"All Is Well"

There are two hymns that the Mormon Tabernacle Choir is known for, The Battle Hymn of the Republic and Come, Come, Ye Saints. If you have heard either rendition, then you have had a treat, if not, then you have missed out on some great performances. Come, Come, Ye Saints has become an anthem of the Mormon Church. What follows is the story of how it came to be.

 The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints did not come to be headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, by happenstance; instead, thousands of Americans, and Mormon immigrants from Europe, went west in 1846 hoping to find peace and safety.

The Church had originally been organized in Fayette, New York in 1830, but local persecutions soon led the members of this new religion to move in the winter of 1831-32 -- it was always in winter, it seemed -- to Kirtland, Ohio. At the same time, a branch of the Church was organized in Jackson County, Missouri.

In July of 1833 the old settlers in Independence, Missouri began to agitate. Violence broke out as mobs attacked Mormon settlements. In January the Church agreed to leave the county by April 1, 1834. The Mormons moved north to newly organized Clay County.  In Kirtland, things began to turn sour in 1837. The bank panic of that year caused the failure of the Church's Kirtland Safety Society, and anti-bank. The resulting bad feelings led many to leave the Church and fight against it. So, again in winter, the Mormons began leaving for Missouri.  

Their stay in the "show me state" would not be a long one, for soon the Missourians were agitating again. once more violence broke out and Mormon settlements were attacked. Governor Lilburne Boggs signed an "extermination order" against the Mormons and The main settlement at Far West was laid under siege. The winter brought another involuntary migration, this time east to Illinois.

At first the Illini were generous in their welcome of the refugees and the Mormons were allowed to build the city of Nauvoo. But, again, it was only a matter of time before the citizens of another state began to agitate against the Mormons. In June of 1844 the president of the Church, Joseph Smith, was murdered by a mob in the jail at Carthage. A year later, the depredations began. 

When the shock of the murder of their beloved Joseph had eased and it became clear that the Church was not going to disintegrate from the loss of its founder, the Illini again grew restless. Fields of grain were burned, cattle were driven off, then houses on the outskirts of Nauvoo were destroyed. Under these circumstances, Brigham Young and the other leaders of the Church decided that the time had come to seek out a place where the Mormons could live in peace, unmolested by mobs and prejudiced politicians.

So, in the fall of 1845, the Church began to make preparations for the westward migration. The Mormons once again agreed to leave their homes, this time in the spring of 1846. But, strangely, the Illini grew impatient, and two events prompted the Church to make an early departure. The first was the indictment of Brigham Young and eight other leaders on baseless charges of counterfeiting. The second was a warning by Governor Thomas Ford and others that federal troops in St. Louis planned to intercept the Mormons and destroy them. It wasn't until years later that it was learned that this was nothing but a rumor started to hasten the exit of the hated Mormons.

The final decision to leave early was made on February 2, 1846, and the first company, with Brigham Young in the lead, crossed the Mighty Mississippi River on the 4th. A few days later the river froze sufficiently to support teams and wagons. The freezing temperatures were both a blessing and a curse; the frozen river expedited the movement, but the cold brought intense suffering.

One woman, Eliza R. Snow, wrote in her diary:

"I was informed that on the first night of the encampment, nine children were born into the world, and from that time, as we journeyed onward, mothers gave birth to offspring under almost every variety of circumstances imaginable, except those to which they had been accustomed; some in tents, others in wagons -- in rain-storms and in snow-storms. . . .

"Let it be remembered that the mothers of the wilderness-born babies were not savages accustomed to roam the forest and brave the storm and tempest . . . . Most of them were born and educated in the Eastern States -- had there embraced the gospel as taught by Jesus and his apostles, and for the sake of their religion, had gathered with the saints, and under trying circumstances had assisted, by their faith, patience and energies, in making Nauvoo what its name indicates, 'the beautiful.' There they had lovely homes, decorated with flowers and enriched with choice fruit trees, just beginning to yield plentifully.

"To these homes, without lease or sale, they had just bid a final adieu, and with what little of their substance could be packed into one, two, and in some instances, three wagons, had started out desertward, for -- where? To this question the only response at that time was, God knows."  

