Christlike attrubute: Charity and Love

This is a talk I prepared and delivered in church last Sunday. I thought I would share it. It gave me a lot to think about, also requiring a lot of introspection for me. I really needed this as well.

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 First, I will talk about how well we know ourselves. 

This goes way beyond standing in front of the mirror and wondering about uneven eyebrows. I mean a self study of what motivates us in life and our spiritual health.

Why do we do what we do in the Gospel?

As we get to the point that we are doing what we do because of our love for our Heavenly Father and Jesus, we come closer to becoming perfected.

I refer mainly to the address by Elder Holland in October 2024 conference - "I am He"

a few points he makes (quoted from the address):

•"... His ultimate defining virtue, His love"

•"And what He actually said was, “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” On that same evening, He said we were to “love one another; as I have loved you."

•"So we try to love— with all of our heart, might, mind, and strength—because that is the way He loves us."

• (another ) " characteristic of Jesus’s divine charity was His obedience to every word that proceeded from God’s mouth, always aligning His will and behavior with that of His Heavenly Father."

We see this Christlike attribute of love and charity in the example given at the beginning of Elder Holland's words.

"As the soldiers approached, Jesus, in an effort to protect His disciples, stepped forth and said, “Whom seek ye?” They replied, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus said, “I am he. . . . As soon . . .

as he had said unto them, I am he, they went backward, and fell to the ground.”"

Jesus, as he confronted the arresting force - He met them in love — love for his disciples and even patience (that comes from love) in his approach to the arresdting force. He had love and confidence. That with his divine power astonished the men. How could it have been in a modern scenerio?

review the scenario - not a confrontation, but a peaceful showing of acknowledgement and love...

This differs greatly from stories we usually see or hear:

[crime shows where arresting forces confront villians]

[line in the sand, Captain Cook on Motuarohia Island]

How do we approach our Gospel-related activities?

We act for various reasons and motivations: hope for reward, tradition, status, fear of consequences, guilt, respect for a parent or leader, for praise or recognition.  While these do instill such acts of obedience, service and devotion, until they come from a heartfelt love of God, they will not carry us to the end — we will not be able to endure.

It is an ongoing process, an adventure of learning, of awareness of our ability to love and finding that to be our true motivation, why do we do what we do?

As we accompish things in the Gospel, such as church attendance, tithing, Word of Wisdom, proper choices in the commandments and efforts to serve in the church and temple, be grateful for whatever motivation brought you to this point. They are wonderful. As we become more loving of God and the Saviour, and trust in their love, we build on these motivations to embrace more genuine motivations. We do them out of love and with love that we learn from our Father in Heaven. As we have then moved ahead beyond what motivated us originally, it becomes more likely that we will grow spiritually and in heavenly joy and less likely to complain, judge others, lose traction in the Gospel and become offended.

An example of motivation based on the feelings of the spirit comes from our mission in Salt Lake. One of our sister missionaries serving with us came from West Virginia and had only recently become a member of the church. She was raised in the "Bible belt." She attended bible camps as a youth. While she was at college, she met members of the church and missionaries and received lessons, but did not get to the point of baptism. She still felt something special. After returning home in the summer, she was attending another bible camp and thought to ask the Baptist minister a question that was on her mind. Having felt the spirit as she was taught and attended meetings back in college, she asked the minister how often he felt the Spirit. His reply was that he felt the spirit "once or twice a year." This astounded her. Why not much more as a minister. She learned what the restored Gospel brought to her and joined the church soon afterwards and then came to Utah serving a mission.

The Spirit is a good motivation. It depends on what we do to bring and keep the Spirit with us.

By basing our obedience and choices in the church on a true divine love, we can weather the storms of life that might pull us away from our involvement in the Gospel. 

Elder Holland states: "Jesus was “a man of sorrows,” the scriptures say. He experienced sadness, fatigue, disappointment, and excruciating loneliness. In these and in all times, Jesus’s love faileth not, and neither does His Father’s. With such mature love—the kind that exemplifies, empowers, and imparts—ours will not fail either."

What is it that we can do to go beyond our initial motivations and develop a true love of God as our motivation?

thoughts:

(Learned from temple visit)  As we enter into and are faithful to our covenants, we become more like our Heavenly Father and Jesus.

That is so important: we bind ourselves to Him. He then lifts us as we trust Him.

One way to strengthen that covenental power is to review our spiritual strength. A lot of this comes from the standard efforts: Prayer, regular Scripture study and church and temple attendance. Also key is to review the words of the apostles and prophets, especially from recent conference addresses.

Here are some examples (mostly from April 2024 conference):

Spiritual momentum - Elder Renlund (Apr 2024) and Pres Nelson "We become vulnerable when we slow down and especially when we stop. If we maintain spiritual momentum by continually “rowing” toward the Savior, we are safer and more secure because our eternal life depends on our faith in Him. Spiritual momentum is created “over a lifetime as we repeatedly embrace the doctrine of Christ.”"

Spiritual slackness   - Elder Christofferson (Neal Maxwell) Apr 2024 - "Being valiant in the testimony of Jesus means encouraging others, by word and example, to likewise be valiant, especially those of our own families. Elder Neal A. Maxwell once addressed “the essentially ‘honorable’ members [of the Church] who are skimming over the surface instead of deepening their discipleship and who are casually engaged rather than ‘anxiously engaged’ [Doctrine and Covenants 76:75; 58:27].” Noting that all are free to choose, Elder Maxwell lamented: “Unfortunately, however, when some choose slackness, they are choosing not only for themselves, but for the next generation and the next."

