Hey! I grew up in Huntington Beach too!!! We were in Huntington Beach 1st ward which split in 1973 and we were in Fountain Valley 2nd Ward. I attended Edison High School. What was your maiden name and where did you live? I was Laurie Haws. I'm 37. I also have 2 sisters in the group, Tytonya (Connie) and HJWcali2u (Holly). (Holly dated a guy from the HB4th ward named Marc Mitchell). And Connie found someone else from the group who is from HB. Her name was Sherrie Creagen back then. I think it's Jones now. I don't remember her screen name. Anyway, it's a small world!! Laurie LDmy6sons

Sisters, Just a quick note to ya all. I know that we are all busy and in the beginning I always made sure my house was clean ect before my VT came over. I have suggested a few times that maybe we could set up a vt help day. I vt some moms with 4+ kids and they are always so busy. One mom I visit is preg with her 5th right now and having a hard time. Last month I called and asked if I could come over and help with laundry while we visited. She was not sure how to take this and i explained that once in a while it would be nice if my vt would come help me while we visited and I wanted to help her. She was doing laundry and I told her to wait for me and I would sit and fold it with her while we talked. It worked out so nice. We did it again this month. I also backed cookies and made a few extra to take over for her and her family. I feel better being able to help out rather than just sit there. We could really feel the spirit flowing around us. This is just something that I have enjoyed and wanted to share it with you. My vt are not very active and I see them about 2 times a year. I tried to vt my friends every month. Deidre

I too spend much time trying to find ways to inspire our Relief Society in Visiting Teaching since I am RS Pres. We have done a couple of things. We have 8 shut in sisters. Each week 8 different sisters are given a pink slip with one of the shut in sisters names on it. It is then her assignment to visit that sister during the week. It has had some really good response from both the visitor and visitee. It gives the older sisters company, and the rest of us get to know and share of their spirits. We also have about a third of our sisters who are single. It makes it really tough as they work and struggle to provide for themselves and their families. We also have lots who will not visit teach so our Bishop has let us assign the young women who are seniors to visit with an older companion. It has added some new enthusiam and hopefully will make the transition into Relief Society a little easier for them during the year. We in the past have had difficulty getting the new sisters interested in Relief Society. I had an experience when I was expecting my first child. I got appendicitis and all of our family members except my husband worked midnights and it was 3:00 am. We had a home teacher who had never bothered to come to our home. My husband asked if I wanted the Home teacher to come help give me a blessing. I told him no that I didn't even know the guy. My husband blessed me alone. Later I shared my experience in fast meeting leaving out names of course. He knew who he was. He apologized and never missed visiting us or any of the other families he was to visit. I will never forget the feeling I had not being able to call on my Home Teacher. I have been the best and the worst visiting teacher. There has been times in my life when I spent hours each month making token gifts for those I was to visit. And other times when I spent hours making excuses for not doing my visiting teaching. But the Lord knows my potential and therefore gave me my current calling. Before I could not find time to visit 3 sisters. Now I average 4 or 5 a week. I have learned we can do what we really have a desire to do. If I weren't so bull headed I could probably be serving as the nursery leader. Love Lois

