This has been a great week with lots of visitors at the Johnson Home.  It has been fun to meet all of the special visitors, to share church history with them and to hear them bear their testimonies.  On Friday we served our half day at the home, drove to Kirtland for our quarterly interview with President Valinga and then back down to Girard to a special Easter program.  Just for your information Kirtland is one hour north of us and Girard is 45 minutes south of here so it was some mileage.  Our interview with President Valinga was great.  He is so kind and concerned about each of us.  When I told him I would just as soon keep my companion, he said he would cancel that transfer so we could stay together and then laughed.  He expressed several feelings and thanked us for our service.  It was really a spiritual experience and we came out with a determination to do our best.  The stake program was very well done.  They divided the Easter theme into six areas and used scriptures, quotes from the prophets and then beautiful musical selections.  There are some really talented individuals here and to sum it all up in one word,  "awesome"... We loved it and it only added to the day.  Then today in sacrament meeting we had some very good talks and more of that awesome music.  It has really been a very spiritual Easter season. 
     We also found out this week that the Holtrys will be transferred to Kirtland in May and we will get the new missionaries, Elder and Sister Packer from Logan, here in Hiram and we have been asked to train and orient them.  It will be fun to get acquainted and work with them.  We are also trying to get our sister missionaries trained so they can help us during the loaded summer months.
      On Monday we drove to Kirtland for a special program in the temple with Bro Anderson.  It was in commemoration of the dedication of the temple March 27, 1836.  A lot of history and special events happened during this week related to the church and it was truly a special opportunity to be in the temple and to be taught. We look forward to every opportunity to be in the temple.  So all in all it has been a busy, spiritual, special week.  Somehow they just keep getting better.  Love it!!  

Well, we thought we were having a slow week with not much happening and then its today, Sunday.  Such a special day, makes up for no tours most of the week.  When we got to the Johnson Home after church meetings, the Holtrys had had two tours and were just beginning two more so we took over for them. I took the first couple which was a student from Hiram College architectural class who had missed the class tour but needed to come here for credit.  I gave them the tour, telling some of the structural things that their professor had shared and also told of the spiritual things that happened here, especially the visions of the Prophet Joseph, the visit of the Father and Son and the charity,sacrifice and love of the Johnsons in sharing their home with him.  I bore my testimony to them and afterwards the young man asked if there was a way he could get 'one of those books'.  I gave him a Book of Mormon, shared Moroni's invitation to read and gave them the Joseph Smith pamphlet.  He was quite interested.  I also suggested that they visit mormon.org and I think they will.  Dad had a family from Florida and they shared some special testimonies of the power of the Priesthood in healing and also feeling of the spirit of the home.The parents had visited the home 15 years ago and she said that she couldn't remember anything except the feelings she felt in the revelation room.  She was so impressed with those feelings that they remained with her through the years.  She said in all of the historic sites she has visited this one meant the most to her.  Another family was from Tennessee and another from Illinois.  They each had read and prepared for this visit, memorizing scriptures and knowing what things happened in this area.  Thus when we tell them of these things they feel and know as the Holy Ghost testifies to the truthfulness of it all.  Such an awesome experience for us to be able to have visitors share with us.  We ended up with 35 visitors today and 6 tours so that is great.  Only the beginning of a busy season and we are looking forward to that.    We did take our p-day and go for a drive.  We went to Kent to see an old rail road station that was involved in the underground railroad.  It was not open for the day yet so we didn't get to go inside, another day....  We then drove on up the way and visited the biggest JoAnn's ever.  In fact it is next to their corperate offices so it is a big place.  Was fun to wander and that was what we did.  We then drove up through the Cuyahoga National Park stopping in Peninsula Village Historic District to visit the museum located in the restored school built in 1887.  It was interesting as it told of the history of the area.  We also stopped at the Brandywine Falls.  Below are pictures of both.

We then drove on up to Kirtland, spent our Christmas money Amy had sent us at a restaurant, came back to Garrettsville, stopped at DQ for dessert and then home.  Had been a long day but so nice, lots of beautiful country, but will be nice to see it with leaves on the trees.