Elder Cook - Apr. 2024 talk - on entitlement - "He said we are all children of a loving Heavenly Father. Regardless of who our earthly ancestors are, each of us will report to the Savior on how well we kept His commandments."  ... "The Lord’s saving mercy is not dependent on lineage, education, economic status, or race. It is based on being one with Christ and His commandments."  ... "No economic or social attainment is necessary. The poor and the rich have the same spiritual requirements. There are no race, gender, or ethnicity requirements. The Book of Mormon makes it clear that all are invited to partake of the Lord’s goodness,"

Elder Soares - Apr. 2024 - Covenant Confidence  - "As we make covenants in holiness before God and commit to follow the Savior, we receive the power to change our hearts, renew our spirits, and deepen our relationship with Him. Such an endeavor brings sanctification to our souls and forms a sacred bond with God and Jesus Christ, who promise that we can inherit the gift of eternal life. The result of this sacred journey is that we obtain a holier and higher confidence for our day-to-day lives within our covenants made through Jesus Christ."

Elder Holland: "When we stand before Him and see the wounds in His hands and feet, we will begin to comprehend what it meant for Him to bear our sins and be acquainted with grief, to be completely obedient to the will of His Father— all out of pure love for us. To introduce others to faith, repentance, baptism, the gift of the Holy Ghost, and receiving our blessings in the house of the Lord—these are the fundamental “principles and ordinances” that ultimately reveal our love of God and neighbor and joyfully characterize the true Church of Christ."

As we bind ourselves to God with our covenants and living honoring them, He will lift us above the troubles of the world around us.

It is my testimony that our Heavenly Father loves us and is always ready to lift us as we turn to Him and are raised by our covenants with Him.

Tokotoko

 

In December we visited a wood carver in Henderson, a suburb west of Auckland. Shauna wanted to buy a nativity creche, and found a nice one there. The wood carver and his wife emigrated here some time ago from Bethlehem, in the Holy Land. He has also made some nice kiwi bird carvings for the mission, which they use to give missionaries as rewards for keeping their flats clean. Since my birthday was near, Shauna insisted that I buy a walking stick that he had in his shop, which I gladly did. It is beautiful, carved from Japanese cedar.

Lately, my leg and hip have been giving me some grief, so I now use this cane to steady myself as I walk. It is most useful and is beautiful as well.

I started to get many comments about my walking stick, but especially from the Māori people. There is a traditional stick that the Māori leaders use, as a symbol of their authority, I believe. It is called by them, a tokotoko. I had no idea the significance of my walking stick. It still serves me well, nevertheless.

One of the people who commented on my tokotoko mentioned the spirals carved into it. I just thought it was a decorative touch. It curved a bit so I thought that was to just add to its character. I was asked, "how many generations?" I was then informed that each spiral indicated a family generation. I had noted previously that it had ten spirals.

Upon thinking more on my tokotoko, I reflected on my own ancestry and came up with this amazing observation. If I followed my generations back and forward, I might easily come up with ten. Putting it together, I also thought it would be clever to alternate fathers and mothers in each generation. It worked! I am in the midst of a ten generation span of people who were in the Gospel in their lifetimes. Here is how it works (leaving out names of people who are still living):

1. my great-granddaughter Biesinger, living in Hungary.

2. my grandson Biesinger, in Hungary.

3. my daughter Buchanan/Biesinger in Ohio.

4. myself, temporarily in New Zealand.

5. my mother, Arvilla Jacobson, married to Forrest "D" Buchanan.

6. her father, Eddie Matthias Jacobson, married to Sarah Delilah Anderson.

7. his mother, Rebecca Deseret Dutson, married to Ole Hansen Jacobson, who was baptized in Denmark.

8. her father, John William Dutson, married to Elizabeth Jane Cowley, from the Isle of Man.

9. his mother, Ann Green, married to John Dutson, whose family managed the inn, The Green Dragon, in Herefordshire, England.

10 her father, William Green, married to Jane Prosser, who both joined the church in England and died on their way to Zion.

What a remarkable heritage, and a fitting reminder carved in my walking stick! Also, I love seeing the truly international nature of this progression. The Lord's hand is made bare in the eyes of the world and His kingdom is being established throughout, in preparation to the coming of His Son, Jesus Christ. We look forward to that day, soon to come.

A calling to serve - two separate and together, trusting in the Lord

 In Alma 8, and onward, we have the story of Alma and Amulek in their preaching to the wicked people of Ammonihah. As I read that record a little I noticed the difference in each of their calls and instruction.

Both Alma and Amulek were visited by an angel, actually the same angel who first visited Alma prior to his conversion. 

When he appeared and spoke with Alma, Alma was discouraged and about to give up on the people of Ammonihah forever. He was first comforted and blessed and then told to go back "speedily" to tell the people of Ammonihah to repent or they would be destroyed by the Lamanites, a very specific warning.

The angel must have appeared to Amulek at almost the same moment, based on the timing of their meeting soon afterwards. Amulek had been "journeying" to visit a "very near" family member.

The instructions to Amulek was simply to return to his house and that he would meet a prophet, "a holy man, who is a chosen man of God" and to feed him.

Both of these men were traveling and were told to turn around and return to the city, probably the same time. Amulek was still on the way returning to his house when he met Alma, who was still returning on his way back to the city. The timing is interesting.

Alma had been fasting in his concern about his work with the wicked people of Ammonihah. As he enetered the city, he "happened" to meet Amulek, whom he petitioned for some food "as a humble servant of God." Amulek had been commanded to receive him into his house and to feed him and promised that he and his house would be blessed. It is interesting to note that even with this blessing, Amulek's father, Giddonah, was one of those who turned against Alma and Amulek in the end. He (Amulek's father) was specifically listed as one of those who were blessed by Alma among his household in this initial experience.

The two sets of instruction are interesting in what they did and did not request of these two men. Alma was told simply to return to the city and to resume his teaching and prophesying. Amulek was asked to receive the prophet into his house and to feed him.

Alma received the blessing of that reception not knowing what to expect on his return to this hostile place. Amulek was not told to call his own people to repentance. Both did what was asked of him and encountered what was not expected. Amulek was then taught and blessed. 

Alma had, up to this point, fasted for "many days." He remained in the house of Amulek then for "many days."

It was important, first, for Amulek to see the fulfillment of the angel's prediction, complying with the instrcutions given by the angel. Alma, tired and hungry, did not immediately start preaching and proclaiming to the people of their impending doom.

