Nauvoo Vacation, Day Five: Ryanne goes to the Temple!

Our first Day in Nauvoo was Saturday, July 3rd. 

Wes, Ryanne and I got up early and went to the Nauvoo temple

 to do baptisms for the dead. 

[We believe that ordinances, such as baptism, are required to enter the presence of God and must be performed for those who did not have the opportunity to receive them while in their earth life.  Therefore, we do these ordinances for them . . . not to be forced upon those who we represent, but to be available to them if they desire to accept them]. 

This was Ryanne's first time entering the temple.  She was nervous and excited.  The temple itself was absolutely beautiful.  The baptismal font was huge! We had prepared family names--names of our ancestors who passed away generations ago: grandparents, great grandparents, great-great grandparents, great aunts and uncles--it was these names we took with us into the font.  We met our friends Scott, Wesley and Adam Dalton at the temple and they helped us complete our family names. It was a beautiful experience. 

Ryanne said it was her favorite part of the whole trip. 

Mine too.   

After the temple, Wes and I took Ryanne to explore parts of Nauvoo without the other kids.  We drove through the town and went to the Red Brick Store  It was so nice to spend a few hours with just Ryanne; being with her was delightful.  She enjoys history, old buildings, tours, and information.  It was nice to be with someone who could truly respect and appreciate the places we were walking in. 

 Ryanne wanted to see the Homestead

where Joseph and Emma lived.

 Wes wanted to see the 

Red Brick Store that Joseph operated. 

 The second story of the store was used

as a meeting room for the church leaders.

Joseph also had a study in the store.



Here is the upper room.  Wes was very anxious and excited to be in the room used for the school of the Prophets.  Th was one of the places he was just dying to see!  He was beaming as he considered upon all that was revealed to man from the Lord right in that very room!   I loved standing there and reflecting on the organization of the Relief Society. 

 In the Red Brick Store.

 Dad and his two girls. 

We made it to Nauvoo, Illinois!

After crossing the Mississippi into Illinois, (we've now been in 7 states on this trip!) we decided to drive to Carthage Jail.  We go there right at closing time, so we decided to come back another day.  We drove on to Nauvoo, full of excitement to reach our destination!

It is so green here!  Trees canopy the ground everywhere.  I love it.
 I saw a fox running along the side of the road. 


We saw several deer.  Ryanne saw turtles in the Mississippi River.  Wildlife is abundant here. 
Also, we can now update our road-kill toll: we are adding 12 raccoons to the list, including a mother and two babies.  These we saw in a five mile stretch of road right outside Nauvoo.  They must come down from the hills and try to cross the road to get to the river.  Poor things. 



We arrived at our hotel about 8:30pm, glad to be out of the car for the evening. 

Our room has four bunkbeds (one with a full size mattress).  There is a little fridge, a microwave, and a TV about the size of a dime.  It's slightly cramped--we are going to be cozy! The kids fought over who gets the top bunks.  We will have to rotate!



Yay! We're here!

What's A-foot?

Some body's foot got tattooed while they were sleeping!
Who's foot is this?  And who would dare write on it? 
Aren't those little toes cute?!

p.s. Mom loves you, little foot.

Nauvoo Vacation Day Four: Far West and Adam-ondi-Ahmen

Far West:

"Settled by members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1836, Far West became the commercial and ecclesiastical center of the Church, as well as the county seat. As members of the Church continued to gather in Far West and surrounding towns, local Missourians began to fear the growing population and its influence. Differences in religion and political views and many other factors led to discord between the two groups. Local mobs began harassing outlying Latter-day Saint settlements, forcing the Saints to consolidate into Far West.

 In October 1838 a Missouri army surrounded Far West. At the end of three days, the Prophet Joseph Smith and other Church leaders agreed to meet with militia leaders outside the city. However, instead of conducting talks, the militia leaders arrested and sentenced Joseph and the others to death by a firing squad. Brigadier General Alexander Doniphan refused the order, stating that it was illegal. Although their lives were saved at this time, Joseph and the other leaders were unjustly incarcerated for five months, suffering horrible conditions.
 While the Church leaders were in jail, mobs continued to harass the Saints, eventually driving them out of the state despite an early winter. Church leaders Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball, and John Taylor led 5,000 suffering Saints across Missouri into Illinois.
 There were good times at Far West as well. While there, Joseph Smith received divine communications, recorded in Doctrine and Covenants section 115, that revealed that the Church's name should be The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Also revealed was the system for tithing Church members and the instruction that a temple should be built at Far West."
(http://lds.org/placestovisit/location/0,10634,1808-1-1-1,00.html)

 
 
We visited the town site of Far West, Missouri, about 30 miles north of Liberty. Here you can see the cornerstones of a temple planned by the Church.
 