  

"Stand Ye In Holy Places", that is our theme for this transfer.  All of the sisters and some of the couples came to the Johnson Home for our training meeting and a tour of the home.  We all met at 8 and had doughnuts and juice, the training sisters did some training and then we divided the group into two and Holtrys did one tour and we did the others.  We had a total of 40 here with us.  Dan did the introduction in the Carriage house and then we divided.  Some of the sisters have never been here and others will not be able to come back so it was really a treat to be able to share the Johnson Home with everyone.  We truly stand in a holy place as we serve in this home because of the revelations and appearances of both the Father and the Son.  Joseph received over 20 known revelations in this home, 16 of which are recorded in the Doctrine and Covenants. Much of the foundation of the church was established in the Kirtland area including here at Hiram and the Johnson Home.  The more we study and serve, the more we love and appreciate the Johnson Family and their sacrifice for Joseph and the building up of the church.  Truly a special family who loved the prophet Joseph and the Lord, and truly a Holy Place.  Below is a photo of the sisters that were here for the training meeting.

     We had a very special tour today as a young couple from the Hiram area brought his mother from Peru.  He translated for her and she was so touched as she felt of the truthfulness of the things we were sharing with her.  She bore her testimony to us, in Spanish of course, but we felt of her spirit and her love of the gospel.  As the son shared things with her he was also touched and it was a very spiritual and special time and we loved and appreciated them for being there to touch our lives and strengthen our testimonies.
One day as we were driving around we found this tree farm and thought this was a fun thing to share.

 

On our P-day we drove down to Kent University and went into their museum.  It was showing fashions and history for the past 200 years, dresses, hats, shoes, corsets, etc.  Was well done.  One room also was a collection of glassware and another of dye resist techniques on different fabrics and from different countries.  Another room had a display of the vestibles (?).  the very ornate vests worn by the priests.  It was all very interesting.  We told the Holtrys about it so they went the next day on their day off.  It takes both of us to find the interesting things to do. We also got our taxes filed this week so that was a good thing, just watching for the refund now, YEA!                                             

As we have mentioned before, we have been assigned to work with the 30 and over singles in the Rootstown ward.  Well last night we had a meeting.  There were five of them in attendance and they are fired up.  They planned a barbecue for April 3 and are ready to run with things.  They are taking hold and going for it.  We are the cheer leaders, praising and encouraging.  Hopefully it will grow and be something special for these folks.  We have 97 of them on record.                                          

Friday night we attended the ward Chili Cook Off.  All of the missionaries ended up being the judges so we each had 8 cups with a bit of each of the chilies in them.  Taste this one, then that one, no for this one and maybe for that one.  Funny how they all tasted like chili....  We finally settled on # 8 with # 5 as alternate.  Turned out 8 was the reigning champion so he was pretty excited.  Some had hoped to dethrone him but we did our best.  Was a fun ward activity and good attendance.              

 

This has been a very fun week and a very spiritual one as well.  We took our P-day and drove up to Ashtebula and did a self guided covered bridge tour.  We did the B-tour of 11 bridges.  Missed the 11th one but picked up a new one so still saw the eleven.  It took us on muddy back roads and round and about everywhere but what a fun day and such interesting bridges.  Most have been reconstructed and are in use today.  We ended up traveling only 186 miles so it was a big day, warm, sunny and nice.  Below are a couple of the bridges......







Friday Elder and Sister Miles (FM Couple) came for the last time before they leave for home.  She had written a story of their mission in the words of the Book Of Mormon and shared that with us.  It was really fun.  We enjoyed being with them again.  But got a tour in the middle of it and that was good as we have not had too many for a while.  Saturday  Derrick Hall met us at the home and we gave him a tour there and also had another tour.  This was Sister Dennison's family who had come to take her home.  Was a special tour, such good sister missionaries.  We left the home and went to the Kirtland Temple and were able to have Bill give us a tour.  The hour tour only took 2 hours but it was so good.  We have been in the temple several times but this time as we entered the lower court, I felt the spirit so strong and had such a special feeling.  It was truly a blessing to be there at that time.  The temple was such a sacrifice for those people but gave them so much.  It was built so that the keys could be restored and the saints could receive their endowments and the strength to carry on.  Even though it is not in our hands, it is still a sacred house because of the sacred things that transpired there.  We left there and went over to the Visitor's center and we were able to do the tour there for him.  We really enjoyed that.  Don't know if he enjoyed it as much as we did but it was good to be back in that area and sharing the sacredness of that there.  We ate dinner at Mary Yodders, an Amish restaurant and on the way home there were lots of Amish buggies on their way home with reflecters and lights and horses on the trot.  Sunday Elder Sorensen our site director spoke in our church.  He gave an especially good talk on 'Links', explaining the links we have with our Father in Heaven that help us to get back into His presence.  He first explained about the links of his grandfather with his dog and horse and how he himself never had that link and so got into trouble.  But if we have that link with our Father in Heaven, remembering the covenants we make and keeping the commandments, He helps us along the way.  Then this afternoon at the Home we had three tours, a total of 19 people come.  We began with one group from Florida, had another when we were about half way through so I went down and took them.  Just got them started when another group drove up so we combined them.  The one group was another sister missionary and her family coming to take her home.  When we got to the revelation room her father stayed sitting after everyone had left.  He was clutching his scriptures with his eyes closed.  Didn't want to leave, was feeling the spirit so strong.  So very humbling and touching.  He was so impressed that he wants to come back in the morning and do the tour again.  That makes us very humble and desirous to be sure to say the right things and help him to feel and understand.
Earlier in the week we had the opportunity to go over to the Monroe Family and watch them as they were cooking the sap from the trees to make syrup.  It is quite an exact process and they were so good to explain everything to us.  Very interesting.  I've included some of our photos of that....

