Spring Break 2009, Friday-Sunday

This time last year, we were winging our way to California to see my brother and explore. This year, the call of time spent with family was just as strong, but we're on the other side of the family and not quite as far from h ome. The eventual destination is Northern Indiana to see Eric's mother and sister. On the way, we decided to have a little history lesson. To that end, we got in our car Friday night and drove to a tiny town called Kirtland, Ohio, near the shores of Lake Erie, which has little significance to anyone but a member of the LDS church or the Community of Christ (formerly known as the ReorganizedLDS church). For us it is a place of history, of spiritual awakening and of pondering what it takes to live one's beliefs in the face of difficulty. Here are a few images:



This building is a temple, built for worship and education. It is now owned by the Community of Christ and they do a beautiful job of maintaining it and sharing it with the public. We got to tour inside it, but it is still a working church edifice, so they ask that no photos be taken inside.


This room is special to me because of what was learned there and who did the learning. Many former leaders of my church that I admire and continue to learn from myself were tutored here to understand that God is a loving God who guides his children.

Now Kirtland is a quiet, quaint little historically reconstructed village that takes just a couple hours to tour. Then, it was the place where a group of people had to figure out who they were and what they would do when their faith was challenged. For that reason, I think there is something for everyone there.

In between tours and braving the blustery weather, we enjoyed our fabulous suite at the Residence Inn and listened to General Conference, a semi-annual broadcast of inspirational messages from leaders of my church. All in all, it was a wonderful weekend of renewal and time spent together.