The angel set up this "training session" without much instruction. Each party did what was required and then followed into the next steps as led by the spirit. Alma had not been told about meeting and training his new missionary companion. Amulek was not told about his upcoming dangerous and blessed mission, that we know, based on the scriptural account. Each stepped forward with faith, obeying the angel of the Lord and his specific instructions. The results, both the blessed and the tragic, came by their obedience and trust in the Lord.

Even though there were many great and wonderful blessings resulting from this experience: the blessing of Amulek and his house; the conversion of Zeezrom, who became a great missionary as well; some of the people freed from the wicked oppression of the ruling clergy of Ammonihah. There were also some of the most tragic consequences found in the writings of the Book of Mormon: the burning of believers, including women and children of the believing men, along with their scriptures, also the threatened burning death of Alma and Amulek themselves.

Alma and Amulek learned when to use the power of God, and when not to. It was only after their oppressors — in their mocking and jeering them in prison, proclaimed that they would believe that the Lord had power to destroy them, if they were to be delivered by God, and spoken by every one of these oppressors — that Alma and Amulek were then delivered, to the astonished destruction of these oppressors.

Much sorrow and grief came to the people, but those who were delievered — driven out or rescued by God — were blessed and joined the welcoming people of Sidom.

Soon after this, the entire city of Ammonihah was destroyed by warring Lamanites. 

The imprisonment and release of Alma and Amulek happened around February of 81 BC (12th day, 10th month, 10th year of the judges. The city was then destroyed by Lamanites on the 5th day of the 2nd month of the 11th year of the judges (about June), a week less than four months later.

Amulek first met Alma on the 4th day of the 7th month of the 10th year (about November), so this whole experience lasted about nine months, from their meeting until the destruction of Ammonihah.

Zeezrom was healed from his distraught sickness brought upon by sore repentance, then faith, to become a great missionary as well. Amulek continued to be a great servant of the Lord. Many people were blessed in the process.

The work of these missionaries began with the two companions being called separately, given very different initial instructions, and ended with both great blessings and great destruction. We never will know what will come of our missionary efforts. The Lord directs us and we serve with diligence and trust.

Finding ways to make it work

 I see twenty-five sets of missionaries on my computer screen. I can flip forward and see at least three other sets of twenty-five in the Zoom display. We are learning from each other in our twice-weekly, remotely distanced,  mission meetings. President Reeves has just explained that we are now in a level of lockdown that missionaries are not to meet with anyone in their homes for any reason, even with masks. The effect is subtle, but apparent: a head drops to the desk, other heads shake, unheard groans are almost audible. The  President continues, then a spiritual thought is given by one of the sister missionaries.

She speaks clearly and talks about the value of feeling vulnerable, of learning from discouragement. The group of sisters in her portion of the Zoom screen suddenly disappear as their little pane goes dark. She resets the dome light and a voice is heard: "ready for Log-in." They continue, unaffected by the interruption. Another of the sisters reads a scripture and the thought concludes and all are smiles and we feel hopeful.

I realize that others are also participating in the Zoom meeting from their cars. I count 17 darker mini-windows. These faithful missionaries join the regular meeting, even though they do not have sufficient wireless nor cell reception in their apartments. Our vehicles serve as a place to meet remotely, wherever they can find the proper reliable connection. With not being able to meet people in person, our cars are even more needed as the place to communicate remotely.

Always facing the unexpected, our good missionaries follow the Spirit in finding ways to adapt through current restrictions. The joy I see in their faces on the screen lets me know that the Lord works miracles when His servants are willing to be led by Him. Through this trust in Him, they conquer the adversary in these troubled times.

Seeing the Light in a World Suddenly Turned Upside-down

Aminadab had been proud of what he was - a dissenter. Having been a good boy once, he rebelled against his upbringing and found it cool to fight against the established way of life. He saw them all as fools, then. Now his world was suddenly scrambled. Everything was dark and shaken up. He, and his friends around him, now wondered what they needed to do to understand and see the light in the chaos in which they now found themselves.

Searching back in his memory, he remembered something...

There was a time when he felt peace and true joy, something he lost in his exuberance to rebel. Now that peace and clarity is something he desperately needed. He was also sure that is what those around him also needed: our Savior, Jesus Christ.

"And Aminadab said unto them: You must repent, and cry unto the voice, even until ye shall have faith in Christ, ...  and when ye shall do this, the cloud of darkness shall be removed from overshadowing you. "

See Helaman 5:35-43, The Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ.

Eternal Nature

[This is another thought found among my writings on my computer.]

Very soon after birth we become experts in temporality

There are eternal things, affected by but not destroyed by time:

• each of us - eternal beings
• relationship - there is always a relationship between us – eternal beings
• matter - it is never destroyed, but changed over time. The condition of matter is viewed temporally
• truth - eternal concepts
• space, location - is eternal, changed by temporality

- June 16, 2018

A Fun (and blessed) Meeting

My wife and I were in downtown Salt Lake City the other day, meeting with a young man, Andrew, from our mission in New York, along with his mother, who attended the Salt Lake Temple with us. That in itself was a wonderful experience and we loved being with them once more. Andrew is now in the MTC in preparation for his mission service (to the Utah Salt Lake City mission!).

As the proceedings began, one of the officiators in the session looked somewhat familiar to me and as I finally could see his name tag, it was confirmed that he was my high school German teacher, Mr. Vreeken. What a blessed "tender mercy"!  I wondered, with the sacred nature of the whole experience, whether I would actually be able to speak with him. As we approached that final step in the process, I was overjoyed to have him be my guide through the last step. Still, it was a sacred experience and the solemn nature precluded my speaking with him, so I just smiled as he finished and I said a quiet, "danke schön" as I moved on.

In the next gathering area, I wondered whether he would be coming through that place as well. After visiting with our New York people for a time, I was excited to see my dear old teacher come through and I made my way to greet him. He was very happy to see me and wished to see my wife as well. We had a wonderful, yet brief, reunion (still in quiet tones befitting the sacred place). What  wonderful "tender mercy" blessing!

