Mr. J and I are getting ready to return to Palmyra NY to be volunteers for two weeks at the Hill Cumorah Pageant. We leave bright and early Tuesday morning and will be there for two weeks. We did this last year and had a wonderful time so we decided to “re-up.” If any of you are going to the Pageant be sure and look us up. We will be at the Smith Farm.
In preparation I have been reading and reviewing Church history in the New York area and have enjoyed it so much. One of the books I re-read was The Lion and the Lamb by Rand Packer. It tells the story of Willard and Rebecca Bean who were called as missionaries in 1915 to live in the Smith frame home and re-establish a Latter-day Saint presence in Palmyra. The mission ended up lasting 24 years and the persecution they encountered during the first dozen years is unbelievable.
One day as Willard, who had been a United States middle weight boxing champion, walked down main street in Palmyra, a man watering his lawn said, “I understand you Mormons believe in baptism by immersion,” and turned the hose on Willard. While jumping over the picket fence, Willard responded, “Yes, and we also believe in the laying on of hands.” Willard was never “baptized” again.
As I return to my roots my heart is full. The feeling in the Sacred Grove is out of this world. I wish everyone in the world could taste of it.
I’ll keep you apprised of my adventures as often as I have Internet access! And thanks again for the kind comments. It is nice to know I’m not speaking into the air!
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1 comment:
Have a great time. I would love to do that someday. My cousin and his wife and their six children were volunteers last year. This year their oldest son is returning to work on a "work crew" prior to his mission. What a wonderful experience.
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