Hello Sisters! Peg, I am 2nd counselor in RS and our focus is VT right now also. I just met with RS president yesterday and felt so inspired. We set some goals for the year and came up with some good ideas for promoting the gospel and work for the dead. Our RS Pres has developed a passion for visiting teaching and I felt so bad for her when we got to VT and we couldn't come up with any ideas. Our little "branch" is in about the same situation as yours Peg. Many single sisters who feel they do not belong and many inactive sisters also. One thing we are focusing on is the new member. The start they get in the church is so very important in keeping them active. It was to me. We are going to start a "Big Sister" program where a sister will be assigned to a new member. This will be in addition to her VT so that the new sister has even more exposure to the church and feels loved. This sister will sit by her in RS, call her on the phone during the week, and just be there for the new sisters interest. I got the idea from a girls school I went to when I was 13 years old. It was a wonderful program and helped people to not only get a jump start, but grow close to another sister. When I was a new member a couple years ago, I was assigned a VT the day I was baptized. I was so excited. She was the most faithful and loyal sister and still is, even though we are in different branches now. She made the difference for me. I love her so much and am eternally grateful for her obedience and dedication to the VT program. She encouraged me and accepted me for who I was.... she was my strength when I didn't have any. Recently we put together a VT conference and sent out over 50 invitations to teachers. Only about 10 showed up. It was so discouraging... but the spirit was strong anyway. And after I heard sisters talking about it and wishing they had gone. So maybe next time they will. We had a young sister come in and teach us stamping. We all made cards for out VT sisters. We served fresh fruit and veggies and muffins. We had a couple of the most faithful sisters share a VT testimony and the pres. gave a shor talk. It was a nice conference. I would like to hear other stories and ideas from you sisters on VT. My president needs help and I feel helpless. Love ya all, Tamara

I hope we all will share ideas with each other. I'm always looking for ideas, too. I would rather visit the inactives than the actives. The actives are always "fine" and already have read (or will read) the lesson and given it (or will give it) in other homes. The best HT I've ever done and enjoyed the most was when I lived on a small deadend with several apartment buildings. There were 23 inactive sisters who didn't want to church contact. They were ALL assigned as my teachees (my request). My percentage was 100% First I became their friends. I lived in the neighborhood and wanted to know who my neighbors were. I would see them on the street and wave and say hi. I would go to their homes at least once a month and have a quick visit--never bringing up the church. Sometimes I could weave Christ into the conversation. We talked about problems and joys. After I had gained their trust I started bringing them the monthly RSVT handouts that I made to put on their frig to remind them of the thought for the month. I told them I had done it for my RSVT and thought they'd like a copy. I never told many of them that they were being "visited". After I had felt a "shift" in their attitude toward me and the church, I would ask them if they wanted a visiting teacher. If they said yes, I'd tell them I give their name to the RS Pres. Then the next time I went over I say, "Guess who's your visiting teacher? MOI". And we'd laugh and go from there. Also, I've often wondered if when VT assignments are given out, each woman willing to do VT had an interview with the Pres and asked.....which woman/women would you be willing to serve for a year? I've never been a RS Pres and don't know how it would work....but I've thought about it. Good luck Sharlene I did NOT have a companion sister. It was easier to become intimate with these sisters and learn their hearts when there was only one person. Otherwise they could feel like they were being ganged up on, since they were defensive about the church anyway. I saw several women begin to attend church; others began sending their children. I never preached...I listened and tried to find joy in the level they were on. I think sometimes we run into problems when we expect someone to come to our level instead of accepting where they're at.

In a message dated 97-08-20 07:30:07 EDT, you write: << Would you all take a few minutes to relate a visiting teaching experience. >> IF i can also ask something on VT, share any short stories, or poems you have about VT too.... For my story,... i haven't been an avid or consistent VT, But one of the most challenging things i ever remember, was when i was first married, my companion and i were both newlyweds, and were given older sisters to teach, one was nice, always talkative, and we really felt close to her... while on the other hand, our other lady was an Army wife, very crass, very upity, always seemd liked she was not very happy to have us there... I always thought it was just the way i preceived it... but one day we (my companion and i) talked and we both felt the same way... it was so hard to get excited to go and see this sister, feeling that we weren't loved or wanted... Basically what i want to say with this is.... I have made it a point, although i haven't had active VT here in my new ward, i will always make my VT welcome in my home, because it is hard to do the Lords work when you feel like it doesn't make a difference... WE can set the example for others by living by the golden rule with VT, treat your VT'rs how you want to be treated love faith

--------------------- Forwarded message: From: [email protected] (Heidi Weatherston) Sender: [email protected] Reply-to: [email protected] (Heidi Weatherston) To: [email protected] Date: 97-08-20 07:23:11 EDT "Let Me Have Your Shoes" by Linda J. Roberds Brisk October breezes stirred the red and gold leaves outside my warm kitchen window that year. I was just taking pumpkin pies out of the oven when the phone rang. "Linda!" Dad said, his voice quivering, "It's your mom. She's collapsed in the hall and I can't get her up alone! Please hurry." In his confusion, Dad neglected to hang up the phone. Since I couldn't disconnect from his line, I sent my daughter next door to call 911, the emergency number, and request an ambulance. Then I rushed to my father's side. Despite all that was done to save her, Mom was gone. We took Dad home from the hospital and tried to determine the necessary events of the days ahead. Neighbors of thirty years and many friends streamed by, offering sympathy and help. It was touching and overwhelming to see so much love and compassion on our behalf. Among those offering help was Clark Anderson, a highway patrol officer whose wife had served as one of Mom's counselors in the ward Relief Society presidency. "I'm so sorry, Wilson, how can I help?" Clark asked my father. Dad responded with thanks but said that really everything had been taken care of. Brother Anderson was emphatic: "You don't understand. I want to help. What can I do?" He stood there silently as Dad again assured him that he couldn't think of anything. Then the man said something to my father I've never forgotten. "Let me have your shoes." Dad looked surprised. "What do you want with my shoes, Clark?" he asked. "You'll be so busy the next few days, and I know how to put a nice shine on your dress shoes. Please let me shine your shoes." With tears in his eyes, Dad returned from the bedroom with his dress shoes in hand. "You really don't need to do this, Clark," Dad said, handing the man his shoes. "Yes, I do," Clark answered. Within a few hours, Brother Anderson returned with Dad's shined shoes. Dad chuckled as he thanked him for the favor, almost embarrassed that someone had helped in such a personal way. "Now let me have your other shoes," Brother Anderson said. Again puzzled, Dad asked, "What for?" "Well, you'll need a shine on the others to match this pair." Reluctantly, Dad brought out his other shoes and gave them to Brother Anderson. The next day, the shoes were returned, so well polished you could see yourself in the reflection. Over the days and weeks that followed, Brother Anderson faithfully returned and continued to shine Dad's shoes. Finally one day, Dad said to Brother Anderson, "Clark, if you're going to insist on shining my shoes, I would like you to teach me how you put such a shine on them." Brother Anderson agreed. Through that initial act of simple kindness, a friendship grew. Soon the two men were spending their spare time together seeking out bargains at yard sales and thrift stores, sharing a meal out here and there, and just visiting. Recently, Dad passed away. Again, Brother Anderson came to help. We asked him to speak at Dad's funeral, and he spoke of friendship and love. My memory of his exact words may fade, but I will long recall the simple, thoughtful service he provided when he polished Dad's shoes. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- SPIRIT Mailing List for LDS-oriented spiritual thoughts, items and stories For assistance, contact [email protected] http://seminary.org/spirit/

New mom... please welcome her into the group --------------------- Forwarded message: Subj: Your MOMZ IN Zion group Date: 97-08-20 03:06:43 EDT From: SChandia To: MOMYO3KZ Hi, I'm Shaunene, a 35 yr-old mom of 2 in Las Vegas. My friend Karen told me about your group, and I'm really interested in joining. I had no idea there was a group for LDS women online. That's great. I'm a life-long member of the church, and being a single mom (soon to be married though!) I'm always looking for good tips on being a good mom and a good person in general. It sounds like you have a wonderful forum set up. I'd love to be a part of it. Can you put me on your mailing list please? I have some nice ideas of my own I could share and perhaps help others with too. Thanks, Shaunene [email protected]

Tonya, Just to let you know, I will see your mom in the morning. Thnk she will enjoy this? Tee Hee Hee!!!!

I got this from my mother-in-law. I thought it was funny. Hope you like it. Love, Kim (KimbrlyDwn): << << There was this quiet, conservative man who happened to own a parrot. | Unfortunately for the man, this parrot swore like a sailor. He would | swear for five minutes straight without crazy. One day, it just got | to be too much. The guy grabbed the bird by the neck, shook him | really hard, and yelled "QUIT IT!" But this just made the bird mad | and he would start swearing even more. | | The guy finally got fed up and said, "OK for you" and locked the bird | in a kitchen cabinet. This only aggravated the parrot who contined | to claw and scratch the cabinet while he cursed even louder than | before with a stream of swearing that would make a sailor blush. | | At that point the guy became so mad that he threw the parrot | into the freezer! | | For the first few seconds the bird started swearing at words at the | top of his lungs. He kicked and clawed and thrashed all about the | place. Then it suddenly became VERY quiet. At first the guy just | waited, | | After a couple of minutes of silence, he became so worried that he | opened the freezer door. The bird calmly climbed on the man's | out-stretched arm and said, | | "I sincerely appologize and shall do my best to improve my | vocabulary from now on." | | The man was astounded. He couldn't understand the transformation | that had come over the parrot. | | Then the parrot said, "By the way, what did the chicken do?" | | >> >> --------------------- Forwarded message: Subj: Fwd: Fw: Minor Humor Date: 97-08-20 00:44:57 EDT From: MOMCAPPS To: KimbrlyDwn In a message dated 97-08-19 19:09:40 EDT, [email protected] writes: << There was this quiet, conservative man who happened to own a parrot. | Unfortunately for the man, this parrot swore like a sailor. He would | swear for five minutes straight without crazy. One day, it just got | to be too much. The guy grabbed the bird by the neck, shook him | really hard, and yelled "QUIT IT!" But this just made the bird mad | and he would start swearing even more. | | The guy finally got fed up and said, "OK for you" and locked the bird | in a kitchen cabinet. This only aggravated the parrot who contined | to claw and scratch the cabinet while he cursed even louder than | before with a stream of swearing that would make a sailor blush. | | At that point the guy became so mad that he threw the parrot | into the freezer! | | For the first few seconds the bird started swearing at words at the | top of his lungs. He kicked and clawed and thrashed all about the | place. Then it suddenly became VERY quiet. At first the guy just | waited, | | After a couple of minutes of silence, he became so worried that he | opened the freezer door. The bird calmly climbed on the man's | out-stretched arm and said, | | "I sincerely appologize and shall do my best to improve my | vocabulary from now on." | | The man was astounded. He couldn't understand the transformation | that had come over the parrot. | | Then the parrot said, "By the way, what did the chicken do?" | | >> --------------------- Forwarded message: From: [email protected] (Doris Capps) To: [email protected] (Kim A Capps) Date: 97-08-19 19:09:40 EDT ---------- | From: Louis H. C. Thiel <[email protected]> | To: Truman & Pat Brown <[email protected]>; Gene & Doris Capps <[email protected]> | Subject: Minor Humor | Date: Monday, August 04, 1997 3:44 PM | | | | There was this quiet, conservative man who happened to own a parrot. | Unfortunately for the man, this parrot swore like a sailor. He would | swear for five minutes straight without crazy. One day, it just got | to be too much. The guy grabbed the bird by the neck, shook him | really hard, and yelled "QUIT IT!" But this just made the bird mad | and he would start swearing even more. | | The guy finally got fed up and said, "OK for you" and locked the bird | in a kitchen cabinet. This only aggravated the parrot who contined | to claw and scratch the cabinet while he cursed even louder than | before with a stream of swearing that would make a sailor blush. | | At that point the guy became so mad that he threw the parrot | into the freezer! | | For the first few seconds the bird started swearing at words at the | top of his lungs. He kicked and clawed and thrashed all about the | place. Then it suddenly became VERY quiet. At first the guy just | waited, | | After a couple of minutes of silence, he became so worried that he | opened the freezer door. The bird calmly climbed on the man's | out-stretched arm and said, | | "I sincerely appologize and shall do my best to improve my | vocabulary from now on." | | The man was astounded. He couldn't understand the transformation | that had come over the parrot. | | Then the parrot said, "By the way, what did the chicken do?" | | | | | | | | |

I'm sure you're going to get tons of responses, but DH is Dear Husband. I had to ask, too. Kimbers

