Britsch Siblings Invade Cedar City

Chris Britsch retired this year and I thought that it would be nice to plan another trip which included her and Royden.  Most of the other trips and get togethers have been just the eight older siblings/spouses.

We came up with the idea of meeting in Cedar City, staying at a B & B together, seeing some plays and a few meals together.  Different people did different things and saw different plays.

On Thursday evening all of them, at various widely differing times, had bought tickets to "Charley's Aunt" but we had no idea that they all were going to do so and we had planned a get-together with the Bybees, Halladays, Marshalls, and Marion Whitney.  The Marshalls had to cancel but we had a wonderful time visiting with those friends and we got to see the Bybee's new one-level home.  He is not doing well and has fallen a few times with just the few stairs that they had in their other house.

One of the "tension points" which I had never imagined would be a problem was that the hostess asked us whether we would like an 8:30 or 9:30 breakfast.  Royden and Chris, Mike and Merlene, and David like to do something before 10:30 in the morning and we are used to eating about 7 AM so even 8:30 was later for us.  There was NO giving on the part of Judy, little from Charlotte and Lanny and Shirley really wanted to sleep in so we split into two groups for the first breakfast.  Royden and Chris took off to do some hiking and we went to see a friend but that was highly frowned upon by Charlotte because we were not staying with the group.

My thinking in getting reservations at a B&B was that at least we would all sit down to those two breakfasts, the dinner at Rusty's and the final play together but it was clear that if we were to have breakfast together who would need to change.

David took his medicine on an empty stomach while waiting and was not feeling well at all at the late breakfast.  But we were all at the table together, had good conversation and then went out and had the picture that is above snapped.

I am the self-appointed social chair for the group but think that I need to learn some lessons if I am going to arrange things in the future.  Breakfast times should be whenever people want them and the start of the day together should be sometime after the early risers return and the late risers have finished their breakfast.

As I say, that was the only tension point and I write it mostly to remember for the future.  Different people saw different plays except for Friday night when I had bought a block of tickets for the "Taming of the Shrew" which Fred Adams directed in the final year of the outdoor stage.  Mike and I saw Amadeus, South Pacific and the Taming of the Shrew.  They were all so different and sll excellent.

We got home around 2 PM yesterday.  It has been our Stake Conference weekend and there was one note that I took that I wanted to share.  Our Stake Patriarch spoke of the "Three Bear's" that we all need to obey.   1- Bear the name of Jesus Christ    2- Bear the burdens of others 3- Bear the burdens of Christ.

I just read a very interesting story about an early mission president in Samoa and Tonga. I believe that this took place about 1912 and President Nelson was only 23 years old.  It is long but a very inspiring story to me.

Taken from the book " Nelson Family History" -  John Nelson had served as Mission President in Samoa and Tonga and his daughters asked him to record the following story which he did in 1953.

March 15, 1953   President John A Nelson

My Dear Daughters,

Inasmuch as you girls have written and asked me to write some of

the experiences of my life, and Ruth has asked just recently, that

I tell the story of receiving the Tongan language as a gift from the

Lord (which in my way of thinking is the greatest experience and

testimony of my life) I will write this story to you today.

In order to give you the background why the Lord gave me the

gift of speaking the Tongan language, I would like to mention a

little of my work as a Missionary in the Samoan Mission up to

the time of receiving this gift.

The Tongan Islands, also known as the Friendly Islands, at this

time were under the direction of the Samoan Mission. There had

been an uprising among the natives, which necessitated the First

Presidency of the Church withdrawing the missionaries from the

Tongan Mission. Later on, when the people quieted down and

were not so war-like, the President of the Samoan Mission received

instruction from the First Presidency to send missionaries from

Samoa to preach the gospel.

The missionary work to Tonga was carried on this way for many

years. The Mission President would go from Samoa every three

months to hold conferences with the Tongan saints and the missionaries

assigned there. Many of the Saints had remained true to

the faith for many years, without any missionaries to keep them

on the straight and narrow path. When the missionaries came

back from Tonga, they had learned to speak the native Tongan

language. However, the President of the Mission lived in Samoa,

an expanse of water six hundred miles between the two groups of

Islands. He did not have the time necessary to learn the Tongan

language. Consequently, he would speak through an interpreter.

This is a slow way of preaching the gospel to a large audience of

Latter-Day Saints and investigators. There were three or four

Islands in the Tongan group, where the Mission President traveled.

On each Island, he would speak through an interpreter.

We used a young Tongan man, who had been educated in the

college in New Zealand and who spoke both Tongan and English

fluently, as our official interpreter. He was married, with several

children. He was an outstanding young man, with a good knowedge of the gospel.

We appreciated him very much and always felt

that he interpreted as correctly as he could.

