Do We Really Know What We Have?

Do We Really Know What We Have?
As written by Scott Anderson in his journal.

We had an unexpected moment in the mission field. We
knocked on a door and a lady said something to us we had
never heard, "Come in." Now remember, I was a German
missionary. This had almost never happened to us; not being
invited in.

My companion said, "Do you know who we are?" "You want
to talk about religion, don't you?" she said. "Yes, we do"
explained my companion.

"Oh, come in. I've been watching you walk around the
neighborhood. I'm so excited to have you here. Please come
into my study."

We went in and seated ourselves and she sat down behind the
desk.

She looked at us with a smile, then pointed to three PhD's
hanging over her head. One in Theology, the study of
religion, one in Philosophy, the study of ideas, and one in
European History specializing in Christianity.

She then kind of rubbed her hands together and said, "Do
you see this row of books here?" We looked at a well
arranged row of books. She then said, "I wrote them all. I'm
the Theology professor at the University of Munich. I've
been doing this for 41 years. I love to talk about religion.
What would you like to discuss?"

My inspired companion said we'd like to talk about the Book
of Mormon. She said, "I don't know anything about the Book
of Mormon." He said, "I know."

Twenty minutes later we walked out of the room. We had
handed her a Book of Mormon and this trade off that we had
been on was over.

I didn't see this lady again for another eight and a half
weeks. It was in a small room filled with people (when I saw
her again), as she was standing in the front dressed in
white.
______________________________________________

This Theology professor at the University of Munich was
well known throughout Southern Germany. She stood up in
front of this small congregation of people and said, "Before
I'm baptized I'd like to tell you my feelings. In Amos
chapter 8:11 it says there will be a famine of the work of
God. I've been in that famine for 76 years. Why do you think
I have three PhD's? I've been hungering for truth and have
been unable to find it.

Then eight and one-half weeks ago, two boys walked into my
home. I want you to know these boys are very nice and
wonderful young men, but they didn't convert me. They
couldn't; they don't know enough." And then she smiled and
said, "but since the day they walked in my door I have read
the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, the Pearl
of Great Price, all of Talmage's great writings, Evidence and
Reconciliations by John A. Widtsoe and 22 other volumes of
church doctrine."

She then said something which I think is a challenge for
every one of us here. She said, "I don't think you members
know what you have." Then in her quiet, powerful way, she
said, "After those years of
studying philosophy, I picked up the D&C and read a few
little verses that answered some of the greatest questions
of Aristotle and Socrates! When I read those verses, I wept
for four hours." Then she said again, "I don't think you
members know what you have.

Don't you understand the world is in a famine?
Don't you know we are starving for what you have?
I am like a starving person being led to a feast.
And over these eight and one-half weeks I have been able to
feast in a way I have never known possible."

Her powerful message and her challenging question was then
ended with her favorite scripture, "For you don't see the
truth can make you free." She said, "these missionaries
don't just carry membership in the church in their hands,
they carry within their hand the power to make the atonement
of Jesus Christ full force in my life. Today I'm going into
the water and I'm going to make a covenant with Christ for
the first time with proper authority. I've wanted to do this
all my life."

None of us will forget the day that she was baptized. When
she got finished being baptized, she got back out and before
she received the Holy Ghost, she stood and said, "Now I
would like to talk about the Holy Ghost for awhile." She
then gave us a wonderful talk about the gift of the Holy
Ghost.
________________________________________________

(later in Elder Anderson's journal)

Two young missionaries, both relatively new, (one had been
out about five months, the other three weeks) accidentally
knocked on the door of the seminary in Reagansburg.
125 wonderful men were studying to become priests inside.
They didn't realize this was the door they had knocked on
because it looked like any other door.

They were invited in. In somewhat of a panic, the man said,
"I am sorry we just don't have time right now." The two
missionaries were relieved, but then he said, "Would you
come back next Tuesday and spend two hours addressing all
125 of us and answer questions about your church?" They
agreed that they would, and ran down the road screaming.

They made a phone call to the mission president and cried
for help. The mission president called us and said, "Do you
think that dear lady that you have just brought in to the
church would like to come help these two missionaries with
this assignment?" I called her to explain what was to
happen, and she said, "more than I would like to eat, more
than I would like to sleep, more than..." I said, "Fine, you
don't have to explain."