--------------------- Forwarded message: From: [email protected] (Paul & Cindy Horton) Sender: [email protected] Reply-to: [email protected] (Paul & Cindy Horton) To: [email protected] (Spirit) Date: 97-08-19 18:07:58 EDT We ask for strength, and God gives us difficulties which make us strong. We ask for wisdom, and God gives us problems, the solution of which develops wisdom. We plead for prosperity, and God gives us brain and We plead for courage, and God gives us dangers to overcome. We ask for favors, and God gives us opportunities. This is the answer. Hugh B. Brown C ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- SPIRIT Mailing List for LDS-oriented spiritual thoughts, items and stories For assistance, contact [email protected] http://seminary.org/spirit/

my favorite receipe is the local pizza joint...haha...I am such a lazy cook. Kim

Dear Sisters, Would you all take a few minutes to relate a visiting teaching experience. Whether it is about your wonderful visiting teachers or about the relationship you have or had with sisters you visit (or used to visit). To those of you who are less active, would you share what is the best way to VT you and to be able to help you. Let me give you some background: As you know, I serve as RS Pres. and VT is one of my biggest challenges. I live in SLC, UT. Assigning, of course, is through the spirit. We have quite a cross-section of economical backgrounds in our ward from attorneys and Drs. to those on welfare. We also have a number of students--both married and single. The students and those on welfare are very transient. A large number of the sisters in our ward are single-- divorced, widowed or never married. We range in ages from 18-96. About 50 are over 60. We have 230 sisters in our ward and about half are less active, and most of them have NEVER been to church. Some of them want NO contact. Others will accept our RS newsletter that we mail monthly and that is the only contact they want. I'm looking for success stories I guess, to encourage my VT to be consistant, learn to love those they teach and gain testimonies of visiting teaching. Do's and don'ts will be great too. After 3 1/2 yrs. of trying to light that spark in some, I'm running out of ideas. It seems when I really push with the inspirational stories and testimonies we have the most success. Thanks for any input. I appreciate you all. Love, ( ) Peg \|/

