The Early Days

This morning we awoke in Buffalo. Perhaps the children's favorite part of traveling is the complimentary breakfasts in the Marriott hotels, so we couldn't leave until each child filled their plates with their own breakfast creations, which included toasting their own bagels and filling the waffle irons all by themselves.

We then drove three hours to Kirtland, Ohio. During our drives, the kids have been keeping very short journal entries about their experiences. We have been watching church history videos and reading stories from the Friend Magazine about the areas that we will be visiting that day. I have also given the children lists of questions for each historical site, for which they can find the answers in the stories that we read, at the sites or by asking the guides questions. My hope is that our family will be very engaged in learning about our church's history.

When we arrived in Kirtland, we first took a tour of the Kirtland Temple. This is the first temple to be built in this dispensation. When the temple was dedicated, witnesses reported that there were “tongues” of fire coming from the roof and that there were angels on top of the temple. It was amazing to be standing in this building!

We then visited historic Kirtland, where the Saints moved to from Palmyra following persecution. Although this was a time of severe poverty and more persecution, this was also where the church gathered and strengthened in preparation for their migration West. In Kirtland we visited the Newel K. Whitney Store, which was the center of the town. This is where people gathered to hear the latest news, buy and trade products and collect their mail. It was also where the first Bishop's Store House was established, where the school of the prophets was held, where the Word of Wisdom was received and where Joseph received 17 sections of the Doctrine and Covenants. Joseph and Emma lived upstairs. This was one of at least four locations in Kirtland where Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ appeared to Joseph Smith.

Newel K. Whitney kept excellent records. This is what Joseph Smith bought.

This is the original table that Joseph Smith worked on, writing part of the Doctrine and Covenants.

This is the school of the Prophets.

We then toured the Whitney Summer home, which was next door. This is where the Whitneys received revelation that a new church was going to be brought to their town, preparing them for the responsibilities they would have in the growth of the church. It is also where the first modern miracle was preformed, when Joseph Smith healed a woman's arm.

We toured the saw mill and the ashery, which is where families sold their ashes for 7 cents per bushal and finally we visited the Johnson Inn, where we were able to look up our ancestor, Peter Shirts who helped build the Kirtland Temple. It was so interesting to think that of the fewer than 2,000 early Saints in Kirtland, one of our great grandfathers was there!

Our last stop of the day was the Issac Morely Farm. This is where the Saints would stay when they first came to Kirtland while they established themselves. It is also where Emma's twins died and she and Joseph adopted the Murdock twins whose mother had died in child birth just days before Emma gave birth to her twins. It was amazing to learn of all of the significant events that occurred in Kirtland, stand in the same rooms where sacred events took place, feel of the sacrifice that the early members of our church made and marvel at the faith that these people had.