Christ's Divinity Recognized World-wide

The Raleigh North Carolina Stake has a long Christmas tradition of doing a creche activity each December:  displaying nativity sets, and inviting one and all to gather to enjoy the display and hear Christmas music performed by elementary and high school singing and instrumental groups, and community choirs.  The nativities were displayed on long tables in the darkened cultural hall, sitting on stands of various heights that were covered with black silky fabric. The nativities were lit by lamps and small spotlights.  The display was beautifully done.

Russia

Alaska

I was intrigued by the wide variety of styles on display.  I loved the Russian stacking dolls set, and the Eskimo set complete with a worshiping seal.

There were sets made out of sticks, straw, wood, metal, crystal, and two-dimensional painted sets as well. 

Brazil

Label cards identified sets from many different countries. Even the Peanuts cartoon characters were featured in one of the sets. 

These are marionettes

If I had to guess how many nativities were on display I would say there were upwards of 75, each distinct, each beautiful in its own way.

How amazing, that so many diverse people would use their artistic talent to depict the scene that changed the world.  The coming of Jehovah to the earth in the form of a newborn baby, to "walk upon his footstool, and be like man, almost." It is beyond my comprehension how our Father could love each of us so much that He would allow His precious first-born son to suffer as much as he did during his life on this earth.  And the love that Christ has for all of us, to be willing to go through that suffering, to bring to us the gift of repentance and eternal life.

It's difficult to stay focused on spiritual things during the Christmas season when so many other things compete for our time and attention, but in periods of reflection the love of God distills on my soul.  How blessed I am to have been born into the only true Church on the earth, and to have had loving parents who taught me the truths of the gospel from my earliest years.  I am truly among the most blessed people on the face of the earth, and I thank my Father for these great blessings.  I am so glad that my children and grandchildren also share in the blessings of light and truth that the gospel brings to our lives.

There are hints of the truth to be found in many religions and cultural traditions.  Consider this one that was related by some missionaries who have been working with several refugees from Burma who speak the Karen dialect:

"We met with this man (Sanwin) who we think is a sort of pastor for the Karen people in the area. We felt strongly that he needed to hear about the Book of Mormon, considering this Karen legend: There are two books God promised to send to the Karen people, one is silver and the other gold. Both books would be given to their people to teach them more about God. They believe the silver book has been given to them, in the form of the Bible, but are still waiting for the gold book, Li Too, that God promised to give to them. We know that to be the Book of Mormon."

As the New and Old Testaments are testimonies of Christ, so also is the Book of Mormon another testament of Christ. I look forward to the day when the divinity of Christ will be revealed in indisputable ways to the entire world.

Helaman would be Proud!

James Catlett is a dentist.  He's also a counselor in the Mission Presidency and the owner of a large plot of land in Fayetteville known as Catlett Farms.  He inherited the land from his grandfather, who used to raise tobacco on it -- until he joined the Church.  I don't know if Pres. Catlett uses the farm for any practical or income-producing purpose these days, but it served the NCRM well in the first week of November because we held two zone conferences there.

The Northern Kingdom (Durham, Raleigh, and Tri-Lake Zones) staged their invasion on Wednesday, Nov. 1.  Sis. Smith, the fleet coordinator, and I got there very early to prepare for the influx of vehicles, which Sis. Smith was in charge of inspecting.  We also had Brother Paul, the fleet supervisor over 27 missions in the U.S. and Canada, visiting our mission from Salt Lake City to help with training, inspections, and with the installation of new, hopefully more sturdy and efficient, Tiwis in each vehicle.  (A Tiwi is an electronic device that is mounted on the front windshield and electronically monitors the driving habits of the missionaries, squawking "Slow Down" or "Aggressive Driving" at inopportune moments.  A bump in the road is enough to elicit such a squawk, and N.C. has many bumpy roads.  The missionaries love the devices  ;-/ )

After driving some distance to the farm, leaving their car in their zone's designated area on the large grassy field, the key on the driver's seat and the car window rolled down, the missionaries walked south around the small lake to the grassy knoll area where folding chairs and a sound system had been set up in the open-air pavilion.  The instruction portion of the day began at 8:45 a.m. 

May I just inject here -- after a steamy hot hot hot summer and fall, I didn't realize North Carolina knew how to do COLD.  You know, the frosty-breath kind requiring layers of clothing and, ideally, a roaring fire. Because the last few days had been somewhat chilly, I had brought my winter jacket, thinking I wouldn't really need it.  Wrong!  Some missionaries made the same assumption without bringing contingency jackets and there was some significant shivering going on until Sister James showed up with a back seat piled high with a variety of sweaters, jackets and blankets to wrap around cold shoulders.  Two years of experience have made her wise.

So from 8:45 to well after noon, the missionaries were instructed on a variety of topics by Pres. and Sister James, the Assistants, and even the office missionaries.  Bro. Paul instructed as well, sharing examples of car problems and accidents that had been experienced in other missions.  While emphasizing the importance of backing a car carefully, with the driver's companion standing to the left side of the car to guide the driver, he told them that once a week he hears that a missionary driver has backed over his own companion!  He also shared statistics that showed how incidences of unsafe driving and accidents had plummeted after the Church began using Tiwis.  Probably to lower the likelihood that the missionaries would take a baseball bat to them.

Instruction was followed by lunch (a massive undertaking as you can imagine, feeding 100-plus hungry mouths in an outdoor setting -- we had taco salad), then a group photo on the bridge, a service project (helping the Catletts clear away brush and debris from last year's flooding), then fun and games. It had finally warmed up by late morning, and the chaotic noise of young people having a great time was heard throughout the land.  All in all, a very full day.

And the next day, repeat the above for the Southern Kingdom (Fayetteville and Wilmington Zones).  These two zones have several senior couples serving in Member-Leader Support callings ("MLS").  It was nice to finally get to know the people I had talked to on the phone.

