Message--28 june 2011

Message—28 June 2011

Dear Family & Friends

Last week was very busy and also full of great spiritual experiences.  We went to the Mission Office Staff meeting on Monday.  This meeting is always a great experience and opportunity to meet with President & Sister Christianson as well as the other people who serve in the Office.  We begin with a song, prayer and at least one spiritual thought shared by a different person each week.  We usually have a discussion on the thought and share experiences and other related scriptures about the thought.  President Christianson knows the scriptures so well and has a broad knowledge of the history behind the scripture as well as knowing scriptures related to the scripture or principle shared by the one giving it.

On Tuesday there was a training meeting from 8am to 12 noon for the missionaries in our Rochester Zone.  The President did the same training for the other three zones as well; one from 2-6pm also on Tuesday, then the other 2 zones were on Wednesday.  Thursday afternoon there was training for the senior missionary couples who are assigned to do member leader support.  This training was held at the home where JohnYoung, Brigham Young’s father, lived in Mendon New York.  The Church owns this home; in fact, the senior missionaries who work in the Mission Office live in this home which has been separated into two homes.  Some years ago the town of Mendon wanted to build a road and they insisted it needed to go in a place that would make it go through the original home.  The church separated the older part of the home and moved it North far enough that it was on the North of the road and the newer part of the home remained on the South of the road.  The part of the home on the North also has a shed which was converted into a two car garage.  There is also a large barn east of the garage; but part of the barn was also separated, dismantled and moved to the Joseph Smith farm and reassembled.  About ¼ mile south of the John Young home is the Tomlinson Inn where Samuel Smith sold the first copy of the Book of Mormon that was sold.  This Book of Mormon was sold to Phineas Young, Brigham Young’s brother, who was a preacher.  He bought it just to prove it was wrong.  After reading it twice in two weeks he knew it was true and started teaching from it to his congregation.  He was baptized soon after this.  The same copy of the Book of Mormon was also read by John Young, Fannie Young, and Parley P. Pratt, who all joined the church soon after reading it.  Brigham Young also read and studied it for two years and then he joined.  Just to the East and North of the Tomlinson Inn was where Heber C. Kimball’s home used to be, Heber also joined the church.  Just ¼ mile East of the John Young home is where Brigham Young built a saw mill and grist mill on a small stream.  The home was two levels; the lower level is where his carpenter shop was located, and then he and his first wife, Miriam, lived in the upper level.  The living area was one room with an area for the kitchen, and area for the bed and the rest for living in.  Miriam died at the age of about 26, so she and Brigham were only together about 5 years.  Miriam is buried about a mile South East of the John Young home on a higher elevation; from this small cemetery you can see the John Young home.  Brigham Young was baptized in the stream by his home.  We had our missionary meeting in the part of the John Young home that is South of the road.  We met in the living and dining room of the home.  We had a great dinner after the training.  Dutch oven chicken and some baked beans and salads, followed by dutch oven peach cobbler and ice cream.  Part of the training was to present and discuss the new senior missionary guidelines that were read in your sacrament meetings recently.  The intent of the new guidelines is to encourage more senior couples and sisters to serve a mission.  There is a need for over 6500 senior couples in the mission field; and there are only about 3200 now serving.  So if you can possibly serve go see your Bishop; even if you can only serve in your local area that will be a great experience.

Friday evening we went to the Joseph Smith farm and Sacred Grove Visitors Center to wait for the Mormon Tabernacle Choir (MTC) to come and visit on their way to spend the night in Buffalo NY.  Elder Jay Jensen (Jay) had called me earlier in the week and said he was assigned to be the General Authority to accompany the MTC on their tour this month.  He said he and Loni would like to get to see us at the Sacred Grove on Friday; and he also arranged for Sister Jensen and I to have tickets to see the MTC at the concert they were going to do in Chautauqua NY on Saturday.  We asked permission from President Christianson to go to Chautauqua; and he approved our request, since Elder Jensen said I could.  The original plan of the MTC was to divide in half, and one half would go to the Hill Cumorah Visitor Center and sing a song there; while the other half of the MTC would stop at the Joseph Smith Farm Visitor Center, walk into the Sacred Grove, then gather at the Joseph Smith Frame Home (this is the home Alvin Smith was building when he died) and sing Joseph Smith’s First Prayer which begins with “Oh how lovely was the morning….”.  The two halves of the MTC were then going to switch places sing again.  While we were waiting, in the rain, Elder Jay Jensen called from the bus he was on and said they were just leaving Syracuse NY; so they would be an hour or so later than 4pm as planned.  The buses could not get out of the Philadelphia traffic any sooner; that is what delayed them.  He asked if I would let the Visitor Center site leaders know the MTC would be late so the large crowd of people at the Visitors Centers could be informed that due to being late the MTC would only stop at the Joseph Smith Farm and not at the Hill Cumorah.  I found Elder Hales, who is the Site Supervisor for the Joseph Smith Farm, and told him of the delay and he let the Site Supervisor at the Hill Cumorah know the MTC would not stop there.  About a half hour later we learned that one of the MTC buses had its engine overheat so they were delayed even longer.  As a result the MTC divided into three groups; and were about a half hour behind each other.  The first group of the MTC arrived about 5:30pm at the Joseph Smith Farm.  They got off the buses and walked through part of the Sacred Grove and then gathered at the Frame Home.  As they approached the home from the Sacred Grove I was standing where I could see them clearly and noticed Jay and Loni were leading the MTC out of the Grove.  We were able to greet each other and visit for about 2 minutes then he and Loni went and stood by the part of the MTC who were in the first group; President & Sister Christianson were also standing by Jay and Loni.  The part of the MTC who were there, gathered together and Mack Wilberg led them in singing “Oh how lovely was the morning…”  Some of our missionaries and members had brought investigators with them.  Knowing the MTC had just walked out of the Sacred Grove where the Prophet Joseph had seen the Father and the Son in 1820; and hearing them sing that song brought a powerful feeling of the Spirit to all the people assembled.  There were around 200 people assembled.   Many people had tears in their eyes, including some of the choir.  One of our Sister Missionaries who serves at the sites, Sister Lowe, is completing her mission next month; and she was especially touched by the Spirit.  Even Mom & I had wet eyes.  We have talked to some of the missionaries in the last few days and they said the investigators who came with them could feel the Spirit there.  Following the song, they also sang “God Be With You Till We Meet Again”; then they started going to get on the buses.

