What e’er thou art, act well thy part.

What e’er thou art, act well thy part.

This may be a strange title for a letter from Grandpa.  I have been meaning to write it for a little over a month now and tonight I was watching the news on the television and they had a story, which prompted me to write this now.

I do not visit Facebook very often.  I do not have the time or the need to do it, but occasionally I am interested to see what you write on your pages.  I also occasionally look at other people’s pages as well.  Sometimes it is interesting, but often I am disappointed to see the apparent lack of sensitivity that some people have when posting.

The title of this blog is not unique with me.  When I was going to BYU after my mission I read a talk given in 1957 by President McKay[1].  He explained: “I said to myself, or the Spirit within me, ‘You are a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. More than that, you are here as a representative of the Lord Jesus Christ. You accepted the responsibility as a representative of the Church. Then I thought [about] what we had done that forenoon. We had been sightseeing, we had gained historical instruction and information, it is true, and I was thrilled with it. … However, that was not missionary work…’ I accepted the message given to me on that stone, [What e’er thou art, act well thy part] and from that moment we tried to do our part as missionaries in Scotland.”

We are all members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.  Our manners, our decorum and our speech and writings and actions should reflect that. 

The news program stated that colleges and universities and employers look at postings on social media to judge our character.  Perhaps we are only having fun with our friends, but it can, and sometimes does turn nasty.  We need to remember that light-mindedness has no place in the gospel of Jesus Christ and certainly not in the life of one of Christ’s disciples.

As Thumper the rabbit[2] is quoted as saying, “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say nothin’ at all.”  If you cannot be uplifting in your communication, it is better not to post on Facebook or tweet on Twitter or post on your blog.

My mother used to ask me regularly if I had cleaned my face.  Now I ask you, “Have you cleaned up your Facebook and made it presentable?”  Do you want people to judge you by your posts?

Love,

Grandpa

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[1] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ykfMvoHu6xA  Here is the link to a video you might want to watch.

[2] From the movie Bambi

Fires

We have recently been having a lot of wild fires and forest fires in Utah.  I have had some experience with fighting fires.  I was employed by the Forest Service the summer after I graduated from high school.   My missionary companion in Goslar,  Elder Kirk Ellsworth was a smoke-jumper and brought slides of the fires that he fought with him on his mission and we used to show them to our investigators.

During that summer (1952), I helped fight two forest fires. The first one was the Dishpan Butte fire. This was about halfway between Dickinson Park and Smith Lake. We got the call one evening after work and drove up and reached Dickinson Park before dark.

We started up the trail and then it slowly got dark and we lost the trail. We couldn't see the blaze marks on the trees, but we could see the fire lighting up the night sky so we headed up the mountain in the dark. I had a Coleman lantern to light the way. I stumbled and shook the lantern and the mantle broke and we were without light at all. We continued to walk using a flashlight intermittently to see where we were, because we knew that if the batteries failed we would have no light at all. We walked on through the night feeling our way along.

I was walking along during the climb upward and was in the lead. I decided to stop and take a rest and so when we were ready to go again the one with the flashlight turned it on and shone it into the path that we were to take. We could not see anything ahead and on closer inspection we were on top of a giant boulder and the ground, on the way we were going, was about 40 feet below us. We were spared a nasty fall. We eventually got to the fire and started digging a fire line with a shovel and Pulaski. (A Pulaski is a fire fighting instrument with an axe blade on one side of the head and a adze blade at right angles on the other side of the head.)  I worked all night and when the morning came we had pretty well contained the fire. We spent the next few days going over the burned area and putting out hot spots.   The fire would smolder in the dead pine needles called pine duff. If it was not put out it might burn like a punk that you use to light fire crackers and it has been known to smolder for a winter even with snow on top of it and then breakout in a forest fire the next summer when things got hot.

The next fire was on the Wiggins Fork above Dubois. There was quite a large crew of firefighters fighting that fire and it seemed like it was better organized. It took a long time to drive up to the fire. We drove up to Dubois and then to Horse Creek and then took a dirt road to the Wiggins Fork (River). We could drive right up to the base of the fire, but had to drive through the river two or three times to get to the base camp. Some of the water would get into the engines and short out the spark and then the truck or jeep would be stranded and have to be towed to shore.

After a few days most of the firefighters went home and there were about 6 men left as the mop up crew. I was left to tend the camp and to cook. I cooked the breakfast and then fixed a lunch for them to carry with them and then I would cook the evening meal.

