A Christmas greeting from a special issue of the Cleverly Newsletter published for the first time at Bountiful, Utah, in December 1977, and sent to both family members and friends. We had just moved to Bountiful the month before, and our fourth child and second son had been born the previous summer.
Christmas is a time of fond memories—the crisp bit of the winter air, the silent drifting of powdery snowflakes, the smell of spruce and wintergreen, the crackle of the pine log burning in the fireplace, the magic aromas drifting from the kitchen, the soft glow of twinkling little lights on the Christmas tree, the enchantment and wonder reflected in the eyes of the children, the love of friends and family, the memory of Him whose birthday it is.
The mosaic of Christmas memories is colorful and many-faceted, providing a kaleidoscope of varied treasures for each person as he thinks back on Christmases past. We are thankful for our Christmas memories and want you to know that we remember their source—for, as the ancient prophet wrote, "all things which are good cometh of Christ" (Moroni 7:24).
The Lord has been very good to us this year. As you can see, this Christmas greeting comes partially as a birth announcement, partially as an announcement of our new address, and partially as our way of saying we love and appreciate you to so many who in different ways have touched our lives and made them just a little better. You will find in these brief pages mention of much that is new—our new home, our new baby, our new Church callings, our new this and that. But there is nothing new about the Christmas message, except that is everlastingly new and fresh and relevant to all men at all times everywhere:
"For, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
". . . Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men" (Luke 2:10-11, 14).
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16).
"And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent" (John 17:3).
These scriptures are an indication of what Christmas is all about. And that is why we love the holiday season—because we can more openly rejoice in Christ and preach of Him as the Fount of all our blessings, the Source of all that is good, the Giver of every blessing—including family and friends and home and freedom and all we hold dear.
We know that He lives. We know it. And we rejoice in this knowledge revealed to us from heaven. Our Christmas wish is that you too may know and, knowing, do all that He requires that you may have happiness and joy during the New Year and everlastingly thereafter.
A merry, merry Christmas with all our love,
Dean, Claudia, and the children (Michael Adam, Becca, Rachael, and Talmage)
Saturday, April 12, 2008
11. A Christmas Greeting
A Christmas message from the cover of the December 1976 issue of the Cleverly Newsletter.
Dear Family,
Another Christmas has come and another year draws to an end. If yours has been anything like ours this year, it has gone by fast, almost too fast—especially as we survey all the things we have and haven't done.
Our family newsletter is now in its fourth year of publication. We are very grateful for the support each of you has given to make it as successful and worthwhile as it has been. Thank you all very much.
Now, we wish you all a very merry Christmas and a prosperous and happy New Year.
Dear Family,
Another Christmas has come and another year draws to an end. If yours has been anything like ours this year, it has gone by fast, almost too fast—especially as we survey all the things we have and haven't done.
Our family newsletter is now in its fourth year of publication. We are very grateful for the support each of you has given to make it as successful and worthwhile as it has been. Thank you all very much.
Now, we wish you all a very merry Christmas and a prosperous and happy New Year.
— Dean & Claudia
Thursday, April 10, 2008
10. Goodness and Wisdom
An editorial comment in a special election issue of the Cleverly Newsletter dated October 26, 1976.
The November elections are soon upon us. Editorially the Newsletter had not intended to take a stand favoring any particular party, issue, or candidate. We firmly believe that each member of the family can and should arrive at his own conclusions after weighing the facts and considering the issues. We think it entirely appropriate that the important decisions made next Tuesday be made a matter of serious personal study and prayer.
As indicated, we had not intended to take a stand. However, we now feel compelled to do so for various reasons.
First, we firmly believe the maxim that "all that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing." We feel that we have an obligation to let you know where we stand and why.
Second, it has been a long-standing tradition in America for newspapers and other publications to publicly endorse candidates. We feel that this is a healthy practice if it helps the citizenry sort out the issues and the candidates.
Third, and most important in our minds, we feel that there are some specific candidates who do not merit our support—specifically, Jimmie Carter and, for those of us in Utah, Allen Howe. Now, in saying this, we speak for ourselves and do not imply in any way that we represent the overall family, the Church, or any other agency.
Jimmie Carter, by his own admission, does not qualify as one who is either good or wise. And these are precisely the qualifications the Lord tells us should be required of every office seeker: "Honest men and wise men should be sought for diligently, and good men and wise men ye should observe to uphold" (D&C 98:10; italics added).
No man, in our opinion, who says, "I've looked on a lot of women with lust," deserves or is capable of fulfilling the trust associated with the presidency of these United States. John Adams, the second president of our nation, said: "Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other" (John R. Howe Jr., The Changing Political Thought of John Adams, 189).
That is simply a true fact: Our government will only work if we are a moral and a religious people. Public morality cannot be disassociated from private morality, as Watergate should have taught us.
George Washington, the father of our country, said the same thing in other words: "Of all the dispositions and habits, which leade to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports. In vain would that man claim the tribute of patriotism, who should labor to subvert these great pillars of human happiness, these firmest props of the destinies of men and citizens. . . . And let us with caution indulge the supposition that morality can be maintained without religion. . . .
"Can it be, that Providence has not connected the permanent felicity of a nation with its virtue?" (George Washington's Farewell Address, The World's Great Speeches, 254, 256).