On the south side of the pavilion area, the land falls steeply about 30 feet down a wooded slope to a placid river.  Well, it's placid now.  Sis. James told me that they held zone conferences at Catlett Farms last year as well, and the day after their last conference the hurricane struck NC. That river swelled to a roaring monster that clawed its way up the slope and devoured the entire area, reaching to the rafters of the pavilion. That area and the entire grassy field where cars were parked were completely underwater for more than two weeks.  Multiple trees were uprooted. Grit and debris covered everything when the water receded.  A year later, after much effort, they were starting to recover from the effects of the flooding.

You got that this happened the day after the missionaries were done with their zone conferences, right?  Another astounding example of how much the Lord loves and protects His missionaries.

Even though I've been a member of the Church from birth, I never really comprehended the amount of resources the Church pours into missionary work.  Resources including money, apartments, vehicles, and the time and efforts of support staff. Yes, the missionaries and/or their parents do pay a monthly amount, but I guarantee it doesn't begin to cover all the costs of maintaining these missionaries.  I understand for the first time the fact that the Lord loves ALL of his children; that He wants to give every one living on the earth the best possible chance of hearing and accepting the gospel so that their eternal progression can lead them back to live with Him.

You know the song on the Primary songbook titled "We'll Bring the World His Truth."  The NCRM has adopted it as its mission song, with just a slight rewording of the chorus.  I've yet to hear it without tears streaming down my face.  The missionaries sing:  "We are as the army of Helaman.  We have been taught in our youth.  And we are now the Lord's missionaries to bring the world his truth."

The gospel is true.  My mother and father taught me that in my youth, and I'm now part of God's / Helaman's modern-day army proclaiming it, in my small, behind-the-scenes supportive way.  It is a sweet joy to me every day.

Five Strategies to Promote Success

Today I attended the Raleigh North Carolina Stake Conference.  Sister James spoke, sharing five things that parents can do to prepare their children to be missionaries.  This is, of course, besides the physical preparations, buying clothing and luggage, making sure they're healthy, getting their dental work done, etc.

Since there are numerous grandchildren in my family who are future missionaries, I thought I'd share the insights of a "Mission Mother" so that my children can begin to prepare their children for missionary success.

My grandkids, circa 2014.
This group includes two who are now returned missionaries.

#1:  Build  their independence.  Let them take responsibility for their own actions.  Let them experience the struggle of tackling difficulties and succeeding on their own.  Help them understand that they can do really hard things. Step out of the role of problem solver, and instead be a listening ear and sideline cheerleader as they navigate through life.

#2:  Help them be responsible for their own happiness.  Teach them to smile.  Help them be resilient, to develop healthy coping strategies.  Help them find the things that can contribute to healthy happiness, e.g. sports, a gratitude journal, service, social interactions.  Help them avoid electronic isolation and foster connections with other people.  Help them learn they can find joy in things that will last.

#3:  Help them understand and practice repentance.  Help them understand they can change and progress, be forgiven and receive God's love; help them find peace, and learn to know the Comforter.

#4: Teach them to not be easily defeated.  Avoid perfectionism, and learn the resilience of knowing that if they aren't completely successful in a chosen activity, there are other activities and other paths they can try.  Help them seek alternatives.  Competition with others is the thief of joy.

#5:  Teach them charity.  Help them learn to love, to listen to others with a sincere interest.  Help them learn to love themselves, because without self love it's difficult to love anyone else.  Charity never faileth.

Many parents send their sons or daughters on missions hoping that a mission will "fix" them; make them stronger, less selfish, give them more faith, etc.  As Pres. James has said many times, a mission will not fix anything, it will only make problems worse.  A mission is really, really tough! Strength needs to be within the young man or young woman before they come to the mission field, or the challenges of missionary life can lead to despair and a feeling of failure.

It is my observation that the most successful missionaries are those that have begun to grasp the five concepts listed above.   "Helicopter parents" who have always solved their children's problems for them cannot logically expect them to thrive on their own, away from parental micromanaging.  Because the Mission President cannot and will not fulfill that hands-on parental role; nor will the senior missionaries they associate with.  Help we can, and do, but baby the missionaries we do not!

I encourage the parents of my grandchildren to assess your parenting and see what you can do to instill these concepts in your children.  They won't have to go on missions to benefit from learning independence, the ways to find happiness for themselves, the path of repentance, resilience, and charity.

May I assure you that I think you are all great parents and role models for your children.  Please understand that I share this with you not because I see a lack in your teaching of your children, but so that you may be able to consciously identify those things you are doing right, and possibly improve in those areas where improvement is needed. The earlier these teachings are begun, the happier your children will be when they reach a point in their lives when they are independent and need these attributes.

I love you all! The Church is true, and I am so grateful for this opportunity to serve!

The Light of the World

Every month, the NCRM publishes a newsletter we call the Tar Heel.  It contains messages from and Sister James, from a counselor in the Mission Presidency, and from Zone Leaders and Sister Training Leaders, along with various statistics, information about birthdays in the next month, recent baptisms, and hellos and goodbyes to missionaries coming and going from the mission.

In the September Tar Heel, Sister James's article really touched my heart, and caused me to ponder things of great significance. I decided to share it with you here:

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(My daughter Robin took this picture in Rexburg, Idaho)

"On Monday, August 21, 2017, there was an eclipse (our moon's path crossing in front of the sun). Millions of people in the 80-mile wide "Total Eclipse Zone" experienced a total eclipse of the sun. The "Total Eclipse Zone" began in Oregon and ran across the United States through South Carolina. Others, on the fringes of the shadow, used special glasses to see degrees of the eclipse.  There was much excitement over this event, and many people traveled thousands of miles to experience the eclipse.  I was reminded of the ancients who rightly attached great importance to the sun, and even worshiped it. How great is the sun? The light and warmth of the sun are critical to life on the earth.