They left plenty of food for us to eat. I had a hindquarter of beef and about 8 hams and plenty of eggs and other provisions. I had to learn how to make coffee, because everybody but me drank coffee. They said that it was good, but I don't know.

I would cut a big round steak from the hindquarter and then cook about two and a half pounds per person. When we had ham I would give them three big slices. Most of the time I would boil the potatoes, because I only had a wood camp cook stove to cook on. I don't remember much else about it except that I like to fish and most of them did not like fish.  

I did not bring my fishing gear with me. One day as I was walking along the river I found some fishing line and when I had gathered it all in I found a hook on the end of it. I found a branch that I could make a pole from and so all I needed was some bait. There were some grasshoppers along the shore of the river and I managed to catch one. Now I could fish.

I managed to catch a fish and then another, but my grasshopper was looking pretty sad, by now. I had heard that you could use fish eyes as bait, so I decided to try it. It worked well and I was now in the fishing business. I ate the fish for lunch and then every day when I got the dishes done and the camp cleaned, I would go fishing and eat the fish for lunch. Every morning I would have to catch a grasshopper. Finally I lost my hook and had to try to make one, but it didn't work as well as the store bought kind. When we finished with the mopup we broke camp and had to leave all the perishable food there. We didn't have space to carry it back with us, so we left it for the bears and wild animals to enjoy. The rest of the summer was spent finishing the road work on the loop road.

Fighting fires is a dangerous business.  I am still careful not to leave a fire that I have used burning.  To make sure that the fire is completely out you should pour water on it and then run your fingers through the ashes to make sure that everything is cold.  Your great-great grandfather Wright Clark used to throw his lighted cigarettes out of the car window driving down the roads in Florida.  I told your grandmother that I was afraid that if her grandfather came to Wyoming to visit he would burn down the whole state.

Be careful with fire!!

Throwing rocks

Essays written in the past.  This was written in 1997

I write these to my grandchildren.  They are my observations on things that have happened to me or that I have experienced vicariously.  I think that sometimes we go through life as a participant, but not as an observer.  Perhaps you might gain from these experiences and thoughts.  My hope is that they may be of some benefit to you in your life.  Perhaps to save you from some unpleasantness.

Throwing rocks

Yesterday, July 28, 2001, I noticed that the lawn was getting long and I had decided the day before that I would mow the lawn.  I had earlier this summer gathered rocks out of the garden space and had piled them up in a spot under the overhang of the house.  They were out of my way and I thought that they would be there for use later or close to the trash can to dispose of when an appropriate time came along.  Three of my grandchildren were playing in a nearby tree and had been for a few days prior.

I started to mow the lawn and noticed a rock the size of a baseball in the lawn near the tree.  Obviously one of the children had thrown it there from the pile of rocks about ten feet away.  I picked it up and thought, “I don’t want to run over this rock with the lawn mower.”  From previous experience I had known that a rock that size could bend the shear pin in the lawnmower and then the mower would not run.  I would then have to take the mower apart and replace the shear pin.  I have done that on a number of occasions in the past and I did not want to spend the two hours doing that and so I picked up the rock and placed it in its previous location.

I started the lawn mower and commenced mowing the grass.  As I neared the tree I saw another rock about the same size which would be in the mower’s path on the next swath.  I reached down and picked it up and deposited it alongside the previous rock.  As I continued to mow the grass I was heading away from the tree toward the garage door when the mower struck a rock hidden from my view in the grass.  It was smaller than the previous two and the mower blade hit the rock and propelled it with high velocity out from under the mower in an arc and hit the wall of the house with a loud thud.  Fortunately the mower continued to run well and the shear pin was apparently not damaged.  Had I been mowing in the other direction the rock would have gone flying in the vicinity of the children playing in the crab apple tree.  One of the children may well have suffered the consequences of their actions.

Sometimes when we throw rocks we do not realize what the end result of that action would be.  A child does not understand the ramifications of the action.  They have not had the experience of the adult.  I remember that one of the things that my parents asked of me was not to throw rocks.  I remember when I was living in Cheyenne that one of the boys in the neighborhood used to throw rocks at me and my brothers.  I was want to throw them back at him and perhaps I did.  I don’t remember, but I do know that throwing rocks can hurt if you are hit by one. 

