ANGELS WATCHING OVER ME, MY LORD . . .

Light will always penetrate the darkness

For those individuals who choose to do works of evil, the presence of light is never welcome. The security guard's flashlight or the police helicopter's bright searchlight cuts through the blackness to expose the scene of the crime and sometimes even illuminates the criminal while he is engaged in the very act of committing it.

Light penetrates darkness and enables us to see our way. Many a ship tossed upon the waves of the sea on a dark and stormy night has found its way to a safe harbor because of the steady beacon of a lighthouse pointing the only proven navigable way to shore. We cannot avoid the reality that in this world good and evil, light and darkness, and right and wrong co-exist side by side. During the course of our lifetime, we will be exposed to both.

Living and working in a high crime area like Baltimore, Sister Lindsay and I and the other Church missionaries assigned by the Lord's servants to serve here are well aware from our own personal observations and experience that there is crime and violence around us. It was just about a year ago when we ourselves stood face to face with an assailant who demanded our cash while pointing a gun at us. Just in the space of the past few weeks there have been several incidents to remind us of the need to exercise good judgment, caution, and faith as we go about the Lord's business of bringing souls to Christ:

• Two of our young elders were mugged and robbed by a half dozen cowardly teenagers who jumped them on a city street.

• A man was shot and seriously wounded at the light rail train station in Lutherville. Missionaries frequently use this station when traveling downtown to the inner city.

• There was a double shooting that left one man dead and the other in critical condition at East Monument and North Milton Avenue. We sometimes pick up elders at this spot at night after they have completed a teaching appointment.

In contrast to these cold crimes of darkness that threaten life and well-being, light brings warmth and is basic to physical life. Neither the coldness nor hate nor the darkness of deceit can overcome the power of light. Light overcomes darkness just as good overcomes evil. 

Neil L. Anderson of The Quorum of the Twelve says that our faith is centered in God, our Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Redeemer:

I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness. 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.

                                                                                                   - John 12:46, 8:12

                  

Elder Anderson suggests "Fiery trials are designed to make you stronger, but they have the potential to diminish or even destroy your trust in the Son of God and to weaken your resolve to keep your promises to Him. These trials are often camouflaged, making them difficult to identify. They take root in our weaknesses, our vulnerabilities, our sensitivities, or in those things that matter most to us. A real but manageable test for one can be a fiery trial for another."

Missionaries must learn to face real life danger with faith. Although bad things can happen to good people, still we must remember that having been commissioned of Jesus Christ, we have been assigned to serve in that part of His vineyard where He wants us to be at this particular time and to declare His Word to all who have been prepared to receive it. We have every right to expect that God's angels are watching over us as we are on the Lord's errand.

His unwavering protection reminds me of a child's lullaby that I learned as a child:

All night, all day.

Angels watching over me, my Lord.

All night, all day.

Angels watching over me.

Sun is a-setting in the West;

Angels watching over me, my Lord.

Sleep my child, take your rest;

Angels watching over me.

Now I lay me down to sleep,

Angels watching over me, my Lord.

I pray the Lord my soul to keep,

Angels watching over me.

FULL TIME MISSIONARIES ARE REALLY COOL . . .

Trying to stay warm in the winter months can be a challenge

Being a full time missionary in the Maryland Baltimore Mission can really be cool or even cold work during the winter months. This week we have had temperatures twenty degrees or colder than the normal average for this time of the year. It has been difficult for some of our young elders and sisters to be out and about doing the Lord's work in this weather especially during those days and evenings when there has been a stiff 15 to 20 mph wind blowing from the northwest creating a teeth-chattering windchill factor of only 2 degrees (and that is in Baltimore not in the western part of the mission where it is even colder).

Some of our young friends who are serving here have come from much warmer climates; and when they return home to places like California, Arizona, and Hawaii following the completion of their missionary service, they frequently leave behind heavy coats and warm hats for incoming elders and sisters who may not be prepared for the kind of cold weather they are likely to encounter in this area. 

We can easily tell which missionaries are unaccustomed to winter weather in the eastern part of the United States where humidity seems to make it feel even colder than it would if you were in a western state where the humidity is much lower. Elders and sisters from the west often wear their coats, scarves, and even gloves inside of Church buildings because they have trouble "warming up" after being outside.

Elder from Las Vegas surviving inside the Church

In Baltimore some of the elders have access to a mission car on a part-time basis. The rest of the time they must get around town by either walking or using public transportation. Although the bus is typically heated, a lot of their time is spent outside waiting for the bus to arrive, which is not a pleasant experience when it is cold and windy. Sister Lindsay and I have on occasion received a telephone call from the elders asking for a ride when their bus failed to show up and the next one isn't scheduled for another hour.

Whether the weather be fine,

Or whether the weather be not,

Whether the weather be cold,

Or whether the weather be hot,

We'll weather the weather

Whatever the weather,

Whether we like it or not!

                                             - Author  Unknown

WITHOUT THE SHADOW OF A DOUBT . . .

Faith is not a perfect knowledge . . .

