Sunset on Lake Erie

Last week we finished up at the Morley Farm and the Workmans picked us up and we went to Perry to see the sunset on Lake Erie. It was spectacular! The sky was clear and we just sat there and enjoyed the beauty that was before us. How can anyone deny that there is a God in Heaven when there are beauties like this that we can experience. Hope you enjoy the pictures.

Mission Thought

We, as missionaries have the opportunity and privilege to stand and bear testimony to those who come to the sites, to help them build and strengthen their testimonies of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to be an example to those not of our faith.

In Mosiah 18:9 we read...
Yea, and are willing to mourn with those that mourn, yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things and in all places that ye may be in , even until death, that ye may be redeemed of God, and be numbered with those of the first resurrection, that ye may have eternal life.

Romans 1:16
Paul said: "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ; for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth "

A couple of illustrations that I have been thinking about lately are of two young men in separate towns of the mid-west. The first one is our teenage grandson who lives in Indiana. He is strong in the gospel, he has always tried to be obedient to what he has been taught and he is not afraid to let his friends and colleagues know what his standards and beliefs are. When he is with a group of his friends at school, they know his values and they are very protective of him. Many times they have fore warned him of certain situations. They will not let anyone offer him alcohol or tobacco or anything like that.

Another illustration looks at a young man who came through the sites a while back. He is in Jr. High and while I was talking to him about school, I asked him if there were many LDS kids in his school he said there was maybe one or two besides him. I asked, “how do your classmates treat you?” and he said he was treated alright but then he added that he has never let anybody know that he is a Mormon.

I have thought much about those two situations and then thought about our position as missionaries out here in Ohio. We wear our badges whenever and wherever we go. Many who see us know we are missionaries and are respectful. Some have even asked for blessings for us as we have parted. It is a privilege to be serving a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints here at Kirtland and to be willing to stand as witnesses of God.

Chagrin River

The other day some senior couples got up early and went walking up the Chagrin River to where it had been dammed, mainly for a grist mill that was in operation at the time but where the Saints had done some baptisms. The river now, is so low that we only got wet half way up our legs. Lots of slate slabs made it fairly easy to walk but we did need a walking stick for balance.




We only had to go about a half mile to find where the dam had been. Not much left now because many years ago, a lady who owned the property where the grist mill had been, got tired of seeing people go skinny dipping in the water so she took some dynamite and blew the dam up.

One of the stories in history tells us that Willard Richards wanted to have his baptism be a memorable occasion. He wanted to be baptized on December 31st so that he could enter the new year clean and pure. December 31st came along and by then the river had frozen over. They had to take an ice saw and cut through the thick ice so that he could be baptized. (I'm sure it was memorable!)



We had fun finding very flat rocks of chips of slate to skip in the river. Not sure if you can see the bounces but Doyle won the prize hands down! Some of his throws just went on and on. This is such a beautiful place to be. History every where you look! We are blessed to be here

Up the Hill

Outside our home is a small hill that we finally got around to exploring. It is as though we are walking through an old wooded forest. It is so quiet and peaceful out there and as we were hiking up we had to grab onto small trees and carry a walking stick in order to keep our stability. About 50 yards up we came across some stones that were set out in a circle (sort of like a fire pit) but there were two other sets of circles all next to each other.



There is a very old tree stump close by that looks like there might be some writing on it but then again, it may be really old moss that has long since disappeared. Anyway, using our imaginations we are trying to figure out if this might be the burial place for four of Joel Hills Johnson's siblings who died while they were living in Kirtland. These siblings would be Nancy, Seth, David and Susan.

The historic fiction novel series "A Banner Is Unfurled" has really given us a bit insight to the background of a family here in Kirtland and also, as I wrote in a previous blog, we are living in Joel Hills Johnson's home. It is fun to explore our surroundings and let our imaginations run at full speed. =o)



At the top of the hill, all of the sudden we came to a wooded ledge that dropped off abruptly. At the bottom is a small creek with some old tree bridges going across.

This and That

This past week has been a wet one! For a couple of days we have been slushing through the puddles doing tours. Last night just as we were taking a couple out, the heavens opened and poured. We only got about 10 feet out the door when they wanted to go back in. We ended up giving a picture tour that is set up for just such times. Not quite like the real thing but the pictures are great and the spirit can be felt.


Outside our house the water puddles up and seeps into the basement so the sump pump has to keep working along with the dehumidifier. Some of the older houses on site had to be pumped out because the water came in too fast. Sister Bell said she was having to go through 3" of water to get to her washer.


Speaking of humidity......Here is a comparison picture of some Ice Breakers I carry around in my pocket. Two days in my pocket and they start to dissolve. I have to figure out a way to keep them more dry.....perhaps a plastic bag will help. =o)




Today we had some interesting ways of transportation. The site was very busy being the day before the 4th of July. We looked out in the parking lot and here was a really old blue bus that had been converted. They drove all the way out from Utah! Then this really neat racing limo drove up with some more visitors. Even the driver was decked out in his racing uniform!




A few times now we have looked out and have seen a deer in our yard! They are so pretty and fun to watch.

Busy Day!

What a surprise! Saturday, June 6 was a super busy time! Sister Harris got on the phone and called all of the Senior Missionaries scheduled to come in the afternoon (even those who had a scheduled P-day) to come in earlier as there were five buses in the parking lot three of which were unscheduled. With buses,that means lots of people. When we opened our door to head over, there were two of the three in the entry road parked right in front of our door!

Along with additional people coming in, it was a very hectic time for a few hours! By 3:30, we had 499 visitors.




Elder Butterfield took charge of organizing the visitors and assigned the missionaries to each group. All of the Seniors plus all of the Sister Missionaries were on hand waiting for their assignment.



A little later in the day two more buses that the Visitor's Center was expecting arrived and by then things had slowed down a little.



After about 5:30, things returned to somewhat normal. But at the end of the day a total of 723 visitors were logged in the books. What a beautiful place this is where people want to come to learn of the history Kirtland has to offer and to build their testimonies of the Church and the sacrifices that were made here by the early Saints.

More Home Tour

Thought we would send a couple of pictures of the upstairs slant.
Looking in the bedroom, note the tilt of the dresser against the wall and the boards lifting the foot of the bed. It has taken a bit of an adjustment in the mornings. When I get out of bed, I hang onto the bed post so that I don't gain too much speed getting to the door. It is really a "down hill" feeling. =o) It is interesting that in the other bedroom, the bed is facing the opposite direction and also has to be propped up with 4 boards to make it level.



This door takes the prize!! =o)

They had to stretch the bottom hinge as far out as they could to make the door level.




I made bread the other day and when I put it in the oven, the middle pan started to slide. I couldn't believe my eyes! It slid back and to the right corner in the oven! However, the bread turned out great!

The inside of our home is roomy and lots of space. We are enjoying it very much, no matter how much we make it a "conversation" piece.