Alexis de Tocqueville expressed a similar thought: "I sought for the greatness and genius of America in her commodious harbors and her ample rivers, and it was not there; in her fertile fields and boundless prairies, and it was not there; in her rich mines and her vast world commerce, and it was not there. Not until I went to the churches of America and heard her pulpits aflame with righteousness did I understand the secret of her genius and power. America is great because she is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great" (Jerrald L. Newquist, Prophets, Principles and National Survival, 60; italics added).
We do not feel that Jimmie Carter qualifies as one who is good in the sense that the Lord meant it. Nor do we feel that he is very wise, especially when a leader of his own party says that he should have kept his mouth shut. According to Senate Republican leader Hugh Scott, "The trouble with Jimmie Carter is that when he says what he really thinks, it comes out pretty scary."
It is for similar reasons we oppose Congressman Allen Howe, the incumbent Utah Democrat seeking reelection to the House and who has twice been convicted of soliciting sex for hire. We also have our doubts about Howe's goodness and wisdom. He seems unable to accept or follow good counsel—either from the leaders of his own party or from a prophet of God, who publicly said that Howe should not seek reelection. Howe is a member of the Church. He should know better. If his judgment is no better than that, we do not want him representing us in Congress.
A prophet of God has wisely said, "Many Americans have lost sight of the truth that righteousness is one of the indispensable ingredient to liberty. . . .
"Unless we as citizens of this nation forsake our sins, political and otherwise, and return to the fundamental principles of Christianity and of constitutional government, we will lose our political liberties, our free institutions, and will stand in jeorpardy before God of losing our exaltation. I am in full agreement with the statement made by President J. Reuben Clark Jr.:
"'I say to you that the price of liberty is and always has been blood, human blood, and if our liberties are lost, we shall never regain them except at the price of blood. They must not be lost!' (Stand by Our Constitution, 137).
"Yes, I repeat, righteousness is an indispensable ingredient to liberty. Virtuous people elect wise and good representatives. Good representatives make good laws and then wisely administer them. This tends to preserve righteousness. An unvirtuous citizenry tend to elect representatives who will pander to their covetous lustings. The burden of self-government is a great responsibility. It calls for restraint, righteousness, responsibility, and reliance upon God. It is a truism from the Lord that 'when the wicked rule the people mourn' (D&C 98:9)" (Ezra Taft Benson, Ensign, May 1976, 92-93).
The November elections are soon upon us. Editorially the Newsletter had not intended to take a stand favoring any particular party, issue, or candidate. We firmly believe that each member of the family can and should arrive at his own conclusions after weighing the facts and considering the issues. We think it entirely appropriate that the important decisions made next Tuesday be made a matter of serious personal study and prayer.
As indicated, we had not intended to take a stand. However, we now feel compelled to do so for various reasons.
First, we firmly believe the maxim that "all that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing." We feel that we have an obligation to let you know where we stand and why.
Second, it has been a long-standing tradition in America for newspapers and other publications to publicly endorse candidates. We feel that this is a healthy practice if it helps the citizenry sort out the issues and the candidates.
Third, and most important in our minds, we feel that there are some specific candidates who do not merit our support—specifically, Jimmie Carter and, for those of us in Utah, Allen Howe. Now, in saying this, we speak for ourselves and do not imply in any way that we represent the overall family, the Church, or any other agency.
Jimmie Carter, by his own admission, does not qualify as one who is either good or wise. And these are precisely the qualifications the Lord tells us should be required of every office seeker: "Honest men and wise men should be sought for diligently, and good men and wise men ye should observe to uphold" (D&C 98:10; italics added).
No man, in our opinion, who says, "I've looked on a lot of women with lust," deserves or is capable of fulfilling the trust associated with the presidency of these United States. John Adams, the second president of our nation, said: "Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other" (John R. Howe Jr., The Changing Political Thought of John Adams, 189).
That is simply a true fact: Our government will only work if we are a moral and a religious people. Public morality cannot be disassociated from private morality, as Watergate should have taught us.
George Washington, the father of our country, said the same thing in other words: "Of all the dispositions and habits, which leade to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports. In vain would that man claim the tribute of patriotism, who should labor to subvert these great pillars of human happiness, these firmest props of the destinies of men and citizens. . . . And let us with caution indulge the supposition that morality can be maintained without religion. . . .
"Can it be, that Providence has not connected the permanent felicity of a nation with its virtue?" (George Washington's Farewell Address, The World's Great Speeches, 254, 256).
Alexis de Tocqueville expressed a similar thought: "I sought for the greatness and genius of America in her commodious harbors and her ample rivers, and it was not there; in her fertile fields and boundless prairies, and it was not there; in her rich mines and her vast world commerce, and it was not there. Not until I went to the churches of America and heard her pulpits aflame with righteousness did I understand the secret of her genius and power. America is great because she is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great" (Jerrald L. Newquist, Prophets, Principles and National Survival, 60; italics added).
We do not feel that Jimmie Carter qualifies as one who is good in the sense that the Lord meant it. Nor do we feel that he is very wise, especially when a leader of his own party says that he should have kept his mouth shut. According to Senate Republican leader Hugh Scott, "The trouble with Jimmie Carter is that when he says what he really thinks, it comes out pretty scary."
It is for similar reasons we oppose Congressman Allen Howe, the incumbent Utah Democrat seeking reelection to the House and who has twice been convicted of soliciting sex for hire. We also have our doubts about Howe's goodness and wisdom. He seems unable to accept or follow good counsel—either from the leaders of his own party or from a prophet of God, who publicly said that Howe should not seek reelection. Howe is a member of the Church. He should know better. If his judgment is no better than that, we do not want him representing us in Congress.
