Trip TO South Dakota

So June turned out to be a very busy month for us! The month included a 5500 mile trek circling the country, so here goes!

We actually had a celebration of a very important birthday party for Hannah at the Jacksonville Community Center at the pool. That morning we actually had a nice breakfast too.

We were excited to see family and friends and I cannot believe that Hannah is already 9! Her favorite outfit from her birthday, and probably her favorite gift was the new outfit:

That evening we went to bed for a few hours, and then like we always do, we went on a road trip starting EARLY in the morning.

St Louis Arch

The first part of the drive went really well. About 8 hours into the trip we landed in St. Louis where we decided go ahead and go up the arch.

So up we went. This was my first opportunity with my pacemaker to be patted down instead of going through the security check (since the machine they use could mess my with my pacemaker). The first part of the trip up was to enter into a small pod. If you are claustrophobic, this is not the visit for you!

Hannah struggled at first because she is not a fan of closed areas, nor is she a fan of heights, so when we got to the top, it was a little difficult at first to get her to look down on the scene.

We did manage to get her to emerge from the pod long enough to a family picture though:

Liberty Jail

From here, we left the area and headed up north to South Dakota. However, we had to make a few stops along the way! So next stop: Liberty Jail!

For those of you who are not familiar with this location, on December 1, 1838, the Prophet Joseph Smith, his brother Hyrum, and other brethren were taken from Richmond, Missouri, where they had been incarcerated in a log home, to the jail in Liberty, Missouri. There they would remain for more than four months, awaiting trial on false charges arising from the persecution of the Saints in Missouri. During this time, Church members were being driven from their homes in Missouri by their persecutors, causing tremendous suffering. The trials of the Saints were a source of great anxiety to the Prophet and his companions during their long imprisonment. He worried to the point that he pled with the Lord in prayer, almost in frustration as it were, for the Saints and the sufferings they had endured, even though he himself was imprisoned. In his own words, Joseph asked,


"O God! where art Thou? And where is the pavilion that covereth Thy hiding place? How long shall Thy hand be stayed, and Thine eye, yea Thy pure eye, behold from the eternal heavens, the wrongs of Thy people, and of Thy servants, and Thy ear be penetrated with their cries?"


The response is one of the most powerful responses that really puts things into perspective when it comes to any of us going through trials, tribulation, or persecution for standing up for the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Lord in reply said,

5 If thou art called to pass through tribulation; if thou art in perils among false brethren; if thou art in perils among robbers; if thou art in perils by land or by sea;

 6 If thou art accused with all manner of false accusations; if thine enemies fall upon thee; if they tear thee from the society of thy father and mother and brethren and sisters; and if with a drawn sword thine enemies tear thee from the bosom of thy wife, and of thine offspring, and thine elder son, although but six years of age, shall cling to thy garments, and shall say, My father, my father, why can’t you stay with us? O, my father, what are the men going to do with you? and if then he shall be thrust from thee by the sword, and thou be dragged to prison, and thine enemies prowl around thee like wolves for the blood of the lamb;

 7 And if thou shouldst be cast into the pit, or into the hands of murderers, and the sentence of death passed upon thee; if thou be cast into the deep; if the billowing surge conspire against thee; if fierce winds become thine enemy; if the heavens gather blackness, and all the elements combine to hedge up the way; and above all, if the very jaws of hell shall gape open the mouth wide after thee, know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good.

 8 The Son of Man hath descended below them all. Art thou greater than he?  (Section 122)

Great question coming from He who gave His life that we all might live

Winter Quarters

Soon after the visit to Liberty Jail we headed north some more and decided to make an unplanned pit stop in Winter Quarters Nebraska. 

I was not as familiar with Winter Quarters when we first arrived. It appears to have been one of the main stops before traveling across the plains where the pioneers trekked to Utah. The persecution got so bad, that the Saints basically were forced to leave the country (keep in mind during this time frame, Utah was not a state nor was it an area that was part of the Union, so the saints literally left the country to escape the persecution that came with believing in a Restoration of the Gospel, a modern day prophet and apostles, and a new book of scripture given by the Lord to testify of the truthfulness of the Bible, fulfilling many prophecies as given by prophets of old. Overall, a great visit!

After leaving, we headed north for the last part of the road trip to South Dakota. We were so excited to see Grams!  Several years ago, I promised Grams that one of these days I would take her "granddaughter" to visit her in South Dakota, so when we started planning this trip back in January I decided to make it a priority to make a pit stop to see Grams and spend some time with her. Little did I realize there was much to do in South Dakota, BUT that will have to be for another post!