Online Collections of Civil War Records Updated for Memorial Day

If you have an ancestor who served in the American Civil War, it may now be easier to find information about that relative online. In conjunction with Memorial Day, FamilySearch.org is announcing significant updates to its Civil War historic records collections available online.

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President Abraham Lincoln meets with soldiers during the Civil War.© All rights reserved.

A new landing page provides a quick overview of the vast array of historic records and resources from federal and local sources for those researching casualties and veterans of the Civil War, also known as the War Between the States, which took place from 1861 to 1865. More than 600,000 soldiers were killed in what remains the bloodiest conflict in the history of the United States.
The Civil War collections include: Union and Confederate pension records, service records, prisoner of war records, pictures and information about key figures from the Civil War, including President Abraham Lincoln; Ulysses S. Grant, commander of the Union armies; and Robert E. Lee, general of the Confederate Army.
The searchable records are available by state from sources such as widow’s pension records and headstones of deceased Union soldiers. United States census records from 1850 and 1860 help locate those who lived at the time of the Civil War. Locating African American Civil War ancestors is possible through Freedmen’s Bank and Bureau records, including correspondence and marriage documents. 
“Each soldier family has a story, and these stories are handed down from generation to generation,” said Ken Nelson, collection manager for FamilySearch, a nonprofit volunteer-driven group sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. “When you want to get the particulars of what that service was, you start going to these government records that document this service.”
Nelson said the census data gives people a “glimpse of what the towns looked like prior to the war.” He explained the state information is useful because “a majority of the men were in volunteer regiments raised out of counties and towns. These regiments represented their homes.”
Women also contributed to the war effort by serving as nurses and working in soldier aid societies that sent supplies to the front. Nelson said many of their stories are preserved in letters and diaries.
Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, is an outgrowth of the Civil War. Union veterans of the Civil War formed the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) in 1866, which was instrumental in organizing an annual event honoring the war dead from the Northern states by placing flowers on their graves. The first official observance of Decoration Day was held on 30 May 1868 at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia, which is commemorating its 150th anniversary.
Southern states didn’t honor Decoration Day until the end of the First World War in 1918, when the holiday began honoring the American dead from all wars. Decoration Day was officially established as Memorial Day, the last Monday in May, when President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the law in 1971.
“If you think about it, veterans themselves perpetuated Memorial Day,” said Nelson. “A lot came out of the Civil War. We saw the beginnings of national cemeteries.”
Today, the observance has also evolved to include family and friends. Flags are also placed on graves at Arlington and in many cemeteries across the country to honor veterans. This year, Memorial Day will be held in the United States on Monday, 26 May.
“I’ve enjoyed working with these records because they tell a story and these lives are relived through these records,” added Nelson, who said that additional military records will be added to FamilySearch’s database as more indexing work is completed.
Those who have photos, stories and correspondence of family members who served in the armed forces may also share those memories with future generations at FamilySearch.org.
“There are deeds that must not pass away and memories that must not wither,” reads a Civil War monument in the Mt. Olivet cemetery in Salt Lake City, Utah, dedicated on 30 May 1894. Some Civil War veterans are buried at Mt. Olivet and other cemeteries in the state.
Nearly 2 million veterans settled across the country when the Civil War ended in 1865.  Census information from 1890 counted 800 Union veterans in Utah.

After 25 years on the job, steelworker Lec Holmes is an expert in his field

After 25 years on the job, steelworker Lec Holmes is an expert in his field. But as he helps construct The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ second temple in Provo, Utah, he admits it’s “not like a typical [construction] job.” Not typical because of its steep pitched roofs (he’s used to square buildings with flat roofs). Not typical because of the unity among the various parties involved in construction (he says “everybody gets along”). Not typical because Mormon temples are built to the highest standards (he notes that workers at the Provo site are “more conscious on the quality of work that's done here”).
Indeed, for those who live near them, the Church’s completed temples are “beautiful” structures, meant to last hundreds of years thanks to their high-quality materials and rigorous building standards.

 

This document explains the process of building a Mormon temple from start to finish. It shows that the creation of these sacred structures is much like the construction of any other building (leaders identify a need and select a site, and architects design and contractors build), but it is also unique in many ways because of the significant role temples play in Latter-day Saint theology.
Funding, Identifying a Need and Selecting a Site
First, it’s important to note that Mormon temples are built using Church funds set aside for that purpose and that the Church pays for the costs without a mortgage or other financing. “We’ve had a long-standing practice in the Church for well over 100 years that we don’t take loans or put mortgages on properties to build temples,” says Elder William R. Walker, executive director of the Church’s Temple Department. “So we would not build a temple unless we could pay for the temple as the temple was built.”
The Church seeks to provide opportunities for Mormons across the globe to access its temples. Eighty-five percent of members live within 200 miles (320 km) of a temple, and temple sites are generally located in areas with enough members (there’s no required number) to warrant construction, or where great distances exist between temples. Public announcements for new temples are usually made by the president of the Church at a general conference. 

