44. More Joy in His Service

A talk I gave in a Missionary Department devotional on Tuesday morning, March 14, 1978, on the 12th floor of the Church Office Building in Salt Lake City, Utah. I worked in the Presiding Bishopric’s Office from April 1974 until November 1976, when I transferred to the Missionary Department. Just before I spoke, we sang the hymn “More Holiness Give Me” (number 114 in the 1948 hymnal in use at that time; number 131 in the 1985 hymnbook). The story I told about my great-grandparents, Charles and Eliza Batt, can be found in chapter 2 of Batt & Lee Ancestors.

There is a line in the hymn we just sang that I want to use as my theme this morning:

More joy in his service,
More purpose in prayer.

One hundred and thirty-six years ago this Friday the Prophet Joseph Smith founded the Relief Society organization. One of its stated purposes—both then and now—was to render compassionate service. “This is a charitable society,” taught the Prophet, “and according to your natures; it is natural for females to have feelings of charity and benevolence. You are now placed in a situation in which you can act according to those sympathies which God has planted in your bosoms” (Teachings, 226).

I want to talk a minute this morning about compassionate service by first relating two stories—both of them true—and then reading a scripture, and then making a few comments.

The first story comes from the history of my great-grandparents, Charles and Eliza Batt. As a young couple in England they heard the gospel, were baptized, and within a month left to come to America. This was in the 1880s. They had been married just a few years and had one small child when they came.

As soon as they arrived in Utah, they went to the Cache Valley, and after only three days my great-grandfather left his wife and baby alone in a strange new land without any friends and went away for the rest of the summer to help put railroad tracks and telephone lines into the Cache Valley. He was gone all summer, and the record states that “by the time he had paid for his board and room, he had only five dollars to take home to his family.”

Well, Charles tried farming and wasn’t very successful at it. In England he had been a gardener, a landscaper, and had been employed on the estate of the poet Shelley, evidently one of the most beautiful estates in all of England at that time. But he wasn’t a very good farmer—as I wouldn’t be if I were a farmer—and the family got poorer and poorer. They also kept having babies, which didn’t seem to help matters.

I mention all of this just to set the scene for the incident I want to read from their history; let me quote from a few places here:

“Charles wasn’t a good farmer, and the land was sandy and rough. . . . Charles and Eliza worked hard, but the crops didn’t do well. Eliza helped pick up potatoes to help Charles. She also did washing for a lady in Lewiston in order to get a tub, a washboard, and soap so she could do her own wash.

“Another baby was on the way. The family was so poor that they finally had to ask for help. Sister Kemp went with Eliza to the president of the Relief Society to ask for clothes for the new baby.”

One year, according to the record, the potatoes were so small that they couldn’t peel them, and evidently that was one of the main things they had to eat. Then comes this classic statement:

“The longer Charles tried to farm the poorer they got. Farming in Utah was so different from the farming in England.”

After a time, Charles went into Logan to see if he could find more suitable work there. Through a series of experiences and acquaintances, he finally obtained a job at the then Utah Agricultural College—now Utah State University—which was just then being built in Logan. He was hired initially as a handyman, a sort of jack-of-all-trades I guess, and then later as a gardener. And now I’m to the incident I wanted to relate:

“Sickness struck shortly after their move to Logan. All three children became desperately ill. The baby Ernest wasn’t quite 15 months old when he passed away October 21, 1890. Doll and Bill were still very sick children at the time their little brother died. Charles and Eliza were saddened and had a great decision to make. Where were they going to get the money to bury their little son? Charles had not received his first paycheck from the college, and they didn’t know anyone who could loan them the money. Charles decided to go see the undertaker and see what could be arranged. Eliza got on her knees and offered a humble prayer that things would work out.

“Charles went to the Lindquist Mortuary and told Mr. Lindquist of his troubles. He said he would sign a bank note or anything Mr. Lindquist thought best. After hearing Charles’s story of joining the Church in England and coming to America for the gospel, Mr. Lindquist told Charles he would not have to sign a note or anything else. He would take Charles at his word and knew he would pay him when he could. Mr. Lindquist had been a convert himself and had come to America too and knew how Charles felt.