During the rest of February, 1846, three thousand people crossed the Mighty Mississippi, gathering to the camp at Sugar Creek. On the 14th it snowed, and on the 19th a northwest wind brought eight inches of snow, a very cold night, and "much suffering in the camp, for there were many who had no tents or any comfortable place to lodge: many tents were blown down, some of them were unfinished and had no ends." (Willard Richards, in History of the Church)

On March 1, 1846, the first company, with Brigham Young, departed Sugar Creek for the trail west. The original plan was to cross Iowa and the Great Plains and find a home in the Rocky Mountains. It did not take long for the harsh realities of the Iowa countryside to change that plan. It would take Brigham's "Camp of Israel" 131 days to cover the 300 miles across Iowa. One year later, Brigham's Pioneer Company would travel the 1,050 miles from the Missouri River to the Great Salt Lake in just 111 days. Inadequate preparation, lack of knowledgeable guides, delays, miserable weather, and difficult terrain made the Iowa journey one of the most trying in the Church's history.

Nevertheless, these hardy folk knew no such word as fail. The Iowa crossing simply hardened their resolve and provided invaluable experience for the future.

The "Camp of Israel," and the companies that followed in its wake, "traveled in a northwesterly direction, through a sparsely settled region between the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers. In the early days of the movement, snow lay on the ground to a depth of six or eight inches, and their canvas wagon covers offered little protection against the cold north winds.

"With the coming of spring, the snow melted, making travel even more difficult. There were no roads in the direction the Saints traveled; they had to build their own. At times the mud was so deep that three yoke of oxen were required to pull a load of five hundred pounds. Exhausted by a day of pushing and pulling, chopping wood for bridges, loading and unloading wagons, the travelers would find they had moved only a half dozen miles. Slush and rain made their camps veritable quagmires. Exposure to such conditions, together with improper nourishment, took a heavy toll of life.

"Burials along the way were frequent. Crude coffins were fashioned from cottonwood trees, brief services were held, and the loved ones of the deceased turned their faces and their teams westward, realizing they would never pass this way again. One wonders why these people did not become bitter and vindictive, particularly when they remembered their comfortable homes now ravaged and burned by the Illinois mob.

"But they lightened their sorrows with self-made pleasures. They had their own brass band, and they made good use of it. The settlers of Iowa were often amazed to see these pioneers clear a piece of land about their camp fires, and then dance and sing until the bugler sounded taps.

"When food became scarce, the pioneers found it necessary to trade precious possessions -- dishes, silverware, lace -- brought from the East or across the sea, for a little corn and salt pork. In this way the homes of many Iowa settlers were made more attractive and the Mormons were able to replenish their scant food supplies. Occasionally the brass band traveled out of its way a considerable distance to give a concert in a frontier settlement in order to add to the commissary.

"One of the remarkable features of this movement was the building of temporary settlements along the way. The pioneer company occasionally stopped long enough to clear, fence, plow, and plant large sections of ground. The leaders called for volunteers -- some to split rails for fences and bridges, others to remove trees, and others to plow and sow. A few cabins were built, and several families were detailed to remain and care for the crops. Then the pioneer company moved forward, leaving the crops for later companies to harvest.

"This spirit of mutual service and cooperation characterized the entire movement. Without this, the migration of twenty thousand people through the wilderness could have ended in disaster.

"Approximately three and a half months after leaving Sugar Creek, their camp on the west shore of the Mississippi, the pioneer company reached Council Bluffs on the Missouri. Following them, across the entire territory of Iowa, was a slow-moving train of hundreds of wagons. They were to continue to filter out of Nauvoo and move over the rolling Iowa hills all of that summer and late into the year." [Gordon B. Hinckley, Truth Restored: A Short History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, pgs 82-86] 

It was in the midst of these travails that Come, Come, Ye Saints was penned. On April 15, 1846, the "Camp of Israel" was encamped at Locust Creek, near the present Iowa-Missouri border. William Clayton, who shouldered much official responsibility in the company, was frustrated at the slow progress of the camp plus the burdens of caring for a large family. On this day there came news that his fourth wife, Diantha, who had been left behind in Nauvoo because she was pregnant and unable to travel, had given birth to a son, a "fine, fat boy," on March 30.

Now in a jubilant mood, Clayton sat down to write a new song, which he called "All Is Well."

