ES 62 | Graceland University Church History Caravan

spk_1:   0:16
you're listening to an extra shot episode on the Project Zion podcast. A shorter episode that lets you get your project Zion, fix in between are fooling episodes. It might be shorter time wise, but hopefully not in content. So regardless of the temperature at which you prefer your caffeine, sit back and enjoy this extra shot. 

spk_4:   0:59
This is Mike Hoffman with Project Zion podcast today. I'm with Graceland students who are part of inspire the initial ministry and leadership practicum offered each semester. In March, our group took a spring break trip to church history sites, including Col. Mayer in New York, Kirtland, Ohio, and Nabu, Illinois. Today, we're including five students who went with us. And I'd like for each of you to introduce yourself, if you would Randall in. You know, I go first.

spk_2:   1:31
Hi. My name is Randall Unsaid. I'm a senior history major,

spk_5:   1:36
right. Thank you. Know

spk_3:   1:39
Hi. My name is Natalie Harper, and I am a junior majoring in business administration and economics. Catherine.

spk_6:   1:49
Hi. My name is Katherine Cannavino. I am currently majoring in sustainability studies.

spk_5:   1:57
What? You're are you Preston?

spk_6:   1:59
I am a sophomore,

spk_5:   2:01
right. Thank you. Andrew.

spk_7:   2:04
Uh, I'm a freshman, and I'm a history major at Graceland.

spk_4:   2:08
That's Andrew Woolsey. Rachel's. That's

spk_5:   2:11
right where

spk_7:   2:12
you're from. Andr! Uh, Colorado.

spk_5:   2:14
All right, great. Thank you. And Lexie,

spk_0:   2:19
I am like, See, Frasier. I am a freshman here at Graceland University, and I am studying elementary education and Hispanic studies

spk_4:   2:28
right now. Where you from? Life?

spk_0:   2:30
Oh, I'm from Oak Grove, Missouri.

spk_5:   2:32
All right, Thank you. All right. So, um, no, we were on this trip for several days. What did you learn or gain from the trip about Community of Christ at and or restoration history? Our trip included Palmyra New York, Kirtland, Ohio and Nauvoo Illinois. So are there things that you've gained or perspectives you learned about from any of those particular sites that maybe we're new thinking or new ideas that you have?

spk_7:   3:06
I could go. And I know this is really a new idea of it, something that's morbid and if ratified, just coming out, or is that the church is more people, right? We're not stuck to a building. How? Just if junior ah was in Elmira and had this vision of a church that needed to be in this new world and changing times and how he went to Kirtland to build this and people gathered around it. And then that moves, you know, do a little more people gather and the exodus just people across the land and our community. Christ was born out of that. And it's this idea that we're not tied down to a church or a place. It's that's who we are together.

spk_5:   3:52
Yeah, thank you. Good perspective. Any other thoughts about church history? I know our trip to Primeira included being hosted by the LDS Church for the Church of Uses Christ of Latter Day Saints and that particular of those particular sites. That was the first time that I've never been back. I'd ever been back that far East, uh, to those sites. And so it was pretty interesting. Um, I don't know. It was sort of It was interesting when we walked through the grove. It made me think about the time of year when we're there. One of our guides on the trip talked about how that's when Joseph Smith went out into the that grove. That was probably close to about the same time we were, and yet sometimes idealistic Lee When we see pictures of that or everything. Everything's green and sunny and beautiful. And the truth is the day we were out there, it was cloudy. The trees weren't yet butting or if they were, they were very small. And it just there was a reality to it that seem different to me. I don't know. Did any of you experience that sort of difference? I guess.

spk_2:   5:00
Yeah. We had talked about, like in Joseph's experience, in the different ways that he recounts it, and I can't remember in which version he talks about, like the darkness that he felt before experiencing, like some kind of revelation and light, and in in that space where it was less this ideal grove of like beautiful greenery. I could imagine more of what that journey like would have felt like of of kind of vulnerability. When there aren't like the trees in the shade and like things that you feel like are protecting you. It's more sharp edges of like the branches and things and it just the the imagery was different, and so the feeling was different and imagining, like being really vulnerable in that space. It was weird how much that changed that perspective.