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A worker applies gold leaf to the exterior of the Church's Kansas City Missouri Temple. The temple was completed in May 2012.© 2014 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.

Once the decision is made to build a temple in a certain area, the First Presidency then prayerfully chooses the precise spot on which to build — a pattern that has been in place since the Church’s beginnings. For example, soon after entering the Salt Lake Valley in July 1847, Brigham Young identified the block of land on which to build the Salt Lake Temple. And more recently, after the Church announced in 2008 that it would build a temple in Kansas City, Missouri, President Dieter F. Uchtdorf of the First Presidency (at Church President Thomas S. Monson’s request) spent several days visiting many possible sites in the area. President Uchtdorf returned to Salt Lake City and recommended to President Monson the spot where the temple was eventually built.
Bill Williams, who has been a Church architect since 2003, says the Church looks for sites “that would have prominence, be in an attractive neighborhood, a neighborhood that would withstand the test of time.”
Design Phase and the Importance of “Sustainable Design”
After the temple site is selected and the Church determines how large the building should be (based on the number of members in the area), a team of Church architects creates potential exterior and interior designs.
While the purpose of each of the Church’s 140 temples is the same, many aspects of each structure’s inner and outer look and feel are unique, tailored to the local people and area. Williams says good architects "want to create something unique, something that has its own personality, and [Church leaders] allow us to do that” with temples. He adds that much can be done to make a temple unique, including “the decorative motifs, the kind of furniture, the interior accouterments, how articulate it is. It could be anything from the modern look that you see in the Washington D.C. Temple to something like the gothic, neoclassical look that you find in the Salt Lake Temple.”
To create a look and feel that is just right for a specific temple, architects solicit a number of sources. For example, as the Church has designed its future temple in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Williams says his team met with locals to “understand the nature of the people, the country that they live in, the Mormons that are there and how we can better fit the temple” to them.
A critical aspect of the planning process is “sustainable design,” a concept that Williams says seeks to reduce a temple’s long-term operational cost. “Whatever we can do to make the environmental systems, the mechanical systems energy efficient, to make the interior materials have longevity so that they don't wear out straightaway, anything we can do to conserve water, it's great for us as the owner because it makes that long-term cost less. That's what it means to be sustainable.”
And with a temple’s complex systems, sustainability is no easy feat. “We’ve got thousands of systems and components that all have to work in harmony,” says Jared Doxey, the director of architecture, engineering and construction in the Church’s Physical Facilities Department. “And getting everything the way it was designed at the highest quality, it's a very complex maze of issues that have to just be 100 percent right.”
In selecting building materials, the Church settles for nothing but the best. The pattern for this, Elder Walker says, is found in the description of Solomon’s Temple in 1 Kings 7 in the Bible. “They used the finest materials and the finest workmen to build the temple. And that’s the pattern we follow,” Elder Walker says. “Not to be ostentatious, but to be beautiful in a wonderful tribute to God.”
And the role of inspiration is most important to temple design, Williams says. “These are His houses, and we would like to make sure that everybody feels that responsibility, so that when we begin design meetings, we start with a word of prayer.”
The design process can take up to two years, and Elder Walker notes that all along the way — “from architectural detail clear down to colors and carpet swatches” — the First Presidency is involved and provides final approvals.

why do doctors not treat the poor

Hello again today is such a good day but a lot of thinking and thoughts go into today. Today I had a issue I can be paying no copays with one insurance sounds good right but they would switch me to a plan I did not want to be on. I love ppo’s I can go anywhere but  it comes with a price but that is not what’s on my mind what is rely on my mind is why doctors take co pays up front and then tell you if you have no money we would not want to see you. Some of this is life threading and they don’t rely care it just drives me into the mad house. What I should do is report them the the ftc saying there with holding services that is life threading 

I need Thee ev'ry hour

119 I Need Thee Every Hour - 119 I Need Thee Every Hour .mp3

Found at bee mp3 search engine

I need Thee ev'ry hour,
Most gracious Lord;
No tender voice like Thine
Can peace afford.

Refrain:
I need Thee, O I need Thee!
Ev'ry hour I need Thee;
O bless me now, my Saviour!
I come to Thee.

I need Thee ev'ry hour;
Stay Thou nearby;
Temptations lose their pow'r
When Thou art nigh.

I need Thee ev'ry hour,
In joy or pain;
Come quickly and abide,
Or life is vain.

I need Thee ev'ry hour;
Teach me Thy will,
And Thy rich promises
In me fulfill.

I need Thee ev'ry hour,
Most Holy One;
O make me Thine indeed,
Thou blessed Son!

---

Story:
Several of the hymn stories in this book relate the trying experiences of the children of God and how their afflictions have been the material from which great hymns were written.

However, here's one which came into being through completely different and happier circumstances. It makes a refreshing and interesting change.

Annie Sherwood Hawks was bom in Hoosick, New York, on 28th May 1835. Even from an early age she was writing poetry and, at 14, had some published in a newspaper.

