Church History Trip - Nauvoo Temple

So...I didn't know how NOT to make a post all about the Nauvoo Temple, so I just succumbed to the fates. Most of my "temple" time was on Saturday, August 30 (the same as the post right before this one). I started my Saturday by attending the 8:00 am session at the Nauvoo Temple. I ended my Saturday by walking around the temple grounds with Gretchen. Really great Saturday!

Across the street to the west of the temple is this statue, called The Prophet's Last Ride. A plaque at the base of the monument said, "On the morning of June 24, 1844, Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum left their families, homes, and fellow Saints for the last time. Traveling on horseback, they paused on this bluff. Joseph looked admiringly at the unfinished temple and the city of Nauvoo and declared: This is the loveliest place and the best people under the heavens; little do they know the trials that await them. Joseph and Hyrum then continued on to Carthage, Illinois, where they faced legal charges and eventual death at the hand of a mob."

I loved listening to the bell tower as it chimed its way through the day. It brought back memories of BYU, but more than that, I think it was a sound that was heard during the time of the Saints, a reminder of where I was and who else had been here.

The symbols that hallmark the Nauvoo Temple will probably always be a fascination for me. There are multiple sets of stars, from the inverted stained glass windows, to the 6-pointed stars under the eaves, and the inverted 5-point stars facing out just under the eaves. The sun stones have carved faces and above two hands reaching from heaven, each holding a trump. At the base are the moon stones facing downward, carved with faces in profile. While only one of the many varied, and even intended, interpretations is that the stones resemble our orientation to the heavens - the moon being closest to the earth, followed by the sun, and then farthest away are the droves of stars.

In the original temple, there were two spiral staircases - one in the front of the temple and one in the back. When the temple was rebuilt, it had to be rebuilt to modern building code, which the spiral staircases violated. The Church was able to convince the building code moderators to allow the spiral staircase at the front of the temple.

After our session concluded, we were able to visit the baptistry on the lowest floor. The font in the Nauvoo Temple is the largest ever constructed. There is also a wall with many small windows between the entrance to the baptistry and the font. The glass is fashioned traditionally, the same way it would have been made at the time of the original construction. It was an incredible sight!

I have to add this little bit about my camera... It takes AMAZING pictures! It was really hard getting night shots of the Nauvoo Temple, but my camera made it work. Every picture I took I used the rifle-shooting tactic of breathing out when you shoot... it keeps your body the most stable (as opposed to holding your breath or breathing in). There were times when I braced the camera against the wrought iron fence that encased the temple grounds. There were even a few pictures that I took while lying on the sidewalk... or right in the middle of the road (Gretchen laughed at me, and yes there was a car coming... but they were great pics!).

When we were driving back from Carthage, we sang different Primary songs on the bus. It was a special, peaceful time as we remembered everything we had seen that day, and remembered the sacrifices that were made on our behalf. When we rounded the corner on to Partridge Street, we began singing I Love to See the Temple. My heart swelled with gratitude as the Nauvoo Temple came into view... a place of love and beauty.