Time Out!

So we woke up Friday morning to TJ deciding we were going to go to Kirtland, Ohio. So we loaded up the car and headed North. Kirtland is about 2 hours away and we arrived around 2:00. We first stopped by the Kirtland Temple, but had just missed the tour, so we went over to the LDS Visitors Center for a tour first.

They have a wonderful movie about the founding of the area and all the hard work the Saints exercised to build the Temple. It was a very spiritual experience being in the "first gathering place" of the church.

We visited the Whitney Company Store, Whitney Home, Ashery, and the Saw Mill.

After, we went over to the Temple and took a tour. They too had a video and tour guide that taught us so much about the history of the place and that it is now considered an Historic Building. It is still mostly all original inside and out, it is 176 years old. Even though it is not owned by the church anymore, you can feel the special spirit that this Temple of God holds. It was a bit disturbing that there was a huge cross in the middle of the Melchizedek Priesthood Podium, but the guide said it was special just for Easter Services.

The day was sunny and beautiful and we could feel the spirit so strongly teaching us that this was a difficult challenge for the Saints, but it was also a wonderful place and great testimony was built here for those early Saints. I could certainly relate.