Saturday, September 17, 2016 – Mexican Dinner, Video Chat, Martyrdom line

Today is our P-day and we all slept in, zzzz…. Nice. We had a late breakfast (early lunch) and later we drove to Keokuk, Iowa to go shopping at the Wal-Mart there. Next we went out to dinner at the Mexican Restaurant here in Carthage.  This was our last full day with Sis. Johnson’s parents, Jim and Betty Burk. We’ve really enjoyed having them with us for the past week. 

Let me tell you how special the visit of Pam’s parents is. Lots of other Seniors have their children and grandchildren come to visit them while they serve here in the Nauvoo Mission. I don’t know of anyone else in the mission that had their parents come to visit!

We finished the evening with a “Skype” video call to our son Ernie & daughter-in-law, Shaayna, in Australia.  There youngest son, James, is celebrating his 3^rd birthday and we got to participate live over the web. We love Skype and we love our family.

 

Last Wednesday the 14^th we attended a session in the Nauvoo Temple and I posted a picture of Sis. Johnson pointing to the “Martyrdom Line” on the side of the temple with her parents. Well, some of you asked for an explanation of the “Martyrdom Line.” So here it is.

In the time between January 1841 and the martyrdom of Joseph and Hyrum Smith in June 1844, the Nauvoo Temple was not completed. The walls were only complete to the second floor when the Prophet Joseph Smith was martyred. In July, 1844 Brigham Young inspired the Saints to commit themselves to completing the sacred building. However, an obvious structural change had to be made. It is called the "Martyrdom Line".

 

Even before Joseph Smith’s death, Brigham Young and Joseph Smith were planning the exodus of the saints to the Rocky Mountains. After the death of the Prophet, there was even more pressure on the saints to leave Nauvoo. Brigham Young knew there was little time left to finish the sacred structure before departing for the west.  The way to finish the building faster was to double the size of the limestone blocks used in the building. The limestone blocks were quarried locally. Doubling the size of each block would take half as long as chiseling, shaping and polishing two smaller blocks. The dividing line between the smaller blocks below and the larger blocks above are clearly visible on the sides of the Temple.

The original Nauvoo Temple finished by the Saints in 1846 was destroyed; first by fire and then by a tornado. The rebuilt Temple was completed in exactly the same spot and was dedicated in 2002. To keep the building authentic to the original look and design, the church instructed the architects to replicate the "Martyrdom Line." The line can be easily seen today. It stands as a testament to the hard work, dedication and perseverance of those faithful Saint that wanted the sealing ordinances of the Temple and the blessings of exaltation for themselves and their ancestors.  They finished their sacred temple, knowing they would have to abandon it to their enemies.