We drove her to the seminary and as we went in, she grabbed
the two missionaries that had originally been invited, put
her arms around them and said, "you are wonderful, young
men. Would each of you spend about two minutes bearing your
testimony and then sit down and be quiet please?"

They were grateful for their assignment. They bore their
testimony and then seated themselves. Then she got up and
said, "For the next 30 minutes I would like to talk to you
about historical apostasy." She knew every date and fact.
She had a PhD in this. She talked about everything that had
been taken away from the great teachings the Savior had
given, mostly organizational, in the first part of her talk.

Then the next 45 minutes was doctrinal.

She gave every point of doctrinal changes, when it happened
and what had changed. By the time she was done, she looked
at them and said, "In 1820 a boy walked into a grove of
trees. He had been in a famine just like I have been. He
knelt to pray, because he was hungry just like I have been.
He saw God the Father and His Son. I know that is hard for
you to believe that they could be two separate beings, but I
know they are."

She shared scriptures that showed that they were and then
said, "I would like to talk about historical restoration of
truth." She then, point by point, date by date, from the
Doctrine and Covenants put back the organizational
structure of Christ's church.

The last 20 minutes of her talk were absolutely brilliant.
She doctrinally put the truth back in place, point by point,
principle by principle. When she finished this profound talk,
she said, "I have been in a famine as talked about in Amos.
You know that because last year I was here teaching you."

For the first time, we realized that she was their Theology
professor. She continued by saying, "Last year when I was
teaching you, I told you that I was still in a famine. I
have been led to a feast. I invite you to come." She
finished with her testimony and sat down. What happened next
was hard for me to understand. These 125 sincere, wonderful
men stood and for the next 7 minutes, gave a standing ovation.

By the time four minutes had gone by I was crying. I
remember standing and looking into their eyes and seeing the
tears in their eyes too. I wondered why they were applauding
after the message she had given.

I asked many of them later. They said, "to hear someone so
unashamed of the truth, to hear someone teaching with such
power, to hear someone who finally has conviction.

"The truth is what can set us free...
Do we really know what we have?

The Trouble Tree

I hired a plumber to help me restore an old farmhouse. He had a rough first day on the job: a flat tire made him lose an hour of work, his electric drill quit and his ancient one ton truck refused to start. While I drove him home, he sat in stony silence.

On arriving, he invited me in to meet his family. As we walked toward the front door, he paused briefly at a small tree, touching the tips of the branches with both hands.

When opening the door he underwent an amazing transformation. His tanned face was wreathed in smiles and he hugged his two small children and gave his wife a kiss.

Afterward he walked me to the car. We passed the tree and my curiosity got the better of me. I asked him about what I had seen him do earlier.

"Oh, that's my trouble tree," he replied. "I know I can't help having troubles each day, but one thing's for sure, those troubles don't belong in the house with my wife and the children. So I just hang them up on the tree every night when I come home and ask God to take care of them. Then in the morning I pick them up again."

"Funny thing is," he smiled, "when I come out in the morning to pick 'em up, there aren't nearly as many as I remember hanging up the night before."

The Cookies

A woman was waiting at an airport one night,
With several long hours before her flight.
She hunted for a book in the airport shops.
Bought a bag of cookies and found a place to drop.

She was engrossed in her book but happened to see,
That the man sitting beside her, as bold as could be,
Grabbed a cookie or two from the bag in between,
Which she tried to ignore to avoid a scene.

So she munched the cookies and watched the clock,
As the gutsy cookie thief diminished her stock.
She was getting more irritated as the minutes ticked by,
Thinking, "If I wasn't so nice, I would blacken his eye."

With each cookie she took, he took one too,
When only one was left, she wondered what he would do.
With a smile on his face, and a nervous laugh,
He took the last cookie and broke it in half.

He offered her half, as he ate the other,
She snatched it from him and thought... oooh, brother.
This guy has some nerve and he's also rude,
Why he didn't even show any gratitude!

She had never known when she had been so galled,
And sighed with relief when her flight was called.
She gathered her belongings and headed to the gate,
Refusing to look back at the thieving ingrate.

She boarded the plane, and sank in her seat,
Then she sought her book, which was almost complete.
As she reached in her baggage, she gasped with surprise,
There was her bag of cookies, in front of her eyes.

If mine are here, she moaned in despair,
The others were his, and he tried to share.
Too late to apologize, she realized with grief,
That she was the rude one, the ingrate, the thief!

