ANSWER to FIRST DAY of Christmas Past

Posted by on Nov 30, 2011 in Christmas of Past 2011 |

The FIRST DAY of Christmas Past was just too easy! Prophet Joseph Smith, was the ANSWER all did see! Thank you to those that participated! The winner of 1st Day’s drawing was Margaret Ford who won a beautiful Nauvoo Temple Sand Stone ornament. Joseph Smith, Jr. was born on December 23, 1805.  His nephew, Joseph F. Smith, said of this fact – “in my judgment the next birthday celebration to that of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ should be that of Joseph Smith.” The following is parts of a talk Joseph F. Smith gave at a Memorial honoring the Prophet Joseph Smith’s Birthday held on December 23, 1894.  That year marked the 50 year anniversary of his martyrdom. “I should like to see introduced among the Latter-day Saints…the practice of celebrating or commemorating the birthday of the Prophet Joseph Smith. It is now over fifty years since he was martyred; and during those fifty years, we have never had to my knowledge more than a small private gathering occasionally, in honor of the birthday of the man who was chosen of God and designated by His voice to be the mouthpiece of God Almighty to the inhabitants of the earth in the dispensation of the fullness of times. The only exception I recall was when, on the 23rd of December, 1892, a general fast was proclaimed and observed among the Latter-day Saints, preparatory to the final completion and dedication of the Salt Lake Temple in April following. We celebrate what is supposed to be the birthday of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, but we get a long way off from His birthday; so that now, instead of celebrating the real birthday of our Lord, which was on the 6th of April, we celebrate the 25th of December in each year. And it is a proper thing that we should hallow His birthday, above all others. And in my judgment—and of course I may be a little biased in regard to this matter—in my judgment the next birthday celebration to that of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ should be that of Joseph Smith, to this entire people of the Latter-day Saints. I felt … that it would be an appropriate thing for this evening to be set aside for the purpose of commemorating, in some simple and unceremonious way, the anniversary of the birth of the Prophet Joseph, and that, inasmuch as the people who knew him personally are becoming exceedingly few that it would be a proper thing to invite as many of them as could conveniently come…That the children and the young men and the young women who are here, and those who have embraced the Gospel in foreign lands since the martyrdom of the Prophet may have the privilege of looking upon the faces of as many as possible of those that were intimately...

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QUESTION for 1st Day of CHRISTMAS PAST

Posted by on Nov 29, 2011 in Christmas of Past 2011 | 9 comments

Christmas of the Past contest starts today!!! Anyone who comments or shares this post on facebook will be entered into our Grand Prize Tour drawing, those who answer correctly will be put in today’s daily drawing.  For those that don’t have a facebook account you can comment here on our blog to be entered.  The answer and today’s winner will be posted tomorrow morning.  See 11/22 post for exact rules and details. On the FIRST day of Christmas Past the QUESTION is to be – 1.  Which Latter-day Prophet was born closest to...

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Don’t miss out on our 25 days of Christmas Past!

Posted by on Nov 22, 2011 in Uncategorized |

With warm thanks for your patronage & sincere wishes for a happy holiday season, we present to you 25 days of Christmas Past! Get into the spirit of Christmas and be entered into our drawings to win a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to attend our 7 day Missouri to Nauvoo to Winter Quarters Church History Tour, as well as other fabulous prizes.  Keep this grand prize for yourself or give it to someone else for Christmas.  This tour travels during the incredible Nauvoo Pageant, some of the most delightful Pioneer entertainment imaginable! All you have to do is “like” us on Facebook and your name will automatically be put into the Grand Prize Tour drawing.  Then to increase your chances of winning this incredible trip, and to put your name into our daily prize drawings, “follow” us on our Facebook page from November 29th – Dec 23rd.  Each day a question regarding something from Church History’s Christmas Past will be posted – anything from hymns to accounts about prominent church history individuals.  For those who do not have a facebook account and are not interested in setting one up, you can comment your answer on our blog under each day’s post. Each day that you answer our Christmas Past post, your name will be entered into our grand prize drawing and all those with the correct daily answer will be put into a separate drawing for holiday prizes awarded each day.  “Sharing” our posts with others will earn you another grand prize daily entry.  Answers and the daily winner will be posted on our Facebook page the following morning before the next question is listed.  The accounts behind our Christmas Past answers will be found on our blog.  See below for more information and rules. Click on this link http://www.mormonheritage.com/ to see our blog and to join us now on Facebook! Our hope is that this activity will help us all to slow down to appreciate the Christmases of simpler times, learn something new to inspire us this holiday season, and to thank you for another wonderful year.  Joining us on Facebook and following our blog will continue to benefit you as you will continue to receive inspirational thoughts and can stay informed of all our latest tour information (we are planning some exciting things for 2012!).  Tell all your family and friends about this unique way to spend this holiday season. We wish you a very Merry CHRISTmas! MHA Staff and Guides 25 days of Christmas Past Rules: Everyone who has “liked” us on our Facebook page will automatically be entered into the grand prize drawing to be held on the evening of Dec 23, 2011.  One additional entry per person per day will be entered into the grand prize drawing for posting a “comment” regardless of multiple daily comments.  A second grand prize entry per person each day will...

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LDS Site of the Week – MERTHYR TYDFIL, WALES

Posted by on Nov 20, 2011 in Site of the Week - LDS Church History Tour |

Merthyr Tydfil, Wales – Birthplace of David O. McKay’s mother and death place of extraordinary missionary, Abel Evans. In the Merthyr Tydfil area, Pres. McKay went in search of the birth place of his mother, Jennette Evans McKay.  Several townsfolk were inquired as to where the cottage was located.  Finally, the small four-room cottage was found.  Pres. McKay toured the home and found a six by nine bedroom in which the bed completely occupied the narrow end of the room.  Here he stood weeping at being able to be at this beloved place.  A memorial plaque was placed at the cottage which made his trip to this area extra special to him. Prior to coming to Merthyr Tydfil, President McKay was given a dinner in his honor.  He was presented with a beautiful organ and plaque in honor of his mother to be placed at the Merthyr Tydfil chapel which was soon to start construction. On March 2, 1961, President McKay visited Merthyr Tydfil for the groundbreaking of the LDS chapel.  President McKay was so touched by the people that he promised those present that he would return to Wales for the dedication of the chapel.  Many doubted that the church would be finished on time.  However, they underestimated the devotion of a united, dedicated people.  Men, women, and younger people from the entire area joined to have everything in readiness.  Of the 30,000 hours of donated labor on the building, 22,000 came from the Church builders, and 8,000 were given by local members.  Probably the greatest record was set when more than 220 men, women, and young people from the entire district put in over 1,600 hours of work on one day.  The donated hours for the week totaled 2,650. The chapel went from the footing stage to its completion in less than eight months.  It is no wonder they termed it “the miracle at Merthyr Tydfil.”  On August 25, 1963, the dedication of the new chapel at Merthyr Tydfil, Wales took place.  At that time Pres. McKay officially accepted and honored the gift of the organ that was given in memory of his mother. Abel Evans Evans, Abel, one of the Latter-day Saint Elders who died while filling a foreign mission, was born June 24, 1813, at Carmarthenshire, South Wales. Becoming a convert to “Mormonism,” he was baptized Feb. 10, 1844, by William Henshaw and is believed to be the second person baptized by divine authortiy in Wales. He devoted about six years to the ministry, traveling in South and North Wales and labored with great success. He was a man of strong faith, the Lord working many miracles through his instrumentality, many being healed of their maladies through his faith and prayers, among others several cases of cancer and cholera. He emigrated to America in 1850, and in the April 1865, he was called on a...

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