♥♫♪ City of Joseph, City Beautiful, City of Joseph, Nauvoo ♪♫♥

Today, during language study, I watched Joseph Smith: The Prophet of the Restoration, in Spanish. As I watched, once again, I was reminded of my favorite place in the world, Nauvoo. Then, I was talking with my companion about her favorite place and all I could think of was why I love Nauvoo. Why? I will tell you.

Nauvoo is a place of peace. It is filled with a spirit that is particularly special to this place. As you walk the streets of old Nauvoo, you can almost feel like you are back in time walking with the saints of the past. As I walk the streets the saints of old have walked, I am able to reflect on my own trials and see how different life is but, how we still need to be strong in our own faith. Two of my favorite spots in Nauvoo are the bank of the Mississippi and the temple. The bank because I can look west and think of how, in my own life, I need to keep looking forward during trials. The temple because it is a reminder of continually keeping my eye on things that are most important: following God's will. There's a statue in front of the temple of Joseph Smith, the prophet, and his brother, Hyrum, as they were leaving Nauvoo. This statue, with the temple in the background, is one of my favorite pictures because it encompasses all of Nauvoo in one moment. Life was hard and the saints gave up a lot to follow Christ and live what they believed but, they were blessed with so many blessings that we do not even know all about.

I hope that in a year and a half, I can return to Nauvoo to continue to strengthen my testimony of this gospel and reflect on my life. Everyone needs a place to reflect and re-evaluate where they are, whether it is mentally or physically. A place that leads us to God and helps us rededicate ourselves to him.

Think- where is your special place?