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Monday, December 26, 2011
Sunday, December 4, 2011
First Post from the Philippines - MTC through December 4th
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| Here's where we are headed |
We entered the MTC on Monday the 7th of November. We were happy that the first couple we met were the Cardons who would be serving with our friends, the Kennedy’s, in Bolivia. Kennedy's had asked us to watch for them.
The MTC was amazing in that we found ourselves mingling with thousands who would eventually spread around the world to bring hope, light and service. How marvelous, inspiring, and a little intimidating to be among them. The Elders and Sisters there are representative of those pressing forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope and a love of God and of all men, feasting upon the word of Christ. (II Nephi 31:20) These words are from the scripture we had put on our missionary plaque in the Cody 2nd Ward.
The week was a whirlwind of study with Preach My Gospel as the focus. We learned to invite, testify and receive commitments to pray, study and seek promised blessings of our Father in Heaven through acceptance of the restored Gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end. (PMG page 1)
The most joyous moment was when Ron, the wonderful husband of our Granddaughter Auna, found us. We only had a few minutes to talk, but it was great! We are confident he must be the best teacher at the MTC!
We enjoyed a bonus weekend after the MTC and got to see Greg and Natalie and Meghan and Jeff and their families. A snow storm kept Parrishes and us from attending the children’s sacrament meeting presentation in Evanston, but we did manage to get there later in the day.
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| Bags are packed and loaded - Meghan and Bodee to take us to the airport! |
Our flight left Salt Lake City on Monday the 14th of November. We arrived in Cebu City on Wednesday at 11:45. Brother and Sister Ernstrom, the office mission couple, were at the airport to pick us up. President and Sister Schumtz were out of town but had invited us to use the mission home on the temple complex Wednesday night. We were told that the zone leaders from Toledo would be coming early on Thursday morning. They had received directions from President Schmutz to “get the Dovers settled in”. Our four bags and two carry-ons had been packed to meet the 50 pound and 17 pound flight weight limits respectively, so we spent some time compacting our luggage, emptying and flattening several bags so that we would be able to get our luggage, the Elders and ourselves into the car for the drive to Toledo.
We have been very blessed to have had the help of the zone leaders, Elder Hardin from Utah and Elder Culala from the Manila area. Elder Hardin and Elder Culala left Toledo around 6 am that Thursday morning to be able to meet us at the temple complex in Cebu by nine and ride back with us to Toledo. Elder Hardin suggested that Elder Dover let him drive. It would give Elder Dover a chance to observe the techniques of driving here. Elder Dover reluctantly agreed. He had been ready to jump in and go for it!
The Elders shopped with us Thursday afternoon and Friday as we found the appliances the house needed and became familiar with the town. On Saturday morning they came, with the other two Elders in Toledo, Elder Payo and Elder Serrano, and helped clean the house. Dad and I had used our last ounce of energy the previous evening to get the mops, buckets etc. that we would need to take advantage of their help. These Elders absolutely kept us from despair. I spent my time changing water and giving directions. They were amazing.
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| Cleaning Up! Elders Hardin, Culala, Serrano and Payo |
FLOW: It does not matter where the lines on a road are painted, or how many official lanes there are—flow with the traffic. If there are only two painted lanes for traffic, but there are four lanes of vehicles, don’t worry about it – flow.
PICK: Whichever driver can pick (place) any portion of his vehicle in front of another vehicle, the successful (first) picker has the right of way. The slow learner who waits in a queue for a break in traffic is bound to spend much of his traffic life in queues. All it takes is a little courage coupled with a small portion of bumper or fender picked in front of another vehicle, and you have right of way. Of course it works both ways.
PICK AND FLASH: This applies when you face another vehicle head-on with room only for one lane of traffic. As two vehicles approach each other and it is not sure who can win the race to the one lane, the “pick” is won by the car that flashes its headlights first.
THE NO-SEE-CHICKEN: This is similar to the not too smart, Western,teenage automobile game of “Chicken”. I don’t even want to go there with Dick Sturgis’s explanation. Elder Dover has been doing great driving. Even the young Elders have been impressed by his “pick” skills. However, we daily make “safe driving” a serious part of our prayers.
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| This most common form of transportation and our car are generally the only vehicles in the church parking lot on Sunday. Eight missionaries are know to pile into and onto one of these and ride several miles for 7 pesos each (about 17 cents ). |
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| Elder Dover picks his way through traffic very effectively and carefully |
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| This vehicle transports people back and forth from Balamban and Toledo for a fee |
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| A great place to hang wash! |
Our outdoor washing machine - it's small but it's a WASHING MACHINE!
