Winter Quarters and Kanesville

We took our little family on a really long trip. We decided that instead of just driving from one point to the next, we would take some time to see some sites on the way. Our first stop was Omaha, Nebraska. [We camped our way across the country so we had to find a campground. Fortunately for us, we were able to find what we needed each night.] This first worked out just great - although a little more shade would have been nice. We made our dinner without a fire because we were going to church the next day and I didn't want us all to smell really awful. The kids enjoyed riding their bikes [yes, we brought everyone a bike just in case] and they played at the playground.

We woke early for a quick breakfast and then drove the 8 minutes to the ward building nearby. It was very nice and we all enjoyed meeting new people. They all asked if we were moving in and were disappointed when we told them we were just passing through. I was in Gospel Doctrine when someone came asking for help in the nursery. I quickly volunteered because I had two visiting children and I knew one was probably crying. Sure enough, Camdilyn was very sad and Domonique ended up joining us because she is just so shy in new situations. We enjoyed our time in the nursery. Everyone else did just fine.

We went back to camp for a change of clothes and lunch. Then we headed off to see some Church sites. First was the Kanesville Tabernacle. This was a city which stuck around for about 6 years while the Pioneers moved west from Nauvoo, IL, to Utah. [It's on the Iowa side of the river, while Winter Quarters is on the Nebraska side.] The tabernacle is rebuilt in a different location because the original one was dismantled, but it is rebuilt exactly how they built the first one. Three significant events occurred in the Kanesville Tabernacle: Brigham Young was sustained as the Prophet; the Mormon Battalion was called and sent from there;

Next we stopped by the visitor center in Winter Quarters. The showed us a video about the Pioneers and we learned about all the different ways of transportation that were used - wagon, handcart, boat, train, walking. We learned of their hardships and struggles. We learned about their faith and devotion to Christ. The temple is across the street so we walked those grounds, which also include the cemetery that the pioneers used as their loved ones died.

It was a nice day of rest and visiting and learning.

We did have a fire so that we could have smores and everyone loved it!

Proud of the fire he made by himself.

Playing a dice game Tamara taught them.