One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty, and justice for all!

I had an opportunity to go to Liberty and Ellis Island with a group from my singles ward. It was such a neat experience to go and walk through the process that thousands and thousands of immigrants experienced to be permitted into America. There were so many sacrifices made by those that left their old lives venturing across the Atlantic to a place where they had the freedom to create a new life for themselves.

Starting off on our adventure saying goodbye to Manhattan. . . . though it would be just for the rest of the afternoon.

Me, Lex, and Marvi

There she is!

I can't help looking at her and not be overcome with reverence for all that she stands for. Every time I see her, I feel overcome with hope. She points towards the East, ushering in new tomorrows. This is our Lady Liberty.

Also known as "Isle of Hopes, Isle of Tears"

Like my cool headphones? The audio tour was my favorite part!

So you'll have to imagine an awesome picture of the Kissing Gate right here because while we were on our tour, Security closed off the Kissing Gate. . . yes, I can only imagine.

I don't blame them for wanting to come here!

The floors were lined with as many wooden benches as they had room for. Everyone awaiting the verdict, praying to hear what they had come so far to be told. Could they stay, and begin a new life here in America, or would they be forced to take the lonely voyage back to their homes, and life they'd hoped to leave behind? I imagine a room full of humble travelers, mustering up their most fervent prayers, pleading to the Father with all the capacity of hope they had left in them, for the opportunity to enter a world unlike any other, a land of hope, a land of opportunity, a land discovery, a land of promise, a land of freedom.

I wish I could listen to each of them tell their story. . .

What would you include in your trunk full of treasures? What would you be forced to leave behind?

They were forced to perform tests, like children's puzzles, to see if they could think. If their performance was less than acceptable, they were given a chalk mark, smeared on them.

How long does it take you to count the happy faces? More than 20 seconds? Chalk mark. "Processing" included a series of heath, as well as mental tests that sometimes lasted days.

It was mandatory that you have a months worth of money, about $25.00 to be allowed into the country, unless it was stolen on the trip, in which case you had to go to a trial and state your case, hoping and praying they choose to believe you.

Brochures advertising all the different Railroads in the United States.

"Papa had been notified. . . to come to New York. I have a vivid memory of seeing him holding us by the hands through an iron fence. He was not permitted in the room with us. With tears running down his cheeks, he asked me (at 7 years of age) to take care of the children as best I could." Martha Knaup Kohlroser, a German immigrant 1927.

Land of the free, home of the brave.