The Joeph Smith visitors center in Royalton, Vermont.

The Joseph Smith birthplace monument is in South Royalton, Vermont.  There is an obelisk of granite there and the grounds are very well kept.  Not too many flowers were in bloom.  South Royalton is really out of the way.  In his account of his life, Joseph said he lived in Sharon, Vermont.  Sharon is nearby but the site is actually in South Royalton.  There are two buildings there – one is the visitors center and the other is a reception area and living quarters for one couple of the missionaries.

We were invited to attend a get-together for the Senior Missionaries of the New Hampshire, Manchester mission.  We had to travel the furthest to this gathering – round trip was 420 miles.  We had a pot luck lunch and generally got to talk to the other missionaries and listen to their stories when they were called upon to introduce themselves.

I was impressed at the caliber of people who were in that room.  A few of them were on their second marriages due to death of spouse and many of the couples had served other missions.  Their gifts and talents were many and the challenges they had faced were daunting, but here we were – all of us senior missionaries gathered in the Joseph Smith Birth place reception room.

Bill and I took the tour of the visitor’s center.  As we entered the last room, there was the sculpture of Joseph Smith, done by DJ Bawden.  I recognized it at once.  The sister who was our guide on this tour was surprised to hear me tell her stories about this sculpture.  She asked me how I knew these things.  I told her that I knew DJ personally.  She began to ask other questions that I could not answer so I phoned DJ to ask the questions.  The main one was the ring that is on his right hand.  DJ said that this was a ring of the Masonic Lodge – the highest order they have.  The original ring is now in possession of the Church.  I happen to know DJ because he and I were in the same group of missionaries who went to Japan from the Language Training center at Church College of Hawaii, March-May 1970.

How fortuitous for this guide.  She is serving as a guide in the center and I happen to come along and know the sculptor of the center piece of the whole exhibit, and she heard his voice over the speakerphone explaining the ring and its significance.  What are the chances she could have this experience?