Ohio

When I was a little girl, I remember my aunt coming home from her mission.  She brought us shirts that said OHIO on it and I wore mine all the time... until it had holes and my mom required that it be thrown in the rags pile!  That is really all I knew about Ohio then - that my aunt served her mission there.  I obviously learned more about Ohio in regards to church history as I grew up so it was really neat to go back there!

The Morley Farm: First stop in Ohio was the Morley Farm and Schoolhouse.  It was a pretty place where we heard of many neat things that took place here.  The Morley's sacrificed their farm and land to help the coming saints and build up the new temple.  The early saints were miraculous examples of dedication and sacrifice!  

The Kirtland Temple:  This was something I was really looking forward to!  This was the first temple our church built in this dispensation.  It was used differently than we use temples today because at this time, the temple ordinances had not yet been fully revealed.  Today, this temple is no longer owned by our church.  As the saints were driven from Kirtland, they had to leave the temple behind.  Today, the temple is owned by the Community of Christ Church.  However, they still have tours and I am grateful for the experience as we still got to see the craftsmanship put into the temple by the saints.  We also got to be in the room where the Savior appeared.  

Newel K. Whitney Store: We walked through the store and were able to see many of the items that were sold there at that time.  We also saw where Joseph and Emma and their family lived in the store.  The Whitney's were so good to Joseph and Emma.  We saw the room where the school of the prophets was held and where Emma, having to clean up Tobacco, asked Joseph about the purpose of that nasty habit.  Because of that, the Prophet inquired and the Word of Wisdom was revealed.  I'm very grateful for the Word of Wisdom in my life!

(Oh yeah, have I mentioned that my husband has a black belt in Advanced American Kempo?  Hence the headlock in this picture!)

The John Johnson Home:  We drove about 45 minutes outside of Kirtland to the John Johnson Home. At the time, it took the saints 2 days to get from here to Kirtland.  I am glad it only took us 45 minutes, but it really made me think about how much I take for granted!  Here is where the Prophet was living when the mobs stole him from his room and tarred and feathered him in the street.  Our prophet went through SO much for our church as did his wife and the saints who helped his family!  It was in this home where the revelation of the degrees of glory was revealed.

Amish Country: A lot of the areas surrounding Kirtland are Amish communities.  On our way out, we drove by some Amish land.  We saw boys driving wagons, young men farming with horse-drawn machinery, and clothes out on the line.  They have an interesting way of life.  I envy the simplicity of their life in regards to distractions - they don't have media and electronics to fill their time; however, I know that they have a difficult life in the work they must do to just live day to day.  I respect their determination to stand for what they believe despite the pressures of the world!

Kirtland, Ohio was a beautiful area.  Humid, yes.  But oh so green and the air was so fresh.  We had a wonderful time!  The saints of Kirtland were incredible people!