My name is Elder Kyle Rasmussen. I'm a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. The message of the Church is one of joy and happiness. This message has given me this great joy and happiness in my life and now I want to share that same joy with everyone else. I know it can bless everyone's life and that Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior.

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Lessons to Learn from my Ancestors

My Family Tree!!
I discovered something new just recently.  If you have an lds.org account, this takes about a minute to do if not less.  Simply go to this link, https://createfan.com/, type in your username and password, and boom, in an instant, this 9 generation family tree is generated for you and you can save it and keep it to print and share with others!!  I did this just recently and it's already become a blessing in my life.  It's allowed me to see what work I can do to make mine more complete and gives me a visual to see who these people really are and how they relate to me.

I've enjoyed so many blessings because of this new found joy in my family heritage.  While packing all my stuff just before leaving home to be a missionary, my dad pulled up on the computer a whole bunch of stories from my family history and printed them for me to take while on my mission.  I've briefly glanced over them and read a few, but really haven't gotten to much into them.  The reason being is I can't remember who is who and how they relate to me.  But with this new chart that is up above, I've been able to go through these personal histories of my family and experience a deep personal connection with them.  Here is a few things I have learned already.

Men working on granite blocks for the Salt Lake Temple
I learned that my blood comes from a few European countries.  My last name Rasmussen comes from Denmark.  My great-great-great Grandfather was a Rasmussen from Denmark who sailed to the USA and Denmark and back 7 times before settling with his family in Idaho!  I also have family deeply rooted in England and especially Scotland.  I learned a lot from the example of one of my many great-great-great-great grandmother Elizabeth Patterson Hunter.  She suffered a lot in her youth and also throughout her adult life.  She was forced to work in coal mines in Scotland but she joined the Church and traveled with her family across the sea and across the plains.  She endured hardship after hardship but always had a positive attitude.  She loved to sing and dance and could brighten anybodies heart.  She loved her Scottish heritage and shared it quite frequently with others to boost their spirits during hard times.  She raised a wonderful family and helped establish the Saints out in the west.  Her husband Adam Patterson Hunter was also a stalwart example of hard work, love, and perseverance.  I was so happy to learn that he contributed almost his whole life to the building of the Salt Lake Temple which has a special place in my heart.  He gave of his time and means for years to help quarry and haul the granite blocks from Little Cottonwood Canyon to be used in the building of the temple.  I learned a lot from their history, about what I can do when I go through hard times in my life.  I learned from their examples that I can go through anything in life with a positive attitude and that there is always a bright future in store.

I wish I could share more about what I've learned from these family histories.  But overall the experience has been remarkable.  I've learned lessons of hard work and perseverance as I've read about the rich history of my pioneer ancestors.  I know they are just across the veil and that they are supporting me through what ever I may go through.  I wish to share with others how great a blessing this simple research of my family history has already blessed my life.  If you have just a quick minute, jump on a computer and print one of these family tree fans that you see on the top.  Then start finding some old stories of your ancestors.  As you reflect back on what they did, you will find so much added strength and an even greater personal relationship with those who have gone on before you.  I know this Church is true and that families are together forever.  I can't wait for the day when I can finally meet these my ancestors and thank them for all they have done to provide me with the life I enjoy today.  I love them so much and I love my living family even all the greater!

Thursday, March 8, 2012

The Salt Lake Tabernacle

Inside the Salt Lake Tabernacle
Temple Square has been one of my reoccurring themes lately for this blog.  So to continue on with that theme, I thought it would be nice to share a little information about the Salt Lake Tabernacle.

Old Bowery and Tabernacle
From Early Beginnings

Shortly after the first group of Saints arrived in the Salt Lake valley in 1847, one of their first objectives was to build a place where they could all gather together to worship and be instructed.  The first structure built was a large bowery consisting of logs and branches.  Simple yet it served it's purpose.  By 1857 though the Saints built what was called Old Tabernacle next to the bowery.  However by 1861 Old Tabernacle was to small to meet the needs of the Saints.  President Brigham Young then directed that a new, larger meeting hall be built.  In 1863, construction began on the Salt Lake Tabernacle under the direction of Church architect William H. Folsom.

Tabernacle under construction
So construction began.  The main egg-shaped roof was built entirely of wood out of a unique and unusual design.  The early Saints were very limited in available resources and had to use a lot of ingenuity to take on the project.  Since nails were so scarce wooden pegs were used instead and beams were wrapped with boiled animal skins.

Salt Lake Tabernacle in 1869
The Tabernacle was finished enough to hold October conference in 1867 and by 1870 all the organ fixtures were in place.  By 1875 the entire building was complete including the gallery and was dedicated by President John Taylor in the October conference of that year.  The organ at first contained only 700 pipes but over the years it was expanded to contain now 11,623 pipes.  Despite conditions of poverty, the Saints were able to build one of the most amazing structures of our day. 
Salt Lake Tabernacle Today

The Tabernacle Today
Today the Tabernacle still stands.  From 2005 to 2007, she underwent major renovations to improve seismic strength and renovate the aging building.  New pews were put in place and an overall restoration project with new state of the art equipment and a new aluminum roof.  She was rededicated in the April conference of 2007 and has continued to serve as a meeting hall for various events and as the home of the world renowned Mormon Tabernacle Choir.

It amazes me how much the early pioneers sacrificed to build such an amazing building.  It tells me that they really loved their Lord and Savior to build for Him from very limited means a meeting hall so they could worship Him.  I'm so thankful for all those early Saints who gave of their time and means to provide us in today's world something to look back on and cherish.  From the Tabernacle, many amazing talks and revelations have been given for our day.  Some of the most amazing music comes from this building.  Without it, the Church and the world would never be the same.  I know this Church is true and that my Savior lives.  I'm always fascinated with the amazing pioneer buildings on Temple Square, but I need to remember the fact that they are there to bring me and many others closer to our Savior.  May we take courage from the example of these early Saints and do the best we can to love our Savior.

Refering sites:
http://mormonsoprano.com/2008/08/30/history-of-the-salt-lake-mormon-tabernacle/
http://www.utah.com/mormon/temple_square.htm
http://www.lds.org/placestovisit/eng/historical-sites/salt-lake-tabernacle-on-temple-square 

More Photos of the Salt Lake Tabernacle
Tabernacle Today on Temple Square
Survey of the Tabernacle Roof Arches

Early Tabernacle Organ before addition


Tabernacle Organ and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir