We just returned from Nauvoo. It was our first time there, and it was wonderful.

I offer my impressions to those who have never been, and an invitation to others who would like to share their thoughts as well.

As we approached from the South, we could see the temple on its hill and it was just as, if not more, beautiful than all the pictures we have seen of it. We arrived in the evening and saw the temple ablaze with (no joke) glorious light. The first thing we did in the morning was attend a temple session.

Sadly, in retrospect, I wish we had known to notice the painting that hangs behind the recommend desk. A non-member artist, who depicted what the destroyed temple looked like when he first moved into the area, painted it. The artist presented this painting to Pres. Hinckley’s father, when he was the mission president in that place, and the painting has been a part of the Hinckley family for many years. Also, the baptismal font is unusual and most beautiful; another thing that we missed. But what we did see was beautiful, rich color, texture, and, oh the symbolism…my husband couldn’t get enough of it.

The Community of Christ Church (formerly RLDS) owns the homes that Joseph Smith lived in: The Nauvoo House, the Mansion, and the Homestead, which includes the gravesite. Our tour guide was a young college student, who told us who lived in the house, that most of the items are period and not original, and she couldn’t really answer any of our questions. It was a sad, sad tour. In the upstairs room of the Red Brick Store, where the Relief Society was organized, not one word was said about the women, or that blessed organization. (I pitied the girl!) There were no stories shared, no history, no testimony given. In fact, in their introductory film the First Vision is explained as an “experience with the divine”. That’s it! (I apologize if I’m being a little too harsh here) It was a relief to walk across the street and enjoy the spirit of the Senior Missionaries in the homes of the Saints of God.

Just to get it out of my system, let me tell you what I wish the guides could have told me as I walked on this “hallowed” ground.

The Nauvoo House was later called the Riverside Hotel. It was being built when Joseph was killed and later finished by Mr. Bidemon. This is where Emma lived and died. The guide couldn’t take us through this house, because it is falling apart and unsafe.

The Red Brick Store was owned by Joseph. Upstairs was the largest room where groups could gather for meetings, parties, etc. It served as the Masonic Hall, the Cultural Hall, the Seventies Hall, the School of the Prophets, and finally the Relief Society. In those upstairs rooms also lived the Newel Whitney family. They housed the Smiths in Kirtland, so likewise the Smiths housed the Whitneys until housing could be arranged. Even this room could not hold the women for long.

But it was here where Emma, Elizabeth, and Sarah were set apart to lead the women’s organization of this dispensation. (Technically, Emma had been set apart back in New York, when she received the blessing which became D&C 25.)

Next to the Homestead was the graveyard of the Smith family. In that spot still stands a small outhouse size storage hut. Hidden underneath, the bodies of Joseph and Hyrum were buried for safekeeping. Later, Emma insisted that they be properly buried. Emma, Joseph, and Hyrum are buried side by side. The marked graves of Joseph Sr. and Lucy are nearby, but the ground is supposedly the resting place for many others, including Lewis Bidamon, who remain unmarked and forgotten. The grounds are beautifully kept, and sacred in feel.

There is so much to our Church History. I myself have no pioneer heritage (at least those who trekked west with the Saints). My people came into the Church much later. But no matter, as a believer in this gospel, we must admire these early Saints as they exhibited their faith with every painful footstep they took toward an accepting place to lay their head.