During Sunday school yesterday one of the Church members, while stating her conviction that a particular gospel principle being taught in the class is absolutely correct, expressed it this way: "I know that this is true beyond the shadow of a doubt."

How does anyone gain enough knowledge about something to absolutely know beyond the shadow of a doubt that it is true? If there is no doubt then one could argue that a shadow is even less substantial than a doubt itself. The term "beyond the shadow of a doubt" has been in use for a long time and is sometimes considered to be a standard of proof under certain conditions and circumstances. Through the years this phrase has found place in poetry, music, literature, and even in the movies.

In a religious context doubt cannot typically exist side-by-side with faith, but in both the scriptures and in everyday life we find many examples of individuals who struggle with doubts even while they are trying to exhibit unwavering faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

And one of the multitude answered and said, Master, I have brought unto thee my son, which hath a dumb spirit; Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.  (Mark 9:17,23-24)

When teaching investigators the truthful message of the restored gospel, we sometimes encounter good people who want to believe that their sins and shortcomings might be forgiven and forgotten through the Atonement of the Savior. They still, however, have lingering doubts that they can ever be found worthy of such a profound gift or perhaps it is the shadow of a doubt that causes them to wonder if they can be considered perfect enough to be accepted as one of Christ's sheep.

Alma, an ancient prophet in the Book of Mormon, provides this profound insight regarding how imperfect people can find place in the Lord's kingdom if they will humble themselves with a broken heart and a contrite spirit:

Now, as I said concerning faith—that it was not a perfect knowledge—even so it is with my words. Ye cannot know of their surety at first, unto perfection, any more than faith is a perfect knowledge. But if ye will nourish the word, yea, nourish the tree as it beginneth to grow, by your faith with great diligence, and with patience, looking forward to the fruit thereof, it shall take root; and behold it shall be a tree springing up unto everlasting life.

And because of your diligence and your faith and your patience with the word in nourishing it, that it may take root in you, behold, by and by ye shall pluck the fruit thereof, which is most precious, which is sweet above all that is sweet, and which is white above all that is white, yea, and pure above all that is pure; and ye shall feast upon this fruit even until ye are filled, that ye hunger not, neither shall ye thirst.

Then, my brethren, ye shall reap the rewards of your faith, and your diligence, and patience, and long-suffering, waiting for the tree to bring forth fruit unto you. (Alma 32:26, 41-43)

For those of us who nourish our faith in this life and endure to the end, the day shall surely come when we shall see the Son of God face to face and know without the shadow of a doubt that we have been forgiven and made perfect. And then, how great shall be our joy!

AN OLD FOLK TALE REVISITED

Elder Christofferson entertained everyone with his storytelling skill

With all due respect to French author Charles Perrault who first penned the folk tale Cinderella in 1697, this story has been retold many times and in many different ways through the passing centuries. One of the latest playful tongue-twisting versions was recently presented during a missionary talent show to the assembled elders and sisters serving in the Maryland Baltimore Mission. The talented story-teller was Elder Jess Christofferson who completed his two year mission and went home in December shortly after his skillful oration to an appreciative audience.

Here for your reading enjoyment is the fractured fairy tale about Rindecella:

Once upon a time in a coreign funtry, there lived a geautiful birl, and her name was Rindecella. Rindecella lived with her mugly other and her two sigly usters. In that same coreign funtry there also lived a very prandsome hince called Chince Parming. Chince Parming was going to have a bancy fall, and he'd invited all the people for files amound, especially the pich reople.

Now Rindecella's mugly other and her two sigly usters went out and bought some drancy fesses to bear to the wancy fall. Rindecella wasn't allowed to go, because all she had to wear were wome rirty old dags.

As she was kitten there scrying, her gairy fodmother appeared! She touched her with her wagic mand, and she was instantly dressed in a geautiful bown of ghite and wold, with matching slass glippers. A kig boach and hix white sorses appeared to take her to the wancy fall. But the gairy fodmother warned her to be mome by hidnight, or the diss would resappear and the coach would purn into a tumpkin.

When Rindecella arrived at the bancy fall, Chince Parming met her at the door for he had been watching from a widden hindow. Rindecella and the prandsome hince nanced all dight, until nidmight, and they lell in fove. Suddenly, the clock mid strucknight! Rindecella staced down the rairs and ran away. But as she beached the rottom, she slopped her glass dripper.

The dext nay Chince Parming went all over that coreign funtry searching for the geautiful birl who had slopped her dripper, for he was luch in move and fad to hind her. After a song learch, he came to Rindecella's house. He tried the slass glipper on the mugly other, but it fidn't dit. He tried the slass glipper on the two sigly usters  but it fidn't dit. Tinally, he fried the slass glipper on Rindecella, and it fid dit; it was exactly the sight rize. So Chince Parming and Rindecella were married and they hived lappily after everwards.

Now the storal of this mory is this: if you ever go to a bancy fall and want a prandsome hince to lall in fove with you, don't forget to slop your dripper.

You are probably amazed at how wany mords of the Rindecella story you uctually anderstood.

NECESSITY IS THE MOTHER OF INVENTION!