"As the eclipse occurred, I remembered some of my favorite scriptures on light.

"John 8:12: 'Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.' How great is the Son? Christ is the light of this world. He created the sun. How great is He?

"I am reminded of D&C 50:24: 'That which is of God is light; and he that receiveth light, and continueth in God, receiveth more light; and that light groweth brighter until the perfect day.'

"The moon's shadow traveled at approximately 1500 miles per hour across the United States, and the total eclipse lasted in any one place only about 2 1/2 minutes. Unless there is cloud cover, we see a sunset and a sunrise every 24 hours. These are more gradual.

"The beautiful light of Christ affects us at times like a total eclipse, but most of the time it is more gradual and more constant like the rising or the setting sun. The eclipse caused us to ponder earth life without the sun -- an impossibility of course. Let us not take the light of Christ for granted. Our spiritual lives depend upon it. Let's appreciate it, let's embrace it, let's share it with others. Remember Matthew 5:14-16: 'Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.'

"The world needs the light of Christ. Our brothers and sisters need your light. Let it shine, Elders and Sisters, let it shine! God bless you as you 'do it' is my prayer."

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I am so grateful to have the light of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in my life. I am also grateful to have the opportunity of serving God as a missionary.  There is so much joy in service.  I see it lighting up the faces of the young missionaries I see every day.  I see that same light in the faces of my children and grandchildren, and I am so grateful for your goodness and faithfulness.  I love you, and miss you all very much, but I know I am where I am meant to be at this time.

Weighing Our Willingness to Serve

We have a new senior sister in the office.  Sister Smith just finished her training in the MTC last week, and flew from Salt Lake City to Raleigh, having shipped her car from Utah to N.C. previously. Part of me thinks "Why didn't I think of that?" because saving mileage on a car and avoiding a long drive sounds like a good thing. I could have skipped those long, dreary, windy and dusty landscapes of Nebraska.  But most of me is glad that I had the experience of driving with Denise.  I knew that she is wonderful, of course, but I reached a whole new level of appreciation for her on that long drive. What a sacrifice she made to make sure I reached my mission safely! Without her I never would have visited Nauvoo and Carthage.  I'll be forever grateful to Denise.

[This just in: What Sister Ambrose REALLY did on her trip to Nauvoo with Denise. ;) ]

In the MTC, Sister Smith got the general office training on IMOS, Word and Excel, preparing newsletters, entering baptismal records, requesting travel, etc.  They didn't teach her anything about finance or cars because those are typically male assignments.  But they reckoned without President James's penchant for thinking outside the box.  She has indeed been assigned to take over responsibility for cars and phones, because Elder Porter, who has been doing that assignment for several months, and his wife Sister Porter, who has been the housing coordinator, are being given an MLS assignment in Leland. We will have a local, part-time service elder doing the housing coordinator work.  Both of them have been training this week, and will take over those responsibilities when Elder and Sister Porter leave.

Just goes to show that you never know where your service will be required.  When you raise your hand to say "I am willing to serve the Lord," you should be prepared for surprises.  Elder and Sister Burke, from my home ward in Sandy, served their mission in the office of the Houston Texas Mission, and they were the only two full-time missionaries there.  They had sporadic help from part-time service missionaries, but they had to learn to do all of the office functions because someone had to do them.  See, I really could be busier.

And sometimes the plan we make for ourselves has to be changed in mid-course.  Elder and Sister Haas, from Washington State, have been faithfully serving a records preservation assignment for many months.  Recently Sister Haas has experienced some health reverses, including hospitalization, and they will be returning home this week, several months early.  It must be disappointing, but she feels she will recover more quickly with help from friends and family at home.  They have been regularly attending our Seniors FHE each Monday night, and we will miss them!

The options and textures of missionary work are so much more varied than I ever imagined. For instance, who knew I would be a weightlifter?  Last Tuesday, all the office staff except me attended a zone conference in Durham.  I stayed behind because the previous week I had ordered a large quantity of supplies, and knew somebody had to be in the office to receive them, whenever they arrived.  So the female FedEx truck driver came into the office and said, "Do you have any young men here?"  She told me that the last time she delivered supplies to the office it was a transfer day and there were lots of young men around to help carry in the boxes.

Sadly, no elders were in the office (and the office elders, as I explained earlier, were gone).  We did have a sturdy dolly (not the fabric kind with painted eyes), which the two truck drivers, one woman and one man, used to haul in 58 boxes of Books of Mormon, media bibles, and pamphlets, pass-along cards, etc. After they unloaded them in the hallway, I got to position them in the storage closet and unload the boxes of pamphlets and other supplies onto the conference room shelves.

[In the far corner are soft cover Books of Mormon in English; under the white buckets are Spanish Books of Mormon; and closest to the door are Media Bibles.]

I didn't have a scale to weigh the load, but I am confident I hefted at least two tons of boxes that day. At least.  In a skirt. You should feel my biceps! [But I do wish Mark were here to give me a backrub!!]

The next day I did get to attend the Raleigh Zone Conference, as it was being held at the stake center our mission office is attached to, and I want to share a story told by Elder Shearer one of the Assistants.

He told of a day when he and Elder Barlow were out tracting and all their carefully prepared plans fell through.  They prayed and asked what they should do, and felt they should just start driving. They both knew where to turn at each corner, and pulled up to a specific home.  They were grateful that the Lord had led them to some new investigators, and confidently knocked on the door.

The man of the house smiled when he saw them, and immediately invited them in.  But the elders were confused.  They saw Ensigns on the table, pictures of temples on the wall, and realized they'd reached a home of a member family, though they didn't recognize them from church. But they sat with the family for a while, and when they observed them with their spiritual eyes they saw the family was in desperate need of help.  As they talked, the mother started crying.  She told the elders that the family had, that very day, been trying to decide if they should leave the Church.  They had been silently screaming for help, and the Lord had heard their cry and sent the elders with the help they needed.

