FRIENDS MAKE IT FUN

Did you see the General Women’s Conference in Salt Lake City last night?   Wow, what a wonderful experience!   I particularly liked the first song, when the Primary girls sang one line, then the Young Women sang the next, and the Women sang the third – all pointing to ways our Father in Heaven loves us.   Feel the spirit.

Also noted a comment by the YW General President, Sr Oscarson; something like this …  ‘It’s a sociological fact, women need the friendship and love of other women to function properly’.   I am so very appreciative of all my old friends at home, who have helped me so much, and are still interested and inclusive.

Also grateful for the many new friends I have made since coming here:

January 20^th was set aside to honour the wonderful leadership of Martin Luther King jr.   Taking advantage of the holiday, we from the Garden Apartments, filled up several cars and drove to Brigham Young University’s Museum of Art.   On show was a unique collection of religious paintings by 19^th century European artists Carl Bloch, Heinrich Hofmann and Frans Schwartz. 

In the display the curators pointed to the variety of gifts that had led to the realization of the free showing of 20 sacred masterpieces from churches and museums in Denmark, Sweden, Germany and New York.   As well as the artistic talents of the gifted painters who created the works, there were remarkable gifts from individual, community and institutional owners of the paintings.   These were willing to share the works from alters and some that had been built into walls and other building features.   Through their art work, the painters shared the gift of their insights into character and personality of the various biblical figures from the life of Christ.   Then, as the curator explained, “The ultimate sacred gift is, of course, centred in the notion that Christ is the source of all creation and all creativity, and that he paid the ultimate price for our salvation.”

To see the wonderful paintings and hear stories of their creation was inspirational.   The skill and perception shown in the character studies, and slight inflections of the images was astounding to me, and greatly increased my appreciation of the gospel stories.

On a more light-hearted note, after the exhibition some of us took full advantage of the ‘all you can eat’ menu at the BYU Student Cafeteria, with its delicious and varied choices of foods from many different cultures and backgrounds.

    

Our Australia Day was rather a hoot!   Celebration took the form of a group ‘home evening’, with some play-acting, film clips and songs from the old country.   Pictured is Governor Phillip lording it over the poor miserable convicts again!   Reevie played the mouth-organ, and everyone was co-opted into dipping and rolling the lamingtons, before eating them for supper.

Remembering the days when Australians had to travel all the way to New Zealand to visit the temple, it is a continual wonder to now to be only five minutes’ walk from the magnificent Salt Lake Temple.     But when our temple was closed for maintenance, we took every opportunity to visit another house of the Lord.    The Bountiful Temple is nearest, about 15 minutes’ drive, then Jordan River and some others.   At one point you can see three temples at the same time, while driving down the highway, and this is particularly lovely with all the lights at night.   Pictured is our group dressed up in the snow, after visiting the lovely, more intimate sized Oquirrh Mountain Temple, and you can just see the angel Moroni on top. 

Ensign Stake Conference was held on one of the sunniest spring days since I’ve been in Utah, and with the meetings over by 3pm, a few of us decided to walk to the Utah Capitol building.   This design appears to be more-or-less standard for all the States, and we were delighted to find most of it freely open.    At the lower level we found portraits of all the Governors, and a series of historical displays.   On the balconies and higher levels we found murals of the pioneers, sculptures of Indian leaders, important industries, buffalo and many other important elements of the State’s historical and political development.   Outside we also found a variety of plazas and memorials to the fallen service men and women, and other important figures.   Some also saw our first squirrel, and made a mental note to return when the trees are in blossom and leaf.

 

Most recently, a few of us have started a Saturday morning walk to City Creek canyon.   On March 16^th we came across another rather large group with a similar idea, and noticed many in fancy dress, and most in one or other shade of green.   They told us they were the loony Limericks, beginning their St Patrick’s Day celebrations.   Looking back on the pictures I would have to say it may be difficult to decide which group appeared madder!

“Friendship is born at that moment when one man says to another: “What!  You too?  I thought that no one but myself …” 

“We need others physically, emotionally, intellectually; we need them if we are to know anything – even ourselves.”   

C. S. Lewis, The Four Loves 

3rd BRANCH

When Ensign Stake, 3^rd Branch had its annual Conference recently, the statistical report showed that of the 220 Branch members, only 218 were present, and remarkably, 100% of the branch members are currently serving full-time missions.   The Stake President noted how much our Branch contributes to the good health of the Stake’s statistical reports, and that ours was the highest baptizing mission in the Church!

Well I wouldn’t know too much about the statistics, but I do know it’s a fun branch to be part of, with all our members senior missionaries, mostly of U.S origin, but a few from overseas.   There is no program for children, and none for youth, because we just don’t have any, unless somebody’s family or friends are visiting.    Even the so-called ‘young elders’ that are part of our mission aren’t part of our branch, though they do come on Sundays to practice their teaching skills on pairs of us older folks.