Hi everyone! I have been gone for a couple of months. I signed on as a new group member in June and really was looking forward to conversing with everyone. Then my mom got really sick and since I am the only child left living close to her, I was sort of elected to help care for her. So I haven't had any time to sign on for awhile. As a matter of fact, the only computer time I seem to get anymore is at work. But things are finally slowing down and I would like to devote a little time each day to my new friends, past, present and future. First, let me reintroduce myself. My name is Christine, but everyone calls me Chris. I am 39 years old, married to Eugene (I call him Gene) and have four children. They are Tiffany Leigh, age 19, Jeremy Eugene, age 18, Kendall Aaron, age 16 and Chelsea Mariah, age 5. We live in a rural community called Annis, Idaho, just north of Rigby. My husband was born and raised here. I am originally from Idaho, but was raised in Huntington Beach, California. We moved back to Idaho when I was 14. I met my husband while attending Ricks College, which is only about 10 miles from where we live now. After having my first three children, I went back to work in the families accounting firm. I now pretty much run the office. My parents both work there, but my mom has M.S. and is wheel-chair bound and my father has suffered a stroke a few years ago, so I try to keep things on an even keel for them so they can still work. If given the choice, this would not have been my career, but my parents are very important to me and I want to help them be self-sufficient as long as possible. I guess I always feel responsible for them, because I am the oldest child in my family. And isn't that what us oldest children do best, be responsible? Anyway, enough with all of that. I am very active in the church. The gospel is a most important part of my life. Although my family always went to church, we didn't really live the gospel. It wasn't until I went away to college that I found out what having the gospel in your everyday life is like. There have been times in the past few years, that if I didn't have a testimony, I wouldn't have made it through. But with the help of Heavenly Father, I find that all things are possible. I love going to chuch! When I miss a week I am lost! Right now I teach Course 3 (I still call them Sunbeams) and am on the Service and Activities committee. I have been a primary teacher, young women's advisor, young women's secretary, and the most prolific job has been in music. I have held a Primary music job, either Chorister or organist for about 19 of the past 25 years! I did one short stint as the Sunday School chorister a few years ago, when we had Sunday School opening exercises right after Sacrament. But the rest of the time has been in primary. And right now, my daughter Tiffany is the Sr. Primary chorister, carrying on the family tradition. I have even written a couple of primary songs that the kids in my ward have performed. That was really fun! As for my hobbies outside of church, I love music! I was in school choirs and even had a chance for a singing career but didn't like the music world, i.e. the bar scene! I sing in church any chance I get, I have been in the Dodge/Wrangler Country Showdown and love to sing at the county fair each year. I play the piano and guitar. I also love to sew, knit, crochet, and cross-stitch. I try to make all of my own gifts each year. We have a nice trailer and go camping alot. I also love to take pictures of wildlife. This goes along with my husband and sons' hobby of hunting. We also love animals. We have seven dogs, three cats, two horses and one turtle. I grow a big garden. So far this year I have canned strawberries, raspberries, peas and beans. My corn should be on by the end of this week. If anyone likes to share canning recipes, I am always looking for new ones and love to share back. I also love sports, especially soccer. I got turned onto it when my son Jeremy started playing AYSO. I have been a team mom, coach, and helped start a school league and coached the girls high school team for a year. I also love baseball and basketball. I also like to read, (can you tell by my e-mail name?) and have just finished reading the 5th volume of The Work and The Glory. It is really neat to read about that part of our church's history, since my ancestors and my husbands were so involved in it. My husband's great grandfather was a convert from Canada the same time as John Taylor, and later became a bodyguard for the Prophet Joseph Smith. My 3rd great grandfather converted in Vermont and followed the Saints through all persecutions, ending only when he passed away in Escalante Utah. So these volumes help understand what they went through so that I could have the gospel in my life. Awe inspiring, isn't it? Well, I have rambled on enough. I look forward to conversing back and forth with all of you. I have spent the day trying to go through all of the e-mail built up in my bank. It has been most mind-boggling. The most disturbing part was to see that there have been some unkind things said and feelings hurt. Sisters, I am the last one to council you, but let's please try to mend fences. The first thing all of us need to do, is to get on our knees and pray. Pray for understanding, pray for friendship and pray for forgiveness. There is nothing in this world that cannot be forgiven. I speak from personal experience. If you don't forgive, it doesn't hurt the person who wronged you, it hurts you. It will eat away at your testimony and your very being. You cannot return to live with our Heavenly Father if you harbor any ill feelings against anyone. I almost let those kind of feelings destroy my life once, but thankfully I learned a lesson before it was too late. This life is too short to hold grudges. Remember what Jesus said directly after the Lord's Prayer; "For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." Matthew 6:14-15. Also, for your scripture reading tonight, read Matthew 18. Jesus explains forgiveness to Peter, better than I could ever to any of you. And anyways, it might give you something to think about! I love you all sisters, even though I don't know you all yet! But let's change that! HTTR Love, Chris

Terese and the rest of the group: I can be very difficult to feel like you belong. Alot of it has to do with one's attitude. Case in point: we have lived in our ward for a long time. Then, a couple of years ago a sister moved into our ward that was very catty and gossipy. She stirred up feelings between some sisters and for a little while I began to hold some minor resentments toward this particular sister. My neighbor became good friends with this sister and she no longer associated with me. I began to feel very sad inside, then over a short period of time, I began to let anger toward these two overtake my attitude. To make a long story short, my negative feelings began to make me feel isolated from others in the ward as well. It was terrible. After so many years of feeling a part of the ward and then in a few short months to feel isolated-it was not fun. I had a talk with my husband about how I was feeling. He is my best friend and laid it on the line: you can't feel welcome if you choose not to. He told me to pray about it and ask the Lord to help me change my attitude so that things would go better for me. It took longer to overcome the feelings of isolation and resentment than it had taken to gain them in the first place. One thing that really worked (besides prayer): set aside my fears of not being accepted and boldy approach others, especially those who are new in the ward or who I don't know. Now things are much better. It is too easy to fall into these traps of feelings. We must overcome them by knowing who we are and knowing what we can do not only for others, but for ourselves as well. Love to you all and hope this helps. -Sandy [Sew with 7]