spk_5:   5:59
Yeah. Thank you, Randall. So, um, let's go on to Kirtland, then. Um, but our little trip, we went to the Kirtland Temple, and that really a pretty cool experience. We were there in the Portland area for a couple of days and, uh, went through the Kirtland Temple. Any perspectives about the Kirtland Templeman? Um, maybe change their thoughts or, um, change the experience for you lied about being in community of Christ. I know. They're You know, we saw the both the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints sites, which were sort of historic in nature and a little sort of a little village outside the Kirtland Temple. And then we got the the official tour of the Kirtland Temple, which was pretty cool with stuff. Bryant. So what were your impressions? Or, you know, what did you learn about church history or perspective about the Kirtland Temple would be visited there. I never knew, but,

spk_6:   7:02
uh, yeah, eso being, um from an area so far away from kind of the center of church history to me, I had never I don't even think seeing a photo of the Kirtland Temple. So seeing it and learning about it in person was super special. I think when I hear the temple or a temple, I think of, um, the temple in Missouri so kind of seeing it and being told, you know, this is the original Temple was really cool, especially just getting to see it.

spk_5:   7:39
Thank you. Anyone else? Never particular particular thought about the Kirtland Simple. I know. For instance, for me, this was the first time I remember hearing about how the walls probably weren't white. And I don't mean to make, like, light of that or or trivialize that, but, um, you know, the pictures I've seen of the Kirtland stumbling and even being in it before, you know, the white walls just gave you this idea how formal itwas and how how it would present itself and then to have self tell us that the walls might have been brightly colored or more brightly colored. Just sort of made me rethink my images of that because there's a part of the structure seems so formal in some way. So I don't know that any of you that I quit matter haven't thought about that

spk_3:   8:36
yet, so I was a guide at Kirtland a couple summers ago. And, um, actually, I actually didn't know about the interior being a different color. But I had heard that the exterior, um, reflected the materials that was made out of that. It was most likely, like molten multiple colors. And you have some grays and some whatever else just because of what had been constructed out of. And so I often brought that up in my tours because I thought it was interesting. Um, but, you know, I love hearing about those the little fax that, like, um, that, like, we're not afraid to shied away from how things were. So, um, I think white is a very like, pure color. And, um and so the recognition that it's not wasn't originally white kind of takes away from that purity image and more of, ah, you know, realistic image. And I think it's really cool that, like the Community of Christ, Church wants to recognize what was realistic and not have this facade of like purity or like changing the history to look better, that we want to represent it as best as we can through like factual evidence in presentation and um, I think on our group kind of joked about raising funds to paint the interior pink because we think that be really fun. So hopefully they're conveying permission for that as well. I think that'd be really fun. Leave our mark.

spk_4:   10:16
Thanks, Natalie. Yeah, I'm sure

spk_0:   10:18
we'd have

spk_4:   10:19
to have permission unless we all wanted to get arrested for something like that. You know, the paint, the inside of the temple pick. But I know that was one of the one of the guests. Shockers for me was that when sets and what color it might have been. So But inside her out, I don't know. There were also some other connections made for me between sort of what? How I perceive the Kirtland Temple and how I perceived that the temple in Independence I, Seth help. We understand the connections there, even though one was, it's built well, they're built obviously in different eras. But even through that era of the differences in eras, there was this understanding of who we were that seems to permeate and had not changed significantly. I don't know if you guys remember that that particular part of this story, but it made it talk in my memory. It makes it think it made me think about how, um, we come into the temple and then we go out to serve the world on both of those were sort of symbolized in the temple. So

spk_2:   11:27
So thinking about the temple just in general. We use that language and it's normalized to us like the word temple. And like Katherine mentioned, usually people think about the temple in Independence or people within community of Christ. But but to think how revolutionary thatwas like the idea of a temple. There were churches, there were cathedrals. There were these other houses of worship but actually trying to replicate a temple for a Christian denomination. I don't know of any other groups that had tried to do that in the 18 forties, let alone an 18 forties America, and so that was a really cool thing to reflect on that. It's normalized for us. But how incredible that would have been for that group of people to come together and build a temple.

