--Gordon B Hinckley, "Stay on the High Road," Ensign, May 2004, 114
Mary Bommeli was my great-grandmother. I never met her. Her granddaughter heard her tell her story and wrote it down.
Mary was born in 1830. The missionaries taught her family in Switzerland when she was 24. She was still living at home, weaving and selling cloth to help support her family on their small farm. When the family heard the doctrine of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ, they knew it was true. They were baptized. Mary’s brothers were called on missions, going without purse or scrip. The rest of the family sold their possessions to go to America to gather with the Saints.
There was not enough money for all to go. Mary volunteered to stay behind because she felt she could earn enough from her weaving to support herself and save for her passage. She found her way to Berlin and to the home of a woman who hired her to weave cloth for the family’s clothing. She lived in a servant’s room and set up her loom in the living area of the home.
It was against the law then to teach the doctrine of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Berlin. But Mary could not keep the good news to herself. The woman of the house and her friends would gather around the loom to hear the Swiss girl teach. She talked about the appearance of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ to Joseph Smith, of the visitation of angels, and of the Book of Mormon. When she came to the accounts of Alma, she taught the doctrine of the Resurrection.
That caused some problems with her weaving. In those days many children died very young. The women around the loom had lost children in death, some of them several children. When Mary taught the truth that little children were heirs of the celestial kingdom and that those women might again be with them and with the Savior and our Heavenly Father, tears rolled down the faces of the women. Mary cried too. All those tears falling got the cloth wet that Mary had woven.
Mary’s teaching created a more serious problem. Even though Mary begged the women not to talk about what she told them, they did. They shared the joyous doctrine with their friends. So one night there was a knock at the door. It was the police. They took Mary off to jail. On the way she asked the policeman for the name of the judge she was to appear before the next morning. She asked if he had a family. She asked if he was a good father and a good husband. The policeman smiled as he described the judge as a man of the world.
At the jail Mary asked for a pencil and some paper. She wrote a letter to the judge. She wrote about the Resurrection of Jesus Christ as described in the Book of Mormon, about the spirit world, and about how long the judge would have to think and to consider his life before facing the final judgment. She wrote that she knew he had much to repent of which would break his family’s heart and bring him great sorrow. She wrote through the night. In the morning she asked the policeman to take her letter to the judge. He did.
Later the policeman was summoned by the judge to his office. The letter Mary had written was irrefutable evidence that she was teaching the gospel and so breaking the law. Nevertheless, it wasn’t long until the policeman came back to Mary’s cell. He told her that all charges were dismissed and that she was free to go. Her teaching the doctrine of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ had opened eyes and hearts enough to get her cast into jail. And her declaring the doctrine of repentance to the judge got her cast out of jail.
--Henry B Eyring, "Teaching True Doctrine", Ensign, April 2009, 2-7
(For the full article, click on the title)
Sister Cathy wanted to share this fun fact with everyone. Aren't we just so proud of our choir?
The Mormon Tabernacle Choir's new album, "Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing: American Folk Hymns and Spirituals," knocked out an all-star cast of classical music heavyweights by taking the top spot on Billboard Magazine's classic overall music chart this week. The No. 1 ranking displaces such music artists as Il Divo, Placido Domingo and Andrea Bocelli.
"Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing" also earned the No. 1 spot on the classical crossover chart, No. 8 on the contemporary Christian chart, and cracked the Billboard Top 200 list coming in at No. 126.
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Billboard Classical Overall chart
Billboard Classical Crossover chart
Which interaction had the strongest influence on the father/son relationship? The long afternoon of fun or the few moments of anger, labeling, and bullying?"
(For the full article, click here)
Traffic began to build immediately. Mormons spontaneously posted the YouTube video on Facebook, discussed it on Twitter and sent it by e-mail to thousands of others, including their friends. By Saturday, the number of views passed 100,000 and kept climbing. By Sunday, it was noted as the number 1 video in the Internet “nonprofit” category in Brazil, India and other countries.
On Monday morning, views had reached close to a quarter million and reached the top of the Viral Video Chart, which identifies the most popular “viral” videos — those that spread rapidly due to public dissemination.
Remember this video? If you haven't seen it, scroll down to 10 April and watch this awesome video. You'll love it!
"Do we really comprehend, do we understand the tremendous significance of that which we have? This is the summation of the generations of man, the concluding chapter in the entire panorama of the human experience.
"But this does not put us in a position of superiority. Rather, it should humble us. It places upon us an unforgiving responsibility to reach out with concern for all others in the spirit of the Master, who taught, 'Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself' (Matthew 19:19). We must cast out self- righteousness and rise above petty self-interest."
--Gordon B Hinckley, "The Dawning of a Brighter Day," Ensign, May 2004, 83-84
Because of the Savior’s resurrection we will overcome death and become the beneficiaries of His mercy and grace. In a world of trouble and uncertainty, His peace fills our hearts and eases our minds. Jesus is in very deed “the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6).
We give our sure witness that Jesus is the Christ. Though He was crucified, He rose triumphant from the tomb to our everlasting blessing and benefit. To each member of the human family He stands as our Advocate, our Savior, and our Friend.
--Thomas S Monson, Henry B Eyring, Dieter F Uchtdorf
"The Lord has promised us that as we 'search diligently, pray always, and be believing, . . . all things [will] work together for [our] good' (D&C 90:24). That doesn't mean that everything will be perfect or that we will not have any trials, but it does mean that everything will be okay if we just 'hang in there.' Ours is the opportunity to 'be . . . an example of the believers' (1 Timothy 4:12), and the Savior has promised that 'all things are possible to him that believeth' (Mark 9:23). So believe in yourselves. Believe that you are never alone. Believe that you will always be guided."
--Elaine S Dalton, "Believe!", Ensign, May 2004, 110
