How Spending Time at the Sacred Grove and Hill Cumorah Has Influenced My Testimony
I didn’t always appreciate living close to the Sacred Grove and the Hill Cumorah, but now they will forever be a part of my testimony.
Usually when members of the Church find out that I live half an hour from the Hill Cumorah and the Sacred Grove, they say something along the lines of, “You are so lucky!” I agree with them now, but it wasn’t always like that.
I suppose that by living so close to Church history sites, you can grow overly accustomed to them. I never really thought much of being so close to the Sacred Grove until I started having questions about the Church. After years of distancing myself from God, I returned to His outstretched arms during high school. It was then that I developed special feelings for the Hill Cumorah and the Sacred Grove that have influenced me throughout my life.
Going to My “Mountain”
Because the Palmyra New York Temple is near the Sacred Grove and the Hill Cumorah, I would always make a visit to one of the sacred sites part of my temple trip.
There is a statue of Moroni placed in a very quiet and beautiful setting on the Hill Cumorah. This became a sacred spot for me. My visit usually wasn’t long, yet combining it with the temple brought me closer to the Savior. In a metaphorical way, I was like Nephi going to my “mountain” to talk with the Lord (see 1 Nephi 17:7).
Helping Others Feel the Spirit of the Sacred Grove
During my mission in France and Belgium, I would often bear personal testimony of the sacredness of where Joseph Smith went to pray. The Sacred Grove became even more important to me as I watched people discover their own testimony about what happened there.
After my mission, I was so excited to go to the Sacred Grove again and be in the place that I had told so many people about for two years. When I did go, I felt an incredible amount of peace as I walked around. What happened there became even more real to me.
My friends and family often approach me with questions about the Church’s teachings and history. Sometimes I don’t really know how to respond, but I’ve learned to listen to the Spirit and invite them to “come and see” (John 1:39).
We Can Create Our Own Sacred Places
The Spirit present at the Sacred Grove and Hill Cumorah has strengthened my faith and been a valuable resource to me during some of the biggest trials in my life. Each of us can gain a testimony of the restored gospel through sacred events from Church history, but we do not need to visit Church history sites to have that testimony. It is more important to create our own sacred places where we can communicate with our Heavenly Father.
President Thomas S. Monson (1927–2018) said: “We need not walk by the shores of Galilee or among the Judean hills to walk where Jesus walked. All of us can walk the path He walked when, with His words ringing in our ears, His Spirit filling our hearts, and His teachings guiding our lives, we choose to follow Him as we journey through mortality.”1
The same is true of the Church history sites. We should strive to create our own sacred places where we can feel the Spirit and ponder the miracles that have brought the Restoration to pass. Our world has so many conflicting voices, and as we visit our own sacred places to pray and connect with Heavenly Father, we will be strengthened by the Lord to conquer any questions or concerns that may come our way.