I had not seen him since graduating from high school almost exactly fifty years ago. I loved seeing him again, especially in that wonderful place.

The Lord blesses us when we least expect it.

Random thoughts found in my old Journal entries

I am in the process of going through old hand-written daily planner pages, which eventually became the place where I wrote journal entries. I am typing these into the computer. Sometimes I wrote thoughts that occurred to me at the time. Here are two that I recently found in my 1990 transcription process.


Thought:
"As society and its economy becomes more refined, the more brittle it becomes. It is less tolerant to problems. Things that used to be commonplace irritations or setbacks now become tragic catastrophes. We become more and more dependent on artificial supports. [In other words, ] Life goes on, don't expect it to be perfect." - Joseph F. Buchanan, journal entry for 23 Feb. 1990, while on ice fishing camp at Deer Creek , Utah.

Observation:
"All people have the same basic life characteristics. They just put a lot of appearances in the way. Accept a person — let them be without judging rapidly." - Joseph F. Buchanan, journal entry for 24 Oct. 1990, West Jordan, Utah.


The last one shows a common theme I had in my writings. I was quite guilty of judging people and things quickly, especially my own family. It has been a struggle most of my life. I hope I have made some progress, though I still suffer from this practice of unfair judgement and the ensuing feelings of frustration and anger. I am trusting more and more (at least trying to) in my Savior to make me a better person and to be meek, understanding and loving to all around me. It is only through Him that I can be who I should be.

Updated Apostles chart

For those of you who have been looking for an updated Apostles chart from me, I have it for you here.

I am currently having problems getting into my buchananspot server, so I decided to at least post the updated PDF document here (I hope it works).

We had a wonderful conference. I am excited to see the work of ministering ramp up. As I told a few people, it seems that all members are going to be like us as MLS missionaries. Instead of Member-Leader Support, I thought of a new application of the initials: Ministering, Loving Service.

The Lord is wonderful! He is hastening this great work!

I did try them as a PDF, but the blogger server would not accept it, so these are jpeg documents. If you would like the PDF, please let me know (with email).

Thanks!

In Like a Lion

We have had some wonderful experiences so far in this wintry land. March definitely came in like a lion. Despite the weather, it has been very inspiring to see the hand of the Lord in the events of the past week or so.

Ken, who was baptized last November, came with us to the temple last Tuesday — the first day the temple was open after their two-week closure for cleaning. Ken had the name ready for his father and names of his great-grandfather's family. It really was inspiring to be part of this great work. He was amazed at the spirit he felt, especially when he was baptized for his father. After the baptisms, we took a tour of the sacred grove together. It was cold, but the spirit of the Lord warmed our souls.

Also of note is the fun we are having helping a certain man with his family research. As family history consultants for the branch, we get to work with members and non-members. This particular man is one we know from our work at the local churches' ecumenical Sunday meals for the disadvantaged people. Don is always there helping with the cleanup, washing dishes, etc. Shauna usually goes every week as well. I go a little less often, but still enjoy visiting with Don in this way. He found out that we run the family history library of the branch here and expressed an interest in getting help on his family work. He has a lot of involvement with his family groups and looked for help in getting it organized better. He has come to our library a couple of times and we really enjoy listening to his stories and helping him get the information recorded in FamilySearch.

As you can see, we still have winter upon us. A strong "nor-easter" hit last week and dumped about 10 inches of heavy snow here. The biggest problem was the winds, tree damage and loss of power for many of the people in the state of New York. We did not lose any power, but many of the branch members had power out for as much as 24-30 hours.

The last picture is a view from the front of our church parking lot across the valley. There is a corn field which covers most of the view, but they started building new apartments and homes in the area. One of our former members gave a prophecy years ago that someday there would be homes there and that the bishop of the Hornell Ward (when it becomes a ward) would be from those homes. We have high hopes for our Branch! The Lord is blessing us here.

Thankful for Blessings in Hornell

One of the greatest blessings that come from our service here in Hornell is seeing the hand of the Lord in blessing people we have come to love.

A little over a week ago, Kenneth Potter was baptized into the church. He loves the Gospel and was searching for a church to join. This was back in the early summer, I believe. As he chose to take a walk (not a normal thing for him to do) and then to change his mind in what direction, we chanced upon the Elders, who also were not where they usually were wont to be. Ken loved hearing the lessons and wanted to be baptized early on, but was not able to attend Sacrament meetings because of work requirements. He was a dish washer at a local restaurant of a nationwide chain of restaurants. His hours were limited, so he had little choice of when he could work. As he attended the meetings he could, he loved being with us all and eventually as he showed faith and worked towards becoming ready for baptism, he was blessed with more hours to work and eventually a change so that he could at least come to the first part of the church meeting time and attend Sacrament Meetings with us. The day he was baptized, he came out of the water and exclaimed, "I've never felt so clean!" That very afternoon, he was given the chance to prove himself at work and did well and within a few days was promoted from being a dish washer to becoming on track to a position as assistant manager in that area. He is amazed at the blessings that came his way (as are we).

We enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday visiting our daughter and family who live in Medina. About a week later, we invited a number of people to a turkey dinner at our place. We visit several people who did not have much of a Thanksgiving of their own. (We also missed having our own left-overs, so that was another reason to have another turkey dinner ;-)

Of course, our two Elders (Webster and Lawrenz) were invited. Four of our guests are not members of the church. These people are some of our dearest friends here in Hornell. It was a wonderful experience.

The Lord truly blesses us!

Recap of the past two months

I have basically relied on Shauna reporting our activities in her weekly mail messages. I know that many do not see her messages, so I apologize for not posting much here. This summarizes the past two months in a lot of pictures.

We have been busy with helping the Hornell Branch members and investigators in visits to their homes and taking some to the temple. We also have enjoyed having Mary and her family close by so we can get together. We feel so blessed to be here and to share in the Lord's work here in this beautiful place.

