Last week we were so busy, we didn't have time to finish packing. So Monday morning when we were supposed to leave, we were still packing and cleaning. Can I just say, exhausted is the only way to describe us. Around 12 pm, we stopped what we were doing and prayed that we could finish up and have room for all our stuff in our truck. As I prayed tears were streaking down my face. I was so tired, my back ached, my feet hurt. After the prayer, I suddenly had extra energy and everything stopped hurting. (Miracle number one.) I put a bunch of clothes and blankets in those plastic bags that shrink things by sucking out the air. When Dwight was packing the truck he used every available space. We had one more box to put in the truck--it fit perfectly in the only spot left. (Miracle number 2)
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The contents have settled a little during the week.
When we started out, everything was touching
the ceiling.
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We finally left around 2 pm. We had a 10 hour drive ahead of us. When we had been on the road about three hours, the car gave us warning that our front right tire was losing air. It was pouring down rain and there was no where to stop. I looked up where the nearest Walmart was--6 miles. Could we make it? We weren't sure. All the other tires were at 39 psi, the low tire was 29 and falling. By the time we got to Walmart, it was at 13 psi. We ran in to get some "Fix-a-flat." It pumped it up a little, but the foam was coming out of the hole in the tire. A guy stopped and asked if we needed help. He used his air compressor to pump up the tire a little. We asked if there was a Sam's Club near by (that's where we bought the tires). He told us it was just a mile away. We thanked him and drove quickly to Sam's Club--the tire shop was open for 20 more minutes. There was no one in line, and the truck was immediately pulled in. We got a new tire and were back on the road in 20 minutes. (Miracle number 3--the only place we could pull off the road was the Walmart exit, the guy that stopped knew exactly where Sam's was and it was super close, and the tire shop didn't have a line and they had the tire we needed. That never happens. God was looking out for us.) We said a prayer of thanks and got back on our way.
Our first stop was Millersburg, Ohio. We had so much fun there. We went to an Amish restaurant and bakery--so good! We went to an Amish farm and petting zoo. We talked to an Amish family, and saw so many buggies. We drove up to Kirtland and toured the temple and some other sites. The temple was amazing. Being in the room where Joseph was with Jesus Christ--just wow! We also sang "The Spirit of God" with the group we were with. Tears could not be avoided. Here are a bunch of pictures from those four days--(In no particular order.)
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| Millersburg countryside |
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This is in the Walmart parking lot--there is
buggy parking. |
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Leaving Walmart--I'm kind of advertising
this store a bunch. |
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| Amish restaurant |
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| Kirtland--Whitney Store |
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| Kirtland Temple |
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| Inside Kirtland Temple |
We miss all our Haitian friends. Several of them have called and texted just to say hi. Jennipher Edwards sent me pictures of our youngest friends at a Primary swim activity. I'm so thankful to her for making sure these kids have great experiences. None of them have ever gone swimming. They had a great time--I want to hug them all.
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We drove to Nauvoo on Friday. It was another long day. Nauvoo has been amazing. We did a session in the temple--it's beautiful! We watched three performances of the young service missionaries. We've had dinner at Jim and Cheryl Walker's house twice. They are from NC and are serving a mission at the Nauvoo Temple. We've toured some old Nauvoo houses. I found 8 ancestors who lived in Nauvoo between 1839 and 1846. I took those names to the visitor's center and they printed out maps of where those relatives owned property. It was really cool. (I told Dwight, when he was looking bored, that for two years we lived in his neck of the woods and constantly talked about his relatives. He looked at me and said, "Now it's your turn? Yep!) One of my relatives, Moses Curtis, my third great grandpa, lived right by Joseph Smith. Another one lived in the Morley Settlement (it was called Yelrome). A lot of the settlement, homes and farms, were burned by mobs. Another one has a house that's still standing in Nauvoo and is used as a private residence for senior missionaries. I'm so thankful for these faithful people!
Here are some of the pictures from Nauvoo.
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