A prophet of God has wisely said, "Many Americans have lost sight of the truth that righteousness is one of the indispensable ingredient to liberty. . . .
"Unless we as citizens of this nation forsake our sins, political and otherwise, and return to the fundamental principles of Christianity and of constitutional government, we will lose our political liberties, our free institutions, and will stand in jeorpardy before God of losing our exaltation. I am in full agreement with the statement made by President J. Reuben Clark Jr.:
"'I say to you that the price of liberty is and always has been blood, human blood, and if our liberties are lost, we shall never regain them except at the price of blood. They must not be lost!' (Stand by Our Constitution, 137).
"Yes, I repeat, righteousness is an indispensable ingredient to liberty. Virtuous people elect wise and good representatives. Good representatives make good laws and then wisely administer them. This tends to preserve righteousness. An unvirtuous citizenry tend to elect representatives who will pander to their covetous lustings. The burden of self-government is a great responsibility. It calls for restraint, righteousness, responsibility, and reliance upon God. It is a truism from the Lord that 'when the wicked rule the people mourn' (D&C 98:9)" (Ezra Taft Benson, Ensign, May 1976, 92-93).
9. Bringing Order Out of Chaos
A report on the clean-up effort following the June 5, 1976, Teton Dam disaster in eastern Idaho, as reported in the September 1976 issue of the Cleverly Newsletter.
A hand-scribbled sign on the wall of the Rexburg Idaho North Stake center reads: “Let’s bring order out of chaos the priesthood way.” And that’s what thousands of faithful, dedicated Rexburg Saints are trying to do, assisted by millions of man-hours of labor donated by thousands of other Saints from southern Idaho, western Wyoming, and northern Utah.
On Thursday, July 8, I took a day off work to go with some 260 others from our stake to help in the great clean-up effort. We left at 3:45 in the morning on six chartered buses and arrived back in Salt Lake at midnight, very tired, but very grateful to have been able to serve our Idaho brethren.
It was sobering to see the destruction, the utter dirty mess that was still around in the north and west parts of Rexburg, and to realize that a full month had passed since the flood.
I helped a man whose jewelry store still needed more cleaning. Mud was everywhere. He was one of the fortunate storekeepers. He had lost only his entire inventory and his home; he still had his family and his faith in the gospel and his shop. He was optimistic and grateful.
What we were helping do on that day was also being done on other days by volunteers from scores of other stakes—an excellent example of how the Saints can bring order out of chaos the priesthood way.
Elder Boyd K. Packer said that “it is not without probability that all of us will face challenges such as this in the generation ahead and that this is a suiting up and a preparing for all of us” (Ensign, Aug. 1976, 70).
A hand-scribbled sign on the wall of the Rexburg Idaho North Stake center reads: “Let’s bring order out of chaos the priesthood way.” And that’s what thousands of faithful, dedicated Rexburg Saints are trying to do, assisted by millions of man-hours of labor donated by thousands of other Saints from southern Idaho, western Wyoming, and northern Utah.
On Thursday, July 8, I took a day off work to go with some 260 others from our stake to help in the great clean-up effort. We left at 3:45 in the morning on six chartered buses and arrived back in Salt Lake at midnight, very tired, but very grateful to have been able to serve our Idaho brethren.
It was sobering to see the destruction, the utter dirty mess that was still around in the north and west parts of Rexburg, and to realize that a full month had passed since the flood.
I helped a man whose jewelry store still needed more cleaning. Mud was everywhere. He was one of the fortunate storekeepers. He had lost only his entire inventory and his home; he still had his family and his faith in the gospel and his shop. He was optimistic and grateful.
What we were helping do on that day was also being done on other days by volunteers from scores of other stakes—an excellent example of how the Saints can bring order out of chaos the priesthood way.
Elder Boyd K. Packer said that “it is not without probability that all of us will face challenges such as this in the generation ahead and that this is a suiting up and a preparing for all of us” (Ensign, Aug. 1976, 70).
8. Our Message for America
A thought in commemoration of the American bicentennial published on the cover of the March 1976 Cleverly Newsletter as adapted from a talk I gave on Sunday, February 29, 1976, in the sacrament meeting of the Rose Park Fourth Ward, Salt Lake Rose Park Stake.
Elder L. Tom Perry, of the Council of the Twelve, indicated in a recent address he gave that we as members of the Church have a positive three-fold message for America as we celebrate the bicentennial:
1. America’s earliest history is contained in the Book of Mormon and other scriptures.
2. The discovery of America and the founding of this nation were parts of God’s plan.
3. The future of America’s destiny depends on the righteousness of America’s families.
Let’s talk a little now of the founding of this nation. If you stop to think about it, the American revolution must be ranked as one of the significant miracles of all recorded history. Here were thirteen little, weak, struggling colonies who couldn’t even agree among themselves who were standing up against and defeating what was then the world’s mightiest, most powerful empire. In my mind, there is no way to account for it except to say that God had a hand in it. And, of course, He did.
Nephi, nearly 2,400 years before it happened, prophesied America’s struggle for independence: “And it came to pass that I, Nephi, beheld that the Gentiles who had gone forth out of captivity did humble themselves before the Lord; and the power of the Lord was with them.
“And I beheld that their mother Gentiles were gathered together upon the waters, and upon the land also, to battle against them.
“And I beheld that the power of God was with them, and also that the wrath of God was upon all those that were gathered together against them to battle.
