from west to east

About a month ago, Mr. Jacobs & I got the chance to travel from Utah to Washington DC & stop in the most peaceful little town called Nauvoo, Illinois, along the way. It was such a beautiful time of year & we were lucky to go before all the crowds flooded in for the summer season. Being in Nauvoo with my husband really made me reflect on the strength that comes through the Gospel of Jesus Christ & specifically the strength of the saints that settled there. In order to escape religious persecutions in Missouri, the prophet Joseph Smith led the members to settle this swamp on the border of the Mississippi River in 1839. By 1844 Nauvoo's population had grown into 12,000, rivaling the size of Chicago. After Joseph Smith's death, the violence continued and drove the saints to leave & journey towards the Great Salt Lake Valley. Having to say goodbye to all of my belongings & loved ones seems beyond impossible to me. The members had made Nauvoo their home & it was their faith that kept them moving forward. They had been tried & tested to following God's plan. Touring inside Joseph Smith's log cabin, visiting his grave site, and where he was martyred strengthened my testimony that he truly was a prophet of God. No one would have gone through all the persecution & trials that he faced just to keep a lie alive. God had chosen him to restore His church on the earth. His example is one we should follow & gain our own individual testimony of. What he did changed the world. I thank God every day that Joseph Smith & the saints endured the trials in order to bring about the restored Gospel. 

If you want to know more about Joseph Smith

 & The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, 

please click on the tab above labeled "I believe".