How many times in our lives,
have we absolutely known
that something was a certain way,
only to discover later that
what we believed to be true ... was not??

Las Vegas Single Adult Conference

I've just had a great weekend. I currently serve as the Stake President of the Las Vegas Nevada Paradise Stake of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Our stake had the rotational assignment this weekend to host the annual Las Vegas Multiregional Single Adult Conference for single adults, ages 31+. We had over 1,200 wonderful folks attend and we had an amazing spiritual outpouring.

We organized over 360 volunteers, who donated over 2,000 hours to put on this three day event with a concert, speakers, workshops, social activities, dances, and Sunday services. We were able to engage many wonderful speakers/presenters who for the most part came without a fee. We just paid for their travel arrangements.

We were able to make arrangements with the local school district to use a local high school, with the cafeteria, gyms, theatre, and classrooms to hold the events. We contracted for catered food. The participants paid a small fee that basically just covered our costs. We offered a financial incentive for them to pre-register, which helped in our planning. We had 820 people preregister.

I am grateful that we could provide an activity for these folks to meet new friends, to network and to be reinvigorated in their spiritual resolve to follow the Lord and be true to their beliefs in the face of the trials and obstacles of the world.

Mandatory Reading!

M E R I D I A N M A G A Z I N E

When We Ask the Wrong Question We Always Get the Wrong Answer
by H. Wallace Goddard

Recently I served on a panel at a parenting conference. At the end of the panelists' presentations we invited questions from the audience. A young and earnest mother with a baby in her arms asked, "I have a 6-year-old boy at home. I can't get him up in the morning to get ready for school. I have tried everything! Nothing works! What should I do?"

There are as many answers to her question as there are experts. One of the panelists suggested that proper use of timeout would shape his behavior. One suggested talking with him at a peaceful time to get his ideas of how to start his day. Some might suggest providing rewards for the desired behavior. We moved on to another question before we had really given her a good answer.

I had the good fortune of being seated next to the mother at the banquet following our session. We were able to continue the discussion. I learned important new details when I asked about the boy and what he loved and how he responded to correction. She told me that he was very active but also tenderhearted. He was occasionally very affectionate. His feelings were easily hurt when he was corrected. As she talked lovingly about her son, some of the answers seemed obvious. There were also factors that were not obvious to her but might be seen by an outsider. For example, while the mother was very dutiful and a morning person, her son was not. (Sometimes our best efforts to motivate our children do not work because we are only using the tools that work with us but do not match our children's needs.)

I invited the mother to try a different approach from the traditional begging, threatening and cajoling: "Would it work for you to go to your son's room 5 or 10 minutes before he needs to be up and lie down beside him? You could talk with him quietly and stroke his face. Allow him to wake up slowly and in the arms of your love. Would that work for William?"

She responded with a smile and the addendum, "Yes, he would like that. It would also help if I told him that as soon as he was dressed he could watch cartoons until he left for school." This "impossible" situation yielded viable solutions when she thought about her son and his unique personality in a spirit of helpfulness.

Of course it is natural to object to such suggestions, "But that boy needs to learn to obey without all the mollycoddling."Hmmmm. President Hinckley answers that concern better than I can:

How much more beautiful would be the world and the society in which we live if every father looked upon his children as the most precious of his assets, if he led them by the power of his example in kindness and love, and if in times of stress he blessed them by the authority of the holy priesthood; and if every mother regarded her children as the jewels of her life, as gifts from the God of heaven who is their Eternal Father, and brought them up with true affection in the wisdom and admonition of the Lord. (Gordon B. Hinckley, "Behold Your Little Ones," Ensign, Nov. 1978, p. 20)

Much of my professional activity is dedicated to parenting. Most of the questions I get from parents have the general form, "How can I get my child to do what I want him/her to do--especially when they don't want to do it?" That question has no satisfactory anwer; there is a problem with the question itself. We might better ask, "If I consider my child's world at a time when I am filled with love for the child and inspiration from heaven, can I find a way to draw that child toward better behavior?"

