Church History Tour

September 10 Day 1 We woke up early in the morning to make our flight to Chicago. While waiting to get off the plane we looked out the window and watched the workers unload the luggage. It was fun to see them unload boxes of live fish. In the Chicago airport we decided to try some Chicago pizza--which actually wasn’t true Chicago pizza, it was thin crust and not as good as we would have hoped. From Chicago we flew to Buffalo, New York. We had dinner at Old Country Buffet then crossed the Peace Bridge into Canada. It was exciting to cross the border and see the Canadian flag waving in the twilight. We unloaded our luggage at the hotel then walked through Clifton Hill. It looked like a mini Las Vegas strip with restaurants, themed attractions, gift shops, and casinos. We bought a couple of mini snow-globe souvenirs and Kevin bought a nice pair of cheap sunglasses. We walked to the pier and admired the Niagara Falls in the night sky. It was lit up in changing colored lights and kept us cool with a lot of mist. It was a magnificent sight!

September 11 Day 2 We met for breakfast at Denny’s and enjoyed scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage and hash browns. We boarded the bus and stopped at Niagara-on-the-Lake. We enjoyed quaint little shops and spent most of our time in the “Just Christmas” shop. Chrissy bought some very pretty hummingbird ornaments. We got our sandwich lunches at Table Rock Complex and admired the top of the falls where we saw the one hundred year old boat stuck in the rocks. We ate our sandwiches on the bus while we crossed the Rainbow Bridge to the American side of Niagara Falls. Once there we boarded the Maid of the Mist boat ride to the bottom of the falls. The ride was very loud and wet, but it sure was an incredible experience! Those falls are very powerful, majestic and awe-inspiring. Afterwards we boarded the bus again and had a beautiful ride to Mendon, New York. It was amazing to see the green rolling hills, the trees and the beautiful farms from the window. We saw John Young’s home and Brigham Young’ property. We also went to Tomlinson Inn where Samuel Smith gave a Book of Mormon to Phineas Young. The Tomlinson Inn is a powerful symbol of missionary work. Among the first of several miracles, we were blessed to be able to meet the man who lived there and acted as a tour guide during the day, but who was not supposed to be there at that time, as he had been out all day with other business. He had gotten off work early, and was able to allow us inside and share his humble and beautiful testimony about the power of being where the Spirit wants us to be, when we are meant to be there. It was a miracle indeed! He brought an amazing spirit, and we are grateful the Lord had his hand in making sure we were able to tour such an important building. We went to Tomlinson Corners Cemetery and saw the grave of Miriam Works Young, the first wife of Brigham Young, and the grave of Solomon Kimball, who was the father of Heber C. Kimball and the great-grandfather of Spencer W. Kimball. We had an Italian dinner at Otto’s Tomotto’s then retired for the evening at our hotel.

Tomlinson Inn

September 12 Day 3 We boarded the bus early and sang “The Morning Breaks” while riding to Palmyra. We arrived at the Sacred Grove Visitors Center and had a very quiet and special walk through the Sacred Grove. We met in the middle of the grove where Tain read the first vision. We sang “Joseph Smith’s First Prayer”, the spirit there was unlike anything we have felt before. Our bus driver, who is not LDS, then shared with us his powerful witness of the Spirit when he sang, “In the Garden.” What beautiful music! The lyrics of that song:

“I come to the garden alone, while the dew is still on the roses. And the voice I hear falling on my ear. The Son of God discloses. And He walks with me, and He talks with me, and He tells me I am His own. And the joy we share as we tarry there, none other has ever known. He speaks, and the sound of His voice is so sweet the birds hush their singing, and the melody that He gave to me within my heart is ringing. I’d stay in the garden with Him, though the night around me be falling, but He bids me go; through the voice of woe His voice to me is calling.”

It was truly humbling to hear his beautiful baritone voice ring through the trees of the Sacred Grove. We were then permitted to spend some personal alone time in the grove, which was a spiritual experience never to be forgotten. We also had some time to tour the Smith log home and the Smith frame home. It was humbling to see where Joseph Smith grew up and stand in the room where the angel Moroni appeared.

We took a short drive to the Palmyra temple and took pictures, then stopped off at Palmyra Cemetery where we saw Alvin Smith’s grave. We drove past Martin Harris’s farm before we arrived at the Grandin Press. It was here where the first editions of the Book of Mormon were printed. It was fascinating to see just how much work went into printing and binding the Book of Mormon; it is truly a miracle how the Book of Mormon came forth. We ate lunch at Palmyra City Park then departed for Cumorah. The Hill Cumorah was gorgeous! We enjoyed learning about Torlief Knaphus and his sacred experiences while sculpting the angel Moroni. We toured the visitor’s center then departed for Fayette, New York. We crossed the Erie Canal and listened to a silly song about the canal. Once we were at Fayette we toured the Whitmer Farm. It was in Peter Whitmer’s log home where the church was organized on April 6, 1830. What a remarkable place to be! After a long and busy day we departed for Vestal and enjoyed a Chinese buffet dinner.

