Thursday, February 18, 2010

Make a note

Two weeks ago today on Thursday, February 4, 2010, the first Patriarchal Blessing was given in Mongolia.

One down, and about 6000 more to go!

Monday, February 15, 2010

Haiti, Part 2

The conclusion of our report about Haiti and the faith and resilience of those saints, as related by a senior couple there.

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Their lessons and talks were sophis- ticated and scripturally based, as if they had a library and computer at their fingertips to prepare instead of what ever they had been able to salvage, stacked at the side of the road.

Sacrament meeting began with strains of “Come, come ye Saints, no toil, nor labor fear, but with joy wend your way.” For most of us who come from other nations, we would be hard-pressed to find joy in impoverished and broken Haiti before the earthquake, let alone now, but they sang like they meant it, “Happy day, all is well.”


They prayed, “We are all thankful to be counted among the living. We are grateful to know of thy truth. There are many outside the walls of this church who do not have this truth to sustain them through the trials. We know we were kept alive because we have a mission to complete. Bless us all that we can be strong and take care of each other.”

We listened tearfully.

The sacrament was passed and each of the seven children sitting on the row next to us took not a single piece of bread but a scoop each. They are hungry.

Then we heard a talk, a surprising, enriching talk from France Nathalie Desir — so beautifully done.

She told the audience:

“For some of the adversity we face, we can place the weight on our own shoulders because we are not obeying God’s laws. That adversity we can control, but there are some kinds of adversity we can’t control like the earthquake. We didn’t do anything to attract it. We all had friends and families who were killed as a result of it. A lot of people are discouraged and have lost faith, but we as members of the Church now have a mission.

“We know why we have adversities. They are to make us stronger. We have the freedom to either let them overcome us or to make us strong. Just as we send little children to school, the Lord has sent us here for a school.


“Our big enemy is our pride that keeps us from loving our neighbor and obeying the commandments. Since January 12, we all have experienced sleeping outside. As I was lying in the courtyard looking up at the stars, I knew this was the time to manifest charity and mourn with those who mourn, give food to those who need food.


“We have a certain joy, and the joy is knowing these things are temporary. The trials we are given on earth are for us. The Lord knows everything we are going through and they are to augment our faith and bring us to God.”

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We came on a mission to teach and help others. We continue to marvel at how much people such as these, teach us, instead. Wow!