The One Where I Went to Nauvoo!

You call me out upon the waters
The great unknown where feet may fail
And there I find You in the mystery
In oceans deep
My faith will stand 

 - A song called "Oceans" by Hillsong United.

Happy 2019! What a great way to welcome in the New Year! I got to visit Nauvoo with special permission from the mission president. It was such a great experience to be able to go being set apart as a missionary. I felt a sense of closeness to the saints because they sacrificed so much to prosper in the gospel that they knew and testified to be true. It was pretty amazing! We got to attend the temple for a session on January 1st. I'm so thankful I was blessed enough to start out my year so close to my Father in Heaven. I'm so grateful for the blessing and power of His holy temples. GO TO THE TEMPLE, EVERYONE!  

Nauvoo was wonderful. The temple was much needed. We got to visit homes of people who helped with the movement and hear the incredible stories, testimonies, and experiences. We visited Brigham Young's home and a lot of the buildings he was a part of helping. I'm related to him through my dad's mom's side, 5 generations back and I had never felt so close to him until I was in his home, hearing about his hard work and dedication and loyalty to his family, the church, and the Prophet Joseph. I was proud to have his name and to be from a line who knew without a doubt that this is the restored gospel. 

There's plenty of places to stop and learn about how they lived back in those days so we stopped and would learn some things, but we would sometimes ask for the quick version because we had so much to do in such a short amount of time and the people loved it! They would quickly run through their shpeel and then each one would bare a strong testimony. The spirit was so strong everywhere we went! It was just wonderful. They are building a new Visitors Center and I can only imagine how beautiful it's going to be. The one there has such a beautiful spirit inside it.

The statue of Joseph and Hyrum on their horses drives the spirit into my heart deeper than I have ever felt. From either way you look at it, you can see the temple in front of them and then the Mississippi River and the old City of Nauvoo behind them. They worked harder than I will ever have to to bring the truth to this earth today. I was overflowing with gratitude and wonderment when I stood there. Joseph Smith is a true prophet of God and I'm beyond grateful for him and his willingness to seek for truth. 

We finished up the last day before our drive home at Carthage. It has a very unique spirit. It's so sad to hear the story and the turn of events and all the hatred and murder. But I stood in the place where Joseph took his last breath here on earth and awoke to see the face of his Savior. It was a beautiful moment that I will never forget. 

After we got home, we were able to meet up with some of our potentials and with some less active members and members and have wonderful visits with them. We got right back into the roll of things feeling refreshed and more motivated to spread the power of the restored gospel. We had great conversations about the power of the Book of Mormon and how it can be a driving force behind the peace we seek for in this life. I have found that I want to turn to worldly things often (more often than I like to admit) and every time I do, it's momentary and then the peace soon is gone. But when I turn to the Savior and His love and His teachings, I am filled with the nourishment my soul needed. I'm grateful for a Father in Heaven who knows each of us personally and individually, better than we will ever know ourselves. He gives more than we realize; He listens more than we comprehend. I'm grateful for Jesus Christ and His love enough for each of us to be the ultimate sacrifice so that we can choose to live with Him again. 

I love you all so much. I'm very grateful for your selflessness and your constant effort to reach out and be Christ-like. Thank you for making the world a better place. 

Until next week! ❤