Day 5 & 6, let's play pick up sticks!

"If we are constantly aware of the seeds of divinity in us, it will help us rise above earthly challenges and difficulties. Brigham Young said: “When I look upon the faces of intelligent beings I look upon the image of the God I serve. There are none but what have a certain portion of divinity within them; and though we are clothed with bodies which are in the image of our God, yet this mortality shrinks before that portion of divinity which we inherit from our Father.” Being aware of our divine heritage will help men[and women] young and old to grow and magnify the divinity which is within them and within all of us."  -James E. Faust

Friday, July 9, we visited the Kirtland Temple, which was a really neat experience.  We first went to the visitor's center for the temple (not owned or run by the LDS church) and as I walked around reading some of the different things they had there about them acquiring the temple I suddenly felt really sick.  But it didn't feel like an average sickness...it was the strangest thing; I felt just horrible though and I couldn't stay in that room anymore.  I went into the bathroom and just washed my hands (because I didn't really know what else to do).  I don't really understand what happened but I really just didn't have the best feeling, it was like something (or someone) was messing with me.  I decided to just go and sit on one of the benches and wait while everybody else toured the visitors center.  I sat and said a prayer in my heart that if it was Satan who was messing with me, that the Lord would make him stop.  After watching a short movie at the visitor's center, we entered into the temple.  It was a really interesting experience being in there, because I could feel the spirit and that this was definitely a House of the Lord...but there was something missing.  After the temple, we then went to the LDS visitor's center and toured the Newel K. Whitney Store and other sites which I truly enjoyed and just imagined living in those times, and marveled at what it would have been like.
The best part of that day took place at the Isaac Morley farm, which we went to afterwards.  The Morley farm was one of my absolute favorite spots that we visited on our 19 day tour.  It was an unbelievable experience as we walked up the beautiful path into the trees and gorgeous wooded area.  As we were let to wander on our own, I just stood and marveled at the true beauty of this Earth.  I truly wish that people really appreciated how beautiful and tremendous it is and that only someone incredible could create something this INCREDIBLE.  I took off my shoes and walked down the path.  I walked past one of the older, couple missionaries; as I was walking past they stopped and asked me why all of us youth had our shoes off.  I replied that at the beginning of our tour, one of the wonderful men in charge expressed a thought of his.  The thought originated from the scripture in Exodus 3:5 when God is talking to Moses and declares, "...put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground."  He enlightened us on how holy and sacred ground deserves to be treated with a certain respect.  Now when he was explaining this, he wasn't trying to push his opinion on us; he was only letting us know of his opinion.  But the majority of us youth took that to heart and I know that I truly came to believe it.  So whenever I am to come upon sacred grounds, I remove the shoes from off my feet.  When I explained this to the missionaries, the brother said, "If that is the reasoning behind why you guys do it, then I commend you."  I'm just so grateful I was able to go on Heritage Tours and that my mom made me go.  I believe that my mom was inspired and knew that I needed to go on that tour and the kind of spiritual experiences I would have.  I prayed many, many times on that tour that I would be able to take the spirit that I felt on that tour home with me.  And it's been hard...but I continue to pray that I can have that spirit and take that spirit with me to college.  I hope that I can be an advocate of Christ and be an example to everyone.  One of my biggest hopes is that when people "know me, they will want to know Him also."
The next day, we went to Niagara Falls and it was so much fun!  It was definitely different not driving and being super, super spiritual.  Me and my best friend Lindsey had a great time on top of the boat as we did the Maid of Mists.  After the water spraying fest, me, Lindsey, and Evan went exploring.  I genuinely had been wanting to talk to somebody about the church.  I was feeling so much joy and I knew how much blessings and joy was found in our religion that how could I not share it!  So me and Evan devised a plan to ask somebody to take our picture and then casually bring up the church after that.  We implemented our plan and asked an elderly couple walking past to take a picture of us.  As they did so we asked where they were from and started a friendly conversation.  They then asked us if we were on our honeymoon....HAHAHAHA. Oh, it was hilarious.  I was able to bring up the church for a moment when we explained that we were not on our honeymoon but a type of church history tour for graduated seniors.  The topic of religion didn't go far as the couple changed the topic to another subject of their interest.  The conversation then faded as the couple then walked away.  I was distraught.  I sincerely wanted to share the Gospel.  But "The lessons of the past … prepare us to face the challenges of the future." [L. Tom Perry]
After Niagara Falls, we visited Fayette, NY, the site of the Organization of the Church on April 6, 1830.  And that evening we attended the "Grand Daddy of all the pageants in the Church", the Hill Cumorah pageant.