spk_4:   12:20
I think that's a really good observation. Randall, for instance, have you all had the experience of going to an international youth for him in the temple did. You won't have that opportunity. So while did so. You know, that's that I've never really thought about rambling about how sort of normalized the idea of a temple in within the committee of Christ at least is, um you know, that that makes a difference in our perceptions of what even Kirtland and the Independence Temple are about. So thank you s O R. Trip, including dot Vou. And of all the places we stayed, that was probably the most time we were there. It was fortunate to stay at Camp Babu in that area and then also then tour different places while we were there. Did you have any thoughts about how Nabu impacted the church or that particular area? Is there anything you learned about church history? Made it. I don't know, something different there.

spk_0:   13:25
I liked the idea of community that you really saw within the history of Nauvoo, the idea of community living and all being together around one central location and really truly sharing with each other. And that's something that I think has really impacted our theology as Community of Christ. That idea of living together and sharing with each other.

spk_4:   13:53
I think that was evident. It might have been evident in Kirtland, but it wasn't so visible to us like at that point, because But when you get to Nauvoo, there's a lot more historic buildings and, ah, a lot more historic sites around. And so it does demonstrate the community nature of that. I think so. Yeah. Any other thoughts about Nabu for me now, who also represents a sort of, Ah, I don't know, a very big change in, at least in community of Christ history, where we go from being a part of the restoration movement with all of that group together, the different denominations, what would become different denominations anyway? And then we all goes elections that we all go. But evidently they went several different directions at that point. And for community of Christ, that meant reorganizing right in that area, at least to begin with, and it made me realize the significance. I think. Part of Nauvoo is the significance about Emma Sniff and her role in not only being married to Joseph Smith Jr but her leadership in some ways in how we would develop a za Community of Christ in the future How we developed a security crisis in the future. So I don't know. There was There were some experiences there with things about Emma that impacted me there. That were probably some new thoughts. I think one of the opportunities we headed to do at least some of us had to do in Abu was toe. Find out how many of our ancestors were at least cross paths in Abu and I know. I know that affected some of you who had ancestors there in Abu

spk_3:   15:54
Hayley had a house.

spk_5:   15:57
Yeah. Haley had a house that were done about that. So

spk_2:   16:01
the Condit house

spk_5:   16:02
haunted house? That's pretty cool. Um, down. So, Haley, conduct was with us in case she doesn't come back on here. Haley Condit. I was one of one of the students traveling with us, and she discovered that she had a an ancestral home in old office. Well, I guess we could say so. No. Anybody else?

spk_0:   16:26
Like, I think you and Hayley were the only ones who had

spk_5:   16:30
Oh,

spk_0:   16:30
on anything.

spk_5:   16:31
Yeah. I was surprised about the number of relatives. The I found a t least I think I haven't done any additional research. But, um, the fact that I had so many ancestors go through there, so that was a bit surprised. So, no, um, let's see. So from our entire trip, um, you know, as a as a whole, is there anything that you saw or learned or now know about our history or anything of the trip that connects for you where we were as a people and where we're going now with our mission, You know, maybe particularly the mission initiatives, but it doesn't have to be framed that way. But But, you know, is there a connection? Did you see connections between where we've been and where we're going? Yeah. 100.

spk_7:   17:25
Yeah. So in the beginning, you know, we were church building. We're making a patriarchy and creating the Book of Mormon and all that and figuring out where it all goes. I think now we're just tryingto live into our enduring principles and all that, and going out into the world actually living what we said we would d'oh this beginning creation of it. But now, actually fulfilling it.

spk_5:   17:49
No, thanks, Edgar. Anyone else?