“And I, Nephi, beheld that the Gentiles that had gone out of captivity were delivered by the power of God out of the hands of all other nations.
“And it came to pass that I, Nephi, beheld that they did prosper in the land” (1 Nephi 13:16–20).
The next great miracle was the framing of the Constitution. With independence finally won, thirteen impoverished little countries (who still couldn’t agree on anything) sat down and united themselves into a union unparalleled in human history. And the God of heaven endorsed the Constitution they drafted:
“According to the laws and constitution of the people, which I have suffered to be established, and should be maintained for the rights and protection of all flesh, according to just and holy principles;
“That every man may act in doctrine and principle pertaining to futurity, according to the moral agency which I have given unto him, that every man may be accountable for his own sins in the day of judgment.
“Therefore, it is not right that any man should be in bondage one to another.
“And for this purpose have I established the Constitution of this land, by the hands of wise men whom I raised up unto this very purpose, and redeemed the land by the shedding of blood” (D&C 101:77–80).
Of course, we today understand in context why all this had to take place. God Almighty needed an America in order to restore the everlasting gospel through the Prophet Joseph Smith. America has been, is, and will continue to be the Lord’s home base of operations in the latter days. From this place is the sound to go forth unto all the world, for out of Zion shall go forth the law.
And that’s a part of why I love America with all my heart.
Elder L. Tom Perry, of the Council of the Twelve, indicated in a recent address he gave that we as members of the Church have a positive three-fold message for America as we celebrate the bicentennial:
1. America’s earliest history is contained in the Book of Mormon and other scriptures.
2. The discovery of America and the founding of this nation were parts of God’s plan.
3. The future of America’s destiny depends on the righteousness of America’s families.
Let’s talk a little now of the founding of this nation. If you stop to think about it, the American revolution must be ranked as one of the significant miracles of all recorded history. Here were thirteen little, weak, struggling colonies who couldn’t even agree among themselves who were standing up against and defeating what was then the world’s mightiest, most powerful empire. In my mind, there is no way to account for it except to say that God had a hand in it. And, of course, He did.
Nephi, nearly 2,400 years before it happened, prophesied America’s struggle for independence: “And it came to pass that I, Nephi, beheld that the Gentiles who had gone forth out of captivity did humble themselves before the Lord; and the power of the Lord was with them.
“And I beheld that their mother Gentiles were gathered together upon the waters, and upon the land also, to battle against them.
“And I beheld that the power of God was with them, and also that the wrath of God was upon all those that were gathered together against them to battle.
“And I, Nephi, beheld that the Gentiles that had gone out of captivity were delivered by the power of God out of the hands of all other nations.
“And it came to pass that I, Nephi, beheld that they did prosper in the land” (1 Nephi 13:16–20).
The next great miracle was the framing of the Constitution. With independence finally won, thirteen impoverished little countries (who still couldn’t agree on anything) sat down and united themselves into a union unparalleled in human history. And the God of heaven endorsed the Constitution they drafted:
“According to the laws and constitution of the people, which I have suffered to be established, and should be maintained for the rights and protection of all flesh, according to just and holy principles;
“That every man may act in doctrine and principle pertaining to futurity, according to the moral agency which I have given unto him, that every man may be accountable for his own sins in the day of judgment.
“Therefore, it is not right that any man should be in bondage one to another.
“And for this purpose have I established the Constitution of this land, by the hands of wise men whom I raised up unto this very purpose, and redeemed the land by the shedding of blood” (D&C 101:77–80).
Of course, we today understand in context why all this had to take place. God Almighty needed an America in order to restore the everlasting gospel through the Prophet Joseph Smith. America has been, is, and will continue to be the Lord’s home base of operations in the latter days. From this place is the sound to go forth unto all the world, for out of Zion shall go forth the law.
And that’s a part of why I love America with all my heart.
7. Go Ye into All the World
A Christmas and missionary thought in the December 1975 issue of the Cleverly Newsletter, as well as a report on my brother Dale's return from a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Brazil.
- I -
Christmas is a giving time. And among the greatest gifts ever given was the birth and life and atoning sacrifice of the Savior of the world, Jesus Christ.
Those of us who know the true meaning of Christmas have an obligation to give that same light and knowledge to a darkening, dying world. The Savior said to His ancient apostles: “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15).
Our modern-day prophet-leader has made it clear that this same injunction applies to us today. What greater gift could we give this coming year than the gospel of Jesus Christ. How better could we spread the joy of the angels’ song: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men” (Luke 2:14).
- II -
Bolivia has been described my many as the armpit of South America. From what I have heard that may be true. It is a poor and backward country even by South American standards. But to some Bolivia is a beloved land. For example, President Spencer W. Kimball gives us this descriptive look at Bolivia:
“I remember again going into Bolivia to a high plateau on which the airport is built in La Paz. Down the long, winding road that lead from the high plateau to the little valley below in which the rather large city of La Paz is located, there were lines of Indian women. They were all dressed substantially the same.
“On one of our visits we learned that the president of the nation was to appear in the small plaza in the heart of town. We found we were not the only interested people, for the little Indian women like ‘peas in a pod’ had assembled on the benches of the little public square. They sat in rows, each with a little brown derby hat, all the same. And medium short full dresses, all the same. And shawls over their shoulders, all the same. And from above they looked like that many hundreds of brown eggs in cartons, all the same. I see them now, small of stature, uniform in size and build and dress, curious. And I think they were unconsciously hungering and thirsting for something they did not know. . . . They needed the gospel, the enlightening and progressing gospel of Jesus Christ.
