Missouri Road Trip

*~* Caution--travel log post *~*

Some people don't like reading travel logs. Consider yourself warned. This is to update our families and those interested about the road trip we took to visit LDS Church History sites in Missouri. Without further delay...

Let me say that this vacation was desperately needed! There was one day we didn't get out of bed until 11:00, which NEVER happens in real life. We didn't even have to make our bed or pick up our towels. God bless America and room service.

Here's the skinny: five days in Kansas City, Missouri

Day one: Drive to Kansas City. The highlight of this day was eating at THE BEST Italian restaurant in the state--Joe's. Tomato basil salad dressing, homemade pasta, and a cannoli like I've never known before (cannoli: basically cream cheese frosting inside a crispy pastry shell, drizzled with chocolate). And as if this weren't enough, Michael Buble and Frank Sinatra were playing in the background.


Day Two: Church History sites in Independence, MO

Quick LDS history recap: the RLDS church, now known as the Community of Christ, formed after Joseph Smith, Jr. died. His son, Joseph Smith III, felt he should succeed his father as the new prophet and president of the church. That was not to be, so he left with some followers to form the RLDS church. Their temple and auditorium are located in Independence. This week was an interesting time to visit because they were holding World Conference that week, which is similar to our General Conference. From the 15 minutes that we listened to, it seems they focus largely on promoting peace and service.



This is the Community of Christ temple. It is shaped like a shell or an upside down ice-cream cone. Very distinctive. Due to the conference no one was available to show us around, so we did a self-guided tour. It is all open to the public.

Right across the street is an LDS visitor's center. We really enjoyed our time there, especially the exhibit about the family. I was caught off guard by the feelings that came as I listened to familiar principles about the importance of family relationships. What a blessing to know that we can be reunited with our family members after death, and to have the strength that comes from temple covenants!

If you've been to the Christus statue in Salt Lake City, you'll know that the backdrop represents the creation. In Missouri, the backdrop is much brighter and symbolizes the second coming of Christ.


We headed across the street again to visit the Church of Christ. They are another group that splintered off from the LDS Saints, formerly known as the Hedrickites. An older gentleman was in the office and came out to tell us about their beliefs. Keep in mind, we had just come from the LDS visitor center where we'd been reminded how grateful we are for our temple marriage and eternal families. After telling us the history of the Church of Christ, the man explained some points of doctrine they believe in.
* The New Testament, Book of Mormon, and Book of Commandments are basically the only scripture used by the Church of Christ. This is because they have tried to keep the organization and doctrine of their church identical to the church that Christ set up during his ministry. No Old Testament, and no Pearl of Great Price.
* They do not believe in performing baptisms for the dead.
* They do not believe in temple marriage or the sealing of families together forever.
* They do believe that Christ will come and establish Zion, and that a temple will be built on the cornerstone laid by Joseph Smith in 1838.
The discussion grew more interesting as it went on, but I won't try to put it all on this post. It gave me a mental list of doctrines to study up on. My only regret is that I couldn't think of questions to ask him until after we'd left. For example, what will be the purpose of the temple that will be built when Christ comes again if baptism for the dead and sealing families together is not part of the plan? Moving on.

A quick drive north led us to the Liberty Jail historical site. The jail fell apart in the late 1800's, but the church was able to build a replica in the same location with some of the same stones. The rebuilt jail is like a cut-out side view, and it's inside a visitors center. They take you down, turn off the lights, and play a historical narration. The highlight here was that Joseph was in Liberty Jail for 4 months during one of the most bitter Missouri winters on record. But he did not receive the revelations, comfort, and guidance found in D&C 119-122 until just before his release. Talk about receiving blessings after the trial of our faith!! It must have been difficult to wait so long for direction and comfort from the Lord, but when it did finally come we received some excellent scripture. Below is the Liberty Jail replica.



We also visited Haun's Mill. We got about half a mile out from the site and the dirt road got to be too much for Kirk's car, so we opted to walk the rest of the way. He had warned me walking might be involved, but I'd forgotten to grab a change of shoes. But no-way-no-how was I going to miss this opportunity! So we walked down this muddy, very rocky road. The red heels had their last dance--they are no longer in wearable condition I'm afraid. My heart feels a little sad because we had a special bond, but now I have to go shopping to find another (even better) pair of awesome shoes.



There is nothing more than an engraved stone laid at the site to document what happened at Haun's Mill. But for me, there was sort of a reverent feeling. It's sobering to think of the suffering that happened there, and especially that it could have been avoided if Haun (the owner of the mill) had followed Joseph's warning to tell the Saints to move to Far West.




We also visited Far West and the site of the cornerstones that were dedicated for a temple to be built. Adam-ondi-ahman was gorgeous and had a similar feeling of reverence to the other sites we visited. You can see the valley behind us in the pic above, but the pictures do not do it justice.


Really, it was an amazing trip. I gained a new perspective and a more tangible understanding on the history of the early Church. Two thumbs way up!