In Tonga they have, what is called, “talking men.” These are men

who are highly respected and hold a great deal of influence with the

natives. Many of them were members of our Church. In almost

every meeting, one of these men would rise at his own discretion

and say something like this, “Why is it that the Tongan people

cannot have a Mission President who can speak our language?

Why do we have to have a man from Samoa, who must use an

interpreter to speak to us?”

I felt their disapproval very keenly and understood their requests.

I felt, too, that they should have their own mission. I heard this

request in almost every meeting that was held that first month

and a half while I was in Tonga. I felt sorry that I was not able

to communicate with these fine saints, and it frustrated me that

I was not able to speak their language.

Upon returning to the Mission headquarters in Apia, Upolu,

Samoa, I felt impressed to dictate a letter to President Joseph F.

Smith and his counselors, something to this effect:

Dear President Smith and Counselors,

I have just returned from a tour of the Friendly Islands, or the

old Tongan Mission and everywhere I went, this question was

put to me: Why can’t we saints in Tonga have a mission of our

own and a President who can speak our language?”

Sincerely your Brother,

John A. Nelson

I am sure that these brethren had been asked this question before

by other Mission Presidents. In due time, an answer came

back, signed by all three of the Presidency of the Church, to this

effect:

Dear President Nelson,

We received your letter relative to separating the Tongan Mission

from the Samoan Mission and we appreciated your concern.

However, it is our *recommendation that the time is not

right to divide this Mission. We want you to go back to Tonga,

in the course of your travels, and the Lord will bless you. We

desire you to continue handling the affairs of the Tongan Mission

from your office in Samoa.

President Joseph F. Smith, Anthon H. Lund, Charles W.

Penrose First Presidency, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-of Latter Day Saints

In about three months from my first visit to Tonga, I boarded the

good old steamship, Sonoma, from America. After about three

days of sea-sickness, stopping here and there at small islands to

unload cargo, I arrived at Vavau, the first Island of the Tongan

group. It usually took from one month to six weeks to accomplish

my work, according to the schedule of the boats. I had in my mind

the instructions that the First Presidency had given me: “Return

to Tonga and the Lord will bless you.’’

I felt very humble and weak as I contemplated our Conference

meetings and the fact that I again had to speak through the interpreter

bothered me greatly. It was very frustrating to me. I

would begin with a few words, such as, “I am happy to be here

this morning,” then I would have to wait for the interpreter to tell

them what I had said in Tongan.

As our ship pulled into the Vavau harbor, I looked down and

saw three of our missionaries waiting to greet me. After a delay

of several hours, while our luggage was inspected for any Samoan

coconut beetle that might be carried in, I was allowed to go ashore

and Elder Jaynes, one of the Elders who had come to greet me, said,

“President Nelson, I have a meeting appointed on one of the little

Islands about a half- mile from the Mainland. I am going out in

a row boat and would like you to come and go with me.”

I immediately answered, “Elder Jaynes, I would be very happy to

go with you tonight, as I have no other meetings scheduled, but

I understand only a very little of the Tongan language and can

speak only a few sentences. I do not know enough of the language

to do you any good.

When we arrived at the Mission Home, Elder Jaynes again approached

me with the thought of going out to this little Island

with him. I again turned him down, but it seemed as though he

would not let up on the subject. Finally, I said, “Elder Jaynes, if

you want me to go so much, I will, even though I cannot understand

or speak the language.’’

Elder Jaynes had been in the Islands about three years. He was

to return home to his loved ones in America in a short time. He

had a very good speaking knowledge of the language and he understood

the people in Tonga. He was well-versed in the scriptures

on the first principles of the gospel. All-in-all, he was an excellent

missionary.

It took about a half hour to row out from the Mainland to the

little Island where the meeting was to be held. Elder Jaynes had

been granted the privilege of holding a meeting in the chapel of

the Church of England. All of the people on this Island belonged

to this same church, some three hundred in all. The Minister

had given his permission, perhaps with a motive in his mind. He

could keep an eye on the missionaries and hear what was told

to his people and he did not want the missionaries to go into the

private homes to do their proselyting.

The Church was one of the long sugar-cane-thatched buildings

with lattice work all around so that a person could enter the building

at any point. It was much like the Salt Lake Tabernacle. The

people gathered when the bell, or pate, sounded. In that country,

the people all attended church. It was not long until the beautiful

grass, immediately on the outside of the church, was covered with

devoted members of the Church of England. The minister and

a few others entered and sat in the center of the building. The

remainder sat on the grass, knowing that they could hear quite

well from the outside.

Elder Jaynes took a seat with me at one end of the large hall, near

the only door where a person could enter standing straight up.

In fact, the little bench on which we sat, was the only seat in the

church. The natives always sit cross-legged on the floor, with fine

mats under them. I was sitting near the door, with Elder Jaynes

on my left.