We are standing by one of the huge corner stones that was laid for the temple.

Leah is cute. 

She wanted to pose and have me take pictures with her camera.

Leah thought the flowers were so pretty that she took pictures of them. 

In front of the monument at Far West.

Nauvoo Vacation: Camping Out

Alas--only one picture of this stretch got taken, which is such a shame because our campground was gorgeous.

On the way to our campground we got lost. Yes, I think we really win the stupid reward for driving. The directions seemed fairly straighforward to me, but somehow, somewhere, we got turned around. We started to get grumpy at each other, both of us having a mind to go a different route. I was supposed to be navigating, but wasn't doing a good job at it! Our communication fizzled. Wes got angry--he doesn't like to drive when he's not sure where he's going. I can't blame him, I'd be stressed out too. Especially at the end of a long, fun, but tiring day. I wanted to stop and look at the map with Wes so we could have a minute to think out where we were. But he wouldn't stop. He just kept driving hither and thither 'till he got it figured out. After that, he was quite irritable for the rest of the night, even after we got to our campsite.

It was 9:30 when we arrived and the sun had just slipped down. We rolled out our sleeping bags on a tarp on the ground and hung out our wet pool clothes to dry on a railing surrounded by vegetation. The kids caught fireflies--their first ever--while Wes and I set a few things up around the camp. They were so fascinated by the glowing bugs (me too!). We had brought little bug cages speciffically for fireflies and were glad we could put them to good use. The kids kept their "pets" overnight and let them go in the morning. We wanted to buy firewood, but it was too late, so we roasted hot dogs over the camp stove. We had chili with them and ate crackers and Nutella for dessert. It was a throw-together, late-night dinner, but the kids loved it.

After dinner I took the noisy kids for a brief walk in the dark. I wanted to settle them down. There were only a few patrons at the campground, so I wasn't too worried about disturbing people, but it was almost 10:30 by this time, so I thought getting the rowdy, jumping kids out of the campsite and on a quiet, star-gazing walk would soothe us. I had the kids sit down in the middle of the road (because it was the only place devoid of trees) and we looked up at the blazing stars. This was nothing like Ucky San Bernardino sky. It was outstanding. The kids were awed and you could sense them feeling swallowed up in the sky.

The kids were so excited to see the stars and lightening bugs. We were whispering loudly. I know that is an oxy-moron, but it is the only way to describe six people all trying whisper at once. Her is the sad thing-- I unknowingly picked the one spot in the road that was adjacent to campers. They were in a dark tent, and I couldn't see them. As we were pointing out a satellite, and the kids were talking excitedly, we suddenly heard a loud, "SHHHHH!"
Ooops! I felt so ashamed to have disrupted someone's snoozing! That's just what I was trying to avoid the whole time! We scurried off to a different, unoccupied spot, but it was too late. We had bugged our fellow tenters. They got up at 6 am and packed up and left!

We took a pit stop at the pit toilets right before bed. I am ashamed to say I have raised a bunch of whimps. This is so out of character for my background. All the kids balked and were afraid to go to the potty. Some of them were afraid because the bathrooms were dark. Some where afraid because of the bugs and spiders hanging around. There were quite a few Daddy Long-Legs type spiders and even though the kids know they don't bight, some of them were still frightened. Elias was afraid he might fall into the toilet!

Eventually we got everyone to go--except Ryanne. She absolutely refused. I told her she could pee in the bushes if she wanted to, but she refused that also. The problem was, she really had to go because she'd been holding it in the car for a while. I figured nature would eventually bring her to a solution. Her solution was to get really super angry at me and got to bed crying. She screamed, "Well fine! If I can hold it all day at school, I can hold it all night too!" She did. She insisted on waiting for a "real" toilet and later walked herself a quarter mile up to where the showers were located to see if there were toilets there. There were. We should have timed that stream--or measured the volume! How much can she hold?!