spk_3:   17:55
Yeah. So I think for a couple of at least for a couple of years now, Um, we've been trying to transition from the church being like a physical location. Like, um, I think that's something that was very prevalent amongst the developments in Kirtland and Nabu is like the importance of, like, a centralized location. But, um, I feel like look like location, like secret space and location is still important. But as we're learning and these, like as of this last month of not being able to utilize a location, um, that we are now knowing that it's not about a physical place, but instead, it's more about the community that is fostered through similar ideals, such as the enduring principles and mission initiatives. So I like, I think we're being pushed to our limits to see what we can do. Um, given what, like we have currently such as, like online gathering spaces. Online service is, um, telecommunications. All that, um And so I think just throughout our history, we've understood the importance of community. But now we are getting having a greater understanding of community, takes place in many forms and even more forms. And when then once was thought of imaginable.

spk_4:   19:27
Yeah, thanks. Deadly. I think that's that sort of leads us to a transition that I really also wanted to talk about. And that's the fact that we we wound this spring break trip in March of 2020 rights, right at the very beginning of the outbreak of Cove in 19 in the United States. And I think we were very fortunate that we were able to ah, go on the trip and get back and then have all the changes occur because on Dino, we came back a day early. Just because we were thinking changes about the way covered 19 was probably going to impact the last couple of days. We plan to go to a museum that, um it was really hands on and probably would have been a good choice of things. So, Natalie, I think, would you? What you've talked about leads us to the next point about saying not only have we seen the history, but we're now sort of living into a very different future. We went on this trip almost like we like we went to these I don't know this time machine, if you will. That's probably me and my craziness, but But, you know, I think about how we left and then how we came back and how that parallels, you know, the shaping of community. Well, first of all, so we were in the van together for several days. So what kind of what kind of community or situations did that lead to that was that

spk_2:   20:58
Well, in some ways, the van was like this protective bubble of community and especially thinking about like cove ID and and the impact that that started toe have on us as we went through. I think concern was rising throughout the trip. But like when we were altogether with in that space, we all felt like, safe and connected where we we could kind of let our guard down. So, yeah, that was really good.

spk_4:   21:33
So for those of you joining us on on this podcast, one of the difficulties were having now in the post covered 19 era is that we have any contact with us. But we're having technical difficulties, including her. She can hear what we're saying that we can't hear what she's saying. So we're gonna try to share a summer for comments. So, Haley, I would invite you Thio post something in the chance when we off and ask these questions, and then we'll just read your response will be quite the same. But at least look at your it's your opinions in here. So since Hayley Condit is, she's a junior majoring in history of Iceland. So, uh, she was on our trip, but because of technical difficulties, we can't hear her voice. So we'll share some of first perspectives. A cz. Well, so, um so Randall and you were talking about our van being sort of a, uh, almost a security bubble. That was my words, not yours. But, you know, as we traveled and it and it was sort of a protective group, you know, as probably the oldest and most vulnerable. At that point on the trip, I felt like you guys were watching out for me, though a lot of the time, you know? I mean, I really appreciate that. Um, but it was one of those things that makes you think about building community in different ways, you know, just like now we're trying to build community via social media and different technologies. We were pretty challenged in that van at times. I mean, there were times. We had a lot of laughs. It was interesting how music got chosen. We I'm not really a person that makes the choices about music. Usually when I'm driving, other people make choices. One of the things I liked about this group was you all picked music most of the time that I really like. So I I'm appreciative of that, too. What sort of experiences in the van did you have? Or when we were house somewhere We stayed at Camp Babu. As I mentioned earlier, we stayed in church on property. When we were in Kirtland, Ohio. We were in church on properties and then also way stayed in Niagara Falls. We were hosted by Done a fray. And, uh, we actually visited Louise Borden one night and had a great time visiting with her. So there were some really, really good experiences that way. But what else did you learn from the trip? Yeah, enter.

spk_7:   24:01
So before this in the inspired class, I knew about maybe four of these people pretty well. But during this troupe, you know, we were in the van together, talking, And then after that, we get to where we're staying. Him We're playing card games, board games and going on long walks and doing whatever. And just now I think people really well, and it's sad that, you know, Randall ins leaving next year. But I know I'm sorry, but it's cool that I guess those people. Now, next year we have this class again, I'll actually know who they are. Be able to talk to

spk_4:   24:36
them or Yeah, thanks, Andrew. Very cool.

