After two days of driving in the rain and getting turned around a little bit we made it to one of our stops, the John Johnson farm, in Hiram, Ohio. I was able to get into the house, the doors were wide enough and the floors strong enough to hold me. That in-and -of- itself is a blessing. I wasn’t able to go upstairs, which was expected. But I was able to visit with the host missionary and an older gentleman from England. It was fun to be able to talk with him and the missionary about how special this place really was. (Side note, the English gentleman said, “Cheerio” when he left – like a real Englishman!!!) I have a new found respect for the distances and the places that the pioneers had to travel and also for what they had to go thru, especially the Prophet Joseph Smith in order to build up the kingdom. This was the home the Prophet Joseph Smith started translating the Bible. It was neat to learn a lot about the Johnson family and how much they had sacrificed for the Church. Here also Joseph Smith was dragged out of the home and tarred and feathered. The twins he had adopted were sick and the little boy was left in the cold during the night and ultimately died. It was really special to see where this had actually taken place. I could feel the spirit so strongly there. Just being here in the place where the prophet lived and walked is definitely a special feeling. After the John Johnson farm we headed to New York to see Niagara Falls. It was impressive to see how powerful the water was and how large the falls actually are on the Canadian side. Tomorrow is on to Palmyra.