“In one of the magazines was a picture of one of these women and someone had put some words into her mouth, and she was saying to the missionary who was trying to explain to her Jesus Christ, the Lord:
“For me? You say it was for me
The Son of God came down to earth,
Born just as any Indian babe,
Then, bundled up, was laid upon the hay—
How could it be? How could it be?
Where is he now? Does he live far away?
Show the trail! Please tell me more of him.
How I should like to see him! Yet I’m old:
I cannot walk the trails as once I could;
And mountain paths are steep.
“So if I went, I’d have to travel slow.
Would you go with me, if I were to go?
‘Come unto me!’ Those words included me?
He calls for ME? You’re SURE he calls for me?
Would he receive ME, if I came to him?
He CARES for me? You say he cares for ME!
Ah, then, I’ll come—my heart cries out for him!
Oh, that I might have known him long ago,
When I was wee.
To think I almost missed him! And he came for ME!”
(Regional Representatives’ seminar, 3 Apr. 1975)
That’s an appropriate message at this Christmas time of year. Not only does He care for the Lamanite woman in Bolivia, but for each of us wherever we are or whatever we are doing. For we hear the voice of the Lord saying, “Hearken ye people from afar; and ye that are upon the islands of the sea, listen together.
“For verily the voice of the Lord is unto all men, and there is none to escape; and there is no eye that shall not see, neither ear that shall not hear, neither heart that shall not be penetrated” (D&C 1:1–2).
And that’s why Dale spent two years laboring in Bolivia.
The final letter we received from Dale in Bolivia summed up his mission: “I really love Bolivia and its beautiful people! I’ve had a lot of choice experiences here and when I leave, part of my heart will stay. [But] I know that no matter where I’m at, the Lord’s work will roll on. I’m just thankful for the opportunity I’ve had to be a part of His great work! These have been the tryingest, hardest, most joyful two years thus far in my life.”
- I -
Christmas is a giving time. And among the greatest gifts ever given was the birth and life and atoning sacrifice of the Savior of the world, Jesus Christ.
Those of us who know the true meaning of Christmas have an obligation to give that same light and knowledge to a darkening, dying world. The Savior said to His ancient apostles: “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15).
Our modern-day prophet-leader has made it clear that this same injunction applies to us today. What greater gift could we give this coming year than the gospel of Jesus Christ. How better could we spread the joy of the angels’ song: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men” (Luke 2:14).
- II -
Bolivia has been described my many as the armpit of South America. From what I have heard that may be true. It is a poor and backward country even by South American standards. But to some Bolivia is a beloved land. For example, President Spencer W. Kimball gives us this descriptive look at Bolivia:
“I remember again going into Bolivia to a high plateau on which the airport is built in La Paz. Down the long, winding road that lead from the high plateau to the little valley below in which the rather large city of La Paz is located, there were lines of Indian women. They were all dressed substantially the same.
“On one of our visits we learned that the president of the nation was to appear in the small plaza in the heart of town. We found we were not the only interested people, for the little Indian women like ‘peas in a pod’ had assembled on the benches of the little public square. They sat in rows, each with a little brown derby hat, all the same. And medium short full dresses, all the same. And shawls over their shoulders, all the same. And from above they looked like that many hundreds of brown eggs in cartons, all the same. I see them now, small of stature, uniform in size and build and dress, curious. And I think they were unconsciously hungering and thirsting for something they did not know. . . . They needed the gospel, the enlightening and progressing gospel of Jesus Christ.
“In one of the magazines was a picture of one of these women and someone had put some words into her mouth, and she was saying to the missionary who was trying to explain to her Jesus Christ, the Lord:
“For me? You say it was for me
The Son of God came down to earth,
Born just as any Indian babe,
Then, bundled up, was laid upon the hay—
How could it be? How could it be?
Where is he now? Does he live far away?
Show the trail! Please tell me more of him.
How I should like to see him! Yet I’m old:
I cannot walk the trails as once I could;
And mountain paths are steep.
“So if I went, I’d have to travel slow.
Would you go with me, if I were to go?
‘Come unto me!’ Those words included me?
He calls for ME? You’re SURE he calls for me?
Would he receive ME, if I came to him?
He CARES for me? You say he cares for ME!
Ah, then, I’ll come—my heart cries out for him!
Oh, that I might have known him long ago,
When I was wee.
To think I almost missed him! And he came for ME!”
(Regional Representatives’ seminar, 3 Apr. 1975)
That’s an appropriate message at this Christmas time of year. Not only does He care for the Lamanite woman in Bolivia, but for each of us wherever we are or whatever we are doing. For we hear the voice of the Lord saying, “Hearken ye people from afar; and ye that are upon the islands of the sea, listen together.
“For verily the voice of the Lord is unto all men, and there is none to escape; and there is no eye that shall not see, neither ear that shall not hear, neither heart that shall not be penetrated” (D&C 1:1–2).
And that’s why Dale spent two years laboring in Bolivia.
The final letter we received from Dale in Bolivia summed up his mission: “I really love Bolivia and its beautiful people! I’ve had a lot of choice experiences here and when I leave, part of my heart will stay. [But] I know that no matter where I’m at, the Lord’s work will roll on. I’m just thankful for the opportunity I’ve had to be a part of His great work! These have been the tryingest, hardest, most joyful two years thus far in my life.”
