Sunday after church on our way home we headed down to Fayette to the Peter Whitmer Farm which is the site of the Organization of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints on April 6, 1830
Dedicatory Prayer of the Structures on the Peter Whitmer, Sr. Farm, April 6, 1980
"Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. On this anniversary day, we are met where The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was organized under revelation from thee 150 years ago. Our hearts are filled with gratitude for thy marvelous blessings, so generously bestowed. As we review the past, we are subdued in contemplating the works of those who have gone before us, and particularly the Prophet Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum who, with their life's blood, sealed their testimonies of the sacred things which occurred in this area.
We are grateful for all who have labored with faith in the nations of the earth to bring the Church to its present stature. Standing today at this milestone of history, we look with assurance to the future. We know that with thy direction thy work will roll on for the blessing of thy children of all generations and throughout the earth; and that where there are now hundreds there will be thousands; and that, whereas thy work is established today in many nations, it must and will roll forth over the whole earth until men everywhere shall bow the knee and give homage to thee and thy Son.
We plead with thee, our Father, that thou wilt touch the hearts of the rulers of nations that they will open their doors to thy servants until truth shall cover the earth as the waters cover the mighty deep.
Today, dear Father, in the authority of the holy priesthood, which thou hast given us, we dedicate these structures which stand on the farm of Peter Whitmer, Sr.: the restored log farmhouse, with its furnishings, as a reminder of the humble beginnings from which thy mighty work has grown; the later Whitmer home, as a place of residence for thy servants who will labor here as missionaries among the many strangers who will be attracted to this place of history; and this beautiful chapel and visitors' center, in which we meet today, that it may be a place of sacred worship, a place of instruction, a sanctuary from the world, and a place of hospitality to the scores of thousands who will come here as visitors. May thy Holy Spirit abide here. May thy protecting power be made manifest in the preservation of these important scenes of history. May knowledge of thee increase and testimony of thy divine Son strengthen in the hearts of the many who will come with interest and depart with added faith and knowledge.
Father in Heaven, on this day of dedication we pray for thy servants and thy people everywhere throughout the earth. Bless those who walk in righteousness, and let thy Holy Spirit be with them. Strengthen within the heart of each a renewed sense of dedication to thee and thy everlasting truth.
We love thee, our Father. We love thy holy Son. We give our witness to the world concerning him and thee, and ask that thou wilt accept of our thanks, our labors, and our love, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen."
Inside of the Chapel.
Oliver Cowdery and David Whitmer
Peter Whitmer Sr.
The Three Witnesses: Oliver Cowdery, Peter Whitmer, Martin Harris
Account of the Three Witnesses as recorded in History of the Church
"Not many days after.... we four, viz., Martin Harris, David Whitmer, Oliver Cowdery and myself, agreed to retire into the woods, and try to obtain, by fervent and humble prayer, the fulfilment of the promises given in the above revelation-that they should have a view of the plates. We accordingly made choice of a piece of woods convenient to Mr. Whitmer's house, to which we retired, and having knelt down, we began to pray in much faith to Almighty God to bestow upon us a realization of these promises.
According to previous arrangement, I commenced prayer to our Heavenly Father, and was followed by each of the others in succession. We did not at the first trial, however, obtain any answer or manifestation of divine favor in our behalf. We again observed the same order of prayer, each calling on and praying fervently to God in rotation, but with the same result as before.
Upon this, our second failure, Martin Harris proposed that he should withdraw himself from us, believing, as he expressed himself, that his presence was the cause of our not obtaining what we wished for. He accordingly with drew from us, and we knelt down again, and had not been many minutes engaged in prayer, when presently we beheld a light above us in the air, of exceeding brightness; and behold, an angel stood before us. In his hands he held the plates which we had been praying for these to have a view of. He turned over the leaves one by one, so that we could see them, and discern the engravings thereon distinctly. He then addressed himself to David Whitmer, and said, 'David, blessed is the Lord, and he that keeps His commandments;' when, immediately afterwards, we heard a voice from out of the bright light above us, saying, "These plates have been revealed by the power of God, and they have been translated by the power of God. The translation of them which you have seen is correct, and I command you to bear record of what you now see and hear."
I now left David and Oliver, and went in pursuit of Martin Harris, whom I found at a considerable distance, fervently engaged in prayer. He soon told me, however, that he had not yet prevailed with the Lord, and earnestly requested me to join him in prayer, that he also might realize the same blessings which we had just received. We accordingly joined in prayer, and ultimately obtained our desires, for before we had yet finished, the same vision was opened to our view, at least it was again opened to me, and I once more beheld and heard the same things; whilst at the same moment, Martin Harris cried out, apparently in an ecstasy of joy, 'Tis enough; 'tis enough; mine eyes have beheld; mine eyes have beheld;' and jumping up, he shouted, 'Hosanna,' blessing God, and otherwise rejoiced exceedingly."
Peter, James and John restoring the Melchizedek Priesthood to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery.