When she married, at 24, she moved to live in the Brooklyn area of New York. There, she and her husband joined the church whose pastor was the noted hymn writer and composer, Dr. Robert S. Lowry.

Dr. Lowry immediately recognised Mrs Hawks talent for writing and encouraged her to use it. In fact he even offered her a challenge. 'If you'll write the words,' he said, I'll write the music,' and he was as good as his word.

"I Need Thee Every Hour", was written in April 1872 and is thought to have been based on the exhortation of Jesus in John 15 verses 4 and 5.

'Abide in me, and I in you. As the
branch cannot bear fruit of itself,
except it abide in the vine; no more can
ye, except ye abide in me. I am the
vine, ye are the branches: he that
abideth in me, I am in him, the same
bringeth forth much fruit: for without
me ye can do nothing.'

The new hymn was first performed in November that year at the National Sunday School Convention in Cincinatti, Ohio. Very soon it was taken up by the famous evangelistic team of Moody and Sankey, who, it seems likely, did most to make it popular. It was translated into many other languages too; and even featured in the great Chicago World's Fair.

But what about the actual penning of those comforting lines?

Well, a short time before her death, on January 3rd 1918, Mrs Hawkes gave the full background story. I quote her own words.

'I remember well the circumstances under which I wrote the hymn. It was a bright June day, and I became so filled with the sense of the nearness of my Master that I began to wonder how anyone could live without Him, in either joy or pain. Suddenly, the words I need Thee every hour, flashed into my mind, and very quickly the thought had full possession of me.

Seating myself by the open windows, I caught up my pencil and committed the words to paper - almost as they are today. A few months later Dr. Robert Lowry composed the tune Need, for my hymn and also added the refrain.

For myself, the hymn, at its writing, was prophetic rather than expressive of my own experiences, for it was wafted out to the world on the wings of love and joy, instead of under the stress of great personal sorrow, with which it has often been associated.

At first I did not understand why the hymn so greatly touched the throbbing heart of humanity. Years later, however, under the shadow of a great loss, I came to understand something of the comforting power of the words 1 had been permitted to give out to others in my hours of sweet serenity and peace.'

It must have given the talented lady great satisfaction to write something which has been such a blessing to so many.

I need Thee every hour,
Most gracious Lord;
No tender voice like Thine,
Can peace afford.

I need Thee, O I need Thee!
Every hour I need Thee:
O bless me now my Saviour!
I come to Thee.

The 100 Most Popular Christian Hymns

The 100 Most Popular Christian Hymns
A Mighty Fortress Is Our God
Abide With Me
Alas And Did My Savior Bleed?
All Creatures of our God and King
All Hail The Power of Jesus' Name
All The Way My Savior Leads Me
Amazing Grace
Are You Washed in the Blood?
At Calvary

Battle Hymn of the Republic
Be Thou My Vision
Before The Throne of God Above
Blessed Assurance
Blest Be The Tie That Binds

Child of the King
Christ The Lord Is Risen Today
Cleanse Me
Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing
Count Your Blessings
Crown Him With Many Crowns

Day By Day
Doxology
Eternal Father, Strong To Save

Face To Face
Fairest Lord Jesus
Faith is the Victory
Faith of our Fathers
Fight the Good Fight


God Leads His Dear Children Along
God Will Take Care Of You
Great Is Thy Faithfulness
Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah

Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
Have Thine Own Way, Lord
He Hideth My Soul
He Is Coming Again
He Lives
His Eye Is On the Sparrow
Holy, Holy, Holy
How Firm A Foundation
How Great Thou Art


I Am Thine, O Lord
I Love To Tell The Story
I Need Thee Ev'ry Hour
I Surrender All
I'd Rather Have Jesus
I'll Fly Away
In the Garden
In The Hour of Trial
In The Sweet By and By
It is Well

Jesus, Lover Of My Soul
Jesus Loves Me
Jesus Paid It All
Just As I Am

Leaning on the Everlasting Arms
Lord I'm Coming Home
Love Divine, All Loves Excelling
Love Lifted Me

Moment By Moment
More Love To Thee
Morning Has Broken
My Faith Looks Up To Thee

Nearer My God, To Thee
No One Ever Cared for Me Like Jesus
Now We Thank All Our God

O Come All Ye Faithful
O For A Thousand Tongues To Sing
O Holy Night
O Little Town of Bethlehem
O Worship The King
Old Time Religion


Pass Me Not, O Gentle Savior
Peace, Perfect Peace
Praise Him! Praise Him!
Precious Lord Take My Hand

Rescue The Perishing
Revive Us Again
Rock of Ages

Safe in the Arms of Jesus
Saviour, Like a Shepherd Lead Us
Softly And Tenderly Jesus Is Calling
Standing on the Promises

Take My Life and Let It Be
Take Time To Be Holy
The Old Rugged Cross
There Is A Fountain
There Is Power In The Blood
Till The Storm Passes By
Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus
Trust And Obey

