Moving East Part 2

After Carthage we headed to Kirtland, Ohio. Kirtland has a very special spirit there. I never realized that the so much of the beginning history of the church happened in Kirtland. Usually I only think of Nauvoo but the church was very much established when the got to Nauvoo. There is not as many things to see and do in Kirtland but the buildings and things that are there are amazing. There is something about the buildings that you can just tell that very special things happened there. The Savior himself appeared in Kirtland that is recorded than anywhere else: 1. The Kirtland Temple 2. The School of the Prophets (an upper room in the Whitney Store) 3. In a little log cabin at the Morley farm and in each of these places there is a reverence about them. The first place we went in Kirtland was the Johnson Farm. The Prophet and Emma stayed here in Hiram, OH for about one year. It was during his stay here that the prophet was pulled from this home and tarred and feathered on the front porch with Emma and their two adopted twins watching. The Prophet also had his own private study room and it was here that the inspiration came to make the Doctrine and Covenants. Sister Johnson liked lots of color so the paint you see on the wall is original - I think she must have been a very cheerful woman.

The Prophets Office

The house is original

The house with the stage house - all original

The Kirtland Temple is owned by the Community of Christ and you can take tours through it. We did but you can't take pictures inside the building so we don't have any pictures inside but here's a view of the outside. The inside of the temple is beautiful and it is quite something to be able to look at the wood work done by the saints at that time with no power tools!

The Whitney store is the original store that was present at the time of the saints in Kirtland. I can just imagine the Prophet walking into the store or not even getting inside, standing on the porch, getting caught in there for hours because everyone wanted to talk to him. The prophet did stay in an upper room of the store for some time as well as had his own office and a room for the School of the Prophets. The Whitney's sure did take care of them.

The Whitney home is also original to the time The Johnson Inn, the Saw Mill, and the Ashery are all rebuilt buildings that we toured in Kirtland

Johnson Inn

Saw Mill

Ashery

This table is original to the Smith Family

The ORIGINAL Book of Abraham Fascimile 1!!! It was VERY cool to be able to see the original. Next it was on to Palmyra..... There is not a lot in Palmyra to see because when Joseph finally did get the plates and began translating he had to leave because of the persecution from the people in the area. There is the original store that the Book of Mormon was printed in.

outside the store

the front part of the store where things were sold

The printing press

The Martin Harris Farm

Joseph's Brother, Alvin's headstone

The Hill Cumorah

Smith's Log Home

Smith's Frame Home

My interpretation....

The Peter Whitmer Log Home The Smith Family farm with the Sacred Grove is unforgettable. The Sacred Grove is so peaceful and there is just an overwhelming calming feeling that presides in that Grove. It was good to be able to spend some time there in reflection about the things that we had seen on our journey and the amazing things that were done to preserve and bring word the Word of God. I am so very thankful to live in a time when the fullness of the gospel is on the earth. I now have a greater appreciation for what the Saints went through and the man that Joseph Smith was and the example that he is to all of the Saints still.

Moving East Part 1

On Thursday, August 18, 2011 Brett and I started something that is both bitter yet very sweet. We began our trek to the East Coast where Brett will begin school at Sacred Heart University, to a foreign land, 2,290 miles away from the place we have called home for 20 plus years, where no one knows who we are. Both of us feel as if we are traveling into the great unknown with Heaven only knows what challenges lie ahead. Yet, with all of the unknown, we feel at peace knowing that this is the place that the Lord wants us to be for the next 3 years - and we obviously have something to learn from this big adventure.
Day 1 of our journey was a LONG one. We traveled from Newton, Utah to Lincoln Nebraska, over 900 miles, totalling about 13 hours in the car. Absolutely nothing exciting to report except for the awesome storm we hit ran into about an hour outside of Lincoln. Here are a few videos to show you how the storm progressed.





Day 2
We traveled to Liberty, MO to visit the Liberty Jail. Very cool place.... The jail was a lot how I pictured it to be minus the fact that it is in the middle of town! I expected it to be out in the middle of a field or something - not sure why?!? But there is a neat spirit that can be felt there.


We then decided to bypass Adam-ondi-Ahman for the sake of more time in Nauvoo. So we headed to Nauvoo to enjoy the evening there. We were able to visit the Visitor's Center, walk the trail of hope, and attend "Rendezvous of Nauvoo" that is put on by the Senior Couple Missionaries of Nauvoo. We also walked up by the temple and enjoyed the temple ground at night.


Day 3
We got up early and attended the 8 AM session in the Nauvoo Temple. It was an amazing experience and very neat to be able to see the inside of the temple. I can't imagine just how beautiful it must have seemed to the Saints living in Nauvoo in the 1840's. It's breath-taking now, I can't even imagine how it must have been in those days. We then toured Old Nauvoo, walking in many of the houses, learning of the way the Saints lived at the time.
Then it was off to Carthage Jail where the Prophet Joseph was martyred. It was very humbling to learn even more of the character of the First President of the Church. My love for him and for all that he sacrificed for the early Saints of the Church as well as for the progress of the church has grown immensely from the experiences that we had today.
There is no way I could deny the spirit that was felt today and the love in my heart for a man, a simple man who sacrificed so much for so many. I am blessed because of those sacrifices.

Heber C Kimball's Home

Brigham Young's home

Chelsea in front of a sunstone

Brett in front of John Browning's gun shop and home

Temple overlooking Old Nauvoo

Joseph, Hyrum, and Emma's grave with the Smith Homestead in the background

Joseph and Hyrum's statue as they leave for Carthage in June 1844

Joseph, Hyrum, and Brett outside of Carthage Jail

The Chamber room where John Taylor was taken after he was shot. Also a room the prophet could have been in for more protection.

The window that Joseph fell from after being shot by the mob

The original door with the .53 caliber bullet hole still there. There are also several marks on the door and the mantel from the rest of the flying bullets.

The room where our beloved Prophet was martyred
Part 2 will contain Kirtland, Palmyra, and the journey to our new home in CT - so stayed tuned... :)

Funny things boys do

About a month ago we were at my parents house, there was a really pretty sunset, the hay had just been cut, and the sprinklers were going on the field behind their house. It was a perfect country evening and it just so happened to be the 4th of July! I wanted to take a few pictures of the evening so we (Brett, myself, and my brother Dillon) ventured out into the field. Let's just say one thing lead to another and the guys started behaving a little weird and we ended up taking the following pictures....








The decided to do some LARPing - (Live Action Role Playing)...

Here are some of the pictures that I was actually trying to capture that night...



Up next: projects that I have done this summer