Richardson Review- Kirtland – March 21 & 22, 2008
Dear Children and Grandchildren,
We appreciate Robert and Joann including us in their family trip to Kirtland to see the Church Historical Sites there. We got to Johnson Farm about noon on Friday, March 21st and had our picnic lunch out in the parking lot before going in for the tour. Joseph and Emma Smith lived with John and Elsa Johnson and their family for one year in 1831. It was here on March 24, 1832 that a mob of over forty men, seized Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon from their homes at night and tarred and feathered them. They tried unsuccessfully to pour a vial full of nitric acid down Joseph's throat. In the struggle a tooth was broken. Joseph's friends spent the night scraping and removing tar, so that by morning he could be clothed again. The next morning, which was a Sunday, Joseph preached a sermon and baptized three new converts. During the mobbing eleven month old Joseph, one of the Smith's adopted twins who was suffering with the measles, contracted a cold and died five days later.
Joseph Smith received 16 revelations while living in the Johnson home. We took the attached picture of all of us in the room where Section 76 of the Doctrine and Covenants was revealed and Joseph Smith saw the Father and Jesus Christ, "And now, after the many testimonies which have been given of him, this is the testimony, last of all which we give of him that he lives! For we saw him, even on the right hand of God and we heard the voice bearing record that he is the only Begotten of the Father. That by him and through him, and of him, the worlds are and were created, and the inhabitants thereof are begotten sons and daughters unto God." We had our own little family testimony in that room.
Our next stop was the Kirtland Temple which was the first temple built by the Latter-day Saints between 1833 and 1836. The Community of Christ now owns the temple and we paid $2 per person for a preservation fee. We did have a nice guide that took us to all three stories of the temple. The bottom floor was decorated ready for the "Good Friday" protestant services to be held that evening. We were not allowed to take pictures inside but we did get a picture outside the temple, which I have also attached. It is in this temple where God the Father and Jesus Christ again appeared to accept the temple and where Moses, Elias and Elijah appeared and restored the keys in this last dispensation. After the tour of the temple we went to the cemetery to see the marker put up in honor of our great grandmother Mary Duty Smith and the other Smiths that died while they were in Kirtland.
The children enjoyed the swim at our hotel while it was snowing outside. We woke up to six inches of new snow, which was very beautiful. We asked all the missionaries we saw if they knew an Elder Beck but we didn't run across the right ones but we did think of our grandson while we were in his mission.
Elder and Sister Giles, missionaries in Kirtland, spent most of Saturday morning with us taking us to the historic sites maintained by our church. We started out at the Visitor's Center in front of a beautiful painting of the Kirtland Temple and then were shown a film shown only there and at the MTC. Our next stop was the Whitney Home where Joseph Smith received six revelations during the six weeks they lived there during Feb and March 1831. We enjoyed the Newel K Whitney General Store, which was an important gathering place in the community. Brother Whitney was called to be the Bishop and used a room in his store as the Welfare Storehouse where the Latter-day Saints brought their surplus vegetables, etc. to give to the needy. At the store they had church meetings and the Church Headquarters and a home for Joseph Smith and his family. Joseph Smith III was born while they lived there from September 1832 to February 1834. The School of the Prophets was held in the upper room of the store. This is another place where they had a vision of God the Father and Christ in 1833. I have attached another family picture that we took in this room.
Our next stop on our tour was the reconstructed Johnson Inn where we saw a beautiful display of the Inspired Translation of the Bible, 2nd Edition of the Book of Mormon and other plain and precious things making scriptures available to all people and a map of Kirtland with a light that you could light by each site.
The sawmill was interesting. It was rebuilt in the same spot where those early pioneers built it to provide lumber for the construction of the Kirtland Temple. I especially enjoyed a display showing how the altars at the temple were made. Next to the sawmill was the Ashery. They had a replica of an ashery in Nauvoo at the Lucy Mack Smith home so it was interesting to see how they made potash from the ashes and imported it for income to help sustain the church. Potash or pearl ash was used to manufacture glass, soap and gunpowder. Our last stop was the Red School House reconstructed as it would have looked when the Latter-day Saints were in Kirtland with benches for the girls on one side and the boys on the other in tiers depending on their grade and all the grades in one room with a big cast iron stove in the middle. The children used slates to do their schoolwork.
We drove over to where the Isaac Morley Farm was but there is nothing there to see now, especially with all of the snow. Joseph and Emma lived there for six months from March to September 1831. God the Father and Christ also appeared to Joseph Smith there during the Pentecostal period of the restoration of the Church of Jesus Christ in these Latter-days.
Kirtland was the first headquarters of the Church. Also in Kirtland the First Presidency and the Quorum of Twelve and Quorum of Seventy was organized and the first patriarch was called as well as the first Bishop, High Priests, and the first Stake and High Council organized. The Bishop's Store House, First Missionary Training Center and first temple and ordinances were also part of Kirtland. The School of the Prophets was organized, and 65 sections of the Doctrine and Covenants recorded. The Pearl of Great Price and 1st Edition of the Doctrine and Covenants, 2nd Edition of the Book of Mormon and Inspired Translation of the Bible were published. There were 2,000 members of the church that gathered in Missouri but by 1838 all but 100 left to go to Missouri.
I enjoyed the Kirtland Historic Sites even more after our mission in Nauvoo. I am so grateful for the faith and sacrifice of those early Latter-day Saints who sacrificed so much for the Church of Jesus Christ restored in this dispensation. I am grateful for my membership in the Church and for my testimony that we have a prophet today. I am grateful for each one of you and for your testimonies shown by the lives you are living. My prayer is that we can all remain worthy to enjoy the blessings of the gospel in this life and endure to the end to become and eternal family in the world to come. I am grateful for my eternal companion and his leadership as the head of our home. He also sends his love.
Love, Mom, Grandma, Lavona
Watch "Cause Effect," a show about real people making a real difference. Learn more.
Richardson Review –Easter 2008
Dear Children and Grandchildren,
We are thinking of you at this Easter time and are happy to hear of all the great activities that you have had with your family. We were happy to spend Easter with Robert and Joann and family and enjoyed their Choir led by Joann with solos by Braden and Janae. We were sad to get bumped from our flight so we missed Ray's talk in his ward on Easter Sunday. We know he did a great job. We appreciated Miriam sending a couple of Dad's special poems for us to read in our families as we celebrate Easter. You are all the greatest.
I especially like the lyrics to the song the choir sang, "He Lives!" and want to share some of them with you.
" Because he rose in mighty triumph from the grave, I put my trust in him, and seek to follow him in faith.
Because he lives, I shall find strength to stand against the tempter's power.
He is my refuge and defense in every troubled hour.
Because he lives my heart is filled with peace amid a world of fear,
And through the blindness of the night in him I rest secure
Because he lives there is no task so great that I cannot endure,
I bear no heartache that his tender mercy cannot cure,
For in his hand is healing for the weary soul
This I know because He lives.
Because He lives I will walk in light,
Because He lives I will praise his kindness.
Because he lives hope shines ever bright,
Because he lives I will seek his righteousness,
Because he lives I'll follow where he leads.
Because he lives I shall conquer even death.
And I shall live because He lives.
We had a wonderful trip even though the planes were full because of Spring Break. We left on Thursday, March 13th to fly to Houston where Uncle Arnold and Aunt Nena picked us up on their way home from serving in the temple. Friday we worked at making potato salad for 150 people to serve at Preston and Angela's wedding reception.
We were so happy that we could be with Preston and Angela at the temple where Preston's father, Uncle Arnold, sealed them. We could feel the spirit so strong in the temple and the sealing was beautiful. We are so happy for Preston and Angela that they have found each other. We were happy to meet Angela's family. She has two sisters and their families that live in Gilbert, Arizona and an Uncle from Farmington, New Mexico that knew Uncle Marion and Aunt Elaine. In the afternoon we helped decorate the Cultural Hall at their ward building for the reception. It was beautifully done with lots of cute decorations and food. I especially enjoyed taking pictures of Nena and Arnold and their family, which I am attaching. Preston and Angela have a ready made family of three cute children, Chelsea, almost 14, Zach 12 years old and Emma 10 years old. As soon as Derrold and Rachel's baby arrives the Fosters will have 9 cute grandchildren.
We rode back to Madisonville with Nena, Arnold and Lynita and enjoyed going to the Sunday meetings with them. Nena taught a great Book of Mormon lesson. Monday we talked family history almost all day with Nena teaching me about the new family search program and we began to correct some of the big mistakes that they have in our family. It is going to be a big job. I also enjoyed going fishing with them but we didn't catch anything. Lynita is busy with the County Fair and all their FFA entries. We went out to the Joyce Cemetery and to the County Fair Grounds. Nena and Lynita took us back to Houston on March 18th (the birthday of Grandmother Flake and my brother Keith). They were having lots of rain and cancelled flights so we couldn't fly US Airways but instead got a non stop flight on Continental Airlines to Dayton, Ohio to spend some time with our Hancock family. Robert and little boys picked us up since Joann was at a class
We had a great time in Ohio visiting our Hancock grandchildren and looking at the beautiful scrapbooks Joann has made of all of their activities and accomplishments. I enjoyed Robert's commentary at the Air Force Museum and running errands with Joann.
In the next letter I will tell you about our wonderful trip to Kirtland. Thanks for your many kindnesses to us at this Easter time. I hope you have all read or are reading the March Ensign which is completely devoted to The Lord Jesus Christ. President Hinckley said, "He is the central focus of our worship. He is the Lord who shall come again to reign on earth. He is our King, our Lord, our Master, and the living Christ, who stands on the right hand of His Father. We enjoyed so much seeing the Easter Pageant again this year and seeing portrayed the life of Christ, his crucifixion and resurrection. This is also my testimony that Christ lives today and because he lives we too may be resurrected and be together as eternal families if we but live worthy. Dad joins me in sending our love and appreciation for all the good things you are doing and your kindnesses to us.
Our love, Mom, Grandmother, Lavona Richardson
Windows Live Hotmail is giving away Zunes. Enter for your chance to win.