Victory In Jesus

What A Day That Will Be
What A Friend We Have in Jesus
What Child Is This?
When I Survey The Wondrous Cross
When The Roll Is Called Up Yonder
When We All Get To Heaven
Wherever He Leads, I'll Go

Yesterday, Today, Forever

Gloria in Excelsis Deo - (Angels We Have Heard On High)

my mormon profile

Hi I'm Thomas Miller

i am a blogger and i am a mormon

About Me

i own a bunch of blogs and web sites and i am one of the frist members that workt for norwegen cruse lins in the pride of America group

Why I am a Mormon

because i know its the true church after looking at every church that is out their i feel like every one is a big family

How I live my faith

treat people with respect and trust the holy ghost. and live one day at a time as what my heavenly father wants me to

Charity in the book of mormon

• Knowledge puffs up, but charity edifies:1 Cor. 8:1;
• Charity, a pure love, excels and exceeds almost all else:1 Cor. 13;
• The end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart:1 Tim. 1:5;
• Add to brotherly kindness charity:2 Pet. 1:7;
• The Lord has commanded that all men should have charity:2 Ne. 26:30; ( Moro. 7:44–47; )
• See that ye have faith, hope, and charity:Alma 7:24;
• The love that the Lord has for men is charity:Ether 12:33–34;
• Without charity men cannot inherit that place prepared in the Father’s mansions:Ether 12:34; ( Moro. 10:20–21; )
• Moroni wrote Mormon’s words on faith, hope, and charity:Moro. 7;
• Charity qualifies men for the Lord’s work:D&C 4:5–6; ( D&C 12:8; )
• Clothe yourselves with the bond of charity:D&C 88:125;
• Let thy bowels be full of charity:D&C 121:45;

News you can use lds news

Church Continues to Monitor Mormon Missionary Safety in Ukraine

News Release — 9 May 2014Due to ongoing uncertainty in Ukraine, 67 missionaries formerly serving in the Ukraine Donetsk Mission who had previously been transferred to other areas within Ukraine will be reassigned to missions within their home countries to complete the remainder of their service. Forty-one missionaries who anticipated serving in Ukraine have been reassigned to other missions.
Full Story »

#ItWasMom: New Church Video Honors Mothers

News Story — 8 May 2014The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints launched a Mother’s Day initiative Wednesday to celebrate the divine calling of mothers and women around the world. The initiative includes a YouTube video titled “It Was Mom,” which depicts all that a mother does in the lives of her children.
Full Story »

Apostles Using Twitter to Share Gospel, Communicate With the World

Blog Post — 7 May 2014The Church has maintained official Facebook and Google+ pages on the behalf of Church leaders for some time now. Some senior Church leaders will now be using those channels and Twitter to personally share their words, thoughts and teachings.
Full Story »

Mormon Helping Hands Volunteers

Participate in Arkansas Tornado Cleanup

News Story — 6 May 2014Hundreds of Mormon Helping Hands volunteers gathered in central Arkansas on Saturday, 3 May 2014, to help clean up debris in communities devastated by recent tornadoes. Storms tore through the area on 27 April, destroying hundreds of homes and businesses in the communities of Vilonia, Mayflower and surrounding towns.
Full Story »

Church Dedicates Fort Lauderdale Florida Temple, 143rd in the World

News Release — 4 May 2014The Church’s 143rd temple and Florida’s second was dedicated on Sunday, 4 May 2014. President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, second counselor in the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, presided over the dedicatory services.
Full Story »

Mormons Around the World: Country Newsroom Websites | 2 May

Blog Post — 2 May 2014MormonNewsroom.org pulls stories from its international Newsroom websites to show what leaders and members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints around the world are doing to better the communities in which they live.
Full Story »

Elder Holland Surprises Mormon Youth Preparing for Cultural Event in Fort Lauderdale

Blog Post — 1 May 2014During a trip to Florida last week, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was in Plantation to make a surprise visit to more than 1,200 Latter-day Saint youth. The young men and young women, ages 12 to 18, were at the Fort Lauderdale Stake Center on Saturday, 26 April 2014, to rehearse for the Fort Lauderdale Florida Temple cultural celebration.
Full Story »

The Process of Building a Mormon Temple

Background Feature — 30 April 2014The process of building a Mormon temple is much like the construction of any other building, but it is also unique in many ways because of the significant role temples play in Latter-day Saint theology. This article is about the construction of Mormon temples, of which The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints operates more than 140 across the globe.
Full Story »

Mormon and Seventh-day Adventist Leaders Discuss Faith, Family and Religious Freedom

Blog Post — 30 April 2014On Thursday, 24 April, Elder L. Tom Perry and Elder Ronald A. Rasband met with senior leaders of the Seventh-day Adventist Church at their worldwide headquarters in Silver Spring, Maryland. Elder Perry and Elder Rasband were warmly received, enjoyed a tour of the faith’s headquarters facilities and discussed opportunities for partnering on religious freedom initiatives.
Full Story »

Bay Area Interfaith Group Honoring
Christ Through Song and Service

News Story — 29 April 2014Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are joining fellow Christians in the Bay Area for a fourth-straight year to honor Jesus Christ through song and service.
Full Story »

The Church’s 143rd temple and Florida’s second was dedicated on Sunday, 4 May 2014

Salt Lake City — 
The Church’s 143rd temple and Florida’s second was dedicated on Sunday, 4 May 2014. President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, second counselor in the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, presided over the dedicatory services.



