Messages From Cumorah

OUR CALL: Church Historical Site Missionaries, Palmyra, New York

Our mission started October 26th, 2009. As we entered the Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah, we were nervous and excited. Little did we know then what absolute joy and blessings were ahead of us. This is our story through words and pictures of some of our special experiences as we serve in the "Cradle of the Restoration". Walking Sacred ground everyday and teaching and testifying of what we know to be true. The Gospel of Jesus Christ has been restored to earth in this the latter days, and we humbly strive to do our part as directed by the Spirit of the Lord through prayer, service, obedience, and love.

Elder and Sister Glenn and Mary Kukahiko

Mission Statement

"I am a Disiple of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. I have been called of Him to declare His word among His people that they might have everlasting life."

3rd Nephi 5:13

Showing posts with label Winter. Show all posts

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Last Winter Blast at Joseph Smith Farm

This picture was taken during a beautiful winter snowfall. We walked through the grove and the Smith Farm. Although beautiful...we hope we are finished with the snow. It's been a long winter.

Posted by Mary and Glenn at 3:40 PM No comments:

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Our site Director's Elder and Sister Lenker

The Lenker's have been our Director's, our neighbors, our friends. This is their 5th mission. They are wonderful dedicated missionaries and we will miss them!

Goodbye Whitmer Farm!

Last Day at the Peter White Farm and Visitor's Center

The Sunsets here in Fayette are so pretty.

Last Day at the Joseph Smith Farm

I love these Sister Missionaries!

Opening and Closing the Gate to the "Hill"

One of Glenn's responsibilities has been to unlock and lock the gate of the road to the top of the Hill Cumorah where the beautiful statue of Moroni has been since 1937.

Road to the top of the Hill Cumorah

Our apt. is just on the other side of this picture. We have a beautiful view of the fall trees from our dining room window. It's been fun to watch the season's change.

Palmyra Cemetery - A cool place to hang out?

This is a really picturesque Cemetery where many famous people of Palmyra are buried. This site is of E.B. Grandin, Publisher of the orginal 5,000 copies of the Book of Mormon

Sail Boats on Lake Ontario at Sodus Pointe

Playing along the hil by Lake Ontario

The kids had to play football on this big grassy hill

Hiding Place for the Gold Plates

Under these original bricks lay the plates for a time, hidden from the enemy who wanted them, "only to get gain".

Father and Son Discussing Church History

Path leading to Hill Cumorah

Canadiagua Lake

Dad and Jason having "Gelato" while walking along the lake

Jason and Dad

Fence next to the Peter Whitmer Log Home in Fayette

Deer, squirrels, chipmuncks, and other little critters roam freely right outside our Apt. door.

Fall Sunset from Hill Cumorah

Fall Sunsets

This one taken from our apt. window

Another beautiful sunset atop the Hill Cumorah

They smell good, but how do they taste?

Sisters Chaston, Maughn and Christensen

Edible Flowers

Our faces tell you how much we liked them

Vegetables from the Smith Farm Garden

Grandin Building

Grandin Building - Book of Mormon Publication Site

Main Street in Palmyra

Sister's Smoot & Egan

Our "Site Trainers"

Watching the Parade

We watched the Parade in front of the Church Publication Site with some of the other sister missionaries!

Erie Canal

watching boats go through the Erie Canal is fasinating

Upper Room of Frame Home

This room is almost 100% original. It's amazing

Temple Session

Pearl was able to do some family names at the Palmyra Temple

The Sacred Grove

We watched Ty while Tyler and Valerie had some quiet time in the grove

The Palmyra Temple

The Temple as seen from the path between the Smith Log Home and Frame Home

Path to the Sacred Grove

The path from the Joseph Smith Frame home to the Sacred Grove is one of my favorite places to walk

Scriptures

The Book of Mormon and Bible testify of Jesus Christ

Joseph with newly printed copy of the Book of Mormon

Translating the Book of Mormon

"I saw a pillar of light"

Summer morning walk through the grove

The Grove - early spring

"May Apples" blanket the grove

Wild Turkey's

As we drive the 3 miles between the Smith Farm and the Hill Cumorah, we see these wild turkey's.

