Restoration Series LbNA #41291 (ARCHIVED)

The Sacred Grove Letterbox

In 1820, a young farmer boy named Joseph Smith lived in upstate New York. It was at a time of great religious excitement in the eastern United States, and Joseph Smith’s family members were deeply religious and constantly sought for truth. The Holy Bible taught that there was “one Lord, one faith, one baptism” (Ephesians 4:5), but many ministers claimed to have the true gospel. Joseph attended different churches, but he was confused about which church he should join and desired “to know which of all the sects was right.” He later wrote:

“So great were the confusion and strife among the different denominations, that it was impossible for a person young as I was . . . to come to any certain conclusion who was right and who was wrong. . . . In the midst of this war of words and tumult of opinions, I often said to myself: What is to be done? Who of all these parties are right; or, are they all wrong together? If any one of them be right, which is it, and how shall I know it?”

As Joseph sought truth among the different faiths, he turned to the Bible for guidance. He read, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him” (James 1:5). Because of this passage, Joseph decided to ask God what he should do. In the spring of 1820 he went to a nearby grove of trees and knelt in prayer. He described his experience: “I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me. . . . When the light rested upon me I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other—This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!” In this vision God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, appeared to Joseph Smith. The Savior told Joseph not to join any of the churches, for they “were all wrong.” The Savior stated, “They draw near to me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me, they teach for doctrines the commandments of men, having a form of godliness, but they deny the power thereof.”

Although many good people believed in Christ and tried to understand and teach His gospel, they did not have the fulness of truth or the priesthood authority to baptize and perform other saving ordinances at that time. They had inherited a state of apostasy, as each generation was influenced by what the previous one passed on, including changes in the doctrines and in ordinances, such as baptism.

Joseph Smith’s First Vision marked the beginning of the Restoration of Jesus Christ’s Church to the earth.

To find the Sacred Grove Letterbox, drive to the intersection of Pacific Park and Canyon Vistas in Aliso Viejo, CA. Turn NW on to Canyon Vistas (the road starts here so you can only go one way), and continue down that street about half a mile. You will start to go down a steep hill. Right before the bottom of the hill, you will see the entrance to Canyon View Park on the right. Park on either side of the street. As you enter the park, you will see a wide cement walkway directly in front of you that runs along the right side of the park. Follow that walkway, past the park and down a hill into a canyon. Near the bottom of the pathway, it will take a turn to the left into a fenced-off flood containment area. Instead of turning left, stay to the right where a dirt pathway continues down into the canyon in front of you. You will soon reach a gate that marks the entrance into the Aliso and Wood Canyons Wilderness Park. Continue on through the gate and down the path. You will soon come to an intersection of trails where there is a wooden bulletin board of sorts and a Fire Danger sign. Continue past this intersection in the same direction and follow the path further down the canyon. You will soon pass through a small grove of trees at what looks like the bottom of the canyon. On the right you should see a fairly large tree just off the trail. As you pass the tree, you should notice an opening in the bushes on the right that will let you in to a small area behind that big tree. At the base of the tree, amid the exposed roots, there is a hole. Look inside to find the letterbox.

The Golden Plates Letterbox

Several years after his first vision, in September 1823, Joseph Smith was visited by a heavenly messenger named Moroni, in the same way that angels often appeared to Church leaders in the New Testament. Moroni informed Joseph that God had a work for him to do and told him that a record of the ancient inhabitants of the American continent was buried in a stone box (America’s first letterbox?) in a nearby hill. He stated that the record contained the fulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

After 4 years of preparation, in September 1827, Joseph received the record, which was written on thin plates of gold. Joseph translated the book into English by the inspiration of God and called the book the Book of Mormon. It is named after Mormon, an ancient prophet who compiled the sacred record of his people over 1600 years ago. The book verifies, as another testament of Christ, the reality and divinity of Jesus Christ. It is a second witness that affirms the truth of the Bible.

The title page of the book states that the Book of Mormon was written “to show unto the remnant of the House of Israel what great things the Lord hath done for their fathers; and that they may know the covenants of the Lord, that they are not cast off forever—And also to the convincing of the Jew and Gentile that Jesus is the Christ, the Eternal God, manifesting himself unto all nations”

Since its publishing in 1830, the Book of Mormon has blessed the lives of millions of people through its powerful message about Jesus Christ and His gospel.

To find the Golden Plates letterbox, after finding the Sacred Grove letterbox, start back along the path you came down until you return to the intersection of trails mentioned above. Here you should find the start of Cholla Trail which leads up the hill. Follow this trail about half a mile till you reach the top where it connects up with the West Ridge Trail. As soon as you reach the end of Cholla Trail, look on the other side of West Ridge Trail a little bit to the right where there is a small pile of rocks. The Golden Plates Letterbox will be hidden behind the larger rock underneath some smaller ones.

The Angel Moroni Letterbox

Shortly after the publication of the Book of Mormon in 1830, Joseph Smith was commanded by God to re-establish the Church of Jesus Christ on the earth. On April 6, 1830, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was formally organized in a small log cabin in Fayette, New York. Since its humble beginnings, the Church has spread throughout the world and now has over 13 million members in nearly 30,000 congregations worldwide.

One of the distinguishing characteristics of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is their building of Temples. Much like Solomon’s Temple in ancient Israel, the LDS Temples of today are sacred buildings dedicated as the “House of the Lord” where worthy members may make covenants and receive sacred ordinances for themselves as well as on behalf of their deceased ancestors. To date, more than 124 of these temples have been built around the world with new ones being added each year. Many of these temples, including the one located nearby in Newport Beach, have on top of their tallest spire a golden statue representing the Angel Moroni. The book of Revelation in the New Testament contains a prophecy by the Apostle John in which he states “And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people.” (Revelation 14:6)

The statues on top of the temples stand as a witness to the world that this revelation has been fulfilled and that the Church of Jesus Christ has been restored in its fullness on the earth today.

To find the Angel Moroni letterbox start from where you found the Golden Plates letterbox and head southwest (away from the nearby fence) along West Ridge Trail. About a quarter mile down this trail, it meets up with Lynx Trail on the left. About 8 feet past the signpost for Lynx Trail there is a boulder on the left side of the trail. The letterbox is under the boulder behind some small rocks.

To get back to your car, there are two ways to go. You can either backtrack and return the way you came, or for just a slightly longer hike, you can continue down Lynx trail to the bottom where it meets up with Wood Canyon trail. Turn left on to Wood Canyon trail and follow it out of the canyon. Along the way, you will pass the small grove of trees where the first box was hidden.