This area is referred to as the "Southern Tier" and is really a place of beauty and a place of a much slower pace of life. The people learn to get along with little and still find ways to help those around them and show kindness to others. Unfortunately, most of the people are very cautious when dealing with us and the missionaries because of the strong bias of the local churches against us and our religion. Still there are many who welcome us and our message. The Lord will help those who sincerely are seeking to the truth.

- - - - - - - - - -

Our first two elders - Smith and Wagstaff, as we have lunch with one of our sisters of the Branch

The son-in-law of that sister was baptized recently. This is him and his family and the Elders who were involved.

At the Palmyra temple with one of our dear sisters. She came to do the work for her mother. It was a very spiritual experience for all of us.

This mother and her daughter come with us to church and other activities.

We help out at a weekly luncheon for the disadvantaged people of the city of Hornell. It is sponsored at this Presbyterian church and different denominations help each week. Our branch provides food and services about every six weeks in rotation.

We had a fun branch activity at this property of one of our members in Canisteo. The pond (above) and the eating area (below).

One of the people we met at the ecumenical lunches (mentioned above), and his dog, Badge, at his home in South Hornell. I did some research and found that he is my 13th cousin (the man, not his dog).

The elders with an investigator walking and talking on the Hill Cumorah.

Our current elders - Elder Larson (from Draper) and Elder Smith (from Safford, AZ)

In the Elders' apartment is this famous "Deer Elder."

Our grandson about to eat the "Mojo" burger at Rudys in Medina. Those who accomplish the feat get to write their names on the wall (see behind him for part of that). A closeup of his previously earned name-on-the-wall is below.

A granddaughter in the tree at our park near our home in Hornell.

We joined the family at nearby Letchworth State Park.

This is the Genesee River and falls in the park.

Here we are at the Stony Brook Park (even closer to our home) in the Dansville area.

A month ago, we went with other senior missionaries to Watkins Glen and on the the Priesthood Restoration site in Pennsylvania. This is Watkins Glen.

Here we also visited the Josiah Stowell and Joseph Knight homes.

On our way to Palmyra from Hornell, we pass by the beautiful Canandaigua Lake.

From a hill area north of Hornell you can see in the distance the many windmills in the Cohocton area.

Hornell is famous as being the home of actor Bill Pullman. This is the house that belonged to his parents. The owner is a member of our branch (she wants to sell it if you are interested). She has spoken with Bill Pullman when he visited the place.

 The political leanings here are fairly pronounced (below is an enlargement of the sign in front of a home at the hamlet of Loon Lake within our branch).

Views of the area, Easter and getting to know people

Over the past few weeks, we have enjoyed getting to know the people of the branch and area more. This region of New York is referred to as the "Southern Tier," meaning basically that it is the southern part of central and western New York - the counties along the Pennsylvania border. It is a mostly rural area and the pace of life is much more relaxed. The branch covers an area of 640 square miles and has a population of a little over 40,000 people, and is mainly a lot of small hamlets and a few villages and a city (Hornell). Everything in New York is divided into townships and in the area of townships there are the villages, cities and hamlets. We live in the Town (township) of Hornellsville, which contains the city of Hornell, and part of Steuben County.

There are a lot of rolling hills and small roads going everywhere. One day we headed out to visit a member family who live out quite a ways. It is not uncommon to have a fair amount of land with a house on it, lots of woods - all beautiful. Here is a picture we took as we left their place, showing the sunset.

There are also a lot of small lakes and ponds - and swamps and streams. It is quite wet here. Below is the hamlet of Loon Lake. It is about 20 minutes northeast of Hornell, and is on the route we take to get to the temple in Palmyra.

This morning, I took a walk up the hill across from our home. I went about 3/4 of a mile and a rise of about 400 feet and took this picture looking into the valley where Hornell is situated. Hornell is along the Canisteo River.

Our church building is situated in the very north part of the township area, near the village of Arkport. It is on a road called "The Avenue of the Oaks." One of the members said that when the church building was being built, that they decided to plant some oak trees out front, since there really are not many (if any) actual oaks on this avenue. The building was completed in 1999. It is a smaller building but works well for us.

The village of Canisteo is a nice community and a number of our members live there. It is just south of Hornell. The village boasts of having the largest living city sign. It is made up of small trees or bushes.

Over the Easter weekend, we had family come and visit. The branch had an Easter egg activity and Aaron's family was there.

Also that weekend, Mary's family were at the Moore farm nearby and we joined them to watch the family perform the Greek tragedy, Antigone. They did an amazing performance.

The work we do here is mainly to visit members and especially those who need support or help. We love getting acquainted with them and making new friends here. People struggle with problems of life and we see how the blessings of our Savior and His Atonement can touch and lift people. In one of Shauna's recent letters she summarizes:

Our new friends in the Hornell branch are wonderful!  We are still trying to get names down and meet everyone.  If I have time I ask them for their conversion stories.  I asked one sweet sister how many in the branch were converts - first members in their family.  She said about 98% had searched for the truth and found it.  Every story I have heard so far has the common theme of seeking the Lord in prayer for His church and the missionaries or friends coming to their door.  Many were brought to the gospel through their spouses.  As missionaries we truly do not ever convert.  That is left to the spirit and the Lord preparing them for the gospel.  It is like being 180 years back in time during history of this area as the church was organized and everyone were converts.  They are an impressive group as they try to love each other and serve the Master.

We see the Lord's hand in the work here. It is a blessing to have this opportunity. We miss friends and family back home, but know they are in good hands. Our prayers are for you all.

Blessings and a New Start

This highlights the tender mercies of the Lord and how they played a part in the starting of our new mission here in New York.

The light given to us by the Spirit of the Holy Ghost, not only lightens our way ahead and helps us in our decisions, but also casts a light back illuminating to our view the great blessings and tender mercies that we have received by the grace of our Savior. It is being close to and sensitive to the Spirit that makes us truly thankful for the touch of the Lord in our lives.

This spiritual thought came to me during the night a day ago. Here is what that light shows of those great blessings.

