I remember being 14 years old and getting the chance to attend my first youth conference, which happened to be a trip to Palmyra NY with my stake. We had a myriad of activities planned, including attending the Hill Cumorah pageant and visiting various historical sites, but the most anticipated stop for me was the Sacred Grove. My testimony had been growing steadily for years and just a few months before I had received my Young Women's Medallion, so I was looking forward for my own chance to pray in the Sacred Grove. I didn't expect angels or a light from heaven, but I would be lying if I said I didn't expect something.
It was a beautiful summer morning as we entered the grove, hushed by the reverence that filled the sacred spot. Going in separate directions, many of us found private spots to pray and meditate. I don't remember the words I prayed, just the desire I had to receive any answer confirming the truth. Surrounded by the stillness, I waited anxiously. Nothing came. Disappointed in myself, I wondered if I had somehow done it wrong, because even in my limited faith at the time I knew God answered prayers.
The answer didn't come to me while I was in the grove. Nor did it come as we visited the Hill Cumorah or the Palmyra temple. But as we drove home- buses full of teenagers traveling overnight- I prayed again just asking to know if Joseph Smith was a prophet. An overwhelming peace came over me and the thought in my mind- 'you already know it's true'. What a lesson for a fourteen year old to know that I already knew, that God answers in his own time, and that I must diligently seek and ask!
As a young girl I also loved to read history and stories about the early Latter-day Saints and pioneers. I was especially enchanted with the character of the prophet Joseph Smith- his humility and willingness to learn from the Lord, his strength and faith, and the weaknesses he had that make him feel approachable. I can almost hear his laugh in my head when I read of him playing with his children; I can see his joy as he received revelation from on high, and I can relate as he passed through the trials and tribulations, pleading to know the will of the Lord.
Every time I watch the Restoration video depicting the First Vision, I feel the thrill go through me. As a missionary, every single time I recounted the account of the First Vision I could feel tears come to my eyes out of joy, each time engraving my testimony of the prophet and his role in the Restoration just a little deeper into my soul.
In Elder Holland's powerful talk, Safety for the Soul, he speaks about the testimony of the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith. I love where he said, "Now, I did not sail with the brother of Jared in crossing an ocean, settling in a new world. I did not hear King Benjamin speak his angelically delivered sermon. I did not proselyte with Alma and Amulek nor witness the fiery death of innocent believers. I was not among the Nephite crowd who touched the wounds of the resurrected Lord, nor did I weep with Mormon and Moroni over the destruction of an entire civilization. But my testimony of this record and the peace it brings to the human heart is as binding and unequivocal as was theirs. Like them, “[I] give [my name] unto the world, to witness unto the world that which [I] have seen.” And like them, “[I] lie not, God bearing witness of it."
And I feel the same. I was not at his side when the Father and the Son appeared to Joseph in the spring of 1820. But I know without a shadow a doubt that they did. I was not there a few years later as he knelt in prayer again and was visited by the angel Moroni. I was not there when he received the gold plates and began the translation of that wonderful book of scripture, but I hold it in my hands every day and know it is true. I was not on the banks of the Susquehanna river as John the Baptism conferred the priesthood upon him and instructed them to be baptized, but I know that we once again can be baptized by proper authority. I was not there when he was visited by many other heavenly messengers, including the Savior in Kirtland Ohio, when they dedicated the first temples, when he taught in the School of Prophets. But I didn't need to be there in order to know for myself. I love the prophet Joseph Smith. I know he was called of the Lord to restore the gospel of Jesus Christ in it's fulness in our day. Through his teachings, I have learned more about my Heavenly Father and Savior, than virtually any other source. Because of him, I know how to worship my Heavenly Father and how to apply the Atonement of the Savior.
Every year on the 27th of June, I take a moment to reflect on this great man and find myself better because of all he did.
Praise to the man who communed with Jehovah!
Jesus anointed that Prophet and Seer.
Blessed to open the last dispensation,
Kings shall extol him, and nations revere.
Hail to the Prophet, ascended to heaven!
Traitors and tyrants now fight him in vain.
Mingling with Gods, he can plan for his brethren;
Death cannot conquer the hero again.
(Praise to the Man, Hymn #27)
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