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| Thank goodness for the safe, inexpensive and good food – including all you can eat rice – at Inasal |
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| First tropical fruit purchases – mangos and papaya are about 50 cents each |
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| Washing fruit in a Clorox solution for safe eating |
We have learned that the luck involved with the“black” ants is that we are lucky they are not red. Red ants bite. So now we understand. We are learning to live with them.
Sunday was a marathon. Why do people run marathons and love them? Probably a true answer to that question would explain a little why we have decided to offer support to both branch one and two in Toledo City. The people are wonderful and excited for a Sister and Elder to be in their branch. How can we attend only one? We were at the church from 8:45 am to 7:30pm. This included choir practice for next weeks district conference and meeting with President Honoridez, of branch one.
Our first Sunday in Toledo, we were given the opportunity to share testimonies in both sacrament meetings. This week we sang a duet in Sunday School. We received this invitation just prior to Sacrament meeting. It actually went well. An older couple, Brother and Sister Dela Cruz, sang “Because We Have Been Given Much,” later in the lesson. They sang with all their hearts. It was a joy to hear.
Monday, November 26th, we drove with Elder Hardin and Elder Culala to a district meeting in Pungamungajon. Elder Santia gave the study lesson. He has never given a lesson in English before but spoke in English just for us. He gave a wonderful lesson on involving the ward or branch in missionary work. Afterwards Elder Hardin told us that he is a wonderful and dedicated missionary. It really showed. The 30 minute drive there took us on less traveled roads and along the coast. It was very pretty.
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| Reporting successes at a district meeting - getting us settled in that first week was a large part of the success reported by Elders Culala and Hardin |
It is P Day for the Elders Wednesday and we are having them over for an all-you-can-eat rice and pancake breakfast. Elder Hardin is especially excited about it. We will dedicate the house after.
While in Cebu last week, I picked up a keyboard that had been returned. I offered to play this week for the Primary of branch one. They are learning “He Sent his Son” to sing in church, but it has been hard using just a CD. They have a very capable Primary president who is also teaching the music. The second branch has a new Primary President, she is the wife to the branch President. I had someone ask her if she would like help with music in their branch. I didn’t want to ask myself, because I was afraid she would feel obligated to say “yes” if I were standing there. I will begin teaching music to the children during sharing time in two weeks. She seemed very excited about it. Apparently she told the children that Sister Dover would teach them music and they were very excited. They all certainly gave us bright smiles when we greeted them in the hall.
There are two lovely young adults (Noriene and Adalie) who have decided to become our adopted daughters. They came by for the second time last night. With us, they are members of the branch one choir. One is a recent convert. I asked if they would like me to get out the keyboard. They were excited to do so. We all sang a few songs together. They have nice voices. To hear them sing “I am a Child of God” with the Cebuano accent and the purity of their testimony in their hearts was so very touching.
I will also be giving piano lessons to the Magbago Family. President Magbago is a counselor in the District presidency. He and his family were among those who helped to paint the outside of the house before we arrived. He sought us out and welcomed us the first week we were here.
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| The Magbagos, President Rainier Magbago, his wife Norene, daughter Keana and son Kennan |
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| A gift from the Magbago's for teaching piano - it was in a very nicely flavored sauce - President Magbago even cracked it for us |
No more negative commentary on where WE are living (the following descriptions of the living conditions of the three families will explain why).
The first family lives in a traditional style Philippine hut. It is one small room with a small porch and is on stilts. The floor is bamboo strips with half inch spaces between them. I was afraid to have all of us pull ourselves up to the porch. I really thought it would collapse. The thatched roof is badly in need of repair. The roof was covered in 2003 by missionaries. The entire hut stands in need of repair. The father daily pedals a badly, worn rented trisikad. He rents the trisikad for 30 pesos a day. He brings home – on a good day – about 100 pesos. That is about $2.50. There are five children. The oldest daughter was turning 14, but there would be no celebration or special gifts for her. The youngest child is a baby of two months. This family would like to come to church but have no money to do so. They live quite a ways from the chapel. They have no electricity and could not afford to use it if they did.
The second family has a concrete home. They seem to be doing alright, but they have a 29 year old daughter with some serious health problems resulting they think from trauma to the head when she was little.
