Friday, October 31, 2008

Nursing Home Visits

Today I went to visit the saints in one of the nursing homes in Town. I sat to visit with one of my favorite couples. She asked me if I had a copy of the Koran. I told her I didn't, and she handed me one they'd found when they were doing some more sorting and clearing out at their home earlier this week. It belonged to her father-in-law. I expressed surprise, and she explained that he was intellectually curious and collected all kinds of books. I turned to her husband, who is always reading, and said, "So, you come by it naturally."
He grinned, and then asked me if he had ever told me about his father, H, going to Utah to evangelize the Mormons. About 1902 H and a friend had gone out to Utah by covered wagon (they thought that would make them more acceptable to the Mormons). They did a lot of speaking, drew large crowds, and converted no one. I pointed out that at least they didn't become Mormon. Years later, D and C took their sons out and retraced H's journey.
I love these stories. H was also a leader in the church, which was unusual, because he was English. He was the first one to write the minutes in English. I enjoy hearing these stories, and learning more about the saints here. These glimpses into their history are great gifts.

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