Nauvoo Illinois Temple

July 5, 2014 we attended the Nauvoo Illinois Temple. We had made a weekend long trip to Nauvoo to see some of the church history sights and learn about the early pioneers. We thoroughly enjoyed our time in Nauvoo, and the temple was absolutely beautiful! I could not limit this temple to just one picture. The Spirit in Nauvoo is wonderful, and I am grateful for the sacrifice of the early Saints. They faced tremendous persecution because of something they believed and knew to be true.

A beautiful sunny day on July 4th. We took a wagon ride through old Nauvoo and passed the beautiful temple up on the hill. 

July 5th was a rainy day, but still nice. Here is the statue of Joseph and Hyrum Smith.

The carvings on the temple were gorgeous! The stars representing Jesus Christ. 

Looking out from the steps of the temple. The Mississippi River in the background.

The original Nauvoo temple was built in the 1840's and was destroyed by an arson fire in 1848. This current temple was dedicated in 2002 on the day and hour of the anniversary of the martydom of the Prophet Joseph Smith. Here is a link if you want to learn more about the Nauvoo Illinois Temple. This is the 113th operating temple. 

Winter Quarters Nebraska Temple

November 22, 2013 Chris and I went to the Winter Quarters Nebraska Temple for the first time. We took a couple of days off of work to make a long weekend trip to Omaha, Nebraska to see some of the church sights and get out of town. Behind the temple is a cemetery and next to the temple is the Mormon Trail Visitor Center where you learn the impact that Winter Quarters had on the early saints. We also went to see the Kanesville Tabernacle in Council Bluffs.
It was a chilly day but sunny and beautiful out. The stained glass on this temple was just absolutely beautiful!

The Winter Quarters Temple was dedicated in 2001 and is one of three temples built in areas of historic significance. Winter Quarters served as one of the stops to gain supplies necessary for the saints to move West in the face of persecution. This is the 104th operating temple.