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
6. A Christmas Greeting
Christmas is a family time. And this issue of the newsletter tries to portay that—all the way from a message from Grandma on her eightieth birthday to a commemoration of Dad and Mom's fortieth wedding anniversary to an announcement of the newest arrival in the family, Bobbie Lynn.
Christmas is also a time of thankfulness. We are grateful to all of you for your wonderful support of the newsletter. Your response has been just great. Specifically we thank Kay, who has helped out on the postage. And we thank both Ray and Aunt Berniece, who have contributed money to help pay printing costs. The price to publish the newsletter has nearly tripled since we started a year and a half ago, so every penny is very much appreciated.
Finally, Christmas is the birthday of Jesus Christ. And we hope that stands out most important of all. We rejoice in the marvelous testimony we share with all of you, for we know that God lives. He is actually our Father—a loving, kind Father—patient with us in our weakness. He loved us enough to give us the greatest gift that has ever been given: the life of His Son. May we take time to remember that during this joyous Christmas season.
Christmas is also a time of thankfulness. We are grateful to all of you for your wonderful support of the newsletter. Your response has been just great. Specifically we thank Kay, who has helped out on the postage. And we thank both Ray and Aunt Berniece, who have contributed money to help pay printing costs. The price to publish the newsletter has nearly tripled since we started a year and a half ago, so every penny is very much appreciated.
Finally, Christmas is the birthday of Jesus Christ. And we hope that stands out most important of all. We rejoice in the marvelous testimony we share with all of you, for we know that God lives. He is actually our Father—a loving, kind Father—patient with us in our weakness. He loved us enough to give us the greatest gift that has ever been given: the life of His Son. May we take time to remember that during this joyous Christmas season.
5. Our Savior: A Family Man
An Easter message published in a special family reunion issue of the Cleverly Newsletter in April 1974.
Somehow it is very important that we have chosen Easter weekend as the time for our family reunion this year—appropriate because Easter celebrates the most glorious event that has ever happened in the history of the earth, appropriate because families are the most important thing on the earth. The mission of the Savior and the glorious eternal destiny of the family are so much a part of each other that prophets can tell us to "seek first the kingdom of God," but at the same time tell us that "the greatest work we will ever do for the Church will be within the walls of our own homes" and also that "no success can compensate for failure in the home."
Every couple in our family group has now been sealed for time and all eternity; every child has been sealed to his parents or born in the covenant. What a glorious opportunity can be ours to live together eternally if we prove worthy of such a great blessing. But have you stopped to consider the role of the Savior has played in making all this possible? He is the one who in the councils before this life advanced the plan; He is the author of our salvation. He is the one who created this earth for us to come to live on. He is the one who gives us the commandments we need to know and obey to be able to return to our Father's presence. He is the one who is the source of the priesthood, the power and the authority to bind us on earth and in heaven, to seal us together as families. He is the one who suffered for our sins, gave His life that we might live, and was resurrected that death might have no ultimate victory over us. He is the very God who gives us our life, our breath, our very being. All that we are, and ever hope to be, we owe to Jesus Christ, our Savior and God and King.
Now Jesus Christ is a family man. His sole work is to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of his Father's children. When we enter the celestial world, we will be perfectly organized into families. God the Father will be there. And if worthy of our exaltation, we will be there as joint-heirs of Jesus Christ, gods in our own right, able to people worlds of our own without end, becoming Heavenly Fathers and Mothers to our own spirit children. Such is the eternal destiny that awaits us—all because of our beloved Redeemer.
I am grateful that the Savior we worship is a living God. Not all people do worship Him that way. When I was in Brazil on my mission, for example, I noticed that there the big holiday is not Easter Sunday but Good Friday. And it is not celebrated as a happy day. They remember the crucified Christ, not the resurrected Christ. I'm sure Kay noticed the same thing on his mission in Peru, and Dale is probably seeing it now in Bolivia. The difference was graphically shown at the New York World's Fair, which I visited in 1964. The Catholic pavilion showed the dead Christ, the famous Pieta. The Mormon pavilion showed a representation of the living Christ, the Christus which now stands with out-stretched arms in the Salt Lake Visitors' Center.
The beautiful hymn sums up what I'm trying to say:
I know that my Redeemer lives;
What comfort this sweet sentence gives!
He lives, he lives, who once was dead.
He lives, my ever-living head.
He lives to bless me with his love.
He lives to plead for me above.
He lives my hungry soul to feed.
He lives to bless in time of need.
He lives, all glory to his name!
He lives, my Savior, still the same;
O sweet the joy this sentence gives:
"I know that my Redeemer lives!"
Yes, I know that my Redeemer lives. And I'm grateful to share that witness with all of you, my beloved family members. May we share that knowledge and faith with all we know—our families, our neighbors, with all the world. And may our lives reflect the joy and happiness that comes from living the gospel of our Savior—a family name.
Somehow it is very important that we have chosen Easter weekend as the time for our family reunion this year—appropriate because Easter celebrates the most glorious event that has ever happened in the history of the earth, appropriate because families are the most important thing on the earth. The mission of the Savior and the glorious eternal destiny of the family are so much a part of each other that prophets can tell us to "seek first the kingdom of God," but at the same time tell us that "the greatest work we will ever do for the Church will be within the walls of our own homes" and also that "no success can compensate for failure in the home."