The third family faces many of the challenges of the first one. They live in a larger hut. It is ground level but dark. The parents and two older girls are currently all unemployed. The girls were working at a bar fairly close to our home. It is the source of the drums and singing we vaguely hear at night. The girls would like to get work in a store in Cebu City, but lack funds necessary to submit government forms required for such applications. The father works with cement but can not find jobs. These are, we believe,typical of challenges faced by many members of the church here and are not easily resolved. We are prayerfully considering some ideas that may be of help to these families.
Today, December the 4th, was District Conference. The Toledo first Branch choir had been invited to present three musical numbers. These brothers and sisters have been so dedicated. We have never before attended several three hour long choir practices. They sang with spirit. I could not help but be touched with the rendition of “With Faith in Every Footstep.” This choir represented the evidence of the spread of the gospel that the song celebrates and our forefathers worked to assist in bringing to pass. I especially enjoyed the talks given by the Area Authority presiding over the conference, Elder Perez. He is an amazing and gifted teacher, teaching with scripture, humor and inspiration of the Holy Ghost. However, President Schmutz’s talks were equally inspiring. President Schmutz has a wonderful way of simplifying English so that his very entertaining stories seemed to be understood by all. Yet he wasn’t talking down. Perhaps, it was his prayers that the people would understand through the Holy Spirit that made that understanding happen.
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| Front row left to right: Kent Lebumfacil, Elder Realubit, Elder Serrano, Melora H. Alec, Noriene M. Cabatuan, Bless Alec, Mitzi Honoridez, Marilyn Prajes, Roquelyn Paje, Lovely Canilla and Beverly Dela Cruz Second row: Elder Dover, Elder Payo, Gilbert Dela Cruz, Laura Dela Cruz, Elyira Nillas, Adalei Pacquiao, Sister Dover and Anacorita D. Marcapobre Top row: Elder Hardin, Elder Abbott, Elder Culala |
Melora H. Alec serves as Relief Society President of the Toledo 1st Branch.
Gilbert Dela Cruz helped accompany the choir as did his sister Beverly. He is getting ready to submit mission papers.
Mitzi Honoridez and Marilyn Prajes visited three inactive families with us. They are both return missionaries. Mitzie thinks Ron Doria, our grandson-in-law, was in her mission.
Tomorrow is December 5th. Elder Dover and I have some planning to do as we enter our third week in Toledo.
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Plans For a Full Time Mission
Pictured above is the reaction of the Arizona Crew to Mark’s big announcement. “Our home will be sold and we will go on a full time 23 month mission having no ‘house’ concerns. “
Pres. Nielson owns the missionary apartments in Cody and reserves them for the exclusive use of the Mural missionaries. We contacted him asking if we could move into one early and stay a little longer after the summer mural mission. He had one question for us, “Which apartment do you want?” We now had the perfect opportunity to prepare for that planned full time mission!
Our call
came on Saturday July 9th. Previous to submitting our mission
application, Mark had explored the Current Opportunities for Senior couples
site and had discovered that an assistant area auditor was needed in the
Caribbean, in Trinidad. His experience seemed perfect. We had lived in Puerto Rico for several years
and thought that Trinidad would be similar in many ways to Puerto Rico. Mark
contacted the church-auditing department. They contacted the Area Presidency in
the Caribbean and after several rounds of emails and phone calls our names were
flagged for that assignment.
There is a box in the final step on a mission application for Sr. Couples that questions, “Will you go where the Lord wants you to go?” We checked the box because - other than a personal preference - there really was no need to stipulate an area of service and we were willing to go where the Lord wanted us to go. So we were surprised.
Our call
came as a surprise!!
We immediately called the church audit department and were told they were as surprised as we were about our call, but that this did happen. Most likely we wouldn’t be in the Philippines long before we would know why we had been called there’
Now Filipino connections came into our life. We met a returned missionary who many years earlier had served in the Northern part of the Philippines in a Vietnamese refugee camp. She said, “Expect miracles.” Our Granddaughter had married a young man of Filipino descent. We could not have more love, respect and admiration for him and his family.
We met a couple who had spent much time preparing power point presentations for the training of branch auxiliary leaders during their much loved mission in the Philippines. They sent us a memory stick with all their presentations on it. What a marvelous tool they gave us.
We were told that we would experience a cultural shock when we arrived in the Philippines, but the greater shock would be when we returned. One friend suggested that our sentiments might echo Dorothy's . . . "Toto, we're not in Kansas (Wyoming ) anymore!"