No real mice have been killed or injured in this mouse maze

Sister Lindsay and I have the responsibility for inspecting ten apartments each month that are occupied by the young elders and sisters assigned to the Baltimore Zone of our mission. Each apartment houses from two to four missionaries, and we have learned that some of these young men and women seem to have a knack for creating unusual and sometimes impractical solutions when they encounter day to day household challenges.

"Necessity is the mother of invention!" What, you might wonder, does the great philosopher Plato have to do with a highly innovative but somewhat dubious mousetrap engineered by four Spanish-speaking missionaries at their apartment in downtown Baltimore? Well, it was about 400 BC when this Greek philosopher came up with this catchy phrase:  Since missionaries don't have much money and aren't allowed to have cats or other animals in their apartments, the discovery of mice in the kitchen obviously called for immediate dynamic action.

In order to attract the unwanted little 4-legged visitors to the trap, the elders laid out a maze around it that might be considered a virtual feast of popcorn and chocolate candy. It should be noted that to date, no real mice have been killed or injured; and based upon our personal observation, it seems unlikely that any mice are in danger.

Which leads me to another quotation (actually a misquotation) that has also been around for a long, long time:

Build a better mousetrap, and the world will beat a path to your door 

                                                                                                   - Ralph Waldo Emerson

What Emerson really said was this: "If a man has good corn or wood, or boards, or pigs to sell or can make better chairs or knives, crucibles or church organs than anybody else, you will find a broad hard-beaten road to his house, though it be in the woods." What makes the original misquotation the more interesting is that in 1889, the current standard of mousetraps was invented. In that same year Emerson was quoted as having said: 

If a man can write a better book, preach a better sermon, or make a better mousetrap than his neighbor . . .

The only problem with this quotation is the fact that Emerson had been dead for seven years when he supposedly said it! The phrase has obviously become a metaphor about the power of innovation that is frequently taken literally especially when it comes to mousetraps. More than 4,400 patents have been issued by the United States Patent and Trademark Office for new mousetraps with thousands more unsuccessful applicants making them the "most frequently invented device in U.S. history."

We have not encouraged the young missionaries to apply for a new patent on their mousetrap design. They have something much more important to do while they are here in the Maryland Baltimore Mission.

MAY I HAVE YOUR ATTENTION PLEASE . . .

You can be sure that nothing is going to happen unless you ask

While attending a Saturday brunch this morning with several other senior missionary couples, one of the senior sisters related the following true story that occurred in The Big Apple not too long ago:

There was standing room only for the mother and her teenage daughter as they rode the New York subway in close company with hundreds of commuters who were reading, entertaining themselves with hand-held electronics, or otherwise just lost in their own thoughts. Looking at all of the people around her, the mother pondered what might happen if . . .

So fearlessly, in the midst of all of these total strangers, the woman suddenly addressed everyone in the subway car with a loud but friendly voice:  "Excuse me, everyone! May I have your attention, please? My daughter and I are from out of town, and we don't know anyone here in New York City. There isn't anyone to sing happy birthday to my daughter today, so would you mind joining me in doing this?"

Amazingly all of the passengers in the subway car then spontaneously sang "Happy Birthday" to the woman's daughter. At several  subsequent station stops along the train route, many of the disembarking commuters paused to tell the somewhat embarrassed young lady that they wished her well on her special day and in the coming year.

But that's not the most remarkable part of this story. According to the senior sister missionary who shared this tale with us today, she asked the mother which birthday her daughter was celebrating when the subway passengers sang to her?

"Oh, it wasn't really her birthday," the mother confessed. 

The woman in the story is our mission president's wife, and she is a truly delightful, outgoing, and fun-loving person who obviously isn't afraid to talk with anyone anywhere!

WHAT'S WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE?

Julie celebrates the arrival of the new TurboTax Instructions

During the many decades that I worked at a full-time job to provide for my large family, I remember having often wondered why Monday morning had to so closely follow after Sunday night each week. I never did obtain a good positive answer to that question. And now that we have moved quickly past the month of December and on into January, I am facing a similar question that doesn't seem to have a good answer either: why must the joy of Christmas so quickly be replaced with the depressing reality that the tax season has arrived.

Most people I know shudder and even groan at the thought of having to gather together the receipts, forms, and other types of documentation that must be assembled and organized before those many calculations begin and the number crunching occurs that will ultimately result in the submission of one's annual personal income tax to the government.

As a birthday present this year Sister Lindsay and I gave our daughter, Julie, a copy of the new 2012 TurboTax software program. The expression on Julie's face in the photograph might cause you to ask, "What's wrong with this picture?" If we had given such a present to anyone else, the reaction would be about the same as receiving socks or underwear from your grandparents at Christmas time; but as you can readily see, Julie was thrilled when her present arrived at her home this week.

Julie has a passion for math and really loves working with numbers. Through the years she has graciously helped us figure out our federal and state taxes and really enjoys doing it. This act of kindness on her part is much appreciated by us and saves considerable time and frustration.

We contend that for a nation to try to tax itself into prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle.

- Winston Churchhill