So this is what missionary work is about.  We serve in our various callings, doing a wide variety of things, and it's all necessary because the Lord loves his children.  He wants each of his children to have the best chance possible of coming back to Him, no matter what the direction of their lives has been, no matter their weaknesses and failings, their doubts or their fears.  He needs them (us all) to know of his love.  And if I have to heft 58 heavy boxes every six weeks, well I will do it.  Because I do want to serve the Lord, in whatever way He wants me to do it.  Am looking into gym membership as a way to prepare for the next round of supplies.

Every Member A -- oh no, you can't seriously expect that of ME

Every member a missionary is a well-known slogan of the Church.  Every member, not just those called on fixed-duration missions and sent away from their homes.  Every one of us.  Yet, many of us act like Scrooge McDuck, sitting on our pile of golden truth, enjoying our comfortable perch, but unwilling to share it with anyone.  Unwilling, unsure of ourselves, or just apathetic.  All is well in Zion, after all, right?

Okay, so I'm just describing myself. Graham and I attended member missionary classes, and while he was enthusiastic and eager to get out and find people, I shrank back and squirmed in my seat.  I always blamed shyness.  I couldn't imagine bringing up the subject of religion with friends or colleagues of other faiths for fear they'd be offended, or uninterested, or some other negative thing. As if my ego was the important thing. And friends who used to come to church and didn't any more -- well they must have had a good reason not to come, and how was that any of my business?

While I was at the MTC in April of this year, the first Tuesday fireside I attended was given by the brother of the MTC President.  For some reason I failed to write anything in my journal about it, but what he said has stuck with me.  He was, I believe, the area authority over the Russian missions.  As you know, Russia has outlawed missionaries, and while the Church is still functioning there, the missionaries now call themselves "volunteers."  They are not allowed to tract or openly proselyte.

In the MTC, with other senior missionaries

Now you would think that would put a serious damper on missionary efforts.  You would think that the numbers of baptisms would take a sharp downturn under these restrictions.

The opposite has been true.  Now the "volunteers" teach the gospel exclusively in member generated lessons (MGLs), usually in members' homes, and the number of baptisms is even higher than it was before the restrictions were imposed.

In this North Carolina mission, the missionaries who walk the sidewalks and knock on doors in the heat and humidity would love to get more good referrals from members, so they can have more MGLs.  More teaching time, fewer doors slammed in their faces, less sweat expended. With a trusted friend who is a member in the teaching situation, an investigator is so much more likely to listen and understand and accept the message of the gospel.

Tonight I attended a Mission President's Fireside at the Mission Home.  Those attending were missionaries, newly baptized members, and investigators still progressing toward making the commitment to be baptized.  A very touching part of the evening was when the non-missionaries stood and told their stories of meeting the missionaries, their path to conversion, their thought processes, and their testimonies.

One newly baptized sister told some sad details of her early life and said she had felt lost.  Until the missionaries found her and she found a home in the Church.  A man said he felt that he had found a new family in the Church; that he felt welcomed and accepted and at peace for the first time in his life. Another man told of serving in the military, and said that he used to boast of not having a religious bone in his body -- until the missionaries found him and taught him the gospel. Another sister simply told us how much she loved reading the Book of Mormon.

Those of us who have been in the Church all our lives just take the many blessings of church membership for granted.  We don't even notice the feeling of peace we have, because we've never experienced the chaos that comes from living a life contrary to the commandments of God.  The veil of familiarity clouds our vision, and we many times fail to be thankful for this wonderful Church.

I encourage all of us to be bold; to pray for and seek for opportunities to share this wonderful gospel with our friends and associates of other faiths or of no faith.  The truth of the gospel is too precious to keep to ourselves.

Sister Grandma Ambrose
Full-time Office Missionary, North Carolina Raleigh Mission

Fayetteville Zone Conference

Pioneer Ancestors: An Example of Being All In

Sadly, I have not been active in family history research.  I have recently done some indexing, but I have left the hard research work to others.  Like my aunts, and cousins, who have indeed researched family stories and compiled them in books.  Because of the work of one of these cousins, I was made aware of the story of John and Maria Linford, one of our ancestors on my mother's patriarchal line. In honor of Pioneer Day tomorrow, I'd like to share some of their story. Some parts of this story are taken from the history.lds.org site; other parts I remember from my cousin's family history efforts:

Maria Bentley Linford Rich

Maria was born on April 10, 1813, to William Christian and Mary Bentley. She grew up in a large family in the parish of Graveley, Cambridgeshire, England.  By age 20, she had fallen in love with John Linford, the owner of a shoemaking business in the area, and they made plans to marry.

Their wedding took place on June 24, 1833, in their home parish of Graveley.  They were still living there several years later when Mormon missionaries came to preach.  One Sunday the couple attended a meeting, accompanied by Maria's father, William.  They were surprised and inspired by what they heard.  William exclaimed, "Why, it is the old gospel come to earth again!"  But the missionaries left, and William died before they returned several years later.  Maria and John were both baptized in 1842.

The Linfords were persecuted for their newfound faith by relatives and others in the community.  One of their tactics was to stop patronizing John's shoemaking business, which eventually forced him to let his workers go.  Yet the Linfords never wavered.  They were one of the stalwart couples of the small unit of the Church in Graveley, England.

In the spring of 1856, they responded to the call from leaders of the Church to gather to Zion. They took with them three of their four sons, leaving behind their oldest son, James, who was 19 and serving a mission at the time; their extended family; and most of their belongings.  

After arriving in New York in June 1856, they made their way to Iowa City to meet the Saints bound for Zion.  After a series of delays, they left in mid-July with the James G. Willie handcart company.

The trek west was difficult under the best of circumstances, but it became perilous for the Willie company as food ran out and an early winter set in.  John worked tirelessly to help his family and others, but the rigors and privations of the journey took their toll.  He became so ill that he was unable to walk, and Maria and their sons pulled him in their handcart along with their supplies and belongings.