I read in the Deseret News the other day that three Boy Scouts were charged with throwing rocks into a lake in Utah.  It seems that the rocks that they were throwing were dinosaur tracks that they had pried up from their place of resting and tossed into the lake to hear the splash.  The park ranger was beside himself at their insensitivity and stupidity.  They were not aware that the rock formation that they were standing on was one of the longest and most well preserved set of dinosaur prints in the world. 

Getting back to my grandchildren, I stopped the mower and brought them all over to me and told them that I did not care which one of them threw the rocks.  They were not to throw rocks in the future and I did not want them putting obstacles in the lawn. 

I wonder how often we do not foresee the consequences of our actions.  Perhaps we in our insensitivity throw rocks or obstacles into peoples way with no thought as to what the consequences will be for our own and others safety or well being.  If we are sensitive to the spirit we can minimize the negative impact of our actions.  If we keep the commandments which God has given us, we will avoid the results of disobedience.  Every time you throw a rock remember that there is some consequence to that action.  The parental warning, “Don’t throw rocks!” is still a good one.

How I became a pediatrician and what you can learn from this experience

How I became a pediatrician and what you can learn from this experience.

I had always wanted to become a doctor.  I can never remember a time when I did not want to become a doctor.  My mother tells the story that when I was about four years old I would go around the house with part of an old bookcase handle and say I am a doctor.

When we lived in Denver we took Life magazine.  One of the issues was devoted to the making of a doctor.  It detailed all of the steps that were necessary to become a doctor.  I then outlined my life with what I would have to do to become a doctor. I have a clipping from the Rocky Mountain News from that time.  It was a brief introduction to the Rocky Mountain News carriers.  My picture was in the paper as well as my dreams for the future.  I wanted to become a doctor and so stated in the article.

When I was in high school in Lander I took the courses that would qualify me to attend college.  My aim at that time was still to become a doctor and that is what I told people when they ask me what I wanted to be when I grew up.

In the summers when I was in high school I worked for my uncle Howard in Soda Springs, Idaho.  One summer I remember a book that I read detailing the life of a gynecologist.  I decided at that time that I would like to be a gynecologist and an obstetrician.

When I attended Weber College I took the courses outlined for pre-medical studies.  I wanted to prepare myself so that I could become a doctor and an obstetrician and gynecologist.

After I came home from my mission I attended Brigham Young University.  There I took courses, which would further qualify me to attend medical school.  It was there that I applied to a number of medical schools for admission after three years of undergraduate training.  I was accepted to at least three medical schools, but the University of Utah was the first one to extend an invitation and acceptance to the following year's freshman class of Medical school.  During that time I also applied for a grant from the state of Wyoming to cover my out-of-state tuition at the University of Utah.  This was called the WICHE program.  It was an agreement between all of the western states that did not have medical schools and a few of the states who did have medical schools that they would allow students to attend medical school and waive the out of-state tuition.

And so it was that I attended four years of medical school and realized my dream of becoming a doctor.  I was still pointed toward becoming an obstetrician and gynecologist.  When people would ask me what I wanted to specialize in, I would tell them OB. During my junior and senior years of medical school I worked for the department of pediatrics.  Also during my senior year I worked every third night from seven at night till seven in the morning in the obstetrical department at LDS Hospital assisting with and delivering babies.  By that time I had decided that I liked both fields and would do a residency in obstetrics and then do a residency in pediatrics and do neonatal medicine.  This was unusual because at that time they did not have a specialty of neonatal medicine.

I chose to do my internship at the Dee Memorial Hospital in Ogden because they had a program in obstetrics that would allow you to spend two years in Ogden and one year at the University.  This I thought would give me a broad experience in all aspects of the specialty.  While in Ogden and working in the department of obstetrics, I found that it was less than I had anticipated and I decided to do a residency in obstetrics at the LDS Hospital.  Since I had worked there during my senior year, I felt I had a good chance of getting the residency there.  I made my application and waited expectantly for a letter of acceptance.

One day a pharmaceutical representative that I knew from Salt Lake asked me if I was going to LDS Hospital for my residency.  I told them that I had not yet received a letter of acceptance.  He told me that they had already filled their residency slots.  I was concerned and phone the head of the department of obstetrics at LDS Hospital and asked him about my residency application.  The reply was that they must have lost it.  You can imagine how I felt.  It was only a few months and I would be finished with my training and had no place to go for further training.

