The
Susquehanna River
(Photo taken by Bruce Satterfield)
This is a photo of the Susquehanna River
just a few hundred yards from where Joseph and Emma lived while in
Harmon, Pennsylvania. In May of 1829, while translating the
Book of Mormon, Joseph and Oliver Cowdery "went into the woods to pray
and inquire of the Lord respecting baptism for the remission of sins,
that we found mentioned in the translation of the plates. While we were
thus employed, praying and calling upon the Lord, a messenger from
heaven descended in a cloud of light, and having laid his hands upon
us, he ordained us, saying:
" ' Upon you my fellow servants, in
the name of Messiah, I confer the Priesthood of Aaron, which holds the
keys of the ministering of angels, and of the gospel of repentance, and
of baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; and this shall never
be taken again from the earth until the sons of Levi do offer again an
offering unto the Lord in righteousness.'
"He said this Aaronic Priesthood had not the power of laying on hands
for the gift of the Holy Ghost, but that this should be conferred on us
hereafter; and he commanded us to go and be baptized, and gave us
directions that I should baptize Oliver Cowdery, and that afterwards he
should baptize me.
"Accordingly we went and were baptized. I baptized him first, and
afterwards he baptized me--after which I laid my hands upon his head
and ordained him to the Aaronic Priesthood, and afterwards he laid his
hands on me and ordained me to the same Priesthood--for so we were
commanded.
"The messenger who visited us on this occasion and conferred this
Priesthood upon us, said that his name was John, the same that is
called John the Baptist in the New Testament, and that he acted under
the direction of Peter, James and John, who held the keys of the
Priesthood of Melchizedek, which Priesthood, he said, would in due time
be conferred on us, and that I should be called the first Elder of the
Church, and he (Oliver Cowdery) the second. It was on the fifteenth day
of May, 1829, that we were ordained under the hand of this messenger,
and baptized." (Joseph Smith History 1:68-72)
(Photo taken
by Bruce Satterfield)
The monument commemorating the
restoration of the Aaronic Priesthood located in Harmony.