House of Cain

Sunday, June 14, 2009

We made it to Manassas, Virginia. Sorry I haven't posted in awhile but, it has been a busy week. Our last day in the Missouri area was a raining day. When I say a raining day, I mean there was a hard down pour for most of the day! We were glad when it was just sprinkling! We found out that in Kansas City, Missouri there is a final assembly factory for Harley- Davidson Motorcycles. So, of course we had to stop by their museum.

Then we went to Far West and saw the four cornerstones that were laid for the temple. Unfortunately, the temple wasn't built because the saints were forced to leave.

Even though it was raining and muddy we drove to Haun's Mill. It is recommended that you do not drive to this site if it is wet out. James insisted that we go. "We have 4- wheel drive. We will be fine."

I was a little nervous as we drove through the rocky, muddy road, but we made it. I should have more faith in my husband! We didn't get out though because it was very muddy and but we saw this sign and the field believed to be the place the Haun's Mill Massacre took place.

The Valley of Adam-ondi-Ahman was our next stop. This is were Adam and Eve lived after being cast out of the Garden of Eden.

Sam is standing on the "Preacher's Rock". It is said that Joseph Smith stood and taught on this rock.

We drove through Jamesport, a very small town. There are many small Amish shops here. We couldn't go in any of them because they were closed. It was around 4 pm, so I guess they close their shops early. We saw some buggies going down the roads and saw this one parked.

Our last day in Missouri was a busy one, but we had fun seeing the sights. It has been great to visit these historical church sites and know of the faithfulness of the early saints and their great desire to have the gospel in their lives.

Monday, June 8, 2009

We made it to Independence, Missouri. Long drive, but we are here! Last night, after we checked into the hotel, we saw on the news that there was a tornado in the county we just drove through! The area we stayed in was under a tornado watch. We had a hard time sleeping because there was LOUD thunder and lighting all night! The kids and I were a little nervous! James grew up in tornado whether, so he had no problems sleeping. Today we went to the LDS Visitors Center. They had a great tour on God's eternal plan. They also had a great tour of the early saints who came to Independence and their unwavering faith. The next stop was The Liberty Jail. This was an awesome experience! The only thing left of the original jail is the stone floor. The church has built a replica of the jail from some of the original stones. This sits on top of the original floor. The missionary, Sister LaBlassa was so nice. At 20 years old, she had a strong testimony of Joseph Smith and his faith. This is a sacred place and the spirit touched my heart as I pondered the 120 plus days the prophet Joseph Smith and his companions spent there on the cold stone floor being unjustly charged for treason as their families and other church members were being forced out of Missouri. What tremendous faith these men had! We as a family have enjoyed seeing the church historical sights here and the strong spirit we have felt here. Tomorrow we are off to Nauvoo.

Independence