Leah was afraid to go to sleep because of spiders. She also was frightened of the dark. I tried to comfort her, but it didn't help. She finally calmed down and I heard her tell Wes, "Dad, I prayed to be safe and that no spiders will bite me." Then she rolled over and went right to sleep. What faith!

The weather was warm, but not hot; we didn't get cold. I woke up in the morning quite stiff; I had not slept well. It was sun-up, probably around 5:00 am. The birds were so numerous and so loud, I couldn't understand how anyone could possibly stay asleep through it. I haven't heard bird-song that loud and plentiful anywhere I've ever been before. It was amazing. Robins landed and took flight, spinning through the foliage, filling the sky and littering the ground. Woodpeckers knocked away on dozens of trees. Geese honked as they announced their arrivals and departures at the nearby lake. It was quite a symphony. The area was gorgeous. Arriving in the dark the night before left us a grand awakening to a beautiful "Garden of Eden" forest-land. Everything was green and delicious.

Mckay awoke and needed a potty break, so we went off together and took a two mile hike on one of the trails that went down to the lake and back. I noticed as we walked that there were bountiful bushes of poison ivy all around us. Oh dear-- how much of that had we gotten into last night in the dark? I was sure we wouldn't leave without having someone affected by it. When we got back to the campsite there was poison ivy all around the rail we'd hung our swim clothes on. There was also poison ivy along the path to the pit-toilet. I spent the whole morning fussing at all the kids to stay out of the plants! I itched for the next two days and was quite paranoid that several of us would spend the rest of our trip in misery. Amazingly, no one ever got a rash--I felt blessed and protected by the Lord. It could have made the rest of our trip down-right awful.

Back at the camp, everyone woke up with really crazy hair and we all laughed at each other. Daddy woke up stiff and sore (we're getting old) but at least he was happy. Ryanne pointed out an awesome bright red cardinal--a novelty for us west coast people. I let the kids eat as much cereal as they wanted for breakfast--a big "no-no" in our house. They delighted in the food freedom, laughing and joking into their bowls. Mckay laughed in his spoon of milk and it splattered all over his face. Mckay ate 6 bowls of cereal!
No one had any mosquito bites--a miracle. (Knock on wood).

We asked the kids if they liked the hotel or camping better. They picked camping. Except Ryanne who said, "At least the hotel had a toilet!"

We all helped pack the car and upon entering, we all voted Mckay and Leah as the sloppiest, messiest bunch of travellers around! Their shared bench in the back of the car was littered with trash, wrappers, crumbs, toys, books, and other items in great dissaray! We had to spend and extra ten minutes just to clean it out! After that we drove up to the "real" bathrooms and showered--that was refreshing.
Now we're off to Far West and Adam-Ondi-Amen.

Nauvoo Trip: Wes Makes An Unlikely Discovery About Melissa

I'm a Pyromaniac. 

Do you have a treasured memory from your childhood? 

One of my favorites is from when I was six years old and

we lived in Orem, Utah.  That Fourth of July,

 my dad splurged just a little and bought us a few sidewalk fireworks.

There were spinning flowers and,

what I remember most,

little black smoking snakes that grew and curled and twisted. 

It was the only time in my youth that I had fireworks. 

It was fascinating and thrilling to me.

The acrid smell, the fumes,

the laughter and squeals

as me and my siblings watched my dad light the fire works--

They are all a vivid memory in my mind. 

We never had fireworks again. 

Either we didn't have the money to buy them,

or we lived in Crestline, CA, where fireworks were banned. 

I saw many aerial firework shows as I grew up,

but the magic and astonishment I felt as a six-year-old

watching my dad light sparkling, glowing, smoking

magic seemed a surreal and treasured fable.  

Even as a mother, 

I could not give my own children the experience that I couldn't forget. 

Living in the foothills of dry, flammable mountains

prevents one from some activities. 

What a thrill of hope I had
as we travelled across wet Missouri and gaped at

tent after tent of fireworks stands.  These weren't little tents either;

they seemed to be circus tents that housed multitudes of elephants!

I wondered what types of fireworks could fill such an immense space--

surely something exciting!

I wanted to beg Wes to pull over,

but restrained myself,

knowing that our budget was already bursting with this trip. 

I watched longingly as red and blue ribbons

waved by and disappeared.