The Fort Lauderdale Florida Temple was dedicated in three sessions, and broadcast to Church meetinghouses throughout the state and a few congregations in Georgia. Choirs composed of Latter-day Saints from within the temple district (a geographical area around the temple) provided the inspirational music for the cornerstone ceremony and dedication.

Multimedia View All

Joining President Uchtdorf were Elders D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, Ronald A. Rasband of the Presidency of the Seventy, and Kent F. Richards of the Seventy and Bishop Gary E. Stevenson, Presiding Bishop of the Church.
During the traditional cornerstone ceremony where the final block is cemented in place, President Uchtdorf remarked to those that gathered how the blue clear skies were a stark difference from the day before. “[The rain was] not only liquid sunshine which came down but might even be tears of joy which were shed from heaven because of this great event of the dedication of this Fort Lauderdale Temple.” To the young people, he remarked that the Church is looking forward to their participation in the temple. Sasha Capote, an 8-year-old girl from the Miami Lakes Stake, said thoughtfully, “When I’m older, I want to do temple work for my ancestors like my parents have talked to me about.”
To those who will walk around the temple grounds President Uchtdorf said, "Watch it [the temple] and enjoy the wonderful spirit the temple radiates at any time during the year.”
Approximately 1,200 local youth participated in a cultural celebration Saturday, 3 May 2014, the day before the temple dedication, at Nova Southeastern University in Davie, Florida. Through narration, song and dance the performance focused on the rich cultural heritage and history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in south Florida.
President Uchtdorf spoke during the program: "You will remember the days of this celebration of the dedication of the Fort Lauderdale Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints throughout your life. Wherever you will go, you will look back and think about this day, this time, this place, and remember the feelings, which are the feelings of goodness and how the Spirit was pressing upon your heart and mind that this work is the Lord’s work and you are a significant part of that.”
The temple will serve approximately 25,000 Church members from congregations in south Florida. The Orlando Florida Temple is the other temple in operation in Florida. It was dedicated in 1994.
Prior to the temple dedication, tens of thousands of people attended the three-week open house in March and April to view the interior rooms of the building and learn the purpose of temples. Florida Governor Rick Scott was one of several dignataries who toured the temple.
Latter-day Saint temples differ from the meetinghouses or chapels, where members meet for Sunday worship services. Temples are considered “houses of the Lord” where Christ’s teachings are reaffirmed through baptism and through other ordinances that unite families for eternity. In the temple, Church members learn more about the purpose of life and make covenants to follow Jesus Christ and serve their fellow-man.

April 2014 General Conference -- Priesthood Session

I grew up on a

I grew up on a farm near Burley, Idaho—a real “Idaho farm boy!” As such I learned:

1. 1. To work—if you don’t plant, you don’t harvest.
   
2. 2. To work smart—if you irrigate and fertilize, you harvest more.
   
3. 3. The importance of timing—if you don’t plant at the right time, an early frost can destroy the harvest.
   
4. 4. To do what is needed or ought to be done regardless of what is enjoyable, preferable, or convenient—you milk the cow when she needs to be milked, not when you want to.
   
5. 5. To be direct—with livestock and machinery involved, you don’t have time to “beat around the bush” or to worry about being politically correct. (In this respect, as I have served throughout the Church, I have often asked, “Do you want me to speak directly or with sugar?” As a rule the Saints have chosen “direct!” I will be direct today.)
   
6. 6. Finally, as an Idaho farm boy, I learned to stick to the basics.
   

Nothing is more basic to all of us, and our doctrine, than the truths of the first article of faith: “We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost” (Articles of Faith 1:1).

Further, He is our Heavenly Father, who knows us, loves us, and wants us to return to Him. Jesus is our Savior and Redeemer, who through the Atonement made it certain we will overcome death and live again and possible for us to be exalted and have eternal life. The Holy Ghost is our comforter, revelator, teacher, testifier, and guide.

Think of it, brothers and sisters—we are not spiritual orphans! We are not alone.

What are the advantages of having parents—of not being an orphan? We can learn from them, benefit from their experience, avoid pitfalls they warn us about, and understand better because of their perspective. We don’t have to be lost, confused, deceived, or less effective. This is especially true in the case of our Heavenly Father, who has taught us and shown us not just a way but the way.