The Crooked Creek runs through the Smith Farm

This stream flows from the Hill Cumorah all the way to the Erie Canal behind Palmyra. Some baptisms were here.

Black Eyed Susan's

beautiful flowers adorn the Welcome Center

Monarch Butterfly

The Whitmer Farm has a Butterfly Bush which has been the home of many beautiful Monarch Butterflies

Pageant Traffic

It's just amazing how well the pageant traffic is directed.

BUS TOURS

We had bus loads of people come...but we were prepared!

Rain or Shine....the pageant goes on!

The only time Pageant is canceled is if there is lightning. It rained all day but stopped after the prayer was said.

First night of Pageant

Fun with the Volunteers

Brother Roylance and Travers w/ Elder Kukahiko

Beautiful Sunset

After a day of rain....we had another beautiful sunset just before pageant began.

Sister's working at the HCVC during Pageant

We have 8 sister's who work at 2 sites during the 2 weeks. These sisters served at the HCVC the 2nd week of pageant.

Family Home Evening "Dance" night

The pageant isn't performed on Monday night, so after we locked the doors to the HCVC, the sister's and the volunteers had a dance in the resource room. It was really fun.

Family Home Evening Treats

I rushed up to my apt. cut up some fruit, popped some corn and we had "healthy" treats!

Alvin's Tree

This tree is over 185 years old. It was planted by the Smith Family near the frame home in memory of Alvin, their oldest son who died while the home was being built in 1923

Volunteers in Front of the Smith's Frame Home

The upper room of the Frame Home

The walls and some of the floor are the original work of the Smith Family

By the Smith Farm Apple Orchard

Sacred Grove Tour w/ Volunteers

We took 2 seperate groups of volunteers on an early morning walk through the Grove.

Mission Address

Elder and Sister Kukahiko
603 St. Rt. 21
Palmyra, NY 14522

I worked with this Sister in the Information Booth 2 nights.

This sister's husband is from Price. His name is Terry Alger, My father taught him in school.

Cast Members

Their costumes are beautiful! They have a hugh group of women taking care of them.

More Cast Members

They go into the audience each night to mingle with the crowds of people

Faces of the Cast

Over 800 people including entire families, come for the 3 weeks of pageant. They have a great time and work so hard through the heat, humidity, mosquitoes, and rain!

The completed stage

We took a walk each day to see the progress of the stage, lighting and special effects put in place. It was amazing to watch!

The Work Crew

26 Young Men come 2 weeks before pageant to get the stage in place.

Happy 4th of July

These are a very patriotic people. Our day at Sodus Point we saw many flags flying in celebration

In the Sacred Grove

It was a beautiful Day to be in the Grove

Morning in the Sacred Grove

Flowers in the Grove

A Fisherman at Lake Canadaigua

Elder Kukahiko talking with a fisherman. No fish yet, but a lovely spot.

The Palmyra Temple

Bryan is Kim Smith's son and great great great grandson of Joseph Smith

Bryan has a beautiful voice that harmonizes so well with his mother's. He also has a wonderful testimony, and his likeness to his 3rd great grandfather, Joseph Smith, is remarkable. He has very blue eyes. He served a mission in Canada

Kimberly Jo Smith, Great great granddaughter of Joseph Smith

We loved her music, poetry and tetimony of her Great Great Grandfather, The Prophet Joseph Smith

Erie Canal

Trees, homes, bike trials and parks along the Canal

The Kukahiko's and Hamblin's

Canal Days at Fairport New York June 5, 2010

Inside the Print Shop at the Grandin Publishing Building

Elder Kukahiko is demonstrating the printing process of the Book of Mormon.

Elder & Sister Kukahiko with LeGran and Talei

We took the "Akana's" through the Joseph Smith Farm and into the Sacred Grove.