After several tents had traipsed past the windows of our car,
Wes must hav noticed my longing stares:
"What would you think about checking out the fireworks?"
My heart leapt at the thought--but caution kept me
from exposing my hopes too openly;
"What for?  It would only get the kids' hopes up."
Secretly, I felt my own longings begin to pine.
I couldn't believe my husbands next words:
 "Maybe we could get a few little ones for the kids."
I was ecstatic:  "REALLY?!!!!!"
I unloaded all the memoir of my childhood--
my father lighting little magics, the smells, the excitement.
Wes just chuckled as he eased onto the next off-ramp
and we pulled up to a tent that could have
stretched over a football field.

The kids were all sleeping, so we abandoned them
to their dreams for a short jaunt inside.
The minute we entered, my eyes were drawn in a thousand directions:
Long and skinny, squared off boxes,
chains of little dynamites--all assulting my imagination.
As Wes began meandering from table to table
and down haphazard rows,
I couldn't keep up.
One worker casually notified us: 
"Hey, everything is half off--we just need to get rid of it."
My excitement soared as Wes just winked at me,
a pleased and knowing wisdom in his eye
told me he knew he had me hook, line, and sinker.
I stopped at random wares that caught my eyes,
"What's this one?  How does this work?  What does this look like?
How loud does this one sound?  Tell me about this one."
I fired off question after question to Wes,
plumbing the depths of his pyro-technic knowledge,
a coveted secret I had only touched the surface of at age 6.
I stood enwrapt at the tales he seemed to tell:
the colors swirled in my imagination
at his descriptions, detailing the intricacies of magical fireworks.
As he wove picutures in my mind,
we just added more and more to our basket,
each time I asked, "Can we try that one?"
I was like a little girl again--and I loved it!

 After a half-an-hour of browsing--and amassing an arsenal
of Fourth-of-July fun,
we checked out giddily and headed for the car.
The kids saw us coming, loaded down
with a full box of fireworks.
This was going to be a Fourth-of-July to remember!

Nauvoo Vacation: Liberty Jail

After the water park we went shopping at a grocery store to get dinner/breakfast and lunch supplies.  We only had a small amount of room in our car, so we had to shop as we went along.  Besides, we bought food for three meals for 37 dollars; that's just about how much it would cost us all to eat out at McDonalds-- Once!  After a snack, we drove out of Independence and headed toward Liberty, Mo.  As you can see from above, the kids were worn out!  They took a quick snooze as we drove.  Elias had the setting sun on his face, so he covered his head with his little blanky. 

Sun and Fun: Yup, she's tired!

I printed directions from Independence to Liberty Jail

off of Map Quest before we left on our trip. 

We had a nice drive and found ourselves in the little Town of Liberty

without too much confusion; only one junction in

the rural roads gave us a little confusion. 

 We were surprised, however, to end our trip

not at the Mormon Visitors Center for Liberty Jail,

 but at the actual modern-day court house and jail in Liberty! 

 I guess when you do a Map Quest for Liberty Jail,

you get sent to the real deal. 

Wes wanted to know who I was sending to jail! 

We found our way, thanks to city signs,

and went into one of Wes' favorite parts of our trip: 

The "Prison Temple." 

 Reconstruction of the original Liberty Jail.  The main door locked from the outside--once the guards were in there, they were locked in until another guard came to relieve them.  The prison attic and walls had loose rocks in them.  Large rocks.  If prisoners or guards tried to get out, the rocks would tumble down and crush them. 
 

The kids each had their own disposable cameras.  Some of them took pictures of the funniest things! At Liberty Jail, Elias and Leah took pictures of the pictures!  They were each touched by the artwork they saw and wanted to be able to remember the pictures and their feelings.  The photos aren't that great, but that's okay, you can buy the artwork and enjoy it!
This is the one that Elais liked.  It is a picture of Emma fleeing with her children across the mississippi river.  She has the manuscript in a pocket under her skirts. 

The one that Leah was moved by is the painting of Joseph Smith praying in Liberty Jail:

 Waiting for the presentation to start.  Wes is really super-excited to be here. 

He loves the sections of the Doctrine and Covenants

that were revealed to the Prophet while he was entombed in Liberty Jail. 

 Mannequin of Joseph Smith writing revelations in the dungeon.
Mckay said, "We learned that one of the men
who stayed withJoseph Smith, one of the prisoners,
had a hunchback forever after he was in Liberty Jail.
He was tall and couldn't stand up all the way in there.
He was always hunched over. But he stayed with Joseph."

