Vacation Day 3--Kirtland, OH

On Day 3 of our vacation we spent time visiting some places that were important in the history of our church. Our faith is something that is at the center of our lives and it is inspiring for us to remember the early saints who sacrificed so much for what they believed.

This is from the lds.org website: Come visit Historic Kirtland, a small settlement in northern Ohio, where members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints gathered shortly after the Church was founded. Between 1831 and 1838 Joseph Smith and early members of the Church established Church headquarters in Kirtland, built a temple, and laid a foundation of strength for the future.

The first place we visited was the Kirtland Temple. The temple is not owned by our Church anymore, but by the Community of Christ church, a church that broke off ours at the time of Joseph Smith's death. It has been 10 years since Greg and I (and Adam) have visited this area. Our experience this time was excellent compared to the past. We appreciated the respectful attitude that our guide had for our church and for the temple. It is much simpler than the temples we have now, but it is amazing to think they built it all themselves so long ago when the church was just beginning. I truly appreciate the sacrifices made to forward the Lord's work in that time. The dedication of that temple lasted a whopping 7 hours! I asked our guide if children were in attendance and he said yes. Unbelievable. It was interesting to be reminded of the details surrounding this building and its dedication.

One of the things that struck me the most while we were in Kirtland, and that I find unique about our church, is its emphasis on education. There in Kirtland on the top floor of the temple they held a school for anyone who needed some educating. They also started a school of the prophets where they learned Hebrew and other things. The need for educating ourselves is still something that we are taught by our leaders today. There is even a fund set up to help educate members in poorer countries where it is difficult to obtain an education. It is a privilege and responsibility to "Seek learning, even by study and also by faith" (D&C 88:118).

We also visited other restored buildings in Kirtland that are run by our Church. This was a rough time for Jacob so I spent a lot of time with him, but I was reminded how much the leaders of the church learned about the organization of the church and how many revelations that become a part of our scripture, The Doctrine and Covenants, that were received in this Kirtland era. We were also able to go out to the Isaac Morley farm. This was a very reverant place. There was a soft rain that was coming down while we were there, and really some of our reverence was felt because several large youth groups were there and they were so quiet and peaceful, it helped our children to act that way too. Over and over Joseph and Emma were helped and cared for, just as they did the same thing for others. How generous they all were! It seems it is sometimes harder for us in this day and age to feel safe and good about welcoming people into our home or tending to someone else's grieving or sick family. We do it, but it is not quite the experience it once was.

After seeing the Kirtland sites we drove the few hours to the Niagra Falls area.

Here are some pictures of the Finches at the Kirtland Temple.

Not exactly reverant faces and attitudes, huh?