41. This Life Is the Time to Prepare

An experience Claudia related in the fall of 1974, which was after both she and I had graduated from Brigham Young University. Because I was serving as a counselor in a student branch presidency, Claudia and I were members of the BYU 11th Branch. Soon after the school year began, the branch sponsored a trip to the Provo Utah Temple. This account also appears as chapter 12 in Claudia, An Elect Lady. As with the previous chapter, this account represents an expression of Claudia’s testimony and seems to fit comfortably as a part of this collection.

Amulek in the Book of Mormon bears testimony of many important and eternal truths as he speaks to the people. Among his words we find this message: “For behold, this life is the time for men to prepare to meet God; yea, behold the day of this life is the day for men to perform their labors” (Alma 34:32). The vital nature of this life in relation to eternity was further impressed upon me by an experience I had once while going to the temple.

It all began at an earlier time when Dean and I had gone to see some friends of ours sealed in marriage. Coming home, my recommend didn’t get put in its usual place; so when our branch went to the temple again later, I went without my recommend. We hoped I could get through on an oral recommendation from our branch president, since he would be going through with us and had interviewed me for my recommend. Such was not the case.

Upon entering the temple and explaining the situation, I was quickly ushered into President Clark’s office (he was the temple president) with Dean and our branch president by my side. President Clark then explained the rules the First Presidency had given all temple presidents to follow in dealing with such situations. The rules were simple and I knew I was no exception to them, for the Lord doesn’t consider exceptions.

“I, the Lord am bound when ye do what I say; but when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise” (D&C 82:10).

The temple policy was this: If you were from far away and that was your only chance to go through that particular temple, they would just call a member of your stake presidency and get a verbal okay. But if you were from within the temple district (and I was) and could come again (and I could), you had to have your temple recommend with you. He said, however, that if my branch president would sign a recommend for me right there and if a member of the stake presidency would come to the temple and sign it also—I could go through with everyone else.

At this point I was in a state of tears. More than anything I wanted to be deeper within the walls of that sacred house, to be where the Spirit of the Lord and peace could be found. Dean could easily go without me—he had his recommend—as could all the others. Oh, how I longed to be there with them!

My branch president signed the new recommend, and President Clark tried to get a hold of a member of the stake presidency—the stake president was out of town, one counselor wasn’t home and was unable to be located, while the other one’s line was busy.

It occurred to me then and I was further impressed with it again during the session (we finally got hold of one of the counselors) that the temple experience was somewhat like the eternities, though different in certain ways. There are certain qualifications we will have to meet before we can enter into the joy of our Lord and celestial glory. Unlike the temple recommend, however, we won’t be able to get it just right then—our qualifications are something we will bring with us from our earthly experience.

Again Amulek says: “Therefore I beseech of you that ye do not procrastinate the day of your repentance until the end; for after this day of life, which is given us to prepare for eternity, behold if we do not improve our time while in this life, then cometh the night of darkness wherein there can be no labor performed” (Alma 34:33).

If this same situation occurred in the eternities, Dean would have his “recommend” and this time he wouldn’t wait for me. I can think of nothing sadder nor more tragic than to hear the Lord say, “I am sorry, but those are the rules, and you just didn’t qualify.” And then to see your loved ones enter into the celestial kingdom while you stood beyond on the outside. To me there could be nothing so tragic as being eternally separated from the people I truly love. Families and loved ones are what the gospel’s all about and are the basis of eternity.

This experience made me realize even more deeply the importance of this earth life and of the things we do here. I love Dean and all of you more than I can express; and though it was but a type and shadow of a greater eternal sorrow, I never want to feel even the loss I felt there in the temple without a recommend. Like Amulek, I bear you my witness that this life is indeed the time to prepare to meet God—it is the only time we have to do so.

34. Trust in the Lord

I received my call to the Brazilian North Mission on Saturday, August 24, 1968. Scheduling problems required my talk in sacrament meeting to be the day after my call came and nearly a month before I was leaving home. I spoke in the sacrament meeting of the Nampa Fifth Ward, Nampa Idaho Stake, on Sunday, August 25, 1968. The following account of that meeting is taken from the introduction to my missionary journal.