In the few days prior to leaving Utah. Shauna and I were continuing in our involvement with people we grew to love in our last mission. One such person was very sick and requested a blessing. We took with us our youngest son (who also has been recovering from a fairly difficult bout of a cold and coughing). Through the experience, I felt the Spirit help as we gave the blessing, but I had an inward request that Shauna and I would not be affected by our exposure to those who were so ill. Neither of us became sick and our health is good to this day here in Hornell, New York. That is a great blessing, directly showing the help of the Lord in our lives.

As we traveled across Wyoming, though the skies were clear and no storms threatened us, the winds were fierce and the little amount of snow on the ground still blowed and stuck across the highways along the way. There was even a semi-trailer truck along the road that had blown over. We were protected and suffered no difficulty as we traveled. We arrived safely in Fort Collins and attended the temple there. It was a beautiful temple and we enjoyed the spirit. As we were getting ready to leave our motel the next morning, we met a couple in the breakfast room and spoke with them about the Gospel and the church. Shauna gave her the copy of the Book of Mormon that was her own personal book, obtaining a promise that she would read it.

We visited the Winter Quarters temple and then Chicago temple during the next two days, staying with the Bethers family that next night. We had a wonderful visit with the family, getting better acquainted with them and feeling the love that was evident in their home.

Shauna at the Chicago Temple

Next we visited the Indianapolis and Columbus (Ohio) temples and on to spend the night with Shauna's sister and her husband in Virginia. They treated us very well, especially with his good cooking. We also attended stake conference sessions with her Saturday evening and Sunday morning.

We arrived in Maryland Sunday afternoon and spent time with our son and his beautiful family. While we were there, a notorious "Nor-easter" arrived with severe winter weather. Instead of heading up to Medina, NY as planned to visit our daughter and family before starting our mission, we delayed and stayed in Maryland until Friday because of the difficult road conditions left by the crazy nor-easter. We enjoyed our stay with our son and family immensely.

Our Hornell home, showing some of the snow left from the nor'easter

Arrival at our new home in Hornell came Friday afternoon, meeting our good Elders Wagstaff and Smith at the house. They helped is move our things into the house. That Sunday we attended our new Branch meetings, but left early so we could meet up with another son and his wife who were in town in Pennsylvania from Oregon. We had a nice meeting with them and enjoyed the visit. Finally on the 20th we made our way to the mission home in Pittsford, New York and met President Evans and others and enjoyed some time there with them.

New York Rochester mission home building

Finally, after our start of our mission, we spent a night with our daughter and family in Medina before returning to Hornell. What a great adventure we experienced. Now we have a great beginning of our new adventure of serving the Lord in Hornell, New York.

We have now been privileged to get to know some wonderful people here. In the past few days, we visited the homes of many people, visiting with some in their homes and feeling the love that our Savior has for them. The Lord is granting us some amazing tender mercies. We thank Him for His great love that we feel and see here in this quiet little place.

"Seek the gems that shine in the heart"

In the middle of the night, last night, I had the impression that I needed to write this. As a companion thought to what you see here, I felt that I really need to work harder to teach others to do this research I love doing so much. The following writing is to encourage others to do what they can in this great work of family history research.

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"Today, seek the gems that shine in the heart" - Hymns, 229

As we strive to do what the Lord asks of us, following the Spirit, it is amazing what can be revealed to us. In studying and pondering the scriptures, the Lord reveals by the language of the Spirit, many gems that are often unexpected. That is how we learn so much more that what we find on the printed page.

Applying the same principle to family history work, I find that the Lord works in the same manner as we work at learning about our ancestors.

As I was doing research a number of years ago, with the object of writing the history of one of my ancestors, I was using the search tools of a then new service, the Utah Digital Newspapers service ( https://digitalnewspapers.org/). In the process of searching for information about my ancestor of focus (Lorenzo Wesley Roundy), I felt the prompting to look for Soren Jensen, the brother-in-law of my great grandfather, Ole Hansen Jacobson. Fairly quickly, I found a newspaper article, dated 14 Feb. 1879 mentioning "notices of the death of three children of Bro. Soren Jensen, all from this Frightful disease [diphtheria]." In searching further, I discovered that there were three children previously unknown for this family. I found the specific details of the lives and sad passing of these three young boys, aged 10, 5 and 2 months. Subsequently, I entered the information into FamilySearch and was able stand as proxy in performing the temple work for the oldest boy. They were all born in the covenant, so they were sealed to their parents, but there was no evidence of the other saving ordinances preformed for Soren Peter, the oldest child of Soren Jensen.

In the years since, I have often found the tender mercies of the Lord in family history research. Even as we learn by the language of the Spirit in regularly studying and pondering the scriptures and attending the temple, we can also find that same experience and learn by that same Spirit in researching our family and ancestors. These truly are the "gems that shine in the heart."

The Language of the Spirit

I have been impressed lately in my scripture reading by the understanding that scriptural word is very important. It started as I read and realized from Christ's teachings among the Nephites that most of what He said to them was drawn from - and quoted from - written scripture. His direct words and council were, and are, vital to us - and still - He quotes from the writings of the prophets.

The first "why?" that comes to me is that He wanted to impress the people the when He was no longer with them, and they would begin to forget the sound of His voice and words, that it would be clear to them how to keep the feelings of the Spirit fresh - by reading the words of the prophets.

Then I thought about my past experiences and interactions with people in our work how the "language of the Spirit" is learned by reading and re-reading the scriptures. It is not just the words that are written or spoken, but rather the process of teaching us to learn to hear and understand the language of the Spirit that comes from scripture. The words on the page teach us many things, but the more important teaching that comes is attuning our spirits to the Spirit of the Holy Ghost and what we learn as we read and ponder the scriptures. That is why as we re-read passages we have read many times before, that new understanding comes, but especially that we are told how to apply what we learn in our daily walk in life, either for our own betterment and also our interactions with those around us.

