Message—18
November 2012
Dear
Family & Friends,
It
was very nice to have a more normal week this past week after having had 4 zone
conferences the week before. Monday morning
we had a good mission office staff meeting; we are always blessed to learn
spiritual things from each other and particularly from President
Christianson. Monday evening we
attended the senior couple’s family home evening at the Joseph Smith Farm
Welcome Center. Elder and Sister Poulson
led a discussion where we shared scriptures relative to how to have a happy and
successful marriage relationship. Elder
Poulson (first name is Lynn) grew up in Duchesne Utah, Sister Jensen knows him
and his family, and Sister Poulson (Julie Gividen before marriage) grew up in
Mapleton Utah. Elder Poulson taught Sociology
classes at Snow College including some marriage classes. While they were going to BYU to college they
lived in Mapleton in the little white home just East of where Collin Allen
lives, Collin’s mother owned this home when she was alive. After a good discussion we had some fresh
apple cider and some donuts; we had a good evening together.
Wednesday
evening we attended the site meeting at the Hill Cunmorah Visitors Center. We were blessed to hear a good presentation
by Ted Gilbert concerning the reconstruction of the Frame Home on the Joseph
Smith farm. Ted was the architect for
this project and worked closely with Don Enders of the Church Historical
Department. Ted shared some very
interesting details and historical information about this home which was
originally started by Alvin Smith, Joseph’s oldest brother. Alvin died before the home was built, before
his death he asked Joseph Smith Jr. to finish the home for their parents, which
he and the family did. The goal of this
reconstruction was to have the home look like it did when it was originally
built. After the Smith family moved to
Kirtland several other people bought the home and the farm through the years and
did a lot of remodeling of the home and adding on to the home. When the Church purchased the home in 1907 it
remained like it had been remodeled to look like until President Hinckley gave
instructions to have it restored to what it originally looked like. In the process of dismantling the home a
number of items were found which were identified to be owned by the Smith
Family, and we saw pictures of these items.
Ted is not a member of the Church but through this project he has
learned a lot about the church and particularly about the Smith Family. Ted’s presentation and the answers he gave to
questions were very interesting and informative. There was divine help and guidance and
protection involved in the process of the restoration of the frame home and the
barn, and the building of the Cooper Shop.
Thursday
morning we attended a Specialized Training meeting at the Peter Whitmer
Farm. President Christianson had
received instruction to explain and teach the missionaries about the Church’s
coming Christmas Media Campaign; so he used this training meeting to teach us
about the campaign. Beginning November
26th the Mormon.org website will come up in a totally redesigned
format. It will have information and
links providing information and media about Jesus Christ and His central focus
in the doctrine and teachings of the Church.
The missionaries will all need to respond immediately to any requests
for information or free video’s that will be offered. The church is hoping to capitalize on the
attention the church has received this past year with Mitt Romney and the
church during the election campaigns. We
are exercising faith that this effort will enable more people to learn the
truth about the church and assist the Lord in helping us find more of those
people who are prepared to receive the gospel.
We invite you all to look at the web site on November 26th
and look through all the good things you will find there; including an option
to create your own Christmas Cards. We
also invite you to use the website to help you and your families and friends
focus more on Christ and let his life bless our lives. We attended the morning
session with two of the zones, and then went to the mission office in the
afternoon so the Servoss’s could attend the afternoon session with the other
two zones. We also took with us to the
Whitmer Farm the snacks for the break in the morning and the afternoon. The President did training from 9-11am then
had a short break for the missionaries to have the snacks we brought; then the
missionaries were divided in to two groups and given a tour of the Whitmer Farm
Visitors Center and the replica of the Whitmer Family home. The tours were done by some of our Sister
Missionaries who give these tours every day.
Some of you will remember that in 1980 President Kimball dedicated the
newly built chapel and the restored log home that are located on this site. This was done during a session of General
Conference which was held on April 6th. A number of very significant events occurred on
April 6th and also some other important events at this site. The birth of Jesus Christ was on April 6th,
the church was organized at this site on April 6th 1830, the US
Constitution was signed on April 6th; the Book of Mormon translation
was completed at the Whitmer home; the three witnesses saw the Angel Moroni and
the gold plates near the Whitmer home, and Mary Whitmer also saw Moroni and the
gold plates by the barn at the Whitmer farm.