In late May 1829, David Whitmer received a letter from Joseph Smith requesting him to come to Pennsylvania and bring Joseph and Oliver Cowdery back to Fayette where they could finish the translation of the Book of Mormon. David had a unique experience which helped serve as a witness from God that it was necessary for him to leave his crops and travel to Pennsylvania. He arranged for Joseph and Oliver to move to Fayette and board with his father, Peter Whitmer, Sr. until the work of translating the Book of Mormon was complete.
Luck Mack Smith's Account of Three Strangers Who Helped David Whitmer
"One morning as he applied it to his eyes to look upon the record, instead of the words of the book being given to him, he was commanded to write a letter to one David Whitmer, who lived in Waterloo. This man Joseph had never seen, but he was instructed to say to him that he must come with his team immediately, in order to convey Joseph and Oliver back to his house, that they might remain with him there until the translation should be completed, as an evil-designing people were seeking to take away Joseph's life in order to prevent the work of God from going forth among the world. The letter was written and delivered, and Mr. Whitmer showed it to his father, mother, sisters, and brothers, asking their advice as to what it would be best for him to do.
His father said, 'Why, David, you know you have sowed as much wheat as you can harrow in tomorrow and the next day, and then you have a quantity of plaster of paris to spread that is much needed on your land. You cannot go unless you get an evidence from God that it is very necessary.'
This suggestion pleased David, and he asked the Lord for a testimony that it was his will that he should go. He was told by the voice of the Spirit to harrow in his wheat, and then go straightway to Pennsylvania. The next morning David went to the field and found that he had two heavy days' work before him. He then asked the Lord to enable him to do this work sooner than the same work had ever been done on the farm before-and he would receive it as an evidence that it was God's will that he should do all in his power to assist Joseph Smith in the work in which he was engaged. He then fastened his horses to the harrow, and instead of dividing the field into what is, by farmers, usually termed bands, he drove round the whole of it, continuing thus till noon, when, on stopping for dinner, he looked around, and discovered to his surprise that he had harrowed in full half the wheat. After dinner he again went on as before, and by evening he finished the whole two days' work.
When he informed his father of the fact, his father could not believe it till he examined for himself and ascertained that it was actually true. 'Well,' said his father, 'there must be some overruling power in this thing, and I think you had better go as soon as you get your plaster of paris sown and bring up the man with his scribe.'
To this also David agreed. The next morning, as soon as breakfast was over, he took the half-bushel measure under his arm and went out to the place where he supposed the plaster to be, as he knew exactly where he had left it twenty-four hours earlier. But when he came to look for it, behold, it had entirely disappeared! Every vestige of it was gone from the spot where he left it. He ran to his sister's house a few yards distant and inquired if she knew what had become of it.
'Why?' she said, in surprise. 'Was it not all spread yesterday?'
'Not to my knowledge,' answered David.
'I am astonished at that,' replied his sister, 'for the children came to me in the forenoon and begged of me to go out and see the men sow plaster in the field, saying that they never saw anybody sow plaster so fast in their lives. I accordingly went and saw three men at work in the field, as the children said, but, supposing that you had hired some help on account of your hurry, I went immediately into the house and gave the subject no further attention.'
David made considerable inquiry in regard to the matter, both among his relatives and neighbors, but was not able to learn who had done it. However, the family were convinced that there was an exertion of supernatural power connected with this strange occurrence."
Part of the Kitchen
More of the Kitchen
Rest of the Kitchen
Bedroom off the Kitchen
Bedroom upstairs where the Book of Mormon was translated.
Another bedroom upstairs
The room at the top of the stairs. You have to go through this room in order to get to the other two.
Alex, Carly, Me
The Farm is behind us. The church leases out the land to local farmers to use the land. They have over 200 acres.
I though it was interesting to learn about the experience of the Three Witnesses from three different places. I have already shared the Church History one and will also share the account from Lucy Mack Smith and from David Whitmer.
Account of the Three Witnesses by Lucy Mack Smith
"The next morning after breakfast, we repaired to the sitting room, and after attending the morning service, namely reading, singing, and praying, Joseph arose from his knees and approached Martin with a solemnity which thrills through my veins to this day, whenever it comes to my recollection. 'Martin Harris,' he said, 'you have got to humble yourself before your God this day and obtain, if possible, a forgiveness of your sins. If you will do this, it is God's will that you and Oliver Cowdery and David Whitmer should look upon the plates.'
Soon after this, these four left and went into a grove a short distance from the house, where they continued in earnest supplication to God, until he permitted an angel from his presence to bear to them a message, declaring to them that all which Joseph had testified of concerning the plates was true, and showing them the same.
When they returned to the house, it was between three and four o'clock. Mrs. Whitmer, Mr. Smith, and myself were sitting in a bedroom, myself on a bedside. When Joseph came in, he threw himself down beside me and exclaimed, 'Father! Mother! You do not know how happy I am. The Lord has caused the plates to be shown to three more besides me. They have also seen an angel and will have to testify to the truth of what I have said, for they know for themselves that I do not go about to deceive the people. I do feel as though I was relieved of a dreadful burden which was almost too much for me to endure. But they will now have to bear a part, and it does rejoice my soul that I am not any longer to be entirely alone in the world.'