 Here is Wes in front of the jail.  Behind him is the lower "dungeon" level

and the mannequins representing the men who stayed

with Joseph Smith during his incarceration. 

After the tour, Leah said, "The dark and the gun shots scared me.  I think the church should make a playroom in this building like they had in Independence!"

Elias said, " I liked using my own little camera to take pictures of things that were special.  I felt sad about the Joseph being in jail of course, and he was a prophet, of course!"

Ryanne said, "I just don't understand how people like Lyman Wight could desert the church after Joseph died and Brigham Young was sustained.  It's amazing that people could be that close and then leave."  Ryanne really liked the key they had that went to the door of liberty jail.  She took a picture of it. 

Wes's thoughts:  "This was one of the most defining moments of the Prophet's life--and growth.  It was here he may have been most justified in his feelings of frustration and exasperation at the unfair treatment of not only himself and closest friends, but of the Saints collectively.  This was the culmination of 7 1/2 years of pesecution and brutality.  It was here he began to call upon God for justice--for deliverance, for retribution upon the enemies of righteousness.  And in the midst of asking for what he was so convinced was 'right', the Lord taught him the greatest lessons on the Priesthood--long suffering, patience, and love:  the things he felt least inclined to give.  I think life is like that on occasion.  We feel as if we are wronged--and we may have been--we are frustrated, hurt, and possibly even hoping a bit for 'justice' toward those who have hurt us.  And it is within those sacred moments we are offered the opportunity to face and defeat the natural man, and give place for the Saint to surface."

 The sister missionary, "Sister F.", who gave us our tour was from Australia. 

Her accent was fun.  More importantly, she brought the spirit with her. 

Leah fell in love with her and asked her a lot of questions. 

I felt impressed to ask Sister F why she came on a mission

and she shared her feelings and a beautiful testimony of the gospel. 

The children were touched by this and by her

encouragements to be friends as a family--to

strengthen each other. 

Thank you to all those missionaries who serve us and

 strengthen our tetimonies.  We love you all!

Jurney to Nauvoo: The Water Park; Day Three

We had a picnic lunch on the grass outside the LDS Visitors Center after touring the sites in Independence.  Nearby, another family with four beautiful little girls was also eating lunch.  Elias left our picnic with his sandwich and hid behind a tree near the other family so he could spy on the little girls.  One seemed to be near his age.  Little did he know he would meet her again later. 

After lunch, we were ready for some activity and fun, so we went to the Independence City Parks and Rec: Oasis Adventure Water Park  It was cheap: only about six bucks each.  There was a more fantastical water park called Oceans of Fun in nearby Kansas City, but it cost forty dollars per person.  Our budget cried for the former: it ended being the perfect afternoon release of energy.

I opted not to take my camera--I just wanted to have fun and play with the kids, not be a photographer! So I don't have any cute pictures. 

The kids loved it.  There were three water slides.  Elias was too short by a quarter of an inch to slide down, but at first there was a boy lifeguard and he let Elias go down.  Later, a girl lifeguard refused him admittance. He was happy to have his first three turns down and didn't complain.  Leah who was very nervous at first, went down and then said, "I want to go down a faster water slide!" 

There was a kid play-park in the water that had fountains and little slides.  All the kids wanted to play on it.  There was a huge water bucket about 15 feet up that filled up with water and dumped out about every five minutes.  All the kids at the park would sit or stand at the "deluge spot"--they figured out exactly where to sit to get the full force of the water as it careened down.  The force was so great that it would knock them right over--whether sitting or standing.  Elias would jump up afterward and do his little shake and yell, "It's beatin' me up! It's beatin' me up!"  All the parents were chuckling at him.  Later he befriended three cute teenage girls.  He just walked up and introduced himself and they were smitten.  They played with him in the kiddie park for a half hour.  He told them all about his brothers and sisters and even pointed out his mom who was watching.  He made them laugh and giggle.  What are we going to do when he's a teen?!

There was also a rock climbing wall in one pool.  We all tried it out, without much success.  Mckay was a conqueror, though, and made it to the top several times.  The rest of us just fell off and splashed into the pool. 