The “saints” all joined in a hymn Elder Jaynes suggested. The

Islanders all love to sing, especially in large groups at a church

meeting. He then offered a nice prayer and while I could not understand

the words, I felt the spirit of it. A second song was sung,

after which Elder Jaynes gave a discourse on the first principles

of the Gospel.

When he had finished his sermon, he told the people that President

John A. Nelson, of the Latter-Day Saints Mission with headquarters

in Apia, Samoa, was going to speak to them in the Samoan

language, since he did not understand or speak Tongan. These

people did not understand Samoan, any more than I understood

Tongan. Since the Islands are a distance of 600 miles apart, it

was very rare to see a Tongan man or woman in Samoa.

As I arose to speak, a woman appeared in the doorway to my

right. I motioned for her to come inside. Since she was a Tongan

woman, I assumed she had come to attend the meeting. She shook

her head, indicating that she did not wish to sit down. Consequently,

left her standing near me in the doorway. Elder Jaynes

later said that he did not see her.

I had thought I would give a few sentences of greeting in the Tongan

language and then switch to Samoan. Just as I had ended the

few sentences I knew in Tongan, intending to switch to Samoan,

the woman in the doorway seemed to give me the words of the

Tongan language.

I did not hesitate for a single word. I continued speaking in

the Tongan language. It was as though I could see the words

as they came from her mouth, from her lips, to me and I

grasped them and went right on speaking in Tongan.

It was a revelation to these 300 or more people who were sitting

on the grass and in the chapel. Those who were sitting on the

outside began to come in. They realized that I had not known

the Tongan language, as Elder Jaynes had announced this fact

as he introduced me.

When the Lord gives a gift, he doesn’t do it haphazardly. It is

given in its complete form. I was speaking the Tongan language

as fluently as any native. There was no hesitancy in my speech.

The natives were astonished. Elder Jaynes looked at me in great

wonderment to realize that I was speaking in Tongan.

I bear my testimony to you, that I spoke to that group of people for

nearly an hour, in their own language. I told them of the restored

gospel. I told them of the Prophet Joseph Smith. I told them of

their lineage; that they were Israelites and the Lord loves them.

Because of this love, he had called missionaries to come 7,000

miles from America to teach them the great plan of salvation. This

plan had been restored to the earth in these latter days, through

the instrumentality of the Prophet Joseph Smith.

After the people sang one more beautiful song, Elder Jaynes closed

the meeting with prayer. He thanked the Lord for our being there

and for the experience we had just witnessed: the gift of tongues.

to a humble servant of the Lord. It is one of the greatest testimonies

of my life.

After the meeting, the minister came up and congratulated me.

I told him that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints

has all of the gifts and powers that were in the Church when

Christ was upon the earth. I told him that the gift of healing

and all of the other blessings enjoyed by the prophets of old, had

been re-established and sent to the earth again for the benefit and

blessings of mankind. He seemed to enjoy our discussion. However,

I realize that people do not join the Church just because of

a miracle. I never saw the woman in the doorway again. Elder

Jaynes repeated that he had never seen her at all. There was a

beautiful spirit and wonderful feeling of friendship and love felt

and expressed by many.

The next day at our Conference, I spoke fluently in the Tongan

language, not lacking for a word. I did not need an

interpreter. The letter that I had received from the First

Presidency of the Church, which said, “Return to Tonga,

and the Lord will bless you,” was certainly true. He did

bless me.

As we traveled from Island to Island and from Branch to Branch,

many of the people followed us. They were so eager to hear the

words of their Mission President, who had been given the gift

of tongues, the gift of the Tongan language. This was not only a

blessing to me, but also to the Tongan people. I learned to read

the Bible translated into the Tongan language and I studied so

that my pronunciation would be perfected.

From that time on, I never needed an interpreter to deliver my

messages to the Tongan saints. I never heard again, the request,

“Why can’t we have a Mission President who can speak our language?”

As true as I live today, I bear testimony that the gospel

of Jesus Christ, as revealed to us in this day and time, through

the instrumentality of Joseph Smith, is true. It is the one andonly true plan of salvation that God has revealed to the people

on earth today.

When I returned again to Samoa, I wrote the First Presidency of

the Church of my gift of the Tongan language, for it was indeed, a

gift. I have always recognized this experience as the most precious

testimony and gift that the Lord has ever given me.

There, Ruthie, is the story you have requested of the Gift of the

Tongan language. I am sending Joyce and Verda a copy of this

so that they can read it also and rejoice that we are all members

of the Church of Jesus Christ. I know that this is the only plan

God has given to His children, whereby they might be saved in

His celestial kingdom.

I love you, dear daughters,

Dad