The farm is located in a very remote part of the Fayette area. In Doctrine & Covenants section1 verse 30
is the phrase “…might have power to lay the foundation of this church, and to
bring it forth out of obscurity and out of darkness…”. The Whitmer Farm is definitely a very obscure
place in New York, there is nothing but woods and fields for about one half
mile or more in every direction. From
this obscure place the church began to roll forth to fill the whole earth as
Daniel prophesied. We have been greatly
blessed to be in this mission to see, experience and feel the power of the Holy
Spirit at the places where the restoration began; it is truly blessing our
lives and our testimony.
Thursday
evening was supposed to be Institute in Geneseo, but Thursday afternoon I
received a phone call from Don Gammon informing me that he would not be able to
teach the Institute class that evening.
He and I talked a week ago and he told me he would be able to teach the
lesson on the 15th so I had not prepared to teach the lesson. Don decided that we should cancel the class
so we sent text messages to the YSA members of the class; so we did not have to
go to Geneseo Thursday night.
Friday
we were able to spend the day at the mission office and mostly get caught up on
all our work. I had my monthly meeting with
President Christianson and the AP’s about the vehicles. On the way home from the office I had a phone
call from my Fleet Manager, Joe, in Salt Lake.
He is an awesome person I really appreciate all he does to help me with
vehicle issues. There will definitely be
some changes coming with where and how vehicles are used with the large
increase in the number of missionaries who will begin to arrive in our missions
after the first of the year. It will be
interesting and exciting to see what begins to happen with the gathering of
Israel by the missionaries and the members working in unity and harmony
together. The members will have to
become more involved with missionary service.
We cannot view missionary work as a responsibility of just the
missionaries; we as members must begin to be more involved in finding people to
be taught, helping with the teaching, helping with getting missionaries where
they need to be; and especially accepting, loving, helping, and nurturing
investigators and new members as they are baptized and confirmed. We as members will have to be far more
involved and helpful in learning how to live the gospel and serve in the church
and help them become fully converted and keep their covenants and prepare for
temple ordinances and blessings. We will
also need to mentor the new converts to become future leaders in the church.
Saturday
we were blessed to have a real P-Day and accomplish some things that have been
waiting for us to get done. We decided
to treat ourselves to a nice dinner at a nice restaurant and enjoy a Hallmark
Channel Christmas movie.
Today
we were blessed to attend Sacrament and our other meetings. Taking the Sacrament is a great blessing to
help us through the repentance process and prepare us to have the Holy Spirit
with us this coming week. The speakers
in Sacrament meeting shared some personal examples how the Holy Ghost can
provide inspiration and revelation to each of us personally. The Gospel Essentials class was also about
the Gift of the Holy Ghost and how he can help us every day in our lives as we
have our daily experiences and challenges.
We had a “munch and mingle” after our meetings. That is where we all bring some kind of food
to share with other and then visit and get to know each other better while we
eat.
We
hope each of you have a great Thanksgiving week and that you are able to spend
time with family and enjoy some good food and share your feelings of gratitude for
the countless blessings Heavenly Father has given us. He is truly so good and kind to us in so many
ways. We are so greatly blessed to live
in America and have the light of the gospel and the love of the Savior and be
the recipients of the blessings of His Atonement. We know Heavenly Father lives as does His Son
Jesus Christ. After the Atonement, the
Holy Ghost is the greatest gift of our Heavenly Father to each of us. By the power of the Holy Ghost we know the
Book of Mormon is perfectly true and brings positive and powerful blessings to
each of us. Joseph Smith is the Prophet
of this last dispensation and President Monson is our prophet today. We have true scriptures to bless our lives
and teach us how to become worthy to return to Heavenly Father and live
together as families forever. We express
our great love for each of you and hope and pray you will be blessed with gratitude
during this Thanksgiving week.
Love,
Mom
& Dad, Grandma & Grandpa, Maxine & Richard
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