Come, come, ye Saints, no toil nor labor fear,
But with joy wend your way.
Though hard to you this journey may appear,
Grace shall be as your day.
'Tis better far for us to strive
Our useless cares from us to drive;
Do this, and joy your hearts will swell --
All is well! All is well! 

With the words set to a popular English melody, the new song caught on immediatly. It became the anthem of the entire Mormon Pioneer epoch and is perhaps the song most closely associated with the LDS Church today. It speaks of optimism and assurance that ultimate joy awaits those who faithfully endure adversity. It is a remider to us, who have not suffered the hardships and depredations that these Mormon pioneers suffered, that we, too, can "with joy wend [our] way" through the trials and temptations we experience. 

Why should we mourn or think our lot is hard?
'Tis not so, all is right.
Why should we think to earn a great reward
If we now shun the fight?
Gird up your loins; fresh courage take.
Our God will never us forsake;
And soon we'll have this tale to tell --
All is well! All is well!

We'll find the place which God for us prepared,
Far away in the West,
Where none shall come to hurt or make afraid;
There the Saints will be blessed.
We'll make the air with music ring.
Shout praises to our God and King;
Above the rest these words we'll tell --
All is well! All is well!

And should we die before our journey's through,
Happy day! All is well!
We then are free from toil and sorrow, too;
With the just we shall dwell!
But if our lives are spared again
To see the Saints their rest obtain,
Oh how we'll make this chorus swell --
All is well! All is well!

"The Fire of the Covenant"

By the summer of 1846, most of the Mormons had left Nauvoo, but in the fall some 700 still remained.  These were the poor and destitute who did not have the resources to cross the plains.  The enemies of the LDS Church became impatient and forced these poor souls out of Nauvoo.  When word reached Brigham Young at Winter Quarters he called for rescue parties to go back to Nauvoo.  The saints at Winter Quarters were not much better off than those who had been driven by mobs out of the City of Joseph.

In calling for rescue parties, Brigham Young reminded the saints of the Nauvoo Covenant, which they had made in the temple before leaving the city.  Each had made a covenant to not leave anyone behind, even if they had to sacrifice their own goods to bring them along.

"Now is the time for our labor," said President Young on September 28, 1846.  "Let the fire of the covenant, which you made in the house of the Lord, burn in your hearts like flame unquenchable!  Rise up, brethren, take your teams and wagons and go straightaway to the Mississippi and bring a load of the poor back here where we can help them find shelter for the winter."

One of those present at Winter Quarters that day was James G. Willie who ten years later, in 1856, would lead the fourth company of handcarts across the plains to the Salt Lake Valley.  A fifth company led by Edward Martin would follow.  Both companies left late in the season and were caught in the snow in what is now the state of Wyoming.  When word reached Salt Lake City of these two companies, Brigham Young would again issue a call for rescue parties.

"That is my religion," said the prophet on October 5, 1856.  "That is the dictation of the Holy Ghost that I possess.  It is to save the people!  We must bring them in from the plains."  After detailing the number of wagons, mule teams and drivers needed, he went on, "Let me make myself perfectly clear.  I will tell you all that your faith, all your religion, and all your profession of religion will never save one soul of you in the celestial kingdom of God, not unless you carry out just such principles as I am now teaching you.  Go and bring in those people now on the plains!  Attend strictly to those things which we call temporal duties, otherwise your faith will be in vain.  The preaching you have heard will be in vain to you, and you will sink to hell, unless you attend to the things we tell you."

Today we are called to a different kind of rescue mission.  Young men and women are called to serve full time missions to preach the gospel and to gather in the tribes of Israel.  The rest of us are called to be member missionaries, to share the gospel with our friends and to work with the full-time missionaries in finding for them people to teach.  Like the saints in Nauvoo, we too have made covenants, and the fire of those covenants can burn within us like an unquenchable flame.

For many gathering to Zion between 1846 and 1869, it was the fire of the covenant that sustained them as they crossed the plains.  Pioneers crossing the Oregon, California and Mormon trails spoke about "seeing the elephant"; this phrase meant that somewhere along the trail the enormity of the task of crossing the overland trail was impressed upon them.  Today we may feel that our calling to share the gospel is an enormous one, and we may shrink from it.  There may be days on a mission when an elder or a sister might feel that the fire of the covenant is not burning very brightly within them.

