Hill Cumorah Pageant '13

Attending the Hill Cumorah Pageant was the best part of our recent trip. We have been here several times, and you know what...it never gets old. Never! We love coming here "to remember".

To remember why I'm living here on this earth, and why I love having these wonderful books in my life. A lot of the history of the church began here in Palmyra, and every time I come here with my family our bond gets tighter, and the spirit is so strong.

Every one is so polite, and everyone who participates in the pageant sure makes an effort to make everyone feel welcomed...whether you are a member of the LDS church or not.

Every year as I get older, coming here with my family builds my strength within God, and helps me become a stronger disciple of Christ. I can hear the story of how the Book of Mormon came to pass again and again.

It's nice to go inside the visitors' center for a tour and to see all the displays. Every visitors center we go to always has a fun gadget for the kids to look at. 

We make an effort to see all the sights in the surrounding area, and to see the pageant in the evening. We always have an amazing time as a family and the six hour drive is always worth it. Especially since we came during a heat wave! We always manage to wake up early enough so that we can have good seating. We mark our seats and they are saved for the rest of the day while we go out sightseeing.

We climbed the Hill Cumorah, and boy do I need to exercise more!! I still can't believe I climbed this three years ago when I was pregnant with Noah!! It seemed I was in better shape then than I am now. Okay...I'm going to use the brutal humidity as an excuse as to why I was exhaling so much. I still need to exercise more! (Though I do think I lost about five pounds this week with the humidity!) 

We made it to the top, and sat down to rest, and just looked down at the view from above.

As soon as we arrived at the pageant we did our usual "prophet hunt" with the little ones. I love how all the cast members go around welcoming everyone.

We even saw the Three Kings.

*****

How grateful we are for the pioneers, and those who were here from the very beginning in starting a small congregation inside a log cabin home in Fayette, New York. I especially felt the spirit so strong this time as the sister missionaries were sharing the history behind the Peter Whitmer Farm, and how it all began.

Tears were shed as I bore my testimony to the missionaries, and how they in return bore theirs. It's wonderful how the gospel brings people together, and how the spirit certainly testifies to you while standing inside this log cabin where everything began knowing that what happened here was meant to be.

*****

The Sacred Grove is my favorite place to go. 

I never want to rush out of here. It didn't matter that there were mosquitos, or that it was so hot and humid this visit, or that we got caught in the middle of a rainstorm.

None of that matters when you are inside walking through the grove imagining how this all came to pass. It totally changed my world, and love that spark I see in my children's eyes when we come here.

It's so quite and peaceful. This is the place to come folks when all seems dark. When you are having decisions that are hard to decipher, or burdens that are hard to bear, this is one place where you can feel peace, and receive the inspiration that you need. This is the place that is as close to the celestial room in the temple where you can actually feel Heavenly Father's love, and receive revelation within yourself.

I know that the Book of Mormon is true, and that the Savior will return soon. I know that Joseph Smith is a true prophet of God, and that he restored the gospel for us to learn, and share.

We love Palmyra, we love the Hill Cumorah Pageant, we love going inside the Sacred Grove, we love the temple, and we love how lucky we are to have friends who live here so that we can now make it a tradition to visit them every time we come.

**You can view some of our past trips to Palmyra here, here, and my favorite visit here.