Palmyra!

Through a series of fortunate events, I went to Palmyra last weekend. I think a good representation of the quality of the trip can be illustrated through the fact that I had plans with my buddy David for Monday and was worried that maybe I shouldn't have planned something after spending all weekend with him because I might need a break. Well, when Monday rolled around all five of us from the trip ended up going together because we missed each other!! And I never even opened my book the entire trip. Too much singing/laughing/dishing.

Anyway, here's the crew:

There was originally a bigger group of people going but we ended up having two completely separate trips and only meeting up for the pageant.

Our car left Saturday at 5:30 a.m. and went straight to the Sacred Grove and then to the temple. We tried seeing the Hill Cumorah afterwards but it closed early! lame! then we ate at one of Palmyra's many dining options and headed back to the pageant. Sunday morning we woke up and drove back to DC and made it back in plenty of time for church! Love 3 p.m. church!

Here is my creeper shot of David pondering the Sacred Grove:

This was my second trip to Palmyra and I once again loved the Sacred Grove. It made me think a lot about an Institute lesson I taught in April about the First Vision, and how often we try to couch our religion as "we love families and service" and hide a little the "crazy" stories. But there is power in the stories--much more than just in platitudes about mormons being nice people.

For example, the evening I was to teach said lesson, I was unusually cranky. I had to shake this feeling before going to teach for 90 minutes, so I tried my usual remedies of eating, dancing, singing, but nothing was working! I even pulled out my fail proof "Take Me Out" by Franz Ferdinand (the song that got me through law school and every other uncomfortable life situation--it has some strage power over me), but still it didn't work. Then I instead started to work on my lesson and testifying of the First Vision, and it was like a cloud of gloom was lifted from me. Because it is true and real and powerful and the ONLY time I have ever cried in my past 3+ years of teaching was when I testified that Joseph Smith saw God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. Because everything else in our faith rests on the truthfulness of that, and I know--not of myself but of God--that it did indeed occur.

And I'm so glad that I was able to go see where it happened.