Some things I learned in Missouri

Okay...I know that this isn't going to be crafty, but I just needed to share what an awesome weekend we had and some of the things I learned.  Sadly, my pictures are on my hubby's computer, so I had to use some generic ones.  


This weekend we packed up the car and made the 6-ish hour drive to Kansas City, MO.  We wanted our son to have a chance to see inside a temple and feel the spirit there not to mention we love visiting the temple too!  Also, this was going to be our best chance to see some LDS church history sites before we move back west.  


I was a little apprehensive about making these church history stops because Missouri really was kind of a difficult and sometimes downright horrible time for many of the early members of the time.  I was worried that we would get there and I would just feel....sad.   I am happy to report that this whole weekend was the OPPOSITE of sad.  I can't tell you how many times I so strongly felt the love that Heavenly Father has for all of his children.  My testimony of his love for us was continually reaffirmed and strengthened throughout the whole weekend.  I have such a hard time putting my testimony into words, but I just need to share 3 quick experiences.  

#1.  We went to the Kansas City temple open house.  For those of you who have never been to one, you begin the tour in a meetinghouse adjacent to the temple where they show a quick video that explains the history and purposes of temples spanning back to old testament times.  So there I was sitting and waiting for the video to start and looking at a picture of the temple that they had up on the screen.  I was sitting there holding hands with my love and holding our precious little boy on my lap.....and I know this sounds sappy, but I felt like I was home.  I had a very strong assurance that God loves us and wants us to be happy - and that happiness comes from having your family with you forever.  I am so thankful that we have been sealed together in the temple so that I can have my family with me forever.  What an awesome blessing!  


#2.  After the tour of the temple we drove over to the Historic Liberty Jail, where again, the spirit taught me in an unexpected way.  For those who have never been there, or don't know the history, here's a quick summary of what happened there.  Joseph Smith along with 5 other church and militia leaders were imprisoned there during the winter of 1838-39.  They survived a long bitter winter with basically nothing to protect them.  They suffered from sickness and hunger.  They were held in the basement, a tiny room that was not tall enough for most men to stand in upright.  This would have been suffering enough - now imagine this - you are in this situation, charged with treason and have no idea when you will be released, you know there has been an official order by the governor to exterminate your people or drive them from the state, Most of what you hear is the prison guards boasting of how they have burned homes, raped the women and beat or shot anyone who opposed them. Can you imagine how sick with worry those men must have been for their families and friends?  I cannot begin to imagine how hard it was for those men, not just to be stuck in the jail, but unable to be with their families during that difficult time - not knowing what had happened to them.   Can you see why I was worried that I would feel sad?


So as part of the tour the lights go dark and some of the historical accounts are played.  The sweet sister missionary that led the tour asked if our son would be okay with the lights going off.  We told her it would be fine, but as soon as the lights went down there was a terrified scream.  I took our son over to a place with a little more light, but he was terrified and crying.  He had his arms wrapped tight around my neck and was saying over and over "No like it. No like it.  Go home now. Want to go home".  I was trying my best to help him understand that this part of the tour would be over soon.  That in just a few minutes the lights would turn back on and we could leave.  I finally had him calmed down to a quiet whimper.  


And as I was standing there rocking my little boy and assuring him that I would be there with him to help him through it, a familiar scripture began playing over the loudspeaker.


" O God, where art thou? And where is the pavilion that covereth thy hiding place?

  How long shall thy hand be stayed, and thine eye, yea thy pure eye, behold from the eternal heavens the wrongs of thy people and of thy servants, and thine ear be penetrated with their cries?"

And then came God's answer...

"My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment; And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph over all thy foes".                  

Doctrine & Covenants 121:1-2,7-8

It was then that I made the connection between the experience I was having with my son and I had a better understanding of why God lets us suffer sometimes.  I could just hear a sad, scared little boy in that prayer.  Wasn't he saying the same thing that my little boy did?  "I'm scared. I don't like this. I just want to leave this place and go home".  But just like I knew that in a few minutes the lights would turn on and that part of the tour that was terrifying and miserable for my son would be over, God lets us struggle through some very difficult experiences.  We may feel, as Joseph Smith did, that our trials are more than we can handle.  We may even feel that God has abandoned us.  But the spirit testified very strongly to me that just as I was there with my son, giving him a hug and whispering words of comfort in his ear, that God was with Joseph Smith and the others every moment in that prison - and he will be with us as we experience trials in our lives.  We still have to go through those trials, but the Lord will be there with us every step of the way.

So my worries about Liberty Jail being a sad, depressing place were unnecessary.  I strongly encourage anyone who gets a chance to go visit.  It really is a sacred place where you will feel the love that God has for all of his children.

#3.  On the way back home we made a stop at the Temple Lot in Far West, Missouri.  I wasn't super excited about going because I knew that it is just a field with a fence around it.  But I can safely say that this was my favorite place we went to visit.  There is a special spirit in that place that I don't quite know how to describe...you somehow just know that it is holy ground.  It is the most peaceful spot I have ever been in.  In section 115 of the Doctrine & Covenants it describes that place as consecrated, holy ground, a place of refuge and safety - and I can tell you that it really is.  

I LOVED the few minutes that we spent there.  I loved sitting and soaking in the sun and listening to the birds.  I loved looking around and seeing nothing but miles of God's creations.  I have a hard time imagining a more heavenly experience than sitting and enjoying that beautiful, sacred place with my family.

So that was a super long post....Sorry.  I just had such an awesome time that I felt like I needed to talk about it.  If you ever get a chance PLEASE go visit these places.  It really was an incredible experience.