Hill Cumorah

EXPEDITION TEAM

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Welcome to the official website of the Hill Cumorah Expedition Team.

From the first venture up the mountainside of Cerro Rabon in 2001, members of the Buckner Congregation of the Community of Christ church were hooked. They stood in the shadow of the mountain that holds the ancient records of the Book of Mormon. An array of archaeological evidence gives empirical support to this belief.

No longer was it a mythical concept that the plates are located in some hill in Mexico. These men had ventured to the mountain and seen the evidence of the geography, and more importantly, felt the impress of God’s Spirit whispering that this was indeed a place of great significance. Faith had now transformed into knowledge.

No longer could these men sit still. They felt a growing inner desire to place themselves in a position to be instruments of God’s peace. It was time to express their faith through action. They began to organize and plan for an expedition to find these records. The spring of 2002 was the first official expedition.

The lessons from each expedition are brought back and incorporated into the planning for the next. This has been a growing experience for each participant. Please browse through the expeditions captured here in photos, testimonies and inspiration. Journey with us and see how God has quietly, patiently, and wonderfully revealed His will.

our beginning

During the summer of 2001 several members of the Buckner Congregation of the Community of Christ traveled to Mexico to visit ancient ruins. They were excited to have an archaeologist as a guide and travel companion. Several sites were visited including Palenque, Cacaxtla, Cuicuilco, Comalcalco, Cholula, and Teotihuacan. While traveling the group took a detour and went to see Cerro Rabon, a mountain near Jalapa de Diaz that many Book of Mormon archaeologists have reason to believe is the Hill Cumorah where ancient records are buried.

After some discussion, several members of the group decided to climb the hill in an attempt to once again locate the cave where some believe the records are hidden. At three o’clock in the morning Mike Brown, Wayne Stanton, Joseph Mangum, and Tim Brown ventured from Tuxtepec to Cerro Rabon and slowly made their way up the mountainside. For most of a day they chopped through jungle and eventually reached the spot where it is believed a hidden cave is located.

Unknown at the time, this was the first of many trips to the mountain. The group was terribly unequipped for the venture. They suffered blisters, dehydration, and for months afterward one member of the group experienced the sting and “unexplained rash” that probably was the result of contact with a poisonous millipede. But, the seed had been planted. The interest that was generated from this small adventure is still spreading and providing continued hope for many Book of Mormon believers.

INSPIRATION

In the course of preparation for our trips to Mexico, God has made us increasingly aware of the need to call on Him for guidance and direction.  While our efforts have always been a matter of prayer, as time has passed there have been many other avenues of inspiration brought to us.  Each has been unique.   Sometimes quietly presented and other times in grand fashion.  Always it has been needed.

As part of our meetings every two weeks we have shared in devotions.  Sometimes the inspiration is brought quietly by the Spirit as it has coordinated the thoughts of two or three that provide the message for our devotion.   Sometimes it comes in the power of prayer we have shared together in Native American sweat lodge.  Sometimes it comes through caring members who act as spiritual pastors for our small group.  Other times it comes in the form of blessings and prayers offered in our behalf.

We have some of those messages, sermons,  blessings and prayers recorded and provide it here for your consideration.  Please keep in mind that each of these were given for a specific time, a specific place, and a specific group of people.  God is good about meeting the needs of the moment.  We believe that by chronicling the smaller things that over time a grander theme can be found.  May He bring inspiration to your life as you read through our experiences

interested in helping?

We often desire to help with the causes that are important, but with busy schedules and business careers what can you do? Your donations can fund research that works to validate the history of the Book of Mormon.