A character in Gerald Lund's novel of the Willie and Martin handcart companies, Fire of the Covenant, felt that way after her company had been rescued only to find that they still had to walk the trail to get to the Valley.  This led another character to ask, "Do you have even the slightest doubt about whether God lives, about whether His Son came to earth and lived and died so that we might live again?"  The first character answered, "No, I have not the slightest doubt."

"Then why do you say that the fire of the covenant has gone out in you," asked the second character.  "Don't you see?  It is the fire that drives us.  It is our faith in the Savior that sustains us.  That is what give us the strength to go on, even now as we start this terrible day."  Though rescued, this party was about to cross one of the most difficult parts of the trail known as Rocky Ridge.  "And it is our faith in Jesus Christ and His sacrifice that allows us to say, 'And should we die before we reach Rock Creek this night, then happy day!  All is well."

It is through faith in Jesus Christ that we may find the strength and courage we need on our most difficult days.  The fire of the covenant may be burning brightly within us even when we are discouraged.  So, "Gird up your loins; fresh courage take. Our God will never us forsake! And soon we'll have this tale to tell -- All is well! All is well!"

Put Your Shoulder to the Wheel

Discouragement is something most missionaries will experience, when they do, this would be a good quote to remember:

"The Lord would want you to be successful.  He would.  You are His sons and daughters.  He has the same kind of love for you that your earthly parents have.  They want you to do well and you can do it."

That was President Gordon B. Hinckley in 1997, three years later he had this to say:

"The Learning process is endless.  We must read, we must observe, we must assimilate, and we must ponder that to which we expose our minds.  I believe in the evolution of the mind, the heart, and the soul of humanity.  I believe in improvement.  I believe in growth.  There is nothing quite as invigorating as being able to evaluate and then solve a difficult problem, to grapple with something that seems almost unsolvable and then find a resolution."

Missionaries will have many opportunities to learn and grow.  For some, success on a mission may be defined by their personal growth and the evolution of their heart, mind and soul.  Even to achieve other types of success on a mission, elders and sisters need to learn and prepare, including studying and pondering the scriptures.  The Lord has promised, "If ye are prepared ye shall not fear" (Doctrine and Covenants 38:30).  So,

Put your shoulder to the wheel; push along,
Do your duty with a heart full of song,
We all have work; let no one shirk.
Put your shoulder to the wheel.

The world has need of willing men,
Who wear the worker's seal.
Come, help the good work move along;
Put your shoulder to the wheel.

The Church has need of helping hands,
And hearts that know and feel.
The work to do is here for you:
Put your shoulder to the wheel.

Then don't stand idly looking on;
The fight with sin is real.
It will be long but must go on;
Put your shoulder to the wheel.

Then work and watch and fight and pray
With all your might and zeal.
Push every worthy work along;
Put your shoulder to the wheel.

Put your shoulder to the wheel; push along,
Do your duty with a heart full of song,
We all have work; let no one shirk.
Put your shoulder to the wheel.

The First Door

From my missionary journal:

"February 5, 1988, Friday – We went tracting today for my first time.  Didn’t get in on any doors but it was great.  Elder Grounds took the first couple and then it was my turn.  We were on this U-shaped street with several houses on the long side and just two on the short side.  My door came on the last house when the lady of the house answered.  She stuck her head of the window above the door and asked who we were.  She wasn’t interested and so we moved on.  As we were walking around the house to where we had left our bikes we suddenly realized that we had knocked on the back door!"

As I would discover later, in many neighborhoods in Palo Alto, the residents had a courtyard with a gate which some would use as their front door while others left the gate unlocked so visitors could go to the actual front door.  Apparently, my companion thought the gate to this home's back yard area was actually a gate to a front courtyard, and that's why we went to the back door.  Oops!

For me, tracting didn't get any easier the next day:

"On my three or four doors I got in only one word, 'hi.' No one was interested and they knew who we were. But Californians, at least in this part of the state, are too polite to slam the door in your face. Even so, it was a pretty discouraging street."

My companions and I would encounter many reactions during the next two years, but I can't recall a single incident where the resident slammed the door in our faces.  Northern Californians had a reputation for being polite, on the roads as well as on their doorsteps; I have found it to be ironic that, considering the predominant religion, Utahn's have the opposite reputation, but I digress.