Scheduling problems with meetings and such related complications required my talk in sacrament meeting to be the day after my call came and nearly a month before I was leaving home. This prevented our contacting many friends and relatives who might otherwise have been able to be there. Only the family living right at home was able to attend.

The bishop had asked me to select a speaker. I immediately considered Sister Ruby Hurren, a beloved friend, teacher, and neighbor. But she was ill at the time. I thought next of another favorite teacher and friend, Sister Myrtle Leavitt. She was happy to participate with me, even on the short notice. In the meeting she delivered an outstanding sermon, using some of my favorite Book of Mormon passages and characters as illustrations of certain points.

“He That Hath Clean Hands and a Pure Heart” was sung as a special musical number after Sister Leavitt’s talk. That too was a favorite. As I started to talk next, I quoted the scripture (Psalm 24) upon which the song was based and thanked them for singing it. The same number had also been sung at my last brother’s farewell.

After those comments I then offered my humble thoughts from brief notes as the Spirit directed. First I quoted the following passage:

“When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?

“And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets.

“He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?

“And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.

“And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.

“And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

“And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” (Matthew 16:13–19).

I then developed the theme that testimony comes only from the Spirit. I emphasized the importance of living by the Spirit, using this passage:

“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

“In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

“Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil” (Proverbs 3:5–7).

How? By preparation, by study, by prayer. I used statements by Presidents David O. McKay and Hugh B. Brown about preparation.

President Brown said, “The war which began in heaven and has been going on ever since—a war in which the immortal souls of the children of men are at stake—is about to reach a climatic point. This appeal, therefore, is in a very real sense a call to arms.

“The call to be prepared is sent to each one of you by and from the President of the Church, the Prophet of God. It is of vital and of paramount importance. The preparation must begin at the center of your hearts and extend to the end of your fingers and toes. Each one of you may become the master of his fate, the captain of his soul. . . .

“We need stout hearts to meet the future, a future pregnant with unborn events and big with possibilities. We need faith to try, hope to inspire, and courage to endure” (Conference Report, Apr. 1968, 106).

“Begin today to be the person you want to be; . . . immortalize today and all the tomorrows that lie ahead in order that your life may have eternal significance” (Conference Report, Apr. 1968, 100).

And President McKay said, “With all my soul, I plead with members of the Church, and with people everywhere, to think more about the gospel; more about developing of the spirit within; to devote more time to the real things in life, and less time to those things which will perish” (Conference Report, Apr. 1968, 144).

I mentioned this teaching from the Doctrine and Covenants:

“Let thy bowels also be full of charity towards all men, and to the household of faith, and let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly; then shall thy confidence wax strong in the presence of God; and the doctrine of the priesthood shall distill upon thy soul as the dews from heaven.

“The Holy Ghost shall be thy constant companion, and thy scepter an unchanging scepter of righteousness and truth; and thy dominion shall be an everlasting dominion, and without compulsory means it shall flow unto thee forever and ever” (D&C 121:45–36).

When we pray we need a child’s faith. I quoted the song “I Am a Child of God.”

And the motivation for it all? Charity.

“But charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him.

“Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ; that ye may become the sons of God; that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be purified even as he is pure” (Moroni 7:47–48).

I closed by telling of my call to Brazil, where they speak Portuguese and not Spanish, and with my testimony that these things were true and I knew them to be true, for which knowledge I was grateful.

Bishop Eldon J. Yorgason stood next and started reading a letter from a young man in Seattle, Washington. I soon realized it was from Bob Russell, a special friend I had known from my previous year at BYU. He had written to the bishop about me. The closing lines that the bishop read were something like this: “I never knew Matthew Cowley, who was supposed to be a great man of faith. But I have known Dean Cleverly, and he has been a man of faith in my life.”

How humbled can a 19-year-old boy be after realizing the influence he wields in others' lives? I assure you he is very humbled. And very grateful. The nice things said after that, as the bishop finished and after the meeting, in all their sincerity, remained anticlimactic to those few moments earlier in the bishop’s remarks. Oh, what a challenge and a responsibility that meeting made me realize were to be mine! If met fully they were responsibilities to be shouldered only by a man, not a boy, and that a man of God.

My father and my brother Jerry offered the opening and closing prayers for the meeting.