As his final moments approached, Maria asked John if he was sorry he had come.  He told her, "No, Maria.  I am glad we came.  I shall not live to reach Salt Lake, but you and the boys will, and I do not regret all we have gone through if our boys can grow up and raise their families in Zion."  John died in the early morning of October 21, 1856, having given his all for his family and the gospel.

The rescuers arrived later that same day, just hours after John's passing.  As John had predicted, Maria and their sons all reached the Salt Lake Valley safely, though it took them some time to regain their health.  

According to my cousin's account, the boys were taken in by a family that was better established in the valley, but the family could not also take Maria into their home.  She provided for herself by doing cleaning and sewing jobs for other families, but the separation of mother and sons was difficult for them all.

In the summer after they first arrived in the valley, Maria became the second wife of Joseph Rich, who was the father of apostle Charles Coulson Rich.   Her marriage to Joseph Rich allowed her to be reunited with her sons at last.  Maria cared for Joseph Rich's first wife, who was ill, until her death.   Joseph was a kind-hearted man, who recognized the deep love Maria still had for John.  Joseph stood as proxy when Maria was sealed to John in the Salt Lake Temple.

Maria lived a life of faithfulness and service, serving as president of her ward Relief Society and as a counselor in the stake Relief Society presidency.  She also gave her time and talents to furthering the work of the newly created Primary Association.  She died in 1885 at the age of 72.

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The river the pioneers had to cross

When Denise and I drove across the country to North Carolina, we stopped in Nauvoo, Illinois.  If you leave Nauvoo and follow the road the pioneers took down to the river when they were being forced from their homes by the mobs, you find a small building which is a memorial to the pioneers who lost their lives before reaching the Salt Lake Valley.  Though John and Maria Linford never lived in Nauvoo, John Linford's name is found among the numerous names memorialized on the walls.  

John Linford's name appears on the Pioneer Memorial

I owe such a debt of gratitude to my great-great grandparents, John
and Maria Linford, and many other pioneer ancestors who, like them, were not deterred by the difficulty of the way; who followed their hearts and exercised their faith in doing what prophets and the Holy Spirit told them to do.  I only hope that we in our family can, in some small measure, emulate their faithfulness in the way we live our lives, raise our families, and fulfill our callings in the Church.  As Vanessa reminded us in her talk, we do need to follow the example of our ancestors and be All In.  

The Mission Call -- and Being All In

July 2, 2017 was a Sunday. The day before, on Saturday, I drove to Beaverdam Recreation Area, found some flat rocks, and skipped (mostly splooshed, but TRIED to skip) rocks in his memory.  You see, July 2 was the second anniversary of the day Graham Ambrose got his mission call.

It was a little nervy of him to accept the call and leave this earth without me, I must say.  But because of it, my family and I have seen many tender mercies, too numerous to enumerate here.  But here's a small summary:

The six children, their spouses (and girlfriend) and children learned how to cope with the death of a father and injury to a mother and be strengthened by it.  

We all learned to recognize that Graham had experienced progression from one plane of existence to a superior one, and to be grateful that he did not survive the accident with multiple injuries that would have been disabling to him, perhaps permanently.  He would have hated that.  Instead, we believe that he is now busy learning and growing, serving others.  We have had experiences that validate the reality of vibrant life after death, and are confident that when we pass through the veil he will be standing there vibrating with energy, with a bright smile on his face, saying, "Come with me -- you just HAVE to see THIS!"

Graham was/IS a good man: a good and loving husband and father, and an excellent grandfather! Those of us still working our way through the earthly trials have pondered and appreciated the lessons we learned from Graham during his life.  

The effect of his life on our lives is expressed with great honesty, feeling and wisdom by Vanessa, who gave me permission to post this talk she gave in Sacrament Meeting a week ago.  Grab some tissues before settling in to read her thoughts.  

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Stand up Inside and be all in : Elder Gary Sabin of the Seventy

Good afternoon, we are the Eborns. I am Vanessa, you will hear later from my husband Brian, and we have 2 beautiful girls, Morgan (in Sunbeams this year) and Gray, who is excited to join nursery in 6 weeks....ok....I'm the excited one.

·   This weekend we will be celebrating our 8th wedding anniversary.  We met at work, I was his trainer and technical guru when he came into the company, and when he first started asking me out, I was adamant that I would not date anyone from work.  I turned him down time after time because he had an encouraging friend who loved seeing him crash and burn.  Finally he tricked me into a "friend date" and due to my fear of commitment, has had to trick me into this relationship ever since.

·   We have been in our current house for 4.5 years, and came to the ward when it was created about 3 years ago.

·   I have been teaching in primary from Day 1 of this ward until very recently. 

·   My husband has had a Sunday shift for the longest time because it gave us what we wanted in terms of balancing work and family. 

Bishop Olsen gave us a few conference talks to choose from and speak on.  I chose Stand Up and be All In by Elder Gary Sabin of the Seventy.  In my decision process, I downloaded all 3 talks and found all of them to hit a very personal note with me.  This one though made me laugh more, and also spoke the most towards what I am striving towards.  I would like to share a bit of my flawed background before I go into the points of this talk.

·   I grew up in a large, strong and amazing LDS family.  It was a family that made believing in and following the teachings of the church easy.  Growing up, I never questioned my faith.  I was All In.

·   I moved out of my parents house and went to college at 18. I maintained my strength and faith through college, but I started to notice that my commitment started wavering...I was Chin Deep In.

·   After college, I got roommates, and a career, and I started getting tired of my time in the singles ward. For no real reason...I became Waist Deep In.  My faith and love of the church was still as strong as it was, but I was not as committed to the practice of attending.

·   This decline of commitment continued to the point where I never thought I would find myself, I was officially Inactive.  I met my husband around this time, and he saved me from sinking further into my inactive state.  We found comfort in our similar faults, but we also strengthened each other.  