God Has the Way

In fact, God has the way to live,¹ to love,² to help,³ to pray,⁴ to talk,⁵ to interact with each other,⁶ to lead,⁷ to marry,⁸ to raise children,⁹ to learn,¹⁰ to know the truth,¹¹ to share the gospel,¹² to choose wisely what we eat,¹³ etc.

Along with the scriptures, some great sources for finding the Lord’s way are True to the Faith, For the Strength of Youth, and other teachings of the living apostles and prophets.

1. 1. For example, the Lord has taught us in the scriptures:
   “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.
   “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:8–9).
   
2. 2. One of the evils of these last days is that “every man walketh in his own way” (D&C 1:16). In Proverbs we are warned to “be not wise in thine own eyes” and to “lean not unto thine own understanding” (see Proverbs 3:5–7).
   
3. 3. We are taught that if we do things the Lord’s way, He is bound to bless us and we have claim to His promises; and if not His way, we have no promise (see D&C 82:10).
   
4. 4. The Lord contrasted His way with our way in His training of the prophet Samuel, who was sent to find a new king: “But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7).
   
5. 5. Even with the universally accepted desire to help the poor and needy, the Lord concurs in our goal but warns, “But it must needs be done in mine own way” (D&C 104:16). Otherwise, in our efforts to help, we may actually hurt them. The Lord has taught us the need to promote self-reliance. Even if we are able to help, we should not give or provide what they can and should do for themselves. Everywhere it is tried, the world learns the evils of the dole. Truly God knows best.
   

Let’s consider some other examples. The Lord has the way to do missionary work. It is codified in the scriptures and in Preach My Gospel and implemented as guided by the Spirit.

The Lord has His way, or the way, to love. Those of the world say that what really matters is that two people love each other. Our Father in Heaven teaches that this is important, but He teaches us more: that there is an authorized way and time to express that love.

Governing Ourselves

Joseph Smith was taught from his youth the ways of the Lord. When asked how he led the Church, he explained that he taught correct principles and the members governed themselves.¹⁴ Brothers and sisters, our living apostles and prophets are still teaching correct principles. The question is “Are we using these principles to govern ourselves?”

One thing we have often been taught is to bloom where we are planted. Yet sometimes we are tempted to migrate to some new area, thinking our children will have more friends and therefore better youth programs.

Brothers and sisters, do we really think the critical factor in the salvation of our children is the neighborhood where we live? The apostles and prophets have often taught that what happens inside the home is far more important than what our children encounter outside. How we raise our children is more important than where we raise them.

Certainly there are other factors involved in deciding where to live, and thankfully, the Lord will guide us if we seek His confirmation.

Another question is “Where are we needed?” For 16 years I served in the presidency of the Houston Texas North Stake. Many moved to our area during those years. We would often receive a phone call announcing someone moving in and asking which was the best ward. Only once in 16 years did I receive a call asking, “Which ward needs a good family? Where can we help?”

In the early years of the Church, President Brigham Young and others would call members to go to a certain place to build up the Church there. The irony is that even now we have faithful Church members everywhere who would go anywhere the prophet asked them to go. Do we really expect President Monson to individually tell more than 14 million of us where our family is needed? The Lord’s way is that we hearken to our leaders’ teachings, understand correct principles, and govern ourselves.

Especially Important

With all that is happening in the Church today, and as the Lord is hastening His work on every side, it is even more critically important that we do all we do in His way!

Especially in the work of salvation, we learn that “in the gift of his Son hath God prepared a more excellent way” (Ether 12:11). The doctrine of Christ “is the way; and there is none other way nor name given under heaven whereby man can be saved in the kingdom of God” (2 Nephi 31:21).

Conclusion

As we see so many in the world today living in confusion or, worse, wandering in forbidden paths and suffering unnecessarily the consequences of poor choices, it makes me want to exclaim as did Alma:

“O that I were an angel, and could have the wish of mine heart, that I might go forth and speak with the trump of God, with a voice to shake the earth, and cry repentance unto every people!

“Yea, I would declare unto every soul … the plan of redemption, that they should repent and come unto our God [and His ways], that there might not be more sorrow upon all the face of the earth” (Alma 29:1–2).

Again, I witness the Lord has the way! Our Heavenly Father knows us, loves us, and wants to help. He knows best how to help. We are not spiritual orphans!

Our Savior, Jesus Christ, is “the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6; see also Alma 38:9). His way is based on eternal truth and leads us to “peace in this world, and eternal life in the world to come” (D&C 59:23). I so testify in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Behold Thy Mother

One summer day I stood alone in the quiet of the American War Memorial Cemetery of the Philippines. A spirit of reverence filled the warm tropical air. Situated among the carefully mowed grass, acre upon acre, were markers identifying men, mostly young, who in battle gave their lives. As I let my eyes pass name by name along the many colonnades of honor, tears came easily and without embarrassment. As my eyes filled with tears, my heart swelled with pride. I contemplated the high price of liberty and the costly sacrifice many had been called upon to bear.

