Spring Break Day 4: Kansas City, TRex, and Liberty Jail

Thursday morning, we hugged our sweet neighbors, the Craft Family, goodbye and wished them good luck in their new home in Rogers. We are sad to see them go, but happy for their new adventure. 

Clear skies meant things were looking up and we were finally on the road to Kansas City! 

We checked into our hotel and headed right to TRex for an early dinner. 

This place is awesome. Meteor showers light up the ceiling, fiery volcanoes, color changing ice glaciers, huge tropical fish tanks, and loud animatronic dinosaurs surround the tables. The food is good, too. Super fun dinner place. 

Right when you open the door, this huge Trex drops his head down and roars at you. Soren nervously jumped into my arms, and immediately felt betrayed when I started to "feed" him to Rexie. We ate beneath a giant squid tentacle in a giant clam shell by the "kitchen of fire". Good good times. 

Next, we toured Liberty Jail, where the prophet, Joseph Smith, was held as a prisoner without fault for four months in the winter of 1838. 

The last time we were here was in Sept 2007. Quincy was just a baby. Time flies.

This is the entrance to the jail. There was a narrative that said many angry people had gathered outside the jail to catch a glimpse of Joseph when he was brought to the prison. He had been arrested after the Missouri Governor Boggs had signed the "extermination order" driving all of the early saints (about 5,000) out of the state, into Illinois, leaving homes and belongings behind. Joseph sent a friend to meet with the governor to see if an agreement could be made to allow the saints to stay. Instead, his friend betrayed Joseph, signed the order and revealed Joseph's location, and the prophet was arrested, along with 5 other men. 

Before entering the jail, Joseph turned to the crowd of angry spectators and addressed them kindly, "Good afternoon, gentlemen." This act was an example of the unyielding kindness Joseph showed to the men who held him captive. 

It's probably unnecessary to describe how terrible the living conditions were in a basement prison in the early 1800's. I think "dying conditions" is a more accurate description. 

We left with new gratitude for the sacrifices made by the early saints of the church. Their refusal to renounce and forsake their religion caused them to endure unbelievable misery. "Joseph's witness and testimony of the divinity of Jesus Christ filled the dark walls of their dungeon with the radiant light of peace and revelation."

Back at the hotel, the children settled down with the novelty of cable tv (can we talk about the fact that Full House is on Nick at Nite? I'm old!). Goodnight Day 4.