“While Charles was in Mr. Lindquist’s office, a Mr. H. G. Hayball came in. Mr. Lindquist introduced them, telling Mr. Hayball that Charles was one of his countrymen and also a convert to the Church. Mr. Hayball and his brother owned a grocery store in Logan. Mr. Lindquist told Mr. Hayball that the Batt family needed some food. Mr. Hayball invited Charles to come with him and take home some groceries. Charles could pay him anytime.

“Charles was so overcome by the kindness of these two men that he couldn’t talk. Mr. Hayball asked Charles what part of town he lived in. When he found out, he told Charles to go see Mrs. Ross Neil-son and to tell her that H. G. Hayball said to let him have some fresh milk for the sick children and that he’d make it good to her.

“Charles took the groceries and went home. He found Doll feeling a little better, but Bill [he was my grandfather] was still burning with fever and was a very sick little boy.

“Charles took a small bucket and went in search of Mrs. Neilson. He told her who had sent him and why he wanted the milk. After hearing his story, Sister Neilson put a shawl over her, took a larger bucket, and got some milk. She also got some eggs and went home with him. Sister Neilson was not a woman of many words, nor very easy to get acquainted with, but she was a good Latter-day Saint who reached out her helping hand. After she talked to Eliza . . . and gave [her] some words of faith and comfort, she left. A short while later, she returned with her daughter and some material to make the burial clothes for [the baby].”

I’m always moved by this story, perhaps because it happened to my people, but also I think because it is a good example of a need and a heartfelt prayer and Christian service in response.

The second story was told by President Harold B. Lee in a Relief Society conference in the Tabernacle:

“Another matter of importance we call compassionate service. My Aunt Jeanette McMurrin told me this interesting story. She was widowed and living with her daughter. One morning her daughter came to her and said, ‘Mother, we don’t have anything to eat in the house. My husband, as you know, has been out of work. I am sorry, Mother.’

“Aunt Jeanette said that she dressed and worked around the house, then closed the door, knelt down, and said, ‘Heavenly Father, I have tried all my life to keep the commandments; I have paid my tithing; I have given service in the Church. We have no food in our house today. Father, touch the heart of somebody so we won’t have to go hungry.’ She said she went about with a feeling of gladness, thinking all would be right.

“There came a knock at the door in a few hours, and there was a little neighbor girl with food in her arms. Choking back the tears, the widow brought the child into the kitchen and said, ‘Set them here, and tell your mother that this came today as an answer to our prayers. We didn’t have any food in our house.’

“Needless to say, the little girl went back and carried that message, and in a little while she returned with still a larger armload. As she brought the bags to the kitchen table, she asked, ‘Did I come this time as an answer to your prayers?’

“My Aunt Jeanette replied, ‘No, my darling, this time you came as a fulfillment of a promise. Fifty years ago when your grandmother was expecting a little child, she didn’t have anything to eat and she was lacking in strength and nourishment. I was the little girl who carried food into her house so that she would have the strength to bring her little baby—your mother—into the world.’ Then she said, ‘The Lord said, “Cast your bread upon the waters, and after many days it shall return again.” This time you have been carrying back to me the foodstuff that I carried into the home of your grandmother so you mother could be born into the world.’ Compassionate service” (Ensign, Feb. 1972, 55–56).

Notice the common threads running through these two stories: a need, earnest prayer, and compassionate service. As we sang a few moments ago,

More joy in his service,
More purpose in prayer.

Now, if I understand the scriptures at all, we have to serve others if we desire an inheritance in the celestial kingdom. Service is that fundamental. In the fourth chapter of Mosiah we read:

“And now, for the sake of these things which I have spoken unto you—that is, for the sake of retaining a remission of your sins from day to day, that ye may walk guiltless before God—I would that ye should impart of your substance to the poor, every man according to that which he hath, such as feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visit-ing the sick and administering to their relief, both spiritually and temporally, according to their wants” (Mosiah 4:26; emphasis added).

