her school friend had seen her Book of Mormon and asked her if she was a Mormon. She said yes and her friend then asked, "Are you true?" The friend didn't ask if the church was true, or the Book of Mormon was true, or if the girl was active in her church, but if she were true in her religion. I liked that thought:
Are you true?
After church we drove to Carthage Jail. On our drive we read Doctrine and Covenants 135 about the martyrdom of Joseph and Hyrum. Then we sang hymns together. We toured the jail--it was a sacred experience in a hallowed place. The pictures tell the best story, so I will post them and add comments as we go.
"At the Carthage Jail on June 27, 1844, a mob murdered the Prophet Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum who thus sealed their testimonies of Jesus Christ with their blood.
Several days earlier, the Prophet and others voluntarily went to Carthage, the county seat located about 20 miles southeast of Nauvoo, to answer charges of civil disturbance. Joseph and Hyrum were held in Carthage Jail pending trial and were guaranteed protection from mob violence by the governor of Illinois.
Joseph, Hyrum, John Taylor, and Willard Richards were in the jailer's upstairs bedroom when a mob stormed the jail shortly after five o'clock. The Prophet and his brother were shot and killed, John Taylor was seriously wounded, and Willard Richards escaped unharmed. The mob fled, and the martyrs' bodies were taken back to Nauvoo the next day.
The jail was used for about 25 years and then became a private residence. The Church purchased the building and property in 1903. To commemorate the sesquicentennial of the Martyrdom in 1994, the jail was restored to its appearance at the time of Joseph and Hyrum's death". (http://jesuschrist.lds.org/josephsmith/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=7fecf7a14ee52010VgnVCM1000001f5e340aRCRD)
The girls at the gate.
Leah is pondering by a memorial.
I think Elias felt proud to stand next to these heros.
Again, Leah expresses her feelings in her face:
Carthage jail made her feel very thoughtful.
All I can say about Ryanne's expression
is that she doesn't like to let me take her picture.
The front of the home that was Carthage Jail.
The jailer and his family lived here.
This is the steep stairwell leading to the second floor where
the prisoners were kept. The mob of men stormed this stairwell
after gaining entry to the building.
This is Mckay and our Tour Guide, a senior misssionary.
Wes is looking into the teeny jail cell where
the men were held for a time.
Here is the cell from another angle. It was very tiny.
The hole left in the door by the bullet that
went through and hit Hyrum in the face.
I am thinking, "What kind of expression should I have on my face for this photo?
I don't want to smile; this is a memoir of a fatality.
But I don't want to stand here crying in the photo either.
I guess I feel honored to be where such good men
sacrificed their lives for truth,
but there is no way to put that on my face."
Wes:"Ditto what Melissa said."
A solemn Mckay sits in the window that the Prophet
Joseph Smith fell out of as he was shot by the mob.
The window from the outside.
Here is where Joseph fell.
Cute Andrews Fam.
Mckay playing with the well.
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