church history tour

Fayette and Priesthood Restoration Site.

We awoke early on Sunday to drive to Fayette, New York, where the first meeting of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was held.  We had been there the day before, to tour the Peter Whitmer Log Cabin, but thought it would be appropos to spend our Sunday worship at this singular site.

The church meetinghouse there was constructed in 1980 and used for the Sunday morning session of General Conference on April 6 that year.  President Spencer W. Kimball gave an address to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the restoration of the church of Jesus Christ.  Attending sacrament meeting there was a fantastic way to kick off our Sabbath day.

We then traveled southeast through the Finger Lakes region of New York, deciding then and there that a vacation home on one of the lakes would be a splendid idea.  Not unlike the giant RV, or beach house on the Oregon Coast, or the jet boat we’ve dreamed of on previous vacations.  Seriously beautiful scenery.  So beautiful that we simply soaked it in and have no pictures to prove it.

Our travels landed us in Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania.  In recent years, the church transformed this area from the simple monument that once stood marking the spot of the restoration of the Priesthood, to a more souped up version.  A visitor’s center, the Hale home, the smaller Hale home that the Smiths lived in for a time, and an area of maintained land where the events surrounding the priesthood restoration were thought to have taken place (based on historical accounts).

What I would like to remember about Harmony Pennsylvania:

  1.  Joseph met Emma (Hale) there while working for a man named Josiah Stowell.  Stowell was digging for Spanish silver in the area and hired Joseph and his father for a handsome price.  Within a month, Joseph determined that no silver was to be found and informed Josiah of the fact.  Despite needing the salary to support their family, Joseph had the integrity to call it quits when he knew nothing was to be found.  He didn’t find silver, but he did meet his future wife while they lodged with her family in Harmony.

2.  The Hale home was fancy by 19th century standards.  Emma grew up in privileged circumstances and enjoyed the benefits of formal education.  This qualified her to become Joseph’s first scribe as he translated the Book of Mormon.  It also demonstrates the amount of faith Emma had to trade her cushy circumstances and Methodist faith to convert to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and marry its founder, an uneducated farm boy whom her father detested.  Though her father opposed their union, he later invited them to live in his home, then the home adjacent to their property, where they began work translating the Book of Mormon.  Emma was also part breadwinner, Joseph being occupied with the work of the Restoration.  She was a remarkable woman of faith and grit.

3.  Despite artwork depicting a veil separating Joseph and the gold plates from his scribe (so as to keep the plates from the view of others), there is no indication that this ever happened.  In fact, more of the records indicate that the plates were kept hidden under Emma’s tablecloth, and that Joseph did not even view them directly while translating.  Based on what we know, he would use what was called a seer stone, which would somehow highlight a phrase, which he would utter to the scribe.  The scribe would then record the words and read them back to Joseph.  If what was uttered did not match the words indicated by the seer stone, they would halt until corrections were made.  Some are weirded out by the whole idea of a seer stone, but I think that’s silly.  Especially if one purports to be a religious person.  Biblical accounts demonstrate the use of objects for religious purposes on several occasions (Moses’ brass serpent, the Urim and Thummim, etc.)  Others are skeptical that Joseph could translate without even looking directly at the plates.  But then, my husband Tim can read entire books via Audible on his phone without even looking at or touching the screen.  We call it Bluetooth.  We are so quick to pooh-pooh ideas that are unfathomable to us, due to our limited understanding of technology or the cosmos.  If God created the universe, certainly he can figure out a way for an uneducated farm boy to translate an ancient record into English without looking at it.  Seriously.

4.  The restoration of the Aaronic Priesthood through John the Baptist and the Melchizedek Priesthood through Peter, James and John here in Harmony, Pennsylvania are of particular significance to me because they gave men the authority to do God’s work on the earth.  It made baptism and receiving the Gift of the Holy Ghost available to people in this day and age.  It is not enough to just say one believes in God and then go about your merry way doing what you’ve always done.  God has a plan for us, and the fulfillment of that plan is predicated on our acceptance (and execution) of His requirements.  Receiving and keeping priesthood ordinances/covenants is an act of faith on our part, one that binds us to Him and will eventually lead us safely back to His presence.

By the time we took the path down to the river, we were all crazy hot, not to mention tired and hungry.  Anna even toyed with the idea of staying in the car, so we left it running so she wouldn’t melt in the heat and humidity.  She snuck out of the car, unbeknownst to Tim, followed by Eve, who was about to shut the door, when I stopped her abruptly, seeing that Anna had exited the vehicle.  Tim, out of habit, had locked the doors, which would not have been much of a problem if Anna had stayed, but since she didn’t, we were THIS close to locking our only set of keys in the car while it was running.  We were all grateful that we avoided that potential disaster.  Ah!  On to Albany for the night!

Kirtland 2018

Day One:

We kicked off our day in the car and gave our kids a brief explanation of the significance of Kirtland in church history.  Hopefully it whetted their appetites for what was to come.  We made good time, arriving after only 5 hours on the road.

On the recommendation of the senior missionaries who greeted us at the visitor’s Center, we watched the introductory video on Kirtland and hiked up the hill to catch one of the last tours of the temple for the day.

I have nothing to compare it to, but I truly appreciated the reverence with which the tour guide approached the tour.  His knowledge was diverse, and, knowing that the vast majority of summer visitors to Kirtland are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, he taught us in a unifying way about the history our churches share there.