And then it continues with this interesting instruction:

“And see that all these things are done in wisdom and order; for it is not requisite that a man should run faster than he has strength. And again, it is expedient that he should be diligent, that thereby he might win the prize; therefore, all things must be done in order” (Mosiah 4:27).

All things must be done in order. That is why, I think, the Lord in His mercy allowed the Relief Society to be raised up—so that the sisters in an organized way could render compassionate service to the Church, the same as the priesthood quorums for the brethren, and the welfare services program, and everything that helps us to do it in the Lord’s own way (see D&C 104:14–18).

I bear you my own witness that these things are true. Service is essential to our salvation. May we be involved not only in rendering compassionate service but also in living close enough to the Spirit so that when those who need our help pray for such help we may recognize the promptings and go and serve. And if we do, miracles like the ones we’ve mentioned in these stories will happen in our lives. May such be the case, I pray in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

39. All These Things Shall Give Thee Experience

Claudia recorded this experience during Michael’s first year of life. He was born on Sunday, September 2, 1973. The account was published in the March 1974 Cleverly Newsletter and as chapter 11 in Claudia, An Elect Lady. While this experience was not technically given as a sermon, it does represent an expression of Claudia’s testimony and seems to fit comfortably as a part of this collection.

Elder Boyd K. Packer once said that the only significant lessons he has learned in his life have been taught by his children. I too find Michael Adam is one of my best teachers.

A couple of weeks ago he learned how to roll over from his stomach to his back. To watch him struggle though just tore my heart out. He wasn’t sure what he was doing—it was all so new to him—and sometimes he would get so frustrated at his struggles. I wanted so much just to pick him up myself and turn him over—to save all that trouble and heartache—but I knew I couldn’t. The struggle made him strong and he couldn’t learn if I did it for him.

It occurred to me one day while I was watching him try that our earth life is but a type and shadow of eternity, a testing ground, and that parents have a very similar relationship to their children as our Heavenly Father has to us. With all this in mind, it came to me that the Lord watches over us too and sees our struggles. But like parents here on earth, He sometimes has to just let us struggle so we can learn more effectively through our experience and grow stronger.

"Know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good" (D&C 122:7).

“My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment; and then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee over all thy foes” (D&C 121:7–8).

How well the Lord has said it. And realizing my own love for Michael Adam, I now have a deeper understanding of the Lord’s love for us and of why He gives us trials and tribulations. I am very grateful for these things and for a loving Father who would care enough to give us these learning experiences that we might grow.

16. Put Our Trust in God

A bishopric message published in the May 1997 issue of the Bountiful Twentieth Ward Newsette.

There is much to be grateful for as we look around and count our blessings—starting with our very lives, our health, our friends and families, our homes, this peaceful community in which we live, our citizenship in this great land of America, our faith, the talents and gifts and blessings a gracious Father has showered down upon us. The list could go on and on.

Appropriately, we are pausing this year to commemorate the sacrifices of our pioneer ancestors. As we reflect on the faith and courage of those who have gone before, we realize that in all the history of the earth, never has a people been blessed with such temporal and spiritual opportunities as we are.

Yet, for some people (and for nearly all of us at certain times in our lives) life can also be full of heartache, disappointment, and hassle. Sometimes there is injustice and hurt. And even death. And things may not seem fair. That’s simply the way life works. It is clearly a part of the test we agreed to before we came here to this earthly school. And, oh, what a test it is at times!

We find a nugget of insight in the Book of Mormon: “For I do know,” Alma taught his son Helaman, “that whosoever shall put their trust in God shall be supported in their trials, and their troubles, and their afflictions, and shall be lifted up at the last day” (Alma 36:3).

Note that our trust in God does not eliminate our trials, troubles, and afflictions. The people of God have always had their full share of them. They are indeed a fact of life. But our trust in God and His purposes allows Him to support us in those very trials, troubles, and afflictions we are called upon to endure. And, if we endure them well, that same trust allows Him to lift us up at the last day.

