When Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles went to New York to rededicate Hill Cumorah after a four-year long project that included the reforestation of the mountainside, he testified of more than the miraculous events that took place on that hill nearly 200 years ago.
Elder Bednar testified of the “preservation and protection” of the gold plates that Joseph Smith translated through the power of God to bring about the Book of Mormon.
Elder Bednar testified of the “preservation and protection” of the gold plates that Joseph Smith translated through the power of God to bring about the Book of Mormon.
He testified of the First Vision, of the Prophet Joseph Smith’s calling, of Moroni’s appearance and mentorship of Joseph and, most importantly, of the Savior Jesus Christ and His Atonement. His testimony is captured in a Church News video titled “The Cradle of the Restoration.”
“I witness He is risen. I witness He is alive. I witness He is our Savior and Redeemer,” Elder Bednar said.
On Sunday, Sept. 21, the anniversary of Moroni’s appearance to Joseph Smith for the first time 202 years ago in 1823, Elder Bednar rededicated the Hill Cumorah to be a place of “holy remembrance.”
The First Presidency announced the end of the Hill Cumorah Pageant in 2018 and a plan to rehabilitate the site in 2021.