spk_0:   24:41
One of the things that I thought was pretty interesting. Waas, um when we were in Palmyra, there was a comment made to us about how the particular individual said like, Oh, I'm sure you guys were gonna get in your van after this and put your earphones and pretend you don't know each other. And I remember I think it was Randall in that I made eye contact with and we both just kind of like give each other this weird look of like that's That's not how we does not how we interact with each other. And that's kind of not what we've been doing. And so, um, I think that the van became sort of this central bonding location for all of us to hang out, and we kind of almost like Randall in was saying it was like our home for a week, and it was where we all got to hang out and we got to talk and we got to decompress and give our thoughts about how we felt about whatever we had seen for the day. And it was, at least for me. It was a place where I could talk to people and I didn't have to necessarily be on my phone the whole time. And I could really just sharing community like we've been talking about this whole time.

spk_4:   26:02
Yeah, thanks. Like, say, that's a That's a good perspective, is it? We really know. It seemed like we talked a lot as we were in the van. I mean, I can't begin to tell you all the subjects we we talked about, but it had a wide range of things, everything from church history and theology and those kinds of things toe. I don't know what kind of music you listen to, and, uh, all the other kinds of things restaurants we needed to go to. That was always an interesting part of the trip when we would try to make decisions about where to where to go, Have lunch or dinner or something. So any Are there any particular moments of the trip that you had that you remember that fondly? Or if you have, you know something Maybe, maybe more traumatic. I don't know. Is there anything in particular that?

spk_3:   26:59
So I'm gonna speak for Andrew. Andrew always carried around this hacky sack, and, um, he's very good at playing Hacky Sack, but I can't say the rest of us were decent at playing Kathy Sack, but literally like, every time you were just like standing outside waiting for, like, the next tour to start or waiting for people to finish up at a rest stop, Andrew would get out this hacky sack, and we would just play, like, catch with the happy sack. And like, it's just those, like, little like impromptu things that just make, like, a trip like this just so special. And, you know, we could laugh at each other for, um funny passes are no more likely funny, Mrs. So that's just like something I'm really bond up. And that just, like, shows just how great of a community builder this trip Waas.

spk_5:   27:53
Yeah, a little. In fact, Andrews, president of the Graceland Hacky Sack club. And I'm the advisor. Just in case you didn't know that, which now you're all laughing at me quietly. Yes. So funny. Like, that's a little known fact. So, uh, yes. So Haley made the comments that we went to the nicest Denny's in the world. Um, I don't know. Um, that's all she said in her chap, Kong. And so I think somebody needs to help our listeners understand that perspective. Anybody else get into it.

spk_3:   28:30
It was just surprisingly nice, like we locked it. And in the midst of, like, this cove it crisis that was looming

spk_2:   28:39
over us. It was like this really clean and crisp Denny's which I loved Aeneas. But that's not always what you expect. It was just good. It I don't know. We have lots of, like inside jokes after that, because we would bring up Denny's. We would bring a I don't know, we made an end of the world playlist like that was pretty

spk_4:   29:02
close on that

spk_5:   29:03
you're

spk_2:   29:03
not really put that in the chat like we all came together and contributed songs for that. And like we would talk about the MAV and like all these inside jokes that we now have with one another, and I think it just links back in with community. We've now had shared experience. And so we we've been able to bond through these positive experiences. Negative experiences, strep, the money, all of it kind of links together. And it's brought us closer. Like Andrew was saying. Now I know these people, and it's great.

spk_5:   29:35
Thank you, Randall in, You know, now you used the word there in your explanation that we need to explain the term mouth. And I'm not sure we can. We can do this, I think. Katherine, do you have an answer for them?

spk_6:   29:52
Yeah. So the MAV was just the nickname for the van. It came about one evening, and from then on, we just referred to our van as the math, huh? And so, Yeah, it's just our vans nickname.

spk_5:   30:11
Okay, I think there's more to this story, but we shall leave that for another time. Possibly so you

spk_3:   30:19
can ask us in person what it means.

