This post begins with a special thank you to my friend Ren, who used to be with me in the Bethesda Ward of the Washington DC stake. He is a medical professional and a top-notch cellist! He lives in the Cleveland area and is now headed back to the Washington DC area. And because of that, he had some junk he needed hauled away in Cleveland! So on my way back from our 50th Orem High School reunion, I made a detour through Cleveland and did his job this morning.

My flight landed in Cleveland at about 11:30 Sunday morning so I spent Sunday afternoon visiting the church history sites in Kirtland, and that took me to the Kirtland Temple! What a joy to visit this special place which I have been to before, but it’s been many years!

The Kirtland Temple was the first temple built in this dispensation. It was dedicated March 27 of 1837 by the prophet Joseph Smith. The dedicatory prayer was given the day before by revelation to the prophet and is recorded in the 109th section of the Doctrine and Covenants.

Brigham Young and his brother Jacob Young constructed the windows and the moldings for the temple. One of those is still on display as an original one.

A huge rain storm came at us just as we were getting ready to start the tour so thank heavens for umbrellas! As the tour guides, a couple from Lindon, Utah, had us introduce ourselves. I discovered that there was a family there from Syracuse, Utah! I introduced myself as being from Washington DC, and then announced that I had been in the Lindon Temple just the day before, and that the Syracuse Joseph Cook Elementary School is named after my grandfather! The young girl from the Syracuse family attends that school!

We saw the pulpit where the Lord appeared to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery. Moses, Elias, and Elijah also appeared there!

The Savior appeared multiple times to multiple people in the Kirtland era. The young sister Missionaries, who took us on the tour had me read a quote from John Murdock, who was one of those who saw the Savior at the school of the prophets. The fireplace in that room is interesting because the brethren, 14 of them, included in the school of the prophets, literally took their pipes and threw them into the fireplace to burn them once Joseph received the revelation about the Word of Wisdom.

The Prophet and his wife Emma actually had a home here in Kirtland for about four years, apparently their first real home! She had a beautiful view of the temple from her kitchen as well.

And you have to love the Newell K.Whitney Store. What a great addition he and his wife were to the early church!

Some additional highlights that stood out for me:
1. A young mother brought her infant to the dedication and was told she couldn’t come in. Joseph changed that and let her in. The baby was quiet for the entire eight or nine hour dedication. When it came to the hosanna shout, the baby joined in!

2. Joseph’s grandfather, a soul Smith, once prophesied that one of his descendants would revolutionized the religious world. His wife, Mary, came to Kirkland at age 93 wanting to be baptized. She is buried here, although the baptism never took place. I was quite touched with her story.

3. I’m intrigued by the lettering on the pulpits. Apparently no one has definitively been able to say what they stand for based on a lack of documentation.

4. Jesus made appearances all over the Kirkland area. The Missionaries had me read one from the school of the prophets written by John Murdock.

John Murdock sees the Savior

John Murdock’s experience with the Savior

John Murdock, who was boarding with the Prophet during the spring of 1833, described in his journal the experience he had while attending one of the meetings in the Prophet’s home:

The Prophet told us if we could humble ourselves before God, and exercise strong faith, we should see the face of the Lord. And about midday the visions of my mind were opened, and the eyes of my understanding were enlightened, and I saw the form of a man, most lovely, the visage of his face was sound and fair as the sun. His hair a bright silver gray, curled in most majestic form. His eyes a keen penetrating blue, and the skin of his neck a most beautiful white and he was covered from the neck to the feet with a loose garment, pure white, whiter than any garment I have ever before seen. His countenance was most penetrating, and yet most lovely. And while I was endeavoring to comprehend the whole personage from head to feet it slipped from me, and the vision was closed. . . . But it left on my mind the impression of love, for months, that I never felt before to that degree.

God bless these amazing saints who sacrificed to build such a beautiful temple! It was only in use for a couple of years, but it’s living proof that God’s church is connected to temples!