·   When marriage became a reality in our future, we knew we wanted to be married in the temple.  We recommitted to the church, and through repentance and love, we achieved our goal and became sealed in the temple on July 17th, 2009.  We maintained our All In commitment in the church for a time into our marriage. 

·   Gradually our lives started to become difficult and at times traumatic.  Through struggling with infertility and battling an unknown chronic disease, we found ourselves wondering why we weren't receiving blessings.  For a couple of years, we returned to our inactivity.

·   Upon the birth of my first IVF baby, we agreed that we wanted to raise her in this Church. With the support of an amazing Relief Society presidency, I started attending church again....but, sporadically, and often only when I was asked to teach Relief Society.  I was about Knee-Deep In. 

·   Trying to balance job and family, Brian took a shift at work that required him to work on Sundays, but allowed us to minimize the time we had to use a nanny.  We felt the sacrifice was a noble one, and was worth it. We stayed knee deep.

·   With the creation of this ward, I was called to teach in primary.  The weekly commitment of teaching, coupled with my daughter's age allowing her to go to nursery, I was able to accept that I was more in....and I loved the weekly reminder in Primary of my youthful faith and commitment to the church.  Remembering my own youthful innocence started my healing process, and dragged me In even further.

From this talk, Elder Sabin shares how a GPS system does not correct your route with the chastisement of calling you a fool. It pleasantly states, "Recalculating route, when possible, make a legal U-turn."  Redirection helps us get to our destination.  I have too often found myself taking a different route; redirection has brought me back.  I have too often found myself not being All In, being like the anonymous man Elder Sabin shares as sending a letter to the IRS which said "Dear IRS: enclosed please find money I owe for past taxes.  P.S. If after this my conscience still bothers me, I'll send you the rest."  That shouldn't be how we do it; we can't hold back to see what the minimum is we can get by with.  The Lord requires our whole heart with a willing mind." 

In preparing this talk, I came across my Young Women's project where I collected inspirational quotes and stories into a binder.  One of these was titled "Close to, round about, or nearby." I won't read the whole thing, but it talks about a minister preaching a sermon and stating that baptism should be performed by sprinkling, and not by immersion.  The minister mis-interpreted some biblical stories where baptisms didn't happen "in" the river Jordan, but close to, round about or nearby".  A man approached the minister afterwards, saying how grateful he was for the sermon, because it cleared up confusions for him, such as Daniel wasn't IN the lions den, he was close to, round about, or nearby.  He provided a few more examples and ended with "and...next Sunday, I won't have to be "in" church; I can just be close to, round about, or nearby." 

We don't want to be close to, round about or nearby.  We baptize by immersion as a symbol of our promise to fully follow the Savior.  We want to achieve our blessings by being All In.  When we are lukewarm or only partially committed, we lose out on some of Heaven's choicest blessings.  When we are complacent with our covenants, we are complicit with the consequences.

Elder Sabin says, "In reality, it is much easier to be "All In" than Partially In.  When we are partially in or not at all, there is "a disturbance in the force."  We are out of sync with God's will, and therefore out of sync with the nature of happiness." Another symbolic story he shared was about a father and his young son who went into a toy store where there was an inflatable punching bag in the shape of a man.  The boy punched the inflatable man, who tipped over and immediately bounced back up after every punch.  The father asked his young son why the man kept bouncing back up.  The boy thought for a minute and then said, "I don't know. I guess because he is standing up on the inside." 

Through some of my trials, I was standing up on the outside, but not standing up on the inside. I was hovering in a corner begging for it to stop.  I wasn't All In.  I wasn't patiently waiting upon the Lord to remove or give me strength to endure my thorns.  I found myself in survival mode, putting on the strong face for my family, but knowing that a strong wind could blow me over. 

I was desperate for some redirection. Two years ago, I got a shocking slap in the face that gave me my redirection.  My dad, and nearly my mom, was taken from this world by a reckless driver. In preparing for his funeral, my family and I spent a lot of time focusing on how he lived his life, and where we believe he is now.  I got to revisit my childhood, and the way I was raised in my strong LDS family.  Being surrounded by my family, we didn't focus on the person who took my dad's life; we focused on how his life has led him to opportunities in the afterlife.  

My dad was All In. He taught his family to be All In.  I was reminded what it was like to be All In.  Being All In for me was happiness. We didn't have much in terms of material goods when I was growing up, but we had each other, and we had the Church. We were happy.  At the time this happened, I had happiness...but I did not consider myself to be happy.  More than ever before, I realized exactly what was missing in my life, and I started working to get it back. Happiness was not immediate, I struggled with the loss of my father, the hormones of my 2nd IVF pregnancy and my husband's worsening health.

This year has been the year that I have started seeing the blessings of being All In.  Earlier this year, my widowed mother started serving a mission, I get to see her grow and discover what her life means on her own...and she is thriving. Due to some new schedule flexibility at work, Brian has been able to start attending church every week with us.  It has allowed us to actually be All In as a whole family unit.  

We firmly believe that our change in our commitment to church has made us happier, more fulfilled and, best of all, we have enjoyed 2 months so far of being free of Brian's chronic illness that had steadily been growing worse for 7 years...an illness that, at times, had him in a wheelchair.  We don't believe it is coming back, and the only explanation we can use to explain this is Divine Intervention, nothing else can explain his symptoms disappearing, literally, overnight.  Being All In has given us our lives back.  

While we continue to be imperfect, and we have a lot more work to do, our redirection in our life has blessed us with health and happiness, and I know that redirections in our future will not need to be nearly as severe as our previous ones.

I say these things, in the name of Jesus Christ Amen.