Also, in chapters 31 and 32 of Second Nephi we read of the "tongue of Angels." Is that the language of the Spirit? What is the "tongue of Angels?" I really believe that our spoken and written language falls well short of the power of the language of the Spirit. It goes directly to our souls, our hearts. Scripture passages remain in our memory as gentle and loving impressions, but as we recall these words, there is also a remembrance of the effect of those words upon our spirits. It opens our minds and souls to feel more impressive thoughts - and inspires the desire to be the Hands of the Lord as we look outward to our fellow travelers in life with compassion and love. His love is truly manifest in the words and language of the Spirit.

An example of this was found as I read from second Nephi (2 Ne 27:11) that the sealed writings will be read to the world "by the power of Christ." I see that as how scriptures are really brought into our souls - the power of Christ through the Holy Ghost.

Often, we are like the people of Athens (Acts 17:21) always looking for "some new thing" when what we need to do is to learn to understand what we already have in scriptures and learn from the language of the Spirit - such is best learned from studying and pondering the scriptures - and from the temple ordinances and ceremonies. Nephi also shows the example of the Jews of his time as "looking beyond the mark." I am continually amazed at how much more I find as I re-read and ponder what we already have. So much is opened up by the spirit as I read. I realize how much I still need to learn - that I am still a child in my perspective.

All we do in life is meaningless unless we learn to understand how to learn from the Spirit. Were the Savior to be physically with us, what would He teach us? He would teach us how to continue true by being close to the Spirit and in that way continue to grow. It is through the words of the prophets - ancient and modern - and through feasting on their words.

Announcing Our Savior

As I ponder the advent of our Savior, which we celebrate at this time of year, I thought of how His coming was announced to various people and groups of people - seeing it as instructive for knowing how I am blessed by such wondrous announcements, receiving my own witness.

First, I review the announcement to Mary. I love the Bible video of the church showing Mary's gentle and humble response to that amazing visitation of the angel Gabriel: "Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee:blessed art thou among women. ... And the angel ... said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God." Luke 1:28, 35  Of course Mary's visit was of necessity a personal, physical visitation. Nothing else would have been appropriate. Her role in the coming of our Savior is beyond comprehension.

Next we have the announcement made to Joseph, but for him it was as an angel appearing to him in a dream: "Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost and she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins." Matth 1:20-21  Joseph would have the responsibility for the care of his wife and son and would give him his name. The appropriate way chosen by God to reveal this to him was by an angel through a dream.

At the time of Christ's birth, the people in the Americas received the announcement directly by way of a new and brilliant star in the heavens. Everyone there saw the announcement. This was foretold to them five years earlier by the prophet Samuel, who proclaimed this announcement upon the walls of Zarahemla. That announcement was not received well. At the birth of Jesus, the star appeared to everyone, whether they wanted to acknowledge it or not. Some believed, but most did not, even with such a powerful announcement and fulfillment of prophecy.

In the holy land at the birth of the Savior, it is not recorded that anyone saw this special star. Instead, the announcement of the Savior's birth was especially focused towards a humble and lowly group of people: the shepherds in the hills near Bethlehem. To them the angel of the Lord appeared, to their utter amazement, and announced: "Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger." Luke 2:10-12. Along with this announcement, they were blessed to hear the heavenly choirs singing, praising the Lord and declaring peace. What an amazing announcement! And then they were blessed to come and see the baby Jesus, the night He was born.

Next, after the baby Jesus was eight days old, as He was taken to the temple for the sacrifice to be made at the time of circumcision, two blessed people also announced the coming of our Savior. Simeon received a promise that he would see the Redeemer before he died and received the announcement through the Holy Ghost when and where this promise was to be fulfilled. He proclaimed: "For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people; A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel." Luke 2:30-32  Anna, identified as a prophetess came to the Holy family and "gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake of him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem." Luke 2:38 Nothing specific is said about her knowing about the coming of the Savior, but she, a prophetess, came "in that instant," which can be assumed also came to her as a glorious announcement by the Spirit of God.

The wise men saw the star, presumably the same star that was seen in the Americas at the time of Christ's birth. They said that they saw it "in the East." I imagine that these wise men traveled very far indeed and journeyed probably for the space of about two years from the east after seeing the star. When they inquired at Herod's court, the appearance of the star was unknown to those at Jerusalem as they had to ask how long ago it was that these wise men had seen the star in the east. This miraculous star did once again appear to the wise men at this time, after leaving Jerusalem heading towards Bethlehem as instructed, leading them to where Mary and Joseph and the child Jesus lived in their house and they presented their gifts to the Holy Child. These men had received the wondrous announcement twice, each by the new star, once at the time of Jesus' birth and again about two years later after they arrived at Jerusalem. There is no written word stating that any others saw this star the second time in the Holy Land.

The fact that Herod chose to kill all male children two years and younger leads me to believe that the appearance of these wise men in Jerusalem came at about the time Jesus was two years old. After the visit of the Wise men to see the Savior, they were visited in a dream, and instructed to avoid Herod in their return to their homeland.

The coming birth of the Savior into the world was to bring about the great atoning sacrifice - desperately needed by this fallen world. This was prophesied to many prophets many years before His appearance in the flesh. One such announcement was made to the prophet and king Benjamin about 124 years before the birth of Christ, in the Americas. He also received this announcement by way of an angel, who proclaimed: "Awake, and hear the words which I shall tell thee; for behold, I am come to declare unto you the glad tidings of great joy. ... For behold, the time cometh, and is not far distant, that with power, the Lord Omnipotent who reigneth, who was, and is from all eternity to all eternity, shall come down from heaven among the children of men, and shall dwell in a tabernacle of clay, and shall go forth amongst men, ... And he shall be called Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Father of heaven and earth, the Creator of all things from the beginning; and his mother shall be called Mary." Mosiah 3:3, 5, 8 This is an example of God announcing to His prophets (and prophetesses), preparing the world to receive their Savior.

