Courtesy of news.byu.edu

Some nights you just cannot wait to go to bed. What is better than waking up to a nice frozen floor, leaving the warmth of your covers, to get ready to walk out into the frozen tundra of Provo’s winter wonderland? I’m sure that we all could think of things that we would rather be doing, yet the weather has never discouraged the Saints, past or present, from achieving the goals that they have set for themselves.

What a privilege we have to be here at BYU where faith is at the core of higher education. What an honor it is to be able to go forth from this institution and serve others in whatever communities and municipalities that we will inhabit after graduation.

Yet, each and every morning we must make the decision to put on that extra sweater or jacket and careen up the hill upon which BYU is placed in the bitter Utah cold. It is imperative for us to deepen our understanding of personal sacrifice so we can look to the past and truly understand how weather has affected the Saints.

When Joseph Smith received the revelation to build the Kirtland temple, it was in the beginning of the winter in 1832. The Saints at the time had just arrived in Kirtland, and were too poor to even afford small luxuries and comforts. Yet, they were able to not only build their own houses, but the Lord’s as well.

It was in the bitter winter of January 1838 that the Saints were forced to leave behind the beautiful temple which they had sacrificed to make in order to flee to Far West, Missouri.

Then, during the winter the Saints were forced to leave Far West in response to the extermination order that had been issued. The winter of that exodus claimed the lives of many Latter-day Saints.

Courtesy of ldsces.org

It was in the beginning of one of the worst winters in Nauvoo when the Saints were commanded to erect a temple to the Lord. This would not be the last time, however, that the Saints were to endure the cold as they were forced to leave Nauvoo and everything they had built in it. They were originally planning to leave in April of 1846, however because of continued persecution, they decided to leave early on February 4th, during the middle of the winter season. The trials that the Saints faced in the cold can be read in many of the Church’s publications, but the impact and inspiration that can be felt from those early Saints still stands today.

What, therefore, have we to complain of during our winter season? What burdens have we to bear other than our daily routines and homework schedules? I write this message not to condemn those who seek to complain of the cold, but to remind us all of the beauty in all of God’s creations. There is a time and a season for all things. What greater beauty can exist than to see the snow covered mountains that surround this university? What greater eloquence can be found in the sight of a fresh sheet of snow covering the ground as we find ourselves surrounded by purity? Let us all remember that although we face trials in our everyday lives, we must seek out the beauty and blessings that lie hidden, even under the snow, in all things.

- Ben Simmons, Psychology Major and Education in Zion Student Gallery Educator

As the newly-formed Latter-day Saints strove to learn more about themselves as new members of the church, they sought to learn more about their God. As a young prophet still learning, Joseph Smith decided it would be beneficial to invite other brethren to join him in learning about the Gospel so they could lift and teach one another.

It is interesting to note that while these brethren began to meet, it was their goal to learn how to become more like the Lord while striving to perfect themselves in faith and knowledge. Little did they know, this school that had become part of their lives would soon change them in very meaningful ways.

After meeting in the morning for quite a while, the Prophet Joseph realized that more brethren would be able to attend if they held the school at night. However, he noticed a subtle but perceptive change in the spirit that attended the meeting at night in contrast to the morning. It would take a woman’s guidance for him to realize that the brethren were not living up to the highest physical standards.

When his wife, Emma Smith, came to visit the school, it was filled with smoke and tobacco spit stains, and the brethren smelled more like the animals they had been working with all day, than the animals themselves did. She promptly pronounced to Joseph that this could not be the best environment in which to learn about the Lord. Thus, after much prayer and thought, the Word of Wisdom was revealed through the Prophet Joseph Smith to the brethren and the Church.

Let it also be noted that not only was the Word of Wisdom brought about, but also another law of physical cleanliness. Here at BYU, all students and staff are obligated to abide by the Honor Code. This Code instills within us the importance of being clean on the inside, as well as on the outside. As Joseph Smith realized this, he made it a point to make sure that all the brethren attending the school were clean before they came in, as to not offend the Holy Spirit. This seemingly small change did wonders, and the Prophet Joseph commented that the Spirit of the Lord was reestablished among them, and their learning increased.

- Ben Simmons, Psychology Major and Education in Zion Student Gallery Educator

At the beginning of the semester I was determined to succeed in the class. I woke up every day at 6am, got to class by 7:55am and took the seat with the best view of the screen. I started to get excited about biology. But after the first two tests, I felt miserable. I’d failed them despite my best efforts. My excitement turned to cynicism. I slept in until seven and wouldn’t arrive to class until it was halfway over.

Then one day I was assigned to give a tour here at Education in Zion. As I prepared for the tour I prayed that I could have the Spirit to be with me so those who joined me on the tour would understand the things the Lord would have them learn. During the tour we talked about the early saints in Kirtland who studied everything from history and Hebrew to scriptures and science. As I gave the tour something my mom once said came to me. She’d said, “You’re going to a university to receive a universal education.” She’d explained that that meant learning all things pertaining to God’s eternal Plan of Salvation for the benefit of building Zion; to her learning wasn’t about grades, it was about incorporating what you learned into your testimony and using your knowledge to serve others.

After the tour was over, I offered a silent prayer of thanks to my Heavenly Father for reminding me of the true importance of my education. I committed myself to look for the spiritual links in biology that would strengthen my testimony. From doing this I gained a greater appreciation of the importance of biology and gained a testimony that God is a marvelous scientist. I didn’t get a terrific grade, but I did receive a terrific education.

- Anna Silver, Education in Zion gallery educator

When seen together, these two murals of the temple and the school encapsulate the purpose of learning for Church members. For Latter-day Saints, learning is a holy and eternal endeavor. The Prophet Joseph Smith claimed that “the first and fundamental principle of our holy religion is that we believe that we have a right to embrace all and every item of truth, without limitation.” An eternal education follows a spirit of learning which defines truth as one whole and seeks to harmonize faith and study.

From the early days of the Church, the Prophet Joseph Smith directed the building of both temples and schools. In Kirtland, the Saints labored to construct a temple while at the same time opened several schools, most notably the School of the Prophets. Again in Nauvoo, the Prophet directed the building of the Nauvoo Temple as well as establishing the University of the City of Nauvoo. The words of early Church leader Sidney Rigdon help explain, in part, the tenacity that the early Saints had in creating a community in which education thrived. He said, “Intelligence is the great object of our holy religion. To obtain all the knowledge which the circumstances man will admit of, is one of the princip[al] objects the [S]aints have in gathering together.” This is our educational inheritance.

In the final room of the exhibition hangs a panel with the following words from BYU’s fifth president, Franklin Harris: “There has grown out of the history of th[is] institution a certain fire that must be kept burning…the first task of the future is to preserve it…this spirit that come to us from the past.” Since opening in August of 2008, Education in Zion has shared stories of many past church members’ pursuits in learning the importance of and attaining an education for the whole soul. This story of education in the Church continues today. In the spirit of keeping the fire burning, we would like to hear your stories and tell some of ours as well.

The purpose of this blog is to create a forum in which thoughts on educational inheritance, faith and scholarship, and the eternal nature of learning may be reflected upon, shared, and discussed. The blog will be updated regularly with entries from those of us at Education in Zion, the BYU community, Church members worldwide, and any who share an interest in these topics.

We invite you to consider sharing the story of your own educational inheritance or your reflections on an eternal education. To contribute, please email your entry to educationinzion@byu.edu.

-Ann Lambson, Education in Zion Curator