Kansas City Stake President Training

In April Jason and I spent a night in Kansas City for a North America Central stake president, mission president, and temple president training meeting.  The kids had a lot going on that weekend (like every weekend!) so we called in the big league babysitter- Grammy Q!  More on her visit next.  Jason and I headed down to the Kansas City temple for a sealing session and some delicious KC BBQ before meeting up with our coordinating council and area authority. 

Spring was springing in Kansas City!  We were so jealous- it was still very much winter in Iowa.

Sunshine and green!  And the best meal and server we've enjoyed in a while!

After dinner we met everyone at Liberty Jail for a private tour of this humbling place. 

And then over to the Morgan's for a social hour.  They are fantastic mentors to us and so inspiring.  We always come away from our visits with them feeling encouraged and energized!

So many of our favorite church friends- Elder Jeremiah and  Sister Rebecca Morgan are on the far left, President Dale and Sister Valerie Sturm are seated on the right, President Brian and Sister Cindi Parks (the DSM Mt. Pisgah stake president and wife) are the fourth couple from the left, and so many of our other stake president friends are here, including our old/new friends Mike and Charlotte Bednar (yes, Elder Bednar's son).  He was Jason's boss at the MTC 20 years ago and now they preside over the Champaign Illinois stake.  She and I got to know each other very well on this trip!

The next morning Jason and I split up- I had to meet the women at 6:30 to get a jump start on our church history tours- our first stop was Adam-ondi-Ahman.  I drove in the car with Sister Morgan, Sister Bednar, Sister Parks and Sister Wurzbacher from the Peoria stake and I absolutely loved learning from these wise women!  

Okay, spring was springing but it wasn't very warm this early in the morning. It was windy too! 

Adam-ondi-Ahman, along with the BYU Jerusalem Center, are the only two missions under the direction of the first presidency.  It is a quiet and peaceful place, and it's inspiring to think about all that will happen here when the Savior returns to the earth.  I loved having a conversation with wise women and men about what we can do to prepare for His Second Coming.  

Prophet's Rock, where sermons were once delivered to the early saints. 

Our next stop was the Far West temple site.  With the exception of Liberty Jail, none of the church history sites in Missouri are supported by missionaries.  They are open to the public for self guided tours, so it was very special that we had local leaders with us to share extra insights into these significant sites.  This is one of the cornerstones of the Far West temple that was never built because the saints were driven out of Missouri. 

Honestly, one of my favorite parts of this stop was the conversation we all had in the bathroom because it was heated and we were freezing!

Next up was historic Independence, where we saw the Church of Christ Temple Lot, the Community of Christ temple, 

the marker of the Independence temple, 

the WW Phelps print shop, the old Independence courthouse, and the nearby graves of Joseph Smith the third and his descendants.  So many lives dedicated to Jesus Christ!

And our final stop was quite possibly my favorite- the trail head for the California, Santa Fe, and Oregon Trails. 

 It was out here in 1833 that the saints were driven out of Jackson County and into Clay County, and while sleeping outside on the ground because they had nowhere else to go, witnessed a heavenly meteor shower.  

Parley P. Pratt described it like this- “I witnessed the falling stars–which was the grandest and most sublime sight eye ever beheld. No fear entered my mind, but joy rather than awe. If ever stars in the heavens had been on the move, it could not have excelled the sight.  And what makes it still more interesting was that a mob had assembled in Missouri to mob the Latter-day Saints who had just been driven from Jackson County, Missouri, and were in their tents, canopies, wagons and etc. on the banks of the Missouri River. God frightened the mob by this one of the signs of the last days so that great fear came upon the people, and the mob fled saying that the judgment day had come.”

What a sight that must have been!  

While I was touring around Missouri, Jason spent his day in meetings learning from Elder Jeffrey R. Holland and Elder Gary E. Stevenson. He said they were both inspiring and loving and we both came back from the weekend filled with gratitude and a desire to continue doing our best for the Des Moines Iowa stake!