My companion got sick, so several days passed before we got out to work again.  After tracting without success in the morning, we went on team-ups with the other two elders in our apartment:

"We got to the street we had selected for tracting, and Elder Lewis (names have been changed to protect the innocent) and I started to go door-to-door. It was refreshing to be with a different elder. Right away I was more assertive; I even took the first door. We were coming to the end of one side of the street and we came to house number 915.

"It was my door and as I gave my approach the man who answered the door expressed some interest by asking how long it would take. I said 10 minutes. We stepped inside the gate and sat down at a picnic table in his front patio/courtyard area. Then we started to tell him about the Book of Mormon. He expressed interest and we asked him to read the book. He agreed and we gave him a copy. We also gave him our names and our phone number before leaving.

"Wow! I got in my first door! I’m really fired up. This will definitely help my confidence. Life is good!"

That was the my eighth day in Palo Alto; the slowness of the area, combined with my companion's health issues, were already weighing me down and I was feeling discouraged and lonely.  This area was a rather affluent one, and times were good.  I saw many BMWs, Mercedes-Benzes, Jaguars, and even some Italian super cars.  I heard rumors of a yellow Lamborghini Countach parked regularly in a downtown parking garage, but I never actually saw it.  In anycase, affluent areas can be difficult ones as prosperity can lead to spiritual complacency.  As we see over and over in the Book of Mormon, the Nephites tended to forget about God when they were prosperous.

After experiencing problems with my companion in the MTC, I was no doubt of a mind to be very cautious in dealing with my trainer and apartment mates.  Additionally, I allowed myself to feel intimidated by these three elders.  Actually, my district leader and his comp were good guys, but my trainer thought I was much too quiet and, perhaps, even blamed me for the members in the area not wanting us to teach their friends.  That was while we were together, much later he apologized and we became good friends.  Nonetheless, the two months we spent together were difficult, compounded by some health issues my comp was having.

On top of all of that, I didn't get any mail during my first two weeks and was experiencing money troubles due to my insistence on using an out of state checking account.  Eventually I started transferring money each month to an instate account which the mission had helped me set up when I arrived in the field.  Until I started doing that it was always a hassle, which often annoyed my comp, to go to the bank to get cash so I could by groceries.

As for the mail, that was probably my fault.  You can be too rigid in following certain rules, like writing home only on P-day.  I no doubt waited until my first P-day in Palo Alto to write home with my new address.  It is within the spirit of the law to drop a post card in the mail with a short note that all is well, so your parents will know you are okay as well as where to send letters.

When you're having a bad day or week, getting in a door tracting, or having the opportunity to teach someone can suddenly make it all worthwhile.

Gaining Favor In the Sight of Our Friends

We read in the seventh chapter of 1 Nephi, that the sons of Lehi returned to Jerusalem to "bring down Ishmael and his family into the wilderness" (verse 2).  What happened next is something the ward mission leader in my first area often referred to.

"And it came to pass that we went up unto the house of Ishmael, and we did gain favor in the sight of Ishmael, insomuch that we did speak unto him the words of the Lord" (verse 4).

Nephi doesn't tell us how he and his brothers gained Ishmael's favor; we can presume, however, that they didn't give him money, because they didn't have any.  They didn't give him land, for they were leaving Jerusalem behind for good.  What seems the most likely is that they performed some act of service.

"And it came to pass that the Lord did soften the heart of Ishmael, and also his household, insomuch that they took their journey with us down into the wilderness to the tent of our father" (verse 5).

Several centuries later, the sons of King Mosiah turned down the opportunity to rule the kingdom in order to go on a mission to the Lamanites.  They left Zarahemla and journeyed many days in the wilderness, "and they fasted much and prayed much that the Lord would grant unto them a portion of his spirit to go with them, and abide with them, that they might be an instrument in the hands of God to bring, if it were possible, their brethren, the Lamanites, to the knowledge of the baseness of the traditions of their fathers, which were not correct" (Alma 17:9).

As we will learn, the sons of Mosiah didn't march into the land of the Lamanites and start telling them that the traditions of their fathers was wrong.  After entering his first area, the land of Ishmael, Ammon was captured and taken before the king.  Nephites captured by the Lamanites were either killed, imprisoned or cast out of the land.  The king, asked Ammon if he wanted to live among the Lamanites, and the missionary answered, perhaps wryly, "Yea, I desire to dwell among this people for a time; yea, and perhaps until the day I die" (verse 23).

