June 15, 2013
Today was our preparation day. It was rather busy, in that this morning I spend working in an archaeology dig here in Nauvoo. The Smith family organization, which is composed of decendents of both Joseph and Hyrum Smith (both the LDS and the Community of Christ Churches), have commissioned and funded a "dig" to excavate the spot where Joseph Smith Senior lived across the street from the Mansion House. They will be working only for a month on it. I found two old rusty nails and a few chips of window glass. So far they have found a foundation and assorted pieces of pottery, and other small stuff.
This afternoon we spent working with our investigator. Becky will share our temple experience with Vicki Williamson. This was a wonderful day!
Saturday, June 15, 2013
Preparation Day Experience (Once in a Mission)
Many of you might know Vicki Williamson...these pictures are of her, her Mother and two girls...Aren't they beautiful women?! We were able to share a very special experience with them on Friday. Her husband passed away a few years ago in a tragic accident. She has been preparing for a long time to have the sealing done for her to her husband...she and her husband had a very special connection with Nauvoo..so she wanted the sealing to be done here in the temple....we were privileged to attend the sealing and Craig was able to serve as proxy for her husband...we felt so honored that they would include us!...Thanks to Joyce Huntsman and Heidi Woahn were were able to make that connection and be a part of this special
experience!
From the steps of the Temple, with the statues of Joseph and Hyrum in the background...and the mighty Missippi!
We get to do a variety of things here in Nauvoo..On Monday I worked for FM (facilities management) in the gardens!..We are filthy, but we had so much fun cutting back chives...we are holding bouquets of chives with their purple blossoms....I couldn't get the onion small out of my hands for 5 days! (you know Craig hated that!) That trailer is full of chives from the herb garden next to the Lyon Drug.
Martyrdom (cont.)
Friday, June 14, 1844 ---Friday, June 14, 2013
Tom Sharp published this in his Warsaw Signal today: ". . .we must resolutely carry the war into the enemy's camp, we hold ourselves in readiness to cooperate with our fellow citizens in this state, Missouri and Iowa to exterminate, utterly exterminate, the wicked and abominable Mormon leaders. . ."
This is, after all, what the anti-Mormons were really hoping for: expel the Mormons from the state and confiscate all their property.
Sharp further published: "We are informed by gentlemen direct from Carthage that the citizens are ordered to assemble at their various places of rendezvous on Wednesday next."
The Alton Illinois Telegraph posted this note of the planned attack, "Our latest intelligence from Nauvoo is down to Tuesday evening. It is reported that about one thousand persons were assembled, in arms, at Carthage and Warsaw, and designed making an attack upon Nauvoo on Wednesday."
Tom Sharp published this in his Warsaw Signal today: ". . .we must resolutely carry the war into the enemy's camp, we hold ourselves in readiness to cooperate with our fellow citizens in this state, Missouri and Iowa to exterminate, utterly exterminate, the wicked and abominable Mormon leaders. . ."
This is, after all, what the anti-Mormons were really hoping for: expel the Mormons from the state and confiscate all their property.
Sharp further published: "We are informed by gentlemen direct from Carthage that the citizens are ordered to assemble at their various places of rendezvous on Wednesday next."
The Alton Illinois Telegraph posted this note of the planned attack, "Our latest intelligence from Nauvoo is down to Tuesday evening. It is reported that about one thousand persons were assembled, in arms, at Carthage and Warsaw, and designed making an attack upon Nauvoo on Wednesday."
Thursday, June 13, 2013
Martyrdom (cont.)
June 12, Wednesday, 1844 ---June 12 Wednesday, 2013
(I wanted to post this yesterday, but our computers were down all day.)
While Joseph was in his office today, he was interupted by Sherrif David Bettisworth, from Carthage who had come to arrest him and take him to Carthage. Joseph knew is rights and stated the law allowed him to go before any Justice of the peace in the county. He asked the others in the room to witness that Bettisworth had sought to abridge the law. He then went to Esq. Aaron Johnson and was, of course aquitted from the trumpt up charge of "spontaneously instigating a public riot". Sheriff Bettisworth returned to Carthage a very angry but helpless man.
June 13, Thursday, 1844 ---June 13, Thursday, 2013
Bettisworth, having returned to Carthage without Joseph, further infuriated the mob and there was now talk of an attack on Nauvoo.
(I wanted to post this yesterday, but our computers were down all day.)
While Joseph was in his office today, he was interupted by Sherrif David Bettisworth, from Carthage who had come to arrest him and take him to Carthage. Joseph knew is rights and stated the law allowed him to go before any Justice of the peace in the county. He asked the others in the room to witness that Bettisworth had sought to abridge the law. He then went to Esq. Aaron Johnson and was, of course aquitted from the trumpt up charge of "spontaneously instigating a public riot". Sheriff Bettisworth returned to Carthage a very angry but helpless man.