We were told of wonderful tropical fruit but because of parasites it would have to be washed in Clorox and rinsed in boiled or filtered water before it could be eaten. Our clothes would be washed by hand and air-dried.
Easy solution, our daughter Mindy thoughtfully provided us with “The Breathing Mobil Washer”. It is a revamp of an old patent from the late 1800s. It looks a lot like a toilet plunger. There is a metal one on display with other Pioneer artifacts in the Big Horn Basin Room adjoining the Cody Mural.
One day Elder Vaughn Featherstone and his wife visited the mural. Elder Featherstone had served many years earlier in the Philippine/Micronesia area Presidency. It was a heart softening opportunity to speak one-on-one with Sister Featherstone about their Philippine experiences. She began by saying; “We send our green barets to the Philippines.” My thought was “But I was applying for an office job.” She concluded by saying how wonderful the people are. How eagerly they accept the gospel, but how very much they need guidance in making it a real part of their lives. She said, “Love them, just love them.”
When last in Utah, we had dinner with a friend whose son, Kit, had recently completed a mission on an island just West of Cebu. Our daughter, Meghan, and her husband went with us. As Kit told of his mission experiences and showed pictures of the country side and the people’s living conditions, Meghan’s mouth visibly dropped. Finally in a hushed voice she stated, “ Mom, you are so in trouble.” I could laugh, knowing that my heart was softening and that we would certainly not be alone in our service. Later we were deeply moved by Kit’s testimony of love for the people, the work and of God.
We received a letter from our mission President counseling us to continue preparing for missionary service through prayer and gospel study.
Reading the book, Yearning for the Living God, by Elder Enzio Bushe, who was for many years a member of the 1st Quorum of Seventy, was another heart softening experience and I believe I found at least one reason for our call to the Philippines. Before joining the church as a young man in post war Germany, Elder Bushe had set two conditions: 1 - that he never have a calling and 2 - that he never be asked to give a talk. In the book he states:
I have since learned that
Heavenly Father has His own ways to educate us and lead us toward growth. Everything we do has to come step by step,
but it does not come without sacrifice.
We may feel serving is a sacrifice.
However, when we really submit ourselves to the will of God, we learn
that, in serving Him, He immediately turns our sacrifices into blessings. When we are on a spiritual plateau, it is
necessary for us to understand that we cannot go beyond that plateau until we
increase our level of sacrifice and our ability to move one step further. Such was the case with me when I finally gave
my first talk, which led to a new level of spirituality and understanding ,
accompanied by a greater level of faith.
P. 92
We prepared a special “Why we are going on a
mission Box” for younger grandchildren who may ask, “When will Grandma and
Grandpa be back? It explains that we
want to teach others what is of most value to us: that Jesus is our Savior and
that Families can be together forever.
We filled the boxes with little candies that the children know are
always found in Grandma’s bag. Each
Sunday, they may have one candy. When
the candy is gone, they will know that we will be back soon.
We
have tried to be in touch with friends to let them know of our plans. It has been fun to get their responses.
On
Sunday, October 30, 2011, we were set apart by Elder Fred Hopkins, Stake
President of the Cody Wyoming Stake, as full time missionaries for The Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints to labor in the Philippines, Cebu
Mission. It was an inspirational
experience. We are grateful for blessings promised as we serve.
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| Mark's new mission suit |
This suit was put on for the first time to wear when we were set apart. Mark will wear it in the MTC and on the plane. Once in the Philippines, the coat will be hung in a closet in the mission home and given back to him to wear home 23 months later. Do you like me taking the picture in the background? I couldn't figure out any other way to quickly get us both in a "setting apart" photo.
We will enter the MTC on Monday, November 7 and begin week one of our mission and this Opportunity of a Lifetime (title of the October 2011 Priesthood Session General Conference address of Elder W. Christopher Waddell of the Seventy).
Favorite Cody Mural Missionary Experiences
As mural missionaries, our prayers often expressed the hope that those whose hearts would be touched by seeing the mural will be guided to it. Former neighbors of ours came to Cody this summer for a family reunion and stopped to see the mural. Their son told us that on his mission he had baptized someone who had visited the mural. He felt that this man had first been willing to listen to the gospel message because of the spirit he had felt there.