“My son, peace be unto thy soul,” came the tender words to the Prophet Joseph Smith, who knew more of trials, troubles, and afflictions than any of us will ever likely know. “Thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment; and then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high” (D&C 121:7–8).

Our challenge then is to endure and to trust and, at times, to simply hold on. And to be filled with kindness and gentleness and love unfeigned. And to help and lift and bless those around us. And to live in thanksgiving daily.

14. A Thanksgiving Message

A bishopric message published in the November 1996 issue of the Bountiful Twentieth Ward Newsette.

As we approach another Thanksgiving season, we express our thanks for the Lord’s tender mercies in all our lives. He has greatly blessed us as a people. We are witnesses of His enduring goodness and grace. We feel of His love and peace.

Each of us, of course, experiences our individual share of life’s challenges, heartaches, and disappointments. Sometimes we feel we are hit with more than our share when severe illness strikes or loved ones die or our hopes and dreams and aspirations seem to go unrealized. And yet, through it all, we really know—or can come to know if we don’t already—that it all has purpose, that it’s part of the Lord’s tutoring plan for our growth and development, that it’s a part of the schooling we signed up for before we came here. And so, once again, we have cause to be thankful and rejoice.

With the Psalmist, we can declare, “This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalms 118:24).

As your bishopric, we also say thanks to each of you for your support, your prayers, your love, and your friendship. They mean a lot to us. We love you. We pray for you constantly. And we invoke the blessings of heaven upon you as you seek to love and serve one another, knowing full well that “when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God” (Mosiah 2:17).

May God bless you ever and always.

13. Our Earth Life Is a School

A bishopric message written on Tuesday, July 30, 1996, and published in the August 1996 issue of the Newsette, the monthly newsletter of the Bountiful Twentieth Ward.

The summer has been passing quickly and within a few weeks the children will be headed back to school. The changing of seasons, the transitions in our lives, the comings and goings of loved ones, births and marriages and deaths—all these are a part of the normal flow of life and can be important reminders to us of the transitory nature of our existence here on the earth and the critical need of our preparing for the life to come.

Our earth life is a school. Each of us is a student. We are here to learn and grow and experience and discover. We are here to master the lessons and take the tests that will better equip us to live everlastingly with our Heavenly Father. “For behold,” the Book of Mormon teaches us, “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).

Elder Neal A. Maxwell has reminded us that “one’s life is brevity compared to eternity—like being dropped off by a parent for a day at school. But what a day! There is so much to get done in this mortal classroom” (Ensign, June 1996, 16).

Concerning what we are to get done in this mortal classroom during our day at school, Elder Orson F. Whitney taught in the early years of this century: “This earth was made for God’s children, his spirit sons and daughters, who take bodies and pass through experiences of joy and sorrow for their development and education, and to demonstrate through time’s vicissitudes that they will be true to God and do all that he requires at their hands.

“When we have done the things that we were sent to do, when we have gained all the experience that this life affords, then is the best time to depart. School being out, why not go home? The mission ended, why not return? That is what death means to a Latter-day Saint. The only sad thing about it is parting with the loved ones who go, . . . but it is simply a passing into the spirit world, to await the resurrection, when our bodies and spirits will be reunited—the righteous to enjoy the presence of God. . . .

“If we can be patient and resigned, and by God’s help do his holy will, all will come out well. Trials purify us, educate us, develop us. The great reason why man was placed upon the earth was that he might become more like his Father and God. That is why we are here, children at school. What matters it when school is out and the time comes to go back home?” (Improvement Era, Nov. 1918, 9–11).

May the Lord bless each of us to pass all the tests a gracious Father has in mind for us during this brief day at school—that we need not lament with those who say, “The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and my soul is not saved!” (D&C 56:16). Rather, may each of us return home with honors, celestial diploma in hand, to the loved ones who have gone on before and to our Heavenly Parents who sent us here.