Here We Go Again!

We are excited about a new and different opportunity to serve. Much different than our experience in Mongolia!

We have been asked to serve a shorter six month mission in Kirtland, Ohio, helping with landscaping and other facilities needs in general as they arise.  And it seems to fit as one of those things that are well suited just for us. We were licensed landscape contractors a few years ago, so this is right up our alley, so to speak.

We plan to leave on Tuesday, April 26th. That gives us just over two weeks to finish getting ready. But preparations are so much different, this time!  We are asked to live in our own RV for this mission, so we bought a travel trailer that would be better suited for living in for an extended period than the one we already had. And our truck was only a six cylinder, so we had to buy a slightly more powerful one.  Both were used units, but should provide what we need.

We actually were thinking about upgrading anyway, so that our little camping jaunts would be more pleasant.  This just gave us the nudge we needed to really do it!

We are looking forward to this serve opportunity.  But it has the added attraction of having been the home of some of our ancestors.

John Johnson home

John Johnson is Elder Caldwell's great, great, great, great-grandfather.  And it was in his home (pictured at right) that Joseph Smith, Jr. lived for nearly a year, from September 1831 to September 1832.  And two of John's sons (Luke and Lyman - Luke is Elder Caldwell's great great great-grandfather) were members of the first Quorum of the Twelve Apostles formed in these latter-days.

And in speaking with them back in Ohio, we were told that we would actually be working on the old Johnson farm, as part of what we do!

The farm is actually in Hiram, about 35 miles south and east of Kirtland.

But we have never been back there!  So this will be a wonderful experience, we think.