Sap as it is collected in the buckets

Maple syrup, will be filtered then packaged

Samples of syrup cookings, not apple orchard behind

 

 

We looked at each other the beginning of this week and said, "This is going to be a slow week."  Boy, were we wrong.  Things picked up quickly.  Dan went to Rotary on Monday night and turned in the essays we had judged for family week.  Tuesday I needed to do apartment checks on the sister in Kent and Ravenna.  Turned out they were both free so we took them out to lunch.  Sister Rasmussen will be going home this week and Sister Maynard, next transfer so we got both of them.  They wanted to go to Mike's.  Well this guy has collected lots and lots of junk and really made an interesting place of it.  We sat in a bus (inside of the restaurant) for our lunch.  We could have been in the boat or who knows where else.  The food was really good.  It is not a place that I would have gone to but now that we have been there, we are going back.  Really a fun place.
Wednesday we met Elder and Sister Miles, the FM missionaries.  They are the ones that take care of most of the maintenance and whatever.  They are really a fun couple and since we both had p-day on Wednesday we went to lunch at the Welshfield Inn.  It is a really nice but old restaurant.  We sat at a little table in front of the fireplace and our lunch was very good.  After lunch we drove to Warren and went through the Packard Museum.  It was really neat to see all of those old cars and how they evolved.  The Packard family were quite well to do, they developed the Packard cars beginning in Warren and then later in Detroit.  They also developed lights, motors and lots of other things.  They also had a motorcycle exhibit there right now and it was interesting as well.  Things really do change. Here are some photos of the museum.  Notice our new gas station and the price of gas....not bad, huh.

They did an ocean to ocean drive with their car and this is a photo of
where they got stuck on the Price River by Woodside

Looks good don't you think?


We also went to the Sutliff Museum.  This family were very wealthy but were highly involved with the Underground Railroad and the freeing of the slaves.  Their home was being torn down and so she saved all of the furnishings and gave them money to make a museum of her parlor and special things.  Quite a sight and lot of history there in one room.

This next picture is Elder Miles showing the iron bands they put on the slaves legs.  One slave tied it up with a rope around his neck and was able to escape.  When Mr Sutliff found him he cut it off and it was clear into the bone.

 

Was a fun, special day with special friends. 

 

Thursday we were all day at the Johnson Home because it was Holtry's p-day.  We had a non member come into the home and we did were able to give him the tour and bear testimony.  He had lost his wife 2 years ago and so we shared about being sealed and being with our families again.  We gave him a Book of Mormon and he said he would read it.  Friday the Holtry's cooked up their turkey left over from Christmas and had the Hiram sisters over so we had a Thanksgiving feast with all the trimmings.  Yummmmmmmyyyy.  After the sisters left we cleaned up and played games for a while. 

Came home and called Allison.  They just found out that their baby is a girl.  So we are excited for that.  One of the young sisters in the Rootstown ward is also expecting and I asked her when....July 16 and they found out Friday it is a boy.  So I told her I would watch her and know what was happening with Allison.   Today, Sunday, when we got to the Home, the Holtry's had just started a tour so we took over so they could go home.  It was a couple just released from their mission in I think the Boston Mission heading back to Boise Idaho.  They were full of questions and wanted to know everything about everything.  It was a fun tour to be able to share not only things of Kirtland and Hiram but to share mission experiences. 

Well, do you think that was a slow one, well I hope this next one is a tad bit slower.  Things are really hopping up in Kirtland this week as it is transfers and all those new missionaries are coming in.  We are glad to be down here out of all the traffic.  We are feeling good, keeping busy and happy as can be.  Life is good.