September 13 Day 4 We got up bright and early for a continental breakfast at the hotel and boarded the bus by 7:15 am. We had a tender moment at McKune Cemetery where we saw baby Alvin’s grave. We then went to the Susquehanna River and enjoyed Kevin’s powerful presentation about Oliver Cowdery’s experiences and the restoration of the priesthood. The men sang, “Ye Elders of Israel” and the women joined in the last verses. We continued on to the Harmony Visitor’s Center where we watched two movies about the events that took place in Harmony, Pennsylvania. We also walked through the sugar maple grove, where Peter, James, and John appeared to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery. We toured Joseph and Emma’s cabin and Isaac Hale’s home. We ate lunch on the bus then arrived at Colesville, New York and on to South Bainbridge, New York. We saw Joseph Knight’s home. The missionaries there told us a fascinating story that in the morning they can sometimes smell potatoes cooking in the Knight’s kitchen and every once in a while they can peacefully feel someone’s presence. They told us they like to think that Joseph Smith is protecting his friend’s home. We also toured Josiah Stowell’s home where Joseph and Emma were married. We even got a picture of us kissing in front of the fireplace where scholars think they could have tied the knot. We then enjoyed a long bus ride to Erie, Pennsylvania where we had a buffet dinner at Golden Corral. We drove some more to Kirtland where we spent the night at the Lawnfield Inn and Suites hotel.

Susquehanna River

September 14 Day 5 We arrived at the Kirtland Visitor’s Center around 9:00 in the morning. We enjoyed walking through the Whitney Store and felt the spirit in the upper room where many of the brethren attending the School of the Prophets saw Jesus Christ. We saw Newel Whitney’s account book and were excited to see that Kevin’s fourth great-grandfather, John Tanner went to the store to buy books, a hoe and a shovel. Kevin’s third great grandfather, Amasa Lyman (John Tanner’s son-in-law) was also recorded to have purchased sundrin, thread and linen. We walked through the Whitney home and the Johnson Inn. We also toured the saw-mill, the ashery, and the school house. After picking up our lunches, we boarded the bus and arrived at the Standard Stone Quarry. This is where the saints extracted lime stone for the Kirkland temple. You can still see some of the original drill holes in the stone. We then went to Morley Farm, ate our lunches and then had a presentation by Karl Ricks Anderson. We were again blessed to have our bus driver, Dan sing “How Great Thou Art.” By late afternoon we made it to the Kirtland Temple Visitor’s Center. We bought souvenirs at the gift shop and watched a film about the temple produced by the Community of Christ Church. We toured the Kirtland Temple and sang “The Spirit of God” in the room where records tell us that Christ appeared on the breastwork of the pulpit. It was also where priesthood keys were delivered by Moses, Elias and Elijah. After taking pictures we boarded the bus once more to Fairport Harbor. Some of us Lyman’s sang “Brightly Beams our Father’s Mercy.” We enjoyed the beautiful harbor and lighthouse and took pictures on a giant chair we found at the beach. We had dinner at Bob Evans restaurant and then retired to our hotel for the evening.

September 15 Day 6 We stopped at the Kirtland Cemetery and sang, “Families can be Together Forever.” We saw the graves of Jerusha Smith (Hyrum’s wife) and Mary Duty Smith who was Joseph Smith’s grandmother. She was Kevin’s fourth great-grandmother where his ancestry connects to Joseph Smith. We also saw the graves of John Johnson, Newel K. Whitney’s parents, Oliver Cowdery’s father and the parents of Isaac Morley. We drove past the Snow home on our way to the John Johnson Farm. The John Johnson farm was in a beautiful area amid rich farmland and rolling green hills. We toured John’s home and saw the room where Joseph and Emma were staying when Joseph was dragged out of the home to be tarred and feathered. After the tour we gathered at the Hiram chapel for a closing presentation. The spirit was amazingly strong and powerful! We enjoyed lunch at Mary Yoder’s Amish Kitchen and had delicious homemade pie! We browsed through the gift shop and bought some jam, chocolates, and fudge. After lunch we boarded the bus one last time to the Cleveland Airport. Some watched the BYU football game in the airport while we were waiting for our flight. We flew to Phoenix, then said our goodbyes to Kimball and Ashley. We arrived in Salt Lake happy and honored to have participated in a once in a lifetime spiritual experience.