Every couple in our family group has now been sealed for time and all eternity; every child has been sealed to his parents or born in the covenant. What a glorious opportunity can be ours to live together eternally if we prove worthy of such a great blessing. But have you stopped to consider the role of the Savior has played in making all this possible? He is the one who in the councils before this life advanced the plan; He is the author of our salvation. He is the one who created this earth for us to come to live on. He is the one who gives us the commandments we need to know and obey to be able to return to our Father's presence. He is the one who is the source of the priesthood, the power and the authority to bind us on earth and in heaven, to seal us together as families. He is the one who suffered for our sins, gave His life that we might live, and was resurrected that death might have no ultimate victory over us. He is the very God who gives us our life, our breath, our very being. All that we are, and ever hope to be, we owe to Jesus Christ, our Savior and God and King.
Now Jesus Christ is a family man. His sole work is to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of his Father's children. When we enter the celestial world, we will be perfectly organized into families. God the Father will be there. And if worthy of our exaltation, we will be there as joint-heirs of Jesus Christ, gods in our own right, able to people worlds of our own without end, becoming Heavenly Fathers and Mothers to our own spirit children. Such is the eternal destiny that awaits us—all because of our beloved Redeemer.
I am grateful that the Savior we worship is a living God. Not all people do worship Him that way. When I was in Brazil on my mission, for example, I noticed that there the big holiday is not Easter Sunday but Good Friday. And it is not celebrated as a happy day. They remember the crucified Christ, not the resurrected Christ. I'm sure Kay noticed the same thing on his mission in Peru, and Dale is probably seeing it now in Bolivia. The difference was graphically shown at the New York World's Fair, which I visited in 1964. The Catholic pavilion showed the dead Christ, the famous Pieta. The Mormon pavilion showed a representation of the living Christ, the Christus which now stands with out-stretched arms in the Salt Lake Visitors' Center.The beautiful hymn sums up what I'm trying to say:
I know that my Redeemer lives;
What comfort this sweet sentence gives!
He lives, he lives, who once was dead.
He lives, my ever-living head.
He lives to bless me with his love.
He lives to plead for me above.
He lives my hungry soul to feed.
He lives to bless in time of need.
He lives, all glory to his name!
He lives, my Savior, still the same;
O sweet the joy this sentence gives:
"I know that my Redeemer lives!"
Yes, I know that my Redeemer lives. And I'm grateful to share that witness with all of you, my beloved family members. May we share that knowledge and faith with all we know—our families, our neighbors, with all the world. And may our lives reflect the joy and happiness that comes from living the gospel of our Savior—a family name.
4. If Ye Are Prepared Ye Shall Not Fear
A thought on personal and family preparedness from the March 1974 issue of the Cleverly Newsletter.
A lot of family members have been talking about food storage. Some appear a little too zealous. Others don’t even know where to begin. So here are a few basic principles that will help all of us.
Our late prophet, President Harold B. Lee, said in the Church welfare conference on October 1, 1966: “We have never laid down an exact formula for what anybody should store, and let me just make this comment: Perhaps if we think not in terms of a year’s supply of what we ordinarily use, and think more in terms of what it would take to keep us alive in case we didn’t have anything else to eat, that last would be very easy to put in storage for a year . . . just enough to keep us alive if we didn’t have anything else to eat. We wouldn’t get fat on it, but we would live, and if you think in terms of that kind of annual storage rather than a whole year’s supply of everything that you are accustomed to eat, which, in most cases, is utterly impossible for the average family, I think we would come nearer to what President Clark advised us way back in 1937” (Ensign, Sept. 1973, 71).
Now what did President J. Reuben Clark say back in 1937? Listen to this: “Let every head of every household see to it that he has on hand enough food and clothing, and where possible, fuel also, for at least a year ahead” (Conference Report, Apr. 1937, 26).
So, the prophets teach (1) that preparedness is important and (2) that we should first store the basic items that will sustain life and after that, if we can, store foods we normally eat.
Storage must be approached wisely. The Church specifically counsels us not to go into debt to buy food, not to participate in panic buying, not to become storage faddists. Each family must carefully, calmly, and prayerfully assess their own resources and their own needs and plan accordingly.
Local government agencies, colleges, or universities can provide specific information regarding food storage. Elder Ezra Taft Benson gave an excellent talk on this subject in the last general conference. Read it. Among the things he said was this: “The revelation to store food may be as essential to our temporal salvation today as boarding the ark was to the people in the days of Noah” (Ensign, Jan. 1974, 68).
So this is very important. But let us keep calm. We are expected to be a positive light to the world. As President Joseph F. Smith said years ago (and it now seems so appropriate in the midst of Watergate and an energy crisis and rising prices and food shortages and wars and rumors of wars and the increasing wickedness of the world):
“Leaders of the Church . . . should be men [and women] not easily discouraged, not without hope, and not given to forebodings of all sorts of evils to come. . . . If men standing in high places sometimes feel the weight and anxiety of momentous times, they should be all the firmer and all the more resolute in those convictions which come from a God-fearing conscience and pure lives. Men in their private lives should feel the necessity of extending encouragement to the people by their own hopeful and cheerful intercourse with them. . . . It is a matter of the greatest importance that the people be educated to appreciate and cultivate the bright side of life rather than to permit its darkness and shadows to hover over them” (Gospel Doctrine, 155).
If we live righteously, pay our tithes, practice thrift, avoid debt, and have a willingness to work, we need never fear. The Lord Himself has promised, “If ye are prepared ye shall not fear” (D&C 38:30). Such is our challenge and our blessing.
