For Jeff's 30th birthday I surprised him with round trip plane tickets to Salt Lake City and tickets to the Saturday afternoon session of General Conference. This was a BIG deal for Jeff as he had never been outside of Washington, Oregon, and Idaho and had never been on a plane before. I've had this idea brewing in my head for about a year now and I'm so glad I was able to pull it off.
Inside the plane on our way to Salt Lake.
A statue of Joseph and Hyrum Smith right outside of the Legacy Theater in the Joseph Smith Memorial Building. Joseph Smith was the first Prophet of the latter-days and first President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
Salt Lake City Temple. This building took 40 years to construct. Though not the first temple constructed, it is one of the largest. Temples are sacred places of worship where Latter-Day Saints gather to perform saving ordinances and make personal covenants to live their lives in accordance with the teachings of Jesus Christ.
A view of the angel Moroni on top of the temple. Moroni visited with Joseph Smith to relate to him wear the golden plates (the Book of Mormon) were hidden. Moroni also prepared Joseph for the work of translating the ancient plates.
A bronze statue of Joseph Smith inside the Joseph Smith Memorial Building. Joseph grew up on a farm in Palmyra, in upstate New York and worked with his father and brothers to support the family.
Another Picture of the angel Moroni.
Church Headquarters
Outside of the Joseph Smith Memorial Building.
Us in front of the temple. (Thank you Janel for coming and watching Kinley during conference and taking this picture.)
One of the carts used to haul stone to the temple.
Side view of the temple.
The Apostles Peter, James and John conferring the Melchizedek Priesthood on Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdry.
John the Baptism conferring the Aaronic Priesthood on Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdry.
There is a lot of misunderstanding about this statue. Many believe it represents our worship of seagulls. But this monument depicts how seagulls saved the crops of the early saints from a swarm of locusts. This monument was to commemorate how god works miracles and watches over his children.
This statue is a depiction of one of the handcart companies that crossed the plains after being driven from their homes. The Latter-Saints were the only religious group in the history of the United States to be issued an extermination order.
The assembly hall
Inside the assembly hall
I wonder where these stairs go to inside the assembly hall?
The tabernacle
Inside the tabernacle
A model of what Jerusalem looked like when Jesus was on the earth.
The next three pictures are in the North Visitor's Center. The walls are covered in beautiful art work of Jesus.
The sermon on the mount
The Garden of Gethsemane
The Christus
Replica of the gold plates.
An 1830's edition of the Book Of Mormon.
Joseph Smith
The Conference Center (where we watched the Saturday afternoon session of conference.
Stained glass depiction of the first Vision. Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ appearing to Joseph Smith.
A replica of one of the sun stones on the Salt Lake Temple.
Death masks of Joseph and Hyrum Smith. Both martyrs.
n overhead replica of the layout of Salt Lake City
Replica of a baptismal font. The oxen represent the twelve tribes of Israel
Display of what a Sealing Room would look like. (Where you get married in the temple.)
Joseph Smith's journal
A replica of the Angel Moroni statue that adorns the temples. (Moroni visited Joseph Smith to tell him where to find the golden plates with the record of the Nephites.)
Crystyne behind a replica of the podium at the conference center.
A cool statue of Paul Revere.
A cool stained glass relief of Christ.
We saw this on the way back to our hotel room and couldn't help but take a picture.
