Tuesday morning we woke up and had breakfast and scripture study with Emily's family. Matthew and I really enjoyed how the family went about studying the scriptures together. They each had a copy of the scriptures and if any of the copies had something marked in the chapter they were looking at, then they would all read the verse marked and discuss why they thought the scripture might have been marked and what the verse could teach us.
After breakfast, Matthew and I got changed and headed towards Kirtland. Once in Kirtland we decided to go to the Kirtland Temple first. This temple is presently owned by the Community of Christ Church and in order to keep up in the care of the building they ask for a donation to take a tour. The tour involved walking through a small museum, watching a movie about the temple and then a walk through the temple with a tour guide. The guide also informed us that the story of the women breaking up their china to help the outside walls to sparkle is not true. At first I was a little hesitant to believe it, but Matthew and I have heard this from other sources. It was a nice story and even if the sisters didn't make that particular sacrifice, I am sure they made plenty of others.
Top Left: Picture of the original spire on the Kirtland Temple...2 minutes after I took this one of the workers told me I couldn't take pictures. Bottom Right: A picture of the Kirtland Temple.
We weren’t allowed to take pictures except of the outside of the temple, but it was a great experience. We learned that the Kirtland Temple wasn't utilized in the same way that temples are today. The Kirtland Temple was really a place of learning, both temporal and spiritual. It was a meeting place for many different things, not just temple services. Today the Community of Christ seems to use it in similar ways and on occasion even allows different groups within the community to use the building for their various functions.
After visiting the temple Matthew and I went over to the visitor’s center and got a tour of some of the buildings in Kirtland, including: The Whitney store and home, the sawmill, and the ashery. We were able to go into rooms where the Prophet Joseph Smith received revelations and where the School of the Prophets was held.
Top Left: Matthew and I in Front of the Whitney Store. Top Right: Inside the front entrance of the store. This store actually had many rooms and sold things from food and clothing to supplies and books. Bottom Left: Room where the School of the Prophets was held. Bottom Right: One of the rooms above the store, where Joseph Smith received revelation.
Above: The Whitney home in Kirtland. We were told that as far as paint colors go, yellow was a more expensive color.
Above: These pictures show the sawmill. This is where many of the items of the Kirtland Temple were cut and put together. The bottom right photo shows replicas of some of the stands made in the temple.
Above: These pictures are of the Ashery. We were told that they would make things such as soap and that the ashery is still fully functional.
After our tour at the visitor’s center we went over to the Morley Farm and schoolhouse where the Missionary couple taught us a little about the history of the area and the school. The schoolhouse is no longer around, but we went on a 5 min walk to an area next to the visitor's building where the schoolhouse is believed to have been and enjoyed the surrounding nature.
After our visit to the Morley Farm we traveled over to Hiram, Ohio to the Johnson home. This home was very large in comparison to all the other homes we have visited thus far and the colors used to paint the inside were much more lively. The Sister missionary that gave us a tour explained that the different colors of paint were different prices, and that many couldn't afford more than white, but the Johnson's were blessed and could afford the luxury and so Sister Johnson took advantage. The bright colors in her home were not the only eccentric part of her decorating. You will see from the pictures below that she also had a brightly colored floor and many different designs on her doors. This place was a significant location for many of the revelations Joseph Smith received. Our guide told us that there were numerous times when many people were staying at the home helping and/or visiting the prophet.
After leaving the Johnson Farm Matthew and we headed towards the next KOA, right outside of Sandusky, Ohio, excited for our next adventure!
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