As we were walking back to the parking lot we met Sister Shepard, who is the wife of Elder Shepard who is the Site Supervisor at the Grandin Press Building Visitor Center.  We have been asked to help with visitors to the Grandin Building every other day during the days of the Hill Cumorah Pageant.  Sister Shepard took us to their apartment; which is only about 100 yards from the Joseph Smith Farm Visitors Center, and Elder Shepard gave us some instruction on what we would be doing while at the Grandin Press site.  When we walked out of their apartment the 2^nd group of the MTC were walking into the Sacred Grove.  We did not stay to see if they would sing.  We learned today that some people stayed to see both of the later groups of the MTC and they did in fact sing for the few who were there.  In short, being present for this experience was truly AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Saturday we drove to Chautauqua for the Saturday afternoon MTC concert. This is about a two hour drive from Brockport.  When we were about 8 miles from the Chautauqua Institution Jay called and told us he had arranged for us to sit near the front by he and Loni; and wondered how close we were.  We said we were 8 miles away; so he said when we got parked to call him and he would direct us where to go to find him.  We reached the gate where they wanted a ticket, which we did not have; I explained to the young man that Jay had our tickets inside the Amphitheater.  I called Jay on my cell phone and he said the right things to the young man and he let us go in.  The Amphitheater at the Chautauqua Institution is similar in shape to the Old Tabernacle at the Salt Lake Temple Square.  It is oval and has a roof, but the sides are open; the stage is at the front and seats are all the way around from the front of the stage on one side to the front of the stage on the other side.  I would guess it seats around 1500 people.  At the back of the stage is a few dozen Organ pipes a little like in the Salt Lake Tabernacle.  Jay said to meet him at the Southwest Corner of the Amphitheater; the only problem was I had no idea which direction was which.  We asked one of the people who were at the ticket gates (the 2^nd ticket gate, different than the previous one) into the Amphitheater where the Southwest corner was, and she did not know the answer.   So I used my height to an advantage and started looking around and finally saw Jay at the opposite corner from where we were.  So we made our away around to him and met him.  He escorted us past the ticket guy to our seats.  We were seated in the front of the stage right at the center, just 5 rows out from the stage.  The stand on which Mack Wilberg stood to direct the orchestra and choir was right in front of us.  We could see everyone in the MTC very clearly and also most of the orchestra.

I do not think there was a better seat any place in the amphitheater.  We were able to visit for about 15 minutes before the concert began with Jay and Loni.  We also visited a little during the 10 minute intermission; and then also after the concert was over we also visited a little.  I do not remember the last time I had the privilege of sitting by Jay for two hours straight and enjoying such a powerful spiritual experience.  Loni commented that she thought she might get a little bored after hearing the same performance so many times; but she said each time gets better and more wonderful; and she is exactly correct.   I have never heard a bad performance by the MTC and this was no exception.  They and the orchestra and organ were simply wonderful.  The concert lasted 2 hours.

Earlier in the week we had called Tricia Brown, who is the daughter of Alma and Anne’s daughter Diane and had arranged to stop and visit her and her husband Rich after the concert was over.  Tricia and Rich live in Cassadaga, about 20 miles Northeast of Chautauqua; and were kind enough to offer to fix dinner for us.  After the concert, we found our way to their home and had a wonderful dinner and visit with them.  We then drove home and arrived about 9pm.

This week’s experiences have been very special and spiritual.  We are so greatly blessed to be here in this mission and have the chance to serve and learn and help where we can.  We have our testimonies increased more each day of how true the Lord’s work and church are.  We really have living prophets and apostles to help us learn to choose to do what will lead us back to Heavenly Father through the Savior’s atonement.  We know the Father and Son live and love us and answer our prayers.  President Monson is a prophet, the Book of Mormon is true, and Joseph Smith is the prophet of this last dispensation.

We hope Travis continues to recover from his surgery last week and that there are no problems like there have been in the past.  We hope Ali and Jada will continue to be blessed and helped to be patient while Travis gets better.  We hope this is the last of the serious health problems Travis has to go through.  We hope all goes well for Mckinzi and the birth of her baby girl; we are anxious to hear how things go and see a picture of this little one.  We hope Bailey gets feeling better after her pain and misery.  We pray that Kendra will learn that the lung nodule she has will not be a serious problem.  We hope and pray Kendra will be able to provide the needed support for her sister while she has radiation treatments for her cancer.  We also hope Brad, Shay, Aaron, and Braden will be helpful through the coming weeks as they have the challenges that come to them.  We are very pleased that Austin was sustained to be ordained an Elder on Sunday; and hope he and Josie have a wonderful wedding day on July 15^th.  We wish happy birthdays to Wes on July 9^th, Shaun and Shay on July 10^th, and to Brad and Tyler on July 14^th.  We hope you all have a wonderful and safe July 4^th and July 24^th holiday.

Love,

Mom & Dad, Grandma & Grandpa, Richard & Maxine