[Vanessa Eborn]

Missionary Sacrifices and Courage

I have done some pondering lately about the sacrifices missionaries make when they accept a call to serve a mission of any length.  When I was in the MTC, one of the other single "Certain Sisters" told us that she had sold her home, her furniture, and many other possessions to have the money to serve a mission.  She didn't know where she was going to live when her mission was done.  But she didn't seem too concerned about it.  It was a great example to me of trusting in the Lord with all her heart and leaning not unto her own understanding.

That kind of faith is not easy for me.  I like to plan, to see my path laid out before me, at least for a little way.  Things may be fuzzy further down the path, but I have always felt that the first few steps in a new direction should ideally be solid.  I don't think I would have the faith to proceed as that sister did, putting her fate completely in the hands of the Lord.  Indeed, I have proceeded along this mission path with a great deal of planning, calculating what my expenses would be and how I would cover them, and how long I could serve without putting retirement funds in jeopardy.

One phrase I have heard over and over in the last three weeks, as we've attended and instructed at zone conferences, is this:  "There is no growth in the comfort zone; and there is no comfort in the growth zone."  This would lead me to believe that expecting decisions to be comfortable, to not put too much strain on me or be too stressful, is perhaps not the best plan.  I wonder what growth I am missing by being too careful, too much of a rational planner?

I don't think I'm advocating impulsive action, but surely if the Spirit validates a certain course of action, that should be enough for us to act in accord with the promptings of the Spirit.  Even if all the ducks are not completely in a tidy row, or if the path is a little fuzzier than we are comfortable with.  I see examples of such faith in action all around me.

As mission secretary I am privy to some details about the missionaries that aren't obvious to most people.  I'd like to introduce you to some of these great missionaries:

There is a sister missionary from mainland China.  While she has been on her mission, the government has shut down her church unit, and her family cannot openly worship.  When she returns to her homeland, she will not be able to publicly be a Mormon.  She will have to hide this very important part of herself from public view, or risk persecution or even prosecution.  Yet she is here, valiantly declaring the gospel of Jesus Christ, and is one of the sweetest, gentlest sisters I have ever met. There are a surprising number of Chinese immigrants in North Carolina, and she is helping them find the truth of the gospel -- the truth that she herself will soon not be allowed to publicly acknowledge.

There are several missionaries who are here faithfully serving their missions without any support from home.  For some, their parents are not members of the Church, and they are being supported by a home ward or stake.  For others, a variety of problems have torn apart the family support system and they cannot rely on the strength that comes from loving parents or siblings. Others struggle with depression, or persistent health problems that make their missionary service very difficult.  Yet they soldier on as best they can, try to keep a positive attitude, and continue to give valiant service that brings me to tears.

Any of these young missionaries could have taken a long hard look at their particular challenges and said to themselves, "It would be too hard for me to serve a mission.  Surely a loving Heavenly Father would not expect me to serve Him in the face of such problems.  Let those whose lives are easier than mine go on missions."  Yet they're here. This kind of courage in the face of adversity is an example to me of the fruits of the gospel. An example that I will try very hard to emulate.

Taking My Show on the Road...

The Wilmington Zone Conference was real treat on Wednesday of this past week.  Five of the office missionaries traveled to the conference in the mission's big white van, leaving just after 7:00 a.m.  The ocean is just a couple of miles away from the Wilmington Stake Center. When we arrived there at about 9:30, the increased humidity was immediately apparent. 

The Wilmington Zone is the largest of the seven zones in the mission.  All of the Elders and Sisters attended, sitting at long tables set up in the cultural hall in a horseshoe shape in front of the President's table where he and Sister James, the Assistants, and the Zone Leaders sat.  Behind the horseshoe were round tables and chairs where the missionaries would sit to have lunch, which was prepared by the Relief Society. Following lunch, everyone posed for a group picture, before another three hours of  activities and instruction.

I attended all of the morning meeting, acting as timekeeper, but also listening intently.  I was so impressed with the high level of instruction from all those who spoke.  President James talked about teaching the Restoration using scriptures in the Bible, and it was very clear and impressive.  Then various companionships took turns speaking on other topics.  The Assistants each gave instruction. The missionaries were quiet and attentive throughout, asking intelligent questions and contributing when asked to do so; engaging in role play to practice the concepts being taught.

May I say, the missionary program is in good shape in this mission.  If I then extrapolate this to the numerous other missions throughout the world the picture is even brighter.  Where else could you take young men and women straight out of High School, send them out on their own, and have them find such a warm, loving, enlivening and enlightening atmosphere where they are treated as adults, act as adults, and therefore grow to discover their potential as human beings and as servants of their Heavenly Father? That's not to say that they don't sometimes have raucous fun, but there is a very positive mixture of the sacred and the silly among the missionaries.

I'd like to share a true story that was shared at the conference.

One of the Sister Training Leaders told an experience she and her companion had when they were scheduled to teach an investigator along with a sister who was a member of their ward.  They were running late, and texted the member about half an hour before the scheduled appointment that they would be late arriving.  The member had already started driving, so she continued to the appointed place and then sat in her car for 15 minutes or more, waiting for the missionaries to arrive.  Because of the North Carolina heat, she sat with her motor running and the air conditioning on.  She was not happy to be wasting her gas and her time in this way, and was not shy about telling the missionaries how offended she was that they couldn't be on time to the appointment.  She went further.  She posted on the ward's Facebook page that the missionaries were the worst she had ever seen, soliciting sympathy from other ward members for how badly she had been treated.

The sister missionaries were, of course, initially offended that the member could treat them so.  They felt they had done everything they could do, and couldn't understand why the member would be so aggressively unforgiving and publicly hurtful.  They decided that they would have to avoid this sister in the future, never sit with her, never talk to her, and just ignore the ugliness and hope it went away.

Then they wondered to themselves what Christ would do in their situation.  They tried to put themselves in the member sister's place, and realized that any offense they felt was trivial.  What mattered was that, as representatives of the Church and of the Savior, they needed to show love to all members of the ward, and reach out to this member sister with love as they always had.  So that's what they did.  The next Sunday they sought her out at church to sit by her. They could tell the sister already felt bad for saying the things she had about the missionaries, and in a few moments the relationship was put back on a positive footing.  The ward was relieved to see the public demonstration of love and forgiveness, and an event that had the potential to split the ward and cause bad feelings for a long time was defused.