We had
the opportunity to show the Mural to a senior couple from Green Valley, AZ. The husband didn’t seem very interested. He casually
walked around as he patiently waited for his wife, who was interested in my
telling of the stories the panels portrayed. Mark was busy with other visitors,
but when they left, Mark began to visit with him. He told Mark that nearly all the men in his
wife’s family were ministers – her father, brothers, brothers-in-law, etc. He lightheartedly
told Mark that his wife was bound to be preaching to me, and that she had
probably converted me to Lutheranism. However, when we came around the corner
returning to the mural area from the Big Horn Basin room, Mark observed, “Well,
it looks to me like your wife is now carrying a Book of Mormon.” This man just laughed out loud because the
joke was on him and he was surprised.
We greeted a very receptive couple who
came in about 5:30 and told us that they had family members who were members of
the church. They wanted to visit these family members and get to know them
better, so they wanted to learn about our church. They mentioned that divisions in the family had
occurred when a nephew had joined the Church and married a young woman from
Ogden. This young man’s parents, non-members, were not able to attend the
temple wedding. We asked our visitors
what their time restraints were. They replied, “You close at seven, we
understand.” What a choice opportunity
to talk about the gospel. We exchanged hugs and handshakes at seven as they
left taking a Book of Mormon with them.
They are currently traveling and living in a motor home. Before purchasing it, they spent four years
living in a forty-foot yacht of the coast of Florida.
We had a delightful family from Idaho
Falls come into the mural. They were not members of the church, but had Latter-day
Saint friends who had suggested they visit the Mural while in Cody. They had a
polite nine-year-old son, Geoffrey, and a cute little three-year-old. The mother just had her breath taken away
when she walked into the mural area. She
thought it that amazing. As I
told a little of the early history of the church, she would nod. You could sense her empathy as I talked about
the persecution. Later she said, “I
wonder what comes first, faith or perseverance?” I thought that an excellent observation. Geoffrey was asked to be the one to leave a
comment on the visitor cards. He took
that opportunity very seriously and wrote, “I thought the mural was really
amazing and the history of this church is so rich.” The mother stated that she had learned much
she hadn’t known.
We had two men from England visit. They had flown into Salt Lake City and rented a car for a three-week trip. They would fly back to England from the Midwest somewhere. They had become somewhat familiar with Church history while in Salt Lake, but they still lingered for over a half hour. While they were there, two men from Cedar City joined us. The people from England were interested in hearing from these men about a friend who had come to the Big Horn Basin with a group of LDS setters in 1900. He had been seven at the time.
Several
years before his death in 1998, someone had brought him back to visit the
Basin. They had found the house he grew
up in. This man commented about the
little tree they had planted and wondered where the huge tree they saw in the
yard had come from. He said that the
little tree had been planted close to the wire fence that had run around their
yard. Looking carefully at the tree, they found wire protruding from its
trunk. Their friend could hardly believe
such a huge tree had grown from the little one they had planted.
In
addition to the mural, we showed a room of wonderful paintings and other
displays, including a topography map of the Big Horn Basin. This room tells some pretty interesting
stories of the settlement here. The two
men had come specifically to see that room.
Mark’s
family from the Johnson side came to the Big Horn Basin in 1903. They were trying to escape the grief of
having two daughters, a two year old and seven year old, die from a type of
diphtheria, during the same night. They had been living in southern Utah. This
was Grandma Ilene Dover’s mother’s family. Her mother, Naomi Johnson Brown, was
10 at time they came.
Above
the door, high on the domed ceiling, one sees, as he leaves the Mural
area, strong, solemn faces representing
the Mormon pioneers who blazed a trail across a trackless desert to a desolate
valley. They display the same spirit
which characterized the founders of this nation. They gave the world an example of initiative,
of cooperation, of endurance and of faith. Faith in God and steadfast loyalty
to their country were the ideals and cornerstones with which they built our
heritage. These are the characteristics upon which Mormonism was founded; these
are the principles of freedom everywhere.
True principles are eternal and unchanging. These same characteristics must be enshrined
in our hearts if freedom is to be preserved.
Tomorrow and the future are ours.
Lest We Forget from The Cody Mural
A pictorial history of Mormonism
We especially loved showing this Mural to those whose first glimpse of it brought an audible catch in their breath -- for these were the visitors most likely to sense the testimony of Christ and restoration of truth that Edward Grigware painted into these panals.
Thomas
S. Monson, President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, has
said, “Too numerous to mention are the
examples of individuals who have faced difficult circumstances and yet who have
persevered and prevailed because their faith in the gospel and in the Savior
has given them the strength they needed.”
