On November 1st, the youth of our ward had a temple trip. They asked Tyson to come and help. Since we'd never been to Winter Quarters before, Tyler and I decided to come along to visit the cemetery and visitor center while Tyson was serving inside the temple. I have to admit, as excited as I was to do the touristy stuff, I was pretty disappointed to make the 5 hour (round trip) drive to Omaha and not even get to go in the temple. I thought only Tyson would get to enjoy feeling the Spirit that day. Boy was I wrong.
I had such a sweet, special experience in the Winter Quarters cemetery and then in the visitor center. Despite the tragic loss of pioneer life, this cemetery is the most peaceful one I've ever been in. It is filled with such sorrow as you walk around and visit the graves and read the monuments, but also such joy and peace as you read the plaques with messages reminding us of the eternal perspective of things and how happy those pioneers are now, having been reunited with their families after they gave their very lives for the gospel and Christ.
At the visitor center, I planned on just walking around and seeing the exhibits on my own with Tyler. But the missionaries were so excited to have a visitor (things slow down a lot in the Fall) that I let the Sister take me on a tour. It turned out Sister Rosa was from São Paulo so we jabbered in Portuguese for awhile and then went on the tour. She taught me things I hadn't known about the pioneers and her testifimony came so naturally throughout that I felt the Spirit there just as strongly as I would have in the temple. I am so, so grateful for the sacrifices of the early pioneers and that they banded together so strongly to give us what we now enjoy as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
If you ever get the chance to come to Winter Quarters and visit, you should! And take time to walk quietly around the cemetery. And let the missionaries take you on a tour of the visitor center across the street. It was a day very well spent.
A quiet moment with father and son on the temple grounds. 
3 comments:
Aww! How beautiful! Thank you for sharing your expeirence!
That is so neat! I have never traveled to any pioneer sites, unless you count Temple Square. I'm glad you had such a great experience.
They built the Winter Quarters Temple while I was living in Iowa, but I've never been there! Looks like a neat experience. Scott's parent's house is in the Fargo Temple district.
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