The king found this answer pleasing and ordered that Ammon's bands should be loosed.  Then the king offered one of his daughters to Ammon to be his wife, but this was against the rules of the mission.  Instead, Ammon offered to be a servant unto the king, and as a servant he was sent into the fields to watch the flocks.

We all know the story; some rustlers came and scattered the flocks, and Ammon's fellow servants started to panic.  The missionary assured them that everything would be fine and then set about gathering the flocks.  Again the rustlers came, and this time Ammon stood to face them.  The rustlers liked the odds, but Ammon cast stones at them with a sling, and this made them angry.  They came forth with there clubs only to have the Nephite cut their arms off with his sword.  Finally, the rustlers had had enough and they slinked away.

While his fellow servants hurried to report what had happened to the king, Ammon went to feed the king's horses and prepare his chariots.  When the king heard this, he was even more impressed.  Finally, with the horses and chariots prepared, Ammon appeared before the king who, for what was likely the first time in his life, was speechless.  Ammon turned to leave, but another servant said that the king would like him to stay.

"What wilt thou that I should do for thee, O king?" asked Ammon (Alma 18:14).  But the king remained silent, and an hour passed before Ammon again asked, "What desirest thou of me."  Again the king was silent, but now the missionary was filled with the spirit, and he discerned the thoughts of the king.

"Is it because thou hast heard that I defended thy servants and thy flocks, and slew seven of their brethren with the sling and sword, and smote of the arms of others, in order to defend thy flocks and thy servants; behold, is it this that causeth thy marvelings" (verse 16).  This may have been easy to guess, but what followed went to the root of the matter.

"I say unto you, what is it, that thy marvelings are so great?  Behold, I am a man, and am thy servant; therefore, whatsoever thou desirest, which is right, that will I do" (verse 17).  The king marveled at this, knowing that Ammon could discern his thoughts, for he had been wondering if the Nephite was the Great Spirit of Lamanite tradition.  Despite Ammon's declaration that he was just a man, the king asked him if he was this Great Spirit.

"I am not," answered Ammon.

"How knowest thou the thoughts and intents of my heart?" asked the king.  "Tell me by what power ye slew and smote off the arms of my brethren that scattered my flocks."

"Wilt thou harken unto my words," asked Ammon, "if I tell thee by what power I do these things? And this is the thing that I desire of thee.

"Yea," answered the king, "I will believe all thy words."

And so Ammon taught the king, and the Lord softened his heart and he was converted, being the first of thousands of Lamanites who would accept the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Ammon had gained favor in the sight of the king, just as the sons of Lehi had gained favor in the sight of Ishmael.

Like Ammon and Nephi, we should give Christlike service joyfully to our friends before extending, with love and respect, invitations to learn about the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.  We should first gain favor in the sight of our friends, if we don't they may be put off by our premature boldness.  We should have the patience to set the table before we eat.  If our friends decline our invitations, we should continue to be their friends and continue to give service, then they may know that our friendship is sincere and real, and not just a vehicle for telling them about our faith.

When members and missionaries work together, great things are brought to pass.

Flying Out

I arrived in the mission field on Wednesday, February 3, 1988, here are some excerpts from my missionary journal on leaving the MTC and flying out to San Jose, California:

"Monday and Tuesday were pretty hard.  On Monday we said good bye to the sisters in our district as well as to our afternoon teacher.  On our afternoon walk around the MTC we had a snowball fight, as we often did.  Tuesday morning we went for one last walk with our morning teacher.  Two or three snowballs were thrown, but that was it.  We crossed the street to where there was a good view of the temple and we all took pictures of the group with the temple in the background.  We took a photo of our morning teacher with all of our cameras around his neck as if he was a Japanese tourist.  Then we said goodbye to him

"During the afternoon we had a half-day P-day to get ready for our departure early the next morning.  After doing our laundry and writing some last letters home, we walked across the BYU campus to a pizza place and video store called Sounds Easy Pizza and Video.  One of our teachers had called ahead with our orders.  We paid for the pizzas and then went next door to a fast food place (then Hardee’s, now Burger King) to eat – we did buy drinks from the fast food place.  Many of us couldn’t eat our entire pizzas so we took them back to the MTC.  That night I traded a slice with someone and had my first taste of Hawaiian Pizza with pineapple and Canadian bacon.