June 13, Thursday, 1844 ---June 13, Thursday, 2013
Bettisworth, having returned to Carthage without Joseph, further infuriated the mob and there was now talk of an attack on Nauvoo.
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
Martyrdom Trail (cont.)
Tuesday, June 11, 1844 ---today: Tuesday, June 11, 2013
The owners of the Expositor immediately went to Carthage and started an arrest warrant against the Mayor, City Council and the Marshal of Nauvoo.
Tom Sharp in the Warsaw Signal published today, Tuesday, June 11, 1844: "The Expositor press was destroyed. We have only to state that this is sufficient! War and extermination is inevitable! Citizens, Arise, One and All!!! Can you stand by and suffer such Infernal Devils! To rob men of their property and rights, without avenging them? We have no time to comment: every man will make his own. Let it be made with powder and ball." (How interesting that no mention is acknowledged of the same exact atrocities against the Saints in Missouri)
Joseph mailed an express copy of the letter to Gov. Ford, that he previously wrote explaining his decision to destroy the press and how he had legally gone about it. ( Again, Gov. Ford later claimed that he never received either of these letters.)
The owners of the Expositor immediately went to Carthage and started an arrest warrant against the Mayor, City Council and the Marshal of Nauvoo.
Tom Sharp in the Warsaw Signal published today, Tuesday, June 11, 1844: "The Expositor press was destroyed. We have only to state that this is sufficient! War and extermination is inevitable! Citizens, Arise, One and All!!! Can you stand by and suffer such Infernal Devils! To rob men of their property and rights, without avenging them? We have no time to comment: every man will make his own. Let it be made with powder and ball." (How interesting that no mention is acknowledged of the same exact atrocities against the Saints in Missouri)
Joseph mailed an express copy of the letter to Gov. Ford, that he previously wrote explaining his decision to destroy the press and how he had legally gone about it. ( Again, Gov. Ford later claimed that he never received either of these letters.)
Monday, June 10, 2013
The "Martyrdom Trail"
This is a very sobering time here in Nauvoo. I noticed the other day that the calendar of June, 2013 coincides exactly with June 1844, except in 1844 it had 31 days. With this as an easy way of relating to that time period, I thought I would recite a few events that ocurred then, that happened on the same day of the week that we are experiencing in 2013, as we approach the mortal end of the greatest Prophet that ever lived on the face of this earth.
During his time in Liberty jail, when he was in dispair, Joseph was given to know that his enemies would have no power to take his life for at least 5 years. That time period was up at the end of 1843.
He knew now that the events now taking place would culminate in his personal sacrifice for the sealing of his testimony.
Last Friday, June 7, 1844 the first and only paper of the Expositor came off the press in its print shop on Mulholland St. two blocks east of the Temple, (which the outside walls were finished up to the row of circular windows).
On Saturday June 8, the City Council with Joseph in his capacity as Mayor, met for 6 hours pouring over their options, using Blackstone' Law Dictionary, the Illinois Constitution and the Nauvoo Charter (which by the way, was supported in the state legislature a few years earlier by Abraham Lincoln) trying to come up with the best plan to stay within the Law in dealing with this situation.
Sunday June 9th, Joseph was speaking in Church Services in the Grove.
Monday, (today) June 10, the City Council again met for 6 hours. The Mayor, alderman, and members of the city council were all given time to freely express themselves.
Joseph stated: "The conduct of such men and such papers are calculated to destroy the peace of the city, and it is not safe that such things should exist, on account of the mob spirit which they tend to produce.. . . . What the opposition party wants is to raise a mob on us and take the spoil from us, as they did in Missouri. I would rather die tomorrow and have the thing (the expositor) smashed, that live and have it go on. . ."
Alderman Orson Spencer stated: "I do not consider it wise to give them the time to trumpet a thousand lies.. . . . If we pass only a fine or imprisonment, have we any confidence that they will desist? None at all"
Council member Hyrum Smith stated: "The best way is to smash the press and pi (meaning completely disorganizing the small letters of type) the the type"
The whole City Council voted to do just that., and commissioned the City Marshal to do it.
At about 8 pm, (tonight), Marshal Green will return to report to the Mayor that the order had been carried out. What happened was that the Marshal met with resistance from those inside when he tried to enter the building, whereupon the Marshal stepped aside and "Porter Rockwell kicked the door in. The press was destroyed and the newspapers burned in the street in an orderly manner and without a ruckus".
Joseph then called a meeting at his own house this evening after 8 pm. (While Sis. Ririe and I will be performing in the Sunset by the Mississippi production and then watching the production by the BYU Folk Dancers with our investigator Anne), He will announce that he had met the crises in a way that he felt could be defended in a court of law. It had also focused the blame on himself, thereby denying the mobs the excuse they needed for coming upon the city. He also told the people that God showed him in an open vision in daylight that if he did not destroy the press it would cause the blood of the Saints to flow in the streets.