Our family favorite was the park's "Lazy River". We floated around on inner-tubes many times.  In the lazy river we played tag, chased each other, and made a six-person tube train and "choo-chooed" all the way around. We also had fun trying to shove each-other under the water fall. Ryanne got me good every time we went around!  The funniest thing that happened all day was that one of the kids (name withheld) was trying to jump onto their tube backwards and slipped off.  Somehow, as this person slid off, their shorts went down about five inches.  Everyone near had a nice view of "the Crack and Cheek."  There were some cute teenage boys near too--Ahhh!  I must say it was embarrassing at first, but the  child and I laughed our heads off about it later. 

Although I insisted on sunblock for everyone, Wes fried his legs.  He doesn't like sunblock.  At least he let me put it on his face and neck!   We stayed at the park about four hours until we were all hungry for dinner.  All-in-all, a great way to shake off two days of travelling and one morning of quiet tours.

Summer Vacation: Still Day Three-- Independence, Missouri

Pretty sad that it is now October and I am only writing about the third day of our vacation in July! Such is the life of a busy mother.  Moments for pleasurable journal writing are rare! 

Sorry if this is too long-winded for some of you.  You don't have to read it all.  I am adding all the details I can because I am going to turn this into a book for my children for a Christmas present. 

We visited the temple of the Community of Christ church.  The temple is open to the public for guided tours.  The boys thought the outside looked like a space ship.  Their view changed when we went in.  They were all impressed with some of the beautiful artwork that is inside. 

 

Before entering we paused to let the kids examine
some statues in the courtyard. 
Here a young man and boy are
 beating their swords into plow shares .
  The Community of Christ focuses its
worship on "proclaiming Jesus Christ
 and promoting communities of joy, hope, love, and peace."
They promote international peace.

The kids wanted to pose with the statues. 

They were confused about the young statue-boy having long hair

and insisted he must be a girl!

We tried in vain to explain

 the concept of men having longer hair in the 1800's!

  

Does he look like a blacksmith?

This is the beautiful 5,684-pipe

organ that is in the Temple Sanctuary.

The Community of Christ holds a

Daily Prayer for Peace

in the sanctuary--365 days a year.

These services are led by religious leaders

from different denominations.

Mckay was dying to go up

on the balcony and see the organ.

Our very kind tour guide gave him permission.

 Mckay was very polite and reverent. 

I could see his fingers itching to play the instrument!

He told me later that

he really wanted to play some hymns on the piano.

I don't know if it was the beautiful room, the grand piano,

the thrill of sitting up on a stage in front of us all . . . .

or maybe all of the above. 

He withheld himself from the temptation

and posed instead for a picture.

Symbols of world-wide peace and unity in the Sanctuary.

The girls are under the spiral--looking up into the "conch shell".

It was a unique and beautiful sight. 

Our tour guide told the children

that if they stood directly under the center

of the spiral and looked up at it,

it would be impossible for them to hold still. 

They all tried it,

and all of them stood there wobbling around!

We all had a good laugh and enjoyed the sight. 

Looking up into the

Temple Sanctuary Spiral.

"The design was based on the nautilus seashell,

the ceiling rises 195 feet.

The spiral represents the inward and outward journey of discipleship.

 It is symbolic of the importance of our personal relationship with God

 and our efforts to share the peace of Jesus Christ

 in communities throughout the world."

The cross on the exterior wall of the Chapel

is made from pieces of wood

donated by Community of Christ members

 from areas all over the world.

There are 100 different kinds of wood in this cross.

It represents more than 50 countries

in which their church is officially established.

"The three olive branches at the center of the cross

are shaped like a descending dove.

Both are symbols of peace."

This is the entryway to the "Worshipers Path."

This is a spiraling hallway that lends itself to

peace, worship and reverence.

It has beautiful art work--

symbols of direction on our path to Jesus Christ. 

I didn't take pictures through the path, but did take,

upon request of Ryanne and Leah,

pictures of the entryway art. 

This is the Sacred Grove.

"Layers of carved glass represent the wooded grove

 in New York where Joseph Smith Jr.

had a prayerful experience

 that led him to found this church.

It beckons worshipers toward the sanctuary

as they seek their own encounter with the Divine."

Artist: Kathy Barnard

 It is a beautiful and inspiring piece of work. 

Next is the burning bush.

Leah especially liked this one. 

"The multidimensional textile reminds us

of God's call to Moses found in the Old Testament.

 God called to him out of a bush.

"'Moses! Moses!' He looked and the bush was blazing,

yet it was not consumed... 'Take off your sandals,

for the place where you are standing is holy ground.'"