spk_5:   30:22
All right, Let's see the end of the world playlist. We talked about that a little bit too. That was pretty interesting. That was sort of Ah, a way to cope with what we were dealing with. I think to say it's Yeah, and here you've got a thought about that. You

spk_7:   30:38
know, you're you're all sitting down and adrenaline said Bill contributed to it. But you're saying ideas so fast she had trouble typing them in. It's just it just shows how willing you're all has idea. And I wanted to put it together for his creation.

spk_4:   30:52
Yeah, um, that was a good

spk_5:   30:55
part of our trip listening, listening again to listen really good music. Although it was definitely a different thing that point. So so

spk_4:   31:03
are there any closing

spk_5:   31:04
thoughts or any other ideas about things we saw on the trip? Things we did memories you have.

spk_0:   31:12
I was just gonna talk about, like, at the beginning of the trip I had It's very ankle and wasn't an ankle brace. And so that made it kind of hard for me to move around there for a little while. Um, and in particular, I remember it affecting me a lot. And Kirtland, where we had all those stairs of the temple and not that it was a bad thing or anything, but I remember kind of falling behind, Not the sense of like I felt alone or like you guys had abandoned me. But in the sense of like, I'm taking my time, I'll get there eventually on. Um I just remember going up and down the stairs and feeling like alone, in a sense, not alone in the sense of like, I'm lonely but in the very calming Like I get to kind of take my time and look around and actually observed this beautiful temple. And so that was just something unique to myself that I really enjoyed. And it made me feel very connected to the Kirtland Temple in this weird way that I can't exactly pin, I really enjoyed that.

spk_4:   32:21
Well, Andrew,

spk_7:   32:23
like how like that Currently I remember what it was, but how you said I'm done with this. And he just took your brace off and just start walking around this.

spk_4:   32:34
Thanks. So if I were to ask Graceland students to do this again next year or go on a trip, what are your thoughts about? The one got a church history caravan like we did, or are there other places you'd rather go.

spk_2:   32:51
I think history is important, and having gone on now, two of these trips, maybe my perspective is different. I think the history is important and it's incredible. But it's in this case, the the caravan and the route that we took, I think was just a catalyst to bring us together, which is something I touched on earlier, like I love church history. So I had a ball and it was going to places that matter to me. But I don't think that that's of the utmost importance. It's just that we did something together, and I think that could take a range of of different forms and species.

spk_4:   33:34
Well, thanks mandolin,

spk_0:   33:37
I think Haley said. Something really important in the chap just now, she said. Maybe every third or fourth year we could do us is a historical caravan, and I kind of agree with that in the sense of, I don't think die necessarily. The exact caravan that we did would be something that I need to do again next year, But I do think that it's important that everybody that kind of comes through this program gets an experience like that. Um So maybe for the next three or four years, we could do something different. Um, maybe do go and do some sort of mission thing like you guys did the previous year. But, um, I do think that the historical care then was very important. And I think that it's something that we should continue to. D'oh.

spk_4:   34:29
Thanks. Like Thanks, Lexie. Anyone else? Well, I think we can probably wrap this up. Thank you all for being here and doing this. Haley, I'm really sorry we couldn't hear your voice, but appreciated your comments. So if there's anything else you want to say, you've been sent it many traps. So anyway, I want to thank Randall and Smith, Lexie, Frasier, Andrew Woolsey, Haley Condits, Katherine Cannavino and Natalie Harper for joining us today on this conversation about our church history caravan through inspire at Graceland. And, uh, I really appreciate you being here today and being on the trip of May. So thanks very much. Have a blessed day. Thanks, guys.

spk_1:   35:22
Thanks for listening to projects. I am podcast. Subscribe to our podcast on apple podcast stitcher or whatever podcast streaming service you use. And while you're there, give us a five star rating. Projects I Am Podcast is sponsored by latter day Seeker ministries of Community of Christ. Thieve views and opinions expressed in this episode are of those speaking and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of latter day Seeker Ministries or Community of Christ. Music has been graciously provided by Dave Heinz.