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!!