A lot of family members have been talking about food storage. Some appear a little too zealous. Others don’t even know where to begin. So here are a few basic principles that will help all of us.
Our late prophet, President Harold B. Lee, said in the Church welfare conference on October 1, 1966: “We have never laid down an exact formula for what anybody should store, and let me just make this comment: Perhaps if we think not in terms of a year’s supply of what we ordinarily use, and think more in terms of what it would take to keep us alive in case we didn’t have anything else to eat, that last would be very easy to put in storage for a year . . . just enough to keep us alive if we didn’t have anything else to eat. We wouldn’t get fat on it, but we would live, and if you think in terms of that kind of annual storage rather than a whole year’s supply of everything that you are accustomed to eat, which, in most cases, is utterly impossible for the average family, I think we would come nearer to what President Clark advised us way back in 1937” (Ensign, Sept. 1973, 71).
Now what did President J. Reuben Clark say back in 1937? Listen to this: “Let every head of every household see to it that he has on hand enough food and clothing, and where possible, fuel also, for at least a year ahead” (Conference Report, Apr. 1937, 26).
So, the prophets teach (1) that preparedness is important and (2) that we should first store the basic items that will sustain life and after that, if we can, store foods we normally eat.
Storage must be approached wisely. The Church specifically counsels us not to go into debt to buy food, not to participate in panic buying, not to become storage faddists. Each family must carefully, calmly, and prayerfully assess their own resources and their own needs and plan accordingly.
Local government agencies, colleges, or universities can provide specific information regarding food storage. Elder Ezra Taft Benson gave an excellent talk on this subject in the last general conference. Read it. Among the things he said was this: “The revelation to store food may be as essential to our temporal salvation today as boarding the ark was to the people in the days of Noah” (Ensign, Jan. 1974, 68).
So this is very important. But let us keep calm. We are expected to be a positive light to the world. As President Joseph F. Smith said years ago (and it now seems so appropriate in the midst of Watergate and an energy crisis and rising prices and food shortages and wars and rumors of wars and the increasing wickedness of the world):
“Leaders of the Church . . . should be men [and women] not easily discouraged, not without hope, and not given to forebodings of all sorts of evils to come. . . . If men standing in high places sometimes feel the weight and anxiety of momentous times, they should be all the firmer and all the more resolute in those convictions which come from a God-fearing conscience and pure lives. Men in their private lives should feel the necessity of extending encouragement to the people by their own hopeful and cheerful intercourse with them. . . . It is a matter of the greatest importance that the people be educated to appreciate and cultivate the bright side of life rather than to permit its darkness and shadows to hover over them” (Gospel Doctrine, 155).
If we live righteously, pay our tithes, practice thrift, avoid debt, and have a willingness to work, we need never fear. The Lord Himself has promised, “If ye are prepared ye shall not fear” (D&C 38:30). Such is our challenge and our blessing.
3. Lessons from Our Children
A final thought written by Claudia in the March 1974 Cleverly Newsletter. Michael at the time was five or six months old.
Elder Boyd K. Packer once said the only significant lessons he has learned in life have been taught by his children. I too find Michael Adam is one of my best teachers. I would like to share something I've learned from him just over the past two or three weeks.
A couple of weeks ago he learned how to roll over from his stomach to his back. To watch him struggle though just tore my heart out. He wasn't sure what he was doing—it was all so new to him—and sometimes he would get so frustrated at his struggles. I wanted so much to pick him up myself and turn him over—to save all that trouble and heartache—but I knew I couldn't. The struggles made him strong, and he couldn't learn if I did it for him.
It occurred to me one day while I was watching him try that our earth life is but a type and shadow of eternity, a testing ground, and that parents have a very similar relationship to their children as our Heavenly Father has to us. With all this in mind, it came to me that the Lord watches over us too and sees our struggles. But like parents here on earth He sometimes has to just let us struggle so we can learn more effectively through our experience and grow stronger.
"Know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good" (D&C 122:7).
"My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment; and then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee over all thy foes" (D&C 121:7-8).
How well the Lord has said it. And realizing my own love for Michael Adam, I now have a deeper understanding of the Lord's love for us and of why He gives us trials and tribulations. I am very grateful for these things and for a loving Father who would care to give us these learning experiences that we might grow.
Elder Boyd K. Packer once said the only significant lessons he has learned in life have been taught by his children. I too find Michael Adam is one of my best teachers. I would like to share something I've learned from him just over the past two or three weeks.
A couple of weeks ago he learned how to roll over from his stomach to his back. To watch him struggle though just tore my heart out. He wasn't sure what he was doing—it was all so new to him—and sometimes he would get so frustrated at his struggles. I wanted so much to pick him up myself and turn him over—to save all that trouble and heartache—but I knew I couldn't. The struggles made him strong, and he couldn't learn if I did it for him.
It occurred to me one day while I was watching him try that our earth life is but a type and shadow of eternity, a testing ground, and that parents have a very similar relationship to their children as our Heavenly Father has to us. With all this in mind, it came to me that the Lord watches over us too and sees our struggles. But like parents here on earth He sometimes has to just let us struggle so we can learn more effectively through our experience and grow stronger.
"Know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good" (D&C 122:7).
"My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment; and then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee over all thy foes" (D&C 121:7-8).
How well the Lord has said it. And realizing my own love for Michael Adam, I now have a deeper understanding of the Lord's love for us and of why He gives us trials and tribulations. I am very grateful for these things and for a loving Father who would care to give us these learning experiences that we might grow.
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