The Building

As I mentioned last week, June is giving us lots of opportunities to serve. Is it ironic we somehow always feel like we get back more than we give? This past week was one of these opportunities, and it took D to Kirtland, Ohio. He spent the last three days with a hundred youth from our area touring early church history sites. These kids are amazing, but because I don't have permission, I won't post close-ups of them. Instead this post of full of buildings, structures faithful members of our church lived in and built. Though Kirtland didn't remain a center of church activity for long, the connection we feel to this early part of our heritage is hard to miss.

The Kirtland Temple, the first in the history of the church.

"Establish a house, even a house of payer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God."

The temple was built at great sacrifice to those early members of the church. Evidence of the work is still drilled into the location where sandstone was quarried for the temple's foundation.

A reconstruction of the Johnson Inn.

The "revelation room".

The Newell K. Whitney Store.

The room where the School of the Prophets met.

 The Johnson Farm. Joseph and Emma Smith and their twin babies stayed here through the generosity of the Johnson family. Wonderful things happened here.

Terrible things happened, as well, including the night that a mob broke into this home to drag Joseph Smith out to be tarred and feathered. Because the family was dragged out into the cold, the twins died that night. As you can imagine, I have a visceral response to that story. I feel no anger, only regret and sadness that the ignorance of the mob can cause so much harm to the innocent. I'm grateful when thinking about the history of our church that we can focus on the miracle and work of the building rather that the efforts of so many to tear it down. 

This week it's my turn. I'm off to Young Women's Camp to spend six days with the girls aged twelve to eighteen. There will be a little more dirt in those photos, you can bet.