We meet in the refurbished old Utah Hotel, now known as the Joseph Smith Memorial Building.   It was built under Brigham Young’s direction, and used for over 100 years to host dignitaries visiting Salt Lake City.   From my 1976 visit I recall a plush red carpet, and colonnaded entrance floor featuring a huge, magnificent chandelier, and although the carpet is changed, the chandelier remains.   Our chapel is a refurbished concert hall, complete with alabaster light-fittings, and organ pipes; and the Relief Society room is decorated with medieval picture panels above the coffered walls.   Photo shows Christmas ‘Concert of the Bells’ in the entry hall.

But of course the Church is always so much more than the building.

Everyone loves our Branch President Elder Klopfer and Sr. Klopfer, our dear Relief Society President.   As well as being delightful, spiritual people, both are very talented musicians, and to the delight of all our branch members, one or other often plays the grand piano in the Church Office Building cafeteria, to entertain folks at lunch.

Because everyone is already devoting all their time to serving in the church, there are no assigned teachers, and each week a different volunteer teaches the lesson in Priesthood, Relief Society and the three Gospel Doctrine classes.   Also, there are no assigned Visiting Teachers, and it is just expected that anyone seeing a need, will fill it.

Every second month the new senior missionary intake of about 15-20 joins our ward, and of course those that have finished, go home.   The new arrivals, and imminent departures are adorned with colourful leis and celebrated at the Branch’s bi-monthly Aloha Dinner.   President and Sister Klopfer are the most genial of hosts, and we are usually also treated to some delightful musical or other local entertainment.

At last month’s dinner we were entertained by a delightful 60’s style music group ‘The Smith Brothers’, and all had a lot of fun.   It seems the group was also entertained, because they wrote to the Branch President thanking him for the opportunity to perform, and calling us an audience “to die for”!

Picture here shows sisters preparing for our weekly Relief Society women’s meeting in the Jade Room.  

About 150 chairs are set out, and one week we still ran out of seats for all who came!   It has a rather different feel to the cosiness of such meetings in my old Ward, and people wanting to speak need a roving microphone, but the Spirit is strong.

Sr. Reber is the delightful conductor of another Branch institution, The Elijah Choir; some of whose members are pictured below.   Our recent coral pieces have included ‘Sing We Now at Parting’ and ‘There is a Green Hill Far Away’.   For Stake Conference, some joined the Stake Choir to sing ‘More Holiness Give Me’ and ‘Hymn of the Shepherd’, and for this performance I had the amazing experience of singing next to a soprano from the Tabernacle Choir!   What an education that was.

Another fun musical get-together involved members of the LDS and Baptist Churches sharing some favourite Southern Baptist music at a recent ‘fireside’ evening.   Everyone was particularly charmed by these delightful young girls, who had a great spirit for the music.

FAMILIES AND BELONGING

Do you sometimes feel a bit out of date and ill-fitting?   I do, and I think those are the times that I most love to see my family.    I like the fact that they still care about me, even when I’m being a bit weird, but more than that, when I spend time with them I can usually be pretty sure that at least someone, maybe everyone will somehow understand why it is that I am weird.   Chances are that they will be a bit weird in the very same ways; at least my favourite ones will be.

Its just about a year now since I first had the prompting to investigate serving a mission.   I suppose I had in my mind that I could somehow help other people to a better life.   I imagined my assignment might be to people who were physically poor, or poor in spirit.   What I didn’t foresee was that I might come to a place that was really the centre of my religious ‘family’, and be serving people who felt the need to be connected with their ancestors, and the family that had shaped them over time. 












I well understand this desire, and have myself compiled some family group sheets and pedigrees for many of our family lines, using information largely handed to me by various relatives.   A few times I’ve even been to a cemetery or the Archives and among the many names there, felt the thrill of finding somebody connected to me personally.   Like the time I discovered the Larcombe family boarded a ship in England with one little girl and a babe in arms, and came to Australia to work at the lovely Clarendon House near Evandale, where their next 14 children were born!

And now I’m here, I’m having such an interesting time at the Family History Centre, because before I came I didn’t really know more than an odd place-name in connection with my pre-Australia ancestors.   But now I have learnt about many different types of British records, and the families just seem to keep tumbling out!

Its so interesting learning about people’s lives in earlier time periods, and how that might have influenced their choices about all sorts of daily activities, as well as the bigger decisions, like emigration.   Finding old photos shows me how some ancestors even looked like today’s family members, and I can see how their behaviour and even habits might be similar to some of my own.



Having lost dear ones of my own, I can also begin to appreciate the wonderful mercy in the Lord’s plan that allows families to continue on together and be sealed beyond this mortal life, into the eternities. 







Now that my opinions have been broadened in this way, I’m very grateful to have been assigned to the Family History Library, where my service can be offering understanding and help to other patrons wanting a connection with their own families, just as I do.