He also will write a letter to Gov. Ford deliniating all of the above legal proceedings, (which by the way, Gov. Ford will deny ever receiving such letter).
During his time in Liberty jail, when he was in dispair, Joseph was given to know that his enemies would have no power to take his life for at least 5 years. That time period was up at the end of 1843.
He knew now that the events now taking place would culminate in his personal sacrifice for the sealing of his testimony.
Last Friday, June 7, 1844 the first and only paper of the Expositor came off the press in its print shop on Mulholland St. two blocks east of the Temple, (which the outside walls were finished up to the row of circular windows).
On Saturday June 8, the City Council with Joseph in his capacity as Mayor, met for 6 hours pouring over their options, using Blackstone' Law Dictionary, the Illinois Constitution and the Nauvoo Charter (which by the way, was supported in the state legislature a few years earlier by Abraham Lincoln) trying to come up with the best plan to stay within the Law in dealing with this situation.
Sunday June 9th, Joseph was speaking in Church Services in the Grove.
Monday, (today) June 10, the City Council again met for 6 hours. The Mayor, alderman, and members of the city council were all given time to freely express themselves.
Joseph stated: "The conduct of such men and such papers are calculated to destroy the peace of the city, and it is not safe that such things should exist, on account of the mob spirit which they tend to produce.. . . . What the opposition party wants is to raise a mob on us and take the spoil from us, as they did in Missouri. I would rather die tomorrow and have the thing (the expositor) smashed, that live and have it go on. . ."
Alderman Orson Spencer stated: "I do not consider it wise to give them the time to trumpet a thousand lies.. . . . If we pass only a fine or imprisonment, have we any confidence that they will desist? None at all"
Council member Hyrum Smith stated: "The best way is to smash the press and pi (meaning completely disorganizing the small letters of type) the the type"
The whole City Council voted to do just that., and commissioned the City Marshal to do it.
At about 8 pm, (tonight), Marshal Green will return to report to the Mayor that the order had been carried out. What happened was that the Marshal met with resistance from those inside when he tried to enter the building, whereupon the Marshal stepped aside and "Porter Rockwell kicked the door in. The press was destroyed and the newspapers burned in the street in an orderly manner and without a ruckus".
Joseph then called a meeting at his own house this evening after 8 pm. (While Sis. Ririe and I will be performing in the Sunset by the Mississippi production and then watching the production by the BYU Folk Dancers with our investigator Anne), He will announce that he had met the crises in a way that he felt could be defended in a court of law. It had also focused the blame on himself, thereby denying the mobs the excuse they needed for coming upon the city. He also told the people that God showed him in an open vision in daylight that if he did not destroy the press it would cause the blood of the Saints to flow in the streets.
He also will write a letter to Gov. Ford deliniating all of the above legal proceedings, (which by the way, Gov. Ford will deny ever receiving such letter).
Sunday, June 9, 2013
Giraud-Carrier Family visit to Nauvoo
Pierre GC at the pulpit in the Seventy's Hall
What a treat it was to have the GC's come for a visit to Nauvoo! The Seventy's hall is still in use today for missionary work and meetings with General Authorities...It was the first MTC! Pierre shared his testimony of missionary work..they are truly a missionary family and we were blessed to have them here, along with Isabelle's parents from France. A senior missionary from here, who is a teamster, took them on their own special wagon tour in French..he served his mission 40 years ago to Quebec, Canada, which is also where Samuel is serving...speaking Chinese!!? Go figure! Elder Lybbert (who was the Sr. missionary) said he was blessed with the gift of tongues...since he hasn't spoken that much since his mission!...Kind of special for all of them. They stayed in a historic home right on main street...I think they found out about it from the Taggart's...so convenient to everything!
Same day after the rainbow disappeared ...Isn't that glorious?...This is such a beautiful place! We do love it here. Got some exciting news from Annie Kozlowski ( my college roommate) is coming for a wedding here in Nauvoo! in July....Will be fun to have her for a few days! Hoping to see some of you this summer ...please know you are welcome to stay with us...(in our small, humble, basement apartment)..but we have a pull out couch and plenty of floor space.(and we can get a areo bed)...
The BYU Folk dancers are here for two weeks and they put on a fireside tonight that was amazing! Such strong testimonies and wonderful talents..There is a girl from Pleasant Grove who plays the fiddle for Mountain Strings, who are here with the Folk Dancers...She shreds the fiddle like no other...if you ever get to hear them...don't miss it...what a group. Life is busy, but we love it. The Spirit here is so strong...Joseph consecrated this place, so that explains alot. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is a perfect answer for the problems plaguing this world today...We just need to open our hearts to hear, listen, and feel...and be willing to follow His perfect plan...We love you all...Elder and Sister Ririe!
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