Church History Tour...Check!

We completed our church history tour when we visited Kirtland Ohio on Friday. It was a two part experience in contrasts.

We started with a tour of the Kirtland Temple. Currently it is owned and managed by The Community of Christ Church. They have done a good job of restoring it. They also have a nice museum. Our guide was friendly, knowledgeable and funny. We learned a lot from her. I enjoyed our tour. But I was a little uncomfortable with her matter of fact presentation. I felt it lacked the reverence due this sacred building. The early pioneers worked so hard and sacrificed so much to build it. The Prophet Joseph dedicated the temple to the Lord in 1836. The early members gathered there. They worshipped there. They witnessed miracles there. To them and to us it's much more than a historic building.

Next we toured our church's Kirtland site. Our guides were two sweet Sister missionaries. They also were friendly, knowledgeable, and funny. They took us to replicas and restorations of original Kirtland structures. The Newel K Whitney store was my favorite. They shared interesting facts from historical records and personal stories taken from the journals of those who had lived there. Real stories. Real events. Real people. They told the stories with expressions of gratitude and at times reverence. This place means so much to them and to the whole church.

I loved our visit to Kirtland. It was the perfect end to an unforgettable experience.

Gettysburg

Saturday at the Gettysburg battlefield memorial. There was so much to see and so much to learn.

The museum, a documentary film, a 132 year old painting (the largest in North America), a 2 hour guided bus tour...and I still feel like I didn't even see half of it.

A day well spent and another important reminder about our history.

Church History Surprise

Friday we stopped for lunch at Applebees in Ephrata PA. Zina pointed out a large poster about Seventh-Day Baptists. That piqued our curiosity. So after a nice lunch we just had to check out this state historic site.

It was absolutely fascinating and a fun way to learn about Conrad Beissel and the religious order he started at Ephrata in 1732.

I could not even begin to share all our guide told us during the tour. He's the man dressed in the white robe in the picture below. This was the daily dress of the "Solitary", Beissel's most devout followers.

  Here are just a few interesting tidbits:

-the two most important issues to Beissel were Saturday Sabbath and celibacy. 

-the followers who lived a celibate life were called Solitaries. They lived a life of deprivation. They lived together in the commune or cloister.They ate one small meal at 6pm each day and a few bites of bread at other times when feeling faint. No meat at all. They slept on a narrow wooden bed with a square wooden pillow. They worked long hours.

-he also had married followers called Householders. They lived in houses on farms and lived a typical farm life.

-Beissel died 1778

-the last celibate member died in 1813

-the householders formed the German Seventh-Day Baptist Church. It lasted until 1934.

This was not exactly what we had in mind when we planned our church history tour, but it was a fun surprise and a happy discovery.

Notice the low ceilings and short doorways. They were built that way to remind them off their lowly state.

Goodbye NYC

NYC- CHECK!
We crammed a lot of New Yorking into two days. Here's recap of this part of the adventure:
-driving in crazy traffic
-taxi rides with memorable drivers
-hours in subways
-boat rides
-Statue of Liberty
-Ellis Island
-September 11 memorial
-Central Park
-Carnegie Deli (for enormous delicious Reuben sandwiches.

There was so much more to our visit here. Howard & Zina and Fred & I will tell NYC stores the rest of our lives. But now it's time to bid this crazy place a fond farewell. We've got a date with Gettysburg.

Never Forget

Before I close out the New York chapter of our adventure, I need to share this somber but important post.

Today we visited the September 11th memorial at ground zero of the attack on the twin towers. It was an emotional reminder of a very dark time in our nation's history. The memorial brings it back to us with remnants of the towers, photos, art, recorded voices and more.

I believe remembering is important. Remembering the shock, the fear, the loss, the hopelessness and helplessness. But also remembering the courage, the sacrifice, the unity and the return to faith in God.

We've lost much of the unity we had then. Our shared purpose is all but gone.  We are slowly becoming a nation divided. In some cases fear has become hate. Faith is often ignored or even ridiculed.

We need to remember. We must never forget. No. Not. Ever.

NYorking It

Tuesday-After leaving the beautiful peaceful country side of upstate New York we dove (drove) head first it into the BIG noise, BIG traffic, BIG chaos of the BIG CITY!

The gps led us on a not so direct route to Fort Hamilton in Brooklyn. We gladly turned off the trickster gps, parked the car, and nearly fell into our very comfortable beds in our very nice rooms.

Wednesday checked off another item from the bucket list as we became NYC tourists. We shared a motel shuttle with another retired couple. Bob and Brenda quickly became friends and touring buddies. Side note: I just saw them on tv standing in the crowd outside the Today show. Bucket list?

We started with a long ride on the subway. The highlight of the subway experience,was a sweet friendly Egyption lady who shared the ride with us. Zina offered her the empty seat next to her. She was quite surprised. After a few minutes of conversion, she said she knew we weren't New Yorkers because...we were too nice. Side note: We met several nice people here. Individuals yes, crowds not so much.

Seeing the Statue of Liberty in the harbor was awe inspiring. It stirred patriotic feelings. Touring Ellis island also had a similar impact. So many people sacrificed everything to come to America. We didn't love the commercialism or the few park employees who seemingly hate their jobs.

Surprisingly the highlight of our first day as NYC tourists was a waiter named Brian at Chadwick's in Brooklyn. He was attentive, folksy and funny. The food was delicious but he just made our day.