WHAT IDEA????????? I AM COMPLETELY LOST!!!!!!!! ANYONE PLEASE TELL ME!!!!!! THANKS BUNCHES!!!!!!!! MAMI

I know I'm not on the mailer anymore...but I wanted to pass this along to you sisters, many of whom have inactive and non-member husbands...thought this would be of interest to you.... Sanctify is a supportive email list for members of the LDS church who have loved ones that are inactive, non- or new-members of the Church. The idea for the list stems from 1 Corinthians 7:14, which speaks of "unbelieving" spouses being sanctified by their member spouses. The list is open for all members, especially those that are concerned about loved ones who are not church members, who have become inactive, or who have recently joined the Church. The purpose of the list is to provide a vehicle for offering support to those in this situation, so they can gain inspiration when needed, and share experiences. Visit Sanctify's web page at http://www.seminary.org/sanctify/ To subscribe to Sanctify, send an email message to [email protected] with the words, "subscribe sanctify" in the body of the message, only without the quote marks!

--------------------- Forwarded message: From: [email protected] (David Kenison) Sender: [email protected] Reply-to: [email protected] To: [email protected] Date: 97-08-19 10:10:53 EDT JOSEPH F. SMITH'S HAWAIIAN MOTHER Joseph F. Smith was the son of Hyrum and Mary Fielding Smith. He was 5 when his father was martyred, and only 14 when his mother passed away. He was called on a mission to Hawaii at the age of 15, and at age 16 was the presiding Elder on the island of Molokai. It was difficult work, as many of the members had lapsed into inactivity and lived far away from each other around the island. At one point, Elder Smith became very seriously ill with a high fever. He spent almost three months in this critical condition, almost passing away several times. During that time, a young native couple cared for him and nursed him back to health, including many days of fasting and prayer on his behalf. Elder Smith always considered this wonderful Hawaiian lady, Ma Mahuhii, as his own Hawaiian mother. Many years after returning to Utah and being called as an apostle at age 27, then as President of the Church at age 62, Joseph F. Smith returned to the Islands with Charles W. Nibley, then a member of the Presiding Bishopric. They were greeted at Honolulu harbor by throngs of native Saints, who expressed their love with music, leis, and embraces. Bishop Nibley recorded: "It was a beautiful sight to see the deepseated love, the even tearful affection, that these people had for him. "In the midst of it all I noticed a poor, old blind woman tottering under the weight of about ninety years, being led in. She had a few choice bananas in her hand. It was her all -- her offering. She was calling, 'Iosepa, Iosepa!' Instantly, when he saw her, he ran to her and clasped her in his arms, hugged her, and kissed her over and over again, patting her on the head saying, 'Mama, Mama, my dear old Mama!' "And with tears streaming down his cheeks he turned to me and said, 'Charley, she nursed me when I was a boy, sick and without anyone to care for me. She took me in and was a mother to me!' "O, it was touching -- it was pathetic. It was beautiful to see the great, noble soul in loving, tender remembrance of kindness extended to him, more than fifty years before; and the poor old soul who had brought her loving offering -- a few bananas -- it was all she had -- to put into the hand of her loved Iosepa." (Smith, _Life of Joseph F. Smith_, pp. 185-86) ----------------------------------------------------------------- Stories from LDS Church History - distributed on the Internet via LDS-Gems mailing list - http://www.xmission.com/~dkenison/lds/gems/ Now available - a new book collection of pioneer stories: "Chronicles of Faith: Stories of the Mormon Pioneers." Price including postage is $17 (Utah residents add $.95 tax). Ask about international rates. Send check or money order to: David Kenison, 105 S. State #216, Orem, UT 84058 See http://www.xmission.com/~dkenison/lds/gems/chron.html

With out children the world be EMPTY!!!!!!!! he he I loved your letter and totally agree! ;) Lisa