Tour of the Midwest- Stop number 2- Kirtland!

Or more specifically, John Johnson’s  farm. Our church honors and reveres it’s founding fathers, and John Johnson gave a home and meeting place for Joseph Smith, our founding prophet,  in the early days of our church. The sweet senior missionaries gave us a tour and treated us like their long lost grandchildren.

Sophia and Natalie tried on the milk maid yokes. Let’s just say we won’t be starting a farm anytime soon. We’re weak city folk.

We saw a small room off the main room that was for pregnant women coming to give birth and stay for a few weeks.

The picture on the right is the original stain found underneath layers of paint during restoration. I’d never seen any stains like that before, it was beautiful.

 

Joseph Smith’s office, and the main room where Emma and Joseph would sleep.

 

 

Upstairs study where Joseph and Oliver had a significant vision of deity and the three degrees of glory.

 

Even though I’d heard the accounts of events of these rooms half a dozen times, there’s something significant about seeing the space and imagining the events right in front of you.

 

our family, outside on the front porch, where Joseph would preach.  

 

At the visitor’s center in Kirtland we saw an exhibit by Liz Lemon Swindle, of sketches of the Savior’s Life. They were amazing. I love that style of art, the attention to detail and the emotion comes off the canvas so strongly.

 

There was also a display of items that you could look at and touch from the Savior’s life- tools used in wood carpentry, hammer and nails like those used in the crucifixion, gauze and fishermen’s nets. The girls loved being able to see everything up close.

From the exhibit upstairs you could see the main street of Kirtland.

We also visited the temple, owned now by Church of Christ. We weren’t allowed to take pictures inside. I almost did anyways, but I couldn’t set a bad example for my girls. The inside was beautiful, and I would have bought a book of pictures, if the store was open past 4 pm.

 

Also, on our way to our friends house the night before, we stopped by the Columbus temple, so I could attend while John watched the kids. One of the main reasons I go to the temple is to feel peace and to feel closer to the Lord. It never dissapoints in calming my soul.

Hooray for Church History!