(get ready for a long post)
Ryan and I just spent the last 12 days chaperoning a church history tour for 2 bus loads of high school aged kids. My parents have been going on the trips for the past 30 years. This year my parents, my brothers and their wives and Ryan and I all for to go. I have been on the trip a few times, but it was so much fun to experience these sites with Ryan. The trip was 12 days and we hit most of the major church sites. We left early Friday morning and drove all day and all night and part of Saturday before we arrived at our first stop.
Our first stop was in Missouri to visit Liberty Jail and the New Jerusalem temple site. This is Ryan, me and Holly at The Church's visitor center. 
Brittany, Brett and Ryan with the Community of Christ building behind them. Check out those storm clouds. When we arrived here there was clear sky's and it was hot and muggy. About 30 minutes later dark, menacing clouds rolled in. The wind picked up and it was cool and rainy!!
We had just spent 36 hours on a bus hence my "comfy" clothes
A few days into the trip we stopped at Niagara falls. One of the adult participants on the trip brought a glitter tattoo kit. Mike, Brett, Ryan and Andy.
Niagara Falls is aMaZiNg. We took a boat ride that took us right up to the bottom of the falls.
Ha, gotta love the ponchos!!
It was pretty windy so we got really wet, even with our ponchos
My nephew, Matt and me.
While in New York we went to the Grandin Print Press in Palmyra, where the Book of Mormon was first printed. Right down the street from the printing press is the Erie Canal.
The next two pictures are from inside the restored print press.
The floors are original...and check out my glitter tattoo!!
The Sacred Grove. It rained the entire time we were in the grove. Good thing I had the umbrella Ryan made fun of me for bringing!!!
Hill Cumorah -I didn't get many good pictures of the whole monument.
Our next stop was Kirtland, Ohio to see the Kirtland Temple. The church has a really nice visitors center there where they have restored and recreated many homes and buildings from that time. Many visions and revelations were received in this area.
While in Ohio we stopped at the John Johnson Farm. This is where Joseph Smith and his family lived for some time and where Joseph Smith received quite a few sections of the Doctrine and Covenants.
Ryan saying, "Woman, get me some food"
This is the room where Joseph received sections of the Doctrine and Covenants
Here we are at Carthage Jail.
Brett and Ryan posing as the statue behind them.
The Nauvoo Temple. This temple is amazing. I wish we could have gone inside. It is amazing to think that the saints, in the 1800's, could be capable of constructing this and then months later just walk away from it. I love that the church rebuilt the temple just as the original was.
All throughout Nauvoo there are signs indicating who owned different property and some of the homes they have rebuilt. They also have a Land and Records building where you can look up where different ancestors owned land. My grandma's great grandfather, Francis Lee lived there. He and his family went on to settle Panaca, NV.
Winter Quarters temple.
Ryan had to get home for work and so he flew out of Omaha while the rest of us had another two days of driving. It was a really fun trip and I am so glad we were able to go. This is the 4th time I have been to these sites and each time I have been at different stages in my life. These past two weeks and made me so much more appreciative of the sacrifice the early saints of the church made. I can't even imagine how great of faith and how strong of testimonies they had to continually be uprooted and prosecuted for so many years.
Brittany, Brett and Ryan with the Community of Christ building behind them. Check out those storm clouds. When we arrived here there was clear sky's and it was hot and muggy. About 30 minutes later dark, menacing clouds rolled in. The wind picked up and it was cool and rainy!!
We had just spent 36 hours on a bus hence my "comfy" clothes
A few days into the trip we stopped at Niagara falls. One of the adult participants on the trip brought a glitter tattoo kit. Mike, Brett, Ryan and Andy.
Niagara Falls is aMaZiNg. We took a boat ride that took us right up to the bottom of the falls.
Ha, gotta love the ponchos!!
It was pretty windy so we got really wet, even with our ponchos
My nephew, Matt and me.
While in New York we went to the Grandin Print Press in Palmyra, where the Book of Mormon was first printed. Right down the street from the printing press is the Erie Canal.
The next two pictures are from inside the restored print press.
The floors are original...and check out my glitter tattoo!!
The Sacred Grove. It rained the entire time we were in the grove. Good thing I had the umbrella Ryan made fun of me for bringing!!!
Hill Cumorah -I didn't get many good pictures of the whole monument.
Our next stop was Kirtland, Ohio to see the Kirtland Temple. The church has a really nice visitors center there where they have restored and recreated many homes and buildings from that time. Many visions and revelations were received in this area.
While in Ohio we stopped at the John Johnson Farm. This is where Joseph Smith and his family lived for some time and where Joseph Smith received quite a few sections of the Doctrine and Covenants.
Ryan saying, "Woman, get me some food"
This is the room where Joseph received sections of the Doctrine and Covenants
Here we are at Carthage Jail.
Brett and Ryan posing as the statue behind them.
The Nauvoo Temple. This temple is amazing. I wish we could have gone inside. It is amazing to think that the saints, in the 1800's, could be capable of constructing this and then months later just walk away from it. I love that the church rebuilt the temple just as the original was.
All throughout Nauvoo there are signs indicating who owned different property and some of the homes they have rebuilt. They also have a Land and Records building where you can look up where different ancestors owned land. My grandma's great grandfather, Francis Lee lived there. He and his family went on to settle Panaca, NV.
On our last day we stopped in Missouri to visit Adam-Ondi-Ahman and to Omaha to visit Winter Quarters.
Adam-Ondi-Ahman
Winter Quarters temple.
Ryan had to get home for work and so he flew out of Omaha while the rest of us had another two days of driving. It was a really fun trip and I am so glad we were able to go. This is the 4th time I have been to these sites and each time I have been at different stages in my life. These past two weeks and made me so much more appreciative of the sacrifice the early saints of the church made. I can't even imagine how great of faith and how strong of testimonies they had to continually be uprooted and prosecuted for so many years.
How fun Megan! I love it! What a neat experience. You know what they say the perks of teaching are... June, July and August! Hope you have more adventures this summer!
ReplyDeleteThat is so true, Marie!! teaching for sure has is perks!
ReplyDelete