"That night Elder Boyd K. Packer spoke at the Devotional; it was awesome.  Most of us decided to stay up instead of go to bed because we would have had to get up at 1:00 a.m. anyway.  We packed and talked.  A couple of elders did some Indian leg wrestling.  In one of the rooms we found a time capsule.  There were these square metal panels -- like a light switch or power panel but without a light switch or power outlet – and we decided to unscrew one.  That’s how we found the time capsule.  We decided to leave our own time capsule behind the panel.

"We checked out of our rooms at 2:30 a.m. and took our luggage up to the lobby of the main building.  We got our airline tickets and then boarded the bus for the airport.  We arrived at Salt Lake International at 5:00 a.m.  An hour later we checked our bags and got our boarding passes.  At about 6:30 a.am I met my family at the gate.  We said some quick goodbyes and the San Jose group boarded our flight.

"As I sat on the plane, waiting for it to taxi, I couldn’t fight back the tears.  I realized then that I would not see my family for two years.  When I entered the MTC I had known that I would see them in just three weeks, so it no big deal, but now it hit me that this was for real.  As the plane started to taxi, the man sitting next to me asked me where I was going.  'San Jose, California.'  He said that the church was strong there.  We took off and I watched the sunrise out my window.

"We landed in Las Vegas and had a layover of about an hour before catching our flight to San Jose.  The terminal in Vegas, with the slot machines, was a surreal experience after three weeks in the Spirit World.  We arrived in San Jose at 9:30 a.m.  Before we deplaned, Elder Norton had the idea that we should switch our name tags as a joke.  So, when I got off the plane, down the stairs and into the terminal, I was wearing Elder Norton’s tag.

"I was the first to meet President Leo Douglas, our mission president.  At first President Douglas didn’t suspect anything as he greeted each of us by the name on the tags we were wearing.  But then he came to Elder Jacobsen who was wearing the tag of Elder Sanchez, a Spanish speaking elder who had joined our group for the trip.  When that tipped him off, our mission president started identifying us by our real names, based on the photos we had sent the mission office after we each received our calls.  After sorting us out, President Douglas started laughing, and it was in that moment that I knew I was going to love my mission president.

"We then went to baggage claim to get our luggage.  For some reason there was a delay in the arrival of one of my suitcases.  While we were waiting these two guys in street clothes came up to us and started chatting.  In a matter of moments the conversation got tense, and soon we were having a bible bash.  It was then that the two gentlemen revealed that they were missionaries.  They were assigned to the mission office as mechanics and were there to pick us up.  They took us to the mission office for a quick tour, and then to the mission home for a nap, lunch and orientation.

"That night we had a testimony meeting in which we also partook of the sacrament.  For the second time that day I battled the tears.  I realized that after the next day I might never see these friends again.  It amazed me how we elders of the Foster City District could all become such good, strong friends in only three weeks.  I was also a little bit frightened for the challenges that lay ahead.  I had done a lot of role-playing, teaching mock discussions to members, during eight months of missionary prep, but now I was aware that everything was going to get very real, and very soon."

The next day I met my trainer and we were off to Palo Alto, my first area.  We spent most of the afternoon settling in.  I bought a 12-speed bicycle, some sheets, and some food.  On Friday we went out tracting and I did my first door approach -- but that's another story.

Why Does Character and Integrity Matter?

"The Great Wall of China, built as an impenetrable defense against barbaric hordes to the north, is a magnificent structure," wrote Vice Admiral Thomas J. Kilcline, Captain Irv Elson and Commander Carlos Sardiello (all U.S. Navy) in the July 2010 issue of the U.S. Naval Institute's Proceedings. "Many believed the wall guaranteed that no army could penetrate the country's borders" they continued. "However, during the first hundred years of its existence, China was invaded three times. Not once was [the wall] torn down or scaled by invading armies. Rather, each time invaders entered by bribing a gatekeeper and simply marching through the gates. The Chinese had so relied on the physical integrity of the formidable stone walls that they overlooked the importance of ensuring the moral integrity of their soldiers."

To read more, see this old TWM blog post:

http://thewholemissionary.blogspot.com/2012/10/the-importance-of-character-and.html