Oakland, (Harmony) Pennsylvania

We visited the cemetary and saw the graves of Alvin, Joseph and Emma's 1st born son, and her parents, Isaac and Elizabeth Hale

New Life on the Lake

A Family of Swans

Lake Homes

Lake Ontario, Sodus Point

Sodus Point Homes

These homes are along Lake Ontario

Upper Falls

If you look through the trees you will see these beautiful Falls.

Letchworth Park

Glenn and I had such a great day with the other missionaries at such a beautiful site.

My Mother's Day Roses

A Big Box arrived while working at the Hill Cumorah Visitor's Center. Everyone gathered around to watch me open the box. They decorated the Visitor's Center all day!

Home to Woodpeckers

We often hear these birds loudly pecking away. The Grove is full of wonderful sounds!

May Apples

These plants get little buds and flowers on them that the squirrels and racoons eat. They look like umbrellas and are in patches throughout the grove.

Kim and Pete at the beautiful Martin Harris Home

This home was rebuilt to look just like the one that Martin Harris lived in. It is just a short distance from downtown Palmyra. 2 Missionary couples live here so the home is not open for tours.

Kim, Pete, Elder/Sister Kukahiko at the Hill Cumorah Monument

It was great to take our morning walks up to the HIll Cumorah

Beautiful End to a Beautiful Day

The Sunsets are beautiful. We took this picture right from our apartment window.

Zone Conference Temple Session

After our meeting in the Sacred Grove we had lunch at the Palmyra Stake Center and then attended a special Temple Session.

Elder Kukahiko riding one of the motoroized carts.

These carts are used for those who cannot do a walking tour of the Joseph Smith Farm. Elder Kukahiko does NOT need the use of it...(not yet anyway) He is bringing it to someone who does need it.

Sister Kukahiko studying outside the Welcome Center

Ah....Spring is here!

Missionaries, Easter Morning

Easter Sunrise at Hill Cumorah

Some of the missionaries hiked up to the top of HIll Cumorah to watch the sunrise on Easter Sunday. We sang "He is Risen" and had a prayer. Great morning!

Spring is Coming....yeh!

Daffodils in the Sacred Grove

Sister Shakespeare

This is one of my favorite Sisters and she is going home next week. She has been a leader in the mission. She lives in St. George

Sunset against the trees of the Hill Cumorah

One night while in our apt. the room just glowed from the sunset, and when I looked out the window the trees were bright orange. I ran out, took a bunch of pictures all the way up to the top of the hill.

Young Adults from Long Island New York

This group of young adults came to the Hill Cumorah Visitor's Center for the day. They were so much fun. Great group and from all around the world. I had to have a pictures taken with them.

Canandaigua Lake

This is one of the largest of the fingerlakes. We took a side trip one day looking for a "Pie" store we had heard about and we ended up at the end of this lake......no pie store to be found. Beautiful but long drive!

Elder and Sister Semadeni

These wonderful Sr. Missionaries have been such great friends to us. They have taught us so much. We had dinner for them the night before they left the mission to go home to Farmington, Utah. Elder Semadeni always called me "The Canyonlands Queen". He was from Moab area and because I was from Price, near the canyonlands....he gave me that name. He was really fun!

Missionaries at the "Grandin Building"

We love these sisters. We go with the 2 with the bikes every Friday night to teach Spanish people. We have alot of fun and some good inspirational moments. The other 2 are Sister's Shakespeare from St. George, and Sis. Tuitavake from California. I have taught with them and they are amazing too!

"Fritz" with Elder Kukahiko

This is Fritz. He joined the church 1 year ago and loves the Sister Missionaries. He plans to come to SLC to meet them at the Temple. He has come a long way and loves to visit the Book of Mormon Publishing Site often.

Sleep Over with Sisters Arnellano and Doucette

These 2 sisters slept over at our apartment so they could attend the temple early the next day.

Sisters Ahokava, Patterson, Doucette and Arellano

These sisters come for dinner every Wednesday night before our weekly Site Meeting at the HCVC

Sister Kukahiko and Sister Silva

Sister Silva from Brazil. She is getting ready to depart the mission. We have really grown to love this sweet beautiful sister.