Turning again to prophetic counsel,

Fathers, if you wish your children to be taught in the principles of the gospel, if you wish them to love the truth and understand it, if you wish them to be obedient to and united with you, love them! and prove to them that you do love them by your every word or act to them. . . . Soften their hearts; get them to feel tenderly toward you. Use no lash and no violence, but argue, or rather reason--approach them with reason, with persuasion and love unfeigned. . . .You can't do it any other way. You can't do it by unkindness; (Joseph F. Smith, Gospel Doctrine, p.316)

I remember when a devoted mother approached me with a parenting quandary. Her 4-year-old daughter had been playing with her older sister and the sister's friend. The 4-year-old had gotten upset about something and scratched her sister's friend. The mother asked, "How can I teach my daughter that her scratching is unacceptable?" Many questions went through my head, "Does your daughter scratch people often? Was she under a lot of stress at the time of the incident? What are the ways that soothe and teach your daughter?" Before getting to those questions I asked, "How did you respond to her scratching?" The mother replied, "I grabbed her and scratched her. Then I confined her to her bedroom for three days. I wanted her to learn that such behavior is simply not acceptable in our family."

I am certain that the little girl learned a memorable lesson; I am confident that part of the lesson she learned was not what her mother had hoped to teach.

Study [your children's] dispositions and their temperaments, and deal with them accordingly, never allowing yourself to correct them in the heat of passion; teach them to love you rather than to fear you. (Discourses of Brigham Young, p.207)

We deceive ourselves when we justify harshness as necessary or helpful for children. The Lord recommends a different course: persuasion, long-suffering, gentleness, meekness, kindness, and genuine love (See D&C 121:41-42).

Every earthly parent acts harshly at times. Such occasions are cause for repentance rather than rationalization. It is a relationship of love that is the great motivator for children and for adults. The most important parenting questions we can ask are not about mechanisms of control; they are about love: "Wilt Thou grant me wisdom that I can understand my child and his needs? Wilt Thou fill me with divine charity to change my heart and fill me with love? Wilt Thou show me how Thou wouldst teach and bless this child?"

Better questions help us discover better answers.



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From the random thoughts department

‘Witholding forgiveness is like taking poison and expecting the other person to die… If it's hard to forgive, let the Savior show you how it feels to be forgiven.
Marvin Payne

I Would Be True

I would be true, for there are those who trust me;
I would be pure, for there are those who care;
I would be strong, for there is much to suffer;
I would be brave, for there is much to dare;
I would be friend of all--the foe, the friendless;
I would be giving, and forget the gift;
I would be humble, for I know my weakness;
I would look up, and laugh, and love, and lift.
-----
Howard Arnold Walter

The Stranger

The Stranger

A few years after I was born, my Dad met a stranger who was new to our small Texas town. From the beginning, Dad was fascinated with this enchanting newcomer and soon invited him to live with our family. The stranger was quickly accepted and was around from then on.

As I grew up, I never questioned his place in my family. In my young mind, he had a special niche. My parents were complementary instructors: Mom taught me good from evil, and Dad taught me to obey. But the stranger...he was our storyteller. He would keep us spellbound for hours on end with adventures, mysteries and comedies.

If I wanted to know anything about politics, history or science, he always knew the answers about the past, understood the present and even seemed able to predict the future! He took my family to the first major league ball game. He made me laugh, and he made me cry. The stranger never stopped talking, but Dad didn't seem to mind.

Sometimes, Mom would get up quietly while the rest of us were shushing each other to listen to what he had to say, and she would go to the kitchen for peace and quiet. (I wonder now if she ever prayed for the stranger to leave.)

Dad ruled our household with certain moral convictions, but the stranger never felt obligated to honor them. Profanity, for example, was not allowed in our home... Not from us, our friends or any visitors. Our longtime visitor, however, got away with four-letter words that burned my ears and made my dad squirm and my mother blush. My Dad didn't permit the liberal use of alcohol. But the stranger encouraged us to try it on a regular basis. He made cigarettes look cool, cigars manly and pipes distinguished.
He talked freely (much too freely!) about sex. His comments were sometimes blatant, sometimes suggestive, and generally embarrassing.

I now know that my early concepts about relationships were influenced strongly by the stranger. Time after time, he opposed the values of my parents, yet he was seldom rebuked... And NEVER asked to leave.

More than fifty years have passed since the stranger moved in with our family. He has blended right in and is not nearly as fascinating as he was at first. Still, if you could walk into my parents' den today, you would still find him sitting over in his corner, waiting for someone to listen to him talk and watch him draw his pictures.
His name?.... .. .



We just call him 'TV.'