When we decided to not travel to Utah this summer, the East Coast became our Oyster. We had some many different options and really wanted to do something with our kids that would compensate for lack of being with cousins.
As you know, there is no substitute for quality time with family that you love and miss dearly, but we tried to fill that hole in our hearts and we decided to take them to some Latter-Day Saint Church History sites that J, Talmage and Truman and I had never been to.
I was getting pretty excited because I had visited places like Nauvoo, Sacred Grove and Cove Fort. And each place I visited I experienced the spirit of sacrifice and God's love.
But I had never been to Kirtland, like Jack had.
To prepare for it, I decided to use the Church's most recent series of Church History books; Saints.
We started with volume one which covers early church history from 1815-1845. Even though I knew the ended, I couldn't wait to learn more and I was overwhelmed with surprised for the sacrifices my ancestries have made to build up the Church of Jesus Christ on the earth today.
It is what it is today because of their single minded commitment to exercise faith.
We listened to it on audio. It's 18 hours long, so it's hard to put my feelings down on words and sentences that represent the summer transformation this gave me, but I will try.
I love my husband, you all know this. But learning together on this trip, bonded our love together for the pioneers.
We both share unique "Mormon" pioneer backgrounds.
Jack's ancestor is Edward Stevenson, who was an incredible missionary for the church. He served more missions that any other missionary at that time.
The early apostle Parley P. Pratt is my great grandmother's grandfather.
I started a deeper study into Parley after Jack and I acquired my very own letterpress. Parley was a pamphleteer in his own right, publishing his core values and ideas for the world with the early presses of the world.
He was instrumental in his own missionary efforts and his own conversion came when he read the Book Of Mormon in two days and thirsted for more. You can learn about his life here.
My study of his life continues, and you'll see future posts about my learnings around his life and what this means to me.
So what does it mean to be a Latter-Day Saint?
Those who came before us, made unbelievable sacrifices for our religious freedoms. Working with the government and the press media before they moved West was discouraging, yet they persisted.
Kirtland inspired me to learn as much as I can.