The next thing that happened was that my father called and said that the draft board was going to draft me into the Army after I finished my training.  Not too long after that I called Mrs. McOmie, who was the secretary of the draft board, and asked her when I would receive my draft notice.  She answered and said that I would not be drafted at that time.  In the meantime because I thought we were going to be drafted I went and bought a brand-new Volkswagen bus, because I thought we would need better transportation because we were going to be in the military.

Now I was in a pickle.  I had previously been examined to receive an appointment as an Air Force doctor, but rejected because of my previous history of duodenal ulcer.  I called the Army and inquired about volunteering for the draft and they informed me that it was impossible.

I then decided that I would try and get a pediatric residency.  I called Dr. Doug Heiner.  I had worked in his immunology laboratory between my junior and senior years and he was on the staff of the department of pediatrics at the university.  He told me that they had filled all their residency slots, but that he would ask Dr. Eugene Lahey about it.  Later I received a phone call from Dr. Heiner informing me that Dr. Lahey had found some money for another resident in the program and that I was accepted to fill that slot.  Thus I had someplace to further my training.  I still had interest in obstetrics, but thought I would do pediatrics first and then do the obstetrics later.

The first year of residency went well.  Dr. Lahey then decided to go to Oakland Children’s hospital and Dr. Pat Bray, a pediatric neurologist, became the head of the department.  Things were in somewhat of a turmoil and I became somewhat disillusioned.  I even considered quitting and going into private practice only partially trained.  I talked to Dr. Heiner and he encouraged me to continue and finish the residency.  I weighed the options and decided to stick it out. 

By the time that I had finished my residency I was making $350 per month as chief resident at Primary Children’s Hospital.  I looked into the obstetrical residency at LDS hospital and they were offering $150 per month for first year obstetrical residents.  By this time we had four children and our living expenses were such that I decided to forego the obstetrical residency and find a place to practice.  I had a few offers and now the world was my oyster, so I faced my next decision, where to practice.

I have never regretted the changes that resulted in my becoming a pediatrician.  I loved my life in Lander and my practice.  I never went to work wishing I had gone another direction.  As I look back on it now, I can see the hand of the Lord guiding my path to its destination, but I did not see it at the time.  I was where He wanted me to be, doing what He wanted me to do, taking care of His children in an area of His kingdom that to some was a waste place. 

Each of you will have what I term “course corrections” in your life.  You may not have all of your dreams realized.  Disappointments are the rule, not the exception in this life.  As long as you have a strong testimony of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ, He will guide you ever so gently to your place in the sun. Take Grandpa’s word for that.

Testimony

Testimony

Last month I wrote on my blog about my testimony of the Book of Mormon. Each if you will have to gain your own testimony of God the Father and his son Jesus Christ, the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon and the Divine restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ here upon the earth by the prophet Joseph Smith.

Heber C. Kimball, an early member of the First Presidency said that the time would come when the members of the church would not be able to live on borrowed light. This means that even though your grandmother and I have the testimony of the truthfulness of the Gospel and of Jesus Christ, we cannot pass this precious gift to any of our grandchildren. Each one of you will learn for yourself of the truthfulness of these things.

The plan that our Lord and his son Jesus Christ have set forth for us on this earth includes agency and accountability. Each one of you has his or her agency and will be accountable for his or her own actions. Every one of you will be expected to learn of Jesus Christ and accept salvation through his atonement.

Many years ago when your parents were growing up in our house we had a record of songs that came from a musical entitled “My Turn on Earth”. The little girl in the story is told just before she is to come to this earth not to forget the treasure. The treasure that she was to seek here upon the earth is a testimony of Jesus Christ.

One of the misconceptions that members of the church have is that a testimony just comes without any effort on ones part. This is far from the truth. This life was so arranged that effort on everyone's part is necessary to obtain anything of value. In the Church we call this the law of work. 

One of the commandments that Adam was given before he left the Garden of Eden was that he would have to work for everything he got here on the earth.

A testimony comes through the ministration of the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost cannot give us the assurance that we need unless we keep the commandments of God. The first step to obtaining a testimony of the Lord Jesus Christ is to keep his commandments. Do not delude yourself into thinking that you will obtain the testimony if you do not keep the commandments of the Lord.

A testimony does not come the first time you ask for one. The Lord wants to make sure that you are serious in your intent to come unto Christ. We know from experience that in most cases the testimony does not come quickly. It takes time and study.