—Exodus 3:2-5

Artist: Linda Henke

 The next few pictures are not my own,

the hallway was much too dark

for my little camera to take pictures.

 These come from the Community of Christ web-site. 

Prodigal Son

A black granite carving represents the story Jesus shared about a young man who made some poor life choices but was welcomed home by his forgiving father. The parable of the prodigal son assures us God will always accept us with open arms.
"For this son of mine was dead and is alive again;
he was lost and now is found!"—Luke 15:24

Artist: Kathy Barnard

The Cross
For Christians, God's love and grace are embodied in the sacrificial life and death of Jesus. Worshipers walk through the shadow of the rough-hewn cross, which is empty, proclaiming the risen Christ. Jesus said,
"Take up your cross, and follow me."
—Mark 8:34

Artists: John Weller and Lee Sampson

Tree of Life
 This brass, copper, and steel sculpture inspires images about new life, bringing forth good fruit, and spiritual growth. The movement of the leaves inspires the worshiper to continue to journey toward spiritual encounter with the Divine. "The leaves of the tree are for the healing
of the nations."—Revelation 22:2

Artist: Suat Gurtan

 

Fountain of Living Water
At the top of the Worshipers Path is a fountain of water.
Water flows over the shelf of the granite pool,
symbolizing the abundant life God has given us.
The symbolic living water quenches our spiritual thirst,
 cleansing and soothing our soul.
"The water that I will give will become in them
a spring of water gushing up to eternal life."
—John 4:14

Try keeping your kids hands out of this water after a 45 minute tour . . . . yikes! I think by the end of this tour I was so ready to get out!  Not because of the tour.  i would have liked to stay longer.  But the kids were dying--they could barely restrain themselves.  Whew--it was a relief to get them outside and let them run.  If youtake small children on this tour, ask for a short tour and a young tour-guide (they don't talk as much)!

Many of the elements of the Community of Christ, or Re-organized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day -Saints are beautiful and commendable.  They do have a sanctuary of peace.  They have much truth to offer.  However, they do not have the fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ; there are no temple sealings, many of the doctrines of Christ taught in the temple ordinances are not to be found in this community.  Joseph Smith is not proclaimed as a prophet who saw God, just a man  who had a "spiritual encounter" with the divine.  I appreciate their efforts to send a message of the Love of Jesus Christ across the world and further rejoice at the peace they extend to all sects, religions and nations.  I also share my own divine witness that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is the true church of Jesus Christ on the earth today--the fullness of the priesthood and its authority-- the blessing of eternal covenants with the Lord are found only in this organization.  I commend the great good that other religious sects carry out on the earth but also extend a testimony and an invitation for all to seek the Lord's full blessings and promises that have been revealed to a latter-day prophets of God in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. 

Back outside-- we cross the street and look back. 

Here we can see the little white visitors center

that belongs to the sect called Hedrickites--

a small off-shoot of the Mormon church. 

Behind their building we see

the Community of Christ temple spiral rising. 

To the right is the grassy field

that Joseph Smith dedicated for

the building of the true temple that will yet be

raised to God in the New Jerusalem

by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. 

We all had to pose at the Temple Site sign. 

We do believe that the Lord will come to

His people here in the last days

and that the city of Zion will be built--temple included!

It is an exciting thing to think about. 

He's just handsome!

~I love this kid~

Behind Wes and Mckay you can see the grand Auditorium

for the Community of Christ. 

This is their World Headquarters. 

This little plot of land where the temple will one day be erected

is owned by the Hedrickites or Church of Christ (Temple Lot),

--another splinter group

from the Mormon religion. 

They are named after the founder, Granville Hedrick,

who claimed to have a vision to return and purchase the land,

which he was able to do in 1867 after the Saints had been

driven from Missouri.

   The Church of Christ is a small group of about 3,000 members.

 They have not built a temple on the lot,

but do have a visitors center. 

 I think they are probably serving a

wonderful purpose in the Lord's plan for this temple lot.

"The Stone", meaning one of the corner stones

laid to mark the temple. 

Wes and Mckay are standing on the spot

where the corner stone was found.

I thought this church across the street was beautiful. 

While Wes went into the Hedrickite Church to learn their beliefs,

the kids took a break.  They were tired of tours,

so they played in the fountain

on the other side of the temple lot. 

Not the end of day three, no--not yet! 

But the end of this long blog!