A few tidbits I want to remember:

  1.  They kept reminding us to use the “outer” railing while ascending (and descending) the stairs, because the inner railing was original to the 1836 construction of the temple (and likely unable to support the weight of 21st century Americans-haha).
  2. The saints used their ground up china pieces to mix in with the cement/stucco exterior so that the outside literally glittered in the sunlight.
  3. It was at a great cost that the Saints built this structure.  When Joseph Smith originally announced that the Lord wanted them to build a house unto the Lord, they envisioned a log cabin.  Joseph had seen in a vision what the temple was to look like, and he reminded the saints that they were not to build a house of man but a house of God.  Though the temple is beautiful, it is fairly  simple by today’s standards.  But to them, it must have seemed the most elegant of structures.  It’s beauty must have been even more awe-inspiring, knowing the sacrifice it had been to build it, in their poverty.
  4. Today, the Commmunity of Christ(who own the temple) ring the bell in the bell tower 50 times each Sunday morning.  When asked why 50 times, our guide said they weren’t sure, other than it is a tradition that has held up over the years. He then added that there is reason to believe that it is tied to the word Pentecost, which means fifty, because the dedication of the Kirtland Temple was recorded as a day of Pentacost much like in the book of Acts where there were heavenly visitations and people speaking in tongues.  That sounds about right to me.
  5. The stands in the Kirtland Temple have seats for the various offices of the priesthood-Aaronic (deacon, teacher, priest, bishop) and Melchizedek(elder, high priest/high council-where Joseph Smith would have sat because he was not only the prophet of the church but the stake president in a Kirtland).
  6. The Community of Christ still uses the temple for worship services.  The night before we visited, they held a hymn service in honor of Emma Smith (it was her birthdate), who compiled the first hymn book of the church.
  7. The original plaster of the exterior of the temple was bluish but began fading fast.  There were also numerous cracks, which gave it a dilapidated look very quickly.  Because they could not repair the cracks as quickly as the paint was fading, they finally restored the entire exterior, this time painting it in white.  The windows contain several of the original panels of glass-you can tell which ones they are because they have a bluish tint to them.
  8. They packed this building to the gills on dedication day. Each row contained 12-15 adults (we sat 7-8 comfortably during our tour) and they stayed like that for 7 1/2 hours!
  9. We sang The Spirit of God in the house of worship (bottom floor of the temple) together at the close of our tour.  It was a touching conclusion to the instruction we had just received.  It served as a reminder to me of the history we share with the current owners of the temple.  It gave me a glimpse of the gratitude with which this building was dedicated almost 200 years ago.  And, it testified to me of the glorious event it was-that all the keys of the priesthood are available to us once again and that our path back to our Heavenly home is clearly marked and is found in keeping the covenants we make in the temple.

It was wonderful to spend our time there together as a family AND, as a bonus, Jack was only a minor distraction.

After the temple tour, we took a few pictures, then tried to get started on a tour of Historic Kirtland, only to find that Jack had expired and it would have to wait for the next day.  We barely made it through the Isaac Morley Farm tour before heading out to grab a late dinner and check in to our hotel.

Day Two:

We intended to tour Historic Kirtland and then swing by the Johnson Farm on our way out of town.  As luck would have it, the Newell K Whitney store was in use that morning.  The mission has a tradition of wishing their departing missionaries goodbye by having a special meeting in the Whitney store.  An amazing experience for them, but during peak season in Kirtland, a major inconvenience for visitors hoping to tour it.

We were relegated to driving the 45 minutes to the Johnson farm in Hiram, Ohio.  It was on our list, and an incredibly significant place, we had just hoped to save it for last, simply because of the lack of proximity to other Kirtland sites.

It turned out to be a blessing.  Jack fell asleep while we were en route to the farm and slept all the way through our tour, finally waking up 2 hours later just before we arrived back in Kirtland.  As one can imagine, a well-rested two-year-old makes a far better tour companion than an exhausted one.  His improved behavior allowed us to have a reverent, sacred experience in the Whitney store.

A few things I want to remember about this day:

  1.  While touring the ashery, we learned that the Saints made potash using an arduous process and sold it for quite a price. (Back then it was used in all sorts of goods, including china).  The revenue from the ashery helped fund the construction of the Kirtland Temple.  Soon after the completion of the temple, it was discovered that potash occurs naturally in the environment and can be mined.  Naturally, this negated the purpose of the ashery and drove prices way down.  The timing of the discovery of potash was a blessing to the Kirtland saints, otherwise they would never have had the means to build the temple.
  2. Both the Johnson and Whitney families were well-to-do.  Both families housed the prophet Joseph at one point or another(as well as other people moving to Kirtland).  Both families have of their abundance to further the work of the Lord.  They seemed to have a solid understanding that wealth is a blessing from God that is intended to bless others.  They are excellent examples of how we should regard our material possessions.
  3. The tarring and feathering of Joseph Smith at the John Johnson farm was a well-orchestrated event.  The mobsters took the pains to poison the dog earlier in the day so that it would not signal warning to the inhabitants of the home.  They disabled the Johnsons guns so that they would not fire during the attack.  “Someone” left the door unlocked to provide easy entry in the middle of the night.  Despite the horror of this experience, and the subsequent loss of one of Joseph and Emma’s twins, the work of God was undeterred and Joseph spoke in church the following day.
  4. The School of the Prophets (in the Newel K Whitney store) was similar to a temple in the 1830’s.  The brethren were only allowed to enter if they met standards of worthiness, much like LDS temples now require a recommend for entrance.  Revelation upon revelation were received in the store, and there were appearances by God the Father and Jesus Christ.  I was overwhelmed with gratitude for the firsthand accounts of these visitations, and for the opportunity I’ve been given to believe in their words.  This spiritual gift (to believe on the testimonies of others) is one I cherish and the faith that attends me as I go forward and act according to that testimony.

Our experience failed to go exactly as planned but when does that ever happen?  With a bit of flexibility and an unrushed attitude, we made the most of it and came out on top.  Kirtland OH is in the books.