My thoughts turned from those who bravely served and gallantly died. There came to mind the grief-stricken mother of each fallen man as she held in her hand the news of her precious son’s supreme sacrifice. Who can measure a mother’s grief? Who can probe a mother’s love? Who can comprehend in its entirety the lofty role of a mother? With perfect trust in God, she walks, her hand in his, into the valley of the shadow of death that you and I might come forth unto life.

“The Name of Mother”

“The noblest thoughts my soul can claim.

The holiest words my tongue can frame,

Unworthy are to frame the name

More sacred than all other.

An infant when her love first came,

A man, I find it just the same:

Reverently I breathe her name—

The blessed name of mother.”

—George Griffith Fetter

In this spirit, let us consider mother. Four mothers come to mind: first, mother forgotten; second, mother remembered; third, mother blessed; and finally, mother loved.

“Mother forgotten” is observed all too frequently. The nursing homes are crowded, the hospital beds are full, the days come and go—often the weeks and months pass—but mother is not visited. Can we not appreciate the pangs of loneliness, the yearnings of mother’s heart when hour after hour, alone in her age, she gazes out the window for the loved one who does not visit, the letter the postman does not bring. She listens for the knock that does not sound, the telephone that does not ring, the voice she does not hear. How does such a mother feel when her neighbor welcomes gladly the smile of a son, the hug of a daughter, the glad exclamation of a child, “Hello, Grandmother.”

There are yet other ways we forget mother. Whenever we fall, whenever we do less than we ought, in a very real way we forget mother.

Last Christmas I talked to the proprietress of a Salt Lake City nursing home. From the hallway where we stood, she pointed to several elderly women assembled in a peaceful living room. She observed, “There’s Mrs. Hansen. Her daughter visits her every week, right at 3:00 p.m. on Sunday. To her right is Mrs. Peek. Each Wednesday there is a letter in her hands from her son in New York. It is read, then reread, then saved as a precious piece of treasure. But see Mrs. Carroll; her family never telephones, never writes, never visits. Patiently she justifies this neglect with words which are heard but do not convince or excuse, ‘They are all so busy.’” Shame on all who thus make of a noble woman “mother forgotten.”

“Hearken unto thy father that begat thee,” wrote Solomon, “and despise not thy mother when she is old.” (Prov. 23:22.) Can we not make of a mother forgotten a “mother remembered”?

Men turn from evil and yield to their better natures when mother is remembered. A famed officer from the Civil War period, Colonel Higgenson, when asked to name the incident of the Civil War that he considered the most remarkable for bravery, said that there was in his regiment a man whom everybody liked, a man who was brave and noble, who was pure in his daily life, absolutely free from dissipations in which most of the other men indulged.

One night at a champagne supper, when many were becoming intoxicated, someone in jest called for a toast from this young man. Colonel Higgenson said that he arose, pale but with perfect self-control, and declared: “Gentlemen, I will give you a toast which you may drink as you will, but which I will drink in water. The toast that I have to give is, ‘Our mothers.’”

Instantly a strange spell seemed to come over all the tipsy men. They drank the toast in silence. There was no laughter, no more song, and one by one they left the room. The lamp of memory had begun to burn, and the name of “Mother” touched every man’s heart.

As a boy, I well remember Sunday School on Mother’s Day. We would hand to each mother present a small potted plant and sit in silent reverie as Melvin Watson, a blind member, would stand by the piano and sing, “That Wonderful Mother of Mine.” This was the first time I saw a blind man cry. Even today, in memory, I can see the moist tears move from those sightless eyes, then form tiny rivulets and course down his cheeks, falling finally upon the lapel of the suit he had never seen. In boyhood puzzlement I wondered why all of the grown men were silent, why so many handkerchiefs came forth. Now I know. You see, mother was remembered. Each boy, every girl, all fathers and husbands seemed to make a silent pledge: “I will remember that wonderful mother of mine.”

Some years ago I listened intently as a man well beyond middle age told me of an experience in his family history. The widowed mother who had given birth to him and his brothers and sisters had gone to her eternal and well-earned reward. The family assembled at the home and surrounded the large dining room table. The small metal box in which Mother had kept her earthly treasures was opened reverently. One by one each keepsake was brought forth. There was the wedding certificate from the Salt Lake Temple. “Oh, now Mother could be with Dad.” Then there was the deed to the humble home where each child had in turn entered upon the stage of life. The appraised value of the house had little resemblance to the worth Mother had attached to it.

Then there was discovered a yellowed envelope which bore the marks of time. Carefully the flap was opened and from inside was taken a homemade valentine. Its simple message, in the handwriting of a child, read, “I love you, Mother.” Though she was gone, by what she held sacred, Mother taught yet another lesson. A silence permeated the room, and every member of the family made a pledge not only to remember, but also to honor mother. For them it was not too little and too late, as in the classic poem of Rose Marinoni entitled “At Sunrise”:

“They pushed him straight against the wall,

The firing squad dropped in a row;

And why he stood on tiptoe,

Those men shall never know.