How can I appreciate the grand announcement of my Savior? It is by reading the wondrous words of the scriptures accompanied by the witness of the Holy Ghost. The scriptures quoted in this writing are an example, and lead one to learn what the coming of Jesus into the world really means. It is up to me - up to everyone - especially at this season of celebrating the coming of the Savior, to apply the meaning of the wondrous announcements God has given us, leading us to our blessed Redeemer and the peace announced by the angels of old: "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men." Luke 2:14

Fall 2016 Family and Europe Trip - part 4 - Germany from Ravensburg north to Denmark

After our visit with Elise, we left Ravensburg and headed out on the road towards Stuttgart and on to Mannheim.  We first went to Meersburg to see about buying a cuckoo clock.


Walking up an alleyway in Meersburg

We spent a little time in that beautiful old town of Meersburg, visiting several stores, then headed out for the long drive north. We found the home of the Zepp family and visited with Mathias and his brother, then with his parents. We spoke German at first, and then, after his parents came, we spoke English. His mother lived in America for a while and he worked for the American Army on the base there until it closed. It was nice seeing him again.


Our Elder Zepp in Mannheim

After that, we headed on the road to Siegen and arrived there when it was getting dark.


Siegen in the misty evening (from our hotel window)

We got up and had breakfast there and left to find some cities of my ancestors. We went through Freudenberg and took some pictures,

Here is a picture looking through some homes of Freudenberg looking into the hills. Notice the city coat of arms on the garbage bins in the foreground.



In Freudenberg

then on to Oberfischbach. The navigator (Siri) on the phone had a fun time pronouncing the German names in American fashion, especially "Oberfischbacher Strasse". We picked up some postcards at one of the places where we stopped.


Oberfischbach - see the distinctive shale shingles



The Oberfischbach church

Our Buchanan ancestor, Anne Margrethe Bach was born here and probably christened and married in this church, or it predecessor. One date on the church shows the tower as being built in 1793 and our Bach ancestors left the area in 1737. Anne Margrethe's maiden name was Hansmann. There is some question whether it is Hausmann or Hansmann. All my former records show Hausmann, but recent research seems to indicate that it should be Hansmann. He parents were married here also, and the original record says that he, Hermann Hansmann (or Hausmann) was from Rossel/Dattenfeld in a region about 30 miles west of here.

From there, we headed out to try to find Dattenfeld and Rossel. [Note: We have quite a few pictures from Rossel and Dattenfeld, so I may later make a separate blog just for them. A few are included here to illustrate the story here.] We found Dattenfeld OK and spent some time taking pictures in and around the old Catholic Church there where my Hansmann ancestors attended and were christened.




Inside the Dattenfeld Catholic Church

From there, we tried to find a way to Rossel, but the construction was such that we went up and down several roads (including a road that was closed - a truck driver stopped us and made us turn back). After trying another road that was wrong, a man on a motorcycle came towards us and asked what we were looking for. He was amazed that we asked about the village of Rossell. He was from there and offered to show us the way and visit with us there.


Following Karl on his Motorcycle towards Rossel

We followed him for about 30 minutes and after a very long diversion around the construction, through some beautiful countryside, we entered Rossel. He took us to his home and offered us something to drink and we had a nice visit with him. His name is Karl Roos and he was once the head of the historical organization there and had collected quite a bit about the history of the town. He said that he was delivered as a baby by a man named Hansmann. He showed us numerous records and books. none of them showed Hausmann as a name, but rather Hansmann, so I am pretty sure that is how out family name is spelled. He asked me to help him with the translation of a document he had. He also offered to have a friend of his, named Hansmann, who has been doing research in the family, to contact us.


Karl and his antique tractor

Karl took us on a walking tour of the old part of the village and showed us where some of the old buildings stood. He had hoped to show us a house that had belonged to a Hansmann, but was not able to do that. He was truly a blessing for us. We traded contact information and after showing us an overlook area, we parted company.


Karl taking us on a walking tour of old Rossel





We headed out and went on our way to Hamm. We stopped in Waldbröl to fill up the gas tank and contacted sister Upmeier, then went on and met the Upmeiers at their place in Hamm. They served us some afternoon tea and after a nice visit, (and helping us get our laundry done) we had a tour of their yard and the served some Abendbrot, then we turned in for the night.


The Upmeiers and I in front of the Hamm chapel

We had breakfast with the Upmeiers and then we went with them to the Hamm church building and looked around. It was a nice building, much better than the rented hall where we met as a branch 46 years ago when I first met the Upmeiers.

We then left, heading out to Oldenburg to see Tobias Schipper and family. They live in Westerschede. He set up and paid for a hotel room for us.


The hotel where we stayed in Westerstede

After giving a us a tour of their house and our visit with the family, we went back to the hotel. We walked about a bit, meeting up with the family there and looking at a store for some lace curtains. We walked around a bit more, then went to Bad Zwischenahn and visited with Tobias' mother and had some tea with her and had a nice visit.


The Schipper Family (Cecilie was running around at the time)

 After that, Tobias took us on a walk around the city and to the lake. After going back, we went on to the school in Westerschede where Johanna and her Kindergarten class put on a presentation. The children played the parts of hedgehogs who lived in a garbage dump, some of whom found old guitars and became rock stars until they were injured in a car crash. (I am not making this up.) Their daughter is the one in the back between the green and blue guitars.


Hedgehogs as rock stars

We watched that and then went back into town to walk around some, spending time at the lake at Bad Zwischenahn.


 We met up with Simone and Cecilie and Johanna at a restaurant and has a nice Serbian dinner with them.


After our dinner and visit, we went back to our hotel and said our goodbyes to Tobias.

The next morning, we headed out towards Hamburg and on to Denmark. We had originally planned on driving up the Danish peninsula and then over the bridge to the Sjælland island, but the traffic information on the said it would be faster to take the ferry across from Fehmarn over to the island. It would be more expensive, but we were planning on coming back that way anyway, so we did it. We needed to be at the hotel by 4 PM.. We got there OK and paid about $180 for a round trip ticket to Denmark on the Ferry.




Yes, we do believe in Ferries! (an old family joke)

This report is continued in the next blog entry - on into Denmark!