A number of years ago, before you were born, I attended a regional youth conference in Billings Montana. The speaker and presiding officer at that youth conference was the president of the church, Harold Bingham Lee. You will not remember him, but he spoke to the young people attending that conference and told them that if they did not have a testimony at that time, they were to lean on his. Your grandmother and I know that the gospel is true. Until you have a firm testimony, you need to lean on our testimony.

I hope you know that we would never lie to you or deceive you. We do not believe that your parents would lie to you either. They know that the Gospel is true, so until you find out for yourself and believe in their and our words, lean on our testimony. It may take you some time to receive the treasure or this precious gift, which you can only receive by study, prayer and keeping the commandments.

We wish you success in your life and your pursuit of righteousness.

Love,

Grandpa

The Winds of Adversity

The Winds of Adversity

We recently had a rather violent windstorm here in our area. The following day we drove around Bountiful. There were many trees that were blown down. Some trees were snapped in two. Other trees were literally uprooted and toppled over the power lines and houses and automobiles. We sustained no damage in our area except for some metal siding, which was blown off the neighbor’s patio ceiling.

The power was out in some places and Mary Ellen’s home was without power for some time. They came to our house to stay the night, but fortunately the power came on and they were able to stay the night in their own bed.

As I thought about this, I contemplated about how this could be a lesson in our lives.

The trees that were damaged suffered from two kinds of damage. They were either uprooted and blown down, or they were snapped in two. The trees that were blown over suffered damage because their roots were not deep enough to anchor them against the force of the wind. Some had a good root system into the ground but because it was wet the roots were unable to gain a hold into a firm foundation of earth.

Most of the trees that were blown over were evergreen trees. The force of the wind hit the tree and because the limbs were covered with needles this provided a barrier and did not allow the wind to pass through. The resistance provided additional force to topple the tree. Those trees that were tall had more of a chance of falling.

Those trees that were snapped in two had either a defect in the trunk or were not flexible enough to withstand the force of the wind, which resulted in the trunk splintering into pieces.

What can we learn about the winds of adversity in our life from this example above? Just as in nature the winds may not come for many years, but sometimes without warning they come just as we can expect the winds of adversity to blow in our life from time to time.

Are we going to be a tall stately proud pine tree, more interested in ourselves and in our accomplishments with shallow roots in the Gospel of Jesus Christ or will we sink our roots deep into the Gospel and not worry about how tall we are?

In Mark chapter 4 verse 5, Christ describes a seed which fell on stony ground and this seed had no depth and no root and it was scorched by the sun and withered away. Essentially this is the same situation. We need to be firmly rooted with a strong testimony of Jesus Christ. The seed needs the water, which it gets from the depths of the earth. The tree needs deep roots to withstand the wind.

Most of the deciduous trees fared better. The reason for this, is that their leaves were shed and they offered less resistance to the win. If we, in our lives, are not attached to the things of this world we will better be able to stand against the worldly winds of adversity.

These two principles will help us to live so that we can weather the storms of life. Deep roots in the Gospel of Jesus Christ and shedding the things of the world. There is a German proverb, which states; “Das Sterbehemd hat keine Taschen”. Roughly translated this means the death shroud does not have any pockets. This means we cannot take any worldly goods with us when we die.

The third principle that we can learn from the windstorm is that if we don't want to be blown into or splintered we need to be flexible. There is a Chinese saying that I learned when I was young it is: “Yield when the typhoon blows.”

The trees that were splintered or broken into were either not flexible enough to yield with the wind or they had flaws in their trunk. People who do not repent of their sins and hang onto them are like the diseased trees, which could not withstand the wind of adversity in their life. When we repent we strengthen our trunk.

I would like to at this time like to address those people who are inflexible as the inflexible trees in our story above. Things will not always be the same in the church. The Gospel remains the same but the way we do things in the church will change from time to time. A brief story might illustrate this point. The church for a number of years did not allow people of Negro descent to hold the priesthood. This changed in my life. Present Kimball received a revelation from the Lord that this practice was to change and that all worthy male members of the church could receive the priesthood. In the Salt Lake Temple there was a man who was a sealer. He told the Temple president that he could never seal anyone who is a Negro. The Temple president said, “You have now been released”.

There are many other examples I could cite of people who are inflexible and thus lose the blessings and their status in the church and with the Lord because they are not flexible enough to withstand change.