Susquehanna

On to Pennsylvania, where we stopped at what was once known as Harmony. The priesthood of our Heavenly Father was restored to the earth at this sacred location. The power and authority to do God's will and act in his name continues to bless the world today.

On the banks of the Susquehanna River the faithful followers gathered to partake in the ordinance of baptism. They were baptized by immersion in the waters of the river. They did as the Lord commanded in the way he instructed- by immersion and through his priesthood.

I have been impressed with the painstaking accuracy of each of the sites we visited. Every effort had been made to keep everything true to history, which was carefully researched. Each site is manned by well informed and enthusiastic guides (missionaries). The grounds and buildings are meticulously maintained. These sites are more than interesting, they are a vital part of God's important work. Visiting them is a privilege.

Whitmer Farm

We hit the road first thing this morning, headed to Fayette New York and the site of the Whitmer family home. We enjoyed another fascinating and inspiring tour. The Whitmer home was the location of many miracles, evidence of God's hand in the work of the restoration. Here the prophet Joseph came to complete the translation of the golden plates with Oliver as his scribe.

It would be hard to share all we saw and heard during the ninety minutes we spent there. I loved the stories, the testimonies, the replicas of real homes of real people and the lovely peaceful surroundings.

The Reason

The plans for this adventure started a year ago. We were in Utah, visiting our good friends Howard and Zina. The conversation turned to travel and the topic of church history sites came up. I'm not sure who first mentioned it. The idea quickly became a plan. The plan became a trip. The trip became an adventure and here we are!

We have had fun, seen amazing scenery, eaten good food and some not so good food. But yesterday we arrived at Palmyra New York. The location of many early church history sites. This is the purpose of our trip. This is the reason.

We actually stood in the sacred places of the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Such as the quiet peaceful grove where God the Father and his son Jesus Christ appeared to young Joseph Smith in response to his prayerful quest for truth.

We toured the replica of Joseph's childhood home. It was built on the original foundation using detailed descriptions of the original, found in Lucy Mack Smith's journal. This was where the Angel Moroni's divine visitations prepared Joseph to receive the golden plates, a very important sacred record.

We saw the places of miracles and trials. My heart was filled with gratitude. I have a greater appreciation for Joseph Smith's courage and devotion to God. My testimony of the truthfulness of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was strengthened.

There's more adventure to come. More fun, more food, more scenery! I look forward to it. But THIS is the reason.

Rainy Day-No Blues

Yesterday was our last day in Niagara Falls. We had planned to drive over the border to see the Canadian side of the falls. When the sky and the weather forecast promised rain we quickly devised plan B.

We did go to Ontario, but spent our time in a quaint little tourist attraction called Niagara on the Lake.

The first thing we saw was a big field with boy scouts in red colonial style uniforms. They were participating in a battle reenactment. It was fun to watch. I loved hearing the boys shout orders to their troops. My favorite order went something like this, "This way, and move quickly! But don't run-that cannon weighs 500 pounds." He was referring to the cardboard replica they were pushing on a cart.

The little town was filled with beautiful homes, cute shops and restaurants. I loved the Christmas store and the old fashioned candy shop.

Then we drove to the lake of "Niagara on the Lake". Even in the rain Lake Ontario was awe inspiring. The rain couldn't ruin our fun.

Today we will attend church then drive to Palmyra. The next couple days we will enjoy the church history portion of our trip. I'm so excited.

Thunder Gods

We spent about six hours at Niagara Falls today. Six hours of "WOW"!

Legend claims Native American tribes referred to the roar of the falls as the thunder God's. I can certainly understand why. The nearer to the falls the more thunderous the roar. The water was breath taking, so beautiful. In fact I found myself a little spell-bound by the rolling churning rapids. They were at times frighteningly powerful.

Our visit to Niagara Falls included a hike to the hurricane deck covered with our thin yellow plastic ponchos. Followed by a boat ride under the spray, in equally thin blue plastic ponchos. Thin plastic ponchos are no match for the thunder gods. We were soaked- twice.

We learned a lot about the falls from our funny trolley driver and the documentary video in the visitor's center.

I'm so glad I got to check "visit Niagara Falls" off my bucket list. Even if I never really added it.

Wild Blue Yonder

No this isn't the ocean or even the sky. It's a picture of Lake Huron taken from the Blue Water  Bridge. We crossed from Port Huron Michigan into Ontario Canada today. That is the quickest way to get from the central states to Niagara Falls New York.

So many firsts today. So much beautiful scenery. I'm in awe of our amazing country. I'm so grateful for this opportunity to see little more of the nation I love.

Practice fun.

Our cross country trek kicks off tomorrow. We spent the day in training, having some practice fun.
Aquarium, lunch at Joe's (Crab Shack that is), movie at the Megaplex ...get the picture?
             

   Fun can be tiring.

Another adventure, a new blog!

I've been creating a bucket
list in my head for years. When I hear about something that sounds exciting, interesting or just plain fun, I often tell Fred we need to add it to our bucket list.
In reality the list just stayed in my head...until now! 

My first two blogs were dedicated to our full time missionary service. This blog will record an adventure fresh off our bucket list. A church history tour including added stops and lots of fun with good friends Howard and Zina.

Disclaimer: The bucket list in the picture is real. We did experience the items which are checked off. BUT some of them became part of the bucket list only after we did them. They were just to cool not to include.