Martin Harris then came in. He seemed almost overcome with an excess of joy. He then testified to what he had seen and heard, as did also the others, Oliver and David, who added that no tongue could express the joy of their hearts and the greatness of the things which they had both seen and heard. Their testimony was the same in substance as that in the Book of Mormon."
Backside of the farm house with the outhouse.
Account of David Whitmer given in an interview to Elder Orson Pratt and Elder Joseph F. Smith on September 7, 1878
Elder Orson Pratt: Do you remember what time you saw the plates?
David Whitmer: It was in June, 1829, the latter part of the month, and the eight witnesses saw them, I think, the next day or the day after (i. e. one or two days after). Joseph showed them the plates himself but the angel showed us (the three witnesses) the plates, as I suppose to fulfill the words of the book itself. Martin Harris was not with us at this time; he obtained a view of them afterwards (the same day). Joseph, Oliver and myself were together when I saw them. We not only saw the plates of the Book of Mormon, but also the brass plates, [a Jewish record carried by Lehi's colony from Jerusalem and frequently referred to in the Book of Mormon] the plates of the Book of Ether, the plates containing the record of the wickedness and secret combinations of the people of the world down to the time of their being engraved, and many other plates. The fact is, it was just as though Joseph, Oliver and I were sitting just here on a log, when we were overshadowed by a light. It was not like the light of the sun nor like that of a fire, but more glorious and beautiful. It extended away round us, I cannot tell how far, but in the midst of this light about as far off as he sits (pointing to John C. Whitmer, sitting a few feet from him), there appeared, as it were, a table with many records or plates upon it, besides the plates of the Book of Mormon, also the sword of Laban, the directors, [i. e. the ball with spindles which Lehi had, and the interpreters]. I saw them just as plain as I see this bed (striking the bed beside him with his hand), and I heard the voice of the Lord, as distinctly as I ever heard anything in my life, declaring that the records of the plates of the Book of Mormon were translated by the gift and power of God.
Elder Orson Pratt: Did you see the angel this time?
David Whitmer: Yes, he stood before us. Our testimony as recorded in the Book of Mormon is strictly and absolutely true, just as it is there written. Before I knew Joseph, I had heard about him and the plates from persons who declared they knew he had them, and swore they would get them from him. When Oliver Cowdery went to Pennsylvania, he promised to write me what he should learn about these matters, which he did. He wrote me that Joseph had told him his (Oliver's) secret thoughts, and all he had meditated about going to see him, which no man on earth knew, as he supposed, but himself, and so he stopped to write for Joseph. Soon after this, Joseph sent for me (D. W.) to come to Harmony to get him and Oliver and bring them to my father's house. I did not know what to do, I was pressed with my work. I had some twenty acres to plow, so I concluded I would finish plowing and then go. I got up one morning to go to work as usual, and on going to the field, found between five and seven acres of my ground had been plowed during the night. I don't know who did it; but it was done just as I would have done it myself, and the plow was left standing in the furrow. This enabled me to start sooner. When I arrived at Harmony, Joseph and Oliver were coming toward me, and met me some distance from the house. Oliver told me that Joseph had informed him when I started from home, where I had stopped the first night, how I read the sign at the tavern, where I stopped the next night, etc., and that I would be there that day before dinner, and this was why they had come out to meet me; all of which was exactly as Joseph had told Oliver, at which I was greatly astonished. When I was returning to Fayette, with Joseph and Oliver, all of us riding in the wagon, Oliver and I on an old fashioned wooden spring seat and Joseph behind us; while traveling along in a clear open place, a very pleasant, nice-looking old man suddenly appeared by the side of our wagon and saluted us with 'good morning, it is very warm,' at the same time wiping his face or forehead with his hand. We returned the salutation, and, by a sign from Joseph, I invited him to ride if he was going our way. But he said very pleasantly, 'No, I am going to Cumorah.' This name was something new to me, I did not know what Cumorah meant. We all gazed at him and at each other, and as I looked around enquiringly of Joseph, the old man instantly disappeared, so that I did not see him again.
Elder Joseph F. Smith: Did you notice his appearance?
David Whitmer: I should think I did. He was, I should think, about five feet eight or nine inches tall and heavy set, about such a man as James Vancleave there, but heavier; his face was as large, he was dressed in a suit of brown woolen clothes, his hair and beard were white, like Brother Pratt's, but his beard was not so heavy. I also remember that he had on his back a sort of knapsack with something in, shaped like a book. It was the messenger who had the plates, who had taken them from Joseph just prior to our starting from Harmony."
Me, Alex, Carly
Me
Lindsay's mom was so sweet she made us sack lunches so we decided to have a picnic here before we headed home. Alex and Carly enjoying our Yummy lunch.
Me and Alex
This is the home where the Missionaries live.
Usually I have certain expectations when I have heard about something and look forward to wanting to do myself. Usually these expectations are not meet the experience is never quite what I had imagined it. However, this trip is an exception to that. My expectations were exceeded. The sites were beautiful and fun to see but I really enjoyed re-learning about these events in our Church History where they took place. I also had some amazing spiritual experiences which I was very grateful for.