I see it as a triumph of the Spirit over the natural man.  How many times have I allowed my "natural" inclinations to cause me to hold a grudge or retaliate against someone I felt had offended me, when a more positive, selfless response would have been more healing.  These sisters taught an important lesson that I hope to be able to put into practice in my life.

After the conference, the five of us office missionaries drove a couple of miles to Wrightsville Beach where we parked the van and walked a short distance to the narrow strip of beach.  We must have been a very strange sight, the two Elders in dark pants and white shirts, the three Sisters in blouses and skirts, all of us wearing our missionary name tags. It was a very windy day, and the blowing sand felt like shards of glass hitting us from all sides, but the sand was warm and soft and I couldn't resist taking off my shoes and walking down to the ocean.

Clinging to my skirt so I could preserve some level of modesty I walked into the water and discovered it was warm.  The splashing of the waves as they came  rolling in, and the pull of the water as it receded, taking the sand under my feet with it, felt wonderful.  I loved watching the children playing in the waves, the seagulls flying above, and taking pictures of the beach houses built on stilts in defense against rising waters.  On our way back from the beach to the van, my skirt
pockets full of shells and sand, we stopped to get ice cream treats.

The last time I walked in the Atlantic Ocean was more than 50 years ago when my family lived on Suffolk County Air Force Base on Long Island, New York.  So many things have changed since I was a junior high school girl.  I'm very happy about where my life is now, and very glad and honored indeed to be involved in this great missionary work of the restored Church of Jesus Christ.

The Importance of Missionary Work

We are in the middle of a string of zone conferences, one for each of the seven zones in the mission.    Zone conferences for Raleigh (which took place in the stake center where the mission office is located) and Apex (which is held in the stake center adjacent to the Raleigh Temple) happened last week.  This Tuesday and Wednesday we have Raleigh South and Wilmington Zone Conferences.  Wilmington is the farthest away -- about a three-hour drive south from here.  The other three zones (Durham, Fayetteville, and Fayetteville West) will have their conferences in the following two weeks.  Then come the three days of transfers, and the cycle begins again.

The office staff goes to all zone conferences to give short training presentations to the missionaries on various topics within our stewardship.  Things like keeping apartments clean (the housing supervisor); the importance of drinking enough water to stay hydrated (mission nurse); safe driving (car czar); ways to reduce utility bills (finance elder); and the proper way to fill out baptismal forms (mission secretary, me).  The vehicle elder also has to check all the missionaries' vehicles to make sure they're being taken care of (oil, fluids, tires, etc.)  Most of us can leave after our part is complete, but on Wednesday I stayed for the entire meeting.

May I just say how impressive these missionaries are!  So focused, so intelligent and eager to learn. The two Assistants to the President, Elder Barlow and Elder Shearer, each gave a 30-minute presentation without notes, and their poise and confidence, mingled with their humble acknowledgement that they are only servants of our Heavenly Father, brought me to tears.  I see the Lord's hand very clearly in this work, and that is evidenced by the stories and examples they share with the missionaries.

In addition to assisting President James, the Assistants also spend their evening tracting and teaching.  Elder Shearer told of knocking on a door and beginning the door approach.  The man who had opened the door immediately started waving them off, saying he wasn't interested, and attempting to close the door.  Elder Shearer just kept smiling and talking, telling him of the restoration of the church.  He had just begun to tell the man about Joseph Smith reading scriptures and going to the grove to pray when the man really began to close the door.  Elder Barlow spoke up, saying "You need to listen to this!  It's important!"  The man held the door open a little bit and listened to the rest of the story, then paused, looking thoughtful.  He said "I've never heard anything like that before.  You'd better come in and meet my family." They are now teaching that family the truths of the gospel.

The moral of the story, of course, is to never give up.  We have the truth, after all.  There will be people who have so hardened their hearts that they no longer are open to anything other than what they have felt is true all their lives.  No amount of testifying will be able to sway someone who has closed off their mind and heart and will not listen.  But others are sincere seekers and open-minded, and can be touched by the right approach.  They are the ones the Spirit can teach.

I haven't yet gone to the temple, but seeing it on Wednesday makes me want to make time to go very soon.  It is a much smaller temple than any in the Salt Lake Valley, but still very beautiful.  It is only open for a couple of sessions on most days, with more sessions scheduled on Saturday, and anyone wishing to go to the temple must call ahead to make a reservation.  That takes more planning than I'm used to doing, but I'm sure I'll get the hang of it.  It's only about a half hour drive away from my apartment by freeway.

On Friday, May 26, 2017, my luminous oldest granddaughter Jessica married KJ, the man of her dreams, in the Salt Lake Temple.  They met when they were both teaching Spanish-speaking missionaries at the Provo MTC, and will now be making a life together.  I was sad not to be able to be there with them, but Vanessa thoughtfully hooked me up on Facebook Messenger so I could
experience some of the reception festivities and see and be seen by some of my family.  It was a great treat, and I enjoyed it very much.  Family IS what the Church is all about.  Jessica and KJ have formed a bond that is eternal, as each of my children has done with their partner.  I am so thrilled that all six of my children, are married in the temple and active in the Church.  I know that their lives are enriched by the gospel, and I know that because of the Plan of Salvation, and the sacrifice of our elder Brother Jesus Christ, we can and will be together in eternal life.  Graham is there already, waiting for us to join him, and the reunion will be sweet.

This is what missionaries want to provide for the people they teach.  The opportunity to forge those eternal bonds, to learn what they have to do and the covenants they need to make to help them reach that happy state in the eternities and feel the joy that comes with it.  That is the importance of missionary work.