Spanish Speaking Missionaries

Sunday, Feb. 14th, Valentine's Day these missionaries came to the HCVC and we helped them host their Spanish investigators . We all had a great time. Glenn has had some great opportunities to use his Spanish while serving here.

Facilities Maintenance Missionaries

Sister's Huffaker and Parkerson Are the most hard working and talented sisters. They take care of all the missionary apartments. They clean up, clear out and make everything so nice. We first met them at the Statue of Mroni on top of the HIll Cumorah, planting flowers. They do it all!

Elder Wilson

Valentine made for the sisters. This was on Valentine's Day where we had 17 Spanish Saints and investigators come to the HCVC for a tour.

Elder McKee

This Elder is from Birmingham, England. Love his accent. He reminds me of Jason. He's a good Elder

Dinner with the Sister's

Each Wednesday we have these 2 sets of Sisters for dinner before our Site meeting. Sister's Ahokava, Patterson, Silva and Doucetts

Sister's Stone (singing) Sister Ward (piano

These sister's are so talented and performed at one of our Site meetings. Every week we have wonderful music presented!

Site Secretary 's Sister Denison and Sister Kukahiko

Sister Denison is leaving March 1st, and Sister Kukahiko will take over these duties. I'm a little nervous!

Another favorite

"Lazarus Come Forth"

In The Garden

One of our favorite statues

Welcome Elder and Sister Lenker

Elder Lenker has a great sense of humor.

Elder and Sister Weston

Farewell Party

Farewell to our Site Director's, Elder and Sister Weston

Sister's Lee and Shakespear give the Weston's a book that we all signed as they finish their service. They were truly remarkable leaders. So much knowledge about these sites. We will miss them!

The Call Center

Sister Patterson and Sister Ahokava are calling referrals. The sisters have to spend so much time here every week. They do a great job.

Watching BYU Basketball

Yes.....we senior missionaries get to watch all the BYU games. We gather in the large theater of the HCVC and watch football and basketball. Yes, we do have our fun here too.

Grandin Publication Building

I am demonstrating the "inking" process next to the Patented Press at the publication site. This new press was acquired just in time to help in publishing the first 5,000 copies of the Book of Mormon.

Lunch at 5 Guys. Sisters with their new companions

Elder and Sister Hamblin were the other missionary couple that helped drive the sisters to their transfers, so we all went to lunch afterward. These sisters are so wonderful

Transfer Day with new Companions

Time to get on the bus or in your car with your new companion and head to your new area. President Hemingway has his back toward the camera

Sister Winterton and Sister Kukahiko

This was one of my favorite sisters. Her mission had come to an end, and I was sorry to see her go. She was a great missionary and helped me so much.

The ASL (American Sign Language) Elders

These Elders are well known to us since they serve in our ward. We have many deaf members, and It is so interesting for to watch them all sign talks and the hymns. They are a great bunch.

Mission Transfer Day

We took the Sister's into Rochester for their transfers. There was a lot of energy at the church that day. All the missionaries were so excited to see who their new companions would be.

The Dining Room

Eastman Mansion

The Billiards Room

Happy New Year!

Elder Semadeni is in front. He lives next to our apt. and knows this area very well. Sometimes we walk with him early in the morning through the grove and he has all kinds of things to tell us. He calls me the "canyon lands queen"...I guess because he is from Monticello area and relates that to me being from Price. Great guy!

Family from Chilie, South America

This wonderful family came to see the sites and spend time with their son and daughter in law who are currently living in India. Because Glenn served his mission in Chilie, he loved visiting with them and speaking spanish. The have 2 homes and invited us to come to stay with them. Our next trip after our mission??

Christmas Day Dinner

The girl in red is an investigator. We took her through the Joseph Smith Farm Tour. We had 2 other sets of missionaries along with our mentor couple, Elder and Sister Denison. It was a fun night.