He wore a smile across his face

As he stood primly there,

The guns straight aiming at his heart,

The sun upon his hair.

For he remembered in a flash

Those days beyond recall,

When his proud mother took his height

Against the bedroom wall.”

Now that we have considered “mother remembered,” let us turn to “mother blessed.” For one of the most beautiful and reverent examples, I refer to the holy scriptures.

In the New Testament of our Lord, perhaps we have no more moving account of “mother blessed” than the tender regard of the Master for the grieving widow at Nain.

“And it came to pass … that he went into a city called Nain; and many of his disciples went with him, and much people.

“Now when he came nigh to the gate of the city, behold, there was a dead man carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow: and much people of the city was with her.

“And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not.

“And he came and touched the bier: and they that bare him stood still. And he said, Young man, I say unto thee, Arise.

“And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak. And he delivered him to his mother.” (Luke 7:11–15.)

What power, what tenderness, what compassion did our Master and exemplar thus demonstrate. We, too, can bless if we will but follow his noble example. Opportunities are everywhere. Needed are eyes to see the pitiable plight, ears to hear the silent pleadings of a broken heart. Yes, and a soul filled with compassion that we might communicate not only eye to eye or voice to ear, but in the majestic style of the Savior, even heart to heart. Then every mother everywhere will be “mother blessed.”

Finally, let us contemplate “mother loved.” Universally applicable is the poem recalled from childhood and enjoyed by children even today, “Which Loved Best?”

“‘I love you, Mother,’ said little John;

Then, forgetting his work, his cap went on,

And he was off to the garden swing,

Leaving his mother the wood to bring.

“‘I love you, Mother,’ said rosy Nell;

‘I love you better than tongue can tell’;

Then she teased and pouted full half the day,

Till her mother rejoiced when she went to play.

“‘I love you, Mother,’ said little Fan;

‘Today I’ll help you all I can;

How glad I am that school doesn’t keep!’

So she rocked the baby till it fell asleep.

“Then, stepping softly, she took the broom,

And swept the floor, and dusted the room;

Busy and happy all day was she,

Helpful and cheerful as child could be.

“‘I love you, Mother,’” again they said—

Three little children going to bed,’

How do you think that Mother guessed

Which of them really loved her best?

—Joy Allison

One certain way each can demonstrate genuine love for mother is to live the truths mother so patiently taught. Such a lofty goal is not new to our present generation. On this continent, in times described in the Book of Mormon, we read of a brave, a good, and noble leader named Helaman who did march in righteous battle at the head of 2,000 young men. Helaman described the activities of these young men: “… never had I seen so great courage, … as … they said unto me: … behold our God is with us, and he will not suffer that we should fall; then let us go forth; … Now they never had fought, yet they did not fear death; … yea, they had been taught by their mothers, that if they did not doubt, God would deliver them. And they rehearsed unto me the words of their mothers, saying: We do not doubt our mothers knew it. (Alma 56:45–48.)

At the end of the battle, Helaman continued his description: “… behold, to my great joy, there had not one soul of them fallen to the earth; yea, and they had fought as if with the strength of God; yea, never were men known to have fought with such miraculous strength; and with such mighty power. …” (Alma 56:56.)

Miraculous strength, mighty power—mother’s love and love for mother had met and triumphed.

The holy scriptures, the pages of history are replete with tender, moving, convincing accounts of “mother loved.” One, however, stands out supreme, above and beyond any other. The place is Jerusalem, the period known as the Meridian of Time. Assembled is a throng of Roman soldiers. Their helmets signify their loyalty to Caesar, their shields bear his emblem, their spears are crowned by Roman eagles. Assembled also are natives to the land of Jerusalem. Faded into the still night, and gone forever are the militant and rowdy cries, “Crucify him, crucify him.”

The hour has come. The personal earthly ministry of the Son of God moves swiftly to its dramatic conclusion. A certain loneliness is here. Nowhere to be found are the lame beggars who, because of this man, walk; the deaf who, because of this man, hear; the blind who, because of this man, see; the dead who, because of this man, live.

There remained yet a few faithful followers. From his tortured position on the cruel cross, he sees his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing by. He speaks: “… woman, behold thy son! Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother! …” (John 19:26–27.)

From that awful night when time stood still, when the earth did quake and great mountains were brought down—yes, through the annals of history, over the centuries of years and beyond the span of time, there echoes his simple yet divine words, “Behold thy mother!”

As we truly listen to that gentle command and with gladness obey its intent, gone forever will be the vast legions of “mothers forgotten.” Everywhere present will be “mothers remembered,” “mothers blessed,” and “mothers loved” and, as in the beginning, God will once again survey the workmanship of his own hand and be led to say, “It [is] very good.”

May each of us treasure this truth; one cannot forget mother and remember God. One cannot remember mother and forget God. Why? Because these two sacred persons, God and mother, partners in creation, in love, in sacrifice, in service, are as one.

May we, by our thoughts and our actions, honor God and mother, I pray humbly yet earnestly, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.