While
sitting alone one day in the mural area, the thought came to me that art is a
representation of experience, and that great art magnificently conveys the
noblest of strivings within that experience.
When first shown this area, Mr. Grigware at one point ceased listening to the discussion of how this space might be used. It is reported that he said, “It has no beginning and no end. It goes to Heaven. If you would let me, I could paint the masterpiece of my life here.” He did consider it his masterpiece.
Mark and I, with so very many others, consider this mural truly to be great art. It has been an inspiration to us. It has been a joy to see it become an inspiration to many, many visitors who see it during their stay in Cody. A visitor from Fort Myers, Florida signed a comment card saying, “ My heart was lifted by my visit here. Thank you for sharing the beauty and inspiration of your church and artwork.
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| 2009 Mural Appreciation Dinner Back to Front Vaughn and Cheryl Cook Mark and Merrillyn Dover Bill and Yvonne Nielson Mel and Doreen Weeks Ken and Pam Taylor |
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| 2011 Mural Appreciation Dinner Back to Front Marilyn and Peter Hansen Barbara and Dee Stephenson Merrillyn and Mark Dover Yvonne and Bill Nielson (Patsy and Veldon Seymore were unable to join us that night but are featured in the next photo) |
Cody Mural Visitor Center Missionaries
It has been a wonderful opportunity to spend
the summers of 2009 and 2011 in Cody getting away from the summer heat of
Arizona and serving as missionaries at the Mural. The mural was completed in 1951. Mark
remembers watching the Mural being painted.
Wear a basic black outfit with some sort of antennas. Then get about a thousand of your friends and family to dress the same and then – together - descend on someone’s party.
There is a web site, www.codymural.com, that is well done, presents the mural in good detail, and tells a little of it’s history.
This Mural
is a less known treasure of church history. Reproduction of several of its
panels, including a portrayal of the miracle of the seagulls in the Salt Lake
Valley in 1868, has made the art feel familiar to first time LDS visitors. It is an impressive story to the many who
visit and hear it for the first time at the Mural.
Incidentally,
we gained some additional insight into the story of the crickets. It came in the form of a question.
“How do
you dress for Halloween as a Mormon cricket?”
Answer
Wear a basic black outfit with some sort of antennas. Then get about a thousand of your friends and family to dress the same and then – together - descend on someone’s party.
There is a web site, www.codymural.com, that is well done, presents the mural in good detail, and tells a little of it’s history.
The
Mural was commissioned by Glen E. Nielson in commemoration of a significant
spiritual experience he had when seeking financial backing for a business
endeavor. It was painted by Edward T. Grigware.
Mr. Grigware was already a nationally
recognized artist when he moved to Cody in the late 1930s. He would eventually be commissioned to paint
the Garden Room in the Los Angeles temple.
When
commissioned to paint the Cody mural, he knew little about the church. For a year he studied – learning of its
doctrine and history--traveling to many historic sites with the Bishop of the
Cody Ward. The mural then required
another year to complete. Mr. Grigware
stated that what he
painted “was the love and admiration he held in his heart for this
indomitable people.”
A
frequently asked question was if he
joined the church. Several years ago a
mural missionary documented an interesting story regarding that question.
This
missionary was eating lunch at the Senior Citizen Center when a lady approached and introduced
herself. She told this missionary that she and her husband had been close
friends of the Grigwares. She said, “I watched Ed as he studied your church and
painted your mural. He changed.” She
continued saying that Ed’s wife, who was dying of cancer, saw the change also
and was afraid that he would join the Mormon Church. Before her death, she asked him to promise
her that he would not join. He promised.
She then
added, “I have a son who joined your
church. He changed. Your
church makes people change."
Summer 1961
A trip
to Cody, Wyoming with my young women’s group from the Montpelier, Idaho 3rd
Ward to see the Mural in the Cody 1st Ward chapel was an exciting
adventure. My younger sister, Kiera, was
going, too. We would also see a performance of the Passion Play produced
annually in Rapid City, South Dakota. Oh,
to have had a crystal ball and know how special people in Cody and the mural
would become to me.
Guess
timing wasn’t right. We would meet at
BYU, fall semester of 1965. The rest is a delightful history!
Mark
lived just a block from the chapel. His
mom told him that a group of girls from Idaho were spending the night in the
basement of the chapel and suggested that he and some of his friends might go
welcome them to Cody. He didn’t.
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