Miracles and Blessings

Here are our three Sister Missionaries who have just been transferred/released. We will miss them very much at the Johnson Home but wish them well. Sisters Fortie, Purcell and Webb are the missionaries who were working part of their mission at the Johnson Home and setting the example for us Senior Missionaries. They were a breath of fresh air for us and we learned much from them.

Yesterday, they came to the farm to see if Sister Webb could get one last tour before heading home from her mission. It had been raining and was cold, it was a Tuesday and it was the end of October. A great combination of factors which meant little or no activity for the day. There had only been one tour of six people earlier that morning and then there was nobody. Around 3 p.m. they came into the office to see how things were going and to wait for a tour for Sister Webb. They weren't there more than seven minutes when a car drove into the parking lot. I couldn't believe my eyes! Two ladies got out and came up to the house. Sister Webb got her tour! Prior to this, Sister Purcell had prayed for this opportunity and the Lord responded. Sister Purcell also prayed for some referrals to come from these ladies and when Sister Webb finished about a half hour later, she came in with six referrals from these two ladies! They had told her that they decided to make the 30 minute drive from Garfield Heights for something to do. It wasn't coincidence that they arrived at the same time as the Sister Missionaries! Congratulations Sister Webb! What a way to finish your mission!!!

Necessities of Life!

We finally made it out and about the area to visit some of the neighboring townships. Living in Garrettsville, we have access to 2 grocery stores, a hardware store, movie theater, dollar store, a couple of gas stations, a pharmacy and 3 fast food places. Oh, I forgot, there is also a GM car dealership. Needless to say, we do a lot of traveling outside the area to find stores that carry what we need.

We had a real treat the other day when we were in Middlefield looking for a WalMart. Unique to Ohio and few other places, we found parking spaces created for Amish buggys and horses. It was fun! Middlefield is an Amish community just 20 minutes from where we live. It's only about 12 miles but this is another thing I have noticed, in Utah we refer to travel by miles. Here, because of the two lane country roads all over the place, we talk travel by time. We are only 35 miles from Kirtland but it takes an hour no matter which route we take.

We finally have a P-Day so will try to get up to Costco so we can try to renew our "at home" experience. =) We surely have missed Costco. (By the way, they are only an hour from here!)

Here we have been out all of 6 weeks and we are Senior Senior Couple! How's that for making progress? Actually the other couple, Elder and Sister Cluff bade farewell for the final time yesterday as they came back long enough to collect their trailer and head out. We are hoping that couples from Kirtland will rotate down here to spell us off on occasion. There always has to be a priesthood presence at the home so even though we have 3 sister missionaries out there to help us a few days a week, we must be there the whole day each day.

It's surprising how busy the days have been. Several bus tours have been coming this week along with single cars with families. We had over 130 visitors on Columbus Day! It has been fun to run into people we know, or people who know somebody we know. It's also fun to run into visitors whom we have never seen before but they look like family or friends from home. Yesterday, I gave two tours with our grand daughters Nickelle and Emily (look alikes in two different groups)! We see "Betty Adkins" every time we go into Rite Aid. This lady sure reminds us of her and it's like Betty is actually here! I think I will start writing down the look alikes we run into!

The fall leaves have been outstanding but now many are beginning to fade and drop. The sunsets are spectacular! This one was taken the other day as we were closing the home. Each day we count our blessings for the opportunity to be out here.

The Tarring of Prophet Joseph and Sidney Rigdon

We spent our P-Day this week tagging along with Karl Anderson (Mr. Kirtland) and a CES Tour. They came out to the Johnson Home where, before the tour, we were all instructed by a tar and feathering expert. He demonstrated the kind of tar that was used on the Prophet Joseph. All these years I could envision hot tar like they use on the roads today. This tar that he talked about was like a thick paste, sort of like toothpaste consistency. He said it was used to seal wood, nails, and more or less like we seal surfaces today. It does harden after a while but goes on sort of like thick glue. We got to put some tar on our hands and then dip them in feathers. (I can imagine a whole body covered with this stuff) Afterward, we could clean it off with lard which he provided. He also talked about how the Lord blessed Joseph that night.

1. The mob had tried to put tar into his mouth and as Joseph resisted and twisted his face, the tar was on his face and around his nose. The nitric acid (aquaforti) they tried to pour in his mouth was stopped by the tar on his lips. They tried to force it in his mouth and as he was resisting broke a tooth in the attempt.

2. Very cold weather had hit the area the week before but that night the temperature had reached 50 degrees. This made it so that the fumes from the nitric acid weren't released, thus saving the Prophet from any chance of inhaling. Had he done so, it could have killed him. If it was any warmer than 50, the fumes could have been released.

3. After all of the clawing and scratching administered to Joseph, there would have been a great possibility of developing infection. There is alcohol in the tar which probably protected the open sores from becoming infected.

Beauty All Around

A young family came to tour the home and decided to split up with the husband taking the first tour. (They had a small child asleep in the car.) Elder Buckwalter proceeded to take him through. When they were finished, his wife went through. I had that privilege. Things went smoothly and when we got into the revelation room, after I had talked about D&C 76 and the magnificent appearing of God the Father and Jesus Christ with their direction to Joseph and Sidney to write down the vision as they saw it i.e. the three degrees of glory, where we came from, why we are here and where we are going, along with the admonition given to us as children of our Heavenly Father to do everything we can to be able to return to them one day, I left the room so she could contemplate her feelings and what she had experienced. As I stood outside the room waiting for her, I heard the most beautiful voice. She began to sing the hymn "I Know That My Redeemer Lives" very softly. She sang as many verses as she knew in a very soft and sincere manner. Afterward, I heard some soft crying. She had been so touched by the sacredness of what had happened in that room, she could not control her emotions.

When she came out, her countenance was bright even though her face was wet with tears.All she could say was.."I don't have the words..., I don't have the words..."
I felt she expressed herself very clearly without words.

It is experiences like these that help me to know there is a spirit here and that this is a very sacred place.