Some thots for the
week
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5:06 PM (13 hours ago)
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Dear Elder and Sister
Scott,
This
has been a wonderful week, and one of the main reasons that it is special is
because of some inspirational speakers I have hard on BYU
devotionals. I am certain that the reason for my being
impressed was that I was listening with "hungry" ears. I would
hope that as you read some of the things that impressed me, you too will focus,
not only on the facts that are written, but also upon their eternal
significance to you and me.
First,
Elder Claudio r. M. Costa of the Quorum of the Seventy stated that to gain a
testimony of the book of Mormon he prayed for 14 hours. But he did
bear testimony that he knew the Book of Mormon is the word of God. His
experience leads me to wonder if we pray with such pure intent to find answers
to our concerns.
On
the humorous side, he related that when he and his dear wife began married life
together, they were so poor that they had to move their furniture each morning
to make room to let in the sunbeams.
On
Thursday I listened to Sister Len Novella, who I understood is on the
staff of educators at BYU. I was intrigued by some of her figurative
language used in her talk; e. g. "The Lord's winds never cease to blow
toward the Promised Land." These words bear pondering.
One
of seven children in the family, (5 girls) she and her sisters had to deal with
the oriental tradition that girls are inferior to boys--a handicap that we
Americans can hardly fathom. If you were a lady, how would you deal
with such a handicap wherever you went?
The
father of her family encountered an illness that took him to death's
door. The mother, unprepared to support her family, frantically
summoned the children and had each one place a hand on their father's and
pledge that they would work together and support each other whenever
needed. In a temporal way the mother later needed that support as
she labored daily to find a few handfuls of rice for their subsistence.
In
their spiritual life the family was bound to the predominant religion with very
strong ties. Any "intruder" was not received kindly;
however, when LDS missionaries came into their area, the mother listened
hesitantly, but each lesson had its effect. It was difficult to
change their way of life--coffee, tobacco, and then TITHING! But
full effort brought them to the point that they were baptized. That
brought even stronger persecution from friends and neighbors, which was
especially hard on the children in school. A couple of the girls
were denied awards that were due them. The speaker has poignant memories of her
mother's efforts to pay a full tithing in rice, which the family really needed
themselves. It makes one think of the Prophet Elijah, who asked the
widow to make him a cake from her last remaining meal when she and her son were
facing starvation.
Fast
forward quite some time--ALL of the children received a good education and
distinguished themselves. Not all were educators, but some chose
other professions. Family members were able to qualify for receiving
the blessings of the temple, so that fact in itself tells how far the family
had progressed.
Few
talks that I have ever heard have stirred such deep feelings as did this dear
sister's. Not often do we hear of a situation where a family has to
overcome obstacles like those mentioned, but with faith and determination, we
can achieve great things in life.
Have
a great week! You're in my prayers always.
Love, Brian