Each of you, my grandchildren, will not escape the winds of adversity in your life. They may come at an early age they may not come until you are much older, but they will come. You need to prepare yourself to stand against the wind. You may be disappointed or you may have tragedy come into your life. The only way that I have found to face the winds of adversity in my life is to be firmly rooted in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, to be flexible, and to take the direction that the Lord has given me.

One day I will tell you my story of how I became a pediatrician, because that was not the direction that I intended to go.

I hope each of you will be able to stand the winds of adversity in your life by being firmly rooted and grounded in the Gospel of Christ, taking care of the weak spots in your character, and being not so attached to the things of the world so that your trunk and roots will be strong.

Love,

Grandpa

The Book of Mormon

The course of study for the church this year is the Book of Mormon. All during the year families throughout the church will be reading from its pages. I would hope that each of my grandchildren would read in the Book of Mormon this year.

Those of you who are too young to read it yourself can have it read to them by their parents. This may seem like a strange request from your grandfather. You may not be able to understand or comprehend many of the things that are written therein, but it will set you on the path to give you the spiritual nourishment, which you will need later on in your life. In the document, which we printed and bound for you, I included the following, which I would like at the present time to make a part of my blog, so it is reproduced here for you to read.
My feelings about the Book of Mormon written 23 August 1994.

I can clearly remember reading the Book of Mormon as a family seated around the dinner table as I was growing up. It happened while I was in High School. I had the usual teenagers response to the whole thing. I did not want to read and really did not enjoy the process. I can remember wondering when we would ever get through Alma. I read, but I don't remember ever getting any special feeling, because I did not read with a sincere intent. 

When I went into the mission home, they asked all the missionaries about the Book of Mormon. They ask how many of the 200 plus missionaries there had read the Book of Mormon. I raised my hand with about one-half of the missionaries. Then they asked how many had read it twice and I raised my hand again with less than 30 of those present. They asked again how many of those missionaries had read the Book of Mormon three times and I was one of only a few who had read it three times. I would not have been able to do that if my parents had not read it as a family. This is not to say that I had understood or had gained a testimony of the Book of Mormon.

While on my mission I read in English for a while, then with Elder Peterson I read the Book of Mormon in German and translated into English. One of us would read 5 verses and translate while the other looked on in his English version. I read through the Book of Mormon at least once that I am sure of and probably more often. We have read the Book of Mormon as a family 5 verses at a time. I have not stopped to count the times. While I was Stake President I read the triple through while I lay in bed waiting for my wife to get herself ready for bed each night. I do not consider myself to be a student of the book, but certainly more than a casual reader.

I remember reading about Elder Joseph F. Merrill and his experience with the Book of Mormon. As I remember he said that he read it early in his life and prayed to receive a testimony of its truthfulness. He said that after twenty years of praying for a testimony he received one. 

My experience is not dissimilar. When I was in Flensburg with Elder Kleinman we were reading in First Nephi about Lehi's vision and then how Nephi subsequently was permitted to view the same vision. I reasoned that if Nephi could do it that I could too. I started praying that I too would be permitted to see the same vision. I prayed intermittently throughout the rest of my mission for that experience. I did so intermittently and sporadically, while I finished college and in medical school. I knew that the Lord would give me an answer, but I had received none. 

I do not remember when I had the experience in matter of time, but I think it was well into my term as Stake President when pondering about the situation I received the following answer, which satisfied me. I have not asked since. The impression came to me as if by a voice which said. " The vision is written plainly in the Book of Mormon for all to read and understand. I gave the vision to Nephi because he had to write it down and record it for posterity. You do not need to see it because it is written as it was given".

I have a testimony that the book is true. I have never doubted it and bear this witness to my posterity that the Book of Mormon is true. I can bear witness to its divine authenticity even though I was not there and have not witnessed its translation. If you read it you will gain an undeniable witness of its truthfulness, but more than that you will know that by living the principles that are expounded in the book you will enrich your life and come to know the source of the doctrine contained therein. You will come to have a personal experience with Jesus Christ so that you can be a true disciple.

I have had many experiences being guided by the spirit in my life. Some of them are written in my more detailed personal history. As I was contemplating what I might share with you, I just want you to know that I have had the spirit guide me as I have given blessings to people, telling me what to say. Often it would be like taking dictation. The words would come into my mind and I would have to speak rapidly to keep up with the things that the Lord wanted the people to hear. I know that God lives and that Jesus Christ is His son and the Savior of mankind.

Love,

Grandpa