The Nelsons gave talks on sun day. We enjoyed them both. Oh, how I wish you were here and could hear them. Some wonderful family history. It builds the soul.The trials that we are facing are not insignificant to us and others around us, though each phase in life brings inherent ones just with the passage of time. I remember some of the ones my parents went through and hope that it is not my course. But, the school of life is what we chose in our first estate.
I have heros in my family and will briefly relate about one of them.
William Allen III was my great grandfather. At the time of the opening of the British Mission he was a young man. He lived in the area of the beautiful Malvern Hills of England where Wilford Woodruff spent much time preaching the Gospel. His activity in the Church and with his baptism , his mother refused to let him in the house and refused to give him his clothes or other belongings. Of this he wrote, "I have lost my family and my friends have turned against me." A month after his baptism he was ordained a priest and sent on a three year mission to South Wales. It was one without purse or script. He was ordained an elder a year into his mission..
After his mission he married a young convert, Harriet Rook. Their first child lived but 9 hours and because they didn’t believe in infant baptism of sprinkling, she couldn’t be buried in the grave yard. They buried her in secret during the night.
Their second child died the day the third was born. William had been on a second mission in England and had placed his family with willing members.
William had taken the name Wilford as a second name because he said there were too many Williams. He named most of his sons after the Apostles who had labored in England.
They decided to immigrate to the Saints in Utah, leaving on the ship Ellen. Harriet died just before reaching Cuba and three days later the third child, too. They were buried at sea.
He sailed up the Mississippi alone. One could wonder at his feelings.
William was a stone mason and he found work building chimneys in the St. Louis area. He earned enough to out fit him to travel on to Utah.
A year after arriving in Utah he married Eliza Ann Fenn who had been on the ship Ellen and the wagon train to the West. Their first child died. Eliza Ann had a second child and William was called on a mission to Texas. He gave a man enough money to take care of his wife and child and left on his third mission.
At the end of his mission, he drove a herd of cows to Kansas to be used for the Saints there and came west in it ill fated Willie Handcart Company. Arriving at home he found that the man who had contracted to take care of Eliza Ann and child had not done so and she had lived mostly on sego roots and thistle.
In his journal entries, he did not complain of what befell him. One entry after his 12 year old son died stated only this, "I have lost in death one wife and seven children."
When Brigham Young called for workers to build the St. George Temple, William volunteered, sold his home, business and belongings, taking his family and what would fix into two wagons and set out. They traveled as far as Nephi where they met friends. He left his family there and went on alone to accomplish this mission.
He also worked on the Manti Temple and the Provo Tabernacle. He learned to make bricks from adobe, to carpenter (he could use both hands) tried farming three times, sang in Choirs, acted in plays and joined a brass band.
He remained faithful until the end teaching his children and others a love of the Gospel, Our Father and the Savior, Jesus Christ.
I am grateful for the Gospel in my life and to be a member of the Church. Baptism, confirmation and the blessings of the temple are great in my life.
I testify to the truth of these things: that God lives, His Son is our Savior and Redeemer, we have living prophets today and have since the restoration of the Gospel. The Book of Mormon is true and the Latter-day revelations, also.
Our Father and His Son know us and love us. We are not walking alone.
At the last Supper, as recorded in Luke 22: 31, 32, the Savior told Peter "Simon, Simon, behold Satan hath desired you, that he may sift the children of the kingdom as wheat.
But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not; and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren."
"How could men be called to the apostleship and at the same time not be converted? First, it should be noted that having a testimony and being converted are not necessarily the same thing. A testimony comes by the witness of the Spirit and leaves one with the knowledge that something is true. Conversion, on the other hand, is the fruit, or reward, of acting on the witness of the Spirit. Conversion comes only in discipleship, in living the gospel. To be converted is to born again, to put off the world and walk with the Saints. It comes by putting off the natural man and putting on Christ. Thus true conversion is a process and comes only in the course of time."
"After Peter was baptized and accepted Jesus as the Messiah, after he spent three years in almost constant companionship with the Son of God, after he was ordained an elder and an apostle, after he went forth on a mission healing the sick and performing other miracles, after he walked on the water, after he bore a fervent witness of the Savior’s divinity, after all this and more, Jesus said to him: "When thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren". It was only then that Peter was reconciled to God and became a new creature by the power of the Holy Ghost. Peter’s conversion was manifest in his valiant actions from the time of the first Pentecost after the death of Christ until he, too, died upon a Roman cross."
Revelations of the Restoration–pgs. 902-903
In the Doctrine and Covenants 109: 15, we are told to "Receive a fulness of the Holy Ghost." President Kimball explained: "The Holy Ghost comes to you as you grow and learn and make yourselves worthy. It comes a little at a time as you merit it. And as your life is in harmony, you gradually receive the Holy Ghost in a great measure."
In the Doctrine and Covenants 90: 24, we are told to "Search diligently, pray always, and be believing, and all things shall work together for your good, if ye walk uprightly."
We must search in faith, with prayer and the companionship of the Holy Ghost.
President Marion G. Romney said, "I believe that the most effective way to get on course and to stay on course is to do as Jesus did: make a total commitment to do the will of His Father."
In the life of the Prophet Joseph Smith by George Q. Cannon [pg. 36] "the prophet lived to learn and to demonstrate that God commits His decrees to His earthly children for fulfilment; and though He may often work miracles in their behalf, yet are they required to give their best endeavor–even though weak and human–to the appointed deed; and out of their trials, their stumblings, their failures and their ultimate successes, will He bring the triumph of their devotion and His word"
In President Uchtdorf’s address to the sisters of the Church during Relief Society Conference, he said, "I would like to speak to those who have ever felt inadequate, discouraged, or weary–in short, I would like to speak to all of us.
We know that sometimes it can be difficult to keep our heads above water. In fact, in our world of change, challenges, and checklists, sometimes it can seem nearly impossible to avoid feeling overwhelmed by emotions of suffering and sorrow."
".....I recognize that in all of our lives there are real concerns. I know there are hearts here today that harbor deep sorrows. Others wrestle with fears that trouble the soul. For some, loneliness is their secret trial."
He goes on the say, "However, I would like to speak about two principles that may help you find a path to peace, hope, and joy–even during times of trial and distress. I want to speak about God’s happiness and how each one of us can taste of it in spite of the burdens that beset us."
President Monson asked us in April Conference to "turn our thoughts and our attitudes away from the troubles around us and to focus instead on our blessings as members of the Church. The Apostle Paul declared, "God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." 2 Timothy 1:7
He also quoted 2 Ne. 2: 25, "Adam fell that men might be; and me are, that they might have joy."
"How might we have joy in our lives, despite all that we may face? Again from the scriptures; "Wherefore, be of good cheer, and do not fear, for I the Lord am with you, and will stand by you." Doc & Cov 68:6
President Uchtdorf told us that, "Creating and being compassionate are two objectives that contribute to our Heavenly Father’s perfect happiness."
"The bounds of creativity extend far beyond the limits of a canvas or a sheet of paper and do not require a brush, a pen, or the keys of a piano. Creation means bringing into existence something that did not exist before–colorful gardens, harmonious homes, family memories, flowing laughter. What you create doesn’t have to be perfect. Don’t let fear of failure discourage you. Start small. Try to see how many smiles you can create, write a letter of appreciation, learn a new skill, identify a space and beautify it.
The more you trust and rely upon the Spirit, the greater your capacity to create."
In the second things that Pres. Uchtdorf mentions is being compassionate. And he quotes the words of James Barrie, the author of Peter Pan: "Those who bring sunshine to the lives of others cannot keep it from themselves."
"There is a great work to do. One year ago in this meeting, President Monson taught that "you are ....surrounded by opportunities for service....Often small acts of service are all that is required to lift and bless another."
"True words of encouragement require only a loving and caring heart but may have an eternal impact on the life of those around you.
"You wonderful sisters render compassionate service to others for reasons that supersede desires for personal benefits. In this you emulate the Savior, who, though a king, did not seek position, nor was He concerned about whether others noticed Him. He did not bother to compete with others. His thoughts were always tuned to help others. He taught, healed, conversed, and listened to others. He knew that greatness had little to do with outward signs of prosperity or position. He taught and lived by this doctrine: "He that is greatest among you shall be your servant."
