VisiT FroM PaPa & GrammY

After dropping my Mom off at the airport in Columbus on Tuesday I turned around and picked up my Dad and Cheryl on Wednesday. Here are some of the highlights from their visit:
1) Columbus Zoo: feeding the Lorikeets felt more like Alfred Hitchcock's movie 'The Birds'
2) Air Force Museum: BIG, with lots of airplanes. I let Gabe walk instead of riding in the stroller and we ended up having a few security breeches. . . he just wanted to touch EVERYTHING!
3) Longaberger Baskets & Amish Country: so beautiful! While walking into Lehman's Store in Kidron, Ohio an Amish girl and her sister approached us (very rare) and in broken English with a German accent she asked us for help finding a Kerosene stove. We pointed her into the store and told her there was a customer service desk right inside where she could get help. When we walked into the store shortly after them they were still looking very lost. So I approached them again and helped them through the various departments of the store until we finally found their stove. I can't even imagine how over whelming our busy world is to them and then to have a language barrier makes it even more difficult. It made me feel so good to be able to help them!
4) Historic Kirtland: We toured through all of the church history sites here. Some of my favorites were the N.K. Whitney store where the School of the Prophets was held, the Kirtland temple, and the John Johnson farm. The John Johnson farm was probably my favorite place. The spirit was very strong there and I couldn't help think of all the sacrifices Joseph made for the church. This is the place where he was drug from his bed in the middle of the night, beaten, tarred and feathered. After Emma spent all night pulling tar off his body he preached the next day on the front steps of the home. Stories like these always strengthen my testimony of the truthfulness of the gospel. The early saints of the church endured so much pain and persecution. There have been times when I've had to rely on their unwavering faith and testimonies to get me through times when I've had doubts about the gospel. Visiting that farm where Joseph and Emma endured so much & lost so much really helped strengthen my testimony. (This is also where their baby twins died.) Walking where they walked and seeing the lasting monuments of their faith helps to make them more real to me and not just stories we hear. Their testimonies and love for the gospel live on today in these places.
5) Mother's Day: It was nice to have family in town for Mother's Day! We attended church, then came home and had a roast for lunch. We were able to talk to all of our moms on the phone and we ended the day by watching some movies. Very nice, very relaxing.
Thanks Dad & Cheryl for such a great trip